A Doctor For Life: Ann Petru
Dr. Petru was just starting out as a young doctor when the AIDs epidemic began. She recalls, "As I started seeing a few kids with HIV, my boss and mentor in Infectious Disease at Children's Oakland said, 'I take care of the Department. I run the show. You figure out what to do for these kids.'" Petru couldn't imagine not taking care of these kids, she told me. 35 years later, Co-Director of Pediat... posted on Jan 21 2018, 2,692 reads

Community-Led Initiatives that Are Protecting the Natural World
In 2008, Ecuador's leadership rewrote its constitution to include the rights of nature, effectively awarding legal rights to the environment. Indigenous communities have recognized the rights of nature for thousands of years, but Ecuador was the first country to make it a constitutional right by awarding ecosystems legal rights to protect the environment and its people. It was a seminal moment for... posted on Jan 20 2018, 12,883 reads

The Myth of the Risk-Taker
What is the one common attribute that's consistently found among wildly successful people? Money? High education? Lucky breaks? According to Adam Grant, a psychology professor, best-selling author, and researcher in the realm of originality, a love of learning is the key to finding success. It all starts with curiosity. To challenge what is already the norm. To go against the grain and put our ene... posted on Jan 19 2018, 12,912 reads

Five Limits Your Brain Puts on Generosity
When we give, we receive. Altruism is something that humans feel the benefit of. We can be incredibly empathetic. But what about the times when we aren't? Science has the answer. The brain actually puts certain limits - boundaries - on our expressions of good-natured giving. Learn about these 5 heart blocking brain responses. Awareness of these limits may allow us to stretch beyond them, and outsi... posted on Jan 18 2018, 11,338 reads

Patrick O'Malley: Getting Grief Right
In this interview from "Insights from the Edge," grief counselor Patrick O'Malley discusses "closure," his journey, and his approach to grief, which diverges from the traditional five-stage grief model created by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. ... posted on Jan 17 2018, 62,771 reads

The Gifts of Imperfection
Have you ever wondered what makes it easier for some folks to bounce back from difficulties than others? Resilience, or the ability to overcome adversity, includes 5 core components: resourcefulness, help-seeking, the belief that they can do something to help manage their feelings and to cope, availability of social support, and connections with others. But there's more to the stories of those who... posted on Jan 16 2018, 0 reads

Why the Moral Argument for Non-Violence Matters
There is a difference between using nonviolent tactics and having nonviolent principles. That difference matters even more today. Kazu Haga, a Kingian Nonviolence trainer based in Oakland, California and founder and coordinator of East Point Peace Academy, explains that nonviolent tactics have victory as the goal and define people as opponents. Nonviolent principles have reconciliation as the goal... posted on Jan 15 2018, 15,651 reads

The Life of Death
Marsha Onderstijn is a Dutch animator who studied at St. Joost Kunstacademie, a fine arts university in the Netherlands, specializing in 2D animation. In her hand-drawn piece, "Life of Death," Marsha follows a day with Death, who paradoxically learns to fall in love with life. This moving short animation paints Death as a warm character, interested in the goings on of the living, and even feeling ... posted on Jan 14 2018, 8,137 reads

The Right Stuff: A Conversation with Jim Brooks
"I'd gone to the Elko, Nevada Cowboy Poetry Festival at the invitation of some friends. I'd been having a great time. "You've got to visit Capriolas," my friend said - Elkos famous vendor of cowboy gear. It's where I ran into the first black cowboy I'd seen at the festival. I didn't know it was Jim Brooks, a legendary figure. But I didn't need to know that. He was such a striking figure, I immedia... posted on Jan 13 2018, 3,007 reads

The Gypsy Goat Herder
One woman, hundreds of goats, 365 days of the year equals innovation in the realm of environmental care. Lani Malmberg is an inspiration for eco-action, with her work focused on non-toxic land care in the form of herding goats to pastures that would otherwise use health and environmentally harmful pesticides. Drawing from her multiple degrees in weed science, biology, botany and environmental rest... posted on Jan 12 2018, 2,695 reads