Mastering the art of storytelling to drive change.
My Dad “Vogues!” So Do You (hopefully)
A Penalty Box for Human Beings
Debbie’s Life: A crushing loss has been a reminder that oldest friendships are eternal
Fear(-less): The lifelong process of becoming yourself
The bravest deception: A Jewish triumph to fuel the future
Ali, Rocky and Chuck: Underdog stories remind us that anything is possible
“Christmukkah”
How hugging your inner darkness can deliver the rest of you into the light
When life wakes you up to how much it really matters
Do you fit in? I don’t. The Stealthy Superpower of Being Different.
One student’s success story represents thousands: What’s possible when hard work meets opportunity and community
A Death To Remind Us
My QAnon Date
Real life superhero: How Jarrett Adams turned his wrongful conviction into an epic legal career
A quintessential example of politics as public service: The life of Adlai Stevenson III
The Immortality of Bravery: Holocaust survivor Fritzie Fritzshall’s life will echo into eternity
March Katz-ness: The Sleeper Cinderella Story of the NCAA Tournament
“Democracy is a Verb” – How the life of Abner Mikva changed (and is still changing) history
One good man
The $10 golf match with the Governor that delivered priceless advice
ThanksGambling: Memories of a father-son tradition
Teaching us: The wisdom of youth in the age of coronavirus
My conversation with Aristotle
Interview with Eddie Bocanegra, Gun Safety Leader and Senior Director at READI Chicago
The Uber-Chicagoan
The Cubs-themed floor mats — lined by blue track lights — are the first thing you notice inside Santiago’s Honda Odyssey. Next thing you see is the Chicago Bears flag proudly unfurled from the back of his seat.
Read MoreTransgender independence: A daughter’s journey and her father’s love
"Deep inside I’ve always been the same person. But my body - it was just different. And I wanted to make corrections. I wanted to change myself so I felt more comfortable. And I felt more comfortable in a woman’s body. And that’s who I truly was. I wanted to bring out my inside and reveal it on the outside.”
Read MoreFrom drug addiction to deacon: A story of love and salvation from the man who lived it
“I was saved, gave my life to God. Twenty-five years ago I asked God to deliver me from drugs and alcohol. Send me to a place where I can get help, from drugs and alcohol. And he sent me to a place, a rehabilitation house."
Read MoreThe great American story: Once a refugee, now a nominee
As a child, Safiya Wazir lived in Afghanistan under the threat of the Taliban, hiding from shootings and bombings. Today, 27-year-old Safiya is the Democratic nominee for state rep. in New Hampshire’s 8th Ward.
Read MoreSelf-made
The term “self-made” is a loaded term. What, exactly, did someone’s first station in life have to be in order to qualify as “self-made.” Some would say being born in this country is reason enough to exclude the term.
Read MoreMore than 12,000 Americans have taken different paths to serving in the U.S. Congress — here’s One.
We have had more than twelve thousand Americans serve in Congress since 1789, and so many of them, like Bean, never had a clue early on that they would wind up walking the halls of the U.S. Capitol.
Read MoreThe ageless lesson: Let yourself do good
Unbeknownst to Seth, I found his admission to be ironic because I’ve struggled with the very same doubts and questions far more than he, or for that matter many others in my life, will ever be aware...And the courage he exhibited in writing about it to a professor he hardly knew was a wholesale inspiration.
Read MoreA life spent leading by example
The professor shuffled into the classroom on the first day of his economics course looking the part: bespectacled, bearded, wearing a dark sports jacket with a button-down sneaking out of a crew neck sweater. But it didn’t take long to realize that Woods Bowman was anything but your typical professor.
Read MoreOnce imprisoned by a wrongful conviction, attorney Jarrett Adams now offers universal lessons
Jarrett had endured the ineffable horror of being wrongfully convicted for an assault crime he did not commit, and then served nine years in a federal penitentiary. Had it not been for his remarkable survival instinct to learn the law - in prison - and then participate in his own defense appeal, he would have lost many more years of his life to that phantom felony.
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