#5SmartReads - March 1, 2023

Chip makers must provide child care plan for fund access (Axios)

This might be the first time since WWII that a government bill focused on workforce investment also required or made provisions for childcare. And in the words of queen Lizzo, “it’s about damn time!”

The public and private sector largely chooses to not approach employment and childcare as intersectional issues. This is one of the first times in recent history that you see the a federal agency connecting the issues that the majority of American families face, and I’m heartened to see it (though the success of this will depend on the details and the execution).

I’m proud to be an advisor to MH WorkLife, and their work-life wallet is an innovative solution to help employers provide a full suite of care benefits to their workforce. If you happen to work at an engineering firm building these semiconductor manufacturing plants or the chip manufacturers themselves, please check them out and share this resource with your company. Or just share this platform with your company if your care benefits are nonexistent or severely lacking - it’s an incredible, thoughtful platform designed for ALL workers (and not just parents).

Sheryl Lee Ralph explains why she almost left showbiz — and what kept her going (NPR)

The Sheryl Lee Ralph-essance is one I’m here for. And to think she nearly walked away from performing a few decades ago.

There are so many more gems in her interview (give it a listen - the article is a brief excerpt) that I scribbled down. I see so many parallels between Ms. Ralph and my own father, who decided to jump into entrepreneurship when most of his friends were retiring. We have so much to learn from these wise folks, and I cannot wait to learn more from Ms. Ralph in her forthcoming book Diva 2.0 (I got the audiobook so I can listen to her wisdom from her directly).

I don’t think anyone reading this is surprised by this news. But putting it in the context of our country’s short history, and it’s a bombshell that puts our future democracy at significant risk.

Here’s the quick summary - Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit against the Fox News Network. Previous filings demonstrated that the executives and hosts of the network acknowledged that there was no voter fraud and that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were the legitimate POTUS and VPOTUS-elect.

That on its own is damning. The latest filing is even more so.

The revelations from these filings is alarming. But when you consider that one of the biggest peddlers of the Big Lie, Tucker Carlson, now possesses 41,000 hours of security camera footage from the January 6th insurrection and that we have documented evidence that these personalities and network focus on profits over everything…

…well, this is how democracies die. Unless we stand up, call this out, and be even louder about accurate reporting and the real news.

linchpin habits: the keys to making goals stick (Jess Lively)

Have you ever read something, say “yes, I love that!”, and it takes a while before you actually put it in practice?

That is me and linchpin habits. And it took me nearly 10 years to put this into practice.

Starting my day with Athletic Greens' AG1 became a linchpin habit to build other nutrition habits upon - consuming more protein and vegetables, drinking more water and less alcohol. Committing to strength workouts 3 days a week (I love obé’s strength programs) was the linchpin that helped me establish a daily movement practice.

We’re two months into 2023 and this is when well-intentioned resolutions begin to fade or fall apart. If you’re finding it hard to stick with goals or resolutions, think about a linchpin habit aligned with that goal and make it approachable and attainable.

For me, linchpin habits have been instrumental in helping me prevent burnout. I share more about them here, and have learned a lot from you all on how you help prevent burnout (add your habits and rituals in the comments):

‘Everywhere they go, the Rohingya are exploited’ (Al-Jazeera)

While the exploitation and flight of the Rohingya has come to mainstream news in the past five years, their plight started long before.

This is a detailed interview and account of not just one of the most persecuted groups in the world, but also a story of post-colonialism, the current state of refugees, global politics, and the vulnerability of humanity.

I will leave you with the closing words of this interview, and a request to click and read this whole story.: