The NAJIT Board of Directors wants to express our deepest appreciation to Giovanna (Gio) Lester for her years of service to the NAJIT Blog, which was re-branded as the NAJIT Observer under her leadership. Her tireless efforts have been a tremendous benefit and resource to...
When Maria Cristina de la Vega invited me to join the team of contributors to NAJIT's weekly publication, in 2011, little did I know that one day I would end up taking her place at its helm. I was asked to lead the project by Rob...
Imagine this scenario. You’re having an argument (I know, I know, none of us ever argue, but just…humor me for a moment). For the sake of the story, we’ll say it’s an argument with a spouse. As tensions and voices rise, you can feel a...
Another trip back in time. Athena Matilsky's 2018 article seems very apropos. Enjoy. This week it was my turn to post on the NAJIT blog, and I asked some of my colleagues what I should write about. I was told, “Don’t teach. Tell your story.” So...
It is sometimes difficult to separate ourselves from our professional persona, especially when trying to communicate with our clients. That fine line between being personable and too personal can become blurry. Knowing the difference Being personable simply means that you are polite, you are positive, you are...
Many of us are trying to figure out how much fun we can have this summer and avoid getting sick at the same time. It is not easy to know what to do based on information we get from the news, social media networks, federal...
This piece was first published in 2018. Not too long ago, I found myself at an arbitration in which one of the parties, John Doe, was attending by WhatsApp from across the globe. That was a first for me. I have already used Google Hangouts, Skype,...
7:30am I wake up with a quick, optimistic check to my inbox. No email. Oh well, I sigh. I wasn’t really expecting the results to come in that early. I roll over in bed. Thirty seconds go by. I check my email again. “It’s going to...
The Couch is a learning place, not only for its contributors but also for our readers who engage in the ensuing discussions. The pandemic demands that we adapt but not everyone seems to be willing to do so. Can you help our colleague communicate his concerns...
We often think of self-care as a way to nurture our bodies so that we can stay healthy and age well, but self-care is much more than that. It is a form of language to communicate with our bodies. We use self-care methods to convey...