Note in the Pocket, Zen Zoom Meetings, Stargazing, Anti-Racism, Empowering at Work, Choosing Sports

Note in the Pocket (0:00:00) Do you remember when you were a kid and clothing style was more important than anything? For children that are homeless or living in poverty, style is not an option but a luxury they can’t afford. What you have is what you’ll wear. But not having appropriate clothes for school can do more than affect your perceived “coolness” –it can even affect your learning. Luckily, there are organizations working to make sure these children have clothes so they can have an equal chance at succeeding in school as their peers. Today we are joined by Sarah Caldwell, development director for the nonprofit Note in the Pocket, here with us to talk about how they are helping children in their community have proper clothes for school. Zen Your Zoom Meetings (0:18:26) At one point, working from home seemed like a luxury that only a select handful of people could enjoy. Recently, advances in technology have made this luxury a reality for a large percentage of America’s working population. However, negotiating a working from home arrangement often includes agreeing to work meetings via video streaming platforms. But for the introverted or camera-shy employee, this can be a nightmare scenario. Here to discuss with us how to lower the pressure and stress induced by video work meetings is professor and chair of the Counseling and Higher Education department at Northern Illinois University, Dr. Suzanne Degges-White. Stargazing and Astronomy (0:34:29) From Galileo’s improvements on the telescope to the moon landing, mankind has been reaching for the stars for millennia. Sailors have used the stars to navigate the seas while artists have turned to the night sky for inspiration. Today, we still look up from our homes in awe of the universe. But, many of us can only point out the big dipper while others can’t see anything due to light pollution. So, what can we do to improve our stargazing experiences? Dr. Laura Danly joins us today with some tips on stargazing as well as some insights into the field of astronomy. Dr. Danly is the curator of the world-renowned Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California. She conducted research with the Hubble Telescope at NASA for 10 years and has served on an advisory board to the White House. Anti-Racism (0:52:42) The deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, among other Black Americans, have broken our hearts and sparked protests across the nation. And when things like this happen and social media is flooded with posts, everything can start to feel overwhelming. But overwhelmed doesn’t have to equalinaction. So, what steps can we take to begin creating a brighter future for everyone? Here to share her thoughts with us is Beverly Tatum, author, clinical psychologist and expert on race relations. Empowering People at Work (1:13:04) So many people are going through the most difficult time with work they’ve ever had right now. The market is looking pretty bleak and everyone is looking for solutions to improve their own lives. With everything going on around us, maybe you could be part of the solution. But how? Empower Work is an organization with the aim to help people struggling with work-related difficulties. Jaime-Alexis Fowler is the founder of this organization. We’ve invited her onto the show to help us learn more about what this organization does and how people can get involved with it. Choosing the Right Sports for Your Kids (1:26:00) For many kids, sports are their world. They spend the afternoons practicing, they make friends on their teams, and they learn valuable life lessons through it all. But for those parents whose kids are not involved in sports, or whose kids are struggling with the sport they’re in, how can they know how to best help their kids? How can they know which sport is best for their kids? Today, we’ve invited Lisa Cohn, award-winning writer on sports parenting and host of Ultimate Sports Parenting Radio, to help us know how to choose the right sports for our kids.