Category Archives: Authors R-Z

ADR authors listed by last name R-Z

Around the world, Authors R-Z, Of Women, Social Issues

Growing Up Female in Hong Kong – by Belinda Wong

Life is never easy in Hong Kong. When I was a kid, the percentage of girls receiving proper education was low.  Girls having higher education was much rarer. Boys were expected to do good at school and then at work.  No such expectations for girls. Luck was always on my side. I passed all the examinations which I needed to pass to move on to the next level.  My formal education ended being a graduate of the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a major in Sociology.  I was having a free time at school and then free choice in my career.

Continue reading Growing Up Female in Hong Kong – by Belinda Wong →

Authors R-Z, Writing

Creative Writing as a Tool for Mental Health – by Diane Storman

Writing Through It

Creative writing can be an effective tool for processing and regulating emotional responses. It can help writers enhance self-awareness, manage their mental well-being through daily writing practices, and foster connections within communities facing shared mental health challenges. (Author’s note: For the purposes of this article, creative writing refers to the practice of deliberately using narrative forms such as storytelling, journaling, and poetry to express thoughts and emotions.  Mental health is defined here as a state of emotional, psychological, and social well-being that influences how individuals think, feel, and act.)

Continue reading Creative Writing as a Tool for Mental Health – by Diane Storman →

Advisors, Authors R-Z, Politics, Social Issues

Pope Leo XIV is a Change Agent – by Mauricio Velásquez

A courageous voice in a wilderness of quiet conflict avoidance is refreshing, Pope Leo XIV’s regular critical comments of Trump’s policies are honorable and most important, necessary in today’s theater of hate and division.  Pope Leo XIV has been a “moral check” on our present administration, challenging them as not being even humanitarian.  He speaks  for so many – representing Catholics from all over the world.  

Most important to note is how Pope Leo XIV critizes policy, the administration’s actions and not Trump personally.  Donald J. Trump spews hate and suspicion every day and is a serial liar and it is Pope Leo XIV who cannot look the other way and “calls out Trump” constantly, regularly.  Pope Leo XIV has criticized Trump’s policies on immigrants (“inhuman”), Iran War (“atrocious”) and calls out Trump’s action as not Christian.  It is the right approach – separate the person from their actions and focus on their actions and consequences of their actions.

Continue reading Pope Leo XIV is a Change Agent – by Mauricio Velásquez →

Authors R-Z

The Fueling Of A Renaissance: Part 2 – by Regina Sën

Calm Heart, Clear Mind

This is the story of how, amid the world unraveling in catastrophe—uncertainty looming and megastorms colliding—one woman found her way to wholeness and back to functioning, determined to love come what may, and there lifted.

We live in a nation that is far removed from the wisdom that unfolded in the previous article “Fall of The Spiral Curtain,” and it is barren of the knowledge of emotion and energy hygiene, a necessary support in such a journey: to love come what may.

Continue reading The Fueling Of A Renaissance: Part 2 – by Regina Sën →

Authors R-Z, Social Issues

Fall of the Spiral Curtain – Part 1 – by Regina Sën

The fall of the iron curtain can never precede the fall of the spiral curtain. We are witnessing, in real time, the dangers of allowing citizens to rise in power before transcending the human spiral, in a land barren of emotional and energy hygiene, under fire, under pressure. In communities of old, regardless of faith or tradition, we encounter “the human spiral”: cycles of fear, judgment, shame, and misunderstanding that wound us—and others—in invisible ways. The following story explores the luxury of being sheltered, and patterns of reactivity that pass silently through generations, even when we are “raised with love.” Through the wisdom of a trusted elder (*do you have one?*)—a Guru, an ‘Aunty’, an ‘Old Soul’, whoever *your* people recognize as wise—we learn to bear witness to this spiral, to sit with another’s pain and misunderstanding, ultimately finding liberation: transcending through unconditional love, finding the hope of safety to grow in.

Continue reading Fall of the Spiral Curtain – Part 1 – by Regina Sën →

Advisors, Authors R-Z, Inclusion

12 Major Myths of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) – by Mauricio Velásquez

What Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Is Not

Having worked in the field nearly 33 years now and as President, CEO, of DTG fornearly 30 years, I have confronted these myths over and over and I am constantlydebunking them. I often distribute this document prior to a diversity and inclusion-related conversation, forum or training to undo the bias about an upcoming workshop onbias (what I call bias squared).

Continue reading 12 Major Myths of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) – by Mauricio Velásquez →

Authors R-Z, Healthcare, Immigration

DEI Cutbacks and Immigrant Mental Health – by Diane Storman

Research increasingly links the erosion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, alongside rising anti-immigrant rhetoric, to a significant decline in the mental health of immigrant populations (Lopez et al., 2017). This crisis is the direct result of a convergence of systemic hostility, and the withdrawal of institutional safeguards converge. The impact manifests as increased discrimination, reduced access to culturally competent care, and a pervasive fear of law enforcement intervention. As vital safety nets are dismantled, immigrants are left to navigate a landscape where institutional support is replaced by the constant threat of detention or deportation.

Continue reading DEI Cutbacks and Immigrant Mental Health – by Diane Storman →

Authors R-Z, Of Women

Leading the Change for Trust – by Denise Reed

It’s March 2026. Women’s History Month has many people reflecting on progress. This year’s theme is “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.” When I hear “sustainable,” I think about trust. I also think about keeping your voice alive in business.

If leaders do not record what they know, who will? How will the next generation learn? Your experience is an asset. It should not disappear in a calendar archive.

For years, women heard “lean in” and “break glass ceilings.” In 2026, the bigger shift is communication itself. Credibility is earned in long-form conversations. Your thinking becomes visible. Your standards become trackable. That is not “content.” That is executive presence, documented.

Continue reading Leading the Change for Trust – by Denise Reed →

Authors R-Z, Holocaust/antisemitism, Interviewing Deborah

Responding: Resilience interview with Levine at St. Elizabeth U.

Holocaust author/educator Deborah Levine, The Art of Resilience: From Pain to Promise

Thanks for sharing the youtube video. Your interview was enlightening and further exhibits your strive to help make the world better. I agree with you that people must first understand the roots of historical tragedies. Too often, these stem from widespread indifference, people ignoring suffering or choosing not to get involved.

I appreciate how you are demonstrating for others by your own active engagement that is rooted in core human qualities like resilience, determination, courage, perseverance, humanity, and decency. It is further emphasized through your personal journey via physical, mental, and spiritual resilience, turning pain into promise through storytelling and lessons from your life that include health setbacks and triumphs. The childhood diary comments are very memorable portions of your talk.

 

You convey hope and a practical blueprint. Learn from history’s failures of inaction, cultivate inner strength and empathy, use tools like writing and storytelling to grow and inspire, and step up to build a more decent world.

Authors R-Z, Race & Ethnicity

DEI: The Heart and Soul of America – by Niloo Soleimani

Why Micro-Belonging Is the Future

When people talk about DEI, they often turn to statistics, trends, and political debates — but for me, it began as something far more personal. I didn’t begin my American journey with belonging. I began it with silence, loneliness, and a depression I didn’t have words for at fourteen. I came with colored olive skin and an accent that marked me as “other” the moment I opened my mouth. I watched people connect effortlessly while I stood at the edges — unseen, unheard, and aching for a place in a world that was unkind to someone who didn’t quite fit. Those early years taught me how deeply not belonging can cut into the human heart. And it was in the small, unexpected moments — a classmate who smiled, a teacher who believed in me, a coworker who listened — that I learned something even more powerful: belonging is built in tiny, human gestures. And those gestures became my first understanding of what America could be at its best.

Continue reading DEI: The Heart and Soul of America – by Niloo Soleimani →