By Deborah Holmen, M.Ed., NBCT, CLC When trauma hits, it doesn’t arrive politely. It interrupts. It changes your sleep, your appetite, and your attention span. It can make the familiar seem strange—your home, your relationships, even your own body. People often talk about “getting back to normal.” But after something big, normal may not be the goal. Sometimes the real work is learning to live in the life you have now, without letting what happened define you. Rethinking 'Norm

Discover how the simple act of tending to a garden can transform your mental health and emotional well-being. On National Gardening Day, we explore the powerful connection between nurturing plants and nurturing ourselves—where patience, growth, and resilience bloom together. Just as it takes a lot of fertilizer to grow beautiful flowers, our challenges can become the rich soil from which we cultivate our best lives.

In 1906, the Gulick Hygiene Series taught children a truth modern medicine keeps relearning: body, mind, and spirit are one system. From psychoneuroimmunology to the ACE Study, social isolation research, and exercise science, the evidence is clear—stress, trauma, community, and movement shape health. So why do we still treat people like disconnected parts? Maybe it’s time we return to whole-person care.

Trauma can feel like an earthquake—shattering identity, safety, and direction. But resilience growth strategies help you move forward with new strength, meaning, and clarity. In this article, you’ll learn practical, research-backed steps to support healing: building safe relationships, regulating emotions, reframing your narrative, setting small goals, and using storytelling and nature to restore balance. Growth is possible—and your story can become a source of purpose.

Children are spending more time indoors, and it’s costing them wonder, resilience, and emotional balance. This article explores the psychological benefits of outdoor play—lower stress, better mood, stronger focus, richer imagination, and improved social skills. It also introduces Ida Covi’s Mimsy series as a bridge between storytime and nature, with interactive prompts and ready-to-use lesson plans that help parents and educators turn reading into outdoor exploration.

When you can’t get to the forest, the forest can still come to you. Online nature therapy offers a gentle, uplifting way to slow down, breathe deeper, and reconnect with calm through soothing sights, sounds, and guided moments of presence. In this post, you’ll discover simple ways to invite nature’s healing into your day—right where you are.

Strong relationships aren't about perfection—they're about showing up as your real self. Discover practical, no-BS tips on trust, communication, and navigating the hardest relationship phases. Real advice that actually works.

Discover how trusting your instincts can lead to better decisions in leadership, wellness, and writing. Deborah Holmén shares her approach to blending intuition with research and empathy, offering practical tips to strengthen your gut instincts. Learn why intuition matters, how it shapes authentic storytelling, and how you can harness it for personal and professional growth.

Recently, I noticed Princess Catherine’s new video series, which explores the healing power of nature. It’s a beautiful reminder that …

Over the years, I’ve worked with leaders, clinicians, wellness experts, and lived-experience authors who needed a trusted partner to transform their raw narratives into polished, market-ready books and thought-leadership content. Storytelling has the power to unlock clarity, build connections, and even promote healing.

Over time, I’ve seen how biohacking techniques can transform not just individual health but also the way we communicate about it.

By Deborah Holmen, M.Ed., NBCT, Ghostwriter When I embarked on my journey as a ghostwriter for leaders and wellness experts, I was struck by the recurring theme of nature's restorative power. This isn't merely a poetic notion; it's a practical, evidence-backed approach that resonates deeply with many of my clients and their audiences. As a ghostwriter and author-strategist, my role is to distill these intricate narratives about health and wellness into clear, market-ready boo

You’re not alone—so many people find themselves wrestling with conflicting feelings when life spins in opposite directions for us and those we love. When you’re grieving and your friend is thriving, that contrast can sting like a Florida sunburn, all hot and prickly where you least expect it. Psychological research backs up what you’re feeling: transitions, especially those involving loss, can leave us emotionally tender and thrown off balance.

Your question strikes at the heart of one of the most challenging dilemmas facing parents today: when the promises we make during our most vulnerable moments become the chains that bind us from living authentically. The psychology of promise-making reveals a complex truth: promises made during periods of intense emotion, grief, or desperation rarely serve us well in the long term. We experienced this when my husband and I wanted to get engaged after dating for eighteen mon

The Unique Journey of Loving a Widower When I first met my husband, I knew I was stepping into a love story that began long before I arrived. The past was not just a memory but a living presence in our daily lives. I remember the first time I realized just how deeply woven his history was into our present. It wasn't just the photos that adorned the walls of the home they lived in; it was the friends who would share their intimate experiences and memories that were constan

Dear Transplanted But Not Taking Root, Oh honey, you're describing what psychologists call "relocation depression," and it's as real as the Spanish moss hanging from those Southern trees. After a year, feeling lonely and missing your roots isn't a character flaw—it's your heart doing precisely what hearts do when transplanted to new soil. Here's what the research tells us: relocation depression affects your sleep, appetite, concentration, and ability to connect with others, a

By Deborah Holmen, M.Ed., NBCT, Published in The Good Men Project, and Change Becomes You Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash I, Mother...

By Deborah Holmen, M.Ed., NBCT, Published at the Good Men Project Photo by Cecilia Chew on Unsplash Reflecting on my journey,...

Fall is Nature's way of teaching us about change and preparation. Fall, with its vibrant colors and the promise of a new beginning...

By Deborah Holmen, M.Ed., NBCT, published in Change Becomes You Photo by Abo Ngalonkulu on Unsplash Throughout history, women have faced...