When I was a little kid, my dad wouldn’t let me have a lemonade stand because he thought neighbors would think we needed money. I was raised to be independent, not ask for help, and not talk about personal problems. Can you relate?

As a very slow (business-wise) Pride month approaches, despair and tears arrived on Tuesday. I even teared up a little in front of a client. It was a moment in which my authenticity risked being embarrassing, but ended up being connective. Have you ever had that experience?

It’s a long weekend in the U.S., and I don’t have a show on Monday. In the spirit of reflection, I decided to feed ChatGPT my 5 Things content over the past 5 years and tell me the top themes.

This week, I facilitated a “Rock Paper Scissors” (RPS) tournament. It’s a high-energy, super fun, large group activity, where, at the end, two people are competing in RPS while the group loudly cheers them on. The whole thing takes just a few minutes, but the energy it creates is electric.

The world has a new pope, Leo XIV, born here in Chicago. My partner was one of the many eagerly awaiting the announcement. No, she didn’t grow up Catholic like me; she was anxious because she’s deeply aware of his global influence. Was he going to be progressive or regressive? What would he say about LGBTQ+ people like us?