The Optimist Daily's Weekly Roundup

The Optimist Daily
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Do you like the stories from around the world that recognize and celebrate the people and events making a positive change? Tune in to The Optimist Daily's Weekly Roundup, where our solutions-focused stories continue, and hear behind-the-scenes discussions from the people bringing you the news.

  1. (Guest Interview) She calls herself a mermaid now: How Swim Sista Swim Is Changing Who Belongs in the Water

    2D AGO

    (Guest Interview) She calls herself a mermaid now: How Swim Sista Swim Is Changing Who Belongs in the Water

    Stephanie McKenzie has been swimming since she was a child. She came to Swim Sista Swim as an instructor and, as you'll hear in her voice, is a vibrant and confident woman on all counts. Yet she still feels a twinge of doubt every time she walks into a public pool alone, still notices that more often than not, she's the only one there who looks like her. That's what Swim Sista Swim is trying to change. In this episode, Arielle talks with founder Carol Burrell, instructor Stephanie, and participant Janet Rose about why swimming has historically felt out of reach for Black women, and how together, they are changing that narrative for themselves and future generations. Carol just launched a second programme called Mandem Swim, which gives Black men access to the same safe learning space and sense of community so that they, too, can take advantage of their city's waterways. Connect with Carol Burrell and Swim Sista Swim: Email: carol.burrell@canalrivertrust.org.uk LinkedIn: Carol Burrell Canal & River Trust: canalrivertrust.org.uk Transcript link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/?p=1422279 If you have questions, comments, feedback, suggestions, or just want to say hi, send a message to: podcast@optimistdaily.com. Want to be part of the Optimism Movement? Become an Emissary. Subscribe to our FREE Daily Newsletter and follow us on Instagram, X, and Blue Sky. The Optimist Daily is a project of the World Business Academy. Donate link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/donate-to-support-the-optimist-daily/?gift=Y%20http:// Theme and all original music by Marvin Lanes

    33 min

  2. MAY 8

    Gene therapy restores hearing, Gaza teens win a global prize, and eight more wins

    Europe's first stadium built exclusively for women's football is going up in Brighton! And the most interesting design decision wasn't the pitch. It was the size. Arielle and Karissa cover ten solutions this week, including a single injection that gave a child her hearing, two teenage sisters in Gaza who are up for a global environmental prize, and what China just crossed in green hydrogen capacity. Transcript link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/?p=1422193 If you have questions, comments, feedback, suggestions, or just want to say hi, send a message to podcast@optimistdaily.com. Want to be part of the Optimism Movement? Become an Emissary. Subscribe to our FREE Daily or Weekly Newsletter and follow us on Instagram, X, and Blue Sky. The Optimist Daily is a project of the World Business Academy. Donate link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/donate-to-support-the-optimist-daily/?gift=Y%20http:// Theme and all original music by Marvin Lanes

    20 min
  3. Antarctic whales by the hundreds, the UK's generational smoking ban, and more positive news this week

    MAY 1

    Antarctic whales by the hundreds, the UK's generational smoking ban, and more positive news this week

    For the first time in history, clean energy grew faster than global electricity demand and fossil fuel generation actually went down. That's not even the most surprising thing in this episode. Arielle and Karissa cover ten solutions this week, including a UK law that bans the legal purchase of tobacco forever, a bridge that was never going to have a car lane, and the growing case for making your own life harder on purpose. Transcript link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/?p=1422154 If you have questions, comments, feedback, suggestions, or just want to say hi, send a message to podcast@optimistdaily.com. Want to be part of the Optimism Movement? Become an Emissary. Subscribe to our FREE Daily Newsletter and follow us on Instagram, X, and Blue Sky. The Optimist Daily is a project of the World Business Academy. Donate link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/donate-to-support-the-optimist-daily/?gift=Y%20http:// Theme and all original music by Marvin Lanes

    20 min
  4. Good news for donkeys, rats, wildflowers, and people who hate step trackers

    APR 24

    Good news for donkeys, rats, wildflowers, and people who hate step trackers

    This week, a 58-day protest campaign just convinced Etsy to ban all animal fur starting this August. Germany spent decades digging coal out of the ground, leaving craters 200 feet deep. This month, the last one opened for swimming. And Cambodia unveiled the world's first statue dedicated to a landmine-detecting rat. Arielle and Karissa also get into why wildflowers are thriving in city cracks (turns out they love stress), the donkeys that have kept one Spanish national park fire-free for nine years, and the research that makes a pretty good case for leaving your step tracker at home. If you have questions, comments, feedback, suggestions, or just want to say hi, send a message to podcast@optimistdaily.com. Want to be part of the Optimism Movement? Become an Emissary. Subscribe to our FREE Daily Newsletter and follow us on Instagram, X, and Blue Sky. The Optimist Daily is a project of the World Business Academy. Donate link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/donate-to-support-the-optimist-daily/?gift=Y%20http:// Theme and all original music by Marvin Lanes

    21 min
  5. Why you keep falling for the same person, and 9 other things worth discussing this week

    APR 17

    Why you keep falling for the same person, and 9 other things worth discussing this week

    This week: a German research team built a water contamination test that runs on a smartphone and gives you an answer in under a minute. A Cornell professor has a gardening trick that involves water, a paper towel, and one night. A Bristol startup figured out what to do with festival urine! Arielle and Karissa also talk about the psychology of why you keep falling for the same type, Earth Day turning 56, and the free home reset that's apparently all about the "invisible layer." And for the first time, an Optimist Daily's Emissary shout-out goes out! Therese highlights Emily Oakley and Michael Appel of Three Springs Farm in Oklahoma, two farmers who've spent over two decades working on food, land, and community. If you have questions, comments, feedback, suggestions, or just want to say hi, send a message to podcast@optimistdaily.com. Transcript link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/?p=1422061 Want to be part of the Optimism Movement? Become an Emissary. Subscribe to our FREE Daily Newsletter and follow us on Instagram, X, and Blue Sky. The Optimist Daily is a project of the World Business Academy. Donate link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/donate-to-support-the-optimist-daily/?gift=Y%20http://

    19 min
  6. (Guest Interview) Given Two Weeks, She Lived a Year: The Woman Who Built a Rescue for the Dogs Everyone Overlooks | National Pet Day 2026

    APR 10

    (Guest Interview) Given Two Weeks, She Lived a Year: The Woman Who Built a Rescue for the Dogs Everyone Overlooks | National Pet Day 2026

    In honor of National Pet Day, Arielle sits down with Erica Psaltis, founder of senior dog rescue Silver Linings Rescue Ranch in Bend, Oregon. They talk about what actually goes into running a rescue like this: the intake process, the misconceptions people have about older dogs, the losses, and how Erica keeps showing up even when things get overwhelming. It's a story about dogs most people don't consider. About loving something with a short timeline and recognizing beauty and value in what's fleeting. This is the perfect episode to listen to while taking a hike or a stroll or snuggling up with your pets! Support Silver Linings Rescue Ranch: Website: silverliningsrescueranch.org Follow and share on Instagram and Facebook Transcript link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/?p=1422021 If you have questions, comments, feedback, suggestions, or just want to say hi, send a message to: podcast@optimistdaily.com. Want to be part of the Optimism Movement? Become an Emissary. Subscribe to our FREE Daily Newsletter and follow us on Instagram, X, and Blue Sky. The Optimist Daily is a project of the World Business Academy. Donate link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/donate-to-support-the-optimist-daily/?gift=Y%20http:// Sound credits: Theme and all original music by Marvin Lanes "Stable Noises- Birds and Horses Neighing.wav" by GoodListener (freesound.org/s/322443) — License: Attribution 4.0 "angelic aaaahh two-part harmony.wav" by Wolfsinger (freesound.org/s/25759) — License: Attribution 4.0 "Likes, Thumbs Up" by LilMati (freesound.org/s/714569) — License: Creative Commons 0 "Pomeranian Small Dog Barking.mp3" by yunjish (freesound.org/s/608732) — License: Creative Commons 0

    30 min
  7. Good Friday good news: speed friending, fire fungi, and the science of sleep

    APR 3

    Good Friday good news: speed friending, fire fungi, and the science of sleep

    This week starts with casino Easter eggs and a prom-posal, because apparently Good Friday is full of surprises. Then Arielle and Karissa get into the actual news: a teenager built a working microplastic filter in her garage, Mexico's monarch butterflies had their best winter in nearly a decade, and a $375 million jury verdict just put Meta on notice. There's also a California law that stops punishing college students for asking for help after an overdose, a roundup of Easter traditions that gets genuinely weird, and some fungi that show up in wildfire burn scars before anything else does. If you have questions, comments, feedback, suggestions, or just want to say hi, send a message to: podcast@optimistdaily.com. Transcript link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/?p=1421975  Want to be part of the Optimism Movement? Become an Emissary. Subscribe to our FREE Daily Newsletter and follow us on Instagram, X, and Blue Sky. The Optimist Daily is a project of the World Business Academy. Donate link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/donate-to-support-the-optimist-daily/?gift=Y%20http://

    19 min
  8. Touching the Veiled Christ, urban coyotes, and the truth about your allergies

    MAR 27

    Touching the Veiled Christ, urban coyotes, and the truth about your allergies

    Arielle and Karissa are back this week, and the stories span everything from marble sculptures in Naples to coyote dens in American cities. A museum in Naples opened its barriers so blind visitors could touch the Veiled Christ, led by blind guides who know that experience firsthand. Urban coyotes are raising pups closer to you than you think, and on purpose. If your spring allergies have been brutal lately, new research explains why the season itself has changed. Those three stories alone are worth pulling up a chair for, but there are seven more waiting! If you have questions, comments, feedback, suggestions, or just want to say hi, send a message to: podcast@optimistdaily.com. Transcript link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/?p=1421930 Want to be part of the Optimism Movement? Become an Emissary. Subscribe to our FREE Daily Newsletter and follow us on Instagram, X, and Blue Sky. The Optimist Daily is a project of the World Business Academy. Donate link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/donate-to-support-the-optimist-daily/?gift=Y%20http://

    21 min
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Do you like the stories from around the world that recognize and celebrate the people and events making a positive change? Tune in to The Optimist Daily's Weekly Roundup, where our solutions-focused stories continue, and hear behind-the-scenes discussions from the people bringing you the news.

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