You know the drill by now—fight, flight, or freeze. These are the holy trinity of threat responses we’ve been taught to recognize. But what if I told you there’s a fourth response that’s been hiding in plain sight, one that might explain why you find yourself saying “yes” when every…

A few months ago, I found myself sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, running late to meet my friend, “Sarah” for dinner.  As I inched along the highway toward her neighbourhood (45 minutes from mine), a familiar pattern started to crystallize. Every dinner with Sarah followed the same script: I’d suggest getting…

Millions have now binged Nobody Wants This on Netflix (including me), and the show’s wild success highlights what women are craving in their relationships. If you haven’t seen it yet, Nobody Wants This is a rom-com inspired by Erin Foster’s real-life love story. It follows an outspoken, agnostic woman (Kristen Bell) who unexpectedly falls…

We’ve all heard the saying, “All you need is love.” But in my years of relationship coaching, I’ve learned an important truth: love alone isn’t enough to sustain a long-term, committed relationship. To build and maintain a healthy partnership, we need more than just feelings of love. We need skills.…

I was leaving a marketing job when I started Renew and Heart Hackers. Once I’d made the decision that I was going to build the tools that I wished I had when I went through a life-changing breakup, I decided to focus on that… and only that… building and teaching.…

I grew up in Vancouver–a city known for its dreary winter weather, but it wasn’t until recently that I made the connection between my sad moods in the winter and Seasonal Affective Disorder. As the seasons change, bringing shorter days and colder nights, many of us can find ourselves feeling…

During the pandemic, I moved from NYC to my hometown of Vancouver, Canada. I was eager to reconnect with my old community of friends once restrictions lifted. I’d coordinate dinners, host people in my home, and was the one who’d initiate plans. For a while, I shrugged, Oh, they’re busy. They have kids…

There are a few questions I get asked repeatedly when it comes to dating and timing. I thought it’d be helpful to share some of these questions and answers. When am I ready to start dating again (after a breakup/divorce)? If you’re waiting for the moment where you wake up…

It was straight out of a fairy tale. Flowers. Fancy dinners. Proclamations of how special our connection was. I was on cloud nine. Sold. I’m in. All in. Until the messages were less frequent. Then the effort to make plans started to wane. I found myself crawling out of my…

I unlocked the secret codes of life, connected to my partner’s soul, and jumped dimensions alongside a teenage mutant ninja turtle, all in 57 minutes. It sounds like a scene from an incoherent sci-fi movie, but no, it was what I experienced during my first time trying ketamine therapy. And…

Think about this for a moment: What if, when it comes to dating, what you don’t do matters more than anything else? Let’s say you want to get into shape and adopt a healthier lifestyle. To achieve this you not only need to workout regularly (To-do List), you also need…

In an interesting paradox, heterosexual single men have been lonelier than ever whereas heterosexual single women are happier than their male counterparts. Women aren’t settling anymore. Psychologist Greg Matos caused a social media uproar in last month when he published an article on the rise of single, lonely men and…

Can you Spot a Cheater? Apparently, there are 5 types of cheaters and very specific reasons why they stray. But first, let’s dig into a recent celebrity cheating scandal. A match made in Victoria’s Secret heaven? It seemed like Behati tamed the rockstar Adam Levine, who had once joked “I’ll never get married” during an interview on…

I remember so clearly a dinner party I hosted where a newer friend showed up two hours late with two uninvited guests in tow. To make matters worse, they didn’t bring anything to contribute to the party. Needless to say, I never invited her to another party. I doubt she…

Something happens in your 40’s – a series of shifts cause you to do a double take on what actually matters in a partner and in friends. This may include: You choose to take care of a sick/aging parent More and more friends get cancer You lose someone you love…

I thought I had this grief thing mastered. I’ve helped people with their heartbreak for almost a decade. I’ve rewired my patterns. I know the tools. I’m even in a healthy relationship. I thought I was all good. But I’ve been dealing with a different type of heartache. My father has been very ill. The deterioration…