As PR professionals, facilitating media content in many forms is a big part of our daily life, so it’s always fun to take a step back and share what we’ve been consuming in our personal time. We hope this not only helps you find something inspirational, humorous, or thought-provoking to add to your list but also gives you a little more insight into our multifaceted team.
What I’m Reading
Stacy Kline
Right now I’m reading the book “Jimmy Carter: River & Dreams.” The book is co-authored by one of Carter’s long-time friends, supporters, and fishing buddies, Dr. Carlton Hicks, as well as author Jim Barger Jr. The book features 12 stories set in 12 locations around the globe where Jim Barger Jr. and Hicks recount how President Carter and his lifelong friends changed the course of world history, all while casting flies and pursuing the perfect strike.
This book has been such a joy to read and one that’s given me a different perspective on Carter.
Recalling my high school history classes, I remember Carter being painted as a not-so-great president, but this book has really shown me that there was more to it than I was taught. I think deep down Carter really was a decent human being (hard to come by in politics) and genuinely cared about people and the planet. He was an incredible human who brokered a ton of peace deals, made Habitat for Humanity what it is today, and convinced billionaires like Ted Turner to give away tons of their money to help the greater good and protect our planet, all while continuing to fly fish until he was 93. This book is full of adventure, inspiration, and friendship. It’s one that I’d highly recommend to anyone looking for a feel-good book that will give you some mad fishing envy (even for non-anglers like me).
What I’m Watching
Gordon Brown
St. Stephen’s-St. Edward’s School, circa 2011, in Mr. Cooper’s 7th-grade class is where my enamorment with American history began. Fast forward 15 or so years, and now I love all the movies and documentaries you’ve probably watched with your dad or grandpa, like “Patton,” “The Patriot,” “Gods and Generals,” “The Longest Day,” “Band of Brothers,” and just about anything made by Ken Burns. (No specific order here, by the way.)
While those are all classics, by the 15th time I find myself quoting, “Aim small, miss small” and “Lord, make me fast and accurate,” I know it’s probably time to find something new.
Lately, I’ve been watching “Grant” on Netflix.
The three-part miniseries follows Ulysses S. Grant from his early life to his military career and then covers his struggles as a Union general during the Civil War and eventually into the White House as the 18th President of the United States.
What I really enjoy about the series is that it doesn’t simply portray Grant as the great general we know from history books. It spends a lot of time showing the adversity, failures, doubts, and personal struggles he faced along the way. His victories on the battlefield are a huge part of the story, but seeing how the man behind them makes those victories feel much more meaningful. His ability to keep moving forward, learn from his failures, and lead through the darkest period in our country’s history is what makes his story so compelling.
If you want to learn more about one of America’s most fascinating leaders, “Grant” is well worth a watch.
What I’m Listening To
Angie Robinson
Lately, I’ve been looking for little pockets of optimism anywhere I can find them, and that’s how I came upon the podcast A Bit of Optimism. I didn’t know who Simon Sinek was when I first listened to an interview he did with Melinda Gates many months ago. Since then, I’ve come to trust him as an expert on business and pushing outside your comfort zone to find out what you’ll learn.
I have a couple of favorite episodes (my business partners, Coral and Cory, will probably tell you I have many favorites since I text them every time I listen and say they HAVE to listen to this one because it is soooo good!), but a couple that stand out are that initial one with Melinda Gates and the one with the founder of KIND bars, Daniel Lubetzky.
Daniel’s episode talks about how naïveté is a superpower when it comes to being a business owner because you are apt to try new things that no one else thinks will work – and then they do! Daniel is also a firm believer that we should leave the world better than we found it and lives that in his daily life (I too believe this 100%). I found Simon’s interview with him to be very inspirational and a joy to listen to.
If you get hooked as I have, I also highly suggest Simon’s 5-part summer series on Feelings at Work, which is all about communication and building trust with your team. You can start with Episode 1. I have learned from every single episode and have already implemented some of the tactics in my daily work with our team.
Have something we should add to our lists?