Matt Ridley’s seminal book, The Rational Optimist, has inspired many since its publication in 2010 and greatly influenced the creation of The Optimism Institute. In this far-ranging discussion, Matt will describe an early education that he said was steeped in pessimism but how later in life he found that much of what he’d been taught was simply not true. This led him to set on a nearly evangelical quest to spread the word that interaction and trade between people and nations, including the free exchange of ideas, will continue to set us on an inexorable path towards increasing prosperity.

Fueled by the memory of her late father, who always asked simply for “a few kind words,” for his birthday or Christmas gift, life and wellness coach Tracey Gates set off on a mission. She decided to send a hand-written note of appreciation to one person, every day, for a year. 365 notes later, Tracey found that this practice left her feeling so much better about herself - and also had such a profound impact on so many of her recipients - that she decided to write about the experience in her new book, “The Power of a Few Kind Words.” In this Blue Sky conversation, Tracey explains how she did it, tells stories of the joy that her outreach created, and encourages us all to take time out, whenever the mood strikes, to offer someone else a few kind words.

Ritah Kabanyoro knows what it’s like to go to bed hungry. Growing up in a household of 20 people, she was used to receiving just one meal a day, until fainting spells alerted others to the malnutrition she was suffering. After being placed in a private school –and improving her diet, she thrived and today leads Uganda’s chapter of Action Against Hunger. Ritah’s home country is the largest recipient of refugees in all of Africa. They come primarily for Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and when they arrive in Uganda, they are welcomed with relief programs up to and including the gift of land and instruction of farming techniques. The Ugandan government, working with agencies like Ritah’s is striving to help these refugees become self-sufficient, contributing members of their society. Ritah Kabanyoro’s work is inspiring and her optimistic take on the future of her country is infectious.

Kevin Adler grew up with a beloved uncle, Mark, who never forgot to send him a Hallmark card on his birthday. Overtime, Kevin learned that his uncle was unhoused and suffering from schizophrenia. When Mark died at the age of 50, Kevin decided that working to solve the crisis of homelessness would be his life’s work. The experience of having a close relative in this predicament made him realize that “everybody is somebody’s somebody,” and deserving of our compassion. He founded Miracle Messages, a nonprofit working to tell the stories of individuals who are unhoused,in hopes of connecting and reuniting them with estranged friends and family. To date, they have facilitated more than 800 people and have created a phone buddy system where volunteers communicate weekly with their assigned partner, building relationships where none existed before. Kevin Adler tells this story in his new book, When We Walk By, and shares many of these stories on this episode, while also describing his optimistic views on how basic income and affordable housing programs.

Dr. Howard Koh’s story is inspiring. His immigrant parents raised him to be grateful for and contribute to their adopted country. And he has certainly made his contributions, serving first as a practicing oncologist, then moving into the field of public health. After treating too many patients who were dying from cancers caused by tobacco use, Howard Koh turned his attention to tobacco cessation, and his determined efforts there resulted in great success. After serving in Massachusetts state government, Dr. Koh was named as Assistant Secretary for Health for HHS in the Obama administration, and in that role found himself in the middle of that White House’s efforts to overhaul the US healthcare system, as well as other ambitious initiatives. Today, Howard teaches and researches at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and is turning much of his considerable talent, energy, and optimistic mindset towards impacting another vexing challenge in our society, homelessness. In this episode, he discusses this work, as well as his research and writing on the role of spirituality in our well-being and his passion for music and baseball.

Adam Mastroianni says he likes to “study how people perceive and misperceive their social worlds, from the person sitting across the table to the whole country buzzing around them.” In this Blue Sky conversation, Dr. Mastroianni describes research he and a colleague conducted that demonstrates that human beings falsely assume that the world used to be better, and that we continue to decline in terms of moral standards and civil behavior. This cognitive “bug” he has detected can lead us to develop a more pessimistic view of the world and also leaves us more susceptible to believe in the message of autocrats who promise to take us back to a time when the world –and people –were somehow better than they are today. Adam’s insights are fascinating, as are the techniques he uses in his research, and he explains his findings and observations with great wit and wisdom.

LaTosha Brown has been described by many as a “force of nature,” and from the first seconds of this Blue Sky episode, you will understand why. Raised in Selma, Alabama she grew up surrounded by family members who were at the center of the civil rights movement in the United States. Being close to grandparents who spent much of their adult lives unable to vote led her to appreciate this franchise and their example continues to inspire her “get out the vote” work today. LaTosha describes being raised by strong women and not experiencing overt sexism until she ran for office in Alabama, but instead of letting this get her down, she channeled these experiences into the creation of the Southern Black Girls & Women’s Consortium. LaTosha Brown also happens to be a talented singer and performer, and she shares this gift with us here as well.

Dr. Anita Nowak has made the study of empathy her life’s work and in this Blue Sky conversation she provides her definition of the term and gives numerous examples of the value of empathy in both our personal and work lives. As someone who teaches, consults, podcasts, and writes about this subject, Anita brings discusses empathy with persuasive passion and just might change the way you think about how you’d like to move through the world and what ripples you’d like to create as you go.She also makes the case that living with empathy will actually improve your own quality of life at the same time you’re improving the wellbeing of those around you.

Margo Walsh is an entrepreneur who created MaineWorks a certified B-Corp that helps people with substance use disorder and/or criminal records find employment in the construction sector. Her company finds and screens potential employees and through the non-profit she founded with her sister, sets them up for success by making sure that their basic needs for getting back to work are met (e.g., proper clothing, boots, transportation, etc.).

MaineWorks has expanded to other states in New England and provides a model for other companies in other parts of the country to emulate. Her work has been widely recognized and earned several awards and in this episode she’ll describe how she attended a State of the Union address as a senator’s guest!

Sean Legister was raised by a strong single mom who put a premium on his education and set him up for success. After completing his degree and playing two sports at a small liberal arts college, he entered the competitive world of Wall Street and continued to thrive.While building his own career, Sean consistently goes above and beyond to lift others up.In this episode, Sean describes that while he didn’t benefit from having a father in his life, between his mother and other mentors he’s actively sought out he continues to succeed, and his drive for continuous self-improvement led him to the creation of his popular “Monday Morning Lift” newsletter.

Today’s Blue Sky guest tells her story from the coast of Maine, but the work she’s doing was inspired by her upbringing in Pennsylvania and has ramifications for the future of coastal communities around the world. Briana Warner is the CEO of Atlantic Sea Farms and has dedicated her life to doing well by doing good. She is passionate about her adopted home state of Maine and working with partner farmers to help create a more resilient and thriving coast. She and her team have forged a new path for seaweed aquaculture in the US by working with fishermen to grow kelp as a climate change adaptation strategy—and building national demand for that kelp.

In this episode, Briana explains how her company developed a win-win business model with the lobster industry, why Kelp farming helps mitigate climate change, and the many health reasons to add kelp products to your diet.

The life of Jonathan Conyers is full of junctures where it appears he’s not going to make it. Both of his parents battled addiction to crack cocaine, yet somehow managed to instill in their son a desire to be educated and advance in the world. As he grows, Jonathan is surrounded by teachers and mentors who take special interest in him and encourage him to reach high, including “Dico,” his transgender debate coach, whose support ultimately alters the trajectory
of his life –and Jonathan changes Dico’s in return. In this Blue Sky conversation,Jonathan details some of the highlights of his remarkable memoir, his reasons for writing it, and what continues to motivate him today.

Dr. Robert Soiffer took an interest in medicine at an early age when he played a physician in his first-grade play. Today, he is a leading physician, researcher, and teacher at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a world leader in oncology. In this episode, Dr. Soiffer describes the incredible pace of change in the field of cancer research and treatment and the detection tools and cures that are right around the corner. He also reflects on how he maintains a positive and optimistic outlook despite the many times he’s forced to deliver terrible news to patients and families. While he tries hard not to bring these tough times home with him, he also stresses the importance of keeping his humanity and treating his patients and their families as people, not just statistics.

Following a challenging childhood and the tragic death of her father, Kathryn Goetzke decided that the best way to tackle depression and despair is to create reasons for hope. After studying the issue deeply with experts in psychology, she determined that hope was both teachable and measurable and has made it her life’s work to spread this message. In 2022, she published The Biggest Little Book About Hope, and continues to be a global mental health ambassador. Kathryn was recently appointed to represent the World Federation for Mental Health at the United Nations and in this Blue Sky episode she describes how she came to be so passionate about this work and why she remains so committed to the cause of spreading the good news about the powerful effects of maintaining a hopeful attitude.

Elizabeth Cousens grew up with an insatiable curiosity about world events. This early interest has led to a remarkable career of service, including significant roles with the United Nations, both in the New York headquarters and areas of armed conflict like Bosnia and Haiti. At the United Nations Foundation, she oversees the organization that was formed thanks to Ted Turner’s $1 billion contribution and that today works alongside the United Nations “to collaborate for lasting change and innovate to address humanity's greatest challenges.” In this episode, Elizabeth describes specific projects the UNF has taken on, from eradicating malaria to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and shares her view that while the next few years will be “decisive” in our fight against climate change, we have theanswers and know what is required to be successful.

Alan Patricof began his career in venture capital before the industry even had that name. Since 1969, he’s been seeking out and backing talented entrepreneurs with big ideas and earned his reputation as one of the all-time great investors. While he’s best known for early bets on such successful companies as Apple, Office Depot, Audible, Axios, and many more, he is also a successful investor in film and live theater productions, including Tony Award winners Leopoldstadt and Hamilton. In his 2022 memoir, “No Red Lights,” Alan explains how making the effort to meet new people, staying current on fresh ideas, and approaching the world with an optimistic and trusting frame of mind has led not only to his success but also to maintaining a youthful mind and healthy body. After starting his most recent investment firm at the age of 86, he now plans to live to the age of 114, and in this Blue Sky conversation, Alan Patricof explains the disciplined routines and habits he expects will get him there.

When Eddie Ndopu was two years old, his mother was told he wouldn’t likely live past five. Now in his early thirties, Eddie is an internationally-known and Oxford-educated advocate for the rights of the disabled. In this interview, he shares how his optimistic single mother instilled in Eddie a love of learning and encouraged him to pursue a “life of the mind.” Today, Eddie is world-renowned and was hand-selected by the UN Secretary General to be one of 17 people selected as an SDG Advocate. Reflecting on his new memoir, Eddie describes how he wrote his book, typing with his “one good finger on an iPhone,” and why he hopes this book will inspire others to be more understanding and supportive of people living with disabilities.

In this wide-ranging conversation, renowned author and professor Steven Pinker describes that while he resists being called an “optimist,” as the label doesn’t necessarily suit his temperament, his deep dives into historical data have convinced him that the world is indeed getting better and has been on a steady trajectory since the days of the Enlightenment, the subject of one of his many acclaimed books. Dr. Pinker also describes why he believes so many intellectuals resist acknowledging that the world is making progress; and adds, ironically, that self-described “progressives” often have the toughest time with this. He also shares his concerns about the policing of speech on college campuses –including Harvard –and the deleterious effects this has on students’ well being.

In this very special episode of Blue Sky, Steve D. tells the remarkable story of his struggle against his son’s severe addiction to alcohol. (Steve is not using his full name here to protect his son’s anonymity.) While living what he would describe as a near perfect life –great marriage with his high school sweetheart, dream job, five great children –Steve discovers that his youngest child is struggling with an addiction that has driven him to the point of attempting to take his own life. Almost overnight, Steve’s world is turned upside down as he and his wife try to face their new reality and save their son. With striking honesty, Steve describes his family’s heartbreaking and terrifying challenges, and why he left his WallStreet job to study addiction and make helping others in this predicament his life’s work. Looking back now, the optimist in Steve describes his son’s struggles as “a gift,” and you’ll understand why when you hear his story.

A content note: this episode includes discussion of severe addiction and suicide.

Vanessa Cooksey has held variety of roles at a wide range of organizations –from Cartoon Network to Wells Fargo -and she explains how these all have prepared her to take the helm of the Regional Arts Commission (RAC) of St. Louis. Vanessa describes in touching detail how a piece of art once literally helped save her life, and how she channels her appreciation for creativity into the work she does today to support the vibrant arts community in St. Louis. She began her work in the depths of the pandemic but has turned that challenge into an opportunity to re-think and re-building this dynamic grants-making organization.