Blogs

Is College Worth It?

By - 26, June, 2022

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I hear and see this question asked A LOT. Is college worth it? As someone who has a masters and has worked in a field where no degree is required, I feel I have a unique perspective on the value of a college education. I went to Penn State for my undergrad and...

Presidential Son with a Cleft Palate –...

By - 21, February, 2022

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I mentioned Tad Lincoln and that he had a cleft palate to a few friends. The response I received was universal. No one knew that Abraham Lincoln’s youngest son was born with a cleft palate. There’s an invisibility that comes with clefts. Many are aware,...

Folic Acid supplements may aid in the...

By - 10, January, 2022

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What is cleft lip and palate? Cleft lip and palate are congenital anomalies of the lip and roof of the mouth. A cleft palate leaves an opening in the roof of the mouth while a cleft lip is where there is a space between two halves of the upper lip. A cleft lip and...

Giving Tuesday – Smile Train

By - 30, November, 2021

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Earlier this month I joined Smile Train on a Journey of Smiles trip in Kenya. While I always kind of knew what Smile Train did, cleft lip and palate surgeries, I learned that what they do is much more complex. I was extremely impressed with the work they are doing...

Things that suck about having a cleft

By - 19, July, 2021

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July is National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month. Last week I wrote about the cause and frequency of cleft lip and palate, along with the cost. This week, I want to share non-medical issues associated with cleft lip and palate, because these are very important...

Cleft Awareness & The Transform Challenge

By - 12, July, 2021

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July is National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness month.  Cleft Lip and Palate Facts: It is one of the most common birth defects here in the United States.  About one in 1,600 children are born with a cleft lip and palate.  One in 2,800 are born with cleft lip and one...

The power of names in The Too...

By - 29, June, 2021

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 I hope you’ve had a chance to read my new book, The Too Tall Giraffe.  I want to share a little author secret from writing the book. In the first six or seven drafts of the book, I had a set of names for the characters. As I went through and got a little more...

7 Giraffe Facts You Need to Know

By - 21, June, 2021

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Next week is the launch of The Too Tall Giraffe. I thought it would be fun to share some fun facts about baby and kid giraffes.  Fact #1 If you’ve had a baby, you will feel for giraffe mothers because they are pregnant for 15 months. Yes, you heard me right; 15...

The Children’s Craniofacial Association

By - 14, June, 2021

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You may be familiar with the Children’s Craniofacial Association (CCA) from the Wonder book by R.J. Palacio or the movie starring Julia Roberts. Or maybe you’ve participated in the ‘Be Kind’ campaign. CCA empowers and gives hope to individuals...

Changing labels changes bullying behavior

By - 25, May, 2021

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Identity – The identity of a person who bullied  You may have called them a bully in the past, and you may call them that again in the future, but it’s time we stopped using the term bully. It’s time to start using the term, “person who...

Facial Equality Week 2021

By - 17, May, 2021

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This week is Facial Equality Week – May 17th- 24th – and we’re raising awareness of facial differences and improving the experience of those who have a facial difference. You may not find this surprising, but many people who have facial differences...

Coming Soon – The Too Tall Giraffe...

By - 18, March, 2021

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For the past over a year I have been working on my newest book, The Too Tall Giraffe: A Children’s Book about Looking Different, Fitting in, and Finding Your Superpower. On Saturday, March 20, 2021, the first day of summer, is cover reveal day! Join me on Facebook for...

Special Viewing of The Social Dilemma

By - 19, October, 2020

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We tweet, we like, and we share — but what are the consequences of our growing dependence on social media? As digital platforms increasingly become a lifeline to stay connected, Silicon Valley insiders reveal how social media is reprogramming civilization by exposing...

It really is a social dilemma

By - 05, October, 2020

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This past weekend I had a choice. Watch Schitts Creek or The Social Dilemma. I’m a geek, so this is a post about The Social Dilemma. In 2007, after a tour of Egypt, a friend invited me to join Facebook. Finally, a place where I could connect with friends far and...

How to get rid of ANTS

By - 03, October, 2020

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I talk too much. I’m annoying them.. I’ll never figure out technology. I’ll can’t lose weight. Do any of those sound familiar? Maybe things you’ve said to yourself or you’ve heard a friend say about themselves. Automatic Negative...

6 Quick And Easy Tips To Make...

By - 08, September, 2020

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If you’re an author who is wants to make their books more visible on Amazon, then you need to Make People WANT To Buy Your Book Here’s a simple list of tips that so many authors miss out on. The most important thing is to make your book more visible on...

Are you showing up in life?

By - 04, September, 2020

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Do you want to help others? Do you want others to help you? Here’s a secret to helping others (and them helping you too). Show Up in life and Listen!  This sounds really simple. But it also sounds like a secret people either don’t know, or they forget: if...

Embracing Our Scars

By - 11, August, 2020

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If you have a facial difference and are excited to embrace your scars, then this tip will help you stop from hiding our scars from the world. Your Scar Doesn’t Have To Define You When we have visual scars, we either want the world to see them, or we don’t...

The Power of Athlete A

By - 01, July, 2020

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Power Like many stories, Athlete A is a story about power. Synopsis – Teenage girl is sexually abused by USA gymnastics team doctor. She tells her coach, her coach reports it to USA gymnastics. Teenage girl doesn’t make Olympic team. Sexual abuse scandal...

Tips For Coping With COVID-19 Stress

By - 20, April, 2020

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During this stressful period with COVID-19, many people are stuck at home. Everyone is coping differently. Some better than others. I wanted to give you some ideas for things you can do to minimize the impact of this stress. Much of this will work, even if...

Where to find Crissy this month

By - 08, March, 2020

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Where can you find Crissy – it’s a little like a Where’s Waldo, but in real life. Wednesday, March 18, 2020 – Scrubz of Farmingdale Label Breaker Workshop at 7 PM Break free from LABELS and live a life of purpose! What do you want to achieve...

Stressed at work? Coworkers driving you nuts?

By - 04, March, 2020

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Do you have coworkers who drive you nuts? Do you desire to feel less stressed at work? Here’s a secret: Other People Aren’t Causing Your Stress We often think the reason we are stressed at work is other people – they don’t get things done on...

How Minty Became Moses and the World...

By - 22, February, 2020

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On a recent flight from London, I finally watched a movie on my TBW list (I think I made that up). Harriet. One thing that stuck me in the movie was when William Still has Minty (Harriet Tubman) change her name, to represent her freedom from slavery. It surprised me...

A Resource To Give Kids With Congenital...

By - 19, February, 2020

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As a cleft lip and palate patient and a New York state resident. I support this legislation and hope you do. If you’re one of the New York state residents wants to give kids with congenital abnormalities a chance, then here is a resource to help make it happen....

A Quick And Easy Way To Gain...

By - 11, February, 2020

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If you’re a person trying to get stronger who wants to gain clarity, then this tip to build your core holds the keys you need. Knowing Your Limits Will Make You Mentally Stronger! This is actually a simple trick that so many miss. Here’s what I mean: you...

Clarity and the Queen

By - 07, February, 2020

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Are you a Label Breaker? Label Breakers have clarity in who they are and what they do. Do you want clarity? I want to share an example of what clarity does for a person and how you know they have it. Once You Know Who You Are, You Become That Person In 1947 (Queen)...

How you can build a stronger team...

By - 04, February, 2020

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Monday after this year’s Super Bowl, I attempted to answer the question ESPN asked – who was to blame for the 49er’s loss.  The coach – the buck stops there! Not everyone agreed, and that’s okay. But I felt like something was missing from...

Label Breakers – If royals can do...

By - 30, January, 2020

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It’s time to be label breakers! If you’ve ever been labeled and want to be seen in a new way, then I have a great example of how one family did that. You Change The Way People See You  The idea with this example is that while a name or a label can define...

Life, Death, and Legacy

By - 27, January, 2020

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There’s a church a block from my house, I pass it each time I drive to the gym. Most mornings I go to the gym and there is often a hearse outside. I always feel like it’s a reminder that life if short and to live it to the fullest. We all know this…...

A Quick Self Confidence Tip Every Person...

By - 19, January, 2020

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If you want to feel more confident in public, this post is for you! I want to share the benefits of a support group for people with a cleft lip or palate. This support system makes it simple to feel more confident in public by giving you a community of people to talk...

Wendy Williams Mocking Cleft Lips

By - 07, January, 2020

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I don’t watch the Wendy William’s show often, but I’ve seen it a few times. I won’t be watching it again after the things she did and said on today’s show. If you’re a talk show host or just a person who cares about other people,...

A tip for female police officers who...

By - 04, January, 2020

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If you’re a female police officer who is committed to getting promoted, then this tip holds the keys you need to succeed and still spend time with your family. What do you need to do? Hire Someone To Clean Your House! Here’s the aha moment I had with this...

Label Breakers – Coming to a computer...

By - 31, December, 2019

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I am excited to announce that this January I’ll be starting a session of Label Breakers. A course to help you break free from labels and live a life of purpose. The course includes a series of online videos and exercises. 6 group video coaching calls. and MUCH...

How can paper and imagination help mothers...

By - 29, December, 2019

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If you’re one of those mothers serious about creating a vision for 2020, then pay careful attention to this tip so you can avoid having to map everything out for 2020. Write Your 2020 Holiday Letter To Friends And Family at the start of the year! This tip will...

Create Actionable Goals: An Easy 3-Step Guide...

By - 14, December, 2019

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If you didn’t read my last blog post, you should start there. It will help you get in the mindset needed to create goals for 2020. Or, dare to be different and start with this post to creating actionable goals. This post is to help you break free from new...

How To Set Meaningful And Purposeful Goals

By - 12, December, 2019

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Thanksgiving has passed, Christmas is coming, and 2020 is ready to sneak in just after that. I thought I would do a 2020 Goals blog post to get you started setting meaningful and purposeful goals. Gone are the days of open-ended goals you don’t know how to...

How You Can Use Blue Sky Morning...

By - 01, December, 2019

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If you’re struggling to feel more fearless, then pay very close attention to what I’m about to share with you about Blue Sky Morning, a book that enables women to feel more confident and fearless. Fundamentally, this is a book that makes it simple to feel...

They called me Turkey

By - 23, November, 2019

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As a little kid, one of my nicknames was… Turkey. I have no idea where the name came from, but I remember my dad telling me that my feathers fell behind the bed (I assume my parents had feather pillows). We all end up getting nicknames at some point –...

Lessons I learned from the Igniting Souls...

By - 30, October, 2019

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This weekend I traveled to Columbus, OH for the annual Igniting Souls Conference. This was my 4th year and each year I learn even more. Some of these things I already know, but I heard them in a new way this year making them feel like new lessons. Here are a few...

Dreaming who I am

By - 18, September, 2019

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As many of you know, I recently retired from the NYPD. It’s a major life change. It’s not just a change in what I do every day, it’s a change in WHO I am. Being a Police Officer isn’t just a job, it’s a career with a particular lifestyle....

Comfort Is The Enemy

By - 19, August, 2019

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Years ago a colleague asked why I was so flexible with my schedule, often adjusting it to cover different shifts. I told him that I made the schedule work for me – so I could get things done without taking days off. Long weekends, doctors appts, babysit a...

What is a Cleft Lip and Palate?

By - 08, July, 2019

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Whenever I mention a Cleft Lip and Palate to someone I get a mixture of responses – some people know what they are, others have never heard of it. So I thought I would include some information on what Clefts are. What is a cleft lip and palate? During the early...

Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month

By - 01, July, 2019

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Welcome to July, National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month! I will be doing several things this month to bring awareness to Clefts and Craniofacial issues. This is the first of many posts. Miles for Smiles In June, I signed up to raise money for...

Secrets From The Front Row of A...

By - 25, June, 2019

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I recently got floor seats to an AMAZING concert – P!nk. 4th-row seats right on the edge of the stage – the way the stage was set up there was no one in front of me so they were as good as front row seats. I also recently attended a concert of another...

Crissy’s 7 Challenges – You know you...

By - 18, May, 2019

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As someone who likes to live life to the fullest, I try to do cool, fun, and interesting things from time to time. I often get comments on them, and sometimes people wonder how I did them and how I do them so often? For a long time, I didn’t know how I did them,...

Lies the doctor told me

By - 04, May, 2019

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Back in November, my knee started hurting me. It felt a little sore the night before Thanksgiving and by Friday I was at Urgent Care with a limp. I was referred to an Orthopedist who didn’t seem overly concerned on my first visit. I returned to him a few weeks...

Notre Dame

By - 21, April, 2019

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This past Monday, April 15, Notre Dame in Paris suffered severe damage due to fire. The world watched as the spire fell and people wondered if the church and its relics could be saved at all. Myself included. In 1160 when construction began on Notre Dame, if you had...

The New Site

By - 13, March, 2019

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I excited to launch the new Website! Alright, I know it’s been up for a few weeks, what took so long? I have a list of excuses – mostly that I was traveling and working on other things and this post just kept getting pushed off. But I’m here now! Why...

At last! I finally published the Label...

By - 26, February, 2019

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I have finally finished building the Label Breaker Mini-Course, which will be part of a larger course in the next few months. Before I finish building the larger course, I wanted to make sure that you had content that could help propel you forward in life, the Label...

Be Still My Friends

By - 20, January, 2019

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I spent 60 minutes in a float session and survived. A few months ago I took advantage of a Groupon for a new experience, a 60-minute float pool session and it was harder to experience than I thought it would be. A little about me:I’m one of those people who is...

Can we trust the inspiration of other...

By - 21, October, 2018

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Someone else’s dream ruined my chance of being in the Olympics! As a child, I had a fascination with the Olympics. I’m not sure exactly what the fascination was, I wasn’t much of an athlete. I really just stuck to kickball with the neighbors and...

The Secret to Resilience

By - 30, September, 2018

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Not too long ago I was researching Resilience for my books and found this fantastic article on the topic in the New Yorker. What’s the article about? Who is resilient and why? I feel like this is a little bit like the nature vs nurture argument. Nature: Some...

Can we really trust our dreams?

By - 15, September, 2018

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The Free The Dream Conference was more amazing than I could have imagined. Last week I attended Free the Dream in Franklin, TN. It’s a new conference hosted by Cliff Ravenscraft. Here were some of the great things about the conference: Travel I’ve never...

3 Songs that will inspire you

By - 02, September, 2018

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This past week was a test of my fortitude. I’ll spare you the details, but I spent much of my weekend rebuilding. Here are 3 songs that helped me rebuild, I hope they help you when you need to rebuild. F**king’ Perfect by P!nk You’re so mean, when...

You don’t really want a signed book!

By - 20, August, 2018

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I’ve been known to attend many a book signing and have a large collection of signed books. They’re pretty to look at and a few of them have fond memories attached to them. But when I think back to all the signings I’ve been to I wonder if it’s...

Talking louder doesn’t work

By - 12, August, 2018

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I only speak English, it’s fine most of the time. But every once in a while I run into someone who doesn’t speak English, happens more often when I travel internationally. So what happens when I need to speak to someone who doesn’t speak English? My...

Author Academy Award Nomination

By - 28, July, 2018

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I’m excited to announce that Blue Sky Morning has been nominated and selected for the Author Academy Awards in the Self-Help category. Nominations are closing August 1, 2018, and finalists selected later in August. I encourage you to visit the Author Academy...

Happy Independence Day

By - 04, July, 2018

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Before I celebrate independence day with a hotdog and fireworks, I thought I would delve a little into the famous document that was signed on this fateful day in 1776. When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political...

You are more and we need you...

By - 08, June, 2018

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Today Anthony Bourdain committed suicide, and it makes me sad. I only watched a few of his shows, but every time I saw him on TV he brought something special to the world. He’s brought food, people, and destinations to people around the world his legacy will far...

Lessons from our leaders

By - 25, May, 2018

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Last week I had surgery and had a little free time to watch the movie The Post. For those who haven’t seen it, here’s a brief synopsis: A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country’s first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor...

Blue Sky Morning Sale – Week of...

By - 05, May, 2018

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This week I’m having a sale on the Kindle version of Blue Sky Morning. The sale is in both the US and UK Amazon stores. The sale will only last a week and the price may increase as the sale comes to a close next Friday. Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2FQ5TZK Amazon...

The Sound of Music lied to me!

By - 18, March, 2018

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I grew up as a huge fan of the sound of music, just ask my college roommate who was NOT a fan of the movie. One of my favorite lines from the movie is ” When the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window.” Of course the Reverend Mother is referring...

Step into the future – 2018

By - 31, December, 2017

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At the end of 2015 I felt a bit like I was floating through life and not accomplishing anything. The opportunity to do a little online self study course came up – it was about setting goals for the next year, it was called Best Year Ever. The program walked me...

It really is a wonderful life

By - 23, December, 2017

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My favorite Christmas movie is, It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s a movie I didn’t watch until I was an adult and a few years later had the pleasure of introducing it to some adults who had not seen it, but were thankful I made them watch it. We all have those days or weeks...

Stronger – Why no one wants to...

By - 24, November, 2017

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Anyone can recover from a life altering injury and change the world of the people around them in the process. I recently had the chance to see the movie, Stronger. I tells the story of the man who lost both his legs in the Boston Marathon Bombing. Here is a man trying...

Giveaway – The Raven by Sylvain Reynard

By - 13, November, 2017

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In honor of the launch of Blue Sky Morning on December 5, 2017, I am hosting my first giveaway. Thank you to Sylvain Reynard (and Nina Bocci) for their support with this giveaway. Prize: A copy of The Raven with a signed bookplate from Sylvain Reynard (and other...

Can We Really Trust Coaches Like Kary...

By - 22, October, 2017

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This weekend I learned how to set FIRE to Blue Sky Morning when I attended the Igniting Souls 2017 Conference, hosted by Igniting Souls and moderated by Kary Oberbrunner. It was a chance to honor authors from Author Academy Elite and learn how to Set Fire To Your...

Blue Sky Morning Cover Reveal

By - 23, June, 2017

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Although I do not plan to release Blue Sky Morning until the fall, I wanted to finally present the cover of the Blue Sky Morning. I’m still in the process of finalizing the book, which I why I don’t have a hard date, but stay tuned for a date in September...