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 As painful and devastating as this pandemic has been for so many, I also regard it as sacred time. Because I am healthy and able to pay my bills, at a time when millions are not, I started by painting my appreciation for the "health care warriors and front line workers" on my fence, which is a great message board.
For me, these weeks of unprecedented isolation have also been a time to reflect on what I can and will do differently, once we begin to emerge. I live in the metropolitan Detroit area of Michigan, an area that has been one of the hardest-hit "hot spots" in the United States. At this writing, 4,343 Michiganders have died from COVID-19 with nearly 46,000 confirmed cases. We are still under enforced stay-at-home orders until the end of May.
I have no idea what changes await us. But I know that I plan to drive less, to cook and eat at home more and to increase my focus and energy on helping to address the many gaping holes in humanity's safety nets that this pandemic has revealed. One of the ways I can do that is by helping to amplify wise voices and building awareness for important issues through the two podcasts that I host.
POWERING UP is my bi-weekly podcast that is, "A cross-generational, cross-cultural conversation about leadership, power and gender." My most recent episodes delve into: The Dramatic Spike in Domestic Violence during COVID-19; Why the Pandemic is Disproportionately Impacting Minority, At-Risk Communities; and The Disturbing Freefall in Women College Coaches.
GAME CHANGERS is the monthly podcast that I host for the restigious International Women's Forum. This most recent episode features two formidable women leaders on the farming and distribution front lines of the global food chain, which is in crisis. I hope you'll listen.
 And if you know an aspiring podcaster (maybe yourself?!), join Robin Kinnie, Founder of the Motor City Woman studio, and me on Tuesday, May 12 when we'll be sharing tips on honing your interviewing skills. Facebook Live 7pm EST, Motor City Woman.
I'm just a small ant on this gorgeous planet and often feel as if my efforts to make a positive difference barely matter.
But then Laura Alemán, my Spanish "niece," sent me Resistiré, her country's gorgeous, adopted "hymn against the pandemic" -- whose refrain translates as: "I will resist, erect in front of everything . . . and although the winds of life blow strong, I'm like the reed that bends, but always stands" -- and I am inspired to keep trying and to keep believing that our human siblings and our planet are worth the fight.
Power On!
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