A dear friend of mine said to me once, “you know what I need before I do”.Being sensitive to emotions and subtle language cues is not something I was born doing. In my mid-twenties I was oblivious to my own anger. I mean, really oblivious.   Read More...

Sometimes I get asked how I come up with my ideas for blogging. Truly, it is life and what is going on around me.Blogging has been great for giving me eyes to look at life and try to see the lessons and analogies that could be helpful.So, two things I’ve been focused on in the past few weeks have collided inside my brain and you, lucky readers, lol, get to hear about it.Emotional intelligence is something you know I’m passionate about if you have been following my blog. Lately though it is takin...  Read More...

Blessed blindspots ... We all have them. Those parts of how we see ourself or how we relate to others that just don’t quite line up with how others experience us.These blindspots can cause all kinds of issues for us - from preventing us from getting promoted to stress in our closest relationships.There are many ways to uncover these blindspots - ask your partner what you do that’s annoying, complete a 360 evaluation or simply have kids and wait until they are teenagers, they will tell you, for s...  Read More...

This Fall many companies will offer team building activities for their teams. Money and time will be spent. What really are the goals behind team building and how do they apply to you?There are a number of reasons to do team building, including:increased knowledge of teammate’s personalities and behavioral stylesincreased awareness of one’s own impact on others in the teambuild trust and rapport through shared experiences, even if they are ‘just fun’increase awareness of each team member’s speci...  Read More...

There is a bumper sticker in the town where I live that says something to this effect: “If I’m driving too slow for you, you are in the wrong town”.Depending what mood I’m in or if I’m in a hurry I either find this adorable or very frustrating.Some of you are living extremely busy work and personal lives. How, in the middle of that kind of pace can we practice “being in the moment”?There is so much research out now about the benefits of meditation and related practices such as yoga. We know that...  Read More...

Today’s blog is simple and is an invitation. I’m going to give you a few examples and would love to hear from you! The theme is:Really hard things that paved the way for great thingsIf I did not get refused entry to the USA over 4 years now, I would not have been able to be with my Dad while he was in his last year and dying.If GM had not gone bankrupt and ended Bill’s family dealership license Bill could not have come up to Canada when he did nor would we have the funds to pursue our dream of b...  Read More...

Lucky for me I have found a career in coaching where I am supposed to do the thing that I love most in the world. Building trusting and intimate relationships. Not only because I’m an extrovert (that helps to be sure) but as a human I am hungry for authentic connection.   Read More...

During a recent training with other coaches the speaker mentioned this wonderful Japanese philosophy and resulting practice of kintsugi. It is a philosophy that our speaker powerfully embraced in his work. I wanted to know more and as I read about kintsugi I fell in love with this way of thinking. Let’s read a little from Wikipedia: “As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.[5] … kintsugi can be seen to have s...  Read More...

Hello, I am Teresa Q. Bitner, a professional certified coach, speaker and author in Austin TX. I am passionate about partnering with those who have been knocked down by life and want to build resiliency and move forward with a bold life.   Read More...

There are times in life when we can see themes running through our lives.Sometimes those themes are good, beautiful and feel like gifts. Sometimes the theme is hard, with hardship after hardship.Truly, after writing a book about resiliency I sure felt like I got to practice it, in some difficult circumstances.I’m actually not superstitious in general but I do joke about being careful about what you write about!Let’s ponder the idea of themes in 2 ways.1) Scientifically.When I was pregnant I noti...  Read More...

Nothing To Fear Day is celebrated on May 27 and Face Your Fears Day is celebrated on 13th Oct every year.Here is a great quote on our topic:“Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” ~ YodaQuote source: https://www.thefreshquotes.com/fear-quotes/There is so much written and so many ‘inspirational quotes’ about facing your fears, doing it anyway, etc.Some of that is wonderful but I think some of this thinking also just leaves us still a...  Read More...

Our society has many examples of visionaries. Who do you find inspirational? How can you get on the journey to move towards being a visionary leader in your world, whatever sphere of influence that happens to be? “First described by Daniel Goleman in 2002, the visionary leadership style was one of six leadership types documented. The leader is inspiring in vision, and helps others to see how they can contribute to this vision; allowing the leader and followers to move together towards ...  Read More...

Lately I have been shocked at running in to the use of shaming techniques as a means of getting business done. It's not new. You've seen it many times and so have I.   Read More...

When I was eighteen months old I moved to live in a new country. Belgium. Not long later I was living in Germany.   Read More...

It is highly likely that you have heard the word narcissist in the last month or so. Well, now you have!This word and concept are seemingly much more talked about than before and I think with good reason. Wikipedia presents indicators that it has increased in our current North American culture.   Read More...

Just as there are many facets to emotional intelligence, so there are to resiliency. One key skill that contributes to both is flexibility.We all have an initial reaction to the word. I think of people who don’t need life to be rigid.   Read More...

On December 30th we received a new family member - such a great sign of new beginnings.New life. All hopes and dreams lie ahead. Full of possibility.There is nothing right now to get in the way of little David dreaming and creating the future he will end up wanting for himself.What gets in the way of us chasing our dreams?   Read More...

My rug and my cabinet exterior are both made from recycled soda bottles. Many of my choices are fueled by my desire to live more environmentally friendly.So?So, when I was shopping last week and the lady after me in line at the grocery store got my attention to say “You know, it’s a small thing but you really should be using cloth bags!” it really pushed my buttons!I felt a compulsion to explain, justify, make her realize that she had no idea who she was saying that to.Of course I use cloth bags...  Read More...

Which came first, the emotion or the thought? It’s an interesting question and it matters when we either want to be more self-aware or create lasting change.There are assessments that measure whether a person tends more toward emotion or thinking. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a great example of that.Some of us feel first and then, hopefully, think about the situation, including our feelings.   Read More...

This week I have been deeply touched by a number of you sharing deeply personal stories about your own experiences with anger and rage. I have heard from people wrestling with the impact of someone else’s anger expressions but I have also heard from people who know that they might be the one expressing anger in ways that may hurt people they love.Although I’m coming from a place of having to learn to express anger, I have learned a few things over the years that are relevant for thos...  Read More...