Welcome back to another episode of Espresso with Coops, and this season I’m chatting to a brilliant guest in each episode about a belief they have changed their mind about, and the wider impact that’s had in their lives. As ever we’re focused on… ☕ Small sips. Big shifts. My guest this week has another interesting and varied background, and so once again we could have spent all afternoon chatting, but even in this short conversation there were so many highlights, and lots of personal memories I was reminded of. Stephanie Acker, founder of Everyplace, strongly believes in the power of beauty as something that can and should be accessible to all, not least in the place they call home - wherever that may be. We talked about her shift in thinking about beauty as a luxury good to something much bigger, and how that plays out in so many ways, including: * the link with positive psychology, and looking for beauty in the small things * encouraging individuals to really think about what beauty means for them * the importance of promoting the need for beauty, and the arts, alongside meeting basic needs * how taking small moments of time to notice beauty can have a hugely positive effect on stress * the ways beauty can show up in a home, in so many different ways * the concept of home being about belonging, and how we create that * tackling guilt we might feel at experiencing beauty when not everyone is in as fortunate a position to do so * beauty as dignity, and a reminder that every individual matters We also touched on character strengths, as we did earlier in episode one of this series, which you can explore for yourself with VIA. Keep in touch with Stephanie and find out more about her work via: 💻 Every-place.org 💼 LinkedIn 🖼️ Steph’s Instagram 🏡 Everyplace Instagram Stephanie Acker has worked locally, nationally and internationally on the concept of home. She is the founder and executive director of Everyplace, a nonprofit organization that works with refugee communities to transform camps, settlements, and reception centers into places of beauty, dignity, and belonging through art, design, and placemaking. She is also a part-time Research Associate at the European University Institute’s Migration Policy Centre. Previously, she has worked with UNICEF, the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, as well as having led Boston’s homeless shelters and housing programs. In 2015, she was also selected as a United States Presidential Management Fellow. Stephanie was born in California, considers Boston home, but currently lives in Florence, Italy with her husband, three kids, and seven bikes. Thank you for being here again this season. I’m truly grateful. If you’ve enjoyed these conversations, please do go back and listen to any episodes you might have missed, and continue to share, subscribe, like, and leave a review. It makes a real difference and helps the podcast reach others who might need it. 👉 Take a small sip. Feel the shift. Subscribe for weekly episodes of Espresso with Coops. 💬 These short sips are made to be shared, so pass it on to someone who needs it today. 💛 Make sure we are connected on socials, whether Substack, Instagram or LinkedIn. Get full access to Coffee with Coops at ruthcooperdickson.substack.com/subscribe
