A Bit of Optimism

Close friends are the best thing for your health. Friendship, it turns out, is one of life’s best medicines.If you don’t believe me, believe Dr. Mark Hyman. Mark is one of the leading voices in the functional medicine movement, which is all about taking a holistic approach to our health for natural healing and preventing disease. The smallest changes in our daily lifestyle habits, or what we eat and drink, or our positive social interactions can have huge impacts on our long-term health.I sat down with Mark to talk about my most recent obsession – friendship. I was eager to get a physician’s perspective on all the ways friendship is beneficial for our health. In this conversation, we discuss the biological benefits of talking to a good friend and why you’re only as healthy as your five closest friends.This…is A Bit of OptimismFor more on Mark Hyman and his work, check out:The Doctor’s Farmacy podcastFunction Healthdrhyman.com

In 2020, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian resigned from his own company in protest. After 15 years building Reddit into a social media juggernaut, why leave?The answer is values. Alexis is the kind of entrepreneur and investor who believes that integrity and long term profits go hand in hand. It’s the reason he started his new company 776, allowing him to invest in startups that are trying to make the world a better place. And it’s the reason he resigned from Reddit after George Floyd was killed, requesting the board replace him with a Black director.In this conversation, Alexis shares with me his thoughts on the future of entrepreneurship, the race for AGI, climate change, and the principles that guide the way he leads. It turns out, building a business with values is the best thing for long term greed.This...is A Bit of OptimismFor more on Alexis and his work, check out:776alexisohanian.com 

Kenya's Maasai Mara is rugged, beautiful, and tough. Values are everything for the people who live in this rural countryside, On a trip to Kenya, I had the opportunity to visit The Mara.  The intelligence and grit of the young people there blew me away! I met incredibly driven young women determined to uplift their families from poverty. Carol Moraa is giving them that opportunity. She's the founding principal of Kisaruni Girls High School and Provost for Legacy College.I wanted to ask Carol where her kids find the motivation to willingly sign up for 18-hour school days. It turns out when learning is a choice, not an obligation, it's possible to build schools where cultural values and community are at the heart of what people do.This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Carol and her work, check out:Legacy CollegeKisaruni Girls High School

Peace is a process, not an outcome. It's a process that must begin with understanding the other side.Few people on this planet have as much experience making peace as William Ury. William spent decades as a peace negotiator, resolving the world's most intractable conflicts — from avoiding nuclear catastrophe in the Cold War to mediating ethnic tensions and civil wars. Considered one of the world's pre-eminent negotiation experts, he's written several books on the subject, including the best-selling Getting To Yes. His latest book is titled Possible. I sat down with William to discuss the possibility of peace in an increasingly conflicted world. He shares some great stories with me from his career and what he's learned about the right way to influence others.This...is A Bit of Optimism.For more on William and his work, check out:his books, Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict and Getting To Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving Inwilliamury.com