5 Things / Good intentions
I got yelled at this week. I was volunteering, trying to help someone, and I made a mistaken assumption about what they actually needed. My good intentions could have caused more harm.
But they yelled at me, and I received it as a gift.
It meant they felt comfortable enough to redirect me. That takes something. And because they spoke up, I now know better. I'm building quite the list of ways I now know better. #lifelessons.
This happens at work (and with family) all the time. We swoop in with help no one asked for. We solve the wrong problem beautifully. We mean well yet we miss the mark.
Heart in the right place isn't always enough. That's exactly why I keep coming back to the ARC Method®: Ask first. Then respect what you actually hear. Then connect that to action.
It's deceptively simple. But skipping the Ask is how good intentions go wrong.
Have you ever been in a situation where your good intentions could have actually caused more harm?
I’m cheering you on-
Bernadette
This Week's Good Vibes:
Minecraft Is Fighting US Censorship Now
Reporters Without Borders added a US room to its Uncensored Library inside Minecraft, a virtual space previously reserved for documenting press suppression in countries like Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. The addition signals that threats to independent journalism aren't exclusive to autocracies. The US room documents journalist arrests, government data scrubbed from public websites, critical media outlets excluded from press conferences, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoon the Washington Post declined to publish. ♐️ Notice where information is quietly disappearing around you, and seek out independent journalism that centers the communities most impacted by these gaps.
London-based nonprofit Playrise developed modular, packable playground equipment designed specifically for children living in refugee camps and disaster zones. Created in collaboration with Palestinian, Sudanese, and Eritrean child refugees through co-design workshops, the timber structures are simple enough for children to help assemble, customizable with hammocks, climbing ropes, and basketball hoops, and are safe for desert climates and varied terrain. ♐️ Playrise's co-design process centers the voices of displaced children rather than imposing a Western framework, making this both a humanitarian and an equity story.
In May, Captain Chresten Wilson will become the first woman to hold the title of most senior pilot at United Airlines, after a 41-year career with the airline and 33 years as a captain. Aviation remains a heavily male-dominated field, making this milestone both historic and overdue. ♐️ Representation at the top matters. When people see someone who looks like them holding the highest title in the room, it reshapes what's considered possible.
Theme parks, but make them accessible
A $320 million development in Olathe, Kansas centers disability access with Michael’s WonderWorld, a fully inclusive amusement park designed so wheelchair users can stay in their chairs on rides. Plans include a 7,000-seat accessible arena with two ice rinks, an accommodations-ready hotel, and a one-stop care collective for services and equipment. ♐️Fun, healthcare, and community are too often separated by barriers. This builds access into the whole ecosystem.
Peru Just Standardized Inclusion
Peru became the first government to formally adopt ISO 30415, the international diversity and inclusion management standard, in Spanish, publishing it as NTP-ISO 30415:2026. The original standard existed only in English and French, creating a structural barrier for the 500-plus million Spanish speakers across Latin America and beyond. ISO 30415 integrates inclusion across governance, organizational culture, the full employee lifecycle, supply chains, and external stakeholders. ♐️Language access is an inclusion issue. When global standards only exist in English and French, entire regions are structurally excluded from the tools designed to help them.
Good Vibes to Go:
Watch Taylor Tomlinson’s standup special Prodigal Daughter on Netflix! I love it when comics make me laugh while they make me think.