Victoria Ponders

psychology

August 10, 2025

Finding Significance

“Your legacy is every life you touch.” – Maya Angelou Being an achiever can be depleting. I heard from a former client last week, frustrated by his prolonged job search and slow progress with two creative projects. I listened. Interspersed with legitimate career-related laments, he lit up when he shared photos of his children…and the… Continue reading

Family, Wellness

authors, Celtic Knot, community, Inspiration, kindness, legacies, life goals, motivation, psychology, self-care
April 28, 2025

Echoes

My friend, Lori Pohlman, wrote a beauty of a post recently and I felt my heart zing and sing as I read. If you’ve missed it, I won’t mind if you pop over right now to take a look. Lori’s post is about “I am From” poetry (also known as “Where I’m From”) and her… Continue reading

writing

author, memoir, personal narrative, poetry, psychology, self-care, six word stories, writing
April 3, 2025

Your Astonishing Light

I couldn’t resist reposting a story (“Lean Into the Light“) from December 2023. It’s about a former student, *Jeanine*, and moments that matter. Jeanine reached out last week just to say hello and re-connecting with her was a delight. Sometime soon I’ll take the time to share more about her on-going accomplishments as a single… Continue reading

kindness

affirmations, connections, friendship, love, psychology, quotes, self-care, Wellness
February 10, 2025

Empathy. Do It. ❤

“One doesn’t have to operate with great malice to do great harm. The absence of empathy and understanding are sufficient.”-Charles M. Blow Have you heard? Author and journalist Charles Blow is leaving the New York Times as he steps into a fellowship at Harvard. Even if you haven’t followed him at the Times, you might… Continue reading

kindness, Wellness

career advice, Charles M. Bow, compassion, counseling, empathy, Inspiration, love, psychology
October 3, 2024

Asked & Answered!

I like the whole story. Details. Beginning, middle, end. The problem? So many things in life are interrupted. Slices and segments. Unfinished business. I’m thinking about projects, people, issues, incidents, stories. Loops that don’t close. A wonderful writer friend shared a quote from author Lee Child that I can’t get out of my head; it… Continue reading

writing

authors, communication, Inspiration, personality, psychology, storytelling, writing
July 25, 2024

Inspire

When readers of “Surviving Sue” ask about my courage and fortitude to write about my mom and my complicated life with her, I smile and share that I received plenty of support from allies and mentors along the way and choosing a career as a licensed counselor solidified my belief in the power of personal… Continue reading

Surviving Sue

humanism, Inspiration, Maslow, mental health, psychology, self-care
March 14, 2024

Peek Inside: “Surviving Sue” – Fault Lines

My mom, Sue, had a compulsive need to be right. She navigated most days in search of human fault lines, similar to the geological variety. Volatile and just beneath the surface. Dangerous, hard to detect, and ever-present. Sue sought fault lines and weaknesses in others as one of her defensive maneuvers. Her contentious behavior was best… Continue reading

Surviving Sue

Adler, author, defense mechanisms, Family, forgiveness, healing, love, mental health, psychology, writer
January 20, 2024

In Plain Sight

It’s idiom time! Thank you, once again, Merriam Webster: I had an experience last week that reminded me of one of my favorite topics when I was in teacher mode, a unit about the limits of human perception…being unable to see what’s in front of us. I don’t know how much fun the lecture was,… Continue reading

Wellness

gratitude, humor, lifestyle, mindfulness, perception, psychology
March 20, 2023

Realizing Potential

I wondered…did he WANT to be fired? Continue reading

Wellness

career counseling, growth mindset, psychology, self-improvement
November 5, 2022

Daring to Share

Capacity for caring…living with light and dark… Continue reading

Wellness

gratitude, marginality vs. mattering, misfits, Nancy Schlossberg, psychology, self-care, self-esteem, self-improvement
November 2, 2022

Falling in Avignon: Vicki is a Klutz

Body awareness and emotional regulation? Good for all of us, not just we, the klutzy ones. Continue reading

Wellness

body awareness, emotions, humor, psychology, self-awareness, Wellness
October 20, 2022

Darkness & Light

No superhero cape required…you’ve got this… Continue reading

Wellness

Jung, love, Nietzsche, philosophy, psychology, resilience, survivors

“Surviving Sue”, a special story about resiliency and love: Eckhartz Press (paperback) and eBook on Amazon.

Peek Inside “Surviving Sue“

Visit Resources on Atkinson Group Solutions for more.

Workshops

Chicago Writers Association Speakers Bureau – Writing for Wellness; Navigating Elder Care with Grace & Humor

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Peek Inside “Surviving Sue“

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