"Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living." - Albert Einstein

Although the desire for social acceptance is a basic human need, some people prefer to find community with those who look like them or think like them. However, some intrepid souls are so comfortable in their own skin, they build community where ever they are. They find their joy in the faces of everyone they meet --- especially among the quirky, the misfits, and society's most vulnerable. For them, the drive for social acceptance is an opportunity to connect to the wellspring of humanity from all walks of life. Meet Sonia Jacobson: entrepreneur, community activist, and storyteller.

What if you woke up one day, and they told you were going to lose your leg? What if you were 15? What if you were a rising track and field star? What if you were Alyssa Exposito? Resilience is more than just our ability to bounce back in the face of life's challenges. It is about the ability to endure and carry on in the face of adversity.

These days it seems everywhere you look, people are talking about happiness--what it is or isn’t. Meet Rochelle Gapere, "the happiness coach". She has a lot to say about how we make ourselves happy, and why it matters.  I hope you feel just a little of her joy and discover how to activate your happiness.

This podcast is about strong women whose daily efforts to make themselves seen and heard often find themselves outside of the norms of their communities. I’m not sure that in their own minds they considered the notion of being bad ass. A close look at these women reveals a couple of things that they all hold in common: they are courageous and driven in a pursuit for excellence. That energy is not simply for their own personal gain. It is also about standing up for what they believe to be right and true and good to live a life a purpose and meaning. They live according to their own core values, rather than those imposed by others.  And so when we hear the names of the famous whether it be historically noted like a Toni Morrison or from our own familial stories, we revere these women--for their choices. And, we are grateful because we stand on their shoulders, their aspirations, their journeys to achieve success-- often in the face of deeply rooted biases and barriers which makes their determination  to want more, to be more for themselves and for others not just impressive -- it is frankly BadAss.