I Wish You Well, Omar

A few days ago, I had a Zoom meeting with Omar, my nephew by marriage.  It’s been a while since I last mentioned that I married an Egyptian woman—a truly beautiful person named Azza—a little more than twelve years ago, back when I was living in Cairo, Egypt, and teaching at the American University in … More I Wish You Well, Omar

The role of Culture in organisations to perpetuate discriminatory practices

Watching the news in the UK, it seems as though many organisations, particularly in the public and third sector are riddled with racism, sexism, homophobia and examples of bullying and harassment to such a degree that its embedded in the culture of these organisations.  It does make me wonder just how widespread institutional discrimination might … More The role of Culture in organisations to perpetuate discriminatory practices

Sharing is Caring

Dear, Readers, I’m speaking for all Wise & Shine writers when I say that we so appreciate your continued support of this blog.  To show how thankful we are, we want to ask you to share a link to your blog or site in the “thoughts” or comments section at the bottom of this page.  … More Sharing is Caring

It’s Been Pouring

Most of us are familiar with the old saying, “When it rains, it pours.”  I’ve been thinking a lot about that adage recently because there’s been quite a lot of pouring rain in my life over the past few months. A few weeks ago, I wrote about needing to take a leave of absence from … More It’s Been Pouring

Evening Routine

Hello! We talk about morning routines a lot, as I did here some weeks ago. But we often overlook evening routines, which are also very important. What do we do in the evenings? Let’s say you come from work and what do you do? Personally, I come home, play with my cat, eat dinner or … More Evening Routine

Finding Your Tribe

How do you think of your teammates, coworkers, or those close to you? Do you see them as a few welcome acquaintances that you meet with a few times per week? Or are they something more, a necessary support group you can’t live without? In many areas of our lives, we may hear a term, … More Finding Your Tribe

An Explanation

Dear Wise & Shine Readers: As some of you might have noticed, I’ve been mostly away from the site in recent weeks.  I’m writing to let you know that I’ll be taking a leave of absence from the blog.  I’m suffering from extreme burnout.  Additionally, I was recently diagnosed with an incurable degenerative condition.  I … More An Explanation

Question of the Day (Inspired by the Red-headed Stranger)

I’m currently reading The Tao of Willie:  A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart, with “Willie” being the great Willie Nelson, musician and songwriter extraordinaire. As you might guess from the title, the book, coauthored by Nelson and Turk Pipkin, elucidates the singer’s philosophy of life, which was strongly influenced by Buddhist and Taoist … More Question of the Day (Inspired by the Red-headed Stranger)

New Podcast:  What Can the World Learn from Africa?

In the latest installment of the Wise & Shine podcast, I talk with Billy Osogo—one of our writers and a brilliant young man who lives in Nairobi, Kenya—about what the world can learn from Africa.  In Billy’s very insightful response, he tells me about “Ubuntu” and a variety of other subjects.  Have a listen and … More New Podcast:  What Can the World Learn from Africa?