DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a business partner whom I want to buy out of our business. We integrated our two businesses because they went together hand in hand, and we were both able to offer the other a benefit. My business has been thriving since the partnership, but her business and programs have been plummeting. Enrollment is down, and I believe her increase in prices could be the cause of this. We have had meetings to plan ways to fix the drop in business, but she shoots down all of our ideas and suggestions.

This partnership isn’t working anymore. There is a lot of potential, but she is driving it into the ground. I know that the programs can improve, but my partner is the biggest obstacle. She is behind on rent, and money isn’t coming in. I am in a position where I can take on full ownership and buy her shares from her. She built the company 20 years ago, and I don’t want to hurt her feelings when I tell her this is her best and only option. How do I dump my partner? -- Reviving the Business

DEAR REVIVING THE BUSINESS: This is delicate territory. Do handle it with care. Sit down with your partner. Show her your books and point out the financial realities you're facing. Thank her for the time you have been partners and point out that the time has come for the relationship to change. Offer to buy her shares in a plan to liquidate the company. Give her space to think about it, express her emotions, etc. Ultimately, come up with a deadline to sever ties. Hire a lawyer to provide legal assistance.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My girlfriend and I got into a huge fight. I made mistakes and came clean, but now she has left me. She’s been staying with her best friend, who happens to be the sister of my good friend at work. So now my girlfriend is under the same roof as my male co-worker.

Over the past few weeks, she has come to our workplace to drop off lunch for him. Seeing her with him gets me upset. He’s been bragging about how much she does for him and his sister and how happy he is to have her staying there. I’m sure they are both doing it to make me jealous, and I can’t take it anymore. At this point, I feel he is disrespecting me on purpose, but I don’t want to have a bad reaction at work. How do I tell my co-worker to knock it off with the comments and jokes about my girlfriend staying with him and his sister? -- Jealous Boyfriend

DEAR JEALOUS BOYFRIEND: The best way to handle this is to ignore this guy. If he sees that he is getting under your skin, he will likely continue and may even ramp up his shenanigans.

If you cannot keep your emotions in check, pull him aside. Remind him that he has been your good friend for a long time and that the way he is acting right now is not helpful as you are dealing with the end of a close relationship with your girlfriend. Ask him to keep his comments to himself.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: How can I balance being independent and self-sufficient and still accept help when I need it? I am used to doing things on my own, by myself, and not really ever asking for help. I am the type of person who most often likes to figure things out at my own pace.

I just sold my house, and I asked my sister to help me pack up and move furniture out of the house. She agreed and was happy to assist. I wasn’t in a rush, but I wanted to get everything done over one weekend because I need to go to work during the week. The whole time we were packing, she was doing everything wrong! I told her how to pack the delicate items and store everything, but she just thought her ideas were better. I explained how I wanted the furniture moved and stored in the garage, but again, she offered up so many other ways. I told her that I have envisioned this move for a while now, and I want to execute this project the way I had it planned, so please follow the plan. It became a huge argument. She made me feel like what I was doing was wrong. I understood her suggestions, but I had a plan I wanted to keep. At that point, I told her if she wasn’t going to help me with what I needed, she could go home and I would do it by myself.

Is it me? Am I unreceptive to help? I hate the idea that I might be controlling, but I just feel like I have a certain order that cannot be improvised or else I lose concentration and become a foggy brain. -- Controlling

DEAR CONTROLLING: Sounds like you want to be in control of your life. The problem is that your sister may not be the best person to help you execute your tightly organized plans. When you have a volunteer family member, it may be best to give a bit and to welcome other ideas -- at least some of them. In the future, you may want to hire helpers who are paid to follow your plans. Start by laying out the plan and checking to make sure all involved are willing to comply.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My car has been through everything with me, but I find myself at a crossroads. Should I continue to fix and put money into a 12-year-old car or give up on my car for a while and use the time to save for a new one? The obstacle is that I cannot be without a car. I need it to get to and from work. There is no bus route to my workplace, and taking an Uber or Lyft gets expensive and will take away from my car fund.

Recently, fixing my car consisted of two different jobs that have cost between $500 and $800, and now a third job that needs to be done will cost within that same range. I could buy a car for about the same cost as these repairs, but I run the risk of needing more repairs. I can’t begin to figure out the best decision. What do you suggest? -- Car Makeover

DEAR CAR MAKEOVER: If you can figure out a way to get to work for a while without your car, go for it. Older vehicles can reach a point of being a financial drain. Can you carpool? Get creative in getting to work so that you can replace your car as soon as possible.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR READERS: Many of you responded about the mature woman who felt like giving up because she was overweight. This particular letter has details that may inspire those of you who need a little push.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'd like to add to your response to Overweight. She didn't state her age, but lamented it could be too late in life to lose weight. I'd like to challenge that idea. I gained 70 pounds with my pregnancy at 33 and lost only 10 to 15 pounds giving birth and nursing. I'm 5 feet, 2 inches tall and got up to 186 pounds, which I carried for years, well into my 50s. About 15 years ago, I had a bad ankle break that required surgery. In the hospital they tested my A1C and said I was at risk for Type 2 diabetes, which terrified me. I was at least 55 at this point.

While still bedridden, I massively altered my eating, adding more complex carbs (such as a small amount of rice and beans twice a day) and eating four smaller meals per day. I was still getting no exercise, as I couldn't put any weight on that ankle. This was enough to improve my A1C, but at 160 pounds, I was still obese. I kept that weight off for five years or so, but I didn't lose any more. I was overjoyed that I didn't gain it back. If I added a few pounds for a month or more, I would cut the sweets out of my diet until it was gone. I was vigilant.

At this point, I rejoined a gym and got regular exercise back into my life, and after another year or so, I was ready to attack my weight again. Over the next year to 18 months, I lost the rest of the weight, another 30-plus pounds, and I now maintain a weight of 130 to 135 pounds -- in my 60s.

Of course, this story doesn't expose how difficult this was and how important it was to make incremental but sustainable changes. Lots of people find it discouraging to take such a long, slow journey to permanent weight loss. I hadn't expected to be able to lose over 50 pounds, ever, much less to keep it off, but I did.

I can't really say why I was able to succeed when so many others fail. Maybe because I grew up eating home-cooked whole foods and kept that up my entire adult life. I never drink soda, never went on a fad diet, and consume very little alcohol, but I do love ice cream and homemade cakes and pies! If it's in the house, even now, I eat it up quickly. Thankfully, I can control myself in the grocery store, and I give myself monthly treats.

Too, I have generally been more active than most and, over the years, would go to a gym for a year or two and then slack off for a few years. But I've always loved feeling strong and was always a walker. This may have made it easier for me to commit to regular exercise.

But I did lose all this weight after 55, most of it after age 60, after carrying the weight for over 15 years. You can do it. Take it slow. Total denial isn't sustainable. Keep moving your body. Age doesn't have to be the determinant. -- Victorious

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)