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Apple has unveiled its most powerful Mac to date, introducing the new Mac Studio, powered by the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. The latest iteration of Apple’s high-performance desktop features Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, up to 512GB of unified memory, and up to 16TB of SSD storage, all within a compact design. The new Mac Studio is now available for pre-order, with official availability beginning March 12. “The new Mac Studio is the most powerful Mac we’ve ever made,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. “A complete game-changer for pros around the world — powering both home and pro studios — Mac Studio sits in a class of its own, offering a staggering amount of performance in a compact, quiet design that fits beautifully on your desk. With this new Mac Studio, we’re delivering even more extreme performance with M4 Max and M3 Ultra, support for half a terabyte of unified memory, up to 16TB of superfast storage, and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. Mac Studio truly is the ultimate pro desktop.” Performance Upgrades with M4 Max and M3 Ultra The Mac Studio with M4 Max is designed for professionals in video editing, software development, photography, and other creative fields. Apple claims that M4 Max offers “phenomenal single-threaded CPU performance with the world’s fastest CPU core.” The chip features an up to 16-core CPU, an up to 40-core GPU, and a Neural Engine that is over three times faster than the M1 Max. Apple states that the M4 Max variant of the Mac Studio is “up to 3.5x faster than Mac Studio with M1 Max and up to 6.1x faster than the most powerful Intel-based 27-inch iMac.” The device supports up to 128GB of unified memory and boasts a powerful Media Engine for video processing, featuring two ProRes accelerators. For even more intensive workflows, the Mac Studio with M3 Ultra offers a significant leap in performance. It features an up to 32-core CPU, an up to 80-core GPU, and a 32-core Neural Engine. According to Apple, this version delivers “nearly 2x faster performance than M4 Max in workloads that take advantage of high CPU and GPU core counts.” It also supports up to 512GB of unified memory and up to 16TB of SSD storage. Thunderbolt 5 and Expanded Connectivity The Mac Studio now features Thunderbolt 5, which enables transfer speeds of up to 120 Gb/s—three times faster than the previous generation. This enhancement allows for improved external storage performance, expansion chassis connectivity, and support for professional hub solutions. The M3 Ultra-powered Mac Studio can drive up to eight Pro Display XDRs at full 6K resolution. Other connectivity options include a 10Gb Ethernet port, an HDMI port, an SDXC card slot on the front for quick media import, and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Designed for AI and Apple Intelligence The new Mac Studio is built to handle artificial intelligence workloads, capable of running large language models (LLMs) with over 600 billion parameters entirely in memory. Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI-powered personal assistant, is integrated into the Mac Studio experience. This feature supports advanced AI-driven tasks such as live transcription, writing assistance, and enhanced Siri functionality. Apple Intelligence processes many of its features on-device for enhanced privacy, while more complex requests are handled through Private Cloud Compute. Apple states that “users’ data is never stored or shared with Apple; it is used only to fulfill their request.” Environmental Commitment Apple emphasized its commitment to sustainability, stating that the new Mac Studio features “over 30 percent recycled content overall, including 100 percent recycled aluminum in the enclosure and 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets.” The company aims to be carbon neutral across its entire supply chain by 2030. Pricing and Availability Mac Studio is available for pre-order starting today on apple.com/store, with in-store availability beginning March 12. The base model starts at $1,999, with an education discount price of $1,799. Configure-to-order options are available for expanded memory and storage capacities. Customers who purchase Mac Studio directly from Apple can access Personal Setup services for guided assistance with their new device. Additionally, AppleCare+ offers extended service and support, including coverage for accidental damage and battery service. Image: Apple This article, "Apple Introduces New Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Outlay on items including consultants, planning and legal fees jumps from £800mn two years agoView the full article

My Apple devices have over 55,000 items in the Messages app. This includes texts, voice notes, photos, videos, gifs, and other attachments sent and received on multiple devices. Over time, Messages has threatened to become the second-largest occupier of my precious storage space, right after Photos. Fortunately, I took action at the right time to start getting rid of the cruft I don't need. I told myself that I don't need to be an iMessage archivist and I can begin letting go of some messages to free up some space. Here's how you can get rid of unnecessary items from iMessage to free up space on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and iCloud. How to quickly free up iMessage storage space on your iPhone or iPad Credit: Pranay Parab To review how much space iMessage is taking up on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages. If you haven’t cleared up unnecessary attachments in a long time, you could be staring at more than 50GB of iMessage attachments. If you are ready to delete entire chats, you can tap Top Conversations and hit the Edit button in the top-right corner. Select all the chats you want to delete and hit the Trash icon in the top-right corner of the page. This is the fastest way to free up a lot of space, but it tends to mess with your iMessage group chats. You may have to get yourself invited to those groups again if you use this method. For a more focused approach to deleting iMessage attachments, once again go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages. Here, you can review each type of attachment—photos, videos, GIFs and stickers, and Other—one by one. Tap any of these categories and hit the Edit button in the top-right corner. Then, select all the attachments you don’t need and hit the Trash icon in the top-right corner to free up space. How to stop iMessage from filling up space on your iPhone Credit: Pranay Parab If you’re not careful, you’ll end up just accumulating more junk in iMessage again, so let’s take some preventive measures. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Messages, and under Message History, tap Keep Messages. You can change this from Forever to 30 Days or 1 Year. This will automatically delete all iMessage texts and attachments older than the time you selected. Similarly, under Audio Messages on the same page, tap Expire and select After 2 Minutes to automatically clear unwanted voice notes. Return to the Messages settings page and scroll to the bottom. Here, you can enable Low-Quality Image Mode to reduce the size of images you send and receive on iMessage. This makes photos look a little blurry and sometimes makes it hard to see the text in screenshots, but if you’re really hurting for storage space, it’ll help. You can also stop your SMS messages from being forwarded automatically to your other Apple devices. To do this, go to Settings > Apps > Messages, SMS Forwarding and disable it for all the devices that you don't need to see those messages on. Note that this will not stop iMessage chats from appearing on those devices. Bulk delete large iMessage attachments on your Mac Credit: Pranay Parab Like on your phone, you can also quickly free up storage space on your Mac by deleting large attachments from the Messages app. On your Mac, go to System Settings > General > Storage and click the i button next to Messages. This will reveal all the large attachments hiding within your Messages app. If you go to each chat manually, these attachments are hard to track down. Instead, click any attachment here, press Command-A to select all of them, and hit the Delete button to get rid of them. How to reduce iMessage’s impact on your iCloud storage space Credit: Pranay Parab iCloud space is also an important part of this conversation. If you find that iMessage is taking up more iCloud space than you can afford to spare, on your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > [YOUR NAME] > iCloud and tap Messages. Now disable Use on this iPhone. This will remove your text messages from your iCloud backups and free up space. However, it’ll also stop syncing SMS messages across Apple devices, so be aware of that. On your Mac, this option is under System Settings > [YOUR NAME] > iCloud > Messages. For a more piecemeal approach, on your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > [YOUR NAME] > iCloud > Messages > Manage Storage. Tap Top Conversations and remove the chats you don’t want on iCloud. You can always still return to the previous page and tap Turn Off and Delete from iCloud to remove Messages from iCloud entirely. View the full article

Treasury secretary’s remarks come as Taipei has become nervous about shifting US stance on UkraineView the full article

After months of beta testing, DuckDuckGo's AI integrations are going live for everyone and getting some upgrades at the same time: They're free to use (with certain limits), and stay in line with DuckDuckGo's commitment to user privacy (you don't have to create an account to use them, and your searches aren't tracked). As with Google, Bing, ChatGPT, and others, you can now get AI answers to your web searches at DuckDuckGo. They appear in a small box with an Assist label attached, but they aren't as prominent and don't show up as often as they do on Google or Bing—DuckDuckGo is aiming for a less-is-more approach to the feature. You can decide how much AI you see. Credit: Lifehacker "We're not making AI features just for the sake of making AI features," writes DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg. "They have to be actually useful in everyday use, starting with helping people get faster, high-quality answers to their questions." With this in mind, you can tune down the amount of AI you see—head to the DuckDuckGo settings page, and under AI Features, there's a drop-down menu that lets you choose between Never, On-demand, Sometimes, and Often. If you choose either of the latter two, the search engine uses its best judgment as to which queries might benefit from AI answers and which won't. The second part of DuckDuckGo's AI offering is the Duck.ai chatbot. You can ask follow-up questions of the bot whenever you see an AI Assist response in search results, and you can also access it via its own web portal: You've got access to multiple AI models here, including GPT-4o mini, Llama 3.3, and Claude 3 Haiku. How the AI Assist box looks at the top of results. Credit: Lifehacker Chats are never saved on DuckDuckGo servers, or used to train AI models, and you can wipe all chats from the record using the flame icon in the toolbar on the right. Ideally, DuckDuckGo wants you to use a combination of web search, AI Assist, and AI chat to help you get the answers you're looking for. If you're wondering how all of this stays free without any tracking, DuckDuckGo makes its money from advertising—it's just that the ads aren't as targeted as they are on Google, because DuckDuckGo doesn't know anywhere near as much about you. The company is also exploring the idea of a paid plan for access to more advanced AI models and for extra chats with AI (there's already a $10-per-month pro-level subscription, which includes a VPN and some other extras). Testing out the DuckDuckGo AII spent some time playing around with the new AI features, and on the whole they follow the general DuckDuckGo ethos: Everything is simple, straightforward to use, cleanly presented, and accessible without having to jump through multiple hoops just to get started with these tools. With an AI Assist level of Sometimes, DuckDuckGo usually makes the right call about whether or not AI should get involved. The reason why these search engines are rushing to implement AI is that queries like "how does DNA work?" or "how do I fix a PC that won't boot?" are often better answered by a bot than the traditional list of links—especially if you can ask follow-up questions for clarification. You can quickly get to Duck.ai from the search results. Credit: Lifehacker For more traditional searches, like "Eiffel Tower" or "intermittent fasting," DuckDuckGo sticks to the standard approach (AI models have never been to France, or tried dieting). If you're looking for an AI response and one doesn't appear, you can click the Assist button to generate it. AI companies are often vague and dismissive when it comes to accuracy, so it's good to see DuckDuckGo addressing the issue: The AI Assist answers are "as reliable as the sources from which they are drawn," with measures in place to avoid spammy or satirical sites, and user feedback adding an extra level of verification. The web sources for AI answers are always clearly displayed, so you can click through to see the actual websites. All of the AI answers I received seemed fully accurate: I ran some tests with tech questions; the AI Assist tool picked some well-respected online publications to pull information from, and presented it accurately. There is the question of where we get to when AI is answering everything, and humans are no longer bothering to put enough information online for AI to scrape, but that's a topic for another day. You can ask follow-up questions within the search results themselves. Credit: Lifehacker I found the Duck.ai chatbot didn't appear as often as I would've liked, to ask follow-up questions. It's easy enough to switch to the chatbot manually, but then you find yourself bumping up against the knowledge cut-off points of these various models—they rely on historical training data rather than the latest information online. More work needs to be done on integrating live web search with AI here. On the whole, DuckDuckGo seems to have the balance right, if you want to avoid AI overload: The AI Assist feature doesn't always appear, and doesn't dominate the search results when it does show up. Answers are brief and accurate, and while there's a lot of competition out there, the privacy-first approach is reassuring. View the full article

Ornella Barra calls take-private deal a ‘strategic milestone’ for UK pharmacy chain View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Nintendo Switch Lite is already a solid pick for gamers who prefer a portable console, but this deal on Woot makes it even more tempting. For $164.99 (for the next two days or until it sells out)—down from its usual $199—you’re getting an open-box Singapore model that’s been fitted with an official Nintendo USA power adapter. That means functionally, it’s the same as the U.S. version, and it plays all U.S. and international Switch games without any issue. The only catch is that it's an open-box deal, so while it’s brand new, the box has been opened for the adapter swap. And since this is a Woot deal, it comes with a 90-day Woot limited warranty instead of Nintendo’s usual one-year coverage. Prime members get free shipping, but non-members will have to add $6 to their total. Nintendo Switch Lite $164.99 at Woot $199.00 Save $34.01 Get Deal Get Deal $164.99 at Woot $199.00 Save $34.01 If you like gaming on the go, the Switch Lite is a solid choice. It’s compact, lightweight, and easy to toss into a bag without worrying about detachable Joy-Cons sliding around. But that same portability comes with a trade-off—you can’t dock it to a TV, so handheld mode is your only option. Additionally, the controls are built into the system, meaning there’s no swapping Joy-Cons for multiplayer gaming unless you buy compatible controllers separately. But if you’re a solo gamer who mostly plays RPGs, platformers, or indie titles, this won’t be much of a downside. If you’re on the fence, PCMag has a detailed breakdown of whether the standard Switch or the Lite is the better choice. Specs-wise, the Switch Lite holds its own. It’s got an eight-inch screen, a 1.02 GHz processor, and a smooth 60 FPS frame rate. It also supports Bluetooth audio, so you’re not stuck using wired headphones, notes this PCMag review. Battery life is decent, ranging from three to seven hours depending on what you’re playing—Breath of the Wild will drain it faster than Stardew Valley. Storage is where things get tight, though. The built-in 32GB will fill up fast, so you’ll likely need a microSD card sooner rather than later (something like the 512GB SanDisk microSD, which is officially licensed for the Switch, could be a good pick). If you mostly play digital games, factor that into your budget. View the full article

Nearly two months after an explosion sent flaming debris raining down on the Turks and Caicos, SpaceX launched another mammoth Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost contact minutes into the test flight as the spacecraft came tumbling down and broke apart. This time, wreckage from the latest explosion was seen streaming from the skies over Florida. It was not immediately known whether the spacecraft’s self-destruct system had kicked in to blow it up. The 403-foot (123-meter) rocket blasted off from Texas. SpaceX caught the first-stage booster back at the pad with giant mechanical arms, but engines on the spacecraft on top started shutting down as it streaked eastward for what was supposed to be a controlled entry over the Indian Ocean, half a world away. Contact was lost less than 10 minutes into the flight as the spacecraft went into an out-of-control spin. Starship reached nearly 90 miles (150 kilometers) in altitude before trouble struck and before four mock satellites could be deployed. It was not immediately clear where it came down, but images of flaming debris were captured from Florida, including near Cape Canaveral, and posted online. The space-skimming flight was supposed to last an hour. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would require SpaceX to investigate the accident. “Unfortunately this happened last time too, so we have some practice at this now,” SpaceX flight commentator Dan Huot said from the launch site. SpaceX later confirmed that the spacecraft experienced “a rapid unscheduled disassembly” during the ascent engine firing and said it alerted safety officials. Flights were briefly grounded at Orlando International Airport “due to space launch debris in the area,” the airport posted on X. Starship didn’t make it quite as high or as far as last time. NASA has booked Starship to land its astronauts on the moon later this decade. SpaceX’s Elon Musk is aiming for Mars with Starship, the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket. Like last time, Starship had mock satellites to release once the craft reached space on this eighth test flight as a practice for future missions. They resembled SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites, thousands of which currently orbit Earth, and were meant to fall back down following their brief taste of space. Starship’s flaps, computers and fuel system were redesigned in preparation for the next big step: returning the spacecraft to the launch site just like the booster. During the last demo, SpaceX captured the booster at the launch pad, but the spacecraft blew up several minutes later over the Atlantic. No injuries or major damage were reported. According to an investigation that remains ongoing, leaking fuel triggered a series of fires that shut down the spacecraft’s engines. The on-board self-destruct system kicked in as planned. SpaceX said it made several improvements to the spacecraft following the accident, and the Federal Aviation Administration recently cleared Starship once more for launch. Starships soar out of the southernmost tip of Texas near the Mexican border. SpaceX is building another Starship complex at Cape Canaveral, home to the company’s smaller Falcon rockets that ferry astronauts and satellites to orbit. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. —Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer View the full article

Police described case as one of most significant espionage investigations in UK in decades View the full article

US president calls on Moscow to get to the bargaining table ‘right now’View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you own a Lectric XPeak 2.0 e-bike, it's possible to modify a ton of aspects of the bike right from the onboard screen, including changing the top speed, adjusting the throttle and pedal assist, controlling the lights, and more. But these settings are not readily understandable from the display alone, so here's a step-by-step guide to how to change settings on a Lectric e-bike, as well as some suggestions on which settings you should change, and which you definitely shouldn't. (You can check out my review of the Lectric XPeak 2.0 right here.) How to adjust the settings on a Lectric XPeak 2.0 e-bikeHere's how to access the settings menu of a Lectric XPeak 2.0 e-bike: Power the bike on. Hold down the "+" and "-" keys on the controller on the left handlebar for a few seconds, until you see this: Credit: Stephen Johnson Press the power-on button to toggle between each numbered setting. Use "+" and "-" keys to change their values—but don't change any settings until you know what you're changing. What do the different settings on a Lectric e-bike do?If you've gotten into the settings menu of your Lectric XPeak 2.0, you can see that the settings are labeled P-1 through P-22 with no other information available on screen. That's not a lot to go on, so here's what the settings do. (You'll notice there are a few settings I skip over—I'll go over that in another section below.) P1: Changes the brightness of the display screen. There are three settings. "1" is dimmest. "3" is brightest. Default is 2. P2: Toggles between miles and kilometers. "0" is kilometers. "1" is miles. P4: Sleep timer: Changes how long it will take for the bike to power off if not used. The default is 10 minutes, but you change it from "0" (which means it never automatically turns off) to 60 minutes. P6: Tire size: You can change this from 27 to 31. This is used to compute distance and speed, and shouldn't be changed unless you've changed tire size from the default, 29.2. P8: Speed limit: This sets the bike's top speed. 32 is a "Class 2" setting, meaning the top speed is 20 mph. 45 is "Class 3," boosting the speed limit to 28 mph when using pedal assist. The default is 32, or 20 mph, so you'll need to change this if you want to go faster. P9: Throttle active toggle: Setting this to 0 means the throttle can be used from a standstill. Setting it to 1 means the throttle can only be used when the bike is moving. P10: Throttle/pedal assist system toggle: There are three settings here: "0" means the pedal assist is active, but throttle is not. "1" means only the throttle is active, with no pedal assist. "2" means both PAS and throttle are active. The default is 2, which most users will want to use most of the time, but there are cases where it makes sense to change it (see below). P11: Multiplier toggle: This changes the torque on your bike. "0" is the default, normal torque multiplier. "1" is increased torque multiplier. If you want quicker acceleration, set this to "1," but don't change it until you know the bike fairly well—the default multiplier provides plenty of torque. I tested this out and didn't notice a ton of difference anyway. P12: Light control: "0" means "no light icon on the display means the front and rear lights are OFF. When the light icon is on, the front and rear lights are ON." Changing this to "1" means "The front and rear lights are flashing right away when bike is on. The icon on the display for light is flashing at the same rate as front and rear lights." When you turn the light on in setting one, you'll see an icon on the display screen with no flashing. P13: Walk mode speed: "0" sets the walk mode speed to 3mph. "1" is a slightly brisker 3.7 mph. P16: Odometer reset: Hold the "+" for 5 seconds to reset the odometer to "0." P20: Walk mode toggle: setting this to "0" disables walk mode. Setting this to "1" enables it. (To turn on walk mode, hold down the "-" button on the controller. If enabled, your bike will move forward at the speed you set on P13.) P22: Assistance level: "0" limits the pedal assist to 9mph if you're on pedal assist level 1 and 15 mph if you're on pedal assist level 2. The same "speed limit" applies to the throttle. "1" means the pedal assist is not speed limited on pedal assist levels 1 and 2, but the throttle is speed limited. "2" means there is no speed-limit on pedal assist or throttle, no matter what pedal assist level you're in. (Of course the bike's overall speed limit of either 20mph or 28mph still applies.) Which settings should you change on an XPeak 2.0?The setting that most users will be concerned with is P8, the speed limit of the bike. The default is a 20 mph speed limit that you can reach with either pedal assist or throttle, but you may want to boost it to 28 (assuming that a class 3 e-bike is legal in your local area and you're experienced enough to handle the extra speed.) This setting means the throttle or pedal assist will take you to 20 mph, then the throttle will cut off but you can use pedal assist to go up to 28 mph. There is no setting to use throttle control to go over 20 mph. Another setting to consider is P9, the throttle active toggle. The default setting means that the throttle can be activated from a standstill, but you might want to change it so the throttle can only work if the bike is in motion. If you accidentally hit the thumb throttle a lot, especially when walking your bike, this prevents your bike "jumping forward." P10 is another useful setting for some situations. In some places, it's not legal to ride a "class 2" e-bike, meaning one that has throttle control. This setting disables the throttle but allows the pedal assist, transforming your class 2 bike into a class 1. What about the rest of the settings?The Lectric XPeak 2.0 has 22 total settings that can be changed from the dashboard, but only 13 are listed above. I looked into it, and the nine "secret" settings on Lectric bikes are less exciting than I'd hoped. They're mostly settings that allow different models of bikes to use the same computer, so they change things like the voltage level of the battery and the magnet type. Do not change these settings; as far as I can tell, there's nothing to be gained from doing so. If you accidentally alter these somehow and you don't know the correct setting, do not ride the bike until you've spoken to someone at Lectric who can help you restore the proper values. "I messed up the settings on my Lectric XPeak 2.0! How can I fix it?"Sadly, there is no "return to factory default" setting on Lectric's controller. To get your e-bike back to how it was, you can use the manual to see the default number for each setting, or contact the company for extra help. View the full article

David Lammy says Britain is ‘open’ to joint financing of military spending to boost continent’s securityView the full article

Standing next to her makeshift home of scrap metal, wood and plastic tarp, 47-year-old Nelly Mengual recounts how severe flooding and winds tore off her roof a few months ago, leaving her knee-deep in water in her home. She lives in an informal settlement on the outskirts of Riohacha, in northern Colombia’s arid, wind-swept region, where thousands of other Wayuu people, native to the La Guajira region spanning Colombia and Venezuela, also reside. Although many residents were born in Colombia, it is the Wayuu who fled Venezuela who face the greatest hardship. Having escaped what many describe as economic crisis, they now live in these settlements without access to running water — and for many, without electricity. The Wayuu, whose traditional lands span Colombia and Venezuela, view the border as a political construct rather than a cultural divide, with their relationships and networks transcending national lines. “This entire hut. Our belongings, what little we had. Everything was lost,” said Mengual, who makes ends meet by recycling scrap material in Maicao. The Wayuu, the largest Indigenous group in Colombia, are facing the dual threats of climate change-driven droughts and floods. Scientists warn that more severe, prolonged drought periods punctuated by flashes of torrential rain are only getting more common as the world warms. Aside from damaging people’s homes, they are also draining water sources, destroying crops, and increasing health risks from waterborne diseases. Many Wayuu families are forced to migrate in search of essential resources, putting even more pressure on already overcrowded urban areas. Intense flooding challenges the Wayuu’s way of life Ingrid Gonzalez, a Wayuu community leader from Maracaibo who’s lived in the Villa del Sol settlement near Riohacha for six years, says those more traditional Wayuu homes, made with sticks and covered in mud, are very susceptible to the rainy season. “There are many, many houses that flood and fill up with water,” said 29-year-old Gonzalez. “A strong river of water passes through here, and the mud houses collapse.” “Some people manage to preserve their homes by reinforcing them, but the damage is still significant,” she said. “Several of my own roofing sheets were blown off.” Samuel Lanao, head of Corpoguajira, La Guajira’s environment authority, said in 2024 extreme winter floods caused significant losses of homes, crops, and domestic animals in Indigenous communities, particularly among those coming from neighboring Venezuela. “Because of climate change, there’s been a rise in vector-borne diseases like dengue and Zika. Dengue, in particular, has hit Indigenous communities very, very hard,” he said. Lanao said Corpoguajira has created a Climate Change Plan to cut emissions and boost community and ecosystem resilience. The shift in weather patterns is undeniable to Camilo Martinez, La Guajira base manager for the Danish Refugee Council, which has a strong presence in the region. With 14 years of experience in the area, he has witnessed these changes firsthand. “Years ago when I arrived here, there was fog and in certain hours of the morning it was cold. Today that has stopped, as well as in the snow peaks on the nearby mountains … you don’t see that much anymore,” Martinez told The Associated Press at the Uyatpana Indigenous community, on the outskirts of Maicao. Martinez says the months the rainy season starts has changed, but also the intensity of the rain too when it eventually comes. Scientific evidence of climate change in La Guajira, supported by data from Colombia’s Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology, and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) and various studies, includes rising temperatures, prolonged droughts like the 2012–2016 crisis, irregular rainfall patterns, and increased desertification. Heat and drought tests informal settlements Last year’s heat was the hottest Gonzalez, the community leader, can remember. “There are houses where the heat is intense, which affects people, especially those with high blood pressure. They feel tired, flushed, and even unwell,” she said. “The heat is so strong that it even affects the animals. Neighbors who have chickens have lost some of them due to the extreme heat, as the animals are suffocating.” A significant portion of the Wayuu population maintains traditional, semi-nomadic lifestyles, residing in rancherias — thatched-roof huts made from dried cacti and mud — and herding cattle and goats. In many informal settlements, residents lack access to running water or sanitation services. Water sellers transport untreated water in barrels, using mules to distribute it between homes for a fee. While many people rely on collecting rainwater, the increasing unpredictability of rainfall has made this source of water less dependable. “They have been forced to buy water from sources that aren’t clean, transported by mules or carts that make long journeys to bring it to families,” said Martinez. “This water isn’t drinkable—it can only be used for washing or cooking. But people are left with no choice but to drink it. This is one of the biggest consequences of the droughts and the lack of rainfall during these seasons.” Many non-governmental organizations say they step in to support these areas in La Guajira where state assistance is minimal or entirely absent. Colombia’s environment ministry did not respond to AP’s requests for comment. Wayuu leader Anibal Mercado told AP the migrant Wayuu population suffers the most because of climate change. “You find them picking up garbage, you find them recycling, which has never been seen before. And that is a product of the neglect of the government. The State has been promoting neoliberal policies that go against traditional rights, with which the Wayuu used to provide for their own economy… their own food,” he said. Many work to rebuild, again and again In the neighborhood of Uyatpana, 28-year-old Laura Pushaina sits on a stool, weaving a chinchorro, a traditional Wayuu hammock used for sleeping. With five children between the ages of one and ten, she says the intricate work will take her four days to complete. Pushaina is one of thousands of Wayuu people who cross into Colombia and establish settlements. Due to shifting political and economic conditions in the region, many have left homes in neighboring Venezuela. Many, like Pushaina, told the AP they hope to return to their rancherias on the Venezuelan side of the border, but they believe the political and economic situation remains too unstable to do so. Some also said that relocating from the informal settlements would help, as the land is unsuitable for living without running water or proper sewage infrastructure. Just a few months ago, Pushaina’s home was destroyed by the floods. “I’ve lived through the worst of times,” she said. “The water would seep through the mud, and sometimes it came in like a river, flowing through here.” The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. —Steven Grattan, Associated Press View the full article

Shares in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA) are up a modest amount after the company announced yesterday that it has agreed to be purchased by private equity firm Sycamore Partners. As of the time of this writing, WBA shares are up under 7% to $11.33. Here’s what you need to know about the buyout and share movement. Walgreens is going private After years of financial struggles, publicly traded Walgreens announced yesterday that it has accepted a deal from private equity firm Sycamore Partners to be bought and taken private. Rumors of the deal were first reported earlier this week. Under the agreement, Sycamore will take the pharmacy chain private. The move will give the 125-year-old Walgreens more room to maneuver a turnaround without having to answer to Wall Street investors, notes the Associated Press. Walgreens has faced a rough six months in particular. Last October, the company announced it would close over 1,200 stores due to falling foot traffic and increased online competition. And in January, the company’s stock price plunged after it announced that it would be suspending dividend payments to shareholders in order to redirect its capital allocation. Shares in Walgreens are down more than 49% over the last year. “While we are making progress against our ambitious turnaround strategy, meaningful value creation will take time, focus and change that is better managed as a private company,” Tim Wentworth, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, said in a statement announcing the acceptance of Sycamore’s offer. “Sycamore will provide us with the expertise and experience of a partner with a strong track record of successful retail turnarounds.” WBA stock is up—but not by a lot Some would expect that when a company receives a buyout offer, its stock price may soar. But WBA stock is up just under 7% in premarket trading, as of the time of this writing, to $11.33. The reason for this is likely due to the fact that the Walgreens-Sycamore deal will see Sycamore pay WBA shareholders $11.45 per share to close the deal. In other words, it doesn’t make sense for WBA stock to be bought above that price since shareholders would only get $11.45 per share if the deal does end up going through. Conversely, it doesn’t make sense for WBA stock to be sold below that price if the deal ends up going through because shareholders know they could get $11.45 per share from Sycamore when the deal closes. As for the Walgreens-Sycamore deal, though Walgreens Boots Alliance says it has accepted the offer, the deal must still be approved by WBA shareholders and also receive regulatory approvals. If the deal passes both those thresholds, Walgreens and Sycamore say its “transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter calendar year 2025.” If that happens, WBA shares will no longer be listed on the Nasdaq as the company will become private. View the full article

The discovery of a huge unexploded World War II-era bomb caused transportation chaos in Paris on Friday that included the suspension of high-speed rail links with London and Brussels and the closure of a vital road artery in the French capital, hobbling France’s busiest train station, dashing travelers’ weekend getaway plans and giving commuters a major headache. The cascade of transport woes spread from the rail to the road network, with Paris police announcing the closure of the A1 highway and sections of the capital’s always-busy ring road around the city, as bomb-disposal experts worked to make the half-ton explosive safe. Eurostar, operator of sleek high-speed trains through the Channel Tunnel that links England with the European continent, announced the cancellation of all its services to and from its Paris hub at Gare du Nord, France’s busiest rail station, and the U.K. and Belgian capitals. Travel plans were thrown into disarray. “There’s no solution. We’re going to call the hotel and stay one more day. And change our train ticket,” said Michel Garrot, a retired Parisian who found himself stranded in Brussels, which he’d been visiting with his wife. At London’s St. Pancras station, Eurostar’s London hub, travelers scrambled for alternatives. Fridays are invariably busy there with thousands of people leaving and arriving for weekend breaks. Passengers were advised to try taking trains to Lille in northern France, or fly to Paris. “We’re looking up flights, but our options are limited,” said Lauren Romeo-Smith, part of a group that had a birthday weekend in Paris planned. Another St. Pancras traveler, Lee Bailey, said that Eurostar had offered him a free rebooking or a refund, and an apology, but no compensation. “I’d like to go to a Michelin (starred) restaurant in Paris on their dime, but that’s not happening, apparently,” he told Sky News. Eurostar said that it “sincerely apologizes for the disruption and understands the inconvenience this may cause.” At Paris’ usually humming Gare du Nord station, bright red signs warning of disruptions greeted commuters. French national rail operator SNCF says the station habitually hosts 700,000 travelers per day, making it the busiest rail hub in both France and Europe. As well as towns and cities across northern France and the Paris suburbs, the station also serves Paris’ main airport and international destinations, including London, Brussels, and cities in the Netherlands. French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said that the huge disruptions were caused by the discovery of a bomb that weighed half a ton. Workers found it overnight while doing earthmoving works near the tracks in the Seine-Saint-Denis region that borders Paris to the north. Bomb disposal experts were called. Tabarot said that a “a quite large” security perimeter was set up around the bomb-disposal operation and people were evacuated. He urged commuters to postpone rail trips. Bombs left over from World War I or World War II are regularly discovered around France, but it’s very rare to find them in such a people-packed location. The SNCF said that rail traffic was stopped at the request of police. Sylvie Corbet in Brussels, and Jill Lawless in London, contributed to this report. —Samuel Petrequin and John Leicester, Associated Press View the full article

UK regulator wants to loosen requirements for banks to test whether borrowers can cope with higher interest ratesView the full article

America’s butterflies are disappearing because of insecticides, climate change and habitat loss, with the number of the winged beauties down 22% since 2000, a new study finds. The first countrywide systematic analysis of butterfly abundance found that the number of butterflies in the Lower 48 states has been falling on average 1.3% a year since the turn of the century, with 114 species showing significant declines and only nine increasing, according to a study in Thursday’s journal Science. “Butterflies have been declining the last 20 years,” said study co-author Nick Haddad, an entomologist at Michigan State University. “And we don’t see any sign that that’s going to end.” A team of scientists combined 76,957 surveys from 35 monitoring programs and blended them for an apples-to-apples comparison and ended up counting 12.6 million butterflies over the decades. Last month an annual survey that looked just at monarch butterflies, which federal officials plan to put on the threatened species list, counted a nearly all-time low of fewer than 10,000, down from 1.2 million in 1997. Many of the species in decline fell by 40% or more. ‘Catastrophic and saddening’ loss over time David Wagner, a University of Connecticut entomologist who wasn’t part of the study, praised its scope. And he said while the annual rate of decline may not sound significant, it is “catastrophic and saddening” when compounded over time. “In just 30 or 40 years we are talking about losing half the butterflies (and other insect life) over a continent!” Wagner said in an email. “The tree of life is being denuded at unprecedented rates.” The United States has 650 butterfly species, but 96 species were so sparse they didn’t show up in the data and another 212 species weren’t found in sufficient number to calculate trends, said study lead author Collin Edwards, an ecologist and data scientist at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “I’m probably most worried about the species that couldn’t even be included in the analyses” because they were so rare, said University of Wisconsin-Madison entomologist Karen Oberhauser, who wasn’t part of the research. Haddad, who specializes in rare butterflies, said in recent years he has seen just two endangered St. Francis Satyr butterflies — which only live on a bomb range at Fort Bragg in North Carolina — “so it could be extinct.” Some well-known species had large drops. The red admiral, which is so calm it lands on people, is down 44% and the American lady butterfly, with two large eyespots on its back wings, decreased by 58%, Edwards said. Even the invasive white cabbage butterfly, “a species that is well adapted to invade the world,” according to Haddad, fell by 50%. “How can that be?” Haddad wondered. Butterfly decline as a warning sign for humans Cornell University butterfly expert Anurag Agrawal said he worries most about the future of a different species: Humans. “The loss of butterflies, parrots and porpoises is undoubtedly a bad sign for us, the ecosystems we need and the nature we enjoy,” Agrawal, who wasn’t part of the study, said in an email. “They are telling us that our continent’s health is not doing so well … Butterflies are an ambassador for nature’s beauty, fragility and the interdependence of species. They have something to teach us.” Oberhauser said butterflies connect people with nature and that “calms us down, makes us healthier and happier and promotes learning.” What’s happening to butterflies in the United States is probably happening to other, less-studied insects across the continent and world, Wagner said. He said not only is this the most comprehensive butterfly study, but the most data-rich for any insect. Butterflies are also pollinators, though not as prominent as bees, and are a major source of pollination of the Texas cotton crop, Haddad said. Driest and warmest areas are worst for butterflies The biggest decrease in butterflies was in the Southwest — Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma — where the number of butterflies dropped by more than half in the 20 years. “It looks like the butterflies that are in dry and warm areas are doing particularly poorly,” Edwards said. “And that kind of captures a lot of the Southwest.” Edwards said when they looked at butterfly species that lived both in the hotter South and cooler North, the ones that did better were in the cooler areas. Climate change, habitat loss and insecticides tend to work together to weaken butterfly populations, Edwards and Haddad said. Of the three, it seems that insecticides are the biggest cause, based on previous research from the U.S. Midwest, Haddad said. “It makes sense because insecticide use has changed in dramatic ways in the time since our study started,” Haddad said. Habitats can be restored and so can butterflies, so there’s hope, Haddad said. “You can make changes in your backyard and in your neighborhood and in your state,” Haddad said. “That could really improve the situation for a lot of species.” Follow Seth Borenstein on X at @borenbears Read more of AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. —Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer View the full article

February figure was below the 160,000 forecast by economistsView the full article

Fans of the beleaguered retail chain Big Lots will be happy to learn that the first locations to reopen after its bankruptcy last year are currently undergoing a cleaning, remodeling, and re-merchandising process. Their reopening, the first in a series of four waves of “soft openings,” is scheduled for next month. Here’s what you need to know about when and where Big Lots stores will reopen. Big Lots ‘first wave’ locations Variety Wholesalers, the North Carolina-based retail company that has taken control of hundreds of the ailing retailer’s stores, has confirmed with Fast Company that it is gearing up to reopen some of the locations that it has acquired. As Fast Company previously reported, as many as 200 Big Lots stores were assigned to Variety Wholesalers as part of a deal with Gordon Brothers, the liquidation firm that took control of the retailer. The locations will reopen in four waves from April through early June. Fast Company has now learned that the first of those waves is underway. The first wave of Big Lots store reopenings will encompass nine stores in six states across the South. Those locations are: Kentucky 1342 Indian Mound Dr, Mount Sterling, KY Louisiana 755 Veterans Memorial Blvd, Metairie, LA Mississippi 2605 W Main St, Tupelo, MS 5778 Hwy 80 E, Pearl, MS North Carolina 1432 E Dixie Dr, Asheboro, NC Tennessee 1041 S Riverside Dr, Clarksville, TN 744 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN 220 Dickson Plaza Dr, Dickson, TN Virginia 2911 Hershberger Rd NW, Roanoke, VA Big Lots reopening date Jeff King, Variety Wholesalers vice president of sales and marketing, told Fast Company that the company began the necessary work on March 3 to reopen the locations. He confirmed that the nine locations listed above will have their soft openings on Thursday, April 10. The stores will remain closed for a period of time before then so Variety Wholesalers can perform necessary work, which includes cleaning the locations, as well as remodeling the stores and bringing in new categories of merchandise. King also confirmed plans for the second wave of Big Lots opening. He said that wave would include considerably more locations—another 70 stores—and that those stores would reopen on Thursday, May 1. Big Lots back from the brink It’s fair to say that 2024 was the worst year in Big Lots’ 57-year history. After suffering financial difficulties for years, Big Lots announced in December that it would be going out of business and closing all remaining 870 locations, and thus seeing the elimination of 27,000 jobs. Gordon Brothers purchased Big Lots and had been managing the stores’ closures when, in the final days of 2024, Variety Wholesalers swooped in, agreeing to buy at least 200 locations from the liquidator to keep the chain going under the Big Lots brand. Variety is the owner of several other discount chain stores, including Roses, Bill’s Dollar Stores, Super Dollar, and Bargain Town. Other states besides the ones listed above that are expected to see Big Lots stores reopen include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and West Virginia. View the full article

Every morning, after Richard J. Davidson meditates, he opens his calendar and sets an intention for each meeting. He brings each person into his mind and heart, expresses gratitude for their work in the world, and considers how he can best support them. I was inspired to try this practice. I reflected on the people that I planned to see that day and chose one thing that I’d like to thank them for. I was surprised that a simple “thank you” caused them to visibly light up. Davidson was right: It not only transformed our conversation, but the entire nature of my day. This is an example of microdosing well-being and its impact on ourselves and others. It’s also the heart of Davidson’s mission: Well-being doesn’t need to be left up to chance. It is a skill that we can train. Richard Davidson in the lab, 1990 [Photo: David Nevala] “When humans first evolved, none of us were brushing our teeth,” he shares. “Now, pretty much everyone on the planet brushes their teeth. It’s not part of our genome. We’ve learned to do this because we consider it important for our physical hygiene.” “If we spend even as short of time as we do brushing our teeth nourishing our mind, our findings and the findings of other scientists show that this world would be a different place,” he adds. “Most people would consider their mind more important than their teeth. Yet, we don’t treat our mind with the same respect.” As a world renowned neuroscientist, Davidson has devoted five decades to studying human flourishing. He is the founder and director of The Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he conducts groundbreaking research on emotions and the brain, as well as meditation and contemplative practices. Through the Center’s nonprofit, Healthy Minds Innovations, they translate their findings into evidence-based practices for individuals and organizations to cultivate well-being. In our conversation, he explains why our relationship to ourselves, each other, and the world are the product of the stories that we tell ourselves. He explains how to change your relationship to your thoughts, manage the activation of your stress response, and create structural changes in the wiring of your brain in as little as 20 hours. David Richardson [Photo: David Nevala] This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You shared that: “our brains are constantly being shaped, wittingly or unwittingly. Most of the time, we are unaware of the forces around us that are shaping our brains and have very little control of those forces. The one thing that we do have control over is our own mind.” Explain that last line, because we often don’t think that we have control over our minds. Every human being is born with the capacity to control her or his mind. The fact that many people feel that they don’t have control over their mind is simply a symptom of the degradation in well-being that we are seeing in the world today. But, we know with absolute scientific certainty that we can harness our innate capacity and control our mind. What’s amazing is that it doesn’t take that much to get a taste of this capacity. You don’t have to sit in any special posture or travel to the Himalayas. You can do this anywhere, anytime. It’s not just my opinion. It’s the results of years of scientific research. When it comes to neuroplasticity, what is the neurological impact when we commit to well-being practices? What we know from existing scientific research is that when we commit to well-being practices, the brain changes in at least two basic ways: One is what we call functional changes, which are changes in the patterns of activation of different networks in the brain. The second is structural changes, where there’s literally changes in the wiring of the brain. We can see functional changes in the brain after just a few hours of practice. We can see structural changes after as little as 20 hours of practice. When you think about learning a new sport, language, or instrument, those complex skills require quite a bit of practice. It doesn’t take much with well-being, because humans are born to flourish. We have all these capabilities within us. You highlighted research findings that “clearly suggest that people who are willing to question their own beliefs, and understand that their beliefs are not fixed, are less likely to be diagnosed with mental health disorders and more likely to respond positively to treatment.” Explain this and how we can practice it. This is one of the core dimensions of our framework for understanding well-being. We call it Insight. It’s the idea that every human being has a narrative that they tell about themselves. What’s really important for well-being is not so much to change the narrative, but to change our relationship to this narrative. So, being able to see the narrative as a constellation of beliefs, thoughts, and expectations that is not permanent. These thoughts can change. They’re not all of who we are. Take pain as an example. We might say: I’m in pain. Does that mean all of me is in pain? Is there any part of me that’s not in pain? Who is the “I” when we say: “I am in pain?” Another strategy is, for a difficult situation at work or at home, we can ask ourselves: What might it be like for someone who has a different set of beliefs and expectations to be in the same situation? How might they perceive it? These are simple strategies to loosen the grip that the narrative that we carry may have and to help us appreciate that we are not our thoughts. On the Healthy Minds Program app, an instructor explained that he shifted from using meditation to try to destroy his anxiety to learning to accept and befriend his inner demons. How can we learn to befriend ourselves? This is part of our DNA in terms of how we introduce these practices. We’ve found, through the science we’ve done, that it is much more effective not to fight with your mind. There are some people who think: I’m going to meditate and get relaxed. I’m going to try to stop my distracting thoughts. It further increases their stress and agitation. Instead of having that approach, it’s much simpler to acknowledge that we’re human. We do have these distracting, sometimes upsetting, thoughts. So, rather than pushing them away, simply acknowledging them. We often use the analogy of the weather and the sky. You can have foreboding clouds. They will eventually go away. It doesn’t change the nature of the sky. The same is true with our thoughts and emotions. From the perspective that we are suggesting, our minds are pure in the same way that the sky is. But, there are all these clouds that come in. If we are able to look at them, as clouds in this way—they arise, change, and go away eventually—it helps us to loosen the grip that they have. Another analogy is that instead of being in this turbulent river, we can step onto the shore, and watch the river go by; And, even appreciate its beauty, even if it’s turbulent. In The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness, Roshi Joan Halifax said that self-criticism “only strengthens the self-hatred and self directed aggression. The thing that is going to transform it is not meanness, it’s love.” What does self-compassion look like in action? Self-compassion is a way to think about love. It’s accepting who we are with all of our imperfections, not pushing against it. To give a personal example, I’ve been meditating daily for 50 years. There are times when my morning practice will still be filled with distraction. I don’t get up from my meditation having a lot of self criticism about it. One of my teachers has this line that I love: The road to Lhasa goes up and down. What he meant is: The bad meditations are just as good as the good meditations. There are times when we can learn a lot from the distracting periods. Making friends with our mind or our anxiety is the most effective strategy in transforming them. Expectations are a common source of distress. How can we practice acceptance in situations where we hoped for a different outcome? Expectation is another kind of thought. We’ve done work in the laboratory where we’ve shown that we can create an expectation that a person will get a painful stimulus. In people that haven’t trained their mind, just the expectation that they’re about to get zapped with painful heat is enough to activate the pain circuits in the brain, even though there’s no painful stimulus. They’ve just heard a tone, which denotes that they’re going to get this painful stimulus. It turns out, in people who’ve done certain kinds of meditation practices, when we give them this expectation cue, nothing happens in the pain circuits in the brain. We can learn to let go of these expectations. Certain expectations are important for navigating everyday life. But, when we have an expectation, and it doesn’t come to fruition, we are less activated by the failure of that expectation to come to reality. It’s a learnable skill. Stress is toxic because it causes your brain to tell your body to prepare for immediate action. How can we decrease the propensity of activating our fight or flight response? This is a huge and important issue. To give context, we have this chunk of real estate in the front of our brain called the prefrontal cortex. It affords us the opportunity to do something that other species can’t do very much, which is what we call mental time travel. We can anticipate the future and reflect on the past; That confers a lot of advantage to humans. But, it also gets us into trouble, because we can imagine future threats. They’re simply imagined, but they hijack the machinery of our threat response and activate our biological systems as if they were a real threat. But, all that’s happened is we’ve had a thought or an emotion. The invitation, if you will, is: How can we harness the capacity of the prefrontal cortex and use it to our advantage? We can learn to harness this gift and control our mind in a way that would decrease the likelihood of us triggering these threat responses in contexts where they’re not necessary. We may feel calm after coming out of meditation. Still, it requires practice to maintain that calmness throughout the day. You’ve shared that your next frontier of work is around microdosing. What are a few practices we can try? We’ve talked about the microdosing of well-being. Research shows that one of the easiest ways to do this is if we pair these micro-practices or micro-supports around activities that we do every day. One of the things that most humans do every day is eat. If we spend even 30 seconds before we eat intentionally reflecting on all of the people that it took for us to have a meal and feeling the appreciation in our mind and heart, that’s an example of a micro-practice. You could do this a few times a day. It takes virtually no extra time. Some of us travel a fair amount. Walking through airports, for me, has transformed from something that many people consider stressful to this wonderful opportunity where you can look at people and just in your mind, you can wish people: May you be happy. That makes you happy, too. When you think about this, even for people who are living in objectively challenging circumstances, there are always going to be opportunities for this kind of microdosing. We just need to find what resonates with us and makes sense for our lives. Then, stick to it and really try to do it on a daily basis. Your team shares an invitation to improve our relationships: When we change the stories that we tell about people, our relationships with those people change. How do the stories we tell about others influence the quality of our relationships? What are a few ways we can shift them? This is part of our natural tendency to deploy narratives in how we operate, about ourselves as well as other people. I find myself having this issue all the time. There are often people who I’m scheduled to meet and I construct this image in my mind of who they are. We all do that. Most of us have had the experience, at least occasionally, of being surprised when we meet a person that we learn things about them that are inconsistent with the story that we’ve told about who they might be. It’s not that we should try to suppress the narrative, because that’s not going to work. But, having an appreciation that this is a story that we’re telling, it may not be accurate. There may be other stories that are more veridical. We use dreams as an important analogy. All of us dream every night. If we remember our dreams, we know that we have emotions in response to the dream events. But, we recognize that it’s a dream. It’s all constructed in our mind. It turns out that the way that we see the world is no different than the way that the mind processes dreams; Neuroscience teaches us that. We don’t actually see the world. When we interact with the world, what we’re seeing is our construction of the world. When we’re interacting with another person, we’re interacting with our construction of the other person. It’s not to say that there’s not someone there. But, we’re responding not to the physical elements that are there, but to our conceptual construction that we’ve made of who they are. When we recognize that, it helps to diffuse the grip that these narratives have and allows for much more spaciousness. You often express that there is an important distinction between happiness and wellbeing. Why is that distinction essential? If we lose a loved one, we’re sad; The sadness is real and healthy. It would be weird and kind of pathological to be happy in response to loss. It’s not about being happy all the time. Yet, if we have a loss and we’re sad, if we have high levels of well-being, we have this sense that everything is going to be fundamentally okay. There’s a kind of fundamental okay-ness. That’s what well-being is about. It’s not about being happy. It’s about knowing that it’s okay. For example, I’ve seen the Dalai Lama with this huge range of emotion. After someone described Tibetans in a Chinese prison being tortured, he was visibly crying. But, the next moment, he noticed something funny and started laughing. There’s this emotional fluidity. If a tragedy happens and you are sad, it’s having the ability to bounce back. You don’t stay stuck in the sadness for long periods of time. You have an appropriate response. But, at some point, it is no longer appropriate and you can have other emotions. Fluidity is one of the key markers of a person who is flourishing. What is your hope for the world today? The world is experiencing the devastating consequences of the failure to cultivate well-being; Many of the difficulties we’re having in the world—including the devastating consequences of polarization and greed—all of these problems are, at least in part, stemming from the same fundamental cause. My aspiration for the world today is that we can embrace the possibility that well-being can be learned, and that it’s not difficult. I feel like my role on the planet is to harness my platform as a scientist to help promote this idea and provide tools that can enable a large swath of the population to get engaged in this way. I think the very future of humanity depends on it. View the full article

Spotify just opened up a new stream of revenue for podcasters. That is, if they’re uploading video. What was once an audio-first medium, podcasting is now increasingly filmed and produced. That started on YouTube, which is now racking up one billion podcast viewers a month. While Spotify has hosted podcasts for a decade now, the company is suddenly racing to stay competitive, rolling out new features and monetization tools. That includes their Partner Program, which allows podcasters to earn money directly from the streams of premium subscribers, so long as they’re using a video aspect. “We decided to focus on video because that’s where we see a lot of audiences and creators trending,” says Jordan Newman, Spotify’s senior director of content partnerships. “We felt like it was something that we really wanted to encourage and incentivize our platform.” To find out how podcasters feel about the app’s video push, Fast Company spoke with creators on both sides of the aisle—those who have embraced video, and those who have stayed audio-only. The cost-benefit analysis of video podcasting For many podcasters, the shift to video is a financial and logistical leap. Producing a high-quality video podcast requires more than just a microphone—it demands cameras, lighting, editing software, and often a dedicated set. That investment pays off for some, but for others, it adds a new layer of complexity to an already time-consuming medium. Chris Williamson knows this trade-off well. As the host of Modern Wisdom, one of Spotify’s most popular self-improvement podcasts, he’s built a reputation not just for insightful conversations with guests like Andrew Huberman and Steven Bartlett but also for stunning visual production. Yet Modern Wisdom wasn’t always a cinematic experience. In its early days, the show was audio-only, with a basic equalizer graphic on YouTube. Fifty episodes in, Williamson started recording his Skype interviews. A hundred episodes later, he upgraded to professional-quality video. Now, he rents what he estimates is “a quarter of a million dollars”-worth of camera equipment for each shoot. So far, it’s paid off handsomely. Thanks to his polished, production-heavy style, advertisers flock to Modern Wisdom, and Spotify’s expansion into video has further boosted his revenue. Once his full back catalog is uploaded, Williamson expects to earn as much—if not more—from Spotify as he does from YouTube. “I think we’ve kind of gained a reputation in the world of cinematography and production and making a very beautiful podcast, and that makes me feel good,” Williamson says. “It’s not just something that is legitimate in terms of its content, but also in terms of its delivery and its packaging.” While most podcasters don’t operate on Williamson’s scale, video remains for all a big investment. Among the seven podcasters interviewed for this piece, nearly all cited increased costs—both financial and labor-related—as a major consideration. For independent creators, these costs fall directly on their shoulders. For those backed by major podcast networks, the burden is often shared. Diallo Riddle and Blake “LUXXURY” Robin, co-hosts of the music podcast One Song, were caught off guard when their network, Hartbeat, insisted on a video format. (Riddle jokes that, if he had known, he would have demanded they “pay for hair and makeup.”) But they have come to see the move as a fortuitous one. “By now, recording both has become the default,” Robin says. “Part of what podcasting is as a medium, I’ve only learned as we’ve done it, is that parasocial relationship. Getting to know the people, I think it helps when you see them.” The audio/video balancing act The biggest challenge? Making a show work seamlessly for both audiences. Some podcasts are visually stunning but incoherent in audio form; others treat video as an afterthought. The result is a growing divide in audience experiences. The hosts of Petty Crimes, which is also produced by Hartbeat, have been thinking about this drop-off in experience. Griff Stark-Ennis films in Los Angeles, where he’s surrounded by cameras, making it easy to “play into the visual aspect and sometimes forget the audio.” Ceara Jane O’Sullivan, who records simultaneously in New York, positions herself as a check on that impulse. “When we are reviewing episodes back, I always listen to the transcript audio-only,” O’Sullivan says. “You have to present your audio episode and present your video episode as if that is the assumed and correct audience. You never want anyone to feel like they’re being shorted or ignored in either medium.” No matter the issues—scaling costs, getting camera-ready, or remembering the audio listener—all of these podcasters were happy with their video ventures. They’ve all seen the audience widening that video has allowed them, something that Spotify’s Newman emphasized. “Shows with video are growing faster than audio shows right now,” he says. What becomes of the audio-only podcasters? Podcasting started as an audio-only medium—and many creators are sticking to that. In 2023, 32% of podcasters said they had “no plans” to record video, per the IndiePod Census. These creators are barred from that premium revenue stream on Spotify, though they still can earn money from ads. But video isn’t the be all end all; after all, only 30% of audiences are actively watching their podcasts, per Cumulus Media. And some podcasters have other priorities. “Video adds a layer of technical complication,” says Perry Romanowski, co-host of The Beauty Brains. “When I want to do a show, my partner and I hop on a zoom call and we record locally on both of our machines. Neither of us has to take showers and get gussied up. It’s just a lot easier.” Others film some video, but don’t upload it to Spotify. Gibson Johns films the interviews for his show Gabbing With Gib and uploads them to YouTube. But, to fashion these interviews into a podcast form, he records audio-only introductions and uploads the audio alone to Spotify. “I’m solid for now,” he says. “As far as I’m aware, there’s not a way on Spotify to upload a portion of your episode as a video.” Still, Johns is happy with Spotify’s creator experience; he earns the bulk of his money through their advertising. While Romanowski earns his money through Patreon, he’s content with Spotify, too. Neither haven’t felt the encroachment of video hurting their business. Podcasters now are at an inflection point. They must choose: To film or not to film. That choice isn’t just about preference—it’s about costs, and adapting to an industry radically reformed by video. View the full article

This week in branding news, Volvo released its first-ever entirely AI-generated ad, fashion brand Pretty Little Thing attempted to overhaul its brand image, and Crystal Light made a late bid on the canned cocktail craze. Here’s everything you need to know. Volvo veers into the uncanny valley The news: Volvo just released a new AI-generated ad, and it doesn’t include a single car. That was probably a mistake. Big picture: The ad, which aired in Saudi Arabia, is Volvo’s first spot made entirely with AI. Created by the agency Lion, the minute-long video used Midjourney for visuals, Runway editing software for touch-ups, and ChatGPT for narration. It’s essentially a slideshow of clips, including models gazing into the camera, kids smiling up at the sky, and, for some reason, sports fans gathering in a stadium. At no point does a Volvo vehicle appear in the work. Why it matters: The issue with Volvo’s new ad is not necessarily that it relies on AI tools (most advertising professionals will tell you that AI tech is bound to reshape the entire industry, whether we like it or not), but more so that said AI was used so clumsily. To start, the spot has no discernible plot, instead appearing to skip nonsensically between brief AI prompts with little apparent attempt to edit the shots together. The clips themselves display a clear disregard for the current state of AI-generated video by relying mainly on human bodies and expressions, two of the visuals that AI has yet to reliably recreate—resulting in plasticky, overly-airbrushed models that veer straight into the uncanny valley. Volvo’s choices in this ad are even more head-scratching given that we have evidence of an actually good AI-generated Volvo ad—one that was made nine months ago, in less than 24 hours, by a random guy. The speculative ad, created by colorist László Gaál, follows a Volvo vehicle as it speeds through a deserted city, bringing the crumbling architecture back to life by leaving a flood of greenery in its wake. Despite a comparatively tiny budget and time investment, the ad went viral for convincing many viewers, and even some marketing professionals, that it was authentic. The chances of a similar phenomenon occurring with Volvo’s official new ad are close to zero. Pretty Little Thing tries to glow up The news: The fast fashion site Pretty Little Thing (PLT) just rebranded to a new look that mimics luxury brands, and the internet is calling it the end of “the BBL aesthetic.” Big picture: PLT has swapped its former branding—a millennial pink-based design with a basic, sans-serif logo—for a chic new rebrand that uses a darker color palette, calligraphic wordmark, and monogram logo. It’s a full 180 shift that’s clearly taken its inspiration from high fashion brands like Louis Vuitton and Vivienne Westwood. The move is an attempt to reposition PLT away from its reputation for cheap fast fashion and toward a new era as a slightly pricier site to find dupes for the “quiet luxury” and “clean girl” aesthetics. [Image: Pretty Little Thing] “[PLT has] removed the bbl fashion and it’s more clean girl aesthetic now,” one tweet with 67,000 likes reads. “Wow the bbl aesthetic is really out.” Why it matters: PLT’s transparent bid to distance itself from the visual trappings of fast fashion should not distract from the fact that there’s no evidence that its business model has actually changed. In 2023, the company received a meager 23% on Fashion Revolution’s Fashion Transparency Index for poor labor standards, a lack of sustainability efforts, and little discernible effort to minimize animal suffering. “As it stands, the rebrand doesn’t entirely place PLT in the ‘affordable luxury’ sector,” Vicky Bullen, CEO at design agency Coley Porter Bell, told Creative Bloq. “While its refreshed design draws on some of the cues of luxury brands to create a somewhat more ‘sophisticated’ feel for the company, a brand is much more than just its logo and visuals.” Crystal Light goes boozy The news: Your mom’s favorite lemonade brand in the ‘90s, Crystal Light, is going after Gen Z. Big picture: In a bid to cash in on both its nostalgia-inducing branding and a growing interest in ready-made cocktails, Crystal Light is set to release an alcoholic take on its lemonade packets. The brand just announced a line of canned vodka refreshers, which, like the OG lemonade, will be low calorie and made with artificial sweetener. [Image: Kraft-Heinz] Why it matters: As household brands continue to vie for a piece of White Claw’s success, the RTD space is becoming increasingly oversaturated. Over the past few years, we’ve borne witness to Sunny D vodka, spiked AriZona Iced Tea, Fresca Mixed, and alcoholic Dunkin’ drinks—and, honestly, Crystal Light’s late bid on the space feels a tad bit desperate. “The bladder isn’t big enough to handle them all,” Gary Stibel, CEO of New England Consulting Group, told AdAge. “A few will succeed, but the ones that succeed will be based upon good marketing, not just good product.” View the full article

Every year, Employee Appreciation Day comes and goes, prompting organizations to rush into gratitude mode—offering lunches, shoutouts, and small gifts. But if March 7 is the only time leaders express appreciation to their teams, they’re missing the mark. It’s like only telling your partner “I love you” on your anniversary. If appreciation is absent the rest of the year, the sentiment feels hollow. In fact, a once-a-year show of recognition can do more harm than good, as employees may perceive these actions as insincere. Whether in relationships or the workplace, real appreciation is built through consistent, meaningful recognition. Recognition is even more critical as companies across industries are rolling back their DEI initiatives—a shift that could impact efforts to create more inclusive workplaces. Some organizations are quietly deprioritizing diversity programs, while others, like Meta, have made highly visible cuts to their DEI teams. As DEI initiatives shrink, rebrand, or disappear entirely, it’s more important than ever to reinforce inclusion through everyday practices. Recognition is one of the simplest and most effective ways to do this. When employees feel seen and valued for their contributions, inclusion becomes embedded in workplace culture—not just a corporate talking point. 4 ways to foster a culture of inclusive recognition Employees at organizations with highly integrated recognition—where recognition is frequent, meaningful, and embedded in the culture—are 10 times more likely to trust their organization and nine times more likely to believe their organization cares about them. Yet, many organizations still treat recognition as an afterthought rather than an everyday practice. Consider these four ways to make recognition a consistent and impactful part of your culture: 1. Make recognition a daily habit Think about the last time you thanked a colleague for their contributions. Was it last week? Last month? If you can’t remember, it’s time to make recognition a habit. Start by incorporating recognition into existing routines. Take a few minutes at the beginning or end of team meetings to acknowledge recent contributions. When providing feedback—whether in one-on-one conversations, emails, or project updates—call out specific actions that made a difference. Use digital tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams to create a space for company-wide appreciation. Recognition doesn’t have to come from leadership alone. You should also encourage peer-to-peer appreciation so employees feel valued by their colleagues, as well. The more ingrained recognition becomes in daily interactions, the more it fosters a culture where everyone feels seen and included. 2. Recognize behaviors, not just outcomes If you’re only recognizing employees for hitting goals—like exceeding sales targets or completing big projects—you’re missing a big part of what makes teams successful. How employees work is just as important as what they achieve. Think about the employees who mentor others, uplift their teammates, or create an environment where all voices are heard. These behaviors drive long-term success, but they often go unnoticed. If you want to build an inclusive culture, make a point to acknowledge the ways employees support and collaborate with each other, not just their individual accomplishments. For example, instead of only celebrating the top performer in a department, recognize the team member who made sure everyone was set up for success. Call out those who took the time to share knowledge, advocate for a colleague’s ideas, or create a positive team environment. By shifting the focus beyond just results, you ensure that a wider range of contributions are valued. 3. Ensure recognition is visible and equitable It’s easy to default to recognizing the employees who are the most vocal or who work on high-visibility projects. But what about the ones who contribute just as much behind the scenes? Unconscious bias can lead to some employees receiving less recognition than their peers. Take a step back and assess who is getting recognized in your organization. Are the same names coming up repeatedly while others are overlooked? If so, make a conscious effort to expand recognition across teams, levels, and roles. Ensure that recognition is public and visible, whether it’s through a company-wide newsletter, town hall meeting, or a shared appreciation board. When recognition is equitable, employees across all levels feel like their work matters. 4. Use Employee Appreciation Day as a reflection point When recognition happens consistently, Employee Appreciation Day becomes a meaningful reflection of the past year’s achievements rather than a last-minute attempt to show gratitude. Instead of using it as the only time to celebrate employees, think of it as an opportunity to reinforce and amplify your year-round recognition efforts. Use it to tell meaningful stories of teamwork, highlight moments when employees went above and beyond, and showcase the contributions that have shaped your organization’s success. Framing the day as a reflection rather than a one-off event helps strengthen your culture of appreciation. This is also a great moment to gather feedback from employees. Ask them how they prefer to be recognized. Some might appreciate public shoutouts, while others prefer personal acknowledgments from leadership. Use this input to refine your approach and make recognition even more impactful. The goal is to ensure that employees feel valued all the time, not just when it’s expected. The bottom line: Inclusion is built daily If employees only hear expressions of praise and recognition once a year on Employee Appreciation Day, you’re missing out on the opportunity to build a more engaged, connected workforce. A culture of recognition helps strengthen workplace relationships, increase motivation, and create an environment where people want to do their best work. It’s also important to remember that recognition alone isn’t enough. Without a living wage, reasonable hours, and supportive management, praise won’t drive true engagement or job satisfaction. Recognition must be paired with a fair and respectful work environment. By making recognition a daily habit, celebrating behaviors as well as outcomes, and ensuring appreciation is visible and equitable, you can create a workplace where your employees feel valued every single day. View the full article

Starting today, thousands of changemakers and leaders will descend upon Austin for one of the biggest festivals and conferences of the year: South by Southwest (SXSW). It’s the “level playing field” event where startups and Fortune 500 companies share the same stage to discuss the hottest topics and trends in film, tech, sustainability and travel, social good, and health and wellness. It’s where brands unveil new products, relationships are formed, and celebrities premiere their films. However, despite its popularity as a must-attend event, you won’t find SXSW in your Google Calendar app. You also won’t find two other cultural events in March: Women’s History Month or International Women’s Day (March 8), which ironically the start of SXSW often falls on or around. This omission isn’t due to a tech issue, either. It’s part of the Big Tech company’s attempt to get distance from what is now considered a dirty acronym: DEI. Last month, Google Calendar users noticed that cultural events and observances like Black History Month, Pride Month, and Jewish Heritage were no longer displayed on the app. And while the company claims that the changes were made in 2024, the recent response from users comes at a time when any and all changes—quiet or loud—tied to DEI are heavily scrutinized. In 2025, we have officially entered a DEI paradox where everyone—from consumers to employees to global brands—are navigating major backlash and uncertainty of how exactly we can and should use words like diversity, equity, and inclusion. In 2020, hundreds of brands were proud to share their commitments and promises to do better. In 2025, many of the same brands not only removed these promises from their websites but some have even gone so far as to completely distance themselves from any mention of DEI. What a difference five years makes. Google’s decision to remove cultural events like Black History Month and Women’s History Month from its calendar app is just the latest example a major company failing to understand the true value of DEI. As we kick off SXSW, let’s look back at where we’ve been but more importantly, where we still need to go. A Revolving Door of Diversity Officers and Changing Language In 2020, Google made the following commitments: improve representation of underrepresented groups in leadership by 30% and more than double the number of Black workers at non-senior levels by 2025. The next year, Google released its year-over-year hiring data with the following statement: “we’re expanding access to hiring opportunities for underrepresented groups in many parts of the world by centering racial equity across every part of our hiring process—for leaders, hiring managers, and all Googlers.” The Big Tech company didn’t even make it to 2023 before it cut dedicated staff and downsized its DEI programs. Easy promises to make, easy promises to break. And Google is not alone. Just look at the “revolving door” of diversity officers that have clocked in and out of major businesses since 2020: Pinterest, Apple, Zoom, Airbnb, Netflix, and Disney. All of these companies hired dedicated leaders attached to big announcements and pledges and all these companies saw high rates of turnover and DEI departures. Now in 2025, it’s become even easier to dismantle the work and efforts. Google recently announced its plans to end hiring goals for representation and its former Chief Diversity Officer, Melonie Parker, is now VP, Googler Engagement. Google’s Belonging website now includes phrases like “innovative hiring” and “reflecting our users.” The shift in language is reflective of a greater issue that has surfaced in recent months: the “urgent” need to comply with federal policies and executive orders that have reversed previous efforts from the past 50 years to address discrimination and increase diversity and inclusion. This has set a dangerous tone and precedent for 2025 that the great work and efforts from the past 50 years should be seen as a setback instead of a success. This is untrue and unacceptable. What we need from DEI in 2025 According to the World Economic Forum, at the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158 to reach full gender parity. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “accelerate action,” which is a call for urgency, inclusion, and transformative change. Imagine a world where instead of shining a spotlight on the critics, we shine a spotlight on the efforts and achievements that uplift and inspire women to strive for success without the restrictions of bias and discrimination. For companies, brands and leaders who are still committed to the work, here is how we accelerate action in 2025: Less Flash, More Substance: The foundation of DEI initiatives and programs goes beyond flashy titles, heritage months, and impressive speeches. Companies need to scale back and focus on important components like standardized hiring practices, recruitment from a wider talent pool, and regular pay-gap reviews for all employees. Learn from Mistakes, Don’t Dwell On Them: Women are underrepresented at every level in technology according to data from recruitment company Anderson Frank. Women still only make up 25% of the tech workforce. DEI plays a big role here. Companies need to provide and prioritize inclusive training opportunities, address gender diversity policies, and bring in more female leaders to act as mentors. Make Room for a New DEI Framework: It’s clear that an acronym has become too problematic. Lily Zheng, author, strategist, and outspoken advocate for DEI, recently shared that they hold DEI programs to the “highest standard of effectiveness” using a framework called FAIR, which stands for fairness, access, inclusion, and representation. Companies should consider this new framework as an opportunity for real change and progress. How can companies move beyond performative gestures to make a genuine impact? First let’s answer the question and then let’s get to work. View the full article

When I was 35, a ruptured brain aneurysm nearly killed me. My husband and I had just moved to a new city, bought our first house, adopted a dog, and I had recently started my own business. Life was running at 100 miles an hour and I thought this is what hustling was supposed to feel like. Living my best life, right? Until I collapsed, unconscious, on my bathroom floor. I miraculously survived. Recovery wasn’t always easy due to my new cognitive deficits. However, the experience taught me about the power of empathy to heal and how clarity and decisive action — especially when the stakes are high — can be the most compassionate things someone can do to alleviate stress, confusion, and anxiety. From staff supporting my husband in those crucial first hours to my care team treating me as a person—calling me by name and letting me choose my meals for six weeks—I felt seen, heard, and valued. Their kindness eased my stress and made a difficult time less isolating. According to a 2024 Businessolver State of Workplace Empathy Study, 37% of CEOs still believe empathy has no place in the workplace. This same study shows a marked increase in perceptions of workplaces being toxic. Clearly, we have a workplace conundrum that needs addressing. Engagement is down and mental health issues are up. Experts now cite loneliness as a health epidemic. It begs the question: Should empathy ever be put aside at work, or should we be doubling down on it? When we define empathy too narrowly, we overlook its power to build resilient, high-performing teams and boost engagement, collaboration, and innovation. Empathy means seeing, understanding, and, when appropriate, feeling another’s perspective—then using that insight to act with compassion. It’s a way to gather information, understand context, and take the next right step together. With this definition, it is safe to say that unless you are being physically or psychologically hurt, there are almost no circumstances where we should be putting empathy aside at work. Empathy at work includes practicing clarity, transparency, and decisiveness. Going back to my story — Above all, I credit my surgeon and care team for practicing the often overlooked aspects of empathy: decisiveness, transparency, and clarity. Can you imagine if my surgeon stalled on a decision to give my family a chance to research, analyze, or familiarize themselves with what was going on? He shared the information, clearly explained the risks and upsides, and patiently answered their questions, but he made a firm decision to move forward because he kept his eye on the ultimate goal: Saving my life. This kind of decisive action was exactly what my disoriented and overwhelmed husband needed at that moment. It was truly empathetic. Harvard Business School professor highlights the importance of decisive action when he writes, “A comprehensive study of compassion in the Clinical Psychology Review defines it as recognizing suffering, understanding it, and feeling empathy for the sufferer—but also tolerating the uncomfortable feelings they and the suffering person are experiencing, and, crucially, acting to alleviate the suffering.” Here are some ways that empathetic leaders can show up with greater decisiveness. Revisit your goal and purpose — often Leaders can often get caught up in the drama surrounding important decisions and lose sight of the goal. Create a way to clearly kick yourself in the pants as you make a decision: make your goal physically visible using a sticky note or by including it at the top of every discussion agenda. Read the mission out loud when you kick off meetings to reorient everyone to true north. Here are some tactics to try: Bake in goal-review processes: You can add goal statements to tracking paperwork, insist on reviewing the purpose at every major goalpost, or ask stakeholders to consider the overall goal any time they request a change or addition. Make goal-centricity a group endeavor: Ask your team members or colleagues to be accountability partners in remaining goal-focused. They can remind you, “Which option aligns with the larger purpose?” whenever they see you waffling. Practice transparency There’s no need to make all decisions in a secretive way and unveil them only when they are fully baked. Learn to be clearer quicker, and if possible, talk openly about the choices you’re making and have made. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know, but let’s find out together.” A study published in the Journal of Communication Management reveals how transparent communication significantly influences employees’ trust in their organizations. Here are some tactics to try: Share your failures: Being human with your teams means they’ll feel comfortable doing the same, which builds empathy in both directions. It also will slowly erode any anxiety you have about making “bad” or “wrong” decisions. Process with trusted colleagues: By allowing yourself to process with team members or other leaders verbally, you can reveal your thought processes and limiting factors. Solicit and synthesize input Practice soliciting input from others, but be clear that once a decision is made, naysayers will be asked to disagree but commit. At a certain point, we’ve all got to move forward together and still be committed to the mission. Focus on impact: While general feedback is important, if you want to be decisive by implementing input quickly, you need specifics. You can practice asking the feedback-giver to recommend one thing you could do that would make a difference to them Express enthusiasm for feedback: Ideally, soliciting input should be constant, not sporadic. Verbally reward and encourage feedback regularly. Start small: You can try a low-risk experiment, like asking everyone to vote for the location of the next off-site, department lunch. Leverage all that input to quickly make a call yourself, and practice communicating your decision back. Set a deadline In an article for Fast Company, psychotherapist Amy Morin recommends getting in the habit of setting deadlines for decisions that trip you up. If it’s a small decision—say, picking a spot for a business lunch—give yourself a few hours. If it’s weightier—a big investment or strategic pivot—think more in terms of days or weeks. Here are some tactics to try: Leverage tech: It may sound simple, but just putting a reminder in your phone or calendar can help you stay on track to make decisions in a timely manner. Schedule a decision review block each day: Consider setting aside thirty minutes or so each day to review and mull upcoming choices. This is also a good forcing mechanism for leaders who are overwhelmed by choices. Empathy isn’t just about listening and understanding—it’s about acting decisively, transparently, and with clarity when it matters most so no one is left anxious and scared in the dark. Leaders who embrace these qualities foster trust, reduce anxiety, and inspire collaboration, even during challenging times. View the full article