By Samantha McKenzie It’s a great time to be a woman. The political climate in America is peaking and the news is filled with the greatness of First Lady Michelle Obama and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. There’s talk about wage equality and shattering glass ceilings. There are mothers, who through tragic loss and tragedy, have…

I wrote the below blog post on my parents’ 49th wedding anniversary last year. I decided to repost it today, just two days shy of their 50th. I’m so in awe of them, and their love. The certainty of it. A half century of marriage. A lifetime commitment to their union and their family. Golden. Blessed by God….

By Samantha McKenzie It’s time for change. This is not a political tagline, but an exercise in personal development. It’s time we surround ourselves with people who propel us. It’s not unusual that our friends and family – the ones we spend the most time with – are people we find comfort in. These are…

By Dawn Onley If you are bringing negativity to my door, I’m no longer answering. Bang all you want. Ring the doorbell. Tap the windows. Peer through the opening in the Venetian blinds. It doesn’t matter. I’m not letting you in. I’m writing a poem. I’m turning my music up. I’m deeply engaged in a…

By Samantha McKenzie There’s a lot of pressure placed on young women to be a certain dress size or maintain a certain body type. While the messages may begin on the outside, they take root inside of us as we begin to internalize negative thoughts of not being good enough. With the influence of the internet…

By Dawn Onley Don’t overlook the small stuff: the hugs, the bedtime stories, the foot rubs and family dinners. When you’re counting your blessings, these things are just as important — if not more — than the big stuff. It’s these little moments that create the memories of a person, place or time. The little…

By Samantha McKenzie As I flip through the channels, I am bombarded with news stories of controversy, conflict and an extraordinary amount of harsh criticism. Every day feels like a battle of some sort. We have more in common than we can ever imagine. We spend entirely too many man hours picking sides, placing blame and getting…

By Dawn Onley This has been one tough year. The constant, unrelenting barrage of high profile deaths (Muhammad Ali, Prince, David Bowie, Elie Wiesel, Phife Dawg, Vanity, Maurice White, Nancy Reagan, Garry Shandling, Doris Roberts and Alan Rickman, just to name a few). Week after week, we hold our collective breath and wonder who will…

By Samantha McKenzie They say a picture is worth a thousand words…this one is pure power. It reminds me of the power of the feminine, to stand, to command, to bring the energy of the universe to service. She is the new type of leadership that the world awaits. She is what is necessary to…

By Dawn Onley If you are sitting at home or at your desk worrying about how things will work out, stop. Try not to waste one more second in this stressed out state. Refuse to let whatever it is rob you of your present and future states of being. Worrying never solves anything. It just leads…