Yesterday, I was reading a fan website and someone was commenting on the entertainer in question’s wife. There was a picture of her on the red carpet with her husband and beneath it, a fan of her husband’s had written, “Die, Bitch, Die!”

Normally, when I see a comment like that, I glaze over and scroll away from it. But this time, I felt kicked in the stomach. Why? Because she’s a dear, sweet friend of mine (and one of the LAST people on earth I’d ever think of as a bitch—let alone one that should be (ouch!) killed for it). I suspect she doesn’t spend much time googling herself online, so she probably stays away from sites like this one (after all, she’s got a gaggle of kids to raise and a husband to support). But it brought home a subject that comes up for my clients a lot: how to deal with nasty comments from people.

What to do about it varies from person to person. For some, staying away from fan sites is a biggie, for others, wearing headphones on the street helps a lot. A few others outlaw TV at TMZ time. But most of my clients slip at some point and find themselves getting enraged at the chatter they hear & see about themselves… (more…)

“Her legs are too long…And that hair—that really isn’t what we’re looking for…Turn around. Well, maybe with some airbrushing…We can fix that in post, right?”

Sound familiar?

You leave the house feeling like a normal person, you come home feeling like an over-handled and useless piece of produce… (more…)

Ah…The eternal question!

The other night, I was surfing the net and read an article about how Jack Benny not only never put a fence around his home, but that he’d even, occasionally, answer the door when his fans would come up the walk and ring the bell. Seems unheard of in this day and age, with stalkers and obsessed fans out there. But it does pose an interesting question. Two, actually:

1) What’s the difference (to you) between a “fan” and any other (non-fan) person you would meet?

2) How close do you let ANYBODY get to you? (Or: What’s your inner circle criteria?) (more…)

Do you find yourself saying “Mmmmm!” to a mouthful of beluga when the truth is, you think little bumps of salty water exploding in your mouth are kind of gross? Playing golf or watching polo when you still can’t figure out why people seem to like the sports so much?

One of the biggest challenges some people face when they’re thrust into the world of money, power, and prestige is the social pressure (real or perceived) to act and look “Affluent.” You know, you’re invited to the big charity event and everyone is going on and on about the expensive wines and you haven’t the vaguest idea what the big deal is, yet, you find yourself sipping it and nodding in agreement with them so they don’t think you’re stupid? (more…)

Ah! The downside of extreme success!

When most of us dream of a successful career and life, we often dream about our accomplishments and some thought of how much we’ll enjoy our life when it “gets here.” But, in truth, sometimes when our success “gets here,” it can keep us so remarkably busy that while the rest of the world (and us!) may be reading about it in the papers, we’re definitely not FEELING it at home… (more…)

For many, one of the incredible perks of fame can be the fast and vast accumulation of lots of money. At the outset, this can look like a really great thing. After all, wouldn’t life be suddenly so much more fun and so much simpler with lots of money? Wouldn’t anybody’s life be improved with millions or billions of dollars?

Yes.

And, amazingly, no… (more…)