Straight Talk Blog
The Work in Healthy Relationships Is Allowing Others to Be Themselves
"The work in healthy relationships is pushing yourself to appreciate, learn from, and embrace differences, not erase them." ~LMB Recognizing and embracing people for who they are is a powerful act of humanity, love, and acceptance. However, allowing others to be...
When You Truly Listen, Others Feel Genuinely Heard
“When you truly listen, others feel genuinely heard; there are few things more connecting than genuine respect for a person’s experience, thoughts, and opinions.” ~ LMB Have you ever had someone repeat the exact words you spoke to them and, yet, seem not to have taken...
Juneteenth: Uniting for Equality and Taking Meaningful Action
"Juneteenth is a powerful reminder that believing that all human beings are equal means nothing if your actions fail to support that belief." ~ LMB Juneteenth is a vital reminder of the two most basic rights allotted to every human being: freedom and absolute...
The Listening Myth: Unveiling the True Key to Relationship Success
"You can be the best listener in the world, and it doesn’t matter how well you’re “listening;” if you’re still unaccountable for your actions and their impact." ~ Lisa Merlo-Booth Listening seems to be the new “hot” button issue regarding relationships at work, at...
Stop Normalizing Harmful Behaviors
“Be careful what behaviors you normalize because what you normalize becomes the norm." ~Lisa Merlo-Booth An essential requirement in any healthy relationship, company, or culture is uncompromising safety which means that every human being is responsible for being...
Build Trust and Strengthen Relationships with Hard Conversations
"Avoiding conflict creates a false sense of security in relationships which is anything but kind; Have the hard conversations." ~Lisa Merlo-Booth Far too many believe avoiding difficult conversations protects relationships rather than harms them. However, choosing not...
Lose the Defensiveness for a Healthy Relationship
“Defensiveness is a key predictor of divorce; if you want to be happily married, you had better lose the defensiveness.” ~Lisa Merlo-Booth Over the years, I've realized how utterly uncommon accountability is, and courageous accountability is even less common. Have you...
Change the Way You View Feedback
"Struggling with conflict has little to do with the content you are talking about and almost everything to do with how you discuss that content." ~LMB When I tell my clients that conflict is an opportunity and feedback is a gift, they often respond with the following:...
Respond to Accountability with Appreciation
"Accountability is courageous; take the time to acknowledge it when it comes your way." ~Lisa Merlo-Booth When someone in your life acknowledges their behaviors, admits their mistakes, and commits to changing their actions in the future, your job is to respond with...
Focus Your Attention on Recovery, Not Revenge
“Hurting someone to teach them a lesson for hurting you, creates an endless loop of hurt." ~LMB I remember hearing a mother speaking to another mother about how to stop her child from biting. She told her, “You need to show her what it feels like and bite her so she...
This New Year, Raise the Bar in Your Relationship
“Creating healthy relationships is not rocket science: be kind, accountable, and supportive to others while holding others accountable to be the same towards you.” ~LMB This New Year, raise the bar in your relationship. Creating great relationships is not as difficult...