Fortify Your Emotional Health

Shared connection saturates relationships. Author Robin Weidman reminds us that “true intimacy involves knowing and being known in all your imperfections.” There is absolutely no way I can “know and be known,” solely through a digital connection. As much as I love being connected to my three children, who live far from home, via various apps, nothing compares to the power of sharing a meal around our family table—imperfections and all. In fact, “Research shows that loneliness and social isolation are harmful to our health: lacking social connections is a comparable risk factor for early death as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and is worse for us than well-known risk factors such as obesity and physical inactivity. Loneliness increases the likelihood of mortality by 26%.” Remember, shared joy is double joy.

—From Tool 9

Hi, I’m Janell, Professional Heartlifter

I think I was born a teacher. At age 8, I started “Lilac Avenue Elementary School,” in my dear friend, Phyllis’s, garage. It was legit. We had a library and everything. I’ve been teaching in one form or another since. After the release of my first book, I encountered hundreds of women, desperate and hungry for help. Their cry became my calling. At age 50, I went back for my Masters in Counseling, Marriage and Family Specialization. In 2012, I embarked on a whole new path as I opened, “The Heartlift Practice,” and began seeing clients on a daily basis. Their presence empowered my research, study, and ultimately my writing of strategic online courses, books, and always, my blog.