This is My Silver Lining

How do we teach students about civics and generate excitement around civic engagement in the 21st century?  Like our ever-evolving American experiment, we try new tools.  iCivics leverages a suite of interactive video games that put students at the center of the educational action. 

By the time Justice O’Connor retired from the Supreme Court, she had grown increasingly concerned about the lack of understanding, awareness, and appreciation of the basic tenets of democracy and civic engagement during her time on the Court.  In 2009, she founded iCivics and worked with a team of educators and engineers to reimagine and reinvigorate civics education through gaming.  iCivics has become the nation’s premier non-profit civic education provider of high-quality, non-partisan, engaging, and FREE resources to more than 9 million students annually in all 50 states. 

Today, we are honored to speak with Louise Dubé, the Executive Director of iCivics.  Louise was born and raised in Quebec, Canada.  After earning a law degree from McGill University in Montreal, she came to the US and earned an MBA from Yale.  She became a US citizen.  Working in the criminal justice system in New York in the 1990s, Louise co-founded CASES, a mentoring and skills program for young offenders that offered an alternative to incarceration.  This experience ignited in Louise a passion for the transformative power of education, particularly the use of rapidly evolving technology to deliver memorable content.  She and her team at iCivics are committed to activating our young citizens, preparing them to solve problems and engage in challenging but respectful debate in their communities.   

Episode Links and Resources:
iCivics
Louise Dube Bio
CivXNow Coalition
Civics Secures Democracy Act
A Supreme Court Pioneer, Now Making Her Mark on Video Games, New York Times, March 27, 2016
New Poll Shows Strong Support for Civic Education Across Party Lines, Cision PR Newswire, October 27, 2022

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© 2023 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

In this final installment of our series highlighting stories of the achievements and challenges faced by some of the most distinguished women judges in our history, we speak with former Chief Justice Peggy Quince of the Florida Supreme Court, who is featured in the ABA’s recently published Her Honor - Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges, edited by  Lauren Rikleen.

Raised by a single father in Virginia with her four siblings, Chief Justice Peggy Quince learned early on what it means to be treated unfairly.  In 1954, the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the policy of “separate but equal” justifying segregation in schools was unconstitutional in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education.  The decision had little practical or positive impact on the course of young Peggy’s education - many white schools actively resisted efforts to integrate, with some shuttering for years to avoid it.  Still she persevered. 

Justice Quince tells us about the profound influence her father, Solomon Quince, had on her education.  He was determined to afford his children the education he had been denied.  Peggy excelled at school and after graduating from Howard University, she was inspired by both the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement, to pursue a career in the law.  In 1993, she was appointed to the Second District Court of Appeal and then in 1999, she was appointed as the first African American woman to serve as a Justice on the Florida Supreme Court.  From 2008-2010, she served as Chief Justice.

Episode Resources:
Her Honor: Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges
Justice Peggy A. Quince Bio

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Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
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© 2023 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Nestled in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies in southern Alberta lies the small town of Pincher Creek.  With a population of just under 4,000, Pincher Creek has the distinction of being the “Wind Capital of Canada.”  It is perhaps better known as the birthplace and hometown of the Right Honorable Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, the longest serving Chief Justice of Canada’s Supreme Court.

Despite being told by her 8th grade teacher that her aptitude for reading wouldn’t do her much good as a girl, Chief Justice McLachlin went on to study philosophy and eventually law at the University of Alberta.  Upon graduating with high honors, she spent six years in private practice and then turned to academia, teaching at the University of British Columbia for seven years.  At age 37, she received her first judicial appointment to the Vancouver County Court.  Could she have imagined the significance of this life changing moment?  Over the next eight years, from 1981 to 1989, Justice McLachlin was on the rise!  She was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the British Columbia Court of Appeals, made Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, and in March 1989, she was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. Her highest honor came in the year 2000 when she was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, a role she held for 17 years, making her the longest serving Chief Justice in Canada’s history.    

Chief Justice McLachlin’s legacy cannot be adequately cataloged.  During her tenure on the Supreme Court, she authored over 400 majority opinions on the most consequential matters of legal interpretation under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including assistance in dying, the criminalization of prostitution, equality, free speech, and aboriginal rights.

Resources:
Truth Be Told: The Story of My Life and My Fight for Equality, Beverley McLachlin
Full Disclosure: A Novel, Beverley McLachlin
Her Honor: Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges
The Persons Case

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Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
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© 2023 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Last Friday, This is My Silver Lining lost a dear friend. 

Kevin Sousa lost his battle with skin cancer, which had suddenly and aggressively metastasized to his brain.  He passed away in his beloved Hermosa Beach, California, with his wife Patti by his side.  

Kevin was a kind soul with an unshakeable effervescence for life.  By day, he worked as a psychotherapist, counselor, and mentor, taking the hard-fought battles and lessons he learned from his own journey through substance addiction to help others.  Kevin served as the Program and Clinical Director for the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation. This non-profit organization is at the forefront of providing those suffering from mental and physical illness, injury, and disabilities with life-changing Ocean Therapy.  By night, Kevin delighted crowded audiences as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist in his eponymously named rock n roll band.  

When Kathleen and I first spoke to Kevin, we were intrigued to learn more about ocean therapy.  Thanks to his generosity of spirit and time, we came away from the conversation, having learned so much more.  

We send our deepest condolences to Kevin's wife Patti, his friends and colleagues at the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation, and all those who loved and admired him.  

You can find more information on Kevin's legacy and the incredible work of the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation in the show notes and on our website.

We hope you'll have a listen to this replay of TIMSL episode 2 as we remember Kevin.  Time is short; stop pining for the perfect wave, and enjoy the wave you're on. 

Episode Links and Resources:
Just the Man to See: Beloved musician and therapist Kevin Sousa touched thousands of South Bay lives before passing away last week, Ryan McDonald, Easy Rider, May 31, 2023
Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation
Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race
International Surf Therapy Foundation 
Watch:  Resurface
Listen: The Perfect Wave (original song by Kevin Sousa)
Read:  Blue Mind

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!
Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
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© 2023 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This episode contains content related to suicide that may be triggering to some listeners.  

May is Mental Health Awareness Month.  If you or someone you know is in distress, please dial 988 in the United States for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that provides 24/7 service to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.  Calls to 988 are toll-free.  

Kevin Kuczo was an all-American kid.  He played Lacrosse, worked hard at school, and volunteered with a local church youth group.  He was a great friend, teammate and student; he took great pride in his grades.  He was generous and kind; someone who would do anything to help others.  Kevin did his best to juggle the demands and pressures of high school - AP classes, fitting in, living life on social media.  Then in early 2020, like so many teens, Kevin struggled with the isolation and social dislocation wrought by the global pandemic.  He saw a therapist and a doctor prescribed antidepressants.  Kevin’s depression seemed to moderate, but tragically, in February of 2021, he took his own life.  He was 17.  

Confronted by the devastating loss of their son, Jim and Kristen Kuczo decided to honor Kevin by dedicating themselves to raising awareness about depression and other mental health issues that can lead to suicide.  They created Kevin’s Afterglow, a non-profit advocacy organization to build a lasting legacy for Kevin.  Through their work, they are doing their part to save lives, helping other families avoid the pain they have suffered.  Jim speaks with high school and middle school students, sports teams, teachers and parents about recognizing the early warning signs and asking the right questions.  Through his talks, he emphasizes the importance of kindness, asking for help, checking in, and taking care of one another.  

Resources

Kevin’s Afterglow

Kevin's Afterglow 2nd Annual Golf Classic

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

QPR Institute

The Will to Live Foundation

The Friendship Bench Project

Teen Suicides: What Are the Risk Factors?  Nadine Kaslow, PhD, Child Mind Institute, March 6, 2023

Teen Girls Report Record Levels of Sadness, C.D.C. Finds, Azeen Ghorayshi and Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times, February 13, 2023

U.S. Depression Rates Reach New Highs, Dan Witters, Gallup News, May 17, 2023

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Suicide Prevention Resources

Suicide in Children and Teens, The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

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Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

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© 2023 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

While we take a pause to record new content and to spend time with our families over spring break, we wanted to take this opportunity to replay a few episodes that our newer listeners may not have heard and that long-time TIMSL listeners have loved.  We hope you enjoy this fantastic 2-part conversation with Ned Johnson and Dr. William Stixrud, co-authors of parenting books The Self Driven Child and What Do You Say?  

Link to Orignal Episode Shownotes

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Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

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© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

While we take a pause to record new content and to spend time with our families over spring break, we wanted to take this opportunity to replay a few episodes that our newer listeners may not have heard and that long-time TIMSL listeners have loved.  We hope you enjoy this fantastic 2-part conversation with Ned Johnson and Dr. William Stixrud, co-authors of parenting books The Self Driven Child and What Do You Say?  

Link to Orignal Episode Shownotes

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Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome to Part 2 of our series highlighting stories of the achievements and challenges faced by some of the most distinguished women judges in our history.  We are honored to speak today with Professor Deborah Jones Merritt.  Debby believes that true progress only occurs in the presence of a great deal of optimism.  She witnessed such optimism in none other than Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg as their law clerk.  She speaks with us today about how the wisdom and unique perspectives of these remarkable women has shaped this nation’s history as well as her own philosophy and career path.    

In the earliest days of Debby’s legal career she had the enviable good fortune of clerking for both the then- Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg when she was somewhat unexpectedly appointed to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals and then for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in her first year on the United States Supreme Court.  

Indeed the lessons she learned from RBG and SOC built the framework for the rest of her career, much of which she has focused on teaching law students how to be good lawyers.  

Our episode last week featured Lauren Rikleen, the editor of the ABA’s recently published Her Honor:  Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges.  Debby authored the concluding essay in this compilation, which highlights the significant contributions of the honorable Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to justice and the rule of law.  

Resources
Her Honor:  Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges
Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World, Linda Hirshman
My Own Words, Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg – A Life, Jane Sherron De Hart
RBG Dissents: Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Most Striking Dissents on Women's Rights, Civil Rights, Voting Rights, & More
Conversations with RBG – Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty and Law, Jeffrey Rosen

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© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.”  Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  

Welcome to Part One of our series celebrating some of the most influential women who have—sometimes against all odds— earned their position in some of the most important places where decisions are made:  on the bench of some of the highest courts in our country.   

Our inspiration for this series and our guest today on This is My Silver Lining is Lauren Rikleen.  Lauren recently served as the Editor of Her Honor: Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women on the Bench. Published by the American Bar Association, Her Honor is a collection of compelling personal narratives of the most revered judges in the United States (and one judge from Canada!).  The book provides an amazingly unique and deeply instructive glimpse into our justice system.  

Lauren is the founder and president of the Rikleen Institute for Strategic Leadership and the interim Executive Director of the non-partisan Lawyers Defending American Democracy.  She is also a 2017 American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award recipient.  

Lauren is a nationally recognized expert on developing a thriving, diverse and multi-generational workforce. Through her speaking, training, consulting, and writing, Lauren addresses such topics as strengthening multi-generational teams, women’s leadership and advancement, and implementing strategies to minimize the impact of unconscious bias.  

Episode Links and Resources:
Her Honor: Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges
Rikleen Institute for Strategic Leadership
About the ABA’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award 

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Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
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© 2022 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Amy Impellizzeri was a highly successful litigator in New York City for over ten years at one of the largest law firms in the world.  Working around the clock, with three young kids at home, and a husband in medical school, Amy was stretched pretty thin.  She started to wonder whether she was living her most authentic life. In 2008, the Great Recession afforded her an unexpected sabbatical and an opportunity to rediscover her love of creative writing.  She started with an essay and just kept writing.  After a year, Amy wasn’t ready to go back; she wasn’t convinced she ever would be and negotiated a three-year unpaid leave of absence.  She never went back.  As the primary breadwinner for her family, her decision was a risky one with big financial consequences. Amy was undeterred.  Ultimately, her family made the difficult decision to move out of New York City, back to rural Pennsylvania.  

That was 15 years ago.  This week, Amy’s seventh novel, Barr None, will hit the shelves.  Starting with Lemongrass Hope in 2014, her works of fiction are infused with mystery, fantasy, romance, and even time travel.  We couldn’t help but notice that the main character in her most recent book, In Her Defense, is a former lawyer-turned-podcaster named Ingrid!  Amy has also authored/co-authored two non-fiction books, including How to Leave the Law, with co-author Liz Brown, who we interviewed for Episode 16 of This is My Silver Lining.

Amy’s successful career transition prepared her for other life changes.  In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her husband made the difficult decision to get divorced after being married for 24 years.  She likes to say that she is on the “healing side” of that experience now, where she is able to look back and recognize that although it was difficult, it was the right decision for her and her family.  In its own way, leaving the law a decade earlier prepared her for the sense of lost identity and grief that came with divorce.  

With the benefit of hindsight, Amy would not necessarily have designed so many significant life transitions for herself in a concentrated period of time, but she knows they happened as they needed to and that each challenge prepared her for the next.  Her best advice:  “say it out loud!”  Give voice to your dreams; you never know who is listening!  

Episode Links and Resources:
Amy Impellizzeri
Barr None
In Her Defense
Lemongrass Hope

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Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

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© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.