5 Things / Awkward
I remember the moment I broke my own rule.
Years ago, while running my LGBTQ+ wedding planning business, I was on a discovery call with a bride. At that point, I’d already trained thousands of experts on how to stop making assumptions about gender. I was a pro.
But then as we were scheduling a longer follow-up with both partners, I asked: “Will that time work for her?”
Silence. Then: “Actually, my fiancé is a man.”
Ouch. I’d fallen into the very trap that I taught others to avoid. I assumed that because she was calling me, I already knew the story. I apologized, then burned that stinging memory into my brain.
This is a small example, but for leaders, “ouch” moments are the price of admission. Yet so many are terrified of cancel culture that we often choose silence over connection. We stay cautious instead of curious.
But if we don’t risk the awkwardness, we don’t get the wisdom. What matters isn’t being perfect…it’s how you recover. When we own it, we’re building trust.
Where have you found wisdom in a moment of total embarrassment lately?
I believe in a world where we can talk about this stuff…if you're FOR that, too, you can support the mission here.
This Week's Good Vibes:
Miis finally match real people
Nintendo’s new Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream game lets players create Miis as male, female, nonbinary, or mixed identity options, with dating options that include same-gender, asexual, and aromantic. That is a major shift from earlier versions that excluded LGBTQ+ relationships. Exclusion in mainstream games teaches people who belongs and who doesn’t. ♐️ Audit your forms, profiles, and product settings so people can describe themselves accurately.
Bad Bunny breaks grammy ceiling
Bad Bunny became the first Latin artist to win Album of the Year in the Grammys’ 68-year history. A Spanish-language project taking the top category marks a huge shift in an institution long centered on English-language norms. This is notable especially when native Spanish-speakers (and so many others) are under attack in the US. A win this visible can widen what executives view as “marketable,” which changes who gets greenlit next. ♐️ Track firsts, then ask what structural changes make them repeatable.
Knitting turns into collective power
The Needle and Skein knitting shop in Minnesota developed a knitting pattern protesting ICE which sold at an extraordinary scale through international craft networks, with 100k+ sales of a $5 pattern. This movement generated more than $600k for immigrant support groups, drawing inspiration from the red hats worn during World War II as signs of resistance. This offers a safer form of protest for people who cannot join street actions. ♐️ Pair creative work with direct redistribution to directly impact marginalized communities.
Happy trees, public media relief
Three Bob Ross paintings recently sold for about $1.27 million, with net proceeds supporting PBS public television after major federal funding cuts. Sale prices included roughly $787,900, $279,900, and $203,700, all above expectations. Public media is free, and provides access to educational programming, which may especially benefit rural communities and lower-income households. ♐️Treat public information systems as essential services, not optional extras.
Olympics coverage gets more accessible
For these Winter Olympic games, on all platforms, NBCUniversal implemented closed captioning for all broadcast events and expanded audio description services for people who are blind or have low vision. Enhancements include high-quality stereo sound for descriptions, and comprehensive support for screen readers and keyboard-only navigation. On-screen text will now be available for both live events and full-event replays. These technical improvements address the systemic barriers that have historically excluded ¼ of adults with a disability from full cultural participation. Building accessibility into core production improves usability for many audiences, including multilingual viewers and even people in noisy environments. ♐️ Build captions and audio description into the project at kickoff, not after launch.
Good Vibes to Go:
If you haven’t yet watched Schitt’s Creek on Netflix, now is a great time to settle in and laugh and laugh and laugh. RIP Catherine O’Hara.