You’re reading The How to Live Newsletter, where we uncover the hidden psychological forces shaping our lives—and learn how to outgrow their influence.

Through deep research, personal storytelling, and hard-won insight, I challenge the myth of normalcy and offer new ways to face old struggles.

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The Mirror and the Child: Confronting Our Parental Illusions

More children than not seem to grow up with struggles misapprehended by their parents and the adults around them.

The most well-meaning of these adults pursue a solution, hoping to fix or ameliorate their child’s difficulties, and in so doing, can overlook the child they aim to help.

When asked for advice on how to raise a well-adjusted child, I offer a single piece of advice. It’s the advice I wish someone had offered my parents. Most parents have never been asked a question like this.

So, let me ask you now:

My most profound insights don't go in the free version—they're distilled from my 27 years in therapy, decades of independent study, and work as a mental health advocate. These deeper dives are reserved for readers committed to going deeper.

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