I’m working on my final speech to earn my Advanced Communicator Bronze award at Toastmasters. It’s an after-dinner speech called “Do the Impossible.” One of my tips for accomplishing the impossible is to seek expert advice. This suggestion also applies when we’re striving to receive something, as often acquiring our goal can seem impossible. Thankfully […]
Author: Joanne Deck
Joanne M. Deck, MBA, SPHR is a certified human resource professional, educator, public speaker, and author with expertise in leadership, education and training, careers, spiritual direction, and healthy dating relationships. She has over 20 years of corporate experience as an trainer, leadership coach, human resources director, wellness and management consultant, and customer service manager and was a Toastmaster, having achieved the levels of ACS and ALB. Joanne is also the author of Sane Sex for Singles, a three-time winning dating guide for the new millennium. Joanne was born in Rochester, NY and graduated from the University at Albany, NY with a degree in math and an MBA in human resources. She is the mother of young adult twin daughters and lives in Santa Barbara, CA with her husband, Roger. Joanne is currently working on her next book, Learning to Receive with Grace and Ease, aimed at helping people become more comfortable and skillful receivers. Her observation is that most people have the giving side of the equation down, but struggle with receiving.
Why Do Bad Dates Come In Strings?
Several weeks ago I mentioned that in my experience bad dates tend to come in strings. I noticed this myself and I’ve heard others lament about the string of “losers” they’ve attracted lately. I hate to think of anyone as a loser, since my spiritual beliefs are that we all come from the same Source. […]
Organic Foods Quiz
Organic foods continue to draw great interest, but how much do you really know about them? Take this true/false quiz and find out. 1. The organic seal means “pesticide free.” 2. Organic products are more nutritious than non-organic foods. 3. Organic foods are less likely than conventional foods to have bacteria that can cause illness. […]
You Can Get There from Here
Learning to receive with grace and ease involves many elements, as I mentioned last week. Another critical skill is being able to keep moving forward when we don’t know the way. If we’re alert, we can see the next step, but typically we can’t see very far down the road, no matter how hard we […]
Exclusive by Chance or Choice?
I firmly believe that sane sex happens in the context of an exclusive, loving relationship. But not all exclusive relationships are the same. Some are exclusive by chance rather than by choice or commitment. The difference between these two is like the alternative to build your house on sand or solid ground. When we are […]
What Are Your Odds?
Just how much can women affect their odds of getting breast cancer? More than they might think, according to a study published in Breast Cancer Research. While it’s true that having a mother or sister with breast cancer increases a woman’s odds of contracting the disease, even these women can lower their risk. Research suggests […]
The Stone Was Moved
To achieve the life we dream of, we need to learn how to receive with grace and ease. This is a process involving numerous skills, and one of those is the ability to keep making progress even when it seems like we’re not capable of doing what we need to do. We may lack the […]
Stand Your Ground
The prevalence of superficial sex on television and in the movies has led people to conclude that they should be having sex early in a relationship, even on the first date. This puts tremendous needless pressure on both men and women, and it feels unnatural for many people, as it should. I say this not […]
Just How Helpful Are PSA Tests?
It’s said that we all have a cross to bear, and in the health arena, it appears to be true. Women have mammograms and men have PSA tests, both of which have caused some controversy over the years. Most recently PSA testing has come under fire, with U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommending that men […]
Darkest Just Before the Dawn?
“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the time and place that the tide will turn.” Harriet Beecher Stowe, Novelist, 1811 – 1886 Is it really darkest just before […]