If you know of any local families or organizations that are especially in need at this time, please give me a call or reply to this email. I will do my best to spread the word!

In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, we’ve put together some links you can use to help with ideas to celebrate the women in your life!

First up, Carly Pizzani shares insightful reflections and practical gestures that transcend International Women’s Day, reminding us that celebrating the influential women around us is a year-round endeavor filled with love, support, and empowering connections. More: https://tinyurl.com/uplift03241

Discover how International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world, from Italy’s mimosa flowers to Argentina’s evolving protests, and gain a deeper understanding of how this day unites people worldwide in the pursuit of gender equality. More: https://tinyurl.com/uplift03242

Find out how you can take International Women’s Day to work, celebrating women and building equality and inclusivity in the workplace. More: https://tinyurl.com/uplift03243

And lastly, visit the official International Women’s Day website to search for celebratory events happening this year, or promote your own! More: https://tinyurl.com/uplift03244

Vive la repair. France, a country renowned for its haute couture, is combating the environmental havoc wrought by fast fashion. The French government has initiated a groundbreaking fund to finance clothing repairs through taxes on fashion industry giants. From shoe resoling to garment fixes, citizens receive subsidies of six to 25 euros, helping to tackle the escalating waste crisis by extending clothing life cycles. An admirable eco-friendly approach from the country that truly defined high fashion. More: https://tinyurl.com/uplift0324c

Fitness through kindness. Eddie Jones, a seasoned health expert, ditches simple diets and exercise routines, instead introducing an innovative approach in his 12-week program, “The Kindness Revolution.” Participants engage in daily acts of kindness as a cornerstone of all-round lasting health improvements. Jones emphasizes self-compassion, guiding program participants through manageable habits applicable year-round. Through the program, he’s helped many people to achieve goals that redefine well-being. More: https://tinyurl.com/uplift0324b

Mary Anning’s fossil-hunting journey began at an early age. She would join her father, a carpenter by trade, to help supplement his income by finding fossils on the local beaches and selling them. At just 12 years old, she made her first significant discovery: the skeleton of an ichthyosaur, a marine reptile that existed around 200 million years ago. This find sent the scientific community of the day into a frenzy, as it appeared to be older than the Bible’s creation story and thus caused scientists to reevaluate their entire understanding of the Earth’s history, the concept of extinction, and ideas of deep time.

Anning continued to unearth numerous fossils, including the first complete plesiosaurus and pterosaur specimens found in England. In a male-dominated field, she faced considerable challenges in gaining recognition, with many scientific papers barely mentioning her at all. And despite some leading scientists of the time recognizing her as the foremost expert on paleontology, she was not allowed to join the men-only Geological Society of London.

Despite all this, her work laid the foundation for what we now know today. Her meticulous documentation of her fossil finds provided valuable insights into the anatomy and behavior of ancient creatures and paved the way for Charles Darwin’s eventual discovery of evolution.

In recent years, efforts have been made to celebrate Mary Anning’s contributions fully. Plaques, statues, and educational programs honor her memory, while London’s prestigious Natural History Museum describes her as the greatest ever fossil hunter. Mary Anning’s story stands as a testament to the resilience and brilliance of women who defy societal oppression to pursue discovery and knowledge.

Sixty-one businesses of all kinds participated, including eating establishments, online stores, companies in the finance industries, and others. Of that number, 56 committed to permanently adopting the four-day workweek after the trial, having reported increased productivity, fewer days taken off sick, and even higher revenue earned for their employers, all stemming from generally heightened employee happiness.

The research uncovered several key benefits, with 71 percent of employees experiencing lower burnout levels and 39 percent reporting reduced stress. The extra day off also allowed them to remove some of the outside worries that they sometimes took to work, affecting their jobs. Sixty percent of employees said they found it easier to balance work with their essential caregiving responsibilities, and 62 percent enjoyed having more opportunity to integrate work with their personal lives.

Further significant impacts included a 57 percent decrease in staff turnover compared to the previous year and a 65 percent drop in days employees were off sick. And contrary to concerns about profitability, the organizations involved reported an average revenue increase of 35 percent when compared to similar periods in previous years.

Researchers at the university were keen to stress that, as this study has shown, the four-day workweek is on the brink of transforming from a dream into a tangible effective policy with multiple benefits and proven results. With similar trials showing the same kind of encouraging results worldwide, the four-day workweek is gaining momentum, moving closer to becoming a mainstream practice.