On our 24th and final podcast, we reflect on the experience of beginnings and endings. Do endings always need to be sad occasions or can they mean the beginning of a joyful new chapter? Also, Rodney talks about the new nonprofit, Ameelio, looking to disrupt how people communicate with their incarcerated loved ones; Cyrus reviews the book, The Redemption of Bobby Love, by Bobby and Cheryl Love; and Patrice shouts out several corporate leaders who are making a contribution to the joy, love, and abundance of their employees and communities. Ameelio https://www.ameelio.org/ The Redemption of Bobby Love https://www.amazon.com/Redemption-Bobby-Love-Family-Justice/dp/0358566053 Dan Price, CEO, Gravity Payments https://gravitypayments.com/dan-price/ Richard Edelman, President & CEO, Edelman https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6851877315203469312/

Episode 23: When Worry Robs Your Joy Patrice kicks off the discussion with the idea of worry as a "joy thief." The team talks about ways to keep worry in its proper place. Rodney talks about College Unbound, a successful model for adult education, Patrice talks about a Girl Scouts GIRL HQ fundraising campaign that aims to provide hundreds of thousands of urban girls in New York City for generations to come with access to transformative experiences of the great outdoors, and Cyrus reflects on Ruby Wight's story of surviving abuse and her book, Resilient Heart. College Unbound www.collegeunbound.org Girl Scouts of Greater New York GIRL HQ Campaign https://www.girlscoutsnyc.org/en/support/donate-now.html Resilient Heart https://amzn.to/3mjd0ks

Today, the JLA team talks about the role of friendship in their lives and the significance of reaching out to others. Rodney highlights the Faith and Money Network, Patrice lifts up The Phoenix Fund, which provides start-up funding for Black and Afro-Latina women business owners, and Cyrus reviews the book Big Brain, Little Brain by Kevin Thomas McCarney. The Phoenix Fund www.allinmybusiness.com Faith and Money Network www.faithandmoneynetwork.org Big Brain, Little Brain https://www.amazon.com/Big-Brain-Little-Control-Speaks/dp/1544517580

Joy, Love and Abundance, Episode 21: Weathering Storms In this episode, we comment on the impact of Hurricane Ida and reflect on how we weather the storms of life. (Hint: Start small and realize that you're not alone.) Patrice shares about her efforts supporting a loved one in Afghanistan, Rodney talks about creative aging programs, and Cyrus reviews the book, You Will Never Be Normal, by Catherine Klatzker. Patrice's Link https://refugeerights.org/get-involved/action-for-afghanistan Touchstone Center's Report of Creative Aging https://secureservercdn.net/166.62.110.232/bbe.037.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019 /08/SVA-2019-Eval-Report-final-revised-2019.06.27-EDDS.pdf You Will Never Be Normal by Catherine Klatzker https://amzn.to/3khbT5d

Joy, Love and Abundance, Episode 20: The Importance of Travel Today, the team discusses how travel can expand one's mind and experience. Whether it's a trip overseas or to another part of your state, giving yourself the gift of travel can increase your joy! Rodney talks about the life of civil rights leader turned math literacy advocate, Robert Moses; Patrice highlights the "Letters to Eli" campaign to bring a little joy to the life of a friend's brother imprisoned for most of his adult life; and Cyrus delights us with the bathroom reader, The Greatest Know on Earth. The Algebra Project: https://algebra.org/wp/ Letters to Eli Campaign https://www.richawakenings.com/events-1/letters-to-eli-2 The Greatest Know on Earth: https://amzn.to/3yiSXqf

In this episode, we explore the importance of celebration - why cultivating a celebration practice is key whether alone or with others. And whether it's a small birthday celebration with close friends or a global celebration like the Olympics, involving more than 200 countries. We also turn the spotlight on Women's Climate Centers International, a coalition of organizations in the U.S., Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa, empowering local women to be change agents in the climate fight; and the book The Division of Light and Power, by Dennis Kucinich. Women's Climate Centers International : https://www.climatecenters.org The Division of Light and Power: https://amzn.to/3AUqiK7

Welcome to Joy Love and Abundance, Episode 18. In this episode, we talk about why it's important to show love to yourself - so that you can be a resource for others. Whether taking time for self-care, choosing joy, or doing a loving-kindness meditation, there are lots of ways to practice self-love. We also highlight Turning Leaf, an organization in South Carolina trying to reduce recidivism rates through mental health support; the Center for Asian Pacific American Women, launching a leadership development program for women of color; and Pops: Learning to Be a Son and a Father, a new book about fatherhood by NBC media personality Craig Melvin. Turning Leaf https://www.turningleafproject.com/ Center for Asian Pacific American Women (CAPAW) https://apawomen.org/ Pops: Learning to Be a Son and a Father https://amzn.to/3f6eQ5n

Today the team reflects on the G7 Summit as an international example of how helping others is mutually beneficial. Just as nations can be of service to other nations, we can serve each other at the individual level. We also discuss the Oregon Food Bank's attempt to decenter money and measure outcomes in love; the Women's Foundation of New York Elly Awards to support women who have faced hardship in life; and Cyrus' interview with Dr. Robert Dillard, author of Into the Deep and discoverer of the Titanic. Oregon Food Bank https://www.oregonfoodbank.org/how-do-you-measure-a-year-what-about-love/ Women's Foundation of New York Into the Deep https://www.amazon.com/Bob-Ballard-Explorers-Robert-D/dp/1426220995

In this conversation, we discuss how one can find joy, love and abundance through acts of service. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that anyone can be great, because anyone can serve. The team shares how service can foster happiness. Also, intergenerational housing bringing together graduate students and senior citizens in a beautiful, sharing opportunity; the non-profit STOMP Out Bullying, created by Ross Ellis, celebrates its 15th anniversary of saving children who are being bullied; and REAL RESILIENCE. https://www.stompoutbullying.org/ https://wp.nyu.edu/nyuintergenhomeshare/our_team/ REAL RESILIENCE by Selwa Hamati: https://amzn.to/3vThykZ

In this episode of Joy, Love and Abundance we talk about the importance of mental health and share our personal experiences in this area. Also, we lift up the work of Dress for Success of Northern New Jersey and their focus on the AAPI community; the books Work Won't Love You Back by Susan Jaffe and Boy from Buchenwald by Robbie Weisman and Susan McClelland. Dress for Success - Northern New Jersey https://northernnj.dressforsuccess.org/ Work Won't Love You Back https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/work-wont-love-you-back/ Boy from Buchenwald https://amzn.to/3cjgPBW