By Jeremy Hudson, guest blogger
Jeremy is campus pastor of Fellowship Spring Hill in Springfield OH and CEO/Founder/Owner at Red Chair Leadership

“Jeremy, asking questions makes you look smart!”

I can hear those words ringing in my ears like they were said yesterday, not the twenty years ago when my dad said them to me.

He was gently yet firmly challenging a blindspot that was cropping up in my leadership abilities. I was under the impression that to be the leader on a team or in an organization meant you had knew better than everyone else what needed to be done and how. At that point in my youth, I was carrying myself like I was the smartest guy in any room I walked into. When presented with a problem, the absolute worst thing I could imagine saying in response was “I don’t know.” So, instead of digging into and learning about what was going on, I would make something up. Even if it was wrong. Because leaders are supposed to know things. After all, that was why you are the leader, right?​

By Carisa Peters, guest blogger
Owner and Administrator of Holmes Marketing Services.
Her focuses are Human Relations, Client Experience, and Office Culture.

The average person will spend over 90,000 hours working in their lifetime. Because of this, your work environment can have a huge impact on your quality of life. As the world around us accelerates at a rapid rate, we are learning from studies that individuals are a bit worn out from all the hustle and bustle of a world that is always “on”. What would make the workplace setting less tedious and more fulfilling?​

By Lavern Nissley

As we head into the holidays and spend time with families and friends, many will experience fond memories and heartfelt joy. Others will experience the opposite, becoming acutely reminded of relationship dysfunctions. Many of us experience some of each.

So, how do you cope effectively in the middle of this seasonal insanity? Those emotional allergies and buttons have a physiological affect, don't they? Increased heart rate and breathing. Blood pressure pounding away at your skull. Stomach churning and knots forming. Help!!! What to do?

By Abby Glaser
Client Advocate, Encompass Connection Center

If you are a woman who grew up from the 60’s to the 80’s you probably had people in your life telling you (regularly!) that you can have it all! A marriage, a successful career, children, a lovely house and a 401K! What no one most likely told you…how to do it?

As a wife, mother of five and full time worker, the most frequent question I get from other women is “How do you do it all?!” How to nurture a healthy relationship, raise spectacular children and crush it professionally? (They don’t say that, this is my interpretation of what they are really asking!) I have learned a lot of lessons in my 20 years of marriage and parenting, mostly what not to do!

Here’s three tips for having it all!

By Lavern Nissley

In March, 1990 Ronda and I attended a life-changing marriage conference. Among the many takeaways was the encouragement to pray together daily while fostering a sense of "oneness" in our marriage. Wow! So glad we attended that conference and for the refreshment those daily connections has brought.

In 2007, as we were developing The RINGS Experience for couples, a simple tool came to our hearts that could possibly help couples implement what we had found so meaningful in our marriage. Want to know what the tool is (and watch a brief video demo)? 

By Lavern and Ronda Nissley

Do you ever dread the upcoming week? It's Sunday afternoon/evening, and you feel a pit in your stomach because tomorrow . . . Well, it all starts again. And it's a long time til the next weekend!

While certain events or tasks on our calendars may create apprehension, we can easily eliminate one major source of anxiety. Want to know what it is?

Ever heard of an amygdala hijack? Ever seen one? It's what happens in our brains when the amygdala, a small gland gets an urgent message that we're in danger, and it's time to shut down the thinking part of our brain and dump a bunch of neurochemicals to help us respond and survive the danger.

​When allowed, the effect can be pretty dramatic. (Remember Lou Ferrigno as The Incredible Hulk?) Like in over the top anger and actions that we later regret and wish we could take back. So what is the best way to deal with anger when we feel it rushing throughout our bodies?

By Lavern Nissley

You've heard of The Five Love Languages, right? By Dr. Gary Chapman? Quality time, acts of service, gifts, words of affirmation and physical touch. These are types of love "deposits" into people's hearts.

But what about when we make "withdrawals" through intentional or unintentional offenses? Are there also "languages of apology"? Yes! There are! And by the same author!