Susan Combs, For the Express-News, May 11, 2021 I was lucky enough recently to be invited to a preview of a study on Texas — and how Texans feel about a variety of issues — across seven different categories of people. The research commenced about a year ago, involved talking to 4,000 individuals, conducting focus groups […]

Parenting can be hugely scary.  In a very finite and practical way.  When our first child was born, I knew zero about kids. So imagine my fright when I had to put one of those long sleeved thingies on this child. He was born in May, so why did he need long sleeves? How about […]

I freely confess that I have been one of the world’s worst interviewees in the job world. My first interview ended with me being speedily ushered out of a giant global airline company. The second one got me a job but probably more through dumb luck than any skills. Back to the first one. I […]

It can be both liberating and exciting to discover how much real strength each of us has. Too often we tell ourselves that we can’t do something, so of course we don’t.  I can’t do this new job, I can’t leave this terrible relationship, I can’t take the next step forward. We don’t understand how […]

Julia Roberts, as the “Runaway Bride,” famously escaped groom after groom, and it was the stuff of movie drama. Why did she run?  What was wrong…with her?  It turns out that ultimately she didn’t know who she was, and therefore the various fiancés didn’t know who was the real person either.  She kept adapting to […]

We all make mistakes of one kind or another.  And I think it is generally because we are trying to meet someone else’s expectations, or their view of life.  That certainly happened to me.  My worst mistake was prompted by others’ expectations combined with a significant lack in self confidence that I married the wrong […]

It is very common for us to pause and reflect at the start of a new year…where are we…are we where we want to be…and what do we need to do?   Just this morning I was asked by a woman radio host how I managed to propel myself forward from the start.  Was there one […]

The next few days and weeks mark the end of the old year, and the coming of the new.  How we view it depends on what we have done,  and how much or little we have left undone.  I’ve always liked even numbers, so leaving an even numbered year takes a bit of a push […]

My childhood Christmas memories bring back thoughts of a very special season. Thoughts of a house filled with music (my mother loved carols), the smell of cinnamon, brightly colored decorations, and a recollection of the reason for the celebration. No matter what your religious affiliation, this time of year is celebrated across the globe. For […]

We live in a world with incredible avenues for information: TV, print, our phones, computers, electronic tablets. But we get other, and I believe more valuable information, from people. How people behave tells us about them, and about the general world we inhabit. Ultimately we learn about ourselves as well.  I don’t know about you, […]