Looks like Old Man Winter decided he missed us badly, and so he decided to come for an early visit. Here in Niagara, we were blessed with sleet, snow, and ice - I was very happy to be self-employed today (I chose to work from home). One of my clients called and asked if she could switch her appointment to a phone call because she didn't feel safe going out on the roads. She qualified her request by apologizing for being "neurotic". This got me thinking about how many judgements we make about ourselves, and the many ways in which women in particular make excuses for asking for what we need. There is no cause for that to happen in this space. This is a safe space where you can share with a supportive community, ask for help when you need it, and offer help when it is asked for. Rest assured, no-one will think you're neurotic for asking for help.

Go to the Classroom tab to find the complete webinar (sneezes and coughts edited out), along with the handouts as promised. This is a faith-based webinar for women. If you know someone who could benefit from this content, please share the link!

What's your interest in emotional mastery? What are your stuck points? (For me, it's disrespect and rudeness). I started this journey in earnest when I encountered anger and violence in a work environment for the first time. I had been sitting at base camp for a long time, learning, studying, gaining understanding - but all my learning didn't coalesce until that crazy fight that ended up with one resident throwing another through a window. The Rise of Rage is the culmination of everything I have learned about anger that I could fit into the book, and I'm happy to share this work with you. In 2026, we're re-launching The Rise of Rage Book Club, where we can discuss the book chapter by chapter, and explore the topics unpacked in the book. For now, I'll share a few of my thoughts on why I wrote the book that is changing lives all over the world. Grab your copy at Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Rise-Rage-Harnessing-Misunderstood-Emotion/dp/1506492355/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2IKM7IGO1UK0W&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.IA2RxuH2lcLPVDQKcIh0jq-Up9TgoawfSMksIfe3E31OSWf7aOK8dvwtDt7mVuxSkXA3VxO9g983nO4kD9p04vwQuVSeY2JK91YCZpuaclUnmiZvZ82Bk1wUO4DA2hC8rWVwS77CP8m3D-N84gwMXQZ_HWceVZMkqdIMZ1_UXi3JrCfJ6lqufkJPocG3uy6N5SvkM0KHDhZiOf_GQRWotMDARy-uo6P9ZhOBmjw0nntUqWQIbhJXliVZqd6ronasqNSWnizqK1w5gAb-i-pZYZX6_eSkfV7JBPlm71c40Pw.wqQ0s6x2Xfj8lGfaRL-ZBHLydriU055bYVEoGs94aAg&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+rise+of+rage&qid=1762186053&sprefix=%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-1

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

Have you ever heard the term, "screw the pooch"? It refers to a colossal mess-up of epic porportions. I feel like I had a pooch-screw moment last week. Here's what happened. I went out to a community event that was held at a pub. The pub was a last minute meeting place and their "meeting room" in the basement was rented out to the organizer as a personal favour. We arrived and ordered lunch. By my calculation, lunch should have been $15 plus the drink. But when I paid the bill, it was $27 and then the tip. Not a big deal, but I want to be totally transparent here to show you how quickly a faulty perception can mess with your emotions and upend your responses. THE PROBLEM 1. I felt like the bill was larger than it should have been. 2. I quickly glanced at the receipt and saw what looked like an additional charge for "NA beverage". 3. My perception said, "I just got charged $5 for not ordering an alcoholic drink." 4. My judgement said, "That's not fair!" 5. My emotions said, "That makes me feel angry!" 6. My brain said, "Write a review and warn other patrons..." And that, my friends, is how the pooch screw began. MY RESPONSE: I wrote a review - short but not so sweet. No context - just said I was charged for a NA beverage. Here's the thing - that was TRUE. I was charged $5 for my non-alcoholic beverage. I was not charged $5 EXTRA as I had originally thought. Here's what happened next. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission saw the review. They called the pub owner. He was blindsided and clearly upset about the claim that he knew to be false. He called the organizer of the event. She called me. THEN, I looked at the receipt again. The receipt was itemized weirdly, and that was the problem. The drink was itemized with the food, but charged separately from the food as what looked like an additional charge. On closer inspection, I calculated the math and it made sense. THE RESOLUTION: I felt like a total heel, and went immediately to edit my review and posted a public apology instead for incorrectly posting erroneous information. I emailed the organizer and apologized to her as well, letting her know I was sufficiently ashamed of both my faulty perception AND my kneejerk response.