Focus Topic: Purpose & Meaning

I’ve spent my entire adult life working on issues of economic disparity. Guided by a passion for social justice coupled with an affinity for law, I began my career as a Legal Aid lawyer representing very low-income families on issues spanning from racial discrimination and housing evictions to the right to education and health care. […]

Geared to youth ages 15-21, #HalfTheStory's Digital Civics Academy application is open until May 15th.

Purpose. A word that sparks reaction and emotion, opinions and theories, and hope as well as dread. Lately, I’ve been having a lot of conversations about purpose with high school students, college students, mentors, executive directors of youth programs, staff of youth programs, researchers, funders, parents, my grandmother, and so many more. Purpose has been […]

A new report by Tommi Laitio recommends a path to ensuring that every child in Charlotte has something in their life that makes their eyes light up: a hobby. Last August, my husband and I had to empty the attic of our Helsinki apartment. We discovered a dozen broken suitcases, a box of old notebooks, a coffee […]

Join Sally, in her Q&A with Tommi Laitio of Convivencia Urbana, a Partner of Gambrell.

Why Our Relationship with Technology Needs a Revolution Ten years ago, when I started this journey, we were worried about Instagram filters warping our sense of self. Now? We’re grappling with deepfakes that can clone our voices and replicate our entire beings. The dopamine hits we once got from notifications? They’re nothing compared to the […]

In January, I visited the Designmuseum Denmark in Copenhagen and stumbled upon an exhibit called “Bottled Ponderings.” It’s an old-style cabinet filled with over 300 tiny “medicine” vials, each labeled with something that affects our well-being—everything from passion and relationships to narcissism and loneliness. This quirky display reminded me that tackling well-being involves looking at […]

I finally did the math: If I’m lucky, I have 884 weeks left to live. And no, I don’t have a sudden terminal illness to disclose. Last year, I received a copy of Oliver Burkeman’s latest book: “4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.” It was life changing. The premise: If you live to be 80, […]