Dear Friends,
I’ve missed you all while I was in Washington D.C. and New York. While there, I had the chance to visit two powerful history museums: the African American History Museum and the Holocaust Memorial Museum. Given my family’s history with trauma on both sides, I was nervous about the experience—but it turned out to be deeply impactful.
Many of you have asked about the book I’m working on. My father, who authored The Business Solution to Poverty and Out of Poverty, spent many years working on a book titled Mass Murder before he passed. It explores his life, from fleeing Czechoslovakia to escape the Holocaust, to examining the makings of systemic genocide. The opening lines of the book read:
“I don’t like the term ‘genocide.’ It calls up a faint odor of Lysol disinfectant, which doesn’t quite cover the smell of the mess that was cleaned away. My grandmother choked to death on cyanide gas at Auschwitz in 1942, and I would have had my head bashed in on the side of a tree in Czechoslovakia when I was 5 1/2 if my father hadn’t seen very clearly what was coming and insisted on getting away. We escaped in 1939.”
His reflections on mass trauma are profound, and I’m working to finish what he started.
Before sharing the above, I considered including a trigger warning. Everyone is familiar with the term “trigger” today, and AI defines it as “a person or thing that provokes an intense emotional response.” But here’s the thing—triggers don’t just stir uncomfortable emotions; they signal that something needs attention. They initiate growth, helping us face discomfort and evolve. Too often, we move away from uncomfortable experiences because, honestly, who wants to deal with the shadow side of things? But when we lean into that discomfort, real healing often takes place.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be diving into topics of trauma and pain, weaving in my own experiences and family history. I look forward to co-creating new insights with you as we explore these important subjects together.
Thank you for your continued support. I’m so grateful to have you on this journey.