PinnedMember-onlyThe Death Doula DiariesPart One: When hospice failed us, we turned to alternative care and my dying mother is more at peace than ever — My mom’s been living with early-onset Alzheimer’s since she was about 58 but wasn’t diagnosed until age 61. Since then, we’ve gone through all the stages and progressions and plateaus, the aggressions, mood changes and sundowning. We’ve experienced all the ways the health care industrial complex cheats, abandons and ignores.Family4 min readFamily4 min read
PinnedMember-onlyWhat it’s like to quit alcohol without labeling yourself an alcoholic or going to AAIt seems like everywhere we turn these days, there’s a “sober challenge” on social media or a new “quit lit” book that hits bookstores. Sobriety is trending. This is not why I quit alcohol for good in 2018. I quit because I was drinking almost two bottles of wine a…Sobriety6 min readSobriety6 min read
PinnedIt’s Not You. It’s the Alcohol.For at least a year into my life as an ex-drinker, I began to hate lot of things I used to love. While I spent a lot of my energy trying to find ways sobriety would work best for me (meditation, yoga, reading, naps, puzzles, alone time), at the same…Alcohol4 min readAlcohol4 min read
May 2, 2022Member-onlyFive Signs You Should Fire YourselfYou’re a disaster. Go home. — I’ve had my fair share of toxic bosses. The most recent one told me he’d “fire me on the spot” if I ever again tried to reschedule a meeting so I could see my therapist after she had a last-minute cancellation. …Careers5 min readCareers5 min read
Apr 14, 2022Member-onlyWhen You Don’t Die Fast EnoughThe Death Doula Diaries Part Two: Untying Family Ties — My brother Chad and his family haven’t seen Mom in years, and for a long time I hated them for it. I felt like they should have been more present. They felt like they had a right to remember her the way she was. I felt like not visiting her…Parenting5 min readParenting5 min read
Mar 8, 2022Member-onlyStruggling? Hurting? Angry? Bend Your WallsMom and I have the exact same mole on the top of our feet. The size of a tiny eraser and perfectly round and pink, we’ve both had our twin beauty marks since we were children. …Health4 min readHealth4 min read
Feb 8, 2022Member-onlyWhen hospice abandons patientsIt happens more often than you think (and it’s not their fault). Two weeks ago, I received a phone call from my mom’s hospice nurse, Corey. “The medical team is thinking about live discharging your mom off of hospice services,” he said. …Health5 min readHealth5 min read
Nov 9, 2021Member-onlyShould we define alcohol use on a spectrum?The answer is “yes” and here’s why You can be a hard-on-your-luck, drinking first thing in the morning, get the DTs kind of drinker. Or you can be questioning whether or not your daily wine habit is healthy or not. Chances are, if you think about your drinking use as a possible problem in your life, it…Family3 min readFamily3 min read
Oct 25, 2021Member-onlyWhat An Athlete Taught Me About Overcoming AddictionThe healthiest people we know aren’t immune to alcohol use disorders and other addictionsAlcohol4 min readAlcohol4 min read
Oct 6, 2021Member-onlyWhy Running is the Ultimate Addiction Recovery ToolTurns out, doing things you’re not always good at is a good thing — Nine a.m. and it’s 80 degrees with an unseasonably warm and aggressive 15 mile-per-hour southerly wind. I’m lacing up my Brooks Levitate 5s and yanking up my high-waisted Lulu pants, setting my Garmin watch to “Run.” The GPS catches a signal, so I tap “Start” and slowly begin my daily…Addiction7 min readAddiction7 min read
