For many couples in North Texas, the holidays bring more conflict than connection. Dr. Lori Runge, a marriage and family therapist specializing in couples counseling, explores why the season triggers relationship stress and how mindfulness can help you stay connected when everything else is pulling you apart.

The holidays are supposed to bring joy, but for many high-achieving professionals, they bring anxiety, exhaustion, and emotional overwhelm. Dr. Lori Runge, a mindfulness-based therapist in McKinney, Texas, explores why the holidays trigger stress and offers practical tools for finding peace during the season.

Learn how mindful communication can revolutionize your leadership and personal relationships. North Texas therapist Dr. Lori Runge guides executives toward present moment leadership and authentic connection.

Have you ever noticed how ambition can simultaneously fuel your success and challenge your closest relationships? For high-achieving couples, especially those running businesses together or pursuing demanding careers separately, competing priorities create unique tensions. Without intentional alignment, these competing demands create a subtle but persistent undercurrent of tension. Creating a shared vision doesn't mean abandoning individual dreams or compromising your ambition—it means intentionally designing a future where both your business and relationship can thrive.

In the hustle of daily life, especially for busy couples throughout North Texas, stress often becomes so normalized that we barely recognize its presence—until it begins to undermine the very relationships we cherish most. Stress rarely announces itself clearly in relationships. Instead, it manifests in subtle patterns that couples often misinterpret as personality conflicts or compatibility issues. With mindful awareness and practical strategies, stress doesn't have to sabotage your relationship.

Few relationship wounds cut as deeply as betrayal. Whether through infidelity, financial deception, or broken promises, betrayal shakes the foundation of trust upon which relationships are built. Mindfulness—the practice of present-moment awareness without judgment—creates the foundation for genuine healing by creating space to experience painful emotions without being overwhelmed by them. When couples approach betrayal recovery with mindfulness, they develop what one client called "emotional steadiness in the storm"—the ability to navigate intense feelings while still making conscious choices about healing.

Summer in North Texas brings not just the heat but also an opportunity—a chance to step away from the daily demands of work and intentionally reconnect with your partner. Yet for many couples, vacation often becomes another source of stress rather than the rejuvenating experience it's meant to be. The difference between a vacation that rejuvenates your relationship and one that merely relocates your stress begins with planning for presence, not just pleasure. Learn how to create mindful vacation rituals that strengthen your connection.

When you share both a business and a marriage with your partner, the lines between boardroom and bedroom can quickly blur. As someone who has worked extensively with family business couples throughout North Texas, I've witnessed firsthand how challenging it can be to leave work disagreements at the office and preserve the sanctity of your relationship. With mindful attention and practical strategies, you can maintain both a successful business partnership and a thriving marriage.

As high-achieving professionals, maintaining a thriving relationship often takes a back seat to business demands. The Gottman Method offers evidence-based techniques specifically valuable for executives and entrepreneurs who need practical, efficient approaches to strengthen their relationships. Learn how these research-backed strategies can help you integrate professional success with personal fulfillment—creating a life where both your business and relationships flourish together.

Did you know that you have between 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts racing through your mind daily? Even more surprising—95% of those thoughts are repetitions from yesterday. When those repetitive thoughts become predominantly negative or critical, they create a ripple effect that extends far beyond your own mind and directly into your relationship. Learn how mindfulness can help you quiet your inner critic and transform your marriage from a place of judgment to one of understanding and connection.

Communication challenges can strain even the strongest relationships. Discover professional guidance on creating emotional safety, mastering active listening, and building lasting communication skills with your partner.