Vera Rowe, a former high school teacher who chose to leave her math classroom in Boston to pursue her passion for dance. She now carries the amazing distinction of nine time World Salsa, Bachata, and Hustle Champion. She started us off with the inspiring and real journey that took her to where she is and led her to where she's on to next.

Air Force Master Sergeant and Assistant Chief firefighter Roger Kemp joined from Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina. He shared lessons of resilience gained throughout his life including 11 deployments, nearly 20 years of military service, and the daily challenge of leading a team of 155 firefighters.

A special extended nationwide raw conversation focused on Race & Unity. MIT alumni Jonathan White built a vivid and clear foundation of facts and history which primed an open discussion addressing real life, broken perspectives, biases, and misconceptions. The conversation built on an informed understanding to inspire hope, dreams, action, and solutions for today and tomorrow. Life School - Better Today - Week 9 (6/5) Continue the Conversation: DKSnapix.com/LifeSchool Resources: Medical Apartheid is a book that goes into greater detail on this dynamic: https://amzn.to/2XzpyZP A Nice Sociological study of the black experience in America by Dr. Joy DeGruy called POST Traumatic Slave Syndrome: https://amzn.to/3cCM6x1 Some great resources to continue unpacking these topics: https://www.intersectionformankind.com/stories/2018/11/28/heal-thyself-a-diversity-intensive-for-healers-and-life-coaches One of the things I've been told is helpful for folks who really want to learn is taking actionable steps. These are two resources I've become aware of that help folks understand what systemic racism looks like around themselves: "21 Day Challenge" by Dr. Eddie Moore and "Me and White Supremacy" by Layla Saad. “One media resource I found personally resonated with me was HBOs remake of the Watchmen- all about generation trauma caused by racism!” Sign Petition against Police Brutality: https://www.change.org/p/national-action-against-police-brutality-and-murder?fbclid=IwAR24EP-DLUcfAAFcFXEbY_ZrcBu9TCaSroJBRXGR-WqTDJ6qjPLw2Ttwu5M Another resource: Americaspathforward.org founded by an MIT civic engagement professor. https://www.awarela.org/white-people-4-black-lives Statistics: https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2019/04/09/race-in-america-2019/ Heal Thy Self: https://www.intersectionformankind.com/stories/2018/11/28/heal-thyself-a-diversity-intensive-for-healers-and-life-coaches The Supreme Love Project: https://thesupremeloveproject.com/ White People for Black Lives: https://www.awarela.org/white-people-4-black-lives

J.D. Smith, trombonist, who played with jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie and Little Feat. He transitioned from music to perfect another craft truly forging his life by fire and becoming one of only ~100 master bladesmiths in the world.