The Quiet After the Storm

In that strange stillness between chaos and clarity, between what was and what’s coming, we’re telling ourselves stories that don’t quite match what’s actually unfolding. Continue reading The Quiet After the Storm

Retiring To Something (Not From Something)

For most of my life, I’ve been wired to build, lead, and plan. Retirement felt like stepping out of a story I’ve been writing for decades — an ending, a withdrawal. But lately I’ve realized: you don’t retire from something. You retire to something. Continue reading Retiring To Something (Not From Something)

Drifting Toward Home (and What Comes Next)

It’s been a quiet week or so here on Better Places. After many weeks of posting twice a week, I’ve … Continue reading Drifting Toward Home (and What Comes Next)

The Magic Mirror and the Lost Humanities

“The question isn’t, ‘Is the mirror alive?’ The real question is, ‘Are we?’ If we lose touch with our own humanity, the AI mirror will reflect only our shallowness. Reclaim the humanities. Read deeply. Be your own mirror.” Continue reading The Magic Mirror and the Lost Humanities

Feed First: The Gardens We Grow—or the Deserts We Create

We live in either the abundant gardens we cultivate—or the deserts we create.

Fear, greed, and dehumanization make deserts.
Love, compassion, and courage grow gardens.

There is no neutral ground. We are either feeding life or starving it. Continue reading Feed First: The Gardens We Grow—or the Deserts We Create

Why Authenticity Matters in the Age of AI

We’re all writing the future of work—whether we mean to or not. Let’s write one where people belong. Let’s write one where joy is not an accident but a strategy. Let’s deliver happiness—not just as a brand promise, but as a collective practice. Continue reading Why Authenticity Matters in the Age of AI

Taming the Jackal: Why Language Matters More Than Ever

I’ve tried hard not to mention active political figures on this blog. I do that intentionally—not because I don’t have opinions, but because I don’t want to lose readers to the haze of partisan vitriol. Political passion, as we see it now, is often short-sighted and misdirected. It burns hot, fizzles fast, and rarely invites the kind of careful thought that builds understanding or trust.

But this week, I’m making an exception. Continue reading Taming the Jackal: Why Language Matters More Than Ever

Welcome to the Inspiration Economy

Yet—just as in 1995—I also feel a flicker of frustration. So much power, and yet so few ideas come to mind for how to wield it. Innovation still begins with inspiration. Continue reading Welcome to the Inspiration Economy

The Path Forward: Lessons in Leadership from Two Tragedies

“We are still shocked by what has happened, but we will never give up our values. Our response is more democracy, more openness, and more humanity… We will answer hatred with love.” Continue reading The Path Forward: Lessons in Leadership from Two Tragedies

What Denmark Can Teach Us About Happiness, Humility, and a Better America

Despite having some of the highest taxes in the world, Denmark consistently tops the World Happiness Report. Danes pay up to half of their income in taxes, then face a 25% value-added tax on most goods, and up to a 150% tax on new cars. Yet somehow, they—and their Nordic neighbors—consistently rank among the happiest populations on Earth.

So what gives? What do they know that we don’t? Continue reading What Denmark Can Teach Us About Happiness, Humility, and a Better America