by AnnSheybani | Dec 16, 2013 | 10 Stupid Things WomenDo to Mess Up Their Lives, Alcoholic rules, Alcoholism, attachment, choosing a mate, connection, Daddy Hole, dating, desire, Emotional Unavailability, growing up, Honesty, identity, Intimacy, Life, love, Rescue, sex
It was the 70’s. Playboy and Penthouse were ubiquitous on suburban coffee tables, at least in the households where I babysat. My parents, in keeping with the make-love-not-war attitude of the era, kept a stash of porn star tell-all’s, Penthouse Forum volumes,...
by AnnSheybani | Sep 16, 2013 | Alcoholic rules, Alcoholism, Confidence, confrontation, Courage, Honesty, Intimacy, Life, marriage, nice girl complex, passive aggressive, people pleasing, rage, risk, Self-Esteem, tension, voice, Walt Hampton
Want to know the secret to personal power? I’m talking Wonder Woman red-cape-wearing power. The ability to stay steady when other people—people that you love and/or need—become angry, sad, or disappointed. Particularly when you’ve (supposedly) done or said something...
by AnnSheybani | Aug 25, 2013 | 10 Stupid Things WomenDo to Mess Up Their Lives, Alcoholic rules, Alcoholism, Anne Lamott, attachment, books, Boundaries, Brene Brown, coaching, Codependency, connection, Daring Greatly, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Emotional Unavailability, extreem dependency, Fearless Living, grace, guilt, Honesty, identity, Intimacy, limiting beliefs, Lit, love, Mary Karr, mistakes, nice girl complex, people pleasing, perfectionism, Reading, Rhonda Britten, role model, Saying no, Self love, Sociopathology, The Adult Children of Alcoholics Syndrome, The Gifts of Imperfection, The Sociopath Next Door, Traveling Mercies, vulnerability
If I were to teach a course about overcoming the emotional damage and the misconceptions picked up from alcoholic parents, this would be the semester’s assigned reading. You’ll see me quote from these books from time to time, and I often send them to my...
by AnnSheybani | Aug 5, 2013 | Alcoholism, Boundaries, Courage, growing up, parenting, recovery, risk, Saying no, tension
I came across the perfect statement this morning in an old journal: Stop trying to control everybody and everything. I have spent my life trying to control my surroundings and the people in it. Like a lot of other unhealthy compulsions, I chalk this one up to my...
by AnnSheybani | Jul 22, 2013 | Alcoholism, Authenticity, Betrayal, choosing a mate, Confidence, connection, forgiveness, grace, gratitude, Honesty, identity, Interview, love, marriage, mistakes, recovery, reinvention, Richard Schuh, self-image, Starting Over, Tony Robbins
Starting Over with Richard Schuh Richard Schuh is the first male I have chosen to interview. I think he’s pretty special, and I know you will too. I sat next to this heart-centered man at a Tony Robbins conference and I was struck by his honesty,...
by AnnSheybani | Jul 21, 2012 | Alcoholism, Authenticity, Beth Janery, Boundaries, connection, expectations, God, grace, gratitude, Honesty, identity, Interview, love, manipulation, recovery
Beth Jannery was groomed for success. Taught to always dress for the position above her, and to look good on the outside in order to feel good on the inside, she learned never to be content with where she was or what she had. No matter what she accomplished,...