It was the last nine holes on the final day of a three-day golf tournament among a competitive group of college friends. The course was soggy from the rain, and the players were tired. Charlie Alvarez had not won this event in five years, and he was down by two shots. From the outside, he was not sitting pretty. Inside, Charlie was in the zone.  “I was able to not only stay stable in the moment but exceed. I turned it on! Birdie, birdie, par. I won it. I took it from them,” he said.  Charlie, the CEO of Stratus, the largest provider of in-home video EEGs testing in the country ..read more

From Crisis to Calm with My Mom Tuesday after Labor Day started out productive and positive. I rose early to row with my doubles partner. It was a stunning sunrise. Afterward, I walked my dog and meditated. While I was sitting with a delicious cup of coffee feeling on top of my busy schedule, I received a text from my oldest brother, and my heart sank.   "On our way to North Shore in Manhasset.  Mom's blood pressure is over 200, maybe bleeding internally,  might be dire. Time is of the essence." It was my 88-year-old mom’s second visit to the ER in a week. The first visit ..read more

I’ve started this note several times. Each time finding myself at a loss for words to help navigate a world that seems increasingly less familiar. I’ve decided to share some meaningful moments. If you read to the end, you’ll get a free guided meditation with a special cameo from my dog “Camden” who decided to whine in the middle of my recording. If you listen carefully, you just may hear my sister’s voice too. Ahh, the joys of working from home.    Yesterday, I stopped to check on an elderly neighbor. We sat in her backyard at a safe distance and enjoyed the afternoon spring breeze and bird so ..read more

My friends know that I tend to talk to everyone. It's not small talk. It's tidbits of deep conversation. I have a few regulars, like Burley, the tire guy on Biscayne Blvd, and Willie, who washes cars in my hood. I've learned something valuable from each of them. Burley has parenting wisdom, Willie advises me on the value of hard work.  This morning, after a beautiful sunrise row that had my French friend Odile and I navigating thin spaces in singles, and hand walking our boats under bridges, I stopped to talk to a fellow rower, a self-proclaimed "Old Goat."   His real name is Dr. Sean Shea ..read more

Are you struggling with an unhealthy habit? Maybe you’ve searched for solutions online, and purchased programs that promised results only to find yourself struggling with feeling constrained. You’re in good company. Naomi Watts recently confessed that when any diet restrictions are put on her, she wants to rebel (Shape Magazine).    May I suggest that you trust yourself for the answer is within you? The greatest weight loss program to date relied upon the power of participants’ imagination using functional imagery training. Einstein understood this ability when he said, “Logic will get you fro ..read more

Four Secrets to Lasting Love and Desire  Ester Perel, author of “Mating in Captivity,” traveled to 20 different countries to ask couples in long-term relationships, “When are you drawn to your partner.”  Across gender, class and religion, she noticed that four common responses kept cropping up. Perhaps these four answers contain the secret to lasting love and desire: When we are apart and when we reunite.  Apparently, absence does make the heart grow fonder. In absence creates longing which fuels desire. When I see my partner radiant and confident. We seem to need those moments where we see ou ..read more

When I interviewed Martina Navratilova and five-time Olympian Anne Kursinski, they attributed their record-breaking achievements to an essential practice: visualizing success. It’s a powerful tool that has been used by athletes for years and according to a new study, it is also the key to weight loss.   That’s right…if you imagine losing pounds and regularly use all your senses to experience a thinner you, it will happen!  Seriously, this is not about depriving your body of necessary food or joining the latest fitness craze. It’s not a diet, it’s a mindset shift.   The technique is called func ..read more

What if a 20-minute survey could change your personal and professional life by helping you understand what’s really going on below the surface of your actions?   Remarkably, such a test does exist, and it has for over 30-years. Two brilliant statisticians/leadership consultants, Dr. William Edwards Deming, and Dr. Paul Hertz developed PRINT® after decades of research on the connection between self-understanding and professional success.    Several features make PRINT® unique. First, it is a dynamic survey, meaning that no two people take the same test. Each new question depends on the previous ..read more

This spring I moved back to Miami fulltime and began rowing again. My physical therapist, Sinead FitzGibbon, an Irish healer, inspired me. After a bone-shattering fall, Sinead told me to give up riding horses for rowing boats. Uncharacteristically, I listened. Perhaps it was her charming Irish brogue.   I had not rowed for years, not since my freshman year at Syracuse. I easily found my sea-legs, the rhythm came back to me like riding a bicycle. Feathering the oars and driving them through the water with the force of my legs and seat was stored in my muscle memory.  Reconnecting with the sport ..read more

Being calm under pressure is an essential characteristic of a good leader. Imagine being calm while successfully navigating through rough seas and life-threatening experiences, including pirates, multiple broken bones, and cancer. That is what Captain Sandra Yawn, star of Below Deck Med on Bravo TV does every day. One of the more harrowing ordeals occurred off the coast of Yemen when an engine room fire left a mega yacht she was captaining disabled in dangerous waters. Following international protocol for a ship in distress, Captain Sandy radioed for assistance. That is when a security guard o ..read more