A Bit of Optimism

Some of the most successful people in the world all have a secret power. It’s not their experience or technical expertise that matter most – it’s their partnerships.    As the President and founding CEO of Virgin Unite, Jean Oelwang has had a ringside seat to remarkable people and how they build deep business and personal relationships.   She has spent over 15 years working with some of the world'...

We've all been told in our darkest times: "Don't worry this will get better"...but what happens if everything's going right? Should we be afraid that the other shoe will drop?     Well, for Adrian Grenier, the other shoe dropped. He was the star of Entourage, the biggest show on television for a decade. He had fame, money, and everything else.    Until one day when his girlfriend abruptly dumped h...

We all know a bit about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, but which President was drunk at his inauguration?  Who was the first gay president?  And what kind of parent would name their kid “Millard Fillmore”? For this Presidents' Day, I called the brilliant Jeremy Deutsch, the king of presidential history, to drop some obscure presidential knowledge and give a couple hints about our president...

Can we ensure that we will stay happy through every phase of our lives? Arthur Brooks discovered that there is a clear fork in the road that we will all face at some point. Some of us will struggle to find lasting happiness and the other will only get happier as time passes. The trick is knowing what to do to get on the happy path.  The best part - Arthur tested his theory on himself…and it worked...

When people want to do good they often get stuck because they don’t know what they can do.  Mark Bustos figured out that to do good, all we need to do is what we are already good at, but to do it for someone else.  Mark is a hairstylist turned humanitarian who will inspire anyone who hears his story to give more.  This is…A Bit Of Optimism. For more information on Mark and his work check out:  htt...

Short packets of content. That’s the world we live in. We've condensed and compressed so much of what we consume that our entertainment and our news seem to have lost any nuance or complexity. And that’s a problem, because our world and our lives are nuanced and complex. Phoebe Robinson is a comedian, bestselling author, actress and producer who tries to capture the nuance and complexity of life i...

Less than 5% of major crimes end in a conviction. For cold cases, that number drops to 1%.       Those numbers won’t stay low forever.   David Mittelman’s company, Othram Inc., is revolutionizing DNA sequencing and, in the process, greatly reducing the number of “unsolvable” cases.    I called David to learn more about how the new technology works, what it means for the future of crime-fighting, a...

Engraved on the Statue of Liberty it reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...” A beautiful sentiment, indeed. The reality is a little less poetic. When refugees reach America’s shores today, they face the daunting task of rebuilding a sense of community while trying to work through a system that is ill-equipped to give them the support they need. That’...

How would you react if you found out that your friends purposely planned a birthday party when you were out of town so you wouldn’t attend? And what if you found out from a video that went viral on TikTok?  That’s exactly what happened to Marissa Meizz.  Marissa's reaction was absolutely beautiful. She used the attention - and the pain - to help others. She founded No More Lonely Friends, a group...

Fear and anger seem to dominate the headlines. So, to start the New Year, I thought it would be a good idea to find out if there is anything we can do to get to a resolution. And William Ury is about the best person to help figure that out. The author of "Getting to Yes" and co-founder of the Harvard Negotiation Program, he has helped negotiate disarmament pacts between nuclear superpowers, ease r...

Stressed from work? Stressed from life? For all the talk of mindfulness and meditation, a lot of us still struggle to find that calm we want. Omar Brownson tapped into an entirely new way to find peace that may surprise you: gratitude. It was so powerful, he left his high visibility, high stress job to share the power of being grateful with as many people as possible. This…is A Bit of Optimism. If...

Despite all our “social” media, more and more people report feeling lonelier, more stressed and more adrift than ever before. How can we protect our mental health and still engage with friends on Instagram, etc? To find out, I called Sara Kuburic – an existential psychotherapist, war survivor, and the mind behind the massive and brilliant Instagram account @Millennial. Therapist.  Her insights on...

We live in an era in which possessions are, too often, more important than personal health and the health of our planet. That never felt right to activist, gardener, and education reformer Ron Finley. He’s been called an Eco-lutionary, a Guerrilla Gardener, the Gangsta Gardener…regardless of what you want to call him he is one thing: inspiring.  This is… A Bit of Optimism.  If you want to know mor...

So many politicians say our children are our future, so why do so few nations have a cabinet level position to represent their youth? As the Minister of State for Youth Affairs for the United Arab Emirates, Shamma Al Mazrui is revolutionizing the dynamic between youth and government. At the age of 22, she became the youngest government minister in the world. Now, five years later, she has powerful...

A small number of tech companies have amassed enormous power in our modern world. Do they wield that power responsibly, or do they abuse it to benefit themselves? I talked to Tristan Harris, “the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience,” to better understand what we can do about our social dilemma.  This is… A Bit of Optimism. If you want to know more about Tristan and his work, check out...

In show business, Ari Emmanuel is the consummate insider. The founder and CEO of the Endeavor agency, he represents some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. He’s a mover and a shaker and a philanthropist. So obviously, I called to talk to him about…family. This is…A Bit of Optimism.  For more on Ari and his work check out:   https://www.wmeagency.com/story/ https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/26/...

What is the best way to navigate the world of diversity, equity and inclusion? Chloe Valdary’s point of view is different from the norm. The founder of the Theory of Enchantment believes the best way for us to come together is to first find love within ourselves. And the results are...enchanting. This is…A Bit of Optimism. The Theory of Enchantment - Website Chloe's feature in The Atlantic YouTube...

There are only a few people in the world who have made a success out of failing. Serial entrepreneur and author of Backable, Suneel Gupta is one of them. We talked about the importance of failing and the lessons we can learn. This is…A Bit of Optimism. If you want to know more about Suneel and his work, check out: Suneel Gupta - LinkedIn Backable: The surprising truth behind what makes people take...

We’ve seen it in the movies, someone throws themselves onto a grenade to save their buddy, but how many of us could actually do it? Kyle Carpenter, the youngest living recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, can answer that question. However, he sees what he did as the kind of responsibility we all have - to protect and take care of each other. His words are powerful and inspiring.  This is...

With unprecedented levels of stress and depression amongst young people, I wanted to know what we, as an older generation can do to help. So I talked to psychologist,  professor at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Grit , Angela Duckworth. This is… A Bit of Optimism. If you want to know more about Angela and her work, check out : https://angeladuckworth.com. https://www.amazon.com/Angel...

Most people know him as a disability rights activist, chairman of Special Olympics or for his book The Call to Unite. But when we talked, our conversation took a turn. We ended up talking about what it means to learn to love. And it was wonderful.  This is ... A Bit of Optimism.  If you want to know more about Tim and his work, check out : Timothyshriver.com www.specialolympics.org www.amazon.com/...

Every now and then, I get to meet someone who sees the world differently. Matthew Barzun is one of those people. He was early to see opportunities that others  didn’t -  in the internet, in political fundraising and even as US Ambassador. Put simply,  Matthew helps us see the world differently. This is… A Bit of Optimism. YouTube: http://youtube.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/si...

In high stress times it helps to laugh,  which is why I called Michael McIntyre, one of the most  successful comedians in the world. And that’s what we did…we laughed. This is… A Bit of Optimism. YouTube: http://youtube.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Twitter: https://twitter.com...

In a world that’s increasingly polarized, it’s harder and harder to bridge the divide between ourselves and those we disagree with. Filmmaker and former US Ambassador, Nicole Avant and I chatted about the importance of reaching out beyond the divide and showing fellow humans a little respect. This is… A Bit of Optimism. YouTube: http://youtube.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simo...

Spotify, Target and Twitch are just three of the brands whose identity has been significantly influenced by Brian Collins. He’s a legend in the design world and thinks about the future in ways completely different from everyone else. This is… A Bit of Optimism YouTube: http://youtube.com/simonsinek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek Instagram...