Michelle Dempsey M.S., CPRW

A writer, entrepreneur, radio host, and powerful motivational speaker – Michelle Dempsey, owner and founder of Michelle Dempsey, Very Well-Written, has one goal in mind: empowering women from all walks of life with her incredible personal life story of overcoming adversity and using the lessons learned to achieve success. Internationally published and known for her ability to connect with readers on a deeper level, Michelle has successfully united her passion for business and writing and developed a thriving career, offering writing and editing services, business coaching, branding expertise, and content marketing to business of all kinds.

Articles by Michelle

Surviving Holiday Season as a Single Parent

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been handling this single parent life much better than you expected. You’ve found your stride, figured out how to handle one, two, even three or more little ones with only two hands, and you’re feeling pretty proud of yourself.

With winter break around the corner, you’re not alone if you’ve already found yourself lost in thought over how you’ll be attempting to entertain your children. Sure, the holidays are entertaining enough, but once the tinsel is cleaned up and the presents are unwrapped, filling these two weeks can feel pretty daunting, especially if you don’t have plans to leave town or a huge budget, for that matter.

Flashback to a few months ago, on a night when my toddler daughter went to bed pretty easily. Not much of a fight, very little negotiating, and only one kick to the stomach as I tried to put her in the crib on this lovely night. As I walked out of her sweet little room feeling like a total boss, ready to pour a glass of wine and get ready for a night with Netflix, the truth crept up on me and pretty much made me wince in pain.

Growing up, my memories of science class involved planting lima beans and sunflower seeds in school and hoping for a plant to grow. Technology in school? We were playing Oregon Trail while gazing into a tiny Macintosh desktop with a nauseating green glare.

The clock is ticking, summer vacation is quickly coming to an end, and the back-to-school supplies are already surfacing everywhere you turn. Long, lazy days in the sun, quick sprints through the sprinkler, and that endless wait for the ice cream truck will have to be put on hold yet again for another 10 months, as will the daily swimwear and flip flops attire.

Emotional intelligence in children is a topic that is all the rage these days, and for good reason. Building your child’s emotional intelligence, or emotional quotient (EQ), is a key factor in establishing effective communication skills.

I may be a female empowerment speaker, and a passionate #momboss who is an activist for all things womanhood. But one thing I’m not, is someone who will ever discount the importance of fatherhood. And with Father’s Day on the horizon, I started thinking. As a girl who grew up with a strained father-daughter relationship, I know from experience how critical the role of a father is in a child’s life. I know what it means because of how my daughter’s face lights up each time her father walks through the door or calls her on the phone.

Wondering how to keep your child interested in learning during the summer months? Trust me, you’re not alone. Kids, parents, and everyone in between long for this time of year for so many reasons, but if you’re a parent who is going to have to get your child motivated for another school year come Labor Day, it would be wise to keep the chapter on learning open throughout the summer, to

It’s officially the end of the school year. And if you’re anything like me, you’re ready to never pack another lunch box again – at least not for the next two months. It’s been a long year. You and your kids have made it through endless carpools, spelling tests, homework arguments and tears.

This will only be my third Mother’s Day, so the thrill of waking up with a reminder that I created a living, breathing, teeny, tiny version of me excites me. Everything about the day does. Only this year, mine will be a bit different.

Lately, whether I’m scrolling my Instagram news feed or reading articles that pop up on Facebook, I find myself faced with the same phrase relating to raising children:

Call me lazy – I don’t care, but I think I’ve figured out the best way to travel with a family in tow. The staycation.

We are a nation divided. Two sides of the fence. Too many opinions. Too many critics.

I don’t know about you, but as much as I love my husband, another bouquet of roses is just not going to cut it this Valentine’s day. This mama is tired. This mama is overworked. And if there is anything this mama needs more of in this world – it’s quiet time.

By the time you can read this, you may have already rolled your eyes at that fact that I wrote you a letter. But I have something important to share with you.

When I first gave birth to my daughter and spent days on end holding her in my arms, I couldn’t imagine anything past the sweet, subdued calm of infancy – and never thought I’d be able to enjoy the unpredictability of toddlerhood.

And you learn that every moment with a toddler is like a walking (or stumbling) comedy routine. That with each disaster that ensues, you fall more and more in love. In short? Life with a toddler can best be summed up in these children’s book quotes:

When I first gave birth to my daughter and spent days on end holding her in my arms, I couldn’t imagine anything past the sweet, subdued calm of infancy. I never thought I’d be able to enjoy the unpredictability of toddlerhood. And before I knew it, my little cherub became a toddler — a fiercely independent, strong-willed, wise-beyond-her-years, boss of a toddler, at that.

When I first made the transition from traditional full-time employment to work-from-home entrepreneur, you could say I was a bit clueless as to what life would really be like.

I’m a giver. A lover. A nurturer. But somewhere in my 32 years of constantly giving at any cost, I became a people-pleaser. A really devoted “yes” person, at, literally any cost. And I had to end it.

When I think back to my adolescent days, growing up in a cozy suburban neighborhood where any and all holidays were celebrated with gusto – I am immediately brought back to Halloween.

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Michelle Dempsey M.S., CPRW

Articles by Michelle

Surviving Holiday Season as a Single Parent

How to Enjoy the School Break on a Budget!

Healthy Eating with a Toddler. It's Possible!

The Growth of STEM Education

Back to School Vibes

Effective Communication Skills for Emotional Intelligence

The Best Way to Show Dad You Love Him!

Avoiding Summer Learning Loss

The Last Few Weeks of School

The Single Mama’s Guide to Mother’s Day

Let Them Be Little

Top 3 Reasons Why a Staycation Beats Any Other Kind of Family Getaway

Mommy Equality

Top 3 Ways Mamas Can Treat Themselves for Valentine's Day

Letter to My Daughter

Things About Raising a Toddler that Have Surprised Me

Parenting Summed Up in Quotes

The 3 Most Surprising Lessons I’ve Learned While Raising a Toddler

The Perfect Work-at-Home Routine

Why I'm Teaching My Daughter to be Selfish

Why I’ll Let My Child Indulge This Halloween

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