Imagine having your worst mistake put on display for all to see. What would it take to forgive yourself for that error? Why should you even do that? In this episode of Happy in the Mess, the three coaches talk about the process of forgiving oneself after making mistakes or experiencing regret - incorporating self-reflection, making amends, and treating oneself with kindness and grace. This can help you find yourself again - and love yourself again - so that you can find acceptance from others.

If you could find one practice that would almost guarantee happiness, longer life, and more satisfying relationships for only minutes a day, would you do it? Join Marlena, Cheri, and Matthew as the coaches discuss the importance of practicing gratitude in our daily lives as individuals and family - and see how this can benefit everyone involved.

“Permission to play? Isn’t play for children? What good is it anyway?” Today, Matthew, Cheri, and Marlena discuss play, its purpose, and its importance. Play helps individuals build connections, find joy, and increase well-being. Play is also the next step in repairing relationships (as they discussed in episode 26). Join us as we play with this fun topic.

“I’m sorry” can be a powerful phrase in a relationship - it can pull people together or just as easily drive them apart (if done poorly). While childhood taught many of us to apologize just to appease our caregivers, often, we were not modeled what a sincere apology should actually be.

Join the coaches as we discuss how to make a meaningful apology and what elements are common to this - and what statements could exacerbate the problem.

While every relationship goes through rough patches, sometimes there are clear signs that we must end things. Join three coaches as we discuss when to be happy in the mess … and when to leave the mess behind. As a bonus, we get to share what doesn’t fix a relationship and why these “fixes” actually make more of a mess.

Toxic vs. Healthy? Or is there a gray area? If you find yourself trying to answer The Clash - “Should I stay or should I go?” [headbanging optional here], this is the podcast for you. Today, the three coaches talk about how to stay healthy and take care of yourself when your situation may not be the most pleasant - whether on the job, in the family, or in your social group. We talk about reasons to stay and how to use boundaries for this. And we talk about “Quiet Quitting” to see what that label is truly saying.

Instead of “Ok, Boomer,” “They’re such a millennial,” or “I drank from the garden hose and loved it,” the coaches collaborate this week on the beauty in the differences between the generations - as well as raising an awareness of some of the systemic issues that happen. We discuss some of the defining moments of the generations. Not wanting to leave a path of destruction behind us, we work on some concrete ways to transform these generational burdens so that we hand off a better future.

“To ghost or not to ghost” - that is the question that we are answering today. Having hard conversations can mean a tug o’ war between blame and responsibility. And ultimately it could mean having to sever a relationship. Before we get to that point, the coaches give their thoughts on how to navigate this tricky precipice - including tips on how to best structure conversations so that the communication is clear.