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

    5D AGO

    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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. (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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. From psilocybin to ocean robots: 10 solutions you'll actually want to hear about

    MAR 20

    From psilocybin to ocean robots: 10 solutions you'll actually want to hear about

    This week, Arielle and Karissa cover a tiny African island paying locals to protect its rainforest, the lion DNA case that just sent two poachers to prison, and new research on music, overthinking, and quitting smoking. Oh, and the hummingbirds are on their way. 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=1421894 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://

    22 min
  8. Golden frogs are back, bacteria are eating cancer, and cherry blossom season is almost here

    MAR 13

    Golden frogs are back, bacteria are eating cancer, and cherry blossom season is almost here

    Spring is in the air, and so is this week's roundup of solutions, breakthroughs, and good news worth sharing. Arielle and Karissa are back together after last week's Sambhali Trust guest interview, and they've got a full lineup: wildlife conservation wins, medical milestones, an environmental project decades in the making finally paying off, and some surprisingly simple advice about what you're actually eating. Plus, a closing quote about cherry blossoms and hanging on to the good times 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=1421850 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://

    15 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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