“Children learn more from what you are than what you teach.” ~W.E.B. Du Bois
I was standing at the service bar, waiting for my drink order to be ready. The scent of steak fat clinging to my apron and infusing itself into my bra, while twenty-something servers around me whined about working on Mother’s Day… yet I was the only mother working that night.
I’d barely slept because I’d closed the restaurant the night before.
My nine-year-old daughter had just told me she wished she were dead.
And here I was, pretending to care about side plates and drink refills …
I was standing at the service bar, waiting for my drink order to be ready. The scent of steak fat clinging to my apron and infusing itself into my bra, while twenty-something servers around me whined about working on Mother’s Day… yet I was the only mother working that night.
I’d barely slept because I’d closed the restaurant the night before.
My nine-year-old daughter had just told me she wished she were dead.
And here I was, pretending to care about side plates and drink refills …
The Truth My Body Knew Before My Mind Did
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-truth-my-body-knew-before-my-mind-did/
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-truth-my-body-knew-before-my-mind-did/
“The body keeps the score. If the memory of trauma is encoded in the viscera, in heartbreaking and gut-wrenching sensations, then our first priority is to help people ‘feel’ what their bodies are telling them.” ~Bessel van der Kolk
I used to think my body was a liar. Because how can something that’s supposed to be wise also be so dramatic?
Why did my stomach sink before a coffee date?
Why did I feel like I was going to vomit before a Zoom call?
Why did I freeze before taking a step toward the exact thing I said I wanted?…
I used to think my body was a liar. Because how can something that’s supposed to be wise also be so dramatic?
Why did my stomach sink before a coffee date?
Why did I feel like I was going to vomit before a Zoom call?
Why did I freeze before taking a step toward the exact thing I said I wanted?…
The Unexpected Way Jiu-Jitsu Brought Me Back to Myself
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-unexpected-way-jiu-jitsu-brought-me-back-to-myself/
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-unexpected-way-jiu-jitsu-brought-me-back-to-myself/
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are.” ~Maya Angelou
There was a time in my life when everything felt heavy, like I was constantly carrying around a weight that no one else could see.
I wasn’t in a crisis, exactly. I was functioning, showing up, doing what needed to be done. But inside, I was struggling to stay afloat—trapped in my own head, questioning my worth, and unsure how to move forward.
One evening, I walked into a Brazilian …
There was a time in my life when everything felt heavy, like I was constantly carrying around a weight that no one else could see.
I wasn’t in a crisis, exactly. I was functioning, showing up, doing what needed to be done. But inside, I was struggling to stay afloat—trapped in my own head, questioning my worth, and unsure how to move forward.
One evening, I walked into a Brazilian …
The 2026 Tiny Buddha Day-to-Day Calendar is Now Available!
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-2026-tiny-buddha-day-to-day-calendar-is-now-here/
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-2026-tiny-buddha-day-to-day-calendar-is-now-here/
Hi friends! I’m excited to share that the 2026 Tiny Buddha Day-to-Day Calendar (https://amzn.to/41Xu2dA) is now available for purchase! And equally thrilling, I just found out my calendar was the number one bestseller in the Mind-Body-Spirit category for the last two years.
Uplifting and comforting, this calendar offers daily reflections from me, Tiny Buddha contributors, and other authors whose quotes have inspired and encouraged me.
Featuring colorful, patterned tear-off pages, the calendar is printed on FSC certified paper with soy-based ink. Topics include happiness, love, relationships, change, meaning, mindfulness, self-care, letting go, and more.
Here’s what Amazon reviewers had to say …
Uplifting and comforting, this calendar offers daily reflections from me, Tiny Buddha contributors, and other authors whose quotes have inspired and encouraged me.
Featuring colorful, patterned tear-off pages, the calendar is printed on FSC certified paper with soy-based ink. Topics include happiness, love, relationships, change, meaning, mindfulness, self-care, letting go, and more.
Here’s what Amazon reviewers had to say …
When Someone You Love Shuts the Door
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/when-someone-you-love-shuts-the-door/
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/when-someone-you-love-shuts-the-door/
“It is one thing to lose people you love. It is another to lose yourself. That is a greater loss.” ~Donna Goddard
We didn’t mean to fall into anything romantic. It started as friendship, collaboration, long voice notes about work, life, trauma, and healing. We helped each other solve problems. We gave each other pep talks before difficult meetings. He liked to say I had good instincts; I told him he had grit.
We shared vulnerabilities like flashlights in the dark—he told me about getting into fights, going to jail, losing jobs because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. I …
We didn’t mean to fall into anything romantic. It started as friendship, collaboration, long voice notes about work, life, trauma, and healing. We helped each other solve problems. We gave each other pep talks before difficult meetings. He liked to say I had good instincts; I told him he had grit.
We shared vulnerabilities like flashlights in the dark—he told me about getting into fights, going to jail, losing jobs because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. I …
Could Curiosity Be the Best Medicine for Chronic Illness?
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/could-curiosity-be-the-best-medicine-for-chronic-illness/
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/could-curiosity-be-the-best-medicine-for-chronic-illness/
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” ~Henry Ford
We’ve all been there: happily ticking off life’s checkboxes, certain we’ve cracked the code, until—bam!—life decides otherwise. Divorce papers, layoffs, grief, or unexpected illness—life’s curveballs don’t discriminate.
For me, it was a sudden mystery illness at sixteen. What should have been a simple infection changed the trajectory of my entire life. Doctors were at a loss, tests offered no answers, and I was left navigating an uncertain reality, desperately clinging to control as my lifeline.
One day I’m cheering at the Friday night football …
We’ve all been there: happily ticking off life’s checkboxes, certain we’ve cracked the code, until—bam!—life decides otherwise. Divorce papers, layoffs, grief, or unexpected illness—life’s curveballs don’t discriminate.
For me, it was a sudden mystery illness at sixteen. What should have been a simple infection changed the trajectory of my entire life. Doctors were at a loss, tests offered no answers, and I was left navigating an uncertain reality, desperately clinging to control as my lifeline.
One day I’m cheering at the Friday night football …
Brilliant, Not Broken: A Powerful Reframe for Neurodivergence
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/brilliant-not-broken-a-powerful-reframe-for-neurodivergence/
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/brilliant-not-broken-a-powerful-reframe-for-neurodivergence/
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” ~Audre Lorde
For most of my life, I asked myself a quiet question:
What’s wrong with me?
I didn’t say it out loud. I didn’t have to. It was stitched into how I moved through the world — hyperaware, self-correcting, and always just a little out of step. I knew how to “pass” in the right settings, but never without effort. Underneath it all, I was exhausted by the daily performance of normal.
Looking back, it’s clear where it started.
I …
For most of my life, I asked myself a quiet question:
What’s wrong with me?
I didn’t say it out loud. I didn’t have to. It was stitched into how I moved through the world — hyperaware, self-correcting, and always just a little out of step. I knew how to “pass” in the right settings, but never without effort. Underneath it all, I was exhausted by the daily performance of normal.
Looking back, it’s clear where it started.
I …
Why AI Can Never Replace Us: The Truth About Being Human
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/why-ai-can-never-replace-us-the-truth-about-being-human/
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/why-ai-can-never-replace-us-the-truth-about-being-human/