Tag: health
-
The Most Important Thing to Carry: Wisdom in Chaos
Reflects on 30 years of international civil service – the most important thing carried isn’t in any bag, but wisdom from grandfather, multicultural heritage, and daily practice.
-
What I’m Really Curious About After 30 Years of International Work
Don’t wait until you’re shaking in a conference room to realize that taking care of yourself isn’t selfish—it’s essential for doing the work that matters.
-
10 Certainties from 15 Years in Global Development
This is a reflection on hard-won truths from island life and global health work.
-
How I Create Comfort in a Life of Constant Change
The Quiet Power of a Portable Sanctuary It was just past 5:00 in the morning in a dim, overheated hotel room in Antananarivo, two decades ago. The air conditioner had stopped working during the night. I lay half-awake. I was mentally rehearsing. This meeting was likely to be one of the most politically sensitive of…
-
Reflect on: What is the Oldest Thing You Are Wearing Today?
my Kyokushin Karate belt. Frayed at the edges from years of training, travel, and introspection, it is more than just a piece. It is more than just a piece of cloth. It holds stories of my journey. It symbolizes experiences far beyond its simple appearance. It’s become a physical chronicle of my path
-
Mastering Leadership: Knowing When to Lead and When to Follow
For over fifteen years of work across three continents, a question has plagued me. It resurfaced recently. Am I truly a leader, or am I a follower? Through spectacular failures and occasional wins, I’ve discovered the answer hides in the messy middle.
-
Top 5 Tropical Fruits for Energy and Health
Growing up surrounded by fruit-bearing trees shaped my understanding of nutrition in ways I only fully appreciated later in life. On our island, we didn’t “add fruits” to our diet—they were our diet.
-
Transforming Community Engagement Through Learning
Working with communities affected by poverty and HIV changed everything I thought I knew about making a difference. Ten years in the field taught me an important lesson. Clipboards and curricula don’t build communities. Shared vulnerability and mutual learning do.
-
The Power of Lifelong Learning
Upon first reading Peter Drucker’s writings about continuous education, I was deeply moved by his commitment. His dedication to learning a new subject every few years resonated with me. It resonated deeply within me.
-
Work as Redemption: Insights from Les Misérables
Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables” offers one of literature’s most in-depth studies on how work provides more than just subsistence. Work can be a pathway to redemption and a means to discover identity and service. This is shown through the transformation of its hero, Jean Valjean. His journey and transformation from convict to benefactor highlight the…