Diversity
Be a catalyst for moral change.
As we focus on our Black brothers’ and sisters’ achievements during Black History Month, I’m left to wonder why the f*ck we only spend one month—and the shortest month of the year!— talking about Black history. There’s so much we need to learn about the Black experience in the United States and about the people…
Read MoreACT FAST, FAIL FAST, LEARN FAST? SCIENCE SAYS WE LEARN FASTER WHEN WE ARE FREE TO CHOOSE.
A recent study in Scientific American showed that people learn faster when they are free to choose which action they make, even if the choice initially leads to a negative outcome. The concept, “choice-confirmation bias,” produces “stabler learning over a wide range of simulated conditions than unbiased (no choice) did.” Researchers also believe that choice-confirmation…
Read MoreMindset 3: Embrace the Mess and Enjoy the Reward
“Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves.” That’s what Cheryl Strayed concludes in her best-selling memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. After her mother’s death, Strayed made a string of bad choices that led to a failed marriage and substance abuse. With nothing more…
Read MoreMindset 2: Authenticity Before Action
In August, astronauts safely splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, completing NASA’s first successful mission in partnership with a commercial space flight company, Elon Musk’s SpaceX. It was a bright spot for all of us worried about what shoe might drop next in this year of disasters. And it offered a lesson in a…
Read MoreShift Your Mindset and Move To Healing: Radical Relationships
What do radical relationships look like in America? Consider an episode of Black-ish in which Dre Johnson finds a girl in an elevator. Dre begins the scene with a question: “What truly makes America great?” Then he steps towards the office elevator, where he finds a little white girl, alone and on the verge of…
Read MoreHealing the Great Divide: When a Red Man Stood Up for What Is Right
My hope is that we develop enough courage to develop courage. To try to have, try to learn to treat each other fairly, with generosity and kindness. Maya Angelo I’ve never understood this quote more than I do today. Just like so many of you, I’m struggling with our current world. So much tension. So…
Read MoreBlow In, Blow Up, Blow Out
Close your eyes and imagine this with me: There’s a guy on the stage playing his heart out on a piano and he’s delivering a sermon with his music. I guess you could even say he was on fire (like Jerry Lee Lewis). People in the crowd are standing up, waving their hankies in the…
Read MoreTurning A Splash Into A Flood
One of my “lean in” moments is to focus on the intensity of human connectedness and the responsibility we have for each other. Our lives, our livelihoods, our wellbeing are intricately tied and cannot be separated.
Read MoreFinding Joy in the Yuck
Thirty frickin’ more days of social distancing. Really? The other night, we learned that we were going to have to live in our new norm of social distancing and shelter-in-place for at least another thirty days. I have to admit, these were not the words that I wanted to hear. Stress is getting higher in…
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