The Overlap

Somewhere between leaving corporate America and joining the Peace Corps, someone gave me their copy of The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius by Mark Forstater. That’s when I began my journey to being unbothered—and for the record it still feels like I am at the beginning of the road.  Nearly two thousand years ago, Marcus Aurelius (M.A.) ruled the Roman Empire while dealing with plague, war, and political backstabbing. Yet in his private journal—what we now call Meditati

There's a particular kind of homesickness that hits you in the most unexpected places. For me, it's standing in the fluorescent-lit aisles of Rewe during the Saturday buying frenzy (the majority of German grocery stores are closed on Sundays), staring at €4.99 hummus, when it dawns on me: my favorite German grocery store is 3,900 miles away in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA. I'm talking about Trader Joe's, of course. The Family Tree No One Talks About Let me blow your mind if you d

Kendra Valentine, story strategist extraordinaire, just released How to Pitch Almost Anything —and it might be the most practical book on communication you can add to your lifekit.  When I first met Kendra and discussed her new book, I automatically started thinking about all the entrepreneurs, salespeople, consultants, and so on, who could gain value from it. We've all been there: standing in front of a room (or a Zoom screen) trying to convince someone of something importan

The Akan people of Ghana have a powerful adinkra (symbols that represent concepts, proverbs, and aphorisms) called  Ayah —the fern. Simple in its design, this centuries-old emblem carries profound wisdom that feels startlingly relevant to our turbulent times. The Symbol of Endurance Ayah represents defiance, endurance, and resourcefulness. The fern, from which it takes its form, grows in some of the harshest conditions imaginable—rocky crevices, deep forest floors with minima