Image: Keith Homan/Oleksandrum/ Alluneed/ Ashley Britton/SheKnows.

This year, the health and wellness world was all a buzz with oat milk lattes, elderberries and, of course, the ultimate at home luxury fitness accessory: the Peloton Bike. Wellness is a market that is constantly growing and evolving, and according to the most recent study by the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness market is valued at $4.2 trillion, up 12.8 percent from 2015. And with no sign of the market slowing down, we got to wondering what will we be trying, sipping and lathering on in 2020 to keep feeling our best? We did some digging and compiled a few of the biggest health and wellness trends that the coming year the new decade will bring.

Weve all hit the snooze button one too many times, and according to the National Sleep Foundation, 45 percent of Americans are not getting the sleep they need. Sleep is vital for cell function, maintaining a healthy weight and reducing stress. So, its no surprise, with sleep becoming a growing priority, that more and more sleep apps are becoming available along with melatonin gummies and natural supplements hitting the mainstream marketplace.

Another way to enhance your sleeping in 2020 is to use blue blocking glasses or screen protectors that filter and reduce exposure to blue light waves that can keep you awake. Warby Parker just launched their own line. Or if youre in the Houston area, consider popping over toa place like Nap Bar for a quick midday snooze.

Chances are youve probably heard all about CBD oil. Its in virtually everything from pet treats to skincare, but what is the hype all about? CBD is the abbreviation for cannabidiol, one of the chemical compounds found in marijuana or hemp. Unlike THC, which is another compound found in marijuana, CBD is not psychoactive. In other words, you will not get stoned. However, because advocates say the compound will reduce your anxiety and help manage pain, the market for CBD is growing at a rate of 132 percent.

Shannon Sherfey, a physician at Newton Family Physicians says, I think thats partly why it has become so popular. People are grasping at straws for help with things like stress, anxiety and insomnia, and so many other medical problems that are not easily treated. So, what type of CBD products can you look for in 2020? Topical lotions that can be applied directly to problematic areas, gummies to aid insomnia and capsules that can be swallowed to provide immediate relief.

Taking care of our physical health by drinking water, getting a good nights sleep and working out are things we all know to do, but what about our personal well-being? In a culture where #girlboss and #riseandgrind are daily mottos for many, hiring a personal life coach has never been more common.

With a steady 6.7 percent growth rate in the U.S. self-improvement industry, projections show the industry reaching an all-time high in 2020, with a value at $1 billion. Niki Puls, the life coach behind the company Lion Hearted Coaching (@lionheartedcoaching) says that people seek out life coaching in times of transition. Many people seek out a coach because they are feeling stuck or overwhelmed. They just need to get the momentum going and want to make sure they are heading in the right direction, she says.

It all started with veggie burgers and then came the demand for even more realistic faux burgers. Cue Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. With their bleeding patties and meat like texture, consumers couldnt get enough and Burger King even jumped on the bandwagon.

While we can expect these burgers to continue making headlines, 2020 has its sights set on providing other plant-based meat alternatives that go beyond the burger. Gardein, a plant-based meat company just introduced mini crab-less crab cakes and vegan cult favorite restaurant, by Chloe launched a Chicky collection that consists of tempeh-based faux chicken.

The increase in plant-based meats comes on the heels of consumers learning the health and environmental benefits of ditching animal products. Studies have linked red meat to an increase in cancer risks and the animal agriculture industry is the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions which is a major cause of climate change. So, whether you want to try a chicken-less sandwich or venture into the sea of faux-fish patties, the options are only going to continue to grow in 2020.

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2020 Health & Wellness Trends to Know About Now - SheKnows

Young and old people alike today are eager to rip the wrapping off of life, not boxes. In fact, as a new year and a new decade approaches, getting out of the box is exactly the point. People increasingly strive to be consumed by a world they design and desire, rather than consume whatever designer doodad the world tells them they need.

If this describes someone close to you, and you want to give them a unique gift, tis the season to go om for the holidays. Send them to a retreat center a secluded escape from deadlines, family-and-work drama and the distraction of social media and electronics. Now go one step further and choose a facility where, in addition to traditional yoga, meditation, massage and spa offerings, guests can enroll in the school of life through workshops focused on wellness and mindfulness, creativity, management skills, relationships, and other personal and professional goals.

Spending time immersed in a pristine, natural environment is enough to relieve tension and bring a sense of nourishment, says Travis Newbill of Shambala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colo. If you combine this with techniques that promote self-reflection, relaxation and heighten our capacity to tune in to our surroundings, the benefit is even more profound.

Retreats can move us forward. Workshop topics cover the spectrum from art to Zen. Theres something for everyone: purists and pursuers; spiritual and secular; intuitive and intellectual.

Its an opportunity to stretch into areas you may be ignoring in your life, says Carla Goldstein, president of the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, near Rhinebeck, N.Y. People go back feeling refreshed and connected, and remembering that being human means that we are learning throughout our lifetime.

These life-coaching and life-living classes typically run over a weekend or several days. Residential retreat centers can be magnificent, such as the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, Calif., with its hot springs and ocean-view massage sessions, or more minimalist. Some centers have all-inclusive pricing, while others charge a workshop fee plus room and board.

Enlightenment and edification isnt cheap, so expect a decidedly non-minimalist bill: a two-night weekend workshop at Esalen in a basic private room with three meals a day is about $1,300, for example. A similar stay at Omega runs a few hundred dollars for a workshop plus about $750 for a standard private room with board; a weekend at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Mass., costs about the same. By comparison, a weekend workshop with a private room at The Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone, N.C., can be less than $1,000. Retreats have cropped up in every corner of the world, but U.S. residents, particularly those with time constraints, will likely find their place without having to leave the country.

Programs have their own look and feel. Usually they are led by professionals, often well-known in their fields, with an appropriately alternative, new-age slant. Upcoming workshops at Esalen, for example, include Unfinished Business: Create Your Next Steps in Life From the Inside Out, and Its Not Your Money How to Live Fully From Divine Abundance. Omegas programs in 2020 feature a meditation weekend with revered Buddhist teacher Pema Chdrn, a writing workshop with cartoonist and author Lynda Barry, and relationship coaching from Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt, the married authors of the popular book Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples.

Different retreat centers offer different experiences, so we recommend choosing based on an individuals needs, says Cheryl Fraenzl, Esalens director of programs. Perhaps the person is looking for a weekend to simply rest and restore. Other times a person is seeking a specific experience, whether it be reigniting a sense of creativity, expanding a somatic practice, or delving into relationship dynamics. Finding the right workshop fit is important.

Websites to assist in a search include Retreat Guru, which filters retreats according to price, type, location, teachers and other criteria. Cameron Wenaus, Retreat Gurus co-founder and CEO, says the site monitors and reviews thousands of retreat centers worldwide to ensure their legitimacy. We want people to be able to feel they can trust, he says, and to be empowered to ask the retreat centers the right questions.

What type of questions? Wenaus suggests contacting the workshops instructor beforehand to inquire about the class agenda and objectives, and about the teachers related life experiences. Plus, find out how best to prepare for the course, such as books and videos to study. Be clear about your intention, Wenaus says. If you go in foggy, you get a foggy result.

If all this fits your special someone, heres the tricky part: getting that person on board if theyre not already so inclined. Many people pay no mind to mindfulness. They have no need to disconnect in order to connect with themselves and others. People are creatures of habit; an unsolicited invitation to make life changes, especially in the self-improvement department, could be misinterpreted as critical and condescending.

If people arent ready for that kind of work, it could be threatening, Wenaus says. One solution if a friend or loved one is resistant or new to new-age thinking is for you to be their retreat companion. This can help allay any fear and even strengthen the bond between you.

The pleasant surprise for many retreat participants is discovering a community of like-minded, open-minded people. This sense of being part of something bigger than yourself is reinforced by a retreats natural setting. Esalen is perched above the rugged Northern California coast; Kripalu is nestled in the picturesque Berkshire Mountains; The Art of Living is deep in the lush Blue Ridge Mountains; Shambala is high in the Rockies.

Electronics generally are discouraged, so binge-watch Stranger Things at home. Wi-Fi and mobile-phone service may be available, but reception can be spotty and coverage limited at best. Meals are health-conscious, and tea and water, not alcohol, will fill your cup.

We are modeling what it means to live in a healthy community, says Goldstein, Omegas president. Bring a flashlight, flat shoes, a sweater, bug spray, and openness.

Continued here:
Want to really improve someones life? Buy them a gift that helps them unplug - MarketWatch

Self-care is trending in wellness, self-help, and business and anyone fromThe Oprah MagazinetoForbesoffers advice on self-care practices and rituals. There are evenpodcastsdedicated exclusively to self-care. We know that self-care practices contribute to feeling better, improve our self-awareness and self-confidence, leave us with more energy and calm, and overall contribute to our well-being. Our health, relationships, work, productivity, creativity all depend on making time for us. Self-care is not selfish; its essential. Why then, according toPubMed:

Only 6.6% of Americans 25 years of age and older engaged in health-related self-care each day.

More than one in four Americans (28%) say they feel guilty when practicing self-care. So why dont most people practice self-care? Turns out people believe thy dont have time for it (44 percent) or they dont have the money for it (35 percent). (Source:Harris Poll)

With this in mind, Unhustle has the following self-care recommendations that are specifically for people who lack the time (isnt this everybody these days?) and include a minimum financial investment.

Self-care is an all-encompassing mind-body-spirit connection affecting all aspects of holistic well-being physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It may come as a surprise to learn that factors outside the doctors office determine as much as 80 percent of someones health. 9 out of 10 physicians say that self-care is important to overall health, yet 43% of people say they have more important things to do. (Source: Harris Poll). Self-care means taking responsibility for your health.

So if you want to stay away from the doctors office, you awe it to yourself to put self-care high on your todo list no more guilt for taking care of your health.

Breathwork affects heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol commonly referred to as the stress hormone. Frombox breathingto4-7-8 breathingtoWim Hof breathing, oralternate nostril breathing, it only takes a few minutes to engage in breathing. You can do it anywhere, anytime.

Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. You can do this anywhere, anytime, as long as you are not driving.

Heres a 1-minute meditation fromTara Brach:

Get comfortable and close your eyes.

Listen.

Coming into stillness, take some time to scan your body and just see what wants to relax, to let go a little.

You might take a full, deep in-breath, filling the chest, filling the lungs, and a slow out-breath, feeling the sensations of the breath as you release.And again, a deep in-breath, and a slow out-breath, letting your breath, then resume in its natural rhythm, opening to your senses, feeling the breath in the foreground, and relaxing with the background of sensations, sounds, feelings, and life.

Laughinghelpsreduce stress, relaxes the body, elevates your mood, lowers blood pressure, connects you to others, and fosters relaxation and relationships.One minute of laughingburnsthe same number of calories as 6 to 10 minutes on a treadmill.

Put your favorite music on, kick your shoes off and start dancing. It will boost your mood and energy, and moving your body will help you feel better. Besides being a great cardio workout,dancingcan improve cardiovascular health, increase stamina, strengthen bones and muscles, and stave off illnesses. Dancing can even help you keep your brain sharp. To see the many benefits of dancing, check out thisarticle.

Coloringhelpsyou get into a meditative state. It will help you lower your stress level, aid relaxation, boost creativity, and even help you improve sleep and attention span. Get the pencils out and colora book.

Taking time to play with your dogmeansyou stay active, get sick less often, youll have better heart health, youll be less stressed out and exercise more. All good reasons to spend more time with your pooch plus theyll love it.

Journaling is a self-care practice that takes little time and money.Studiesshow that journaling helps with sleep difficulties, lower cardiovascular-related inflammation, manage stress, and alleviate depression.Here are some of myfavorite journalsto explore, in addition to my favoriteBullet Journal.

Got an hour? Hit the gym, or stay home and do some yoga, strength training, or TRX.

Get some fresh air and sunshine and practice mindfulness by observing nature.

Grab a new book or a favorite old book and read. Readinghelpswith mental stimulation, stress reduction, knowledge, memory improvement, stronger analytical skills, improved focus, and concentration. Plus, youll get lost in the story (hopefully its a good book) and forget about your todo list.

Reconnect with an old friend in the real world instead of using social media.

Explore your own town and act like a tourist. Get curious and pretend youve never been here before. Discover something or visit a popular tourist attraction. Its good to see your own town from the eyes of a tourist.

Most of our stress is self-induced with too much going on and too much to do. Take a day to simplify your schedule and eliminate the things that overwhelm you.

Take a day off from technology and disconnect from your devices. Put the phone on airplane mode, and dont touch your laptop. Give your mind the chance to recover from all the noise and information overload. If you cant do it for a day, see if you can do it for an hour. Disconnecting will help you go from FOMO (Fear of Missing out) to JOMO (Joy of Missing out). Considering, we are addicted to technology, we need to treat it as an addiction and take intentional breaks from it.

Gallupstates that in the U.S., 6 out of 10 Americans actually take their vacations. Completely disconnecting from the office is useful for your health, productivity, and creativity. I wrote more about the topic of vacation onthe Unhustle blog.

Create time to work on something that brings you joy. It will put you in a good mood and make you happier.

From DIY manicure and pedicure to facial, massage, hair masks, or teeth whitening, DYI spa treatments dont cost an arm and a leg. For most of them, you probably already have everything you need at home. Have an egg at home? Try thisfacialon and see how your skin feels.

Go outside and connect with nature and sunlight.Harvard Medical Schoolstates that going outside benefits your Vitamin D levels, boost happiness, improves concentration, and even helps you heal faster.

Serve others and do good

Help someone with your time, skills, talents, and experience the benefits of volunteering. In a time when we all hustle and lack time, making time for volunteering is even more difficult, yet 25% of Americansfind timeto do it regularly. Volunteering is not only good for the cause or the person but also for the person volunteering. Science shows that volunteering can help with stress reduction, combating depression, and providing a sense of purpose.

Amid all the hustle, holidays, and plans for the new year, self-care gets pushed further down the priority list. But we need to remember that self-care is not selfish. Self-care is essential. We need to take care of our physical, emotional, spiritual well-being so we can show up in the world in our optimal state.

Read the rest here:
Self-Care Practices for People Short on Time and Money - Thrive Global

I spent significant portions of my childhood creating and wearing hoop skirts, so I have been curious about screenwriter and director Greta Gerwigs new Little Women film coming out this Christmas. During middle school, I was a huge fan of all things Alcott. I read all of her works and watched every film adaptation I could find.

I couldnt agree more with Gerwig when she recently told Vanity Fair, This feels like autobiography When you live through a book, it almost becomes the landscape of your inner life It becomes part of you, in a profound way. Gerwigs will be the fourth major Hollywood adaptation of the classic novel. The story of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy seems to stand the test of time. Which has recently struck me as somewhat odd.

The evangelical, homeschooling world I grew up in promoted Little Women as espousing the lost values of America. Alcott frequently talks about a young womans ability to gain or lose virtue, and her characters find happy endings through marriage and children. There is no hint of sexual revolution in her pages.

Yet feminists in particular keep retelling the story. With the exception of the 1950s version, each adaptation of Little Women has featured some of Hollywoods most outspokenly feminist actresses. Katherine Hepburn, who famously wore pants in public (a significant statement on gender in her time), played Jo first in the 1930s. The 1990s version featured Susan Sarandon, who had become a feminist icon in Thelma & Louise and publicly encourages men to identify as feminists.

This years version comes from a director who previously received accolades for writing and starring in the explicitly pro-choice romance, Francis Ha. Gerwig has said that the Alcotts were the most modern people who had ever existed, up till that point, and she has been forthright about her interest in portraying Jo and neighboring boy Laurie as androgynous and gender-neutral in their youthful years since They find each other before theyve committed to a gender.

Whether homeschool-curriculum writers understood it or not, Little Women truly belongs in the canon of feminist literature. Long before the sexual revolution, and long before feminism was synonymous with abortion and reproductive freedom, the movement was about work. The main debate surrounding middle- and upper-class women in 19th-century America revolved around whether women should desire idleness or to be economically productive members of society. As labor began to be divided between men and women, idleness implied economic stability. The wealthier the family, the less women were expected to work in or outside of the home. Hiring others to do housework (maids, nannies, etc.) was for the economically stable woman. Earning wages was for the poor.

At the heart of Alcotts feminism is her fundamental belief that all women ought to work. Throughout her novels, Alcotts characters are women who are industrious economically and domestically.

Little Women is a tale of progress, and ultimately of virtue-signaling. In the opening pages of her novel, Alcott explains that the four March girls are on a journey of self-improvement. They each have their strengths and gifts, and each their own temptations. The real plot of the book is not whether they will marry, but whether these four young women will progress, becoming better people who do good.

The primary illustration Alcott uses to discuss the matter is The Pilgrims Progress. In the voice of Marmee, Alcott espouses in the first chapter of Little Women that Our burdens are here, our road is before us, and the longing for goodness and happiness is the guide that leads us through many troubles and mistakes to the peace which is a true Celestial City. Now my little pilgrims, suppose you begin again, not in play, but in earnest, and see how far on you can get

The novel is made up of vignettes from the girls lives chronicling their various paths up the hill of personal improvement. To conclude each vignette, Alcott offers a short sermon observing the karmic results of the girls actions. When they do good, they eventually reap the benefits, though the path might be painful. When they act selfishly, they fail, often comically suffering the outcomes in order to learn a lesson. There is a lesson to all of Alcotts episodes: Moral people will eventually prosper and the wicked must bolster their efforts toward self-improvement.

This is why Little Women is endlessly attractive to modern feminists. For after all, feminism, like all of the worlds -isms, is at its core a system self-improvement, offering to adherents freedom and utopia. My peers talk freely about being good or bad feminists. They judge and are judged in turn according to the morality of third- or fourth-wave feminism. Hepburn, Sarandon, and Gerwig all have understood that the tale of individual moral progress within Little Women can be recontextualized for each new generation. Feminist role models must be recast according to feminisms evolving morality.

To be clear, Alcott may have lived in the 19th century, but she was not an orthodox Christian. The system she puts forth, and which those involved with Little Womens many film adaptations keep contextualizing, is without grace and mercy. The messiness of atonement, the pain of forgiveness, and the language of sin are not to be found in Little Women. Alcott and her family were neighbors of Ralph Waldo Emerson and were noted transcendentalists themselves. A growing movement in the early 19th century, particularly in New England, Alcotts transcendentalism meant she believed that the human soul must be perfected in this life. She even maintained that religion could help. But she did not believe in the need for a crucified Savior whose blood dripped on behalf of four little girls. When she referenced Pilgrims Progress, she did so without referencing conversion. She promoted progress, without first promoting the new heart only grace can create.

Despite the ways I have been processing Alcott and Hollywoods moralistic world, on a recent rereading, I discovered something new in Little Women. As often happens, stories often show us unintended glimmers of grace. Alcotts discussion of the girls need for progress takes place against the backdrop of the girls longing for their father, who is away during the Civil War.

The catalyst for their desire to improve is a letter from their father. In it, he writes,

A year seems very long to wait before I see them, but remind them that while we wait we may all work, so that these hard days need not be wasted. I know that they will be loving children to you, will do their duty faithfully, fight their bosom enemies bravely, and conquer themselves so beautifully that when I come back to them I may be fonder and prouder than ever of my little women.

These words are a hidden nod to the true motivation for virtuethe love of the father who sees in his children what does not yet exist. The works-based morality of modern feminism tells its adherents that right thinking and right living must be first earned in order to be considered lovely.

Within her most convincing sermon for works-based morality, Alcott inadvertently reveals what the Christian believes to be truethat the Father mercifully calls us lovely. In response, we are remade into the women he has meant for us to be.

Hannah Nation is a writer and editor based in Cambridge, MA, and temporarily living in the Netherlands. She received her MA in church history from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and serves as the communications and content director for China Partnership.

Read more here:
'Little Women' and the Feminist Search for Righteousness - ChristianityToday.com

I HAVE great sympathy for the anonymous letter writer (December 19) who spoke about the difficulties wearing teachers down thanks to the behaviour in class of children from dysfunctional families where drug dependency and anti-social conduct is the milieu within which those youngsters have to operate at home

Socialisation is sorely needed in such cases but that is outwith the remit of a classroom teacher who has to herd at least 30 other young charges at the same time.

Specialist attention needs to be given to those who are in need of such remediation, and they have to be identified early in the educational cycle to afford them the chance of self- improvement. Even if it were to mean holding them back until they were ready to enter mainstream classes, it would be to the benefit of the teachers and all the pupils. It would mean more money having to be allocated to provide specialist facilitators to encourage better behaviour.

That would be a price worth paying.

However, there are other much more endemic problems teachers have to endure.

Low-level misbehaviour and inattention hamper proper classroom learning, which difficulty is compounded by the way classrooms are set up in groups these days.

A fair amount of teaching time is lost through the time consumed in bringing classes to order so that the lesson can be delivered.

There is also the ownership of (this reveals my age) of mobile phones which pupils bring to school and which create distraction.

Add to that the numbing complexity of the new curriculum which bogs teachers down so that they cannot function fully on the levels they know they could reach, if it were not for the deadening influence of the dumbed-down elements of what has to be taught.

Over and above we have the lack of adequate sanctions to discourage slackness and misconduct. School administrators, out of fear of adverse publicity, tend to take the side of the miscreants instead of supporting their staff members.

It is no wonder that the nerves of teachers are frayed when they are faced with such multiple challenges when they should be stretching their pupils instead of having them tread water for the first few years of school.

I just wonder whether parents should be asked, before their offspring will be accepted by the school, to sign a contract which states that pupils must come to school punctually, be properly equipped for what they have to do, show respect to their teachers and carry out what they are asked to do diligently. Failure to observe the contract would result in exclusion.

To all those who are at the chalkface (another reference which betrays my age) I extend my commiserations. I know you are doing the best job you can under those trying circumstances.

I just wish you had the conditions to allow you to do a much better job to improve Scotland's standing in the world of education

Denis Bruce, Bishopbriggs.

See the original post here:
It is no wonder teachers' nerves are frayed when they are faced with today's many challenges - HeraldScotland

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The holiday season is in full swing, meaning we are all running last minute errands and attending seasonal events while trying to finish all of our work before the holidays. One way to get a slight head start on goals for the new year and to use time efficiently is to listen to smart podcasts as you work, drive, ride the subway, ride the bus, walk, grocery shop and run errands. But podcasts are so popular, how do you sort through the plethora of options? Below are a few excellent podcasts that will help you become a better, more informed person and professional in the new decade:

How To! With Charles Duhigg

The Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Charles Duhigg got notes from his readers asking for help after publishing his bestselling book, The Power Of Habit. Duhigg is an investigative journalist, not a therapist or a leadership coach. So he decided to make solving problems his latest project and created a podcast where he speaks to someone with a problem, delves into the latest research, interviews more people with similar issues and experts in the field to find a resolution. Duhigg tackles topics ranging from online dating to how to cook a home cooked meal and other questions youve always wanted to ask.

RISE Podcast With Rachel Hollis

Motivational speaker and New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hollis discusses aspects of self-improvement such as how to be brave, how to overcome fear, things that throw you off course, etc. She interviews everyone from Gretchen Rubin to Phoebe Robinson to successful small business owners all over the country, to ask what habits, tools and mantras have contributed to their success. Hollis also gives business advice, and has episodes dedicated to building and expanding a small business.

WorkLife With Adam Grant

Organizational psychologist and bestselling author Adam Grant interviews some of the worlds most extraordinary and unusual professionals to explore the science behind, making work not suck, delving into topics like networking, creativity and criticism.

The Tim Ferriss Show

Ferriss podcast has hosted everyone from LeBron James to Ray Dalio, interviewing some of the most successful people in the world from a variety of professions extracting practical, applicable advice and tools for listeners to use, including morning routines, book recommendations, exercise habits, time-management tricks and more.

Pod Save The People

Organizers and activists DeRay Mckesson, Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Sam Sinyangwe and Clint Smith III discuss the latest in politics, culture, social justice and issues especially pertaining to people of color on their podcast Pod Save The People. They discuss these topics with local and national leaders from around the country.

Second Life With Hillary Kerr

Who What Wear cofounder Hillary Kerr discusses how career changes happen at any age and stage of life with entrepreneurs, designers and entertainers on her podcast Second Life. There is an emphasis on fashion industry, but the principles, tools and mindsets discussed are applicable to any career path.

Black On The Air With Larry Wilmore

Emmy award-winning producer, actor and comedian Larry Wilmore weighs in on the issues of the day in a singularly smart, funny and conversational manner. He also interviews writers, entertainers and politicians to discuss their professional path, media, politics and the latest news and events.

So Money With Farnoosh Torabi

Award-winning financial strategist, TV host and bestselling author Farnoosh Torabi discusses financial planning and philosophies with entrepreneurs, authors and influencers. Torabi asks them about their habits, strategies, successes, failures and biggest lessons in learning how to manage money.

The rest is here:
The Best Podcasts To Start The New Decade - Forbes

Sun., Dec. 22, 2019

Astronaut Anne McClain speaks onstage during the Spokane Symphony's "50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing" at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019. McClain was the guest speaker, along with Jose Francisco Salgado who creates visual effects from night and lunar photography, while Roger Kalia conducted the Spokane Symphony Orchestra's music. (Libby Kamrowski / The Spokesman-Review)

When Ned McEwen was a sophomore at Gonzaga Prep, a VIP alumni came to visit: Anne McClain, class of 97.

McClain had not yet broken the bonds of Earth as an astronaut, had not yet taken her famous space selfie or been the subject of a Saturday Night Live skit. But her record of achievement was extraordinary. West Point grad and international scholar. National class athlete in rugby and softball. Decorated Army helicopter pilot and officer. On and on and on

McEwen realized McClains path the road of discipline and self-improvement as a form of service to the country began at Prep.

Right where his path was beginning.

It really showed that I could do the same thing, said McEwen, 18. I had never even heard of a military academy at that point.

Gonzaga Prep students Rigee Olavides, 16, Ned McEwen, 17, and Molly Niedermeyer, 18, watch live NASA video as the Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut, Spokane native and Gonzaga Prep alumna, Lt. Col. Anne McClain just before docking with the International Space Station, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)

Today, McEwen is home on break from his first year at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he intends to study to be a mechanical engineer. That visit from McClain several years ago was just one of the times McEwen and his fellow students at Gongaza Prep heard from McClain over the years.

Even as she went to space and became internationally famous as an ambassador for NASA and space exploration, McClain remained tethered to Prep and Spokane. She even video-chatted with Prep students from space, and visited them, along with students from other schools citywide, upon her return to Earth.

It is not, in McClains view, a mere sideline to her main job.

That is one of the products of our space program: inspiration and motivation, McClain said last week. My space flight wasnt mine. Its yours. Its everybodys. Its everybodys whos reading this article. Its everybodys on Earth. Its their space mission. I have to share it.

McClain has rocketed to worldwide fame over the past year as a member of the Expedition 58 and 59 to the International Space Station. She spent 204 days in space and went on two space walks that amounted to more than 13 hours. In the months since she returned to Earth in June, shes been undergoing medical tests, participating in debriefings and doing outreach around the country.

She was due to be a member of the first all-female space walk but NASA scrubbed the mission because they didnt have the right-sized spacesuits.

When McClain visited McEwens sophomore class, though, her career had operated entirely in Earths gravity.

She had been a Marshall scholar in England after graduating from West Point in 2002, and she earned a pair of masters degrees overseas. She was commissioned as an Army officer, and achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel. She published research on aerodynamics, security in developing countries and other subjects.

In the Iraq War, she flew 216 combat missions more than 800 hours in all. Shes a senior Army aviator with more than 2,000 hours of flying 20 different forms of aircraft. She was awarded the Bronze Star, which heads a long list of military honors, and she was a distinguished graduate of seemingly every course and school in the Army.

What gets lost in her story is how much she served in the military, and how many missions she flew, said Shari Manikowski, McClains former math teacher and softball coach at Gonzaga Prep. Shes done so much to serve her country.

Space was always her goal. As a very young child, McClain had seen astronauts and moon launches at home on TV. It was part and parcel of growing up in a family with a mother who was a science teacher.

This detail of a July 20, 1969 photo made available by NASA shows astronaut Neil Armstrong reflected in the helmet visor of Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the moon. The astronauts had a camera mounted to the front of their suits, according to the Universities Space Research Association. So rather than holding the camera up to his eye, as were accustomed to, Armstrong would have taken the photos from near his chest, which is where Armstrongs hands appear to be in his reflection. (Neil Armstrong/NASA / Associated Press)

Anything that launched, anything that went to the moon and back all of that, we always watched it when she was little, said Charlotte Lamp, Annes mother.

And so, when she began preschool, Anne had already settled on a career path.

She said, Mom, Im going to school to learn to be an astronaut, Lamp said.

Charlotte Lamp, Anne McClains mother

McClain grew up in Spokane, attending parochial schools, playing sports and never wavering in her dreams of space.

By the time she graduated from high school, she recognized her goal was extraordinarily ambitious, and two important precepts began to guide her: the understanding she would have to work very hard to get where she wanted to be, and the understanding even if she did that, she might not achieve it.

She chose an Army career in part because, if she never became an astronaut, she would still be able to be a helicopter pilot, she said.

It was a pathway that required intense devotion. And McClain whose nickname from her rugby days is Annimal has that in spades.

Its not as simple as dream big and your dreams will come true, she said in a Thursday interview. Its just not that simple. Its dream big and then spend 20 years missing holidays, moving to cities that you dont know, working with people that you dont know, taking jobs that you dont want but having to excel anyway, and doing the extra credit and getting up at 5 oclock on a Tuesday to hit the gym when everybody else is sleeping in, and skipping parties, skipping trips, missing weddings and then your dream might come true.

Manikowski said McClains determination was apparent early on.

She worked as hard or harder than any student Ive ever had, she said.

Lamp said that as a girl, McClain was active and energetic, curious and optimistic.

She always wanted to see further, go further, she said.

Go further she did, gathering challenges and honors along the way for 16 years after leaving Spokane. And in 2013, around the same time she was graduating from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, the first step in the lifelong dream came true: She was selected by NASA as one of eight members of the 21st astronaut class.

Lamp was out gardening when her daughter called her with the news.

She said, Where are you? Lamp said. I said, Im out pruning the roses. She said, Are you sitting?

I kind of screamed.

Anne McClain

The next step, following five more years of that intense training and work McClain talks about, came around this time last year. As part of an international crew of astronauts, McClain launched into space.

Expedition 58 and 59 conducted hundreds of research projects on the space station in biology, biotech and other disciplines, including investigating small devices that replicate human organs and editing DNA in space for the first time.

McClain was a trailblazer in a couple other ways, as well. She was expecting to participate in the first all-female space walk in history before problems with the suits forced her to scrap it.

The space-suit kerfuffle and McClains stiff-upper-lip response to it became the basis for a skit on SNL, in which Aidy Bryant pretended to be McClain trying to cheerfully subdue her outrage. McClain tweeted from space: I am still laughing about this, and Aidy, your uniform looks impeccable!

McClain also became, in an awkward and roundabout way, the first out LGBTQ astronaut in history, when a divorce dispute with her former wife became public. McClain was accused of improperly accessing her exs bank records from space, but everything so far points to a misunderstanding and not malfeasance.

While at the space station, McClain floatingly conducted interviews with CNN and other media outlets on Earth. It was the beginning of her becoming more well-known internationally, and becoming a more prominent ambassador for space exploration and for NASA.

You get this amazing perspective when youre up there about how reliant we are on one other and how everyone you meet you have more in common with than you do differences, she said.

Shes spoken in interviews about the beauty of space, and the mind-bending view down upon Earth where everyone youve ever known lives and where everything that ever happened to you happened.

Its overwhelming, its awe-inspiring, its a view I wish every person on Earth could have so we could understand our home better, she told CNN.

Along the way, Manikowskis students and others were tracking McClains mission from Earth. In February 2019, she did a live chat with Prep students from the space station. McEwen was a part of that event as well. At the time, he intended to enroll at the Naval Academy, and was just a matter of months away from graduating and heading off to the next step in his education.

Seeing her in space, he told a reporter at the time, really shows me I think Im going down the right path right now.

Anne McClain

McClains crew returned to Earth in June 2019, landing in Kazakhstan. The return from space is a physical ordeal. After months living in zero gravity, the astronauts return to Earth plunges them into a period of gravitational force that is four-and-a-half times Earths gravity.

McClain recalls the intense return of gravity as the Soyuz MS-11 entered the plasma layer.

I thought we must be getting close to that four-and-a-half times the force of gravity four-and-a-half Gs we call it, McClain said.

She took a peek at the gravity meter and saw that not only was it not close to 4.5 it was at 0.4.

I was like, Oh my gosh, Im not even to my own body weight yet and I feel like I have an elephant standing on me, she said.

After plunging through the plasma layer, the force eases and the craft begins a free fall with a spinny cup sensation at the fair feel to it.

I found that to be a lot of fun, honestly, she said.

Then, Earth. Home.

It starts to sink in that this whole space flight mission that carried risk you just did it, and youre going to be one of the people who gets to walk around on Earth and say youve been to space, she said.

McClain entered a six-month period of post-flight testing and debriefings. Finally, in October, she got some time off. Thats about to come to an end, and shell be returning to her regular duties continued training to prepare for possible space missions and carrying our her ground assignments.

McClain gets a lot of questions about the Artemis mission, which has the goal of landing the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024. There are a dozen female astronauts who qualify, and McClains been named more than once in speculative reporting about the possible crew members.

Those decisions are made above me, for sure, she said. You and I will probably find out not too far apart when those names are going to be put to that mission.

Anne McClain

Its not typical for a crew to be named five years before a mission its usually two but its possible a larger cadre of possible crew members would be named in advance, or that this mission would follow a different schedule. Shed love to go, obviously, but emphasized there are a lot of considerations and 50 or so other candidates.

Thatd be a dream mission, absolutely, and Im in an office with a lot of people who think the same thing, she said. To be honest, my career so far and getting the flight I did earlier this year was a dream come true. Everything else is how much icing is going to be on the cake?

McClains achievements are sometimes cast in terms of firsts, as a woman of great achievements in fields that have historically been male-dominated. McClain said that growing up in Spokane, she was never told she couldnt be an astronaut because she was a girl something for which she credits her family and friends.

Anne McClain. (NASA / Associated Press)

Throughout her career as a military officer and astronaut, she said her gender has never been an issue. She was treated as an equal and judged on her merits, she said. But shes come to appreciate how the women who came before her helped make it possible for her to achieve her dreams.

Now, when she talks to students in Spokane and around the country, students like Ned McEwen and his Gonzaga Prep classmates, shes helping to lay the foundation for the next generation.

When I go out now, its not just little girls that are looking up to me, she said. I talk to girls and boys. And they both look at me and say, I want to do what youre doing.

Dec. 22, 2019, 4 a.m.

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Even from space, Anne McClain stays tethered to young people in Spokane - The Spokesman-Review

Identifying opportunities for development is necessary to building better managers and leaders.

We are seeing an evolution in the workplace that is unprecedented. There is an urgency to promote more women into senior leadership roles and the C-suite as well as a focus on the experience of female founders and women businesses owners. The big question is how do we support these advancement efforts while ensuring that all leaders receive the management support needed for success.

We know that having women lead businesses positively impacts the bottom line but does having more women at the helm mean better workplaces for women? I would argue yes, because more diversity around the table helps companies thrive. Embracing different perspectives and diversity of thought is critical to any business. And although men continue to hold 95% of the top jobs at the largest U.S. companies, women are starting their own businesses at a rate of over 1,800 per day. We are also seeing an evolution in the corporate workplace with greater promotion of women into management and senior leadership roles. With this workforce transformation and increased representation at the top, a new guard of women leaders are coming under intense scrutiny.

However, regardless of the company, managers and leaders need to be prepared and developed in order to lead their organizations. Expectations are high in corporate as well as entrepreneurial environments. Identifying opportunities to further invest in our leaders is critical. We need to work harder to set them up for success early on.

A recent Bloomberg article highlighted that just having more women in charge doesnt mean greater equality for all women. From Yahoos Ex-CEO Marissa Mayerto the recent fallout with Away co-founder and CEO, Steph Korey, womens leadership and the impact on a companys culture is under a magnifying glass. It also brings to light a broader management issue. Leadership sets the culture and thats what employees, customers and the media are holding management accountable for. According to a study by the American Psychological Association, women CEOs are judged more harshly than men particularly for ethical failures. The study points out that women incur greater penalties for ethical transgressions because of persistent gender stereotypes that tend to categorize women as having more communal traits than men, such as being more likeable, sensitive and supportive of others. This higher level of scrutiny continues given there are fewer women in leadership roles.

Women and men are advancing into leadership roles at a younger age and as we look across the start-up landscape, some founders are building businesses without extensive experience managing teams or building businesses. There is also a demand for accelerated growth and scaling. This is bound to impact company cultures. Important skills are needed to manage teams and investing in employee development is fundamental.

Embracing different perspectives and diversity of thought around the table is critical to any ... [+] business.

Kristy Wallace, CEO of Ellevate believes cultivating women leaders is a key element in making companies stronger and more successful. Whether you are working in an established company or building one, giving women leaders equal opportunities to access mentorship and advisors can deliver huge returns for the company culture as well as the business. Role models and mentors can greatly impact career trajectories providing guidance, advice and necessary support.

For companies regardless of size, its important to invest in leadership development programs, career plans, and 360 feedback. Its important to have organizational charts, managerial tracks and increased opportunities for sponsorship. Investors also need to recognize that they may be able to support founders with access to mentors and sponsor around the development of the leadership team not just the growth of the business.

For women who are feeling the pressure not to make management misstep here are ways to better prepare for managing effective teams.

Women should also seek external opportunities to invest in their own professional and personal development. Organizations like Ellevate, WE.NYC, NAWBO, ALICE and IWF have been created to support women in the workplace and their career journeys.

All leaders learn every day, especially entrepreneurs, myself included, and we arent perfect. Its a commitment to continuous improvement and growth that makes us stronger. It helps when this is broadly recognized by everyone around you on your journey from your new hire to your manager, to your mentor or investor.

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Women Leaders, Are We Really Prepared To Lead? - Forbes

New years resolutions: good or bad idea? This is a surprisingly contentious issue for people, especially near the end of the year. Almost everyone is familiar with that burning desire to start the new year off being who they want to be.

Unfortunately, such lofty ideals dont tend to make it past January or February. In fact, the date where you are most likely to give up on a resolution is no later than 12 January. So, really, should we be bothering at all?

Read MoreFestive Foodie Christmas Gift Ideas

Should we be bothering with new years resolutions? Yes and no. The idea of making massive, overwhelming changes once a year has been shown to be ineffective for many people, but it is also important to be striving for self-improvement.

Thats where the Japanese concept of Kaizen, or continuous small improvements, comes in. First introduced in Japanese businesses after World War II and then going on to influence American companies, it can be applied to individuals just as well.

The basic idea is that you focus on doing 1% better each day, rather than 100% better for a few fays until you are so exhausted that you revert to doing 0%. If you want to start running, a few times around the block is better than not doing anything at all. And as long as you keep adding 1%, your times will improve.

Kaizen also makes it easier to cut yourself a little slack. If you have a bad week and slide a few percentage points back, its pretty easy to regain that ground. Youre less likely to give yourself up as a lost cause; it can really be a pretty amazing change in mindset.

The jury on the kind of new years resolutions you ought to set is also out. Should they be very concrete, such as running a marathon (getting there slowly, the Kaizen way) or loftier, such as trying to be present in each moment?

The answer seems to be a mixture of both. Practical life improvements are great, but the type of meta goals you set says a lot about who you are as a person. Those who are generally happy with life go more for personal strivings, or so-called sacred goals, while those aim for power gains like making more money have a lower sense of well being.

Ultimately, think about who you want to be when you set your resolutions. And go slowly, be patient and celebrate every small success along the way. Life is a journey, as the saying goes, and not just a destination.

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Making New Years Resolutions That Stick - Gaming Post

Opinion Its a six-day snow day; relieved from duty while normal service is suspended

Monday, 23rd December 2019, 3:31 pm

'During Betwixtmas, on the other hand, everyones too high on post-festive joy (hungover) to pretend they prefer work to leisure' (Photo: General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)

So this is Betwixtmas, as the John Lennon song (almost) goes. Weve reached that lazy stretch in between Christmas and New Year. Whether youre at work or motionless on the sofa, society at large is languishing in a sleepy limbo. Relaxing as it sounds, the lack of direction can feel discombobulating. But wish these days away at your peril. For it is Betwixtmas, not Christmas, that is the most wonderful time of the year.

December 25 may be jolly, but its also crammed with people to entertain and chores to do. Betwixtmas, conversely, is a chance to completely kick back. In our always-on work culture, there are no other times when switching off is not only acceptable, it is encouraged. Yes, no one expects you to do too much work on your birthday (well, if youre a journalist, at least. I imagine you get cut less slack if youre, say, performing heart surgery.)

And its assumed youll take some time off in August, even if negotiating the office summer holiday schedule is so fraught that it feels like a Pyrrhic victory when you finally manage to claw a few days away. But both those occasions come with a nagging sense that seeing as everyone else is at work, you should be too. Even if your inner workaholic isnt telling you this, a helpful colleague will do so instead. Truly, has anyone gone on holiday in the last decade without being texted a harried query by a desk mate that they insist is non urgent but send anyway?

Biscuits and chocolate for breakfast during Betwixtmas (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

During Betwixtmas, on the other hand, everyones too high on post-festive joy (hungover) to pretend they prefer work to leisure. Its a six-day snow day; relieved from duty while normal service is suspended offices close, businesses shut Britons shed their professional carapaces so swiftly, its almost as if its unnatural to spend every day of our precious time on earth working

But instead of dwelling on the depressing, concentrate on the bounties provided by this special time. Mealtimes are greatly improved, for instance. Breakfasts are handsome feasts of clementines and chocolate coins. Dinner is a ready-meal in front of the telly. Meanwhile, your expectations of yourself are so drastically lowered that lying in bed watching The Holiday for the 27th time in a month seems productive.

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Inevitably, though, that modern age menace, the self-improvement industry, tries to spoil the fun. From 10am on Boxing Day, the "new year, new you" narrative starts being parroted by everyone from the media to family members. This is easy to ignore at first but by the time your fourth consecutive day of indolence dawns, youre vulnerable. Suddenly, you contemplate donning a Fitbit.

But remember: once January comes around, youre not going to get such a plum chance to relax again for another 359 days. Youll need all the energy you can muster to resist the anti-indulgence brigade. Handy that youve spent the past week building up your strength by eating mince pies in bed, eh?

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Betwixtmas- that bit between Christmas and New Year- should be wished away at your peril - inews