WellnessWithHolli

Ms Senior America 2025 Community Service Award Essay   David Miller Memor ial Scholarship Holli Kenley – Ms. California Senior America 2025 In my first career I was a teacher, first at middle school and then at high school level. Although I met hundreds of amazing students and had the privilege of teaching many of them, there was one student - David Miller - who caught my eye at first glance.   During the two years I taught David in a discussion-based philosophy class - Theory of Knowledge - I got to know him well. More importantly, I witnessed how other students, friends, and faculty were also captivated by David. It was not only his thirst for knowledge and his voracious zest for accomplishment, but it was the honest manner in which he pursued his passions and his purposes. It was his beaming smile and his tender heart. It was his immeasurable capacity to be and possess all that is good in life. What I learned several years after David’s graduation from high school in 2...

We are talking about friendships! For the purposes of this series, we are looking at healthy friendships as a necessary component of any relationship such as a best friend, a family member, a co-worker, or a life-partner. In week one, we examined the first important quality to consider in developing and maintaining healthy friendships – EASY . In order to get the most out of our series, please return to week one and read how three essential characteristics are necessary in order for friendships to be EASY :  Authentic, Honest, and Trustworthy. Today, we are moving onto the second quality to consider in cultivating healthy friendships – Equal. Are my friendships EQUAL ? Equal?   That seems really strange, doesn’t it? Yes.   When we think of the word equal , definitions such as identical, alike, uniform, and the same come to mind.   However, in our discussion of friendships, the quality of being equal is defined quite differently.   Equality in a fr...

Jedlie  of  We Choose Respect Podcast  &  Holli Kenley Present  ~ Another Way Wednesday ParentCast ~ An entertaining and informative series about the characters, the story-line, and the lessons in " Another Way "! Parents, Youth, and Youth Leaders! Get a copy of "Another Way" and follow along! Or, take a listen and learn! Either way... Get Ready to Get Empowered! Another Way Wednesday Series! Part II Parents and Guardians, because we respect you...please note this series is for you and your children -  ages 11 and over . We recommend you listen first, and then listen with them! If you missed Part I, take a listen. Get Ready To Get Empowered! Part I - Podcast Series! Lessons Six - Nine! Lesson Six - Finding Another Way Back When our children stumble and fall, what are they feeling and how can they begin again? How does forgiveness relate to their worth  and making healthy decision...

Jedlie  of  We Choose Respect Podcast  &  Holli Kenley Present  ~ Another Way Wednesday ParentCast ~ An entertaining and informative series about the characters, the story-line, and the lessons in " Another Way "! Parents, Youth, and Youth Leaders! Get a copy of "Another Way" and follow along! Or, take a listen and learn! Either way... Get Ready to Get Empowered! Another Way Wednesday Series! Parents and Guardians, because we respect you...please note this series is for you and your children -  ages 11 and over . We recommend you listen first, and then listen with them!    Introduction - Meet The Characters & Discover What "Another Way" Can Do For You!                          Who is it for and why is it important?       Another Way  is for YOU: parents/guardians, youth and youth leaders, mentor...

As I have gotten older, I have noticed "Seniors Behaving Badly"!! They can also experience Couple Trouble!! Gen Xers, Millennials, and iGeners , take note! A few summers ago, I spent several months in the Palm  Springs area of Southern California. Although I had worked in the desert for many years, I had not lived there for a very long time. Because it is largely a retirement community, there is a substantial senior population, even during the summer months.  As the weeks passed, I was often taken back by the disrespectful and often mean behavior between senior partners .  Whether it was in a grocery store, or in line at a movie theater, or at a restaurant, I was frequently shocked and saddened at the level of arguing between them or of one partner barking at the other over nothing, and at the complete lack of patience, respect, or kindness exhibited from one spouse towards the other. It is not that I was naive to this sort of behavior; however, it seemed to jump out at...

On the last blog, I talked about the first three Stages of a Relationship : Stage One - Passion and Chemistry Stage Two - Power and Control Stage Three - Problem Solving and Compromise We are going to  move on the final two stages of a relationship, but before we do I just want to remind everyone that these stages typically occur in the order that I am giving them to you. However, because of transitions or crises or changes in your relationship, you will move back and forth into these stages and you may stay in some stages longer than you do others. This is to be expected.   Let's move on to Stage Four - Co-creativity and Mutuality.   Couples typically start to settle into this phase after they have been together for some time or at least after they have worked through Stage Two and are able to integrate Stage Three into their relationship with a level of ease.   It is my opinion that at the root of Stage Four is a key ingredient to healthy re...

Over the Valentine's Weekend, my husband and I had the pleasure of attending a beautiful wedding in the wine country of Southern California. A sparkling lake outlined with rows of vines served as the backdrop for the elegant ceremony. Listening to the vows laced with poetic verses and timeless scripture, I couldn't take my eyes off the bride and groom. Although they met in high school nine years ago and have been sweet-hearts ever since, their mutual love and respect for one another simply glowed. For a few minutes, my mind revisited the 5 Stages of a Relationship ~ and I thought of how this couple (although still young at 27) has successfully navigated through two of the most difficult stages.  Although there are hundred of books written on this topic, I am going to keep it simple...and short. The first Stage is the easy one. Most of us sail through this one! Most of us are familiar with Stage One - Passion and Chemistry.   This one does not need much explanatio...