A few days ago, I started following Ted Speaker and author, Emma Seppälä PHD, whose excellent IG account offer great learnings which she further develops on her website. Her field of study is happiness. A light subject one might think? Not always, but she has accessible tools, techniques and yes, mindfulness tips, which can help all of us in our daily lives. Discover here

There is no other way to say it when in the same week I read that Deepak Chopra and Alicia Keys are joining forces for a 21 day meditation series on the Divine Feminine and DJ Khaled is launching a guided meditation series himself. As a teacher and practitioner of many types of meditations, I am excited by the first news and I heartfully applaud this mindful joint venture, I may even sign up for it. As for DJ Khaled, I'm not feeling quite as good about it, but I have to assume I'm not the target customer. Cashing in or spreading wellness, you decide.

Yesterday, I enjoyed a lengthy conversation with my Bento Society weekly group about the meaning and importance of discernment, or the ability to judge well. We concluded amongst ourselves that discernment takes practice, it’s a skill that is honed over time. Author April Davila’s post on honing artistic discernment feels like a great supplemental read, and useful whether you are a writer or not.

Too many people around me can say: ‘I don’t like it’ without finding the reasons why they don’t. It doesn’t make for productive conversations. Going from ‘it’s not working' to ‘these are the reasons why I think it doesn’t work’ can merrily lead us to the next right action, and learn to be more constructive with our feedback.

Lego says 'Everyone is awesome' as they launch their first LGBTQ+ set, inspired by Danish toy maker's designer, Matthew Ashton, who initially designed the set for his own desk:

'The colours of the stripes were chosen to reflect the original rainbow flag, along with pale blue, white and pink representing the trans community, and black and brown to acknowledge the diversity of skin tones and backgrounds within the LGBTQIA+ community.

In all but one case, no specific gender has been assigned to the figures, who are intended to “express individuality, while remaining ambiguous.”

Novelist April Davila is my latest guest on Out of the Clouds. The fourth-generation Californian and mindfulness teacher shared her journey as a writer, offering insights about writing and publishing her first book, '142 Ostriches' - a joy and challenge as it was launched right at the start of the pandemic.

April also started offering mindful writing sessions and workshops over the past year, which turned into a meaningful project aptly named 'A Very Important Meeting'. I was delighted to discover first-hand the benefits of meditation practice in support of creativity. I am now a regular user of AVIM (the irony of the initials is not lost on me), and I suggest that anyone in need of creative support give it a try. I love all my interviews, and yes, this one delights me too.

Two Vogue titles, two powerful young women. One controversy. I find both touching, though for very different reasons.

Have you heard of the only doughnut that will ever be good for you? Kate Raworth, Oxford University economist discusses on the Intelligence Squared podcast what she calls Doughnut Economics, an idea she came up with to help humanity deal with the challenges we face today.

LVMH announced the launch of Nona Source, which will officially tackle the issue of waste and deadstock fabrics for the luxury conglomerate.

A friend pointed me in the direction of Keris Marsden last year. I was always fascinated by naturopathy and had been assured that Keris is the best. The naturopathic nutritional therapist who lectures at the College of Naturopathic Medicine kindly accepted my invitation to be a guest on the podcast and to say I loved this interview is a major understatement.

Or the future of work? I really loved this piece in the Atlantic where writer Olga Khazan explores the reasons why she - and legions of others like me - actually love Zooming instead of the daily interactions, politics and complications that the in-person office entails. She makes a great case for those more socially anxious who feel more at ease and better advocate for themselves on video conferencing platforms. Don't feel the same? That's okay, I think Zoom is here to stay.