The Contribution of Listening…It’s Not Doing “Nothing”

The Contribution of Listening…It’s Not Doing “Nothing”

“Hi, Jenn,” the front desk volunteer said as I answered the phone. “I wasn’t sure who to call…a young man just walked into The Center and he said he just tested positive for HIV. He wanted to talk to someone and I guided him into the library to wait. Could you come down and talk to him?” Shit….

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What if you "Compassion It" as often as you "Google It"?

What if you "Compassion It" as often as you "Google It"?

I’m lucky enough to be friends and colleagues with Sara Schairer, the founder of a nonprofit called Compassion It. We live close enough to each other in the beach towns of San Diego that I can ride my bike to brunches, wine evenings, and brainstorming work meetings with her. She recently gave a TEDx Talk…

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Stop Spewing Your Toxic Positivity

Stop Spewing Your Toxic Positivity

I started this blog almost a year ago, and on March 18, 2020, sent it to a friend for his feedback. I never posted it because I didn’t want to spew my anger online if I wasn’t sure it could be helpful in an already incredibly difficult time period. But yesterday I heard the term “toxic positivity” for the first time…

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