Author: Overcoming Adversity | Buteau’s Odyssey

Sharks are fascinating animals with a range of personalities. They suffer from numerous misleading stereotypes and myths and instill fear in many people who so much as think about them.1 However, shark attacks on people are actually rare.2 I must admit that while I am afraid of sharks, I find them to be beautiful animals and always want to learn more about them. Most fortunately, I’m able to talk with shark expert Dr. Mikki McComb-Kobza whenever I like and am thrilled she could take the time to shed some light on who sharks really are and why they need us…

Thomas Sowell published his groundbreaking book The Einstein Syndrome[1] in 2001, following his earlier book Late Talking Children.[2] In The Einstein Syndrome, Sowell analyzes the traits of children with above-average intelligence who did not speak their first words until well beyond their first birthday—and in some cases, not until a second or even third birthday had passed. Nonetheless, these bright late talkers eventually began speaking and, over time, displayed talents in science, mathematics, or music. For example, Julia Robinson was the first woman to serve as president of the American Mathematical Society, despite being a late talker and having a…

Christmas is coming in hot, and it’s time to pick out some movies. But after the same old carols and predictable Hallmark movies, sometimes you need a good scare to remind you that winter is the season of death. We all know Black Christmas and Gremlins, but what about the truly obscure holiday horror flicks? The ones that make you say, “Wait, that exists?” Well, buckle up, because we’re diving into the bargain bin of Christmas carnage to unearth five lesser-known gems that are worth a watch. Or at least one that’s good for a few laughs Jack Frost (1997): He’s a Killer Snowman!  Okay, this…

When my daughter was born, I expected to be exhausted. What I didn’t expect was the fear that I might not love her. This is what postpartum depression looked like for me, and how I came back. After I stopped breastfeeding, I was happier. My anxiety lessened because I knew she was getting enough to eat. After each formula feed, Lily would fall asleep on my chest. I’d pat the milk off her chin with a burp cloth as she faintly snored. I wished I could match her peace, but I couldn’t shake the want to escape. I just want…

It isn’t an oversimplification to say that perfectionism, at its core, is about a deep and irrational need for emotional and often even physical security. As much as I dislike searches for abstract “root causes,” because causes tend to be complex, we can safely (no pun intended) conceive of the specific goals and specific desires in perfectionism as being in service of self-preservation, feeling protected from external and, thus, internal skeptics and critics. But there is a deeper story, one that doesn’t necessarily add a cause but helps explain the perfectionist’s preoccupation with security. This story goes back to the…

Christmas is coming in hot, and it’s time to pick out some movies. But after the same old carols and predictable Hallmark movies, sometimes you need a good scare to remind you that winter is the season of death. We all know Black Christmas and Gremlins, but what about the truly obscure holiday horror flicks? The ones that make you say, “Wait, that exists?” Well, buckle up, because we’re diving into the bargain bin of Christmas carnage to unearth five lesser-known gems that are worth a watch. Or at least one that’s good for a few laughs Jack Frost (1997): He’s a Killer Snowman!  Okay, this…

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.In this season’s Big Ten Championship Game the Ohio State Buckeyes are the favorites, but by less than a touchdown (-4) over the Indiana Hoosiers. Lucas Oil Stadium will host the matchup on December 6, 2025, starting at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. An over/under of 47.5 is set for the contest.The Buckeyes’ last contest was against the Michigan Wolverines, and they won by a score of 27-9. Last…

Here’s something surfers understand that most trauma survivors don’t: before you learn to ride big waves, you have to learn to get back on the board. This sounds obvious—of course you have to get back on. But watch a beginner at any surf break and you’ll notice something interesting. They spend almost no time practicing recovery. They’re focused entirely on the ride: the pop-up, the stance, the glorious moment of gliding across the face of the wave. And then they wipe out. And they wipe out again. And eventually, many of them quit—not because they couldn’t learn to surf, but…

All of us live in macrocosms as well as our own microcosms. There is the larger world around us and the smaller world that we each inhabit. The other day, I was coming out of a supermarket, and a woman approached me, telling me a story about losing her home and that she was hungry. I was about to take her grocery shopping, but she informed me she was homeless. There was a Chick-fil-A up the street, so I gave her money to buy a warm meal. I worried where she might stay to remain warm because it was a…

Setting limits is hard. When someone else’s behavior is impacting your life in a negative way, it can be important to set limits on them for your own protection or to create space to thrive in your own endeavors. This can happen in families, at work, in your community, online, or anywhere. However, the question arises: Should I show some empathy to the person who I am setting limits on? Or even pay extra attention to them? Or emphasize how I respect them? The answer is: It depends. In my book with Ekaterina Ricci, SLIC Solutions for Conflict: Setting Limits…