Why Summer Camp May be the Secret to a Longer Life
Last week, during my training with camp staff about friendship skills, I showed them this video (Susan Pinker’s TED Talk: The Secret to Living Longer May Be Your Social Life): I then asked our staff to share what similarities they found between summer camp and the small village in Sardinia Pinker describes in her TED…
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10 Simple Reflection & Connection Activities
Hi Friends, Does anyone else enjoy marking the end of one year and the beginning of the next? Maybe it’s because I’ve always loved calendars and planning, but I find it extremely psychologically satisfying to close the book on one year and open up a fresh page to a new one. I always feel there’s…
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One Word
Dear Audrey, I am the early childhood/camp director at the Jewish Community Center of Dallas (and parent of 4) and I really enjoy everything that you put out! We use a lot of the same strategies, philosophy, training and readings/books with our families here at the J. I wanted to send a quick note to…
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Camp Secret #1: Connection Comes First
If you enjoyed listening to Camp Secret #1: Connection Comes First (the first chapter of my book), consider purchasing Happy Campers at Audible & Apple Books.
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36 Questions to Get Closer to Someone You Love
The art of asking good questions, and listening carefully to the person’s response, is an important skill for forming and maintaining positive, close relationships. Our social connections are the most important predictor of life-long happiness and health. Watch Susan Pinker’s TED Talk if you need convincing! Arthur Aron, a prominent social psychologist, discovered that he…
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Stop Dreaming, Start Doing: 5 Steps to Finding Your Career
This post is dedicated to the fabulous young adults who choose to forgo privacy, sleep, and social media to work 24 hours a day, six days a week, as summer camp counselors. “What am I going to do with my life?” I hear this question a lot from recent college graduates and those heading into their final…
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Need a 2020 Reboot? Try Doing a September Reset
I think of September as one of my three “new years.” I take time early in September to reflect and regroup before launching into the fall. I first learned about this concept of thinking of three new years on one of my favorite podcasts – Organize 365 with Lisa Woodruff. Even during a pandemic, we…
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Presence: My One Word for 2020
For the past three years, instead of writing a long list of resolutions or goals, I’ve come up with ONE WORD I want to guide my year. I’ve also encouraged my family to come up with their own words and share why they picked them. My previous One Words have been: 2019: Focus 2018: Peace…
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31 Days of Happiness Hacks
In October, 2016, I did a 31 day writing challenge. The result was this compilation of 31 Days of Happiness Hacks. I still refer back to the hacks, which are never outdated. This morning when I flipped to October in my calendar, I got the same satisfying feeling I get every month. I love the…
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Happiness Habits
“Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug.” -Og Mandino All of us want our children to be happy. In…
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