A Bit of Optimism – Details, episodes & analysis

Some people’s life stories are too crazy not to tell. So today, we’re revisiting one of my favorite episodes, my conversation with Molly Bloom. Her story is so riveting it's no surprise it became a star-studded Hollywood film. 

After her Olympic dreams were dashed, Molly wound up running an illegal, high-stakes poker game where hundreds of millions of dollars would change hands in a night.  

Molly made a lot of money. Celebrities, mafias, and federal informants soon took an interest in her and her game.  Eventually, she lost everything and had no one to blame but herself.

Her story became the Academy Award-nominated movie Molly’s Game, and the lessons she learned from her extraordinary journey have tremendous value for the rest of us.

This is… A Bit of Optimism.

For more on Molly and her work, check out:

twitter.com/immollybloom

Grief can paralyze us. Most of us aren't given a manual about how to comfort someone grieving or how to ask for help with our own pain. 

That's why I wanted to revisit one of my favorite conversations, with Rabbi Sharon Brous. I talked with her about being present to someone else's pain and what it means to heal together in the loneliness epidemic. 

Considered one of the most influential rabbis in the U.S., she founded her own congregation and has led multiple White House faith events. In her book, The Amen Effect, Sharon explores how grief and heartbreak can be gateways to truly seeing each other.

This...is A Bit of Optimism.

For more on Sharon and her work, check out:

her book The Amen Effect

her congregation iKAR

In Part 2 of our conversation, Brené Brown, Adam Grant, and I continue our journey of out loud self-reflection.

We discuss identifying our values, the two types of narcissists, explanation-based parenting, and exercising judgment over our own judgment. 

Listen to Part 1 here or wherever you listen to podcasts.

This...is A Bit of Optimism.

For more on Brené and Adam's work, check out:

brenebrown.com

adamgrant.net

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 religious and ethnic strife in the Middle East, and find common ground among warring factions in Venezuela. So I called William to see if he could start the new year by resolving, well…all of America’s current problems. And the result made me feel quite hopeful. This is…A Bit of Optimism.

If you want to know more about William and his work, check out:

https://www.williamury.com/

https://www.xniforpeace.org/

https://www.abrahampath.org/

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 you want to know more about Omar and his work, check out:

https://simonsinek.com/product/the-gratitude-class

https://www.gratitudeblooming.com/

https://www.gratitudeblooming.com/podcast

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 self-love, trauma and authenticity reveal both a kind heart and profound wisdom. 

This is… A Bit of Optimism.

If you want to know more about Sara and her work, check out:

https://www.sara-kuburic.com/

https://www.instagram.com/millennial.therapist/

https://twitter.com/SaraKuburic

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 more about Ron and his work, check out:  

https://ronfinley.com

https://www.instagram.com/ronfinleyhq

https://www.instagram.com/ronfinleyproject

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 insights to share about fostering a nation’s youth, the power of listening, and how hope empowers.    

This is... A Bit of Optimism.     

If you want to know more about Shamma and the Ministry for Youth Affairs, check out:  

https://youth.gov.ae/en 

https://uaecabinet.ae/en/details/cabinet-members/her-excellency-shamma-bint-suhail-faris-al-mazrui

 https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/the-uae-government/government-of-future/youth

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:

About | TRISTAN HARRIS

Center for Humane Technology

https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/

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/ari-emanuel-takes-on-the-world