Allegheny County has been awarded a $21.8 million grant to help reduce homelessness. The county says the 65 projects will be funded representing 20 different agencies. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m a social worker. I’m all for helping the homeless. The question for me is, is this really the best way to go about it? 21.8 million is a…

As a society, we ought to assume good intent in people more often.   It’s 2021. It’s easy to misspeak. We’re all doing the best we can to keep up with the newest way to be politically correct, but we need to stop overvaluing subjective individual impact.   Rather, let’s spread more love, kindness, and forgiveness. We’ve all been slighted….

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always felt weird about the terms “leader,” “boss,” or “supervisor.” To me, they suggest a power dynamic that creates a self-fulfilling prophecy of grandiose importance, or on the other side, dependence.   Perhaps mentor/mentee is a bit better in its connotation, but for me, even that’s still not quite there.   For me,…

  As a professional substance abuse counselor who has worked with thousands of people working to achieve recovery, I do believe we should regulate and legalize all drugs. We’ve been fighting and losing the war on drugs for years and we need some new approaches.   The truth is, only about 25% of people who try heroin will become addicted…

Maybe Imposter Syndrome never fully goes away… For those who may not be familiar with the term, Imposter Syndrome refer to “an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be.” Well said, Google.   Still, as much as it pains me to admit, it’s true… I’ve been operating Mental Fitness for over three…

Did you know? Trying to eliminate, reduce, or manage anxiety is the WRONG GOAL and will actually get you worse results. Rather it’s better to view any feelings of anxiety as a temporary companion and one of life’s greatest teachers!   Don’t believe me? Think of it this way…   There are two sayings that illustrate this point better than…

  Ever find yourself consumed with worry and unable to break the cycle? Ever feel like worry consumes your whole day and sucks the energy from you? If so, you’re not alone!   If worry is something you struggle with from time to time, I’m going to give you 5 tips that can help you break that toxic cycle. But, before we…

We’re coming up on that time of the year when fitness goals are set and resolutions are made. No matter that 80% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned by February, we still find ourselves renewing our unused gym memberships or googling the most painless, delicious, quick-results diets on the market. With COVID-19 closing gyms and making grocery shopping significantly less…

You don’t have to be a professional athlete or celebrity to be a hero!   If you’re not familiar with Greg, that’s okay. It’s never been his goal to be famous. Rather, Greg has made it his life mission to rescue as many displaced dogs as possible and connect them with loving forever families.   In his lifetime, Greg has…

As many of you may know, my grandparents were both very influential to me growing up. Unfortunately, my grandparents on my father’s side passed away when I was in grade school, but my grandparents on my mother’s side were very involved in my upbringing throughout my life.   Many of my friends from childhood will remember by grandpa attending every…