Hey there - and welcome to our new members! Thank you for joining this little community - we're excited to have you here. I have been working on a couple of projects - one is a fun project that will be a Christmas gift to my grandkids; the other is Volume II of The Mastery Code: Mental Health Matters. As I was finalizing my chapter today, I got thinking about how my inner child likes to mess with my life. She isn't doing it on purpose - she is only trying to help. Here's the thing: my inner child (and yours) responds to stimuli that feel familiar (a disapproving look, feedback that feels like criticism, someone setting a boundary) in a way that makes sense for my inner child. Think of this for example. Have you ever been in a situation that left you feeling angry, afraid, offended, or trapped and you started behaving in a way that didn't seem to make sense? Have you ever caught yourself asking, "Why am I doing this? Why can't I stop?" That's because your inner wounded child has taken over. They recognize the feelings and they hijack the interaction thinking that "this time" they can finally solve it. But what needs to happen is that your adult self - the one that has the skills for self-regulation and problem solving - must take control of the situation. We do this first by calming our inner child and helping them to feel safe. THEN, we can step into triggering situations fully as our mature adult selves and do the hard work of solving the problem. Can anyone relate to this? I'd love to hear your stories in the comments. My chapter in The Mastery Code Volume II is all about healing your inner child. I can't wait for it to come out so I can share it with you!

Happy Monday, community! I hope you all had a restful weekend and took some time for self-care. I have been in a season of reflection and recalibration, and as always, this will benefit those of you who subscribe to this community as well as my followers on socials. I'm working on something that will be truly helpful and transformative (and also free!) to help us finish the year strong, and set us up for positive forward momentum going into 2026. Let's be real. Life is going to throw more challenges at us as we move into the new year. The trade war continues with no hope of a quick resolution. The economy continues to wobble due to the geopolitical uncertainty. Anger and incivility is on the rise, and workplace toxicity is, too. So, I'll be launching a couple of new initiatives to address the way these global challenges are impacting us at the micro level (mood, energy, emotional stability, communication, and problem solving). Keep an eye posted - the information will be posted here first so you all get to be early adopters. Then, we'll roll it out to our communities on social media. In the meantime, I have a question: What's been triggering you lately? Is it: - people violating your boundaries? - people breaking rules without consequences? - unmet needs or expectations? - Or, circumstances or people interfering with your progress towards your goals? Let's talk about it! Share in the comments! Julie