5 Things / Pickleball Burnout

This winter, I stopped playing pickleball.

I mean, I was still on the court. But somewhere along the way I stopped playing and started competing. I got focused on the outcome, the ranking, the score. The fun left quietly, and left only pressure.

I had pickleball burnout. In a hobby. I know. I moved slow, slid down the rankings in my queer ladder league, but couldn't figure out why.

The mojo came back when I recommitted to playing for joy’s sake above all else: the ladder ranking, the cardio, and certainly the networking!

Leaders do this to themselves and their teams all the time. The development gets replaced by the outcome. Any fun leaves quietly, and nobody names it.

Are you still playing? Or are you just competing?

I’m cheering you on-

Bernadette

This Week's Good Vibes:

Gaming careers open to autistic talent

A new postsecondary program through Exceptional Minds is preparing students with autism for careers in the video game industry through hands-on training in coding, game design, testing, and digital art, paired with industry mentorship and workplace readiness skills. The program is designed to align with real studio workflows, not classroom theory. Autistic people are often excluded from tech pipelines despite strong skill alignment. This builds a direct bridge to employment in a high-growth field. ♐️ Build training programs that connect directly to real jobs and employers.

Baylor opens doors to inclusion

Baylor University will allow LGBTQ+ Christian speakers on campus for the first time, a huge shift at one of the largest Baptist institutions in the US. The decision expands who is permitted to speak in official campus spaces, where voices have historically been limited by doctrine. Expanding access to LGBTQ+ voices signals a shift from exclusion toward dialogue and representation. ♐️ Create space for voices that have been historically excluded, especially in institutional settings.

Artists reclaim power on Spotify

When Taylor Swift signed with Universal Music Group in 2018, she demanded one non-negotiable condition: any proceeds from UMG's sale of its Spotify shares must go to artists on a non-recoupable basis. This means artists get paid regardless of what they owe the label. As UMG prepares to sell roughly half its Spotify stake, that clause is triggering real payouts to artists. ♐️ Identify the one term in any agreement that protects people with the least leverage and make it non-negotiable.

Voting starts before release now

Maryland passed HB 115, requiring voter registration to be integrated into the reentry process for people leaving incarceration. This means individuals will be given the opportunity to register before returning to their communities. People impacted by incarceration face systemic barriers to civic participation. Embedding registration into reentry restores access to voting as a standard part of reintegration, not an extra step. ♐️ Build civic access into systems people already move through.

Blood donation rules finally expand

New Zealand updated its blood donation rules by moving away from blanket bans that specifically restricted gay and bisexual men, who were historically required to abstain from sex for extended periods or were excluded entirely regardless of actual risk. The new policy uses individual, behavior-based screening instead of identity-based rules, allowing more people to donate safely. This shift recognizes science, not identity, and expands access to donation. ♐️ Replace identity-based exclusions with evidence-based screening that reflects real risk.

Good Vibe to Go:

Another standup special I recently enjoyed is Ian Karmel’s debut Comfort Beyond God's Foresight, available for free on YouTube.