My Training Partner

When Love Grows You

My daughter Mattie and I recently went hiking in Point Reyes. Before we hit the trail, we picked up lunch and sat on the ground outside a bakery, laughing and talking. Something about the moment caught a stranger’s attention—they asked to take our photo.

I laughed out loud. If you’ve read my earlier blogs, you know why: our relationship hasn’t always looked like that.

💠 She’s Been My Greatest Teacher

Mattie and I have weathered a lot. I used to call her my training partner—a term from Aikido for someone who challenges you to grow.

Through her, I’ve had to face parts of myself I once resisted: anger, jealousy, frustration, tenderness. Loving her has taught me how to love myself more fully.

There were moments when I felt like giving up. But I didn’t.
Because underneath it all, there’s something bigger holding us: love.

💠 This Is About More Than Parenting

Whether it’s a child, partner, boss, or client—relationships are where we grow.

The ones who trigger us most often hold the keys to our transformation.
If we stay open, the challenge becomes the invitation.

Real love doesn’t just hold.
It stretches.
It evolves.
And if you let it, it will grow you into the version of yourself you’ve been waiting for.
— Anna Scott

💠 A Moment of Laughter

When I asked Mattie if I could share this, she laughed and said,
“So… you’re calling me a bitch?”

We both cracked up. That’s the kind of love we have now—honest, messy, real.

🎧 A Song That Says It All

Love doesn’t always arrive gently. Sometimes it shows up to break something open.

👉 When Love Comes to Town – Herbie Hancock (feat. Jonny Lang & Joss Stone)

Turn it up. Let it stir something in you.
Because love’s not just here to hold you, it’s here to grow you.