Category: Empowerment

  • The Power of a Pivot

    It’s July. It’s so hot outside. We know, it’s hard to motivate to do anything in these temps, but we’re checking in. Did you set goals earlier this year to better your life? To help others? How’s it going? Even if you’re not where you want to be, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Maybe you…

  • We the People Still Stand

    Every year, we Americans celebrate the Fourth of July with parades and flags, picnics and family gatherings, fireworks and pool parties. School’s out and summer feels like it’s just heating up. It’s great fun, but do we all know what we’re really celebrating? As it turns out, maybe not. Let’s see what you know. July…

  • The surprising antidote to fear and uncertainty

    Despite repeated military strikes back and forth between Israel and Iran in the previous ten days, much of the world went to bed on Saturday night hoping peace – presumably in part brokered by the United States – would prevail. But instead they awoke Sunday morning to the news that the U.S. had used B-2…

  • When No One Is Watching

    Despite his rough beard and nerdy glasses, the thirty-something man wore a dapper gray hat with ribbon trim, a long-sleeved button-down shirt, dark dress pants and a gold wedding band, looking every bit the part of a polished citizen of the world. He played the baby grand with a talent meant to impress. Yet no…

  • These “old ladies” who jump into ponds aren’t just going for a swim

    The team goes into the water like a determined search party. Each person plays a crucial role. Some navigate kayaks on top of the water. Others wear snorkeling and diving gear to see what they can find under the surface. Another looks out for the 50+-pound snapping turtles and directs the others away from them.…

  • Playing in the Same Sandbox

    Elton John and Brandi Carlile released a new record last week, but it’s his long-time feud with music icon Madonna that’s making headlines in the last couple of days. Madonna first saw Elton in concert when she was in high school in the late 1970s. She left inspired by the “transformative power of music.” His…

  • Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

    When Jessica Pearce played basketball for NC State in the early 2000s, she couldn’t have known she’d bring her own young daughter back to see an NCAA Tournament second-round game at her alma mater over twenty years later. What a proud full circle moment. Her daughter Audrey, who does gymnastics, said “it was cool” the…

  • A Strange Way to Walk

    I love to walk. At home, on vacation, with music or a podcast in my ears or just listening to nature. Give me an open road and I can walk at a faster clip than some with longer legs can keep up with. It does wonders for my heart and my mind. But I do…

  • What’s So Great About January?

    January is special. Not in a burst of natural color like April, May and September. Not in the flashy way of fireworks and parades on the Fourth of July. Not even in the rush of excitement of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas in October, November and December. January is plain. It feels (and even looks) a…

  • Making It Stick This Year

    Happy New Year! January 1st. A brand-new calendar. A fresh opportunity to hit reset. Over half of Americans make New Year’s resolutions. But most are abandoned by February. Setting goals for what you care about goes a long way toward living the life you really want. So how can we do this better? Read on…