Library›Situations

Situations

Where the examined life begins

The 99 situations people bring to the institution. Find the one that sounds like yours and see the patterns underneath it.

Academic Pressure

The person is a student struggling with academic performance, pressure, or direction.

ADHD or Executive Function

The person is managing ADHD or executive function challenges in work or life.

The person is dealing with the challenges of aging parents — caregiving, dementia, end of life, or strained relationship.

Anger at Injustice

The person is struggling with anger, despair, or burnout around social or political injustice.

Building a Creative Career

The person is trying to make a living from creative work or build a sustainable creative career.

Building a Creative Practice

The person wants to build, restart, or deepen a creative practice — writing, art, music, design.

Building a Morning Routine

The person wants to build a morning routine to improve their day, energy, or focus.

Building a Savings Habit

The person struggles to save consistently and wants to build a reliable savings practice.

Building a Side Business

The person is trying to build income or a business alongside their main job.

Building a Spiritual Practice

The person wants to develop or deepen a spiritual practice outside of or within organized religion.

Building Confidence

The person wants to build self-confidence in a specific area or generally.

Building Family Connection

The person wants to strengthen their family relationships — with partner, children, or extended family.

Building Financial Foundation

The person wants to get their finances in order for the first time — budgeting, saving, investing.

Building Financial Independence

The person is working toward financial independence, FIRE, or significant wealth-building.

Building Fitness or Health Habit

The person wants to establish or return to a consistent health, fitness, or wellness practice.

Building Leadership Presence

The person is working to develop executive presence, authority, or leadership effectiveness.

Building Play and Joy

The person has lost access to play, joy, or lightness and wants to reconnect with it.

Building Professional Network

The person wants to build their professional network but finds it difficult or inauthentic.

Career Stagnation

The person feels stuck in their career — no growth, no challenge, no momentum.

The person is managing persistent high-level stress that is affecting their health, relationships, or effectiveness.

Co-Parenting Challenges

The person is co-parenting with an ex and experiencing significant challenges.

Communication in Marriage

The person wants to improve communication and connection in their marriage or long-term partnership.

Considering a Major Life Change

The person is contemplating a large change — moving, changing careers, ending a relationship, leaving religion — but has not yet decided.

Consistent Writing Practice

The person wants to write — a book, blog, essays — but cannot stay consistent.

Dating After 50

The person is seeking or navigating romantic connection in midlife or later.

Dealing with Loneliness

The person is experiencing significant isolation or lack of meaningful connection.

Deepening Faith

The person wants to deepen their relationship with their faith or spiritual tradition.

Diet and Nutrition

The person wants to improve their eating habits or relationship with food.

The person is struggling with a difficult or toxic manager.

The person's children have left home and they are adjusting to a new life phase.

The person or someone close to them is navigating a terminal diagnosis or the dying process.

Executive Leadership Development

The person is a senior leader working on their leadership effectiveness at an executive level.

Experiencing Burnout

The person is experiencing significant depletion from sustained overwork, caregiving, or chronic stress.

Experiencing Infertility

The person is struggling with infertility, pregnancy loss, or the decision about how to pursue parenthood.

Facing Bankruptcy or Financial Ruin

The person is considering bankruptcy or facing the collapse of their financial situation.

Faith or Spiritual Questioning

The person is questioning or transitioning in their faith or spiritual life.

Family Estrangement

The person has cut off or been cut off from a family member, or is considering doing so.

Fear of Failure

The person's fear of failure is preventing them from taking meaningful risks or pursuing what matters.

Financial Stress

The person is under acute financial pressure — not enough money, bills due, anxiety about financial stability.

Financial Windfall

The person has received a significant unexpected sum — inheritance, sale, settlement, or bonus.

Friendship Difficulty

The person is navigating the loss of a friendship, a difficult friendship, or loneliness in friendship.

Getting Into Debt

The person has accumulated significant debt or is on a trajectory toward financial crisis.

Going Through Divorce

The person is in or completing the legal and emotional process of divorce.

Going Through Grief

The person has experienced a significant loss — death of someone close, end of a relationship, or major life loss.

Having First Child

The person is pregnant, has recently had their first child, or is in the early adjustment period.

High Achiever Anxiety

The person is a high achiever whose drive and anxiety are now causing significant personal cost.

Housing Instability

The person is facing housing uncertainty — can't afford rent, needs to move, housing transition.

Identity Crisis

The person is experiencing a fundamental questioning of who they are — values, purpose, orientation, or life direction.

Immigration or Displacement

The person is navigating the experience of living in a country or culture not their own.

Intercultural Relationship

The person is in a relationship across significant cultural, religious, or national difference.

Intrusive Thoughts

The person is experiencing intrusive thoughts that are distressing or disruptive.

Jealousy or Envy

The person is struggling with jealousy or envy — of peers, a partner, or someone in their field.

Leading a Team for First Time

The person has just become a manager or leader and is navigating the transition from individual contributor.

Living with Disability or Chronic Illness

The person is adjusting to life with a disability or managing a chronic condition.

Long Distance Relationship

The person is in or considering a long distance relationship.

Longing for Relationship

The person deeply wants a romantic relationship and is not in one.

The person has been recently laid off, fired, or had their position eliminated.

Major Career Decision

The person is at a fork in their career — a job offer, a career change, a promotion decision, or leaving a field.

Major Ethical Dilemma

The person is facing a decision with significant moral stakes — in work, family, or life.

Major Health Challenge

The person is dealing with a serious illness — their own or a family member's.

The person's anger is causing significant problems in their relationships or life.

Managing Anxiety or Mental Health

The person is struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges.

Meditation or Mindfulness Practice

The person wants to build or deepen a meditation or mindfulness practice.

Midlife Transition

The person is in a midlife period of questioning, reassessment, and transition — sometimes called a midlife crisis.

Money and Relationship Conflict

The person and their partner have significant conflict or misalignment around money.

Moving to a New City

The person has recently relocated and is navigating social, professional, and identity adjustment.

Narcissistic Relationship Recovery

The person is recovering from a relationship with someone who exhibited narcissistic patterns.

Navigating Adoption

The person is involved in adoption — as an adoptee, adoptive parent, or birth parent.

Navigating Legal Challenge

The person is dealing with a significant legal situation — lawsuit, custody battle, business dispute.

Overcoming Procrastination

The person's procrastination is significantly impacting their work, creativity, or goals.

Parenting a Teenager

The person is struggling with the relationship with their teenage child.

The person's perfectionism is preventing progress, causing significant distress, or damaging relationships.

The person has lost a beloved pet and is grieving.

Political Family Conflict

The person's family is significantly divided along political or values lines.

Post-Pandemic Social Reconnection

The person is still navigating the social and psychological effects of the pandemic period.

Primary Caregiver

The person is the primary caregiver for a family member with significant care needs.

Professional Decline

The person feels their career is plateauing, declining, or they have lost their professional edge.

Racial or Cultural Identity

The person is navigating questions of racial, ethnic, or cultural identity — belonging, code-switching, assimilation.

Re-Entering Workforce

The person is returning to paid work after a gap — parenting, caregiving, illness, or sabbatical.

Recovering from Addiction

The person is in recovery from addiction or is working to reduce or stop a substance or behavior.

Recovering from Betrayal

The person has experienced a significant betrayal — infidelity, friend betrayal, business partner, family.

Recovering from Business Failure

The person's business has failed or is failing, and they are navigating the aftermath.

Religious Family Expectations

The person's family has significant religious expectations that conflict with how they want to live.

Retiring or Leaving Career

The person is transitioning out of a long career or professional identity.

Seeking Purpose

The person feels their life lacks meaning or direction and wants to find what they are here to do.

Seeking Work-Life Balance

The person feels work is consuming their life and wants to establish healthier boundaries.

Serious Relationship Conflict

The person is in a significant conflict with a partner, family member, or close friend that is straining the relationship.

Sexuality or Gender Identity

The person is exploring or navigating questions of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Sibling Conflict

The person is in significant conflict with a sibling — old wounds, inheritance, parenting differences.

Sleep Difficulty

The person is struggling with sleep quality, insomnia, or a disrupted sleep pattern.

The person's social anxiety significantly limits their life or relationships.

Social Media and Mental Health

The person's use of social media is negatively affecting their mental health or self-image.

Starting a Business

The person is founding or has recently founded a business and is navigating early-stage challenges.

Starting a New Job

The person has just started or is about to start a new role and is navigating the transition.

Supporting Partner Through Difficulty

The person's partner is going through something hard, and they are struggling to support them effectively.

Technology and Attention

The person feels their relationship with technology, screens, or social media is harming their attention or wellbeing.

Trauma Aftermath

The person is living with the effects of past trauma and working to heal or manage its impact.

Weight and Body Image

The person is struggling with their relationship with food, their body, or their weight.

Workplace Conflict

The person is in a significant conflict with a colleague, manager, or direct report.