Wow! Well, as the old wives used to say, "wonders never cease," The Day paper wants to hear from conservatives "Are you conservative? Don't trust the news? Share your views with The Day."

Really? Seriously? At least some of us can trot out the occasional letter, God forbid you anger liberals in the online comments section just by being factual you are banned.Mentioning someone's thought process as idiocy?That is a no-no.

Some folks (OK, liberals) just do not like their thoughts being labeled as idiocy. We conservatives have been called worse in the comments section, especially if you are a supporter of former President Trump "whoa Nelly!"

This invitation by The Day is interesting to say the least as we fair-election folk, still reeling from defeat in a specious2021 election win by President Joe Biden who granted only limited media access. Wewitnessed a biased press corpsdisplay the worst behavior toward a sitting president in our history, even as that press corps wasgranted unlimited access.

That said, we still believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. The role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals and emphasize empowerment of the individual to solve problems.

Malcolm Jules

Ledyard

Editor's note: You can respond to our poll seeking conservative input by visiting theday.com.

Read the rest here:

Press was unfair to Trump conservatives. Now Day wants their views? - theday.com

In their website, it was with this quote from Australian novelist Tim Winton that the scholars of HopeLab@DLSU introduced their work:

There is an assumption that hope is a feeling, but I see it as a discipline... If there is anything in this world that you love, hope is required... To change the conditions that youre faced with... so that hope is plausible, that is your responsibility... even if you are not feeling emotionally hopeful...

The passage encompasses the unique task that the researchers set up for themselves: to inquire into hope as a measurable construct that can be elicited for the purpose of promoting overall psychological well-being, including academic functioning, achievement, etc.

Hope and Well-being

HopeLab researchers position hope as a character strength and a resiliency factor. They have aligned their hope-focused research goals with the UNDPs Sustainable Development Goal of health and well-being for all. This provides greater impetus to focus on preventive and positive psychological approaches to address questions on mental health.

Looking into the consequences of hope on well-being and other positive outcomes has led to collaborations with social scientists from various local and international organizations. Recently, it was with Pampanga-based non- government organization Liferisks, which needed help on developing a free online mental health assessment website that will be used to screen Filipinos who might be at risk for psychological disorders. Liferisks tapped University Fellow and HopeLab Director Dr. Allan B.I. Bernardo who is doing pioneering work on locus-of-hope or hope-related thoughts. Out of an existing set of tests that measures hope as a trait-like concept, Bernardo developed for Liferisks a short state version of the scale or temporal version in English and Filipino. This is supposed to make it easy for Liferisks to administer the test online, while aiming to still have good psychometric properties.

Lasting 10-15 minutes, the test contains a set of questions that will assess sleep quality, well-being, social support, social media use, and anxieties and hopes while being quarantined at home.

There is also a designated questionnaire for frontliners and other medical workers that seeks to keep in mind possible post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in light of their work in the field.

In a similar project, Bernardo is collaborating with The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangdong, China, which is also studying the role of locus-of-hope in the well-being of medical health workers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Locus-of-Hope

Bernardos locus-of-hope model extends the Hope Theory of Charles R. Snyder (1994), and takes into account more culturally diverse constructions of agency in hopeful thinking.

The model assumes that hope involves positive thoughts related to ones ability, determination, and strategies in achieving important life goals. It also assumes that agency in goal pursuit involves both internal or personal agency, as well as external or shared agency with ones family, peers, and spiritual or supernatural forces.

As such, the locus-of-hope model defines four dimensions of hope: internal, external- family, external-peer, and external-spiritual loci-of-hope. These are all typically measured using the 40-item scale.

Research on locus-of-hope has revealed positive outcomes of internal and external locus-of-hope dimensions in students, young adolescents, women victims of intimate partner violence, migrant workers, low-skilled workers among other populations in various Asian and North American samples.

Culturally appropriate assessments and interventions

The locus-of-hope model and other research projects by HopeLab scientists have led to culturally appropriate psychological assessments and interventions that have proven especially useful to Filipinos.

These include the translation of depression, anxiety, and stress scales into Filipino, Cebuano, Ilocano, Kapampangan, and Ilonggo (funded by NAST/DOST) and developing hope-building efforts based on locus-of-hope theory that aim to provide low intensity psychological interventions for the mental well-being of local senior high school and university students and teachers.

Future phases of such projects may include mobile phone apps and Internet-based versions to widen their reach.

Far-reaching implications

As part of their objective to contextualize positive psychological concepts and interventions in the Philippine and Asian setting, HopeLab has produced numerous publications about the well-being of Filipino students, OFWs, and low-skilled Filipino workers. It also has research projects involving participants from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau, and China.

The extensive output of HopeLab members now range from studies on the well-being of migrant workers to effects of financial stress on students to surveys of character strengths of Filipinos to locus-of-hope among victims of domestic violence.

The implications are far-reaching and not only for the academic pursuit of understanding the cultural dimensions of psychological strengths, or an individuals psychological well-being. Research has unleashed the power of hope as a catalyst, a tool to change lives, by showing a scientific means toward achieving self-improvement, resilience, and personal empowerment.

For more information about HopeLab@DLSU, please visit https://allanbibernardo.wixsite.com/hope-lab-at-dlsu

More:

Is there reason to hope? - Times Higher Education (THE)

Apr 1, 2021

Alyssa RoenigkESPN

BEFORE HER TEAM'S rotation on balance beam at their final home meet of the regular season, University of Arkansas head coach Jordyn Wieber gathers her gymnasts for a huddle. She asks them to take a collective deep breath, calm their energy and focus on the start and finish of each skill. She reminds them they are ready and resilient. As she speaks, a black face mask obscures all but her dark, expressive eyes.

While most of the 1,241 fans in Barnhill Arena for February's Women's Empowerment Meet in Fayetteville are likely unaware of what she is going through outside of the gym, Wieber's own calm resiliency is on display.

Just 24 hours earlier, former USA Gymnastics coach John Geddert, Wieber's longtime personal coach and the head coach of the 2012 Olympic team on which she was a star, was charged with two dozen crimes. Long seen as one of the chief enablers of USAG team doctor Larry Nassar, who worked at Geddert's gym, Geddert was charged with lying to a police officer about Nassar's decades of sexual abuse. He was also charged with sexual assault, human trafficking and forced labor, and racketeering. As police sought his arrest, Geddert died by suicide at an interstate highway rest stop in Michigan on Feb. 25.

"I immediately thought of Jordyn when I heard the news," says Kathy Johnson Clarke, a former Olympian who calls gymnastics meets for the SEC Network. "I know what it feels like to have a coach, someone you cared about and was so much a part of your success, turn out to be somebody who did so much damage."

Wieber betrays no signs of emotional turmoil at the meet, coaching with the same focus and energy she displays every week. Although she has been open about her experience in elite gymnastics under Geddert, Wieber declined to speak publicly about his death.

"Knowing she had to coach the next day, that's when her training as an elite gymnast kicks in," Johnson Clarke says. "She has that ability to compartmentalize and do amazing things under extraordinarily stressful situations."

Now in her second season at Arkansas, Wieber, 25, carries her past with her in every moment of her young coaching career. She continues to advocate for sexual abuse survivors and speak out about the lack of accountability by organizations such as USAG for the abuse she and hundreds of gymnasts suffered from Nassar under their watch. Drawing on her experience in elite gymnastics -- and the trauma she endured -- Wieber is working to create a compassionate, caring style of coaching still rare in a sport plagued by emotional abuse and overtraining.

2 Related

"This style of coaching is a longer process," Wieber says. "The easiest thing for coaches to do is to make their athletes robots and say, 'Do this,' and then make them do it. To find a way to encourage and motivate change versus dictating change is harder, but I truly believe you'll end up with better outcomes and your athletes will become stronger, more resilient human beings."

That night in Fayetteville, and for the second week in a row, Wieber leads her team to a season-high score on floor and an impressive 197.000 overall. The next week, on the road against No. 12 Auburn, the No. 6 Razorbacks score an all-time program high of 197.425 in their win over the Tigers.

But it's not the score Wieber wants to talk about three weeks later from her office on campus. "What stands out to me about that meet is their fight," she says. "It wasn't a perfect meet by any means. But when we competed against Kentucky earlier this year, and they got to the last event on beam and looked up at the scoreboard and saw the potential for a 197, they played tight. They didn't do that at Auburn. That's progress."

WHEN WIEBER FLEW to Fayetteville from Los Angeles to interview for the job in spring 2019, she knew her name alone would not land her the position. Nor would her credentials as a world and Olympic champion. She was 23, barely older than the women she would lead, and her coaching resume reflected only her years as a volunteer assistant at UCLA under longtime head coach Valorie Kondos Field.

In the meeting, Wieber explained she had chosen to remain as an unpaid volunteer with the Bruins rather than seek assistant-coaching positions elsewhere. She wanted to learn from Kondos Field, one of the most successful coaches in the NCAA, known for her positive, empowering style. She also explained her long-term vision to turn the Razorbacks into a national championship contender while establishing a program defined by hard work, communication, openness and joy.

"The culture we all grew up in is you do what you're told when you're told and you don't argue," Wieber says. "The culture we're trying to develop is open and vulnerable and communicative. The way we get our athletes to do that is by modeling communication and vulnerability. It also takes our team leaders being willing to speak up and say things that are uncomfortable. When one person does that, they give permission to others to do the same."

Wieber knows a cultural shift will take time. Her style requires coaches to get to know their athletes on a personal level, set goals and empower them to have agency over their careers. It also requires trust and buy-in from athletes who might be unaccustomed to or even uncomfortable with a coach who enables them to make decisions and doesn't scream or yell when something goes wrong.

In tough moments, when Wieber sees one of her gymnasts struggling, she thinks back to her own days in the gym. "I try to draw on that younger, athlete version of Jordyn and what she needed from a coach that maybe she didn't get," Wieber says.

After accepting the job at Arkansas and becoming one of the youngest head coaches in NCAA history, Wieber hired two-time Olympian Chris Brooks, an assistant at Oklahoma at the time, as one of her top assistants. The two had been in a long-distance relationship for two years, and they'd hoped to coach together one day. (They disclosed their relationship to the university and Brooks reports to a senior administrator rather than to Wieber.)

"When this opportunity came up, I asked him, 'If I get this job, do you want to come with me and do this together?'" Wieber says. She also brought in Catelyn Orel, a 2019 Nebraska graduate, to choreograph floor and coach beam.

"We're all very young, but I really do think we have the best coaching staff in the country," Wieber says. She and her staff can call on their gymnastics experiences more viscerally. They remember what it was like to be young gymnasts seeking compassion and college students struggling to manage classes and athletics.

Wieber set modest goals for their first season: Make super regionals, improve fan interaction on social media and grow crowd size by 25%. During the 2019-2020 regular season, the Gymbacks not only improved home attendance, they set a program record of 5,415 fans per meet, nearly doubling their 2019 numbers. With the SECs approaching, Wieber felt her team was tracking toward accomplishing their postseason goal as well.

Then, on March 12, 2020, she faced her first major challenge as a head coach: navigating the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The timeline of that day was crazy," Wieber says. "We started the day trying to figure out if our senior night meet was going to happen the next day. By the end of the day, the national championship was canceled and our season was done."

On frequent Zoom calls, the coaches and athletes spoke openly about the unique challenges of coming together as a team while being forced to remain apart. "This year is going to prepare them for life. That's what I learned from my career and shared with them," Wieber says. "Some of the injuries and setbacks and abuse that I had to go through made me a stronger person and this pandemic is going to make our gymnasts stronger human beings."

Her gymnasts are buying in, believing they are as good as Wieber tells them they are, and the results are reflecting that belief. "I'm very performance-driven and like to be the best I can be," says senior Sophia Carter, who recently earned All-SEC honors. "Whenever I'm not having my best day, she always encourages me to remember, 'You don't have to be perfect. Just relax and do what you know how to do,' and that helps me."

At the SEC championships in Huntsville, Alabama, in March, the Razorbacks suffered uncharacteristic mistakes on bars and beam, scored a season-low 195.600 and finished last of seven teams. After every meet, Wieber gathers her squad and asks each gymnast and coach what the team did well, what they didn't, and what they can improve or do differently. In Huntsville, Wieber says her athletes admitted to having moments of self-doubt. She reminded them to focus on the small details and trust their preparation.

"I explain it as we're climbing a mountain and every meet, we take one more step," Wieber says. "Sometimes we slide back a little bit. I tell them, 'We don't have to be at the peak of the mountain this weekend. We just have to take one more step."

Heading into regionals on Friday (2 p.m. ET; ESPN3), the Razorbacks -- who were ranked 20th in 2019 -- are now 10th in the nation and third on floor exercise, a remarkable improvement in just two seasons. "I call Jordyn the floor whisperer," says Johnson Clarke. "She's fully transformed that floor team. The amplitude of their skills, their tumbling, their shapes in the air and of course their landings. Even those who were already exceptional are even more so. Her athletes trust her."

THROUGHOUT THE WOMEN'S Empowerment Meet in February, Wieber glances into the stands to see Kondos Field -- who retired from UCLA in 2019 -- typing notes on her phone. Flanked by her husband, former UCLA football coach and athletic director Bobby Field, and Mark Cook -- Wieber's predecessor at Arkansas and Kondos Field's former assistant at UCLA -- Kondos Field has been a supportive staple at every home meet this season. "It's so great to have them here," Wieber says. "Miss Val used to be a phone call away, and now we can just pop over to her house."

After Kondos Field retired in 2019, she and Bobby began discussing relocating out of Los Angeles. Field played strong safety at Arkansas, so the return to Fayetteville, 50 years later, is a full-circle move for the couple. "Now that we're all retired, we're having a ball," Kondos Field says. "It's not just me mentoring her, but this family unit helping her figure this out together."

Although she purposefully stays away from the practice gym, Kondos Field offers frequent advice and an ear. "One thing I love about her mentorship is she never gives me the answers or tells me what I should do," Wieber says. "She always asks, 'What do you think?' And then she pushes me in the direction of what's true and authentic to me."

Kondos Field also brings the fan's perspective to meets. "One of the things Miss Val did really well at UCLA was produce the show," Wieber says. "Having her in the stands gives me a great perspective of what our show is like and how we can make it better."

After attending her first meet, Kondos Field suggested placing spotlights on the coaches when their names are announced. She encouraged Wieber to address and thank the fans on the microphone after each competition. She also impressed upon her former volunteer assistant the importance of making sure she and her assistant coaches don't show up dressed alike. "All of those details matter," Kondos Field says.

Wieber has taken her advice on nearly every point. What stands out most to Kondos Field, though, is Wieber's quiet confidence in herself and her team.

When she recently asked Wieber what she planned to wear to the NCAA championships, which will require the 10th-ranked Razorbacks to knock out either No. 7 Alabama or No. 1 Oklahoma at regionals, Kondos Field says Wieber didn't flinch. "She didn't say, 'Well, let's see if we make NCAAs first.' She just said, 'Well, what do you think about white pants and a red top?'"

View post:

Jordyn Wieber survived abuse, and is now out to change gymnastics culture - ESPN

Photo: In the Indian state of Karnataka, the social enterprise Project Defy work to create nooks, i.e. learning environments where learners can learn new skills and design their own education programs.

In its 72 years of independence, India has shown its unprecedented prowess in building a modern, democratic nation. It has lifted millions out of poverty, is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and has increased its global influence by becoming a member of the G20 and the BRICS. More recently, it has played a central role in providing the world with COVID-19 vaccines as it has one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing capacities in the world.

However, whats so unfortunate and saddening for a country making such strides on a global scale is that its gender gap is big, and it continues to grow wider.

The 2020 Global Gender Gap report says that India is the only country in the world where the economic gender gap is larger than the political gender gap. Only 25 percent of women participate in the labor market, one of the lowest participation rates across the globe. And, female estimated earned income is a meager one-fifth of male income, which also contributes to them among the lowest wage earners in the world.

Social change in womens status is crucial for India to continue its progress; empowering them economically can play a significant role in realizing womens rights and narrowing the gender gap. An example of an ecosystem that is playing an increasingly important role in economically empowering women is the social enterprise space.

Social enterprise is a really powerful force for womens empowerment and its still under-utilized, says Mark Richardson of Social Impact Consulting, who led the research of a British Council report on the role of social enterprise in supporting womens empowerment in India.

The report found that social enterprise is playing a growing role in womens empowerment by developing womens skills, providing employment and giving women a voice in their community. According to the report, of women who started a social enterprise 80 percent felt an increased sense of worth, 82 percent reported increased confidence and 49 percent said it made them feel they could make their own choices.

According to Amani Institute India, nearly 25 percent of all social enterprises in India are led by women, compared to less than 10 percent of commercial small and medium enterprises that have a woman at the helm. Women in India are often subject to discrimination from their families, communities, and investors when compared to their male peers. This issue is even more severe for women social entrepreneurs because social entrepreneurship can be stigmatized as being unprofitable, said Shehzia Lilani, the Country Director of Amani Institute India.

Assessing the needs of Indian women social entrepreneurs, the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai helped to launch the Womens Global Development Prosperity initiative (WGDP). The program establishes a platform that can give women social entrepreneurs access to information, capital, mentorship and other such opportunities they lack in social and commercial enterprises.

And so was born the Women in Indian Social Entrepreneurship Network (WISEN), a platform to support female social entrepreneurs from all over India. Designed and facilitated by Amani Institute India, in collaboration with ANDE India (Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs), and with funding support from the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai, WISEN is the first of its kind formal network.

I am a first-generation graduate from a marginalized community. I had very few opportunities for my personal and professional development. I joined this national level network to explore my potential and learn from a team of women who crossed several milestones in their life. From Amanis capacity building sessions, I realized the importance of my wellbeing, and the energy I had, said M. Padmavathi, a managing trustee of the nonprofit COROAT and member of WISEN.

As the primary capacity building partner for WISEN, we designed a 6-month, online program that offered 40 women entrepreneurs a platform to access trainings, mentoring and coaching sessions, collaborative projects and community building initiatives, said Lilani.

ANDE brought in subject matter experts who delivered masterclasses for the women entrepreneurs. Formal peer support groups have been known to be great pillars of support in an entrepreneurs journey, and research showed us that women entrepreneurs did not enjoy access to the same kinds of networks as their male counterparts. This made the creation of WISEN a necessary step to strengthen the ecosystem for women entrepreneurs, elaborated Sucharita Kamath, India Chapter Manager at ANDE.

Furthermore, the pandemic added another threat to the survival of social enterprises, increasing the necessity of support networks to overcome challenges.

With the disruptions caused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the business and organizational realities of all 40 women entrepreneurs changed. Keeping this in mind, we redesigned the WISEN program with the objective of making it relevant and immediately applicable for the selected women entrepreneurs. We wanted to create a self-sustaining network for women entrepreneurs who were leading their organizations through a pandemic, Lilani added.

Megha Bhagat, a co-founder of the social enterprise Project Defy and another member of WISEN, said, Networking with a purpose in an ecosystem built for men is far less cumbersome with women networking platforms like WISEN. Entrepreneurship has a gendered experience and finding groups that have women entrepreneurs holding each other up is quite a task. WISEN is an attempt to change that, to allow the gendered experience to find a brilliant circle of trailblazers,

We received over 215 applications from which we selected 40 entrepreneurs for the program that represented diversity in region, sector, organizational maturity and experience within the cohort. 41 percent of the entrepreneurs ran non-profit organizations, 51 percent ran for-profit organizations and the remaining had hybrid business models. Some organizations were as young as two years and some had over 10 years of existence. This led to fantastic opportunities for cross-pollination and experience sharing within the cohort. We will continue to actively recruit new members on a quarterly basis, concludes Lilani.

WISEN is currently looking for new partners to help carry the network forward and provide additional resources to its members.

Image credit: Project Defy

Read more from the original source:

Empowering Women and Social Enterprise in India so Both Can Thrive During the Pandemic - Triple Pundit

The rebrand was driven by two factors: changing nature of vulnerability, with more people needing support more often on account of the effects of climate change and other natural and social issues; and a generational shift in the nature of giving, which impacting the organisation with young people more motivated to contribute.

The stripped back, modern and minimal design system and guidelines, including a suite of strong, distinctive brand assets, support the central brand positioning, We are what we do. While worthy, Red Cross global tagline, The power of humanity could be overwhelming for supporters. Principals in-house brand voice agency XXVI evolved the tagline to, Act for humanity, which gives people a sense of personal empowerment. This led to the development of a brand voice and narrative to complement the new strategy, identity and tagline.

The refreshed brand builds on and makes sense of Red Cross fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. It transforms these principles into practice and rallies people to act for humanity, says strategy director at Principals, Moensie Rossier.

Read this article:

Australian Red Cross reveals refreshed brand positioning - 2021 - Articles - Transform magazine

In a society that has become consumed with a me-first attitude and a desire to get ahead at all costs, it is refreshing to find individuals who are devoted to creating a better world where business leaders and entrepreneurs believe in inclusiveness and selflessness. They practice transformational leadership and entrepreneurship which are ideas that promote emotional empowerment and social value for the world.

Transformational entrepreneur George Mason Lantay is one such leader who is committed to making a global impact. Lantay, who is the founder of Heroes of Purpose, a masterclass for coaches, healers, and personal development experts to help them grow their business, believes in transformational entrepreneurship as a tool for a better world. He has served as CEO in 4 successful transformational company launches, was featured in Mindvalley for his work in bridging transformation with business and has coached bestselling authors and award-winning coaches in his 10 years of professional experience in the transformational industry.

Too often, entrepreneurs practice a separation mindset. They do not combine the transformational work they do for clients with the everyday components of their business. This often makes leaves them out of touch and stuck. Lantay shares his suggestions on how entrepreneurs who want to be a part of a changing world can achieve transformation in their business. These points are further expounded on in his Heroes of Purpose masterclass.

Show Up as The Person Your Clients Want to Work With

Lantay expresses that leaders who show up fully are one of the only things that matter. He encourages participants in his program to embody the full potential of who they are meant to be while structuring their work in a way that changes the lives of their clients and leaves the entrepreneur with personal time to develop. Great business leaders must hone their ability to step into the person they are.

Connect Deeply with Your Ideal Clients

Intertwined with showing up is forming a deep connection with clients. Deep connections with clients foster customer loyalty and most importantly trust. When clients trust you, they will continue to work with you. Lantay, who also actively lives by this rule when dealing with his own clients, consistently encourages them to become crystal clear on who their ideal or soulmate clients are. Participants should discover the deepest challenges and desires of these clients and learn to enroll them in a program from a place of life-changing leadership. According to Lantay, people who come to me dont want to grow their business just with a coach. They want to do so in a community of like-minded leaders who lift each other up. This then translates into the way that people deal with their customers.

Choose Emotional Empowerment

Georges work combines grounded strategy with emotional empowerment to enable his clients to achieve results ranging from booking out their practice to 10xing their income and feeling like a completely upgraded versions of themselves. This after only a couple of months working with him. Once youve made a connection with your clients and understand how you can serve them, this will help you to attract clients consistently on autopilot. By doing so, you can achieve effortless flow in all aspects of business and focus on the parts of your venture that you love. Lantay believes that transformational leaders can create the life they want for themselves without sacrificing the emotional aspects of their humanity.

Thats why emotional empowerment is such an integral part of the Heroes of Purpose. We can use whatever strategies and frameworks we want, however, what truly makes people succeed is how powerfully they are able to express themselves and how deeply they are able to listen, shared George.

George wants to empower all who are willing to take the leap to become transformational leaders in their business and, by extension, make the world a better place for each and every one of us.

Published April 2nd, 2021

Link:

Innovative Transformational Entrepreneur Shares his Vision for a Better World - Influencive

Robert Wun has three words to describe his ethereal designs: Escapism, futurism and feminism. Born and raised in Hong Kong, the designer studied womenswear at the prestigious London College of Fashion before launching his eponymous label in 2014. The 29-year-old has since established an otherworldly aesthetic thats caught the attention of Solange, Lady Gaga, Cardi B and Cline Dion, to name but a few.

With female empowerment at the core of his ethos, Wun is renowned for inventive, cutting-edge designs that celebrate the female form. For autumn/winter 2021, he unveiled an ode to the most important women in his life and, as always, everything is precision-cut genius. The collection is called Armour and its a tribute to my grandmother, who passed away last year. I wanted to create an army to go to heaven with her, he says. Every look is named after a woman in my life whos inspired me, from my sister and my mum to all of my good friends.

Ahead of the collection launch via his website, Vogue caught up with the designer over Zoom from his east London studio to discuss how the industry has so much further to go when it comes to genuine inclusivity, who hes loved seeing wear his clothes and how his latest collection is his most heart-wrenchingly personal one yet.

CEICILIA

Courtesy of Robert Wun

When I was 11, I met a cool girl a few years older than me at my familys church who started a course in fashion design and she changed my perception of everything. Then I started getting into thrift shopping and customising my own clothes.

I always felt that I needed to get out of there to finally be my true self. Now, I see that my culture gave me a strong work ethic, which is definitely something I carry with me to this day.

EVE

Courtesy of Robert Wun

I remember my first lesson, I was told to my face that my portfolio was very childish, which knocked me down. But I started looking around and understanding what it meant to be good, and I just picked it all up myself. I wouldnt be who I am right now or still living here if I didnt love this city. Even though London is multicultural, as a foreigner, if you want to be on top of the game, you always have to work harder.

After I graduated in 2012, I started doing freelance jobs, but I was already making my first collection in my bedroom. Through a photographer friend I met an investor who believed in the vision and gave me the money to start my business. But a couple of years later, my sister saved enough to buy them out, so now the company is owned by me and her.

LOKYIU

Courtesy of Robert Wun

Its a celebration of feminism and femininity, which doesnt mean its only for women, either. Interestingly, [the woman] hasnt changed that much its still that crazy bitch living in another dimension whos powerful, controversial and owns every room.

I lost my grandmother in October last year and it changed my life. I slept in the same room as her from the moment I was born until I left Hong Kong that is how close we were. Everything I love about women and feminism is because of her. I photographed it all because I wanted to close the chapter beautifully on my own.

MITSU

Courtesy of Robert Wun

It was about playing with material that looked like metal to create the illusion of wearing armour, but its actually made out of fabric. The swallow bird detail is because its my grandmothers favourite bird from Hainan Island, China, where shes from. Through the armour, theres a softness of a pleat that cuts into a swallowtail shape, so theres always that mixture between strength and something as delicate and light as a birds tail.

When Celestes song, Little Runaway, came out last year, it was around the time I lost my grandmother, so that was what I played most during that period. It encouraged me to do something about the grief and make this collection happen.

NAOMI

Courtesy of Robert Wun

I loved seeing Awkwafina and Solange in my work. The Cline Dion moment was also something special, my mum and dad were so excited about it. I would love to dress Yseult I love everything she stands for.

The biggest shake-up the industry needs is to be held accountable for using diversity and inclusivity as a token. Why not put diverse people in key positions and give them real power? That way, you can truly celebrate them and not just tick a box.

ZHONG LIN

Courtesy of Robert Wun

Youve got to work really hard and learn the business side of things as soon as possible its stressful, but once you find the balance it helps you design better. Call your family, always. Please dont ignore their calls. And most importantly, remember that you dont need anyone to validate you and what you do.

More from British Vogue:

Read more:

Robert Wuns Futuristic AW21 Collection Is An Ode To His Grandmother - British Vogue

CARY, N.C.-

Auto Remarketingis recognizingthe 2021 Women in Remarketing honorees in theMarch issue of the magazine, and will be posting Q&As with each of these outstanding leaders on the website.

Next up is Pamela Patton, who isarea vice president at ACV Auctions.

Auto Remarketing:What do you enjoy most about working in the remarketing industry? But, also, what aspect(s) of the business would you change and how?

Pamela Patton:The remarketing world is a fascinating environment. Its fast-paced yet intricately detailed; personality is king (queen) and personal relationships are crucial; it only thrives when individual contributions and strategic teamwork harmonize.

Working in remarketing has allowed me to take advantage of my strengths: relationship-building, leadership, quick decision-making and problem-solving. Byways of relationship-building, I was able to build a strong relationship with the Greater Pittsburgh Auto Dealers Association (GPADA) and was nominated to be on the GPAD Foundation board of trustees in 2020. I am currently the first ACV employee to be asked to be on any of the associations boards.

AR:What are some improvements that need to be made in the industry from a diversity and inclusion perspective? What are some examples youve seen of D&I programs that have worked?

Patton:ACVs diversity engagement and inclusion department was established to recognize, strengthen and maximize the power of diversity. DE&I focuses on attracting, engaging and developing the careers of women, veterans and people of color in every department within our organization, in every area of the country. Were figuratively building a longer table to include voices and ideas not typically showcased in the once-antiquated auto industry. (And hopefully, post-COVID, ACV will literally build a longer table so we can get these great minds together in person!)

We host community outreach events, local fundraisers and diversity training for ACV teammates with that goal in mind. I would love to see more panels and programs like this to bring diversified talent into our markets.

Empowering and strengthening women and minorities will be the key to continued momentum. Onward and upward!

AR: Describe a time when you were either a mentor or a mentee, and how that has shaped your career.

Patton:As the first woman in a VP role at ACV, I really understand how crucial it is to LISTEN. Every employee and client has a world outside of work families, friends, hobbies, goals and fears. We are more than just work and a person feeling valued is imperative to build a strong team and solid partnerships. As a mentor to many women within the automotive industry, my goal is to remind them that listening to and getting to know your employees, colleagues and clients will fortify each relationship.

Leading with listening has shaped how I conduct myself personally and professionally and that mentality has forged many friendships and business developments. Ive been in automotive sales for 20-plus years, but Ive been alive a little longer I learned early on that listening is both empowering and empowerment. I try to live that and lead that everyday.

AR: Describe a time in your career where you were challenged and how you overcame that challenge.

Patton: What Im about to say is not an industry secret: this world is STRESSFUL! Regardless of title, role or capacity, the high stakes and high reward come with hard conversations. Whether issues are inherited or uncovered, those conversations will NOT make you everyones favorite (at that moment.)

The difference between being a manager and a leader is believing in yourself and your decisions. Those decisions wont make everyone happy nor will they make sense to everyone initially, but making hard judgement calls and addressing issues head-on is the key to overcoming challenges. Rip the Band-Aid off to become a great manager; dress the wound to become a great leader.

AR: What is the top trend/storyline in the remarketing industry that youre watching this year?

Patton:I cant wait to see how every area of remarketing, whether it be wholesale, retail, DMS, advertising or financing, transforms in the digital (COVID) age. There are so many brilliant minds and ideas that now have the chance to capitalize on our socially distanced protocols.

This industry has been evolving slowly, however the last year has proven that the fastest to adapt to digital will rise to the top. Im looking forward to watching ACV Auctions continue to lead with technology in 2021.

AR: What is something you would tell your younger self if you could go back to when you started your career in remarketing?

Patton: Great question! I would definitely have told myself to continue to push through and continue to put in the hard work. It all pays off. ACV Auctions has done an exceptional job at proving that women DO have a place in the automotive industry. We have women managing territories, regions and on our executive board. I have found success in a male- dominated industry by having a strong work ethic, knowing the importance of what our partners need to be successful and entrenching relationships within our dealer partners.

Read the original:

Women in Remarketing: Pamela Patton of ACV Auctions - Auto Remarketing

Taika Waititi, Chris Hemsworth, Elsa Pataky, Isla Fisher and Russell Crowe watch the Rabbitohs take on the Roosters on the weekend.Credit:Getty Images

In the same month, NSW National Party MP Andrew Gee was treated to lunch and a day pass inside a council suite to the Bathurst 500 event.

And in the race of parliamentary sporting gifts, Victorian Labor MP Julian Hill gets the wooden spoon. He was gifted an unstringed tennis racquet - a Yonex Ezone 98 blue racquet from the NK Foundation. Like all crap presents, he promptly gave it away to the Hallam Tennis Club. At least they could find a use for it.

A recurring issue regarding the industry-super backed New Dailys links with the ABC has reared its head again.

On Monday, 730 hosted a special focusing on retirement and superannuation presented by the ABCs finance presenter Alan Kohler, who also moonlights as a contributor to The New Daily, which is wholly owned by Industry Super Holdings. Previews for Kohlers four-part special on the subject gave a clear indication of the angle he was taking. In one clip, former prime minister Paul Keating declared superannuation is about personal empowerment while several experts expressed concerns about Aussies not having enough in retirement savings. Surely Industry Super Holdings wouldnt have scripted it any better themselves.

Loading

So would the program carry a disclaimer announcing Kohlers side hustle on Monday?

Well, kind of. An ABC spokeswoman said the program would carry a back announce saying Kohler also writes columns for The New Daily which is financially backed by industry super funds. It would also note his role as editor in chief for online financial website InvestSMART.

But the ABC is comfortable with his role at TND, they added. Its not unusual for ABC presenters who are not full-time staff members to undertake work for other media organisations, they said. Non-ABC work is always referred to the relevant manager for approval and any possible conflict of interest is taken into account to ensure the ABCs policies and expectations are adhered to.

Our dear friends at the $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility faced a polite Senate inquisition last week with aplomb. Until one particular question killed the mood.

As CBD wrote last week, the federal governments Cairns-based development financier, which provides loans to projects in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia, has just lost its chairman as well as attracted the attention of the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

Senators were told that chairman Khory McCormick resigned on February 25 effective immediately but did not provide a reason for his departure to Northern Australia minister Keith Pitt. He leaves months before all board positions including the chair are due for renewal on June 30.

Smoothie CEO Chris Wade did a good job defending his restructures and rising redundancy bill, but when Queensland Labor Senator Murray Watt asked if there were any reports within the organisation about bullying or harassment, Wade cautiously read out an answer from a script.

It wish I could assist the Senator but I am mindful of the protections provided to disclosers under the Public Interest Disclosure Act including confidentiality in relation to the identity of the discloser and the subject matters of the disclosures. I would not wish to undermine these protections in this forum.

He took the questions on notice so he could seek legal advice. But given Wade was reading from a prepared statement, it seemed he had received quite a bit of advice already.

Wade said the Commonwealth Ombudsman had completed an investigation into NAIF after receiving a public interest disclosure. But questions about the nature of the investigation and NAIFs response sent him scurrying back to his prepared statement, which he repeated two further times.

CBD has no information, and does not wish to suggest, that the Ombudsmans report is in any way linked to the chairmans departure. But we are keen to see Wades written response to the senators questions.

An earlier version of this story said Andrew Gee was a Liberal Senator. He is the Nationals member for Calare.

Samantha is a CBD columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. She recently covered Victorian and NSW politics and business for News Corp, and previously worked for the Australian Financial Review.

Stephen Brook is a CBD columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He is a former features editor and media editor at The Australian, where he wrote the Media Diary column and spent six years in London working for The Guardian.

Original post:

Laming still in The Club at Virgin, Qantas - Sydney Morning Herald

NEW YORK, April 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The world of Online life coaching is starting to pick up momentum in the current age of this pandemic. Mindset is arguably the foundation of all achievement, and during this crazy year of 2021, it showed that people from across the globe should have some solid foundations in order to achieve success and peace of mind.

According to Building Your Authority, there is a simple and effective way for those looking to capitalise on this pandemic to stay informed with whats working. Keeping up with the select few female life coaches, Each with their own unique methods and coaching styles will give your wellness and mindset the advantage it needs during times like this.

However, as it is often challenging to find an online life coach arena that we can resonate with, identifying true experts from the crowd can be a difficult task. To make things easier to navigate, we have compiled the following list:

1.Lisa Leit (@happywholehuman)

Lisa Leit, Ph.D., MCC is the Founder of the Happy Whole Human (HWH) Institute of Holistic Wellness, an expert in the field of developmental psychology, and a Master Certified Coach. Recognized as one of the 2021 Top Visionaries in Healthcare by the IFAH, she has worked with individuals, couples, families, and leadership teams of organizations to overcome obstacles and live happy, whole lives for 16 years. The validated HWH Self-Assessment program is based on Lisas doctoral research on interpersonal psychology and at the University of Texas at Austin and works with 2000+ clients and students. In customized group initiatives, including high impact coaching and management consulting, her unique HAPPY WHOLE HUMAN (HWH) holistic wellness assessment program identifies and addresses hidden risk factors to health and fosters meaningful, measurable, and lasting results for individuals and teams. Lisa offers a DIY Happy Whole Human online program, and individual, family, and team coaching.

2. Helen Godfrey (@helengodfrey)

Helen Godfrey, MA, NCC, BCC is the founder of The Authentic Path and has been in the career services industry since 2000. She offers virtual career and life coaching via phone or secure video. She loves to help clients figure out who they are, what they want, and how to explain it to others. Her career coaching services include: resume critiques, LinkedIn profile reviews, job search strategies, interviewing skills (one of her favourite things), cover letters, and figuring out a career path. You can find a list of her coaching methods here:

Her life coaching services cover topics such as setting achievable goals and working through specific challenges such as time management, procrastination, and organizational skills. To find out more on how Helen can transform your life you can take a look at her E-documents here, Or You can find her and watch 2 workshops that were presented for IEEE with universal messages regarding writing a resume and interviewing skills.

3.Patrycja (@blisswithtrish)

With a deep passion and drive for helping others, Patrycja's journey took her in all different directions, until she found her purpose. Having been in an abusive, toxic relationship, which led to all kinds of issues including anxiety and low self-esteem, it took Patrycja years of personal development to take back control of her life, and reclaim the life she knew she deserved. "The moment I freed myself I focused very heavily on personal development and self-improvement. That's when my spiritual journey began along with finding myself during my solo trips," Patrycja explained. Her company BlisswithTrish, is all about increasing your confidence and creating more ease, flow, and abundance in your business. Using advanced coaching methods combining Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Clinical Hypnotherapy, Emotional Freedom Techniques and T.I.M.E. Techniques, Patrycja is able to create deep, lasting transformations - helping you unleash your inner badass. Patrycja's passion, drive and ability to connect with others has been paramount in the success of both her and her clients, helping them create massive shifts in both their lives and business.

4. Chelsea Blackburn (@chelseaaabri)

Chelsea Blackburn is a life and love coach for people with endometriosis. As the founder and CEO of Endo Babe Empowerment, she helps people with endometriosis learn to live well and find purpose beyond their pain by guiding them in areas of health, relationships, mindset, and spirituality. With her unique perspective, she helps people with endometriosis look at their pain through a new lens and empowers them to become leaders in all areas of their life. Chelsea is also the host of the Endo Babe Podcast where she shares empowering conversations with leading experts including endometriosis excision specialist Dr. Andrew Cook among others. Through her 1:1 coaching program, she works with clients heavily on their mentality around endometriosis, self-love, and chronic pain to help them cope with their endometriosis in new ways, deepen their understanding and connection to themselves and others, cultivate meaningful relationships, and lean into pleasure despite their pain.

5. Julie Rivera (@coachingwithjulz)

Julie Rivera is the founder of Coaching with Julz and the co-host of a podcast called Our Chic Chat. As a Life Coach, Julie helps others step into the vision they see for their own life getting rid of self-limiting beliefs. Focusing on mindset transformation clients can expect to be able to identify and remove the obstacles standing in their way of achieving personal or professional goals. It wasnt until Julie received coaching herself that she was able to spring into action and change her own life. Learning that Life happens FOR me and not TO me was a game-changer. This passion has helped cultivate her mission to continue to spread the message through her own coaching practice.

Compiled by Lloyd Reader (@lj_readar) Of Building Your Authority

Media DetailsContact: Michael FraserCompany: Building Your AuthorityPhone: 250-997-1822Email: mike@buildingyourauthority.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/770aab60-46a3-4fe4-ac5f-f4cb130796cf

Originally posted here:

Top 5 Female Life Coaches In The USA That Can Transform Your Life In 2021 - GlobeNewswire

We are looking at multiple approaches that will allow us to lead the market in a transformation driven by end-to-end IoT solution, cryptocurrencies, and central banks, and our partnership with Ethernom is an important first step in the process.

TUSTIN, Calif. (PRWEB) April 02, 2021

Nesten, an IoT communications company specializing in IoT tokens (NIT) and blockchain IoT networks, announces a strategic partnership with Ethernom, Inc., a leading provider of the worlds most secure biometric smart cards. This strategic collaboration marks Nestens latest advancement in developing a trusted and expansive community-based communications network with a fully-functioning financial ecosystem. By integrating the capability for individuals to store and manage crypto tokensincluding Nestens NIT tokensecurely and conveniently, Nesten and Ethernom are further cementing the critical role of user empowerment in digital, decentralized architectures.

Cryptocurrency and crypto tokens as the future of finance

The future of digital currency as a viable option for financial transactions is already here, thanks to its growing adoption by central banks, national governments, and major global corporations. The primary functionality of cryptocurrency is to provide a secure digital mechanism to store financial assets and allow transactions without traditional paper money. The added benefits also include near-anonymity and minuscule fees as well as user convenience.

Like cryptocurrency, crypto tokens can store valuable assets that can be used as payment for goods and services. Furthermore, crypto tokens can offer smart contract functionality and intelligence beyond financial storage. For instance, tokens can be tailored and optimized to address specific needs in a variety of industries while providing governance mechanisms for financial integrity.

Addressing the challenges of cryptocurrency

Several challenges however currently face the broader adoption and acceptance of cryptocurrency and crypto tokens, including their liquidity and usability; transaction delays and fees; security and transparency issues in standard blockchain networks; and their cumbersome conversion process to fiat currency or other types of cryptocurrencies, which requires setting up a web-based exchange or a digital wallet on a smartphone.

The need for a timely, manageable, and secure way to convert between currencies has grown more apparent and more urgent as Nesten continues to introduce advanced IoT and blockchain technologies to strategic use cases in the real-world economy. NIT, Nestens IoT token, was developed to address specialized needs for the emerging IoT sensor economy, empowering individuals to monetize their unique capacities to produce marketable sensor content. NIT tokens offer data providers and their customers a reliable, secure method of exchanging value and paying for data.

In combining Nestens decentralized network and NIT tokensboth of which boast security unprecedented within the blockchain spherewith Ethernoms biometric recognition smart card technology in a user-friendly format, Nesten and Ethernom are now poised to meet all of these challenges and more as they pave the way for mainstream transitions to cryptocurrency.

As cryptocurrencies and IoT sensors increase in their utilities, we want to be ready for the inevitable onramp of transformation, says Dr. Andrew Baek, Nesten CEO and CTO. We are looking at multiple approaches that will allow us to lead the market in a transformation driven by end-to-end IoT solution, cryptocurrencies, and central banks, and our partnership with Ethernom is an important first step in the process.

Better blockchain for a more secure and functional ecosystem

With a radical approach to data management and security, a self-sustaining ecosystem, and industry-leading technology, Nestens rapidly expanding network and IoT token (NIT) are the ideal combination for normalizing and streamlining the integration of cryptocurrency. Multiple layers of blockchain are linked together to facilitate the independent, reliable, and secure functioning of every network element, as well as ensure the perpetual and invulnerable storage of encrypted data. This enables myriad economic activities necessitated by the transition to a more community-based environment.

Nestens NIT, or New IoT Token, serves as the foundation for the networks financial architecture. Unlike other cryptocurrencies, Nestens permissioned blockchain is scalable, operates semi-independently of public blockchains, and processes transactions nearly instantaneously at only a fraction of standard transaction fees.

Smart cards for managing cryptocurrency

Smart cards are an increasingly popular method for managing the cryptographic keys tied to cryptocurrency because they allow the private keys of the parity system to be stored in a physically separate location from the public keys. (Both the public and private keys are necessary for maintaining, securing, and transferring cryptocurrency or digital assets.)

Smart cards are blockchain-based devices featuring an embedded integrated circuit or microcontroller that supports a broad range of processes including authentication, data storage, and personal identification. The card is activated when it connects with a smart card reader via radio frequency interface (RFI), near-field communication (NFC), or direct physical contact, such as during an ATM or point-of-sale transaction. Data is then exchanged between the smart card and the card reader.

Ethernoms smart cardone of the most unique and advanced crypto smart cards currently availableis built in a credit card format, making it portable and personal. Integrated functionalities include security features like fingerprint and e-ink display for user interaction as well as cryptographic encryption for enhanced security. Enabled to support low-power protocols like Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and NFC, Ethernoms card can last several months on a single battery charge under a typical use scenario, minimizing user maintenance.

Most importantly, the Ethernom cards provide a cryptographic Application Programming Interface (API) to extend support for multiple cryptocurrencies, including Nesten's NIT. This streamlines the conversion, storage, and management processes for cryptocurrency and crypto token holders into a single, simple operation.

Integrating smart cards with blockchain technology

The partnership between Nesten and Ethernom will now allow cryptocurrency owners the flexibility and convenience of using digital currency like fiat currency. Instead of relying on their smartphones for paymenta precarious situation where all sensitive data is consolidated on a single device, the security of which can be compromised by hackers or other forms of data theftindividuals can use their Ethernom smart card like a debit card at a cryptocurrency ATM-type machine or kiosk where they can instantly convert their digital holdings to various crypto tokens or even withdraw cash.

While Nesten persists in its commitment to growing a decentralized IoT communications network, its core mission remains to empower people with both a trusted platform and the toolslike the Ethernom smart cardto optimize it.

Nesten is building a unique and innovative ecosystem with an advanced blockchain solution, says Hock Law, CEO and president of Ethernom, Inc. As its user base continues to expand, Nesten is constantly searching for ways to help its users benefit from participation, and the team at Ethernom is delighted to work with such talent and commitment toward achieving that goal.

The collaboration between Nesten and Ethernom is a necessary step toward transforming next-generation blockchain networks into viable financial systems positioned to meet monetary challenges of the future. Not only will the partnership improve the utility, unification, and convenience of the Nesten network, but it will also expand the use cases possible for real-world applications of cryptocurrency.

You can read more about Nestens network expansion, current use cases, and additional partnerships:

Semtech collaborationhttps://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200701005271/en/Semtech-and-Nesten-Deploy-LoRa%C2%AE-based-Wireless-Infrastructure-Nationwide

Partnership with PNI Sensor for shared parkinghttps://www.prweb.com/releases/nesten_announces_strategic_collaboration_with_pni_sensor_to_bring_blockchain_economics_to_iot_connected_shared_parking/prweb17444896.htm

Coverage in Dallas-Fort Worth Metro Areahttps://www.prweb.com/releases/nesten_inc_announces_lorawan_network_in_dallas_fort_worth_metroplex/prweb17088860.htm

White paper contribution on LoRaWAN and WiFi roaming https://lora-alliance.org/in-the-news/lora-alliancer-and-wireless-broadband-alliance-demonstrate-increase-market-opportunity

Nesten vision on IoThttps://www.entrepreneur.com/article/341451

About Nesten

Nesten, Inc. is a privately-held company based in Tustin, CA. The company specializes in IoT-optimized blockchains and communications networks that redefine the wireless landscape into one that places participants at the center of data generation, transmission, and trading. Since early 2019, the company has deployed hundreds of its advanced computing wireless nodes, establishing significant coverage footprints in New York; New Jersey; California; the Dallas and Houston metro areas; suburban Washington, DC; and Seoul, South Korea. To learn more, please visit http://www.nesten.io.

About Ethernom

Ethernom, Inc. is a privately-held company based in Carlsbad, CA. Ethernom was formed in 2018 by system on a chip (SoC) experts who saw an opportunity to build an SoC-based platform that could be used for personal identity, security and biometric authentication applications as well as other applications requiring secure personal data storage and privacy in a Card/Wearable device format. Ethernoms design employs state-of-the-art low power silicon to produce a practical Biometric Smart Card with exceptionally long battery life and provide unprecedented security and ease of use for a variety of applications. Ethernoms smart biometric cards can be deployed as part of the Ethernom end-to-end ecosystem or integrated as a secure edge product to existing network infrastructure. More info on Ethernom and its smart cards can be found at https://ethernom.com/

For more information on Nestens blockchain IoT technologies and the partnership between Nesten and Ethernom, contact:

Danielle Suhdanielle@nesten.iohttp://nesten.io/

Read more:

Nesten Announces Strategic Partnership with Ethernom to Introduce Advanced Biometric Smart Cards to support Nesten's IoT Token (NIT) and Network...

The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court allowed a transgender individual to contest a village panchayat election from a seat reserved for women stating that she has the right to self-perceived gender identity. A single-judge Bench of Justice Ravindra Ghuge on January 2 pronounced the order. Anjali Guru Sanjana Jaans nomination had been rejected because she was not accepted as a woman. The court said that the authorities must not have been aware of the law the much-criticised Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 permits a transgender individual to have a right to self-perceived gender identity. "In the present case, the petitioner has opted for the female gender as her self-perceived gender identity and also makes a statement that henceforth in her lifetime, she would not switch over to (the) male gender driven by opportunism and would continue to opt for the female gender, in future, save and except if there is a reservation provided for transgenders in public life," the judge said.

While Jaan got to contest the election, the number of transgender candidates who have contested in any Indian election so far is negligible. According to the 2011 Census, there are 4,87,803 trans-individuals in India (a number that is most likely to have increased considerably since) but their representation in politics has been close to non-existent. Very few trans-individuals have braved all odds and contested elections but fewer have succeeded. Shabnam Bano aka Shabnam Mausi won an assembly seat in the Madhya Pradesh State Legislative Assembly in 1998 and was in office till 2003. A film was also made based on her life. After Shabnam, Kamala Jaan from Raigarh in Chattisgarh became the Mayor in 2000 and Madhu Kinnar won the same post in 2015. But there has been no representation from the community in the Parliament to date.

While Indians recognise transgenders as a part of their society, they have not been completely mainstreamed yet. The Aam Aadmi (not the party) still does not appear to be open to the idea of a trans person as their representative the reasons range from societal taboo to lack of trust in their abilities to fulfil their duties while in a position of power. The stereotypes imposed on the community by civil society continue to deny them access to opportunities. Even if a few individuals make it through and attain education, become competent for a job, their story is not highlighted. Indian society likes to look at the community through a lens of pity and treat them as destitutes. There have been some major judicial and legislative changes in the past decade or two the NALSA (National Legal Services Authority vs Union of India) judgment was pronounced on April 15, 2014, then came the Trans Act 2019 which was criticised for its lack of sensitivity and was later revised. But whether these legislative and judicial changes have made any social impact is what needs to be understood.

When we talk about their political representation, these are the questions that must be addressed the obstacles ahead of aspirants, the lack of political intent to help them contest, the elitist ostracism they face even within the LGBTQ community and what it would take for us, as a society, to be more accepting.

Those who fought the fight

While the social taboo and ostracism has kept most transgenders from actively participating in politics, there have been a few risk takers. M Radha contested the Lok Sabha Elections from the Chennai South constituency in 2019. She lost. But she considers her short political journey an achievement. Everyone who comes to politics has expectations. I didn't have any in particular. I wanted to make a mark by contesting. We see a lot of transgenders who have trouble getting any basic incentive. If they were to use a politician's name they would get support. I realised that influence is important to help transgenders, she said. Transgenders have the bravery of men and the compassion of women. I wanted to do something for all the people, especially transgenders and ensure people get what they're owed from government schemes, added Radha.

Apsara Reddy, a transgender activist and a journalist, had joined politics in 2016 as a Spokesperson of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) but she never had any great leaning towards it initially. However, the opportunity made her realise the potential it held. I never really had an aspiration to join politics although I was inspired by Madam Jayalalithaa growing up every time I had any kind of self-doubt, disappointment or frustration, I drew inspiration from the way she dealt with her professional and personal life. Much later, I got the opportunity to receive an award from Amit Shah and Tamilisai Soundararajan for Women's Day in 2016 and on noticing that Madam Jayalalithaa invited me to join her party (AIADMK) as a national spokesperson. The offer came on a platter and it was too good to refuse as it came from my inspiration and icon. Even though I had no aspiration to join politics, when the offer came I said to myself, why not politics. It's a great platform to do good work for the people and a larger platform to make policy. I was a journalist earlier and it's nice to write in the public interest but to really bring systemic changes you need to be in politics, she said. Reddy has been part of the Congress and the BJP over the years. She joined the AIADMK again in November 2020. While Reddy was appointed a spokesperson by Jayalalithaa herself and has campaigned vociferously in the run up to the 2021 Assembly Polls, she has not contested an election yet.

No support from parties

Radha had no idea of what one has to do in order to contest elections. She was almost hooted out of the nomination centre when she first visited. But she did not lose hope. No one helped me. A judge suggested that I stand for the elections because she felt I was brave and strong and had a social bent of mind. When I went to file my papers, the officer said that there were only two options 'male' and 'female' but no transgender. I asked them why I can vote but cannot contest an election. I said I won't leave unless they let me contest. Then they called their office in Delhi and the ECI resolved the issue and allowed me to stand. They even took only half the deposit needed, she added.

But Radhas incident was a one-off case. The most pertinent problem the transgender community faces is that no party wants to field them as a candidate. Reddy, a member of the AIADMK at present had aspirations to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections as well but the Congress never agreed to her request for a ticket. There was a time when I requested a Lok Sabha seat from the Congress party. But Congress most certainly is not there yet in terms of recognising transwomen as viable electoral candidates. I felt although I had worked sincerely and with commitment as the National General Secretary of the women's wing, they were not very open to the idea because I feel that people also have to actually have a vision and project the trans person in the right direction and support them, said Reddy. But she is hopeful, Going forward, I think many political parties would do so and I think they will see merit in doing that as it will add depth to their agenda of inclusion and equality.

While that is an irrefutable logic, the political camps do not seem to understand that. Why do the parties not want to field candidates from the third gender? The answer is simple, said Shree Ghatak Muhuri from West Bengal, the first transwoman to get her marriage certified. Because we dont feature in their target vote bank. Why would they care about us? The only times a trans-individual is given a ticket is to taunt the opposition that you will be contesting a hijra, said Ghatak. What I have understood over these years is that people do not care much about the issues. They look at the people they are voting for and search for someone they relate to or know thus actors, public figures are fielded as candidates. Why will they field a trans person as a candidate? she asked.

The next logical question would be: why not contest as an independent candidate like Radha? Fighting an election without a partys support is not impossible but it brings down your chances of winning significantly. Not only that, without a partys support, as an independent candidate you need financial affluence to fight an election from nomination fees to campaigning, it's an expensive affair. Radha could manage it because she had some semblance of support from not just her community but from the locals in every small way possible. I am part of a transgenders' association where there are 500 members. They all contributed and helped me with my expenses. I did not have any money of my own. Some shopkeepers and small business also supported me by printing pamphlets, giving cups of coffee and so on, said Radha. But what if you do not have a support system like her?

An urgent need for representation

Transgenders have been ostracised in our society since what would seem like the dawn of civilisation they have been seen as different from the mainstream. They have been given a place in our mythology and epics but have not been made part of the mundane. They lack proper education in most cases, there are not enough government schemes to include them in daily life, people look at them differently and thus getting a job becomes a hassle. "And thus they have no financial stability have any of the political parties thought about representation? CPIM during its 2019 election campaign put LGBTQ rights at the forefront and candidates met trans-individuals to understand their issues," said Apratim Ray, Office Secretary of the state SFI unit in West Bengal. Born a man, Apratim wants to move the court soon to legally identify as a trans person.

While the issues of the trans community need to be highlighted better, why should a candidate from the first or the second gender have to talk about the issues pertaining to the transgender community? And therein lies the major issue of representation. It is not just about having a medium to voice their demands and opinions. It's about transgender individuals getting a chance to speak about their issues and not via a cisgender individual who probably will empathise but not understand the problem and thus the policies they will form won't be effective.

Right (to) representation

One might argue that every state has a Transgender Development Board to take care of the community's needs and help them prosper in society as we develop as a country. But even the members say they are not very hopeful that the board would do anything fruitful. There has been no work done to date and we dont have any hope from the board as well. I am very sceptical about how much work I would actually be able to get done even as a member, said Ghatak, who serves as a member of the West Bengal Transgender Development Board.

In fact, Ranjita Sinha, who has been a member of the board before, said that the structure of the board itself shows the discrepancy in representation. The board is chaired by officials from the Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare it is currently headed by Dr Shashi Panja. How can a woman truly understand and empathise with the issues the transgender community is facing? What if you appoint a man to head a women development board or a commission? In the same way, a person from the first or second gender cannot truly represent the third genders needs and demands, she said.

Political presence from the community is an absolute must for any concrete policy changes. Political acceptance is extremely important for trans individuals because I feel a lot of policies and schemes are formed with keeping us in mind but then our voice is not heard truly at the parliament or at any level. I think having a tokenistic approach towards the community or a synthetic, almost charitable view of the community does not help. I think we need to be at the forefront of policy-making, said Reddy. Even the censor board does not have a member from the trans community and there are so many films being made on us and we are portrayed in such a bad light in TV, cinema and advertising. I feel the political parties should ensure that communities like ours have a roadmap in politics. Unless given the opportunity how is it even possible? People talk about winning candidates. But that can happen only if you have the right support system around you. I think political parties should consider fielding us as candidates for the posts of MLAs and MPs we understand discrimination, poverty and adversity and I feel adding our voice will give a unique dimension to democracy, she added.

It is a vicious cycle you need political representation from the community to give others a chance, but no one is ready to give the first person a chance. It might not be that easy to explain why this is happening. This is a designed problem, said Bappaditya Mukherjee, the Founder and Director of Prantakatha, an organisation that works with marginalised sections of the society. There is no concrete statistic on the population of trans individuals in the country. This is a designed problem. The people involved in policymaking know that if the correct number is released then it will open a Pandoras Box. Statistics are always the driving force of any struggle. The patriarchal and cisgender heterosexual societal structure will never let the issues come to the surface. We have to fight and bring this to the public," he said. "The Nationalist Congress Party has come up with an LGBTQ wing. This is definitely a start. If you want to really empower the community you need to form a wing like the political parties have women and youth wings or unions for workers. The people need to have agency before they move towards empowerment you cannot just shield them and offer to represent their demands, he added.

Discrimination and its sway

Radha and Jaan both had to face discrimination from the very start of their election journey. But one faces discrimination even when there is no election involved. I feel we live in a society where discrimination is rampant but at the same time, we should not let it dissuade us from our path. Yes, there were people who have said harsh cruel and baseless things, people who second-guessed my intentions, people who wanted to write me off. But I think that was a source of inspiration for me. I never took this as discrimination I turned it on its head and made sure I fought my way to the top with merit, said Reddy.

But she was a successful journalist with years of work to speak for her. She had a place in society which she had earned with her merit. Education played an extremely important role in my life. Its acts as a foundation for what you want to do later on in life. When I wanted to transition the first thing that I thought was that I did not care if people love me or hated me, people had to respect me. And for that my career was extremely important. Being a journalist certainly helped me be more independent. I started earning from a very young age and got the opportunity to meet so many different kinds of people which impacted my perspective. I think in today's world, every transgender individual should look at getting themselves educated. It is definitely a step in the right direction, she added.

Sensitisation should be the key, right?

Social transformation for every nation is different. The path it takes and the time it takes for a social change to happen is different for every country. India is more socially accepting than countries like the USA when it comes to transgenders we have a spiritual and mythological history of the community. But things have not gone past that. The otherwise progressive LGBTQ community too ostracises the transgenders, said Gourab Ghosh, a researcher who has completed his Masters in Gender Studies from the Jawaharlal Nehru University. "The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) vs Union of India judgment was a progressive judgement but the Transgender Act took a few steps back. it had initially asked individuals to prove before a board that they are transgenders. This is a kind of harassment," said Ghosh. "We also need to look at our neighbouring country Pakistan where trans-individuals are contesting local body polls. I feel even the LGBTQ community in India has an elitism problem the issues of the transgenders are not highlighted as much among the community even though they are an integral part of the larger community. The T in LGBTQ stands for transgenders," he added.

We only like to identify them with their problems, their tragedies instead of stories of empowerment, said Ranjita Sinha. "This creates a perception that they are not fit for political office. There needs to be more awareness. Just announcing that we have formed a board for transgenders or we have brought out a scheme for them won't help. There need to be sensitisation drives at local levels. There needs to be political intent for that. And here's where representation comes in. A woman cannot quite understand what would be the right way to increase exposure for transgenders. They view it from a cisgender lens and that does not help," she added. "The mindset needs to change. If a woman now goes for a door-to-door campaign, people listen to her. But that place has been earned by the women themselves. We need representation to enable these changes. I have met Shabnam Mausi and her story will be etched in history. So why not have more people like her. Why not have thousands of Shabnam Mausis? The times have changed. When she fought and won the election the political scenario was different," she added.

The long and winding road ahead

Inclusion is a lengthy process and it needs time to take effect. The people of the community have to step up and fight for change and it won't be an easy change or quick one. The year 2021 will see some major elections Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are already in election mode and Reddy was ready to contest when we spoke to her, just before candidates were being chosen. "I am very hopeful that all political parties will make space for transgender candidates in the 2021 Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and given the opportunity by my party, most definitely I would like to contest, work with a strategy, a sense of responsibility and also keeping in mind the organisational goals of my party," she added. Reddy had petitioned the party to let her contest from the Kolathur constituency, from where DMK chief MK Stalin is contesting. It did not come to be this time.

Social changes do take time. There was a time when wives performing Sati was accepted as normal we have come a long way from that to women having representation and being able to raise their voice. No one can deny that we are far from equality and there is a long road ahead. But women have won back basic rights that were denied to them a century ago and all of this has happened through movements that sensitised society. The cisgender heterosexual patriarchal society will also take time to get accustomed to the fact that the third gender has the same rights as them. But it will happen, said a hopeful Sinha, "But we have to do it ourselves. We cannot have others fighting our fight," she added.

Read the rest here:

Lost in Translation: Why do Indian elections not have enough transgender candidates? - EdexLive

March Mindfulness is a Mashable series that explores the intersection of meditation practice and technology. Because even in the time of coronavirus, March doesn't have to be madness.

Get yourself into a comfortable position. Bring your attention to your breath.

Whose voice did you hear these words in? If you use meditation apps on the regular, youve got a particular person in your mind right now.

Whether your chosen app is helmed by one signature voice or offers up to 10,000, voice is an important element of a meditation app. The voice becomes your link to developing mindfulness, your intimate guide to building tactical tools to help you navigate life's ups and downs, and the key to you actually returning the next day for another session. They start your morning, bring you clarity in your most vulnerable moments, and even lull you to sleep , with the dulcet tones of Harry Styles willing you to the land of nod... wait, Harry Styles? How did he get in here?

There's significant power and strategy behind the voice within your meditation app, as major players in the mindfulness space find their own voices in an industry that relies on having a distinct one.

Undeniably, one of the most recognisable voices in the mindfulness industry today belongs to Headspace's Andy Puddicombe.

A meditation and mindfulness expert, Tibetan Buddhist monk, trained circus performer, and co-founder of Headspace, Puddicombe has recorded the majority of guided sessions for the popular app. Rival app Calm has a similar signature voice in its head of mindfulness, Tamara Levitt.

Puddicombe's voice is so familiar to users that when people meet him IRL it always goes the same way. People assume he knows them, and that they know him, because he's in their ears giving instructions to take a deep breath and enjoy the feeling of having nothing to do for 10 to 20 minutes a day.

"I think Andy's voice was a sort of underrated asset for the brand from the beginning," says Headspace's head of content, William Fowler. "Andy's from Bristol but he has a kind of accentless sort of quality to his voice. In America, a lot of people think he's Australian...they can't really place him. So, he has an oddly neutral voice but still he manages to express a kindness and approachability. That is key for the relationship people develop with him as a teacher."

You can see Puddicombe at work in this guided meditation with The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon, in which he shifts from casual chat to a two-minute guided meditation with the audience:

In 2019, following requests from users for a female voice, Headspace made the move to broaden the app's vocal pool to include that of Eve Lewis Prieto, the company's director of meditation. "A lot of people prefer Eve now," says Fowler. "We're starting to see more equitable balance in terms of usage. Because Andy's the founder, more of the content exists in his voice. Eve is catching up with him, and in terms of her popularity when users choose a voice, she's hot on his heels."

Over the years, some of you have asked for our content in a female voice. Try as I might, I just can't pull it off. Thankfully, we had the perfect woman close at hand to re-record @Headspace exercises available in-app, with more to come so you now have the choice pic.twitter.com/YvihrzoQtp

Andy Puddicombe (@andypuddicombe) July 31, 2019

Prieto had worked with Headspace since 2013, having joined the company with an interest in meditation as a tool for managing anxiety. After a rigorous recruitment process, Fowler says Prieto tested better than other candidates they'd reached out to, as she understood Headspace's approach to meditation.

A mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) teacher in training, Prieto says that Headspace's meditations try to create conditions as if the host was in the same room as you, as "your trusted friend and guide." She trained as a Headspace guide under Puddicombe and senior dharma teacher David Nichtern, and has spent time practicing at Scotland's Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery.

"My training is based heavily on my practice, without direct experience of what I am teaching it becomes harder for them to feel authentic," she says. "When I am delivering meditations or teaching a class I am very much doing the practice with them. Of course there is a lot of studying involved but without the practice then it is not an experiential experience and that is so important when teaching meditation."

Even in an audio medium, diversity matters for Headspace users. "We had feedback from our members that they didn't feel our representation was what they expected," Fowler says, adding that the company started recruiting people of colour as guided meditation teachers in 2020 (both Puddicombe and Prieto are white).

"We are trying to create a range of representation within the product so people can feel themselves reflected in the voices that they hear," says Fowler.

Headspace reached out to a range of meditation guides, focusing on tone, teaching approach, and authenticity. Headspace wasn't looking for someone robotic, who sounded like they were reading a script. Instead, it wanted someone to bring their own practice and energy to the company. Registered psychiatric nurse Dora Kamau tested extremely well, and was hired as a full-time mindfulness meditation teacher in November 2020. "Her desire to teach meditation stemmed from the lack of diversity in the mindfulness community, and a yearning for more wellness spaces with Black representation," says Prieto.

Also hired was acupuncturist and outpatient psychotherapist Kessonga Giscombe, who is trained in MBSR. However, browsing through Headspace's classes, Puddicombe and Prieto still pop up most often as teachers you can choose from.

Leading the charge for representation in meditation apps is Shine, created by Marah Lidey and Naomi Hirabayashi, a Black woman and a half-Japanese woman, who wanted to centre the mental health of marginalised groups they felt were "otherized" in mainstream wellness. The pair met as coworkers a decade ago, and crafted Shine's brand "voice" through their experience of helping each other cope through stress.

Representation is reflected in both Shine's guides and the packaging of its classes. The app prominently features a "Black mental health" playlist, for example. And most of Shine's audio content is created by Black women or women from marginalised communities.

"We are for everyone and also recognise that by elevating representative and diverse voices that are reflective of the world and our audience, that's how we elevate all of us," says Hirabayashi. "We're reflecting a variety of different experiences, because the intersection of our own experiences with mental health is how we experience different elements of struggle or confidence or trauma."

Beyond representation, Lidey and Hirabayashi also look for experience, how well the guide meshes with Shine's mission, and warmth. Hosts need to be certified, either as a therapist, career coach, or wellness teacher. Listening to them also needs to feel like "spending time with a close friend that makes you feel safe, trusted, and loved versus just a generic voice."

"When we thought about the voice we wanted to create with Shine, it was really about like, your friend with a psych degree," says Lidey. "Somebody who is aspirational, has the background in science and research, but isn't necessarily leading with that in a top-down way, instead is making it accessible, giving you language, and helping you to find an entry point."

Shine started as a self-care app that sent you motivational texts, but after testing delivery with digital assistants Alexa and Google Home, Shine evolved into a more expansive meditation app.

Regular voices include those of poet, author, and creator Mel Chant, self empowerment coach Jamila Reddy, creator and yoga teacher Elisha Mudly, and writer and creator Aisha Beau, among others. And while Shine has a whole team of hosts and writers on board, director of content Haley Goldberg created a community-driven model for the content themes. Every user review and customer service ticket goes directly into Slack where all team members can see it. "There's a lot of transparency on what our users are feeling both about the product but just about their lives," says Lidey, pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fight for racial justice, the U.S. election, and political uprisings across the world as major touchpoints for Shine users.

While some might be happily welcomed into mindfulness by this friend with a psych degree, others might be more tempted by a famous voice. Within the last decade, as the mindfulness industry has boomed, meditation apps have attracted the attention of celebrities, notably actors, whose vocal training and roles as professional storytellers make their voice attractive to listeners and provides a marketing hook for the apps themselves.

Only some celebrities are presenting guided meditation programs a celebrity himself, meditation expert Deepak Chopra's collaboration with the instantly recognisable (and forever soothing) voice of Oprah Winfrey for free meditations on his own mindfulness app, Chopra, was released in November 2020. This is serious mindfulness star power right here:

Kevin Hart is one of Headspace's most significant star partnerships. His content series includes an advice segment, "Energy Shots with Kevin," and the genuinely funny "Mindful Runs," motivating users to run mindfully.

"We saw this opportunity to appeal to people that maybe wouldn't consider mindfulness otherwise," says Headspace's Fowler. "It also speaks to the original goal of Headspace at the very beginning: to demystify meditation." Making mindfulness fun and approachable is the key to Hart's content for the platform, deploying comedy through the different elements of meditation.

"One would be a compassionate approach to doing your practice imperfectly," Fowler explains. "As you fail, you forgive yourself and keep going...So, we give that idea to Kevin, he puts his unique spin on it, and it becomes a really funny monologue about failure."

Hart writes and delivers this content himself, but he isn't running guided meditation sessions (those are still run by Puddicombe, Prieto, and Headspace's new instructors Kamau and Giscombe).

While Hart is carving out a motivational space within the meditation as a lifestyle sector, sleep is where most of the stars are. Calm launched Sleep Stories in 2016, and since then has seen LeBron James, Matthew McConaughey, Idris Elba, Lucy Liu, Nick Offerman, and most recently, Harry Styles (who notably invested in Calm in 2018) reading boring soothing bedtime tales in a low, slow tone for you to drift off to. Calm co-founder and co-CEO Michael Acton Smith said in a press statement that the singer's "mellifluous voice is the perfect tonic to calm a racing mind." And look, he's not wrong:

Sleep stories are less of a risk for a celebrity than a full-on meditation session. While a celeb may get dinged for teaching a listener how to develop mindfulness tools when they aren't an expert in that field, delivering a long-winded tale may be right up their alley. Unsurprisingly, the stories are immensely popular. McConaugheys "Wonder," a 30-minute story about nostalgia, written by Calm editor and writer Chris Advansun, has been listened to "more than 11 million times" since its 2018 release. McConaughey, with his signature, soothing Texan drawl, was simply made for this.

McConaughey is familiar to many, so his bedtime story is worth checking out as a fun thing to do, even if you're not into mindfulness. You might be nervous about trying a meditation app, but seeing a celebrity you like in the lineup might make things less intimidating. There's also an element of pure novelty in hearing that skilled actor or singer attempt a style of performance you're not used to seeing them in. And then there's the allure of connecting with a celebrity on a deeply personal level in a meditation app. You get to share a vulnerable moment with a person you feel like you already know without actually meeting them. Meeting them would ruin it! Celebrity podcasts sit in this same realm; you can have a casual, comfortably one-sided conversation with Laverne Cox, RuPaul, Anna Faris, or Dax Shepard. We're able to feel closer to these celebrities without putting awkward social pressure on either side.

This celebrity push went even further with Calm's TV foray, its 10-episode HBO Max series A World of Calm narrated by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Kate Winslet, Mahershala Ali, Oscar Isaac, Nicole Kidman and more. Famous voices are something so far not employed in Headspace's own venture into streaming, Netflix's Headspace Guide to Meditation, which saw the first of three planned series narrated by its own celeb, Puddicombe.

Though less invested in using superstar voices outside of the Kevin Hartnership, Headspace's hugely popular sleepcasts (again, slowly told stories told with Abe Simpson-level detail designed to get you to nap) have gained somewhat of a cult following I, for one, am a major fan of them, especially the story "Cat Marina."

Fowler and his team have significant listener data to help them analyse which sleepcasts are going well. Popular subject matter (the internet loves cats) and voice plays a major part in planning future episodes.

"If we see there seems to be heat there, we'll double down on that VO artist," he says, noting the sleepcasts have even developed their own fandoms. "If you look at our Facebook groups, you see that it's hotly debated, people tend to go for one and then they'll come back to that voice and maybe that suite of sleepcasts over and over again." Fandoms over sleep story voices on a meditation app is as niche as it gets.

However, some celebrities are following in Chopra's footsteps and reaching beyond sleep stories and pep talks. Insight Timer launched a series of free guided meditations with practitioner, author, and model Gisele Bndchen, who reached out to the app she'd personally used for years. On this platform, however, she's just one teacher among 10,000.

Star cameos aside, Headspace and Shine stick to a small group of staff voices on the app, whereas competitors like Insight Timer operate with a different model: Thousands of independent teachers upload their own content to the freemium app.

"We thought OK, let's do something in the meditation space as a marketplace not like Calm or Headspace with one or two teachers, let's actually create a marketplace for meditation teachers to go out and find new audiences," says Insight Timer CEO Christopher Plowman, who bought the self-guided meditation timer app in 2014 with his brother, Nicho Plowman, a meditation teacher wanting to find and develop students.

"Diversity of choice in meditation practice, it turns out is really important. People get bored, surprise, surprise."

Insight Timer is a massive free library of guided meditations without ads (a paid subscription gets you unique content). Do people tend to stick with one teacher among thousands? "What we find is they start to meander," Plowman says. "The average number of teachers that someone follows on our app is 11 to 12 teachers...Diversity of choice in meditation practice, it turns out is really important. People get bored, surprise, surprise."

Meditation teachers regularly upload content in 44 languages and across 45 religions including Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity. "We decided very early on that we weren't going to strip out spirituality and religion, because people are inherently spiritual or religious," says Plowman. "Recently, a lot of apps like Calm and Headspace have stripped all that out because they want to get into corporations and schools, and there's a big separation of church and state."

With 10,000 teachers uploading content, quality control is a challenge and the only thing Insight Timer really sends back is recordings of poor audio quality. There's no brand training for teachers, but there are practical resources. "Obviously we don't provide curriculum training about what's the right meditation or what's the right religious system," says Plowman. "We definitely provide training and guidance on best practices and recording audio tips." Insight Timer's large user community remains the primary monitoring tool, as the app filters content according to ratings and "features" tracks rated 4.6 and above.

With this setup, some meditation sessions on Insight Timer are better than others so it may take a while to find a voice you like. And though the content may vary in quality, the company doesn't often ditch content. "We very very very rarely remove anything from our platform," says Plowman. "I think we've removed three teachers out of 10,000 in seven years because the decisions they made in their personal lives, it was not appropriate that they were on our platform. But we don't like to censor, we don't like to determine what you should listen to."

With so many meditation apps available, there's a lot of voice choice these days. It's important to try a few teachers before you settle on one, as everyone responds to meditation guides differently.

The choices made by the companies putting voices into your mindful ears matter, as they can welcome you into the practice (or discourage you), help you stay focused, and enable you to develop tactical mindfulness tools to navigate turbulent and calm times alike. There's power and responsibility in a few simple words spoken into a microphone, aimed directly at your brain.

You won't hear them the same again.

Go here to read the rest:

Who Gets To Be The Voice Inside Your Meditation App? - Mashable India

Hyderabad: After pursuing for nearly two weeks, I received a call on March 30 stating that Nowhera Shaik, with much hesitation, agreed to a one-on-one interview. This was for the second time she faced the media after her release from Byculla Jail in Mumbai this January.

For those new to this name, Shaik is the founder and CEO of 20-year-old Hyderabad-based Heera Group of companies with a turnover of Rs 10,000 crore. Owning five malls, the company trades in gold, textile, and food products. It has a staff strength of 25,000 and meter-running clientele.

However, the business operations came to a halt after she was booked for multi-crore Ponzi scheme fraud.

Pertinent to note that she was first arrested in 2018 when she forayed into politics and launched 'All India Mahila Empowerment Party'. She was arrested 20 times and spent close to 3 years in different jails across Telangana and Maharashtra.

Hailing from the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, she is accused of collecting money from thousands of Muslims especially women based in India and abroad in the name of "Halal Investment".

According to Enforcement Directorate sleuths, Shaik collected deposits to the tune of Rs 5600 Crore from around 1,72,000 investors (IBG Members) across the country by making alleged false promises of paying high rate of returns i.e. 3% per month (36% to 40% per year).

Coming back to the interview call, I was asked to come to the head office of the Heera group located at Banjara Hills Road No 10. It was the third day since the company resumed operations. While I sat at the reception, many clientele walked in for inquiries.

After waiting for an hour, I was asked to proceed to her residence a few kilometers away. The house, which is under round-the-clock guard, is nothing less than a palace. The opulent furniture, exquisite interiors and 24x 7 round-the-clock maids reflected the empire that Shaik had built and speaks of her journey from a palace to prison and back.

After waiting for another one hour, the maid asked me to proceed to the 2nd floor in an inbuilt lift, where I finally began the interview:

Q. Hailing from a conservative Muslim family and having the least financial support, how did you set up Heera group with a turnover of Rs 10,000 Crore and came on the radar of investigation agencies?

My father was a small-time businessman. He was well versed in trade. So the seed was sown by him. Back in 1988, I started Heera Group of companies with an aim to empower backward Muslim women by providing them employment and make them self-reliant. The first venture was in Andhra Pradesh. Later I expanded my business to Maharashtra and Karnataka. In 20 years, we expanded our operations to metro cities. Many women across India trusted and invested with us. Investment ranged from hundreds to lakhs of rupees. We launched Heera mart that sells gold, garments, food products. Thousands of clienteles benefitted from our schemes which attracted more investment. Like any other profit-making business, the Heera group came on the radar of our enemies.

In 2012, a complaint was filed stating the company has no license. This resulted in an investigation. The agency probing, many at times carried out searches without a warrant and confiscating electronic devices and files. It was because of 'political pressure'. I was repeatedly called for questioning. Hundreds of notices were issued between 2012 and 2017. Later, central crime investigating agencies were involved. One of the many bizarre complaints I found against me was that bundles of currency are lying in my house. It was in 2017, I filed Rs 100 crore defamation suit against individuals for false complaints. When my petition was heard by High Court, an FIR was filed against me.

(Fact-check: ED's investigation found that Nowhera Shaik and Heera Group of companies did not possess any valid permission either under Banking Regulation Act, or from RBI or from any other government agency such as SEBI for collecting deposits).

Q: ED's probe found Heera Group of companies cheated 1.72 lakh investors and diverted nearly Rs 5,600 Cr for personal gain. Your contention?

Heera Group was a full-fledged running company having lakhs of clientele. However, only a group of 25-30 clienteles from different states connected to a particular political party filed complaints at the Central Crime Station resulting in an FIR. Without giving notice to the company, I was arrested in Delhi in 2018. It is pertinent to note that the arrest came a few days after I announced to launch a political party. There is no truth in the claims that the company cheated 1.72 lakh clients. During the hearing, the prosecution could only produce 20 receipts and cited Rs 500 crore scam. However, the receipts were only for Rs 3 lakh. If 1.72 lakh people have been cheated, I urge them to come forward and claim their money. Even in the list of complainant, less than 30 people have been named. So where does this figure come from.

Q. Why do you say that you're a victim of political vendetta?

I was arrested on October 14, 2018, from Delhi and brought to Chanchalguda Women Prison jail. After spending 9 days in prison, I was granted bail by Nampally session court.

As soon as my bail was granted, the authorities with signing power went on unscheduled leave, delaying my release, it took 5 days to complete the jail formalities. Immediately another FIR was lodged against me in Maharashtra. The moment I stepped out, Mumbai police arrested me in a different case. Multiple FIRs were registered against me in different states.

On January 1, 2020, Mumbai police again took me into custody. I was moved from one jail to another, by flight. Heera mart malls and godowns were forced to shut down. From family to staff, people were threatened that they too will be arrested, a celebrity who attended a family function was also in the list. This was done despite the fact that the Heera group paid Rs 100 crore as income tax before the arrest. If this is not political vendetta, what is it?

My legal team anticipating more arrest and approached the Supreme Court for bail. Later the High court issued an order in favor of Heera Group. It was on January 23, 2021, that I was granted interim bail.

Q. You claim to have been ill-treated in the Jail?

I am witness to calls (received by officials) to ensure I was tortured. Strangers made multiple inquiries about me. I was transferred from one cell to another to ensure my health deteriorates. Being an under-trial prisoner, I was put in a cell accommodating mentally ill and hard-core criminals. But I took it in my stride. The jail authorities did not provide proper amenities. I cited the jail annual and fought for my rights.

Later, I made friends with other jail mates. There are so many people stuck in prison due to a lack of legal support. I will fight for them and may file a petition in the court. The friendship bond grew so strong that many have written letters.

Q. Investigation into money laundering case has revealed that Heera group created 250 accounts in India and eight accounts in UAE and Saudi Arabia to divert money for wrongful gains. Your comments?

I urge the investigating agency to provide the details of all the bank accounts and quantum of money diverted. Heera group has lakhs of transactions. If the funds have been diverted for wrongful gains, I urge the officials to put it on paper before the court. According to my calculation, only 29 members have filed FIR. Where are the rest investors who claimed to be cheated? Out of the 250 accounts, the officials have shown only 71. Where are the rest?

I do not own any property in Dubai. It is a known fact that all properties are given on lease for a period of 15-20 years. We have taken commercial space on rent for company operations.

Q. What is your strategy to pay back?

The Supreme Court while granting conditional bail has directed me to return money to the complainant and resume operations. The company already submitted cheques in the court. Investors who have to get Rs 1 lakh received Rs 2 lakh. We have returned double the money. Complainants can approach the office with the members' ID number and after checking, the money will be returned. The company has enough resources to return investors' money. Hopefully, before Ramzan, all payments will be cleared.

Q. Properties worth Rs 299.99 Crore of Heera group have been attached. Has any property been released following the SC order?

A. Few accounts have been unlocked but no properties have been released. Unless the resources are set free, I cannot resume operations completely. Talking about future plans, there are efforts to reopen all malls before Ramzan, hopefully. The company is waiting for unfreezing of properties and data. I started this company with 200 women and currently. Now, there are lakhs of clienteles.

Read more:

From Palace to Prison: Nowhera Shaik of Heera group hopeful of re-paying investors before Ramzan - NewsMeter