Donald Trumps polarizing political rise in the past decade has driven many groupsand some familiesapart.
But a long-running pickup basketball game that I play in, made up of people with various political leanings, including Trump supporters, remains intact. I explored the groups dynamics in my 2020 memoir. In March 2025, we will celebrate its 50th anniversary.
As a former psychology professor who has written about the impact of participation in team sports, I think one of the secrets to our longevity is simple: We dont talk politics.
Evolution of the game
Our semiweekly pickup game has seen several transformations. It started in 1975 as a faculty-student game at Guilford College, a small Quaker school in Greensboro, North Carolina. And we played in an old gym, known as the Crackerbox, once the home court of former NBA players Bob Kauffman, M.L. Carr, and World B. Free.
Over the next 35 years, the game moved to a newer gym, went from half court to full court, and back to half court. Students and faculty moved on, while others joined the game, including many people from the Greensboro community.
As we aged, our game came to be known as the geezer game. These days, the average age of players is 64, with an age range from 32 to 79.
Since 1975, besides an 18-month stretch when we didnt meet due to COVID-19 restrictions, the game took place three times a week before COVID-19 and has taken place twice a week since pandemic restrictions were lifted.
Everyone plays
I believe weve lasted this long for several reasons.
From 1975 until about 2013, the game was co-ed, though usually with only one woman, a former colleague in the psychology department. With a PhD from Yale, she was 6-feet-tall, athletic, and competitive.
More importantly, she brought a civilizing influence onto the court. It discouraged the guys from letting their macho tendencies take over. Because of her presence, and the occasional presence of other women, I think we were all less likely to behave abominably.
This phenomenon is well documented. As the scholar Gerard J. DeGroot has shown, womens social skills have a calming effect on groups of men. He told the New York Times the following regarding men in the military: When female soldiers are present, the situation is closer to real life, and as a result men tend to behave. Any conflict where you have an all-male army, its like a holiday from reality. If you inject women into that situation, they do have a civilizing effect.
Another secret to our longevity is bound to be the fact that everyone plays.
Many other pickup games keep winning groups of teams on the court and losers sit on the sidelines. But when we have extra people, we rotate them in every 10 points. If we have 14 players, we break into two games, one 4-on-4 and one 3-on-3. Because we dont have to win to keep playing, this reduces the likelihood and intensity of disputes.
The author Thomas Beller has touched on this in his book Lost in the Game: A Book About Basketball. In it he writes: The thing about these street games is that if you win, you play again. If you lose, you watch. Considering the time and effort involved in getting to the playground in the first place, there was a lot at stake in winning.
Heres another way we reduce conflict: Whenever we do have a disputewas that a foul or a charge?we call a jump ball and rotate possession. No need for long arguments that are never resolved.
We have not completely eliminated conflictsweve had some skirmishesbut they are very rare. We have had our share of injuries, but very few have been caused by overly aggressive play.
A few months before we took our 18-month hiatus due to COVID-19, I wrote the book Geezerball: North Carolina Basketball at its Eldest based on what sociologists call a participant observation study of the game. Some people, especially my female colleague, served as important role models, I wrote in the book. And some rules that we implemented, like those that determined when new players entered the game and how we dealt with disputes, turned out to be important.
Politics
The game has survived the past decade because we dont talk politics.
Whereas in other settings, and perhaps especially on college campuses, it might reduce divisions to share conflicting political viewpoints with others, we are there to play ball, not educate one another.
In the fall of 2016, there was some talk about the presidential campaign. One geezer, a die-hard Republican, admitted he didnt like Trump. But, as he put it, I could live with him.
Another Republican player proudly proclaimed that he planned to spend Election Day driving Trump supporters to the polls.
Of course, Trump won, but many players, probably most, did not reveal their political views.
Because of COVID-19, we did not play during the 2020 election.
This past fall, unlike in 2016, there was virtually no talk about the election. But as someone who sees Trump as an authoritarian threat to democracy, to be honest, I dont want to know if the guys I play with voted for him.
Avoiding politics, and specifically Trump, has allowed the game to continue without the animosity it might engender.
But the political climate has had its effects on the group off the court.
Before 2016, we had periodic geezer gatherings, sometimes with our spouses. We ate pizza, drank beer, gave out joke awards, and celebrated birthdays. We enjoyed each others company. Though some smaller groups have continued to meet for lunch or to drink beer since, we are now less likely to gather socially.
It appears, then, that the larger communal spirit has been diminished by the polarized political world we now live in.
But the game goes on.
Richie Zweigenhaft is a professor of psychology, emeritus at Guilford College.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Alison Fragale is an organizational psychologist and a business school professor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Financial Times, Boston Globe, and Inc.
Whats the big idea?
Your status among your peers and in your community may seem like an uncontrollable factor, by nature of it existing in the heads of others. However, there are actually many fun and easy steps you can take to supercharge your status in humble, authentic, generous ways.
Below, Alison shares five key insights from her new book, Likeable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve. Listen to the audio versionread by Alison herselfin the Next Big Idea App.
1. Being a likeable badass is your path to status.
A likeable badass is someone who shows up as both caring and capable. When people see you as caring and capable, they grant you status. That is, they respect you and hold you in high regard.
Status is a fundamental human need. We all seek status, and it is critical to our quality of life. Feeling respected improves physical and mental health. It also makes it easier to gain power, another fundamental need. The more we feel valued by others, the better our lives are.
Our status only exists in other peoples minds. We only get as much status as others grant us. Fortunately, we can influence our status by how we show up. Science shows that people respect those who care about others and are good at what they do. Showing up as a likeable badass is the most controllable way we can affect our status.
2. Use your skills to help others.
A young woman who was active on Instagram lamented that her older (mostly male) work colleagues saw social media as frivolous kids stuff. She didnt want to abandon something she enjoyed, but she also wanted to build her status at work.
I asked her, Have you ever tried to use your social media skills to benefit them?
She looked at me, confused. What do you mean?
I suggested she could offer to post on the company social media accounts or give suggestions for how colleagues could improve their personal social accounts. I explained that I was active on social media, but not having grown up with it, I know theres a lot I could do better. Id be overjoyed if someone offered to help me edit my profile or give me suggestions for content.
By doing what you love in service to others, you will be authentic and strategic.
Using your unique skills to help others is the most effective way to gain status. You will appear helpful and knowledgeable. By doing what you love in service to others, you will be authentic and strategic.
3. To build status efficiently, find your small deposits.
To build your status with many people, you need to find ways to add value to other lives in ways that dont require much effort. Fortunately, there are many small deposits you can make that take minutes or even seconds.
Imagine meeting a new acquaintance for coffee, and you offer to pay. Thats a kind gesture, but it doesnt distinguish you as a capable person. What if instead of (or in addition to) buying the persons coffee, you offered to introduce them to someone in your network? An email introduction is free and takes only minutes to write, but its a great way to show up as capable and caring. You signal that you have something valuable to offeryour networkand youre willing to share this value with others.
Beyond the introduction, there are lots of small deposits you can make once you start looking for them. Suggest a resource, like a book or website, or offer advice on a problem theyre facing. Bonus points if you type your advice out so you can share it with anyone at the click of a mouse. For example, Ive written out my process for finding and hiring childcare because many parents value this advice. I can now offer guidance to anyone who asks in less than 30 seconds by sharing the documents Ive already created. Find a small deposit that feels authentic for you and that you can do quickly, so that you can add value to lots of people in little time.
4. Have a good answer to everyday questions.
Like it or not, self-promotion is necessary for building status. People are more likely to know about your talents and contributions if you tell them. But talking yourself up doesnt have to be icky or immodest. There are lots of artful ways to tell your story.
When people ask you, Whats new? or How are you? thats an opportunity to tell your story. We often waste these opportunities by saying something uninspiring and uninformative, like Im fine or Busy. But with not many more words, you could say something that inspires curiosity in your listener and opens the door to tell your story.
This conversation only happened because he answered my throwaway question well.
I recently ran into a friend at an event and said, Hows it going? simply out of habit and politeness. He smiled big and said, I. Had. The. Best. Day. Today. That made me curious, so I asked him why, and he shared a short story about how he had just secured a new client and that he and the client were very aligned on their commitment to serving others.
It was only two to three minutes, but I learned a lot about my friends success that I otherwise would never have known. This conversation only happened because he answered my throwaway question well. And because he was responding to my direct question, his response came across as polite rather than self-promoting. Look for short, truthful responses to these everyday questions that enable you to tell your story in a natural way.
5. Have other people build your status for you.
People dont just learn about you from you. They also learn about you from othersparticularly what others say about you when youre not around. Self-promotion is necessary for managing status, and so is other-promotion: having other people talk about you in ways that convey how capable and caring you are.
The more other-promoters you have, the faster you can build status with a broad audience. There are three things you can do to grow your set of other promoters:
Meet more people. If a person doesnt know you exist, they cant talk you up. One of my greatest other-promoters is my friend and fellow speaker, Rachel Sheerin. I met Rachel in an airport bar. Your next other-promoter could be anywhere. Be curious about others and ask them questions. They will likely do the same in return. A five to ten minute conversation can teach a lot about each other.
Convey that you are capable and caring, both in how you talk about yourself and the small deposits you make. Before someone sings your praises, you first need to establish your status in their eyes.
Give the person a reason to pick up the microphone. They cant just think yourea likeable badass; you want them to share this opinion with the world. They are more likely to do that if you talk them up first. Most behaviors in relationships are reciprocated. If you sing someone elses praise, they are more likely to sing yours.
Another way is to ask them. This feels a little scarier, but people who respect you want to help and will appreciate the clarity. I will often say something like, I know Bob really respects you, and I want him to respect me, too, but he doesnt get to see all of the great work Im doing, and I dont have a natural way to tell him. The next time you see Bob, will you make a point of artfully telling him about my work? Ive never had a single person say no to this request.
If you want to increase your number of other promoters, I recommend my 10-10-10 challenge. This week, meet 10 people, make 10 small deposits, and talk up 10 people or ask 10 people to talk you up. Theres no reason building status cant be easy and fun.
This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
Luce, the anime-inspired official mascot for the Catholic Churchs 2025 Jubilee, whose name means light in Italian, has been getting a lot of attention on social media. Some people love the cartoon and find her cute, but a few others consider her unsuitable and even repugnant.
The Vatican introduced Luce at a comics convention in Italy, with the goal of engaging young people and speaking about the theme of hope.
Designed by Simone Legno, the mascot with big blue eyes and blue hair, and rosary beads around her neck, represents a Catholic pilgrim. She is dressed in pilgrimage garments that were standard attire throughout the centuries. Her badge, the Pilgrimage of Hope, identifies the 2025 Jubilee. It shows blue, green, yellow and red figures embracing a cross that ends in an anchor at the base, a symbol of hope. The figures form an outline of a ship sailing over the waves, evoking images of travel.
I have long been interested in the central role played by pilgrimage in many faith traditions, culminating in an exhibition and book, Pilgrimage and Faith: Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam in 2010. Luce brings a contemporary perspective to the time-honored Christian pilgrimage tradition.
Pilgrimage symbols
The symbols that Luce carries serve as a reminder of the origins of Christian pilgrimage, which began with visits to the Holy Land, the place where Christ lived his life.
This pilgrimage was documented by a person who came to be known as the Anonymous Pilgrim of Bordeaux. He wrote in his diary The Bordeaux Pilgrim in 333 about his trip to the Holy Land when the basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, the site where Jesus was buried and is believed to have resurrected, was still under construction.
Luce carries symbols that have been associated with pilgrimage in Europe since the 12th century, particularly those connected to the shrine of St. James in northwestern Spain.
This Holy Land pilgrimage built a tradition of Christians not just visiting the holy sites but also returning with tangible souvenirs, such as a stone from the Holy Land, water from a well, or even a piece of cloth or a statue that touched Christs tomb. A sixth-century painted box now in the Vatican contains bits of soil and stones as souvenirs of places in the Holy Land.
The pilgrimage to honor St. James, one of Christs apostles, whose tomb was believed to have been found in northwestern Spain, became popular in the early 12th century. The pilgrimage route was called the Way of St. James, Camino de Santiago de Compostela. The pilgrimage guided the faithful through several routes across Spain, France and Portugal, culminating in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, in the north of Spain.
The itinerary of the journey, written in 1137 by an anonymous Frenchman, names natural landmarks, local customs and specific churches built to honor different saints. Along this route flowed artistic, economic and cultural exchanges. As was customary, pilgrims who returned after visiting St. James tomb adopted an emblem. Since the shrine was close to the sea, James symbol became a scallop shell that pilgrims wore to demonstrate their achievement.
Pilgrims were proud of these voyages that entailed much physical hardship as well as devotion. In the church of Santa Prassede, Rome, Giovanni de Montpoli, who describes his trade as preparing medicines, commissioned a 13th-century tomb slab showing himself as a pilgrim. He is dressed in a pilgrims fur overcoat to repel rain and retain warmth. He carries a staff and wears a wallet slung over his shoulder. A scallop shell adorning his broad-brimmed hat indicates that he had traveled to Compostela.
The popularity of the pilgrimage to St. James persisted through the Renaissance, supported by pilgrimage fraternities that helped people find companions for the journey and stay connected with each other after they returned. Sometimes subgroups of the fraternity even sponsored pilgrimage-related art such as a stained-glass window.
Evidence of such activities is seen in the monastery of Wettingen, near Zurich in Switzerland. St. James is depicted as a pilgrim in a stained-glass window dated 1522, donated by a Hans Hünegger and Regina von Sur. He wears a cloak and a hat decorated with pilgrim badges.
Pilgrim badges
By the middle decades of the 12th century, metal pilgrim badges were produced at low costs. They were soon available at shrines throughout Europe. Each pilgrimage location had its own distinctive badge.
Santiagos scallop shell remained a universal pilgrim emblem over the centuries. A 19th-century stained-glass window in the church of Sainte-Clotilde in Paris shows 13th-century French King Louis IXthe only French monarch to be named a saintwith scallop shells on his cloak, even though his pilgrimage was to Jerusalem, not the shrine of Santiago.
Sometimes the Supper at Emmaus, when Christ met two disciples after his resurrection, was depicted showing the disciples as contemporary pilgrims.
One of the most memorable examples is Caravaggios painting from 1601, in the National Gallery in London, showing an astonished apostle wearing a scallop shell on his vest.
Luce, the pilgrim
Luce continues, as well as transforms, these traditions. In her large eyes gleam two scallop shells that reflect this thousand-year-old symbol. Like Giovanni de Montpoli in Rome, she wears a coat that shields her from the elements and she carries a staff. The yellow of the cloak references the color of the flag of Vatican City.
Like the 16th-century Swiss image of St. James, she wears a pilgrimage badge, this one proclaiming the Pilgrimage of Hope of the 2025 Jubilee. Her muddy boots indicate outdoor hiking, with which any young person can identify. She is depicted as female, representing all people, not just women.
Drawn in a contemporary and globally popular style, she suggests an openness to new encounters across the world.
Virginia Raguin is a distinguished professor of humanities emerita at the College of the Holy Cross.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Dana Miranda is a financial educator, journalist, and creator of the Healthy Rich newsletter, where she writes about money for misfits. She has contributed to Forbes, Business Insider, The New York Times, CNBC, and The Motley Fool, among many other outlets.
Whats the big idea?
The personal finance industry has been teaching ineffective wealth habits for decades. The dominant advice is that budgeting is of absolute importance, but emerging research is dismantling this approach to money management. A life of prosperity does not emerge from restrictive rules and a scarcity mindsetit starts with intuition and generosity.
Below, Dana shares five key insights from her new book, You Dont Need a Budget: Stop Worrying about Debt, Spend without Shame, and Manage Money with Ease. Listen to the audio versionread by Dana herselfin the Next Big Idea App.
1. Budgeting doesnt work
Basically, every piece of financial advicewhether youre trying to pay off debt, save for a big purchase, or start investingstarts with make a budget. This sounds a lot like what we see in healthcare, where every piece of health and wellness advice goes back to losing weight. In both cases, were defaulting to restriction.
Decades of research in the medical field shows that weight loss doesnt always yield the health outcomes people want. Dieting doesnt work well for weight loss or health improvement. So, I wondered what the research would say about budgeting. The most surprising thing I found was how little research exists about the effectiveness of budgeting. Almost no one is asking whether the practice effectively improves a financial situation. However, I did find a few researchers trying to determine the effectiveness of budgeting. The truth about budgeting contradicts everything the personal finance industry has been teaching.
A 2018 study at the University of Minnesota found that budgets are unsustainable and dont reduce spending. Through one experiment, they found participants got less enjoyment out of spending when they tracked their budgets closely, and this effect was stronger for people with less money. That lower enjoyment meant people were less likely to continue budgeting in the future. Researchers wrote, Tracking a budget may reduce the enjoyment associated with spending by increasing pain of paying through a tightened link between costs and benefits.
In another experiment, the same researchers found budgeting encourages a splurge-and-restrict cycle exactly like the binge-and-restrict cycles we see with diets. People may use perceived progress as an excuse to take a break and may splurge a little, the authors wrote, giving budgeters little net benefit.
Another report from the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada in 2019 shows how ineffective admonitions to make a budget can be, and that budgeting doesnt improve well-being. The agency led a pilot to encourage people to make a budget, and they followed up 18 months later. Despite the programs sole purpose being to get people to start budgeting, only about one-third of participants who left with the program with the intention of making a budget followed through and developed a budgeting habit. Then, the study asked budgeters whether the habit helped reduce their financial stress. Just 8% of budgeters said budgeting reduced financial stress.
2. Budget culture is like diet culture for your money
Our cultural relationship with money is based on a set of rules meant to help us get rich, like paying off debt, investing, starting a side hustle, and making a budget. Financial advice and education tend to boil down to three tactics:
Restrict how you use money, whether by spending less, saving more, or buying different things.
Shame yourself for financial moves, including spending, accumulating debt, and lack of investment or savings.
Greedily hoard wealth by avoiding taxes, accumulating property, and opposing social safety nets.
I call this approach budget culture: a set of values that, like diet culture, is based on restriction, shame, and greed. The practice of budgeting is the centerpiece of budget culture. But budget culture is much more than making a budget. You dont have to engage in budgeting to be engulfed in the beliefs around it. These beliefs pervade most conversations about money. In the same way diet culture has us constantly critiquing our bodies and seeking the perfect regimen, our culture of money has us convinced we can find the perfect way to manage money if we work hard enough.
Despite several systemic barriers, if your finances dont look like you want them to, budget culture convinces you its because youre not doing something right. The personal finance industry has contrived a fantasy world where its possible for regular people to overcome tremendous financial obstacles with just a few simple steps and make real progress toward being rich. Budget culture upholds that fantasy as an achievable ideal and the basis for understanding money. Even as individuals continue to fail to realize the fantasy, our approach to money feeds off the never-ending pursuit of that ideal.
3. Debt isnt a moral failing
If youre not keeping a budget, how do you avoid spending money you dont have? This is the top question I get when I tell people they dont need a budget. A belief that you cant trust yourself not to overspend drives many people to start budgeting. The only way to spend money you dont have is to use credit or loans and take on debt. I argue thats not something you have to avoid.
Debt is one of many available resources, like earned income, community resources, or assets. Using debt is a way to expand your resources to live your life when you cant or dont want to expand your income or other resources. Choosing when and how to use debt and how to deal with it are financial decisions, not moral or ethical ones. We use shame in budget culture to keep people from accessing debt, which only serves to perpetuate unequal access to the lifestyle those resources could buy. Carrying debt doesnt make you a bad or irresponsible person.
Choosing when and how to use debt and how to deal with it are financial decisions, not moral or ethical ones.
Carrying debt also wont destroy your life the way budget culture makes you believe. You can understand how debt products like credit cards and loans work and know the consequences tied to various ways you might deal with them. Having that knowledge lets you decide how to deal with debt in a way that supports your goals.
4. Money is meant to be spent
Budget culture trains you to believe spending is bad and that youre a failure for giving in to it. But spending money is often the right choice because its necessary for nourishment, connection, and fostering joy. Letting go of shame from spending is vital to overcoming budget culturebut so is letting go of self-satisfaction from restricting. Succeeding at restriction might make you feel like budgeting works for you, but its just the flip side of shaming yourself for spending.
Letting go of the perceived control a budget ives you might feel scary because budget culture has taught you not to trust yourself around money. Once youve rejected the premise of budgeting, you must learn to trust yourself to spend money without destroying your life. Trusting yourself to use money without fear is what I call conscious spending.
Setting restrictive limits on how to use money for things you love and value is impractical. My goal with money management isnt to create new restrictions or give you another difficult chore to manage. A budget-free approach is about being able to say yes more often when youre wondering whether to spend money.
Budget cultures lionizing of restriction has probably messed with your ability to know how you truly want to use money. Trying to reject budgeting without a way to trust yourself could throw you right back into a cycle of splurging and restricting. To avoid that cycle, it is important to learn conscious spending practices that rely on trusting your gut.
Practicing conscious spending is about yielding to your innate wisdom to guide your money moves, instead of looking at an outside set of rules to determine what you should do. Just about any mindfulness practice that speaks to you will hone your self-awareness toward conscious spending. Some strategies you can try include:
Create checkpoints that encourage you to reflect on spending decisions before making them, like a reminder note in your wallet.
Use a spending diary to temporarily note how youre spending money and what it adds to your life.
Imagine your ideal day and how you can use money to support it.
Notice your hormone cycles and how they impact your decision-making.
Do somatic exercises to learn to listen to your body.
Practice meditation or prayer to become more mindful.
5. What you own isnt truly yours
Advice about money tends to focus on how to get more and give away less. Budget culture treats money as the end goal, so advice is focused on having money in the end. That misses the point of using money to live a life. It also ignores the fact that if youre tapping into your intuition and understanding your place in a community of humans, generosity with money is a must.
Unfortunately, in our culture, thinking about giving money away can raise feelings of fear and scarcity. Budget culture messaging amplifies and reinforces those feelings through budgeting habits and an individualistic mindset. Budget culture makes generosity feel foolish.
A scarcity mindset makes you see lack and competition instead of abundance. Our cultural approach to money trains us to believe we never have what we need and theres not enough to go around. Our cultures focus on individual responsibility makes it hard to be generous and easy to ignore someone elses needs.
You can begin to break down that belief by first understanding that nothing is truly yours to begin with. The difference between seeing scarcity in the world and seeing abundance is understanding that whatever you own isnt truly yours; its just in your care for now.
Money is a tool to shape the world around you. When you hold it in your hands, you are responsible for contributing to that world in a life-giving way. Dont fear scarcity when you give money away or use it to benefit someone else. Their gain isnt your loss because there was never a difference between your money and their money in the first place. Look for opportunities to give money away, including through direct gifts, charities, and taxes. We can embrace joy, abundance, and generosity in our relationship with money by letting go of the scarcity mindset budget culture has instilled in us.
This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
If youre under 40, ageism probably hasnt crossed your mind muchyet. And thats okay. When I was in my 20s and 30s, I wasnt thinking about it, either. But theres something about entering that sixth decade that makes ageism glaringly real. And unfortunately, it’s not just someone elses problem; its everyones problem.
I recently turned 50, and this topic has become so personal that I realize we need to talk about it more. And more importantly, we need to act on it.
A recent study revealed that when recruiting potential employees, 56% of employers said the age where someone was too old to hire depended on the person. But of those who provided a specific age, the median too old age was 58. Frankly, I think thats generous. Based on what Ive heard from my network, the age when someone is considered too old is closer to 49. And a 2024 survey by Resume Now found that 90% of workers over 40 have experienced ageism at work. Yes, 90%!
The thing about ageism is that people dont really notice it until it happens to them. Its like asking a 25-year-old, Whats your retirement plan? Theyre not thinking about a 401(k); theyre thinking about paying rent or hitting happy hour with friends. When I was 25, I wasnt worrying about whether the 50-year-old in the office had encountered ageism. Its just not on your radaruntil it is.
Work-life balance gets trickier with age
By the time you hit your 40s or 50s, life is really busy. Some of us are raising kids or putting them through college. Others are caring for aging parents. And all that happens when many of us are at the height of our careers, juggling more responsibilities than ever.
And suddenly, your experience and senioritythe things youve worked so hard to buildcan make you a target. When companies start talking about cost-cutting, guess whos most at risk? Older, highly paid employees. Its a short-term cost saving that causes long-term problems. Experienced workers are pushed out and forced to take lower-level jobs, making them senior outcasts in the market.
Its demoralizing, and its a waste of talent.
Why multigenerational teams are the answer
So, what can we do about it? One solution is developing and supporting multigenerational teams. Why? Because diverse teamsincluding age diversityare better for businesses. They bring a mix of perspectives, skills and life experiences that cant be replicated in a single age group. Its a beautiful balance: the energy and fresh ideas of younger workers paired with the wisdom and resilience of older ones.
Ive seen it work firsthand. Recently, I was on an industry panel with people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. The insights we shared were incredible because everyones perspective was unique. The audience loved it. And the insights we provided apply to the different age groups most brands want to reach. Why wouldnt companies want to replicate that dynamic internally?
Cross-mentorship is one of the best ways to make this happen at work. The stats back it up: 86% of CEOs say mentors were key to their success. Imagine how powerful it could be to create opportunities for mentorship across generations within your workplace. Everyone wins.
We need to talk about age without shame or fear
Weve been conditioned to hide our ageyes, especially us women. Im not talking about Botox (Im all for it, by the way). Im talking about the reluctance to admit our age at workand beyondout of fear well be seen as less capable or relevant. But hiding doesnt solve anything. In fact, it perpetuates the problem.
When I was on that panel, I proudly introduced myself as representing the 50-plus crowd. I did it because we need to normalize talking about our age and proving that it doesnt define our abilities. Were still valuable, relevant and eager to contribute. The more we embrace this openly, the more we can challenge ageist assumptions.
One thing Ive learned is that ageism cuts both ways. Its not just about the more visible aspect of it affecting older employees. When I became editor-in-chief of an internet startup at 24, people underestimated me because I was too young. If I were to apply to a similar position at my current age, Id probably be labeled as too old.
So lets make a real commitment to stop judging peoples capabilities based on their age. If a 25-year-old applies for a VP role and has the chops, why not give them a chance? And if a 55-year-old wants to pivot into a new role, why not support that too? Everyone deserves the opportunity to grow.
Maybe its not a midlife crisismaybe its just burnout
Another key piece of the puzzle is addressing burnout. Lets be real: A lot of what weve traditionally called midlife crises is probably just exhaustion. Burnout can happen at any age, but by the time youve spent decades working 60-hour weeks while raising a family (or any other serious responsibility), youre bound to feel drained. Then you start yearning or pursuing life changes that make you feel rejuvenated or like youre getting a fresh start.
Flexibility can make a huge difference here. And Im not just talking about short-term flexibility, like allowing your team to work from home certain days. I mean comprehensive flexibility over time. For example, sometimes, all it takes is tweaking someones role to better align with their strengths and needs.
Personally, I used to love doing sales from start to finish. Now? Not so much. What I love involves a lot of collaboration. My strengths and needs have evolved, and thats a great thing. Now I want younger colleagues in the room with me, bringing fresh energy and ideas to the table. Its not about doing less; its about doing things differently to stay productive and efficient.
Unfortunately, companies that prioritize short-term cost-cutting over long-term strategy are missing out on the incredible value that experienced workers bring.
If youre a leader, my advice to you is this: Build multigenerational teams, encourage open dialogue about age, and create opportunities for cross-mentorship. Start thinking about how to make your workplace more inclusive of all ages. And if youre older, dont be afraid to show your ageown it, and use it to inspire others.
Business thrives on data. We know that data drives strategy, innovation, and decision making, yet many businesses fail to unlock its full potential. While budgets are allocated and data is gathered and analyzed, a common issue arises: A lot of data remains underleveraged in the long term.
When it comes to climate data, this gap is more of a chasm. Despite the growing urgency around sustainability, environmental data is often not being effectively harnessed, particularly in brand communication, since companies want to avoid the pitfalls of greenwashing. This gap is a missed opportunity for businesses across all industries.
Youve probably seen countless claims around eco-friendliness, green, and net zero, but the reality behind these terms is often far more complex than the slogans suggest. Too often, the actual data behind these claims is oversimplified or ignored, leaving consumers without the insights they need to make informed decisions.
Read on to effectively translate climate data into authentic, actionable marketing messaging, from a tech founder who built a company grounded in science-based climate data and its real-world applications.
Enhance granularity and accuracy
There is a reason why tech companies emphasize the importance of detailed and accurate data. For data to be both credible and actionable, it must first achieve a high degree of precisiona solid foundation that allows businesses to make confident decisions.
For example, my company Vaayu provides software that enables retail brands and businesses to track their global impact. The technology generates granular, precise data on key areas such as carbon emissions, water usage, and waste through an automated calculation process. This level of detail helps partners identify specific areas where they can make targeted reductions in their footprint and, crucially, communicate to shoppers about it, driving more meaningful sustainability outcomes.
By leveraging the most robust data available, businesses gain insights that can be translated into transparent, credible marketing messages that resonate with consumers.
Build climate data understanding
In business, data empowers everyone involved. To effectively translate climate data into consumer-facing messaging, its essential to get as many eyes and ears on the data as possible. By involving diverse perspectives throughout the process, the data can be refined into something that is easy to understand while preserving its nuance and detail.
In fact, as a lifelong advocate for carbon literacy, Ive found that the most impactful way to drive real change is by involving team members that hail not only from science but across communication, climate strategy, and more. By fostering a shared understanding of data, teams can better collaborate, translate insights into meaningful actions, and communicate transparently with consumers, ultimately building credibility and trust.
Let the data tell the story
Once brands gain clarity on what they can and cannot say, data becomes the perfect storyteller, offering not just accurate conclusions but also persuasive ones. In many cases, this alignment is what drives the most compelling success stories.
Take the recent work of Vestiaire Collective, a global online marketplace specializing in buying and selling pre-owned luxury fashion and accessories. Through its collaboration with Vaayu, Vestiaire Collective harnessed the cost-per-wear metric to highlight the economic and environmental benefits of preloved fashion.
The data that fueled this campaign came from an extensive consumer survey, drawing insights from over 13,000 respondents globally. To obtain the cost-per-wear metric, we analyzed data from 250,000 transactions, cross-verified and scaled with literature values. We found that preloved luxury items purchased on Vestiaire Collective were 33% more affordable long term than brand new fast fashion, contrary to what most consumers would believe. This unique survey sets the stage for a future where consumers reconsider their fashion investments, with findings indicating that 70% prioritized items with a good resale value, also signaling a shift in consumer behavior.
“By leveraging Vaayu’s carbon tracking technology, we have shown that preloved fashion offers both economic and environmental benefits, says Dounia Wone, chief impact officer of Vestiaire Collective. Together, we can transform consumption habits and create a more sustainable world.”
Trustworthy, accurate data is essential for translating complex climate insights into compelling marketing. Vestiaire Collectives campaign demonstrates that reliable data drives impactful storytelling, highlighting both environmental and financial benefits.
The future we need to build isnt just about ticking boxesits about driving a real shift in behavior and practices, aligning profit with purpose. When brands use their data strategically, it has the potential to ignite consumer trust and spark meaningful change. So, as businesses fully embrace climate data, they are not simply participants in the sustainability conversation; theyre leading it.
Namrata Sandhu is cofounder and CEO of Vaayu.
When news broke that the United Healthcare CEO was shot in broad daylight early last month, outrage erupted online. But it wasnt aimed at the assassin. Instead, it was directed at the broken U.S. healthcare system he represented. But, it turns out, for those who expressed negative sentiment about insurance companies online, the government was watching.
A document obtained by the transparency nonprofit Property of the People via the New York State Intelligence Center, and reported by journalist Ken Klippenstein on his Substack, warned against users online wanting to counter corporate greed. Marked LAW ENFORCEMENT USE ONLY, this type of document is typically inaccessible to the public, and is only in the public domain thanks to the transparency efforts of Property of the People.
The warning signs come as a sea of social media posts indicate that shooting suspect Luigi Mangione might be viewed as a ‘martyr’ who could inspire extremists to action, the document reads. There is a concern with potential copy-cat attacks, increased online threats of violence, and potential for hoax or doxing incidents directed at high-profile corporate employees or public leaders.
The report cited examples including a viral online poll asking, Who is the most hated CEO in America? and the Wanted posters that briefly appeared around Manhattan, displaying the names and salaries of several health insurance executives. (In response, panicked executives scrambled to scrub their personal information from the internet and hired additional security.)
The document also mentioned the wave of positive posts on social media about Mangione. One X user described his perp walk as the Hardest pic of 2024. Another replied to the NYPD News X account, Did you guys . . . make him hotter?
According to Klippenstein, the document is part of a larger wave of threat reports circulated among law enforcement by intelligence hubs established after 9/11 to combat terrorism, known as fusion hubs.
Mangione is currently facing 11 state criminal counts in New York, including first-degree murder and murder as a crime of terrorism. If you were one of those who liked his mug shot or a related meme, be wary.
Oh, so everyone? one reader commented under Klippensteins post. That narrows it down.
Ashley Abramson first came across Sophie Cress in a cold pitch to her work email. Cress was asking to be an expert source for any stories Abramson was working on as a freelance reporter. Ive got over 8 years of experience and qualifications in Psychology and Couples & Family Therapy, and I’m enthusiastic about exploring potential collaborations, especially in the areas of love, relationships, or LGBTQIA+ topics, Cress wrote.
She provided a list of links to articles where shed supposedly been featured as an expert. Her email address, linked to a website reviewing sex toys, caught Abramsons attention. Then, when Abramson insisted that she could only conduct interviews over phone or video call, Cress ghosted.
In a recent investigation for Allure, Abramson dug deeper into Cress’ background and alleged qualifications. Turns out, she doesnt actually exist, and was created by the Latvia-based owner of sex toy review site Sexual Alpha to boost traffic and improve the site’s search rankings.
Dainis Graveris, the owner of Sexual Alpha, did not respond to Abramson’s requests for comment but Abramson decided to investigate further. She started by searching for evidence of a “Sophie Cress” or similar names licensed in North Carolina or holding the degrees and certifications Cress claimed. She found none. Abramson also discovered that Cress headshot was a stock image, and the woman pictured was not called Sophie Cress.
Most journalists contacted by Cress simply took her at face value, allowing her operators to dupe outlets from the Metro to the Daily Mail. As Abramson writes, of course, anyone could always claim to be anyone and AI programs make it easy to generate a chunk of text that seems, at least at first skim, like it was written by an expert in any field you can think of.
This is a classic case of what is commonly known as internet slop: scammy, AI-generated content thats becoming increasingly widespread online and beyond. Some studies have even found that people rated AI-generated content more favorably than that created by humans (or at least cant tell the difference).
This rising tide of slop only serves to clog the internet, which is already drowning in misinformation, further. While this is unlikely to be some sort of election-altering Russian disinformation campaign, Abramson concludes, I wouldnt say its a sign of a particularly bright future.
Space engineers now know how to make oxygen on the moon, and they’re working on perfecting the science so that astronauts can live off the lunar base more easily.Lunar soil, or regolith, is filled with valuable materials, like oxygen, as well as metals like iron, titanium, and lithium. And a team at Sierra Space, a private aerospace and space technologies company, is working on extracting it. Doing so, they say, will help astronauts on the moon to breathe, can help provide fuel for future missions, and is an important step for sustaining life on the moon, or other planets.
Weve tested everything we can on Earth now, Brant White, a program manager at Sierra Space, told the BBC. The next step is going to the moon.
The team tested the technology during an experiment at NASAs Johnson Space Center over the summer. The process involves a box-like machine that can take in soil, or, when on the moon, regolith, and turn it into a thick, sticky substance. Heating a layer of the substance to over 3,002F (1,650C) and adding reactants, allows oxygen-containing molecules to be released.In September, Sierra Space announced it had successfully completed the testing in a press release. The Apollo program took us to the moon to study and learn. Artemis is taking us back to the moon, this time to stay, Tom Vice, CEO of Sierra Space, said at the time.Vice continued, Our company is focused on building the infrastructure necessary to enable continuous human presence on the lunar surface. This sustainable future begins with developing the core technology and systems that create oxygen in that environment, using local natural resources.The team also says they can extract metals from the moon’s core that will help with building structures on the moon. While bringing oxygen and other materials from Earth is possible, White says that’s extraordinarily costly, and therefore the innovation is a meaningful one. It could save billions of dollars from mission costs, White said.
While scientists seem to have perfected the technology on Earth, bringing it to the moon will bring about certain challenges due to the lack of gravity. Dr. Paul Burke, a space physicist and aerospace engineer at Johns Hopkins University, who published a paper on the topic last year, told the BBC that the process of extraction, which involves bubbles of oxygen forming in the scorching hot regolith, will be different in a different atmosphere.It is the consistency of, say, honey,” he explained. “It is very, very viscous. Those bubbles arent going to rise as fast and may actually be delayed from detaching from the electrodes. However, Sierra Space says their technology was designed with low gravity in mind.Other scientists are hard at work on how to extract oxygen and other materials from the moon, too, like Palak Patel, a PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who is training to become an astronaut herself. Patel came up with her own experimental molten regolith electrolysis system that does the same thing. She told the BBC it also addresses the gravity issue by using a sonicator which uses soundwaves to ensure the bubbles won’t get stuck. Were really looking at it from the standpoint of, Lets try to minimise the number of resupply missions, she said.
Threads, Meta’s X and Bluesky rival, is testing ads with certain brands in the United States and Japan, the company said Friday.
“We know there will be plenty of feedback about how we should approach ads, and we are making sure they feel like Threads posts youd find relevant and interesting,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a post. He added that the team will be monitoring the test “before scaling it more broadly.”
The ads will show a “Sponsored” label as they appear in users’ feeds.
Meta launched Threads in 2023 and has been focusing on growing its user base and keeping people logged on. Now that it has more than 300 million monthly active users (with more than 100 million of those using it daily), better monetization efforts appear to be the next step. After all, social media is just one big way to turn eyeballs into revenue.
Meta Platforms, parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is likely to share an update about Threads when it reports fourth-quarter 2024 earnings next week. Its stock on Friday afternoon was trading at near record highs.
Responses to Mosseri’s post announcing the test revealed frustration from some users. “You put in ads, there will be no reason to stay….” One user wrote. “Ill leave the minute the ads start rolling by. Guaranteed.”
