Rising Strong When We Fall with Brené Brown

FB-rising-strong-review-01I couldn’t have been more excited if my heartthrob George Clooney was coming to town…

My mentor and colleague, Dr. Brené Brown, came here to Seattle to speak! On the heels of her new book, Rising Strong, she took Town Hall Seattle by storm. Tickets sold out within an hour of going on sale.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one swooning!

And who can blame us?

In her previous bestseller, Daring Greatly, Brené showed us how to be all in, fully authentic, and become our truest selves. In Rising Strong, she brings down the house with the one thing no one seems to talk about – rising strong after each and every stumble, failure, and broken heart that happens along the way.

I was lucky enough to get an advance copy as one of her Daring Way Certified Facilitators. I devoured it with the excitement of a Twilight fangirl, and it did not disappoint.

I found page after page chock full of potent tidbits that just speak to my very core.

Discover More

A New Year for Change You Can Feel

FB-new-year-2015-01As I set my intentions and plans for 2015 , I realized with astonishment……

It has been 25 years since I sat with my very first client. I remember feeling nervous and inadequate and just hoping that what I had to share would at least be enough to alleviate a bit of the pain.

Since then it has become both my passion and privilege to walk beside hundreds of individuals, couples and families supporting their growth. I’ve been able to see them deepen their connection with themselves and those they love.

In the process they have inspired me by their courage and vulnerability as they faced their fears and deep hurts. They opened their hearts to build healthier and more nurturing relationships.

I have seen first hand the most powerful source of healing and growth is to be fully known, seen, and accepted by another. The struggles and pain we face hold the seeds for transformation and healing.

And I’ve been privileged to learn from some of the most brilliant, creative and wise teachers on the planet such as Drs. Brené Brown, Sue Johnson, Les Greenburg , John Gottman and Kristen Neff, to name a few. They’ve been mentors who have shared their wisdom and their journeys. They’ve led the way with resources, research and applications. I’ve seen them light a pathway for helping professionals and lay people alike to a healthy relationship with self and others.

“As I look back on what I’ve learned about …….worthiness, the greatest lesson is this: If we’re going to find our way out of shame and back to each other, vulnerability is the path and courage is the light. To set down those lists of what we’re supposed to be is brave. To love ourselves and support each other in the process of becoming real is perhaps the greatest single act of daring greatly.”

― Brené Brown

A New Year and a Renewed Commitment

This year I plan to do more writing, more story-telling, and more sharing from the incredible mentors in my life. I’ll be posting on this monthly blog- Change You Can Feel – the latest research and resources for creating healthy relationships and a whole-hearted, authentic life.

I’ll also be teaching these exciting workshops in the coming months, so be sure to check out what you are interested in:

To get all these tips and resources and never miss a thing, be sure to

Wishing you health, peace and new adventures in 2015

-Cynthia Benge

Welcome the New Year with Change You Can Feel!

7-Steps-to-Creating-Positive-Change-for-the-New-Year-1-300x199As the year comes to a close, we all pause to reflect on all we have experienced and the places we have grown, the people we have encountered, the loves and losses, and the accomplishments of our year. I just finished reading Anne Lamott’s latest book, Help, Thanks, Wow! and it pretty much sums up my year so far! How about You?

I lost my Dad this year, a couple very dear to me were killed in a car crash in Peru, and a client I worked with lost his battle with depression. Those experiences of facing death and it’s ramifications left an indelible mark on my soul.

I will be forever changed by those lives and those losses. They left me stunned, aware of my own helplessness, fear and vulnerability. They also left me poignantly aware of the beauty of life, the gift of our days, our children, our families , our freedoms and our choices.

Facing death makes life more dear, relationships more precious, time more valuable and puts your priorities in order in a hurry.

Discover More

Gratitude as a Practice for Healing Transformation

Empty-Hands-e1356726073191Today is a day all over America that we count our blessings and give thanks. We live in a world that is imperfect, a country that is divided, a world full of war and tragedy. There are those among us who are hungry and without shelter and yet we are a people who survive, who go on, who rise up and believe that things can get better–we hope–we give thanks.

Gratitude is a practice that can be cultivated. Modern science has shown what many have proven over the years–it is good to give thanks. It is a healing balm. In his book, Authentic Happiness, Martin Seligman describes a study he conducted where he taught severely depressed patients to write down one thing each day they were grateful for. Within 15 days 94% of them reported feeling better.

Discover More

It’s Just You in There

Its-just-me-in-thsere-001Welcome to my new blog “Change You Can Feel.” I am so excited to be sharing some of what I am learning about this amazing transformational process of change and to explore with all of you what it is that really helps us make the changes we so desire… I am hoping this will be a place we can all share our growth, our struggles, our process and our journey together. Where we can learn from each other and support one another as we develop the courage to create the life we were meant to live!

“It’s Just You in There”

Are you afraid to look underneath and really get a handle on what’s inside??

Discover More

Meet Cynthia Benge

A therapist for over 20 years, I guide people from their own “stuck” places to a life full of adventure, meaning and satisfying relationships.

Connect with me: