Filter Articles:
Carry a Dose of Optimism in Your Pocket!
Get the new Ever Widening Circles App! Feeling better about the world is as easy as tapping our app on your phone.
Jump to another article!
Surprise Me!Keep Uplifting Media Possible!
Donations from our readers help us keep spreading media that matters and keeps ads off of the site!
25 minutes
[ Thought Leaders ]
How to Handle Everyone’s Favorite Person: The Critic
By Sam Burns
Whenever we decide to put ourselves and our work out into the world, there’s one guarantee: there will be critics. But there is a very solid way we can alter how much of an impact they have on us. In her brilliant and motivating talk, Brené Brown gives us a few tools to do just that!
7 minutes
[ Thought Leaders ]
So, What’s it like to Grow Older?
By Sam Burns
We have something that’s going to make you feel a whole lot better about growing older. These masters of aging gracefully and keeping your spirit lively have a few tips for us all!
20 minutes
[ Innovation ]
How an Engineer Created a Band that Broke the Charts
By Sam Burns
Is what you’re doing in life what you always thought you would be doing? Could you take what you know and create something new that could never have existed without you? Here’s the story of an engineer turned rock star, whose story is one we can all relate to!
25 minutes
[ Thought Leaders ]
Building Futures One Plié at a Time
By Sam Burns
In a place where violence reigns, girls are finding refuge in a surprising way—and it’s all thanks to one amazing woman.
5 minutes
[ Creativity ]
Transforming Pollution into a Powerful Platform for Change
Can pollution from your tailpipe be turned into something positive? Air-Ink has found a way to turn the smog that would normally end up in our lungs into inks that artists are using to raise awareness. This innovation points to new possibilities for our future—take a look.
13 minutes
[ Sports ]
What Does Impossible Mean?
In the quest to achieve the highest jump on record, athletes are pushing the limits of the human body and redefining the word “impossible”. But what do record-breaking jumps like this say about what is possible for any one of us to accomplish?
9 minutes
[ Happiness & Hope ]
Helping Kids Find Community Even Without a Home
How do we give millions of kids stability and community in the face of homelessness? Girl Scout Troop 6000 has found a way to start in New York City’s Shelter system.
13 minutes
[ Art ]
Shadow Dancing Taking Us to New Worlds!
The dance troupe Pilobolus is known for their mind-bending work and their incredible experiments in shadow and performance will completely transform your sense of reality!
9 minutes
[ Innovation ]
The Toilet is Saving Our Lives!
By Sam Burns
Did you know that this innovation stops deadly diseases from finding you with every flush? Billions of people still don’t have access to one. So we’d like to take a moment to celebrate the humble toilet and see how some truly amazing thought leaders are bringing them to everyone around the globe!
24 minutes
[ Culture ]
So… Why Are People Riding Bulls?
By Sam Burns
Bull riding is one of the most dangerous sports in the world. So why do people partake in it? Turns out, there are some metaphors that might help us master our own pursuits!
9 minutes
[ Science ]
Entering the Empire of Cephalopods!
By Sam Burns
Most of our personal ah-ha moments come from occasions when we actually understand ourselves a little better. Turns out, some of the world’s most unique animals—cephalopods—can help us with that, all while expanding our sense of wonder about Mother Nature’s wild design book!
11 minutes
[ Nature ]
Meeting the Salween River
By Sam Burns
On this Saturday Around the World, we’re traveling through the beautiful Salween River in China and seeing the efforts put into place to protect it.
12 minutes
[ Thought Leaders ]
Libraries on the Front Lines of Homelessness
Public libraries are finding novel and wonderful new roles in our communities despite the evolving digital world. Here is one that has it all: it makes the best of elements that were in plain sight and the model can apply to all kinds of problem-solving.
7 minutes
[ Animals ]
Single Mothers are Saving Africa’s Endangered Wildlife
By Dr. Lynda
The best thought leaders among us are quick to accept the risk of abandoning assumptions. Their courage often brings out the best in others, and here’s an amazing example of that alchemy!
25 minutes
[ Nature ]
Sperm Whales’ Clicks are Expanding Possibility!
By Dr. Lynda
What if sperm whales are communicating with language far more complex than we are? Could our view of ourselves change if we learn that they may be as capable of future planning, reasoning, and emotions like love and empathy? These mysteries are beginning to be unraveled!
11 minutes
[ Art ]
Trolls We Can All Come to Love!
By Dr. Lynda
What if we slowed our impulse to create new “stuff”, and instead, focused on using what we already have in excess? Take trash for example. Is there endless potential in the things we are discarding? Here’s is someone who is pointing to possibility in a wondrous way!
10 minutes
[ Design ]
Sadie McCallum Shows Us Why Invention is for Everybody
Meet Sadie McCallum, a young inventor who is taking the unique problems she faces with Cerebral Palsy and building innovative solutions to help others!
5 minutes
[ Culture ]
Meet the Hindu Bagpipers Bringing Cultures Together
It’s easy to look back and see that some of the best innovators in history brought together two things that no one had ever thought to combine. For the best kind of ingenious fun with that concept, take a look at The Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band: a worldwide organization of Hindu bagpipers who blend Indian and Scottish music in a brilliant cultural mashup!
7 minutes
[ Innovation ]
This Prosthetic Arm Doesn’t Look Human — And That’s Awesome
By Sam Burns
This prosthesis is not only the cheapest bionic arm you can find on the market, it’s also one of the coolest. The Hero Arm is 3D printed for anyone age 9 and above, customizable, and inspiring a new wave of research!
13 minutes
[ Thought Leaders ]
How to Catch the Winds of Luck
What if you could have more luck without just wishing for it? Here’s a Stanford Professor, with decades of research, pointing to 3 simple ways to start increasing the odds of finding more “good luck” in your life!
27 minutes
[ Innovation ]
Why Wild Animals May End Up On Your Street
By Sam Burns
These communities in Canada are helping us all reimagine what we can do to have healthy relationships with the wildlife that lives around us!
8 minutes
[ Creativity ]
Insects Have Never Looked So Good!
By Sam Burns
The amazing, intricate structures of insects are something that belongs in museums—oh wait, they’re already there! Photographer Levon Biss has teamed up with one exhibit to bring us closer than we’ve ever been to these tiny creatures with his Microsculptures. You’ll never look at a bug the same way after you see these.
16 minutes
[ Conservation & Sustainability ]
How to Trade a Paperclip for a House
By Dr. Lynda
Now here’s a TED Talk that is both fun and transformational! The best ideas are a win/win for everyone and this one certainly qualifies. After this, you’ll never look at your “stuff” in the same way.
8 minutes
[ Education ]
Bringing The World Into the Classroom
Ever Widening Circles has moved into the classroom! Learn more about how EWCed is helping inspire students’ curiosity and connect them to the wider world!
6 minutes
[ Innovation ]
Your Spare Hair Could Clean the Ocean!
By Sam Burns
Did you know you are growing a way to combat oil spills? Every day, hairdressers are throwing out pounds of hair that can be used to help clean up the environment! Clean Wave is putting that hair to good use, keeping the oceans safe and protecting wildlife.
18 minutes
[ Happiness & Hope ]
Janine Shepherd: The Flight of an Unstoppable Spirit
By Dr. Lynda
A world of possibilities is waiting for us if we lighten our load! Here is an amazing person to be our guide.
7 minutes
[ Creativity ]
When Dance Creates Opportunities
By Sam Burns
Hussein Smko grew up in war-torn Iraq, and he’s turned his experience into an opportunity. Through his performance, this dancer is not only telling his story, but making it possible for others to share theirs.
5 minutes
[ Innovation ]
The Shoe that Grows Keeps Growing!
What if more businesses were built to have a positive impact on the world? Kenton Lee, the founder of The Shoe that Grows, is working to make an even greater positive impact on the globe with the launch of GroFive, and Expandles!
10 minutes
[ Animals ]
A Sanctuary for Costa Rica’s Strays
By Sam Burns
Territorio de Zaguates is providing care to nearly a thousand dogs that have been taken off the streets of Costa Rica. Their story is a testament to the impact the love and determination of one person can have on others.
