#5SmartReads - August 18, 2022

Hi! I'm Olivia, the co-founder of Fresh Starts Registry, the first ever support registry and resource guide for anyone navigating life changes, including divorce or breakup, moving, career changes, stepping into your truth, or starting again after grief. My background is in social media marketing, and I'm the founder of March Lion Media, which has managed social media for all sorts of companies and people for a decade. I'm a single mom of two amazing boys on Long Island (born and bred!), and in my spare time, I love to watercolor, read about sociology and families (and romantic novels!), and collect crystals I know nothing about but love the way they feel.

This Group’s Wiped Out $6.7Billion In Medical Debt, And It’s Just Getting Started (NPR)

Oh man, this article just filled my heart with such joy for the world. RIP Medical Debt is a nonprofit that buys up people's medical debt and pays it off for them - yep, you heard that right. As the article says, "Its novel approach involves buying bundles of delinquent hospital bills — and then simply erasing the obligation to repay them." Developed by two former debt collectors, to date RIP Medical Debt has purchased $6.7 billion in unpaid debt and relieved 3.6 million people of debt. Check out the article to learn more about their story, how they're funded, and their bigger mission in this world - genuinely an inspiration for a business model we should all get behind. Do you have medical debt? How has it impacted your day-to-day life?

In ‘Mad Men’ Rachel Menken Redefined The Jewish-American Female Character (Hey Alma)

I'm a huge fan of Mad Men, and this article is a fascinating look at the Jewish American female experience in the world of Mad Men - but, really, it's about how important it is to see yourself represented in television shows. I've been struggling a lot with this lately, as I see a major lack of body diversity in sitcoms, and it makes me not want to watch the show if I don't see anyone with a beautiful curvy figure, like me! Rachel Menken is a Jewish American businesswoman in Mad Men who hires Don Draper's firm to help her department store - her fearlessness, business acumen and sharp personality was written so expertly and gave us a strong, independent Jewish business woman we could see ourselves in on television. This is a great read about representation and women in media. Do you watch Mad Men?

3 Keys For Successful Social Media Marketing (The Food Institute)

Fun fact: I started my social media agency from my kitchen table while my son slept by my feet in a rocker. I used to rock him with my foot while I typed late into the night! As a social media marketer who took a circuitous route to marketing, I tend to take a different approach - a more human and social-emotional centered approach to marketing. I chatted with The Food Institute about my tops for successful social media marketing and it...may not be what you think. I was the social media director for a global food brand and food television for years, and I loved putting pen to paper and getting create with our strategy when it came to the intersection of food, people, and marketing. Are you in marketing?

After Decades, Author Jamil Jan Kochai Reunites With The Teacher Who Changed His Life (NPR)

As a former teacher - and someone who is still very close with my former teachers - this story touched my heart!! Author Jamil Jan Kochai (99 Nights in Logar) searched for more than a decade for Susan Lung — the second-grade teacher who had changed his life over 20 years earlier when she taught him how to read and write in English. He had tried to track her down for decades, but did not know her first name, so the search was in vain, until recently! I just loved this story and the happy ending - I still keep my eye on many of my students' lives and I'm so proud of them - and I have very close relationships with former teachers I had throughout my life and I'm so grateful for them!

Why Our Milestone FOMO Is Worse Than Ever (Refinery 29)

If you've been following me on social media lately, you'll know that my motto for the last year has been "there's more to life than weddings and babies" (and I had a wedding and two babies!). This article on milestone FOMO is literally exactly why I started Fresh Starts Registry. Did you know the average person gets married twice, has two children...but gets divorced once, moves 11 times and changes jobs 11 times in their lifetime? There is simply so much more to celebrate - and yes, we celebrate making those brave decisions and hard life moves. Because getting to the point where you DO decide to make a major life change is brave, bold, and deserves to be celebrated!