Jane Shure

What does it take to act with courage? What does it take to be the anti-bystander -- the one who speaks up rather than stay silent? The officials at Penn State University have modeled the opposite of courage. The cowardly Nittany Lions top executives deemed it too risky to speak...

Last Thursday, I was driving in my car, trying to catch ten minutes of listening time on the radio. Lucky for me, "Radio Times," hosted by Marty Moss-Coane, was airing on National Public Radio (NPR). I became immediately captivated by the interview with Terry Tempest Williams, author of...

It is only fitting that as this Mother's Day rolls around, I stop to remember the person who raised and nurtured my husband to be the loving, humanitarian man that he is.

My mother-in-law was ahead of her time. If she had grown up in my generation, she would...

A special New Year's "thanks" is in order to Tara Parker-Pope, health writer for the New York Times Magazine, for setting us on the right track as we begin 2012. While the television stations blast us with dieting ads and the magazine covers are plastered with tips for taking off...

I'm reminded of that old Bob Dylan refrain: "Come gather 'round people wherever you roam, and admit that the waters around you have grown." The end of the calendar year brings each of us to the end of waters we've navigated over the past 12 months. During this transitional time...

The way I see it, every generation of girls is taught to find value and identity through the way we look and the way we impress others. That certainly was the case when I was growing up. Thankfully, when I came of age in the 1960's and 70's the fashion...

Learning to value our "real" self and cultivate our strengths is easier said than done, especially in a world that constantly sends us messages that our natural self is inadequate. Yes, I know that marketers of hair products, clothing and diet programs are not thinking about their impact on leadership...

Once a soccer mom, always a soccer mom! How else do I explain organizing my lunchtime in front of ESPN, beaming in smile as the US Women's World Cup team beats France to win a chance for the championship trophy in the finals?

The years of cheering and schlepping as...

The recent death of Betty Ford provides opportunity to consider her life learnings and demonstrated leadership. First Lady from 1974-1977, Ford took risks not commonly taken before her time. When diagnosed with breast cancer, she saw her condition as an opportunity to publicly express that it's okay and acceptable to...

These days most people know someone in their family or community who has been impacted by an eating disorder. In the United States alone, as many as 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life and death battle with anorexia or bulimia. Approximately 15 million more are...

Why in the world would any of us take directives on parenting from a legal scholar? With all due respect to my friends and clients who are attorneys, but seriously? I certainly wouldn't suggest that anyone take legal or financial advice from me, a family therapist. So what's at the...

In the film Black Swan, Natalie Portman gives a stunning portrayal of an emerging female battling the developmental forces of innocence and rebellion. Portman's character, a ballerina in the New York City Ballet, demonstrates not just the pressures of being a ballerina, but how the pulls to act restrictive and...

I was a junior in high school when acclaimed writer and feminist activist Gloria Steinem helped found Ms. Magazine. Coming of age at a time when women and men were encouraged to question authoritative messages about gender roles and rights profoundly influenced me. So imagine my excitement a few weeks...

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to focus on the negative voice within -- the voice that stirs up anxiety by questioning, "Why didn't you?" Out of nowhere, I can be hit hard with a critical thought targeting me. It's like one of those automatic pop ups on...

The recent U.S. Senate decision to pass a resolution naming September as "National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month," gives this former fat kid much reason to pause and question. Hailed by many as a significant step forward, there are many out there who have good reason for concern. As I and...

It's complicated. The relationship between a therapist and patient -- it's really complicated, as is the journey to healing our childhood wounds. Last week, in the New York Times Magazine, Daphne Merkin self-disclosed of her life in therapy, opening us to a much needed public dialogue.

What helps...

I remember that time in my life when I was just starting to develop a political consciousness. It was 1975. I was living in Europe for a college semester abroad. Meeting up with people from all walks of the world inspired me to broaden my understanding of how national power-brokers...

Leave it to the fashion industry to find new and improved ways for instilling fear in consumers. As if it weren't bad enough that women were hooked on products that "enhance," "flatter," and "camouflage" our natural features, now we have men at center stage being sold a new category of...

I've been waiting a long time for this day. Oprah has finally come to see the light, recognizing that dieting promoted more of her negative body image rather than remedy it. This is a huge leap forward and provides hope that her influential voice may now be heard touting a...

Last month while leading a discussion on raising teens in a body-conscious world, I came away reminded of how confused parents have become. With the media's overemphasis on appearance at any cost, parents are challenged to help their kids question the culture's over emphasis on external appearance while essentially ignoring...