with light

Dear friends,
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My small seed of wisdom for you this week comes from a book I read many moons ago: Memoirs of a Geisha. One of the quotes in the novel has repeated in my mind for several days, and I felt moved to it share with you:

“Adversity is like a strong wind. I don't mean just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterward we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be.”
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What image does the quote evoke? For me, it's that of a tree, leaves blown away by a strong wind leaving only the most resilient ones behind. It can be really, really hard to find feelings of gratitude or peace in times of adversity, but in the metaphor, I find myself more willing to embrace hardships as opportunities for growth. I found this embodied beautifully in an interview we shared in a past newsletter of a woman who, despite the many adversities she faced including homelessness and abuse, never lost hope because she understood that scarcity doesn’t come from what you do or don’t have, but how you view what you have.
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with light,
Jasmine

fresh soil

🌍 Confidence lessons from one of the top motivational speakers in the world: Her interview is a refreshing look behind the scenes of what it takes to feel and look confident when public speaking, her infamous high five mirror habit, and what it's like to literally wet yourself on stage. → Podcast​
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🌍 Global in depth investigation on climate crisis solutions: The coverage takes you from NASA's jet propulsion laboratory to the Arctic Ice project in Utqiagvik, Alaska. → Documentary
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🌍 Pleasure and protection – why sex ed programs should teach both: Despite billions of dollars invested into Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) efforts, the effect of sexual pleasure, a key driver of why people have sex, in sexual health interventions is unclear. A new research study provides evidence of the positive impact of pleasure-incorporating interventions. → Research​

water your soul

🌺 Skirts as sites of resistance.
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🦄 Our favorite computer science teacher.
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🎬 Gems of Afro-Arab cinema.
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😂 The most relatable email.
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👀 Did you know sex toys date to ancient China?
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🌿 Earth meditation intimate conversation.

community garden

Spotted in our garden this week is...our founder! 🌸 Jasmine's been pretty shy about sitting down for a video interview, but we're slowly breaking through to her..this is a start 😉

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​What inspired you to create The Bloom?
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​The Bloom’s story is deeply interwoven with my own. I grew up with few career resources, connections, or a perspective on a career in international development and impact. All I knew was the United Nations; for me, this was the pinnacle of what it meant to be working in an international impact career. So when I was offered a dream position at the UN fresh after graduating from my Masters, I accepted without hesitation. But after two months, I completely burnt out.

I saw a huge problem that I converted into an *opportunity*: Where do we go when we want to see the good, and the joy in the world of impact? Staying hopeful is hard when there’s such an overwhelming media focus on violence, tragedy, and injustice. Motivated to create a small pocket of hope for my community, I created a newsletter to gather impactful jobs, inspiring stories, and meaningful social media accounts. What started as a 20 person email out of wild hope to bring more joy to impact has bloomed organically to this incredible community of thousands of changemakers around the world! ​
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​What has been the biggest challenge in the journey so far?
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​Early on I was told by so many people that I was “crazy” for not having social media accounts for The Bloom. These comments really fuelled my FOMO (fear of missing out) in the business world. But I held back and focused on what was important: community. The first year of The Bloom wasn’t spent creating cool Instagram posts or TikToks - we spent it 100% on building a high-quality newsletter that actually responded to the needs of our community. And it’s because of that focus that we were able to grow. I thank my past self every day for following my intuition; and it turns out that this approach is actually what’s become so special about The Bloom. We’re not following mainstream business guidelines: we’re building our own rules.

branch out

🦋 GROW
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For female artists unsure of the best path to take when entering the metaverse. ​
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​STEM for social good: a bootcamp exploring space careers. The event is for youth leaders 13-24 years old interested in aerospace engineering, astrophysics, and robotic technology.
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​An international network providing free mentorship to unpublished women of Asian heritage.
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Virtual career fair for women in STEM.

⛵️ EXPLORE​
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​How important is it to be friends with yourself?
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Trying psychedelics for the 1st time.
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Analysis of 1,700+ job descriptions in sustainability.
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Our unexpected source of inspiration this week: an essay from a consultant breast surgeon, "It's the little things that matter."
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A fascinating new book on 'women empowerment' in Islamic perspective.

sponsor seed

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grow new roots

ASIA + OCEANIA​
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🌱 Junior finance officer – Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law​
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​EUROPE ​
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🌱 Gender intern – GRET​
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​AFRICA + MIDDLE EAST ​
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🌱 Project manager – Save the Children International
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​LATIN AMERICA
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​🌱 Natural resources officer – Business and Human Rights Resource Center​
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​NORTH AMERICA​
🇺🇸
🌱 Youth engagement associate – Women Deliver​
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REMOTE
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🌱 Global content & campaigns lead – Impact Hub​

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