SIX YEARS AGO, Gary Vaynerchuk was on a night flight back to New York from a speaking gig in what might have been Dallasthese things tend to blur into one for Vaynerchukwhen he leaned his head against the window and had a realization. He was 38 years old, overworked, and out of shape.

I said to myself, Youre going to die younger than you need to if you dont start eating better and working out, and just literally decided right then, within seconds, that on my 40th birthday I was going to hire this trainer, and then theyre going to follow me around in perpetuity, he says. As the flight went on, the plan accelerated. By the time I landed and hit the ground, it went toWhy not start now?

He soon locked down a personal trainer, and suddenly, fitness became Gary Vaynerchuks latest hustle toward getting happier.

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As Vaynerchuk stories go, this one is extremely on-brand. That's because "GaryVee," as hes known among his legion of often young admirers, has built his reputation on moving quickly when inspiration strikes. As the bootstrapping tale goes, he's the guy who, nearly a decade and a half ago, transformed a discount liquor store in New Jersey into an online wine-selling empire through the then-novel sales tactic of creating a YouTube channel and making people really care about him and his products. (The channel was called Wine Library TV.)

As the shows host, GaryVee appeared to be plainspoken and authentic, with sales insights that turned him into a new-age and occasionally f-bomb-dropping business guru. He quickly parlayed that fame into a line of best-selling books and more advice-sharing YouTubes to build an even bigger multiplatform following. He now has 2.1 million followers on Twitter, 2.6 million subscribers to his YouTube channel, 3.8 million fans on TikTok, and a whopping 7.9 million Instagram followers ready to receive daily koans like Spend 0 seconds dwelling about yesterday. But much of his early appeal revolved around a concept that seemed to take a toll as he aged.

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As he shared in a YouTube rant entitled The Most Important Word Ever (spoiler alert: its hustle) that he posted way back in December 2014, the VaynerNation thinks theyre hustling, and straight to your face, I think 99.9 percent of you are not, he says. Everybody has time. Stop watching fucking Lost. That dispatch earned more than 1 million views.

Since he started working out, though, GaryVee seems to have stepped back from that hard stance. In March 2019, he gave a keynote speech at a major marketing forum in Jakarta, the key theme of which was happiness, not hustle. The video is titled 95% of People Are Confused About Success and Happiness. In it he lays out his theory of how to create a better life: I believe that self-awareness, and the ability to actually give without expectations, are the two bricks of happiness, he says in an almost pleading tone with the audience.

The moment comes off as seemingly smart but also a little crypticanother classic GaryVee tactic to get people to listen closer.

WHEN I TALKED to GaryVee during a Zoom call in mid-May, he was isolating at his parents house in New Jersey but still keeping up a busy schedule. He's reportedly married with two young children but is generally guarded about his personal life. "Never assume you have the whole story," he wrote online in defense of apparent criticism of his work-life balance several years ago. "Yeah, you see me working eleven hours and in meetings and flights and hustling. But there is a lot you dont see too."

During our video chat he wore his usual casual uniform, a loose T-shirt and black hat with the letters VS on ithis logo for VaynerSports, his agency, which represents a moderate roster of NFL talent. Beneath the brim, his face was stubbled, and he looked tired.

I think that message got taken too far, he says about his early suggestions that the best way to get ahead was to grind hard, late, and often, although it was unclear if he was taking his own advice.

GaryVee says his days currently begin at 7:00 a.m. with a virtual workout with the same trainer he first hired, Mike Vacantione day arms, the next legs. He looks leaner than he does in older online videos, and says he's added some much needed muscle. He likes training with someone because it holds him accountable.

That's followed by several hours of filming to create his roughly hour-long new YouTube show, Tea With GaryVee, which launched during quarantine to help people during this difficult time, and on which followers tweet at him or even call in virtually for all manner of guidance. It's one way he's realized he can give without expectationhe's responding to what his audience finds most important. He has also learned to pay close attention to how people are receiving each message he puts out into the world. What I do for a living, probably more than anything else, is read comments, he says.

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His afternoons consist of virtual meetings for VaynerX, the umbrella company of the seven businesses in the GaryVee empire, which basically break out various opportunities for the different clients and companies he represents. Theres VaynerSpeakers, VaynerProductions, VaynerCommerce, and other assets. In total, hes estimated to be worth about $160 million. His creative agency, VaynerMedia, has worked with clients like Pepsi, Chase, and Budweiser.

Courtesy of Gary Vaynerchuk

He has dinner with his folks at 7:30 p.m., he says, and spends another hour or two on email in the evenings. Rinse, repeat. Anybody familiar with Vaynerchuk shouldnt be surprised that hes still trying to work under lockdown. But the experience has also prompted himas it has many of usto reflect on his life and business. When he comes out of this, he wants to travel less and spend more time with his kids. He currently makes about 150 flights per year, but says hes planning to reduce that by at least 20 or 30 to start.

He was also helping to organize a coronavirus-relief event called the All-In Challenge, which features a number of sweepstakes and auctions for experiences with celebrities including Tiger Woods, Chris Hemsworth, and Kelly Slater. One prize will give someone yearlong ultimate access to Vaynerchuk, including moments that appear custom-built to help him unplug, although its unclear if hell use this for future online content. The adventures include garage-sale scavenging (a favorite pastime), training sessions with him and Vacanti, and tailgating at a New York Jets game. He hopes to one day buy the forlorn football team.

VAYNERCHUK'S LEGEND AS a hustler is well-known, akin to the Horatio Alger myth and tied into the way many of us judge success still today. He was born in the Soviet Union in 1975, and his American journey began three years later, when his family moved to Queens, New York, before settling in Edison, New Jersey. When Vaynerchuk was a kid, his dad ran a liquor store and the family of eight lived in a small studio apartment. To make his own money, he washed cars, operated a lemonade franchise, and bought and sold sports cards (an interest he maintains to this day).

After graduating college in 1998, Vaynerchuk took over operation of his dads store in Springfield, New Jersey. He rebranded it from Shoppers Discount Liquors to Wine Library, and focused on online sales. In 2006, Vaynerchuk launched Wine Library TV, a daily webcast about wine that he posted on YouTube, which was still in its infancy. Vaynerchuk has large, curious eyes accented by thick eyebrows and a dimpled smile that allows him to make a minimal mood change feel infinitely more expressive. He speaks at a steady pace that makes what hes sharing accessible and not too slick feeling. The effect is earnest yet unapologetic, energetic but empathetic all at the same time.

In five years, his small family business was doing $60 million in annual revenue. GaryVee has since written four best-selling books that read a lot like business and lifestyle how-to manuals with hustle as the recurring ingredient. (The titles include both Crush It! in 2008, and its follow-up a decade laterCrushing It!) As for concrete sales tactics, he offers that, too. His 2013 book, Jab Jab, Jab, Right Hook, covers the one-two punch of first offering your fans something of value and then making your ask.

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During a recent episode of Tea With GaryVee, for instance, he spoke with a young woman about connecting with influencers to help sell her book (You need to be reaching out to every podcast, every platform you can), conversed with a follower about how she can help people by becoming a life coach after getting out of an abusive relationship (The only way youre going to do itits similar to working outyou have to put in the reps, you have to put out the content), and spread his gospel about producing lots and lots of content to gain momentum (Something happens when you put something out).

The actual sell was subtle: He signed off by saying, Im going to hang up now and write todays wine text, because its the single best pinot noir weve ever offered.

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VAYNERCHUK MAY BE pushing for more balance in his lifeand yoursbut hes far from saying hustle is bad word. Coming out of the coronavirus pandemic, he says, I have a funny feeling that hustle and hard work are about to be put on a pedestal again because 50 million Americans are out of jobs.

For him, the current moment feels similar to, although obviously more deadly than, the financial crisis of the late aughts. The economy was in a tailspin. The world was financially melting, and I definitely am a high-energy guy, and I definitely made comments like 7:00 p.m. to two in the morning is your opportunity to shine, because I was desperate to help people, he says. I was like, Hey, youre crying, youre suicidal. The Internets here nowyou could be actually having a job and coming home and starting the next thing that can get you out of it.

I still to this day believe hard work is foundationalbut Im empathetic to it, he says. I could have done a better job to create more clarity about balance. And I think also I have garnered the wisdom over the last 12 to 15 years to realize, wow, when youre a communicator, people are going to run with individual parts and take them directly out of context.

This introspection about how his message is received has prompted more nuance in how he delivers it. The smart hustler needs to pick a pace that feels sustainable because it takes time to get ahead. I would argue with most people that if they dont have the patience to navigate through choppy waters for 18 months, its highly unlikely that theyre going to achieve what they want anyway, he says.

Vaynerchuk admits that hes often winging it onstage, so its fair to say his theory of happiness is fluid. But the Jakarta talk stands out for the way he implores his audience not to simply hustle for what they want but to live a life thats fulfilling to them. Self-awareness, Vaynerchuk explains, is about competence over insecurity. Self-awareness means knowing your shortcomings and being okay with them. It means reading people around you and knowing your audience. Giving without expectations means having no agenda. I think a lot of people give as a manipulation tactic. Its, youre giving for a reason, he says.

In Jakarta, he made no promises that his advice could lead his listeners to financial success. Instead, he told the crowd, almost all of whom were young entrepreneurs, that many of them would fail. The point, he said, isnt success alone. The point is to make sure youre doing something because you believe in yourself, and then, because in many ways you cant control the outcome, to learn to feel good about the way you tried to make that happen.

Please, my friends, dont live a life that gets you to 80, 90, 100 years old, where youre sitting there saying, I wish I did, Vaynerchuk said at the event. Older people will not talk to you about what they did, but what they didnt do.You have one life, you might as well live it.

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To that end, his recent social-media posts have been affirmingand could also read as his own reminders to maintain a less-frantic lifestyle. Stop telling people how to fix themselves, fix you, he writes in one. Everythings scary until its not, says another.

If more people decide to tune in for that kind of wisdom, the happiness message could become pretty lucrative for GaryVee. But he appears to genuinely value his new perspective.

"I used to think I was outworking people[but] as I became more known and had more human interactions, things started to become clear to me, Vaynerchuk says. Its funny, because Im such a modern communicator, but Im such an old-school character. As Ive gotten older, Im like, Oh, right. I believe in the shit that the 90-year-olds believe in. You know what I mean?

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Gary Vaynerchuk on Coronavirus, Work-Life Balance, and His New YouTube Show - Men's Health

"We are leaving the industrial economy and entering the connection economy." -- Seth Godin

The disruption to the world's economies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to wipe out 6.7% of working hours globally in the second quarter of this year -- the equivalent of 195 million jobs worldwide, according to theUN's Labor Body. And that statistic excludes employed people seeking new roles. In an increasingly tight job market, connection is king. And referral is the currency of choice. Are you hoping to hit the connection jackpot by playing the uncertain game of chance networking while your career is on the line?

You'll need more than luck to beat the odds in the COVID Connection Economy. Every day we are on the receiving end of burgeoning invitations to connect. And we are not alone. So it is your dream boss. Your ideal mentor. Your future recruiter. Your future hiring manager. And your future investor.

Successful connections and referrals begin with articulating your story in a trustworthy and unique way. It's about demonstrating competence and character.

Referrals result from how effectively you differentiate yourself. What you expect from a good mentor is also what you can find in a good referral. To earn a good referral, you must be able to demonstrate competence and character. You must demonstrate trustworthiness and unique abilities that set you apart from others. A good mentor will teach you how to think, not what to think. A good referral reveals who you are, not what just what you can do.

That's why it is shocking to repeatedly discover these six strangers -- and one standout superstar -- asking for connection and help. How often do you masquerade as one of these characters in your "click to connect" messages?

Fortunately, I occasionally hear from Powerhouse Pat. Who is Powerhouse Pat?

Powerhouse Patis the standout superstar in a cast of mediocrity. Prepared. Articulate. Focused. With clear priorities. Talking points. Examples of outcomes and impact. A well thought out ask at the end of the message. And an offer of shared value or reciprocity. Powerhouse Pat is the one who gets the yes. The connection. The referral.

How can you show up as Powerhouse Pat and increase your odds of a successful outcome? Invest as much thought in crafting your "click to connect" message as you would in preparing for a job interview. Your message matters. Your message is your tool to make a great first impression. And to differentiate yourself.

Remember, the simplest message is always the strongest. Before you send your high stakes "click to connect" referral request, be sure your invitation message concisely answers these four questions:

Success begins with your story.

These are very difficult times for people who are looking for meaningful jobs and new career opportunities. Asking for a referral, and getting one, is also hard work. Those of us who are fortunately working should do everything we can to help others. We should be empathetic and generous with our time and knowledge. If there is an opportunity to coach, we should coach. Giving back and helping others is the most rewarding and important work at times of uncertainty and economic downturns. Being a door opener matters, and a good referral can open doors.

Karen Mangia, vice president of customer and market insights and a member of theSalesforce'sWork From Home Task Force, and I have co-authored severalarticles on how you can reach your full potential and deliver peak performance while working from home. We've covered how you design andarchitect your surroundings, the art and science ofpublic speakingand presentation skills, the ability topause, ponder, and prioritize your time, how to effectively managing your remote teams, and how leaders must cultivatehealthy relationships for all stakeholders. We also know the importance ofmanaging relationships with managersand how world recording holding athletes develop amindset that keeps you inspired and motivatedto work from home. All of these articles can help you develop the capabilities you need for a strong referral.

What are you discovering as you work from home? We welcome your insights here or by joining us on Twitter at@karenmangiaand@ValaAfshar.

This article was co-authored byKaren Mangia, vice president, customer and market insights, atSalesforce.

Karen engages customers globally to discover new ways of creating success and growth together. From Executive Advisory Boards to strategic consulting engagements, her insights are central to Go-to-Market strategy, product development, marketing, and branding. In addition,Kareninfluences industry thought leadership in her role as Chair of the Customer Experience Council for The Conference Board. Formerly responsible for Insight Innovation at Cisco Systems, she led a global team with oversight into Customer Satisfaction and Experience, Diversity Business Practices, and Global Offset and Countertrade. Karen is also the author ofSuccess With Lessand a TEDx speaker.

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How to broker a referral in the COVID connection economy - ZDNet

Polarizing and provocative pop-rock outfit The 1975 have only striven harder and harder to make the kind of experimental and mind-opening music to match what often comes across as delusions of grandeur and strained connections of their work to global activism as their careers have progressed. After somewhat of a breakthrough with their past album, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, The 1975 came come out with their most love-it-or-hate-it project yet as hilariously evidenced by not only a perfect score but also a 1/10 and a 5/10 on the reviews segment of its Wikipedia page.

A wildly genre-hopping 80-minute project that contains numerous ambient instrumental interludes, musings on a wide swath of social issues and opens with a 5-minute original speech by teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, the band have certainly come a long way from their mundane and nondescript beginnings. Of course, frontman Matty Healys lyrics can be as ridiculous as ever, and sonically they sometimes take a huge swing and miss, but their penchant for a great hook and who would have ever guessed even a little bit of comedic self-awareness make this one of the bands most admirable collections yet.

The chaos of what youre getting yourself into becomes quite evident after the aforementioned Thunberg speech suddenly takes a tumble into the screaming industrial punk track People, a complete left turn in sound for the band that never returns as Healy responds to the speech by counting down the days to extinction and repeatedly urging people to wake up over blown-out wailing guitars. For a band that I often wish explored the issues they seem so passionate about further, you have to admire Healys sudden injection of frenetic passion here, sounding absolutely distressed and shocked at peoples inaction. At the very least, placing such a surprise at the start certainly got me excited about what was to come.

The second vocal track Frail State Of Mind introduces what is clearly one of the bands biggest new influences in the electronic sounds of UK garage and trip-hop, the glitchy percussion skipping wildly across quite a few of these tracks and backing up Healys softly crooned vocals instead of the more typical abrasive palates in what proves to be an engaging move. At times, however, their tendency to rely on the instrumental and chopped-up vocal samples while using this style does result in a couple of these tracks feeling underwritten, most notably the track Yeah I Know which follows shortly thereafter. Healys vocals are oddly processed and monotone on the verses, before a very minimal and repetitive pitched-up chorus. The style is used to its greatest effect on the track I Think Theres Something You Should Know, the hi-hats and bass bouncing off a fuller piano mix as Healy offers up a series of confessions about his muddled mental state.

The band gets most of their half-baked ideas out of the way in the early goings of the tracklisting Then Because She Goes is another experimental choice that quickly goes off the rails as the band attempts to recreate the kind of noisy shoegaze goodness of 90s pop-rock but comes through with a very muddy and borderline unlistenable mix but the real highlight of the opening run is The Birthday Party. For an album that many accuse of being disjointed, I appreciate its connection to Healys discussion of his social anxiety in Frail State of Mind, as he uses The Birthday Party to spin a kind of Father John Misty-esque self-deprecating story of a series of awkward and uninteresting interactions at a house party in his surprisingly smooth lower register, coasting over a calming mid-tempo groove enhanced by a couple of orchestral solos and a banjo that pops up periodically in the mix. Healy has a charming vocal delivery and a couple of funny lyrics before poignantly dropping the bomb at the end of the track that he goes to these undesirable social functions so that others hold him accountable for staying clean, after recently beating a lifelong struggle with drug addiction.

The excellent pairing of calming acoustic vibes and heart-wrenching lyrics of the albums first half continues on the track Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America, where Healy projects his personal struggles with religion onto the character of a gay man grappling with his real-life romantic feelings disagreeing with his love for his faith. The storytelling and emotional vocal delivery are only enhanced by the presence of Phoebe Bridgers, who sounds absolutely beautiful harmonizing with Healy and offers a similar female perspective on the second verse.

By its middle, the album steadily transitions into massive, anthemic pop hooks as well as some of its better sonic experiments as Healy finally lets up a little on the self-seriousness. The track Roadkill adopts an upbeat and appropriately twangy country vibe as Healy offers some amusing anecdotes about the ridiculousness of some attitudes he ran into while touring the American South, becoming refreshingly self-aware in one key lyric as he addresses the self-imposed unrealistic expectations placed on him to speak out against any and all social issues. Me & You Together Song is the track that most resembles their earlier work, improving the formula with a delightfully jangly 90s-pop mix and starry-eyed romantic lyrics and kicking off a long run of tracks where The 1975 flex their stadium-sized muscles.

The band used a gospel choir to outstanding effect on their last album and the choral arrangements return in a big way to the shimmering track Nothing Revealed/Everything Denied, Healy exasperatedly searching for the truth in an increasingly confusing world before he drops into a soulful lo-fi hip-hop groove and confesses about embellishing a little in his previous songs at a time that needs his full honesty. With an impressively hard-hitting Jamaican dancehall interlude performed by Cutty Ranks in between them, the tracks Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy) and If Youre Too Shy (Let Me Know) lean even harder into finding that extravagant pop euphoria with their hooks. The former introduces itself with a decidedly Kanye-inspired pitched-up soul sample before dropping into an almost reggae tempo and an instantly iconic, sweetly sung hook that climaxes as all instruments but a triumphant horn section drop away near the end of the track. The latter takes a look at double standards of how intimacy is viewed when separated by a computer screen as Healys interaction with a camgirl is soundtracked by rubbery synth-bass, classic-sounding guitar stabs and a jubilant falsetto melody.

The albums final series of tracks close things out on a more emotional note, the raw and acoustic Playing On My Mind offering some great layered harmonies as Healy tacks on a couple more deep existential questions and some more hilarious jabs at himself I wont get clothes online cause I get worried about the fit, but that rule dont apply concerning my relationships is an absolutely elite lyric. What Should I Say is built around a looped vocal from the inimitable FKA Twigs, but the final two tracks are an overwhelming one-two punch that should get the tears flowing. Healy describes Dont Worry, a song penned 30 years ago by his father, as what he believes to be the first song he ever heard as it was sung to him in his crib, and he recruits his father to sing it with him here. A simple and beautiful declaration of pure love, hearing the two Healys combine on the piano ballad is absolutely stunning. The album closes with Guys, as Healy expresses his appreciation for his bandmates while calling their friendship and musical union the best thing that ever happened.

As someone who admittedly used to be quite the detractor of this band, seeing them learn from their mistakes and venture ever closer to being the kind of envelope-pushers they viewed themselves as from the beginning has been a surprising and enjoyable experience. The 1975 throw just about everything at the wall over the course of this album, and for the first time, a vast majority of it sticks.

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Polarizing and provocative: The 1975 return with 'Notes On A Conditional Form' - Vancouver Weekly

It feels awkward to publish content about bicycling and streets when so many people are hurting and struggling under the weight of current events especially when those events seem (at first glance) to have nothing to do with transportation.

But look beyond the surface of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the woman who called 911 on Christian Cooper in Central Park this week and it becomes clear that these situations are about something we talk about on here all the time: Safe access to public space.

In the past few weeks BikePortland has been all about public space, providing a platform for discussion of open streets and boosting signals of people calling for more of them. Weve mentioned equity and racism here and there. Today though, those ideas merit more than a mention.

If the murder of George Floyd and the racist phone call from Amy Cooper were isolated incidents, wed all feel much different at this moment. But the pattern is so sadly familiar that its an inescapable truth that everyone who cares about bicycling, transit, open streets or whatever your transportation activism persuasion is must not only learn and absorb whats happening right now, we must allow it to re-wire our brains and alter our consciousnesses in a way that prevents us from being hosts for the parasite of racism ever again.

It would be easy for me to not post anything about this. It would be easy for us to keep talking about bike infrastructure and bike fun culture (I had planned a post about Pedalpalooza today but a celebratory tone didnt feel right) without facing these issues head-on. But the rising tide of overt racism in America is not only reason for us to acknowledge its role in transportation activism, its a clarion call for us to be more aggressive and proactive about confronting it and tearing it down.

What does this look like? I dont know yet. One thing Ive learned about complex issues like racism is that not knowing how to fix it, isnt a justifiable reason to avoid trying. Another thing Ive learned is how to follow and absorb thoughts and ideas from people like Tamika Butler. In her latest post, Stop Killing Us, she shares five vital questions for white people who want to help: Do I understand that not being racist isnt the same as being anti-racist? Why am I so afraid to be brave enough to confront my power and privilege? What am I waiting for to decenter whiteness and realize just because I have never experienced it (or seen the research to prove it) doesnt mean it isnt real? What am I doing every single day to force myself to think about racism and white supremacy? What am I doing every single day to stop the killing of black people?

Understanding racism and its intersection with biking and mobility isnt my strongest area of expertise (even though I have had some deeply personal experiences with it that have changed me forever). Thats why I dont post about very often. Its easy to stick to things Im comfortable with. But the idea of staying comfortable has been gnawing at me as I watch my news and social media feeds erupt with pain, indignation, and hard truths about the country I live in.

After Donald Trump was elected in November 2016, many people were very afraid of what his rise in power would mean for their lives. We know now that people who dont live or look like me a white, cis-gendered man from a stable, middle-income family had very good reason to be afraid. After the election I shared a message on Twitter that if you have the privilege of being unafraid; you have the responsibility to do fearless work.

Im sad and sick about Americas racist treatment of black and brown people. Im aware of how privileged I am to be unafraid in this moment. Im resolved to use this platform to help those who need it most but are least able or likely to use it.

I see the pain many are going through because of the brutal deaths of black and brown Americans and the daily impacts systemic racism has on public health. It wont be ignored here. I promise to be even more vigilant and vocal about how racism influences our debates around streets, mobility and and public space. I hope youll join me, because the hard work of making a community more open and tolerant can only happen if we support each other.

Below is a series of quotes pulled together for a project called Seeing & Believing Bike Equity that was created by Adonia Lugo for the League of American Bicyclists back in 2014. We first shared these quotes when we were reeling from the killing of another unarmed black man named Michael Brown on a street in Ferguson, Missouri. I think (sadly) they remain very relevant today.

Read the quotes, or scroll through the slides via the PDF below

The policing of communities of color has always had a large impact on how we get around our communities. Miguel Ramos

Some of us believe in the free and safe movement of bodies in the environments that they occupy whether it be cycling or other transportation. I am constantly reminded of that when a Black mother tells me: Every time he goes through my door I pray there isnt something out there that wont let him come back. Hamzat Sani

Cars convey power and thats something people (cops included) respect. Ira Woodward

If residents dont feel safe in a neighborhood in general, how can we possibly encourage them to be more exposed in that neighborhood by biking and walking more? Matthew Palm

What people can learn is to first question what solidarity means to them and is it the same as how people of color see solidarity? What types of actions manifest as a way to address these systemic issues? And relate it to how they can have these conversations in their own communities. Im not sure if bikes can play a vital role for every city, but I see the bike as a symbol of autonomy and self-awareness, something that many people that are privileged do not understand. Miguel Ramos

By allowing communities to self-determine safety issues, we can then prioritize how we move forward and start to frame a message of bikes as being one factor that addresses safety in a community. We must show our solidarity for safe streets and how that is a different experience for each community, and most importantly building that trust and relationship to continue to follow-up with the overall needs of a community. Miguel Ramos

Its important for our profession to hear that people of color in the US have good reasons to fear being physically unprotected in our public right-of-way, and to hear that there may be pretty fucking good reasons that people of color feel biking/walking projects should have lower priority than, say, police brutality. Jessica Roberts

I dont think we can separate the bicycles from the bodies that ride them. Some of us have bodies that are perceived as inherently more political than others. I was thinking about that as the photos from Ferguson rolled in. There were lots of pictures of young Black men, and I thought: Wow, those guys riding down the street would get a totally different response than I do.' Michelle Swanson

Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org Get our headlines delivered to your inbox. Support this independent community media outlet with a one-time contribution or monthly subscription.

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The Great is now streaming on Hulu. (Photo via YouTube)

Hulus new satirical drama series The Great constantly skates fine lines, balancing extreme ridiculousness and irreparable violence and begging you to both love and hate it. Created by Tony McNamara, the series displays the occasionally true story of Catherine the Greats rise to power in 18th-century Russia.

I decided I liked The Great right after watching the first episode, which cant be said of all well-loved TV series. How many times has someone said to you, Just get past the first few episodes? But The Great won me over immediately, despite the fact that my attention span has been reduced to the length of a TikTok these days.

The plot is loosely built around Catherine the Greats coup against her husband, then-Emperor Peter III, who, historically, was a pretty bad leader. Months after Peter III took the throne, Catherine who was more progressive than Peter deposed him, ultimately becoming the longest-ruling female leader Russia has ever seen.

[Read more: Review: Netflixs Have a Good Trip provides a weak buzz at best]

In her first TV lead, Elle Fanning charms as 19-year-old Catherine, and shes easy to root for. Her subtle yet intelligent lines make the show feel relevant and modern. Equally as charming, Nicholas Hoults portrayal of Peter makes you hope the coup doesnt happen too quickly in the show.

Peters character could have easily been based purely in satire and at first, it largely is but Hoult gives the role a certain complexity and helps to prevent the 10 episodes from feeling repetitive.

There are moments you forget about The Greats satirical nature. Youre waiting for the show to take it too far, and in some scenes its only moments away from irredeemably tipping the scale of comedy and absurdity to violence and disgust such as when Peter finds out Catherine plans to teach women to read and decides to punish her for it. But, it never spills over the edges too far in favor of one or the other.

As the show skates between modernity and historical accuracy, its hard to ignore the questions of diversity. Though The Great seems to largely ignore the structures of race and sexuality of the time in terms of casting, there are few people of color in the shows producing and directing roles, which is disappointing considering Hulu was given a Best Workplaces award for diversity in 2019.

[Read more: Twenty hopeful students will compete to find love on UMDisblind]

Beyond the plot, The Great also shines in its set and costume design. 18th-century Russia holds a distinct elegance in my mind, thanks to watching Anastasia as a kid. The Great doesnt shy away from using vivid pinks, blues and yellows to create a comparably elegant backdrop for an occasionally bloody plot.

The shows humor is, at times, too obvious, and other times, subtly brilliant. For every moment you roll your eyes, theres another to make you want to rewatch a scene just to hear the joke. In the first episode, Catherines servant is questioning why she thinks shes destined for greatness, asking Why did He make you a woman, then? Fanning replies, For comedy, I guess.

Theres a certain self-awareness to the show it doesnt take itself too seriously. But beyond the pink wigs, exaggerated actions, murder plots, love triangles and backstabbing tea sessions, there is something to be learned and inspired from Catherines confidence and leadership. At times, the writing takes you outside yourself, and both Fanning and Hoult deliver the words in a way that pulls you in.

And Ill admit, there is something satisfying about watching Catherine plot to oust someone who represents all the bad traits a leader could possibly have especially because you know shell be successful.

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Review: Hulu's 'The Great' begs you to love and hate it, but mostly love - The Diamondback

The SSC Venture Partners, a venture fund and accelerator for student startups in the Boston area, will fund and mentor four BC student and alumni companies through its 2020 Summer Accelerator program, as well as one company from two Pine Manor College students. The selection for this years program includes startups in investing, clinical analysis, food delivery, charcuterie, and retail. The Accelerator program will be working with the founders of the five startups over the course of the summer to help them develop their businesses.

SSC was co-founded in 2017 by Miguel Galvez, BC 12; Peter Bell, BC 86; and Tom Coburn, BC 13, and is designed to offer students funding and mentorship, on-campus workshops, and an alumni support network, according to the SSC website. SSCs partners and mentors are volunteers who have all founded their own companies,

We invest in the best companies founded by BC alumni whilst enabling the BC community to found and grow businesses well all be proud of, the website reads.

This years startups include Kured, Markitplace, Aventure, Prism, and Collectors.

Kured, founded by Gillian Rozynek, BC 20, is a U.S.-based gift-giving business specializing in charcuterie arrangements, according to the SSC website.

Im really excited to gain exposure to that really valuable network of mentors, said Rozynek. I think [they] can give me really extremely valuable advice and guide me in ways that I might not be able to see by just trying to launch the business independently.

Markitplace, founded by Robert Harrington, BC 18, and Dan Brett, BC 18, is a platform that works with small and socially conscious businesses to provide food delivery services, according to the website. The business offers customers local meal kits and additional services that promote the brands of its partners, such as analytics and marketing.

Aventure works to clarify trading and financial literacy for millennial investors. The startup was co-founded by Shivansh Padhi, CSOM 21; Max Fisher, MCAS 22; and Maanas Peri, a rising sophomore from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Padhi said that SSCs managing director, Duncan Walker, BC 13, and the startups SSC mentors have been especially helpful with networking and guiding the startup in its early stages.

Prism Analytic Technologies was founded by Brendan Guerin, BC 20; Arushi Suri, a recent graduate of Boston University; and Spencer Hey, a graduate of the University of Illinois. Prism systematically reviews clinical trials and offers analysts with empirical analyses of disease areas, according to the SSC website.

Collectors was founded by two Pine Manor College students, Obinna Ojimba and Eugene Everette, and provides a platform for sneaker-heads and social media devotees to collaborate to produce limited-edition sneakers and high-end clothing, the SSC website reads.

After a competitive selection process, this years startups were chosen because they exhibit the characteristics that are needed to overcome challenges associated with founding a company, Walker said in an email to The Heights.

We look for initiative, adaptability, resilience, and self-awareness. These are indicators of resourcefulness, coachability, and a never quit attitude, Walker said in the email. Every year, BC produces high-quality startups and its the SSCs job to help them have the highest chance of success.

The SSC also works closely with the Edmund H. Shea Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship to further connect with BC students.

Were already in discussions with the Shea Center for further collaboration on the Summer Accelerator in 2021 and I look forward to continuing to do my part, returning as BCs Entrepreneur-in-residence in the Fall semester, Walker said in the email.

Although the SSC program is not slated to officially commence until Monday, mentors have already begun collaborating with their mentee student founders.

Walker said he hopes the Accelerator program will advance the BC startups and help the students involved develop valuable skills.

The 2020 cohort reminds me of many companies who have gone on from BC to build incredibly successful businesses so I cant wait to see what they achieve this summer and beyond! Walker said in the email.

Featured Image by Maggie DiPatri / Heights Editor

Excerpt from:
Four BC Student And Alumni Companies To Be Funded By SSC Venture Partners The Heights - The Heights

Christina Seelye, John Polson, and Harry Hamer share what they want to see from developers in pitch meetings

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"How do I successfully pitch my game for funding?" is an understandably popular question, and one we've covered from multiple angles over time across various talks and articles.

There's Chris Charla's tips specifically for pitching to ID@Xbox, TinyBuild's Alex Nichiporchik's advice to indie developers pitching games to anyone from investors to their cats, and Guha Bala's recommendations for what he'd like to see in pitches at an event like PAX East.

Yesterday, at the GamesIndustry.biz Investment Summit, we heard another round of distinct yet compatible advice from three expert panelists in the aptly-titled How to pitch your game panel. If you want to watch the full session, it's been archived here, and embedded at the end of this article, in which we'll cover the highlights of the advice given.

Here are the most important tips for pitching your game to investors from Humble Bundle portfolio director John Polson, Modus Games CEO Christina Seelye, and London Venture Partners analyst Harry Hamer.

With LVP, Hamer noted that its focus was more on investing in companies rather than individual products. For that reason, he said, it's important to show up to a pitch meeting with a strong sense of why you're the best person to do what you say you want to do.

"If you're willing to explain why you're the best person for that job, we'll have more confidence in your idea"

Harry Hamer, London Venture Partners

"Being a founder can be extremely rewarding, and there's an opportunity to affect millions of lives with your games, but at the same time, it's really stressful," he said. "And the expected probability is that you'll fail with your startup. But if you're willing to make that bet and explain why you're the best person for that job, we'll have more confidence in your idea.

"The caveat to that, as VC investors, is: is there an opportunity to return our fund with an investment into your company? With most companies at the early stage failing, we need the winners, and we need your company to return the money we invested into companies that fail."

Both Polson and Seelye had a slightly different perspective, as Modus and Humble fund on the project level rather than the company level, but agreed that having a strong sense of purpose and a clear focus was key.

"[We need to see] how your game's going to stand out in a super-crowded market," Polson said. "Creativity and innovation, sure, but also an understanding and some kind of business acumen to show me that you understand where your game will be positioned in the market X years from now when it launches."

Along with having a strong sense of purpose, the panelists said that it was important to approach pitch meetings with excitement and passion. But excitement alone doesn't sell it -- you also need to make sure your pitch has a clear hook that can grab an audience quickly and get them on your side.

"We want to feel the time slip away while we're talking to you and keep wondering whether we'll ever meet you again"

Harry Hamer, London Venture Partners

"It's really important for us to see that not only does the studio has a real passion for the game itself, but that someone internally [with our company] has a passion for the game," Seelye said. "We're looking for that match of passion by someone internally who it really resonates with. There are a lot of games that are fun, but there are games that move you and you have an emotional reaction to for whatever reason -- because it's something interesting and new, or because the graphics are beautiful, or because the story is really compelling."

Hamer added that the idea is to get the person you're pitching to chase you after the meeting -- not the other way around.

"It's a clear and compelling pitch exposing a big opportunity in the sector that leaves us wanting more," he said. "There are elements of passion that come in, but it's more apt to compare it to...dating. I think it was Brad Feld, who's the co-author of Venture Deals, who talked about 'first date energy.' We want to feel the time slip away while we're talking to you and keep wondering whether we'll ever meet you again. It's FOMO, it's wanting, it's driving us to contact you rather than the other way around, and keep us wanting more."

Even though the three panelists represent companies funding different kinds of projects at different levels, all three agreed that in most cases, a vertical slice is not necessary at a pitch meeting.

"We're not necessarily looking for a full vertical slice," Polson said. "It could be something that's more a pre-alpha, prototype level, where we can at least experience and feel what the game is like to play at a basic level, experience a few core gameplay loops and maybe a progression loop. I'm not expecting to try every power-up or every mechanic that there is before we invest."

Seelye said Modus never requires a vertical slice either, as it's too far along in the development process for most of the games that it's funding.

"Stay away from any kind of character building in a pitch. We don't want to hear the backstories of all the NPCs"

Christina Seelye, Modus

"Our expectations for a vertical slice are pretty high, so we don't make anybody deliver that before we decide funding," she added. "We want the vertical slice to be very game-representative and, even if it's small, we want it to be pretty clean.

"It's an expensive proposal for a studio to get all the way to vertical slice without funding. We're more looking for prototype so we can get a feel for the game... And we usually do not fund prior to prototype."

Seelye said that she would consider pitches without prototypes in cases where a game is a sequel and she was already familiar with the studio's capabilities.

Along similar lines, the panel was in agreement that it's best to keep pitches concise, especially if you're running up against a time limit.

"Stay away from any kind of character building in a pitch," Seelye said. "We don't want to hear the backstories of all the different NPCs in your game. We don't need that level of detail. We do need: How long is the game going to be? If it's narrative-based, how many chapters, how many stories?

"And what is the key differentiator? What is the spark? All of us are looking at games all day, every week, so frame it up for us so we know what genre it's in, then tell us about the differentiators."

Polson added: "If you know your meeting is 30 minutes, don't plan a 30-minute pitch. It's a conversation we should have -- especially if you excite me, I'm going to have questions. Maybe plan at most half of the time being the pitch.

"If you know your meeting is 30 minutes, don't plan a 30-minute pitch"

John Polson, Humble Bundle

"The more time you have to actually talk with the person you're pitching to, the more chances you have to engage with them, to tailor it on the fly and figure out each other's needs and what it's going to be like to work together. We won't have any indication of our interactions if I spend the whole time watching your pitch and you spend it regurgitating."

Seelye also said that with COVID-19 relegating most pitch meetings to digital conference calls, it's vital to have a video strategy nailed down before the meeting occurs. Whether you're letting them watch your demo on their own computer, or doing a Discord stream where you talk over gameplay, make sure you know what you're doing beforehand and communicate it to the person you're pitching. And don't forget to send links beforehand.

Hamer emphasized that, especially as a person investing in companies rather than projects, it's extremely important that he gets to know the people pitching him, so he can gauge whether they have integrity and that he wants to work with them long-term.

"We're going to be with this company for a long time -- potentially eight to ten years, if you look at some of the data on exits -- and that means it can be longer than some marriages," he said. "Therefore, you've got to understand who the person you're investing into really is, and whether they're going to be with you through the lows as well as the highs."

Seelye added that getting to know the people behind the pitch was important even for project-level investments.

"The relationship that's established both during the pitch and during the negotiations, and before any agreement is signed, is really a key indicator of the success of the game," she said. "If the beginning part is rough and we have a hard time getting through a negotiation, the likelihood that game is going to be successful is low. Game development is very complex, and it's going to go sideways [in a lot of different ways] over the course of development, and we need to work together."

She added that it's also important for developers to be honest about not just what and who they have on their teams, but what and who they're lacking.

"What have you already identified that are going to be gaps in your existing team that you'll need help from us or someone else? It's super important for us to see that someone has the self-awareness to know what their team can and can't do in the beginning, because it helps us be more of a benefit to that team. If someone comes in and says they've got it covered... [but] they've only allowed two weeks for QA, then we can tell they don't have the self-awareness of what they can and can't do."

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Tips for pitching your game from the GamesIndustry.biz Investment Summit - GamesIndustry.biz

May 29, 2020

Georgina Johnson has been busy over the last few years. Shelaunched her brand Laundry Service in 2016 which built upon the idea of creating contemporary couture aimed to improve representation in fashion.Under this label, which is currently on hiatus, she worked with photographers Campbell Addy and Tyler Mitchell, who has contributed to AnOther, publishing lookbooks-cum-zines with both. In 2017, she launched thecuratorial platform The Laundry Arts, which, like her brand, had a social mission at its core: highlighting and supporting the experiences of women and minority artists. Which leads us to Johnsons latest project: her first book, The Slow Grind: Finding Our Way Back to Creative Balance, an anthology of essays addressing radical change, sustainability, and how hyper-acceleration affects both the planet and people in a social, physical and psychological sense.

Independently published and available to pre-order from today, the publication features contributions from figures across the worlds of fashion and art: from designer Bethany Williams, to activist Caryn Franklin, previously mentioned photographer Campbell Addy, writer and AnOther contributor Francesca Gavin, stylist Ib Kamara, writer and Noon editor Maisie Skidmore, writer and artist Wilson Oryema, and more. The result of a collaboration with the writer Tamar Clarke-Brown, who assisted in editing the book, and the designer Josh Woolford, who helped put it together,Johnsondescribes The Slow Grind as essential reading for anyone and everyone that engages with the [fashion] system Whether you are an environmental novice, futurist or simply someone who wants to slow down, gather their thoughts and figure out how they can safeguard our collective future. Here, speaking in her own words, Johnson tells us the story behind the book and what she hopes it achieves.

In 2018, I wrote a manifesto in collaboration with mental health activist Sara Radin titled Slow Fashion to Save Minds, for an evening of the same name, which I curated under The Laundry Arts. This manifesto was in response to both myself and Sara experiencing and witnessing anxiety, depression and burn-out as a result of precarious working conditions, bad practice, internalisation of productivity, value and discrimination within the fashion and creative industries. The manifesto was a blueprint for the utopia we sought; one centred on community, care and regeneration. Essentially, it was about looking at the whole, not just at waste and recycling how sustainability had been marketed up until that point. I felt especially that mental health and race needed to be embedded into the sustainability algorithm, and that they had been considered separate issues for too long.

The response to the manifesto was overwhelming. It resonated not only with those active in the fashion and creative spheres, but those in the wider creative constellation DJs, artists and thinkers alike. I didnt want to leave the conversation there because we see it all the time with this accelerated state we are in, we miss the necessary longevity in conversation because we move on to the next thing so quickly, but I want to commit to dismantling these oppressive systems and that takes time; it requires you to intentionally slow down. A couple of months later, at the end of 2018, I started having conversations with people I admired about what is now The Slow Grind.

My aim was to rethink the way we live. Its been a process of pulling things out of myself and unlearning the deep-set beliefs ingrained within my person. With this book I want to radically upheave our sense of value. I want to encourage everyone to really think about their mental health and the mechanisation of their bodies; how weve missed the point and cant continue believing that resources, people, the planet, labour, energy are limitless. We dont have infinite resources. This mentality is way out of bounds because it then automatically increases the load when there is no need to do so. Its about dramatically increasing your self-awareness and refuting the standards set and redefining needs. While it focuses on fashion and creativity most of the ideas in the collection can be adopted to any industry.

The Slow Grind is that guide for these uncertain times and a resource for the future industries we are envisioning now. We need the raising of voices, because it gives us permission to raise our own and actually take a step back and think about how we contribute to the unbalance. The Slow Grind invites you to think about how you can turn it around. The crisis is revealing the chasm in society, one if we looked at holistically we might have a chance at really tackling. Extreme autonomy and individualism are bedfellows with capitalism, that allow for this nonsensical and exceedingly damaging pace to take priority in our lives. I dont think most of us know why we are living so fast. But if we take the time to slow down and take the time to consider the intention in our actions as well as the significance of human action as it pertains to the fragility of life, then we could be on our way to revolutionising the way we live and centring radical care. Only then will no one be left behind.

Pre-orderThe Slow Grind: Finding Our Way Back to Creative Balancehere.

Continued here:
How Georgina Johnson Wants to Change the Fashion System - AnOther Magazine

I think I got disappointed in some way by tennis, says Dinara Safina, pictured during the 2008 French Open. Photograph: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

The oldest Dinara Safina press conference archived on the internet dates back to 2003. Safina was 16 years old, ranked 63rd in the world and she had just defeated Anna Kournikova, the most famous Russian player across the lands. As usual, many questions were about people other than Safina; about Kournikova, her mother, her superstar brother. Finally, somebody wondered what she actually wanted from her own career. The sport life is so short, she replied. I just want to enjoy it and dont get injured.

Safina went on to have an enviable career. She won 12 titles, Olympic silver and reached No 1. She bullied top players with her brutal weight of shot, reaching three grand slam finals. Even though she never won Roland Garros, she is one of the best clay-court players of the 21st century.

It has been nine years since Safina, now 33 and retired, last competed and she is locked down in Moscow. It takes just one question about whether she would return to the sport if not for the stress fractures in her back to understand that for everything she did, she never actually managed to reach either of those simple goals she set years ago.

If I would be able to start from the beginning of my career, maybe, but I dont feel like coming back to the tour. Its something that I guess is very deep. I think I got disappointed in some way by tennis, because I dreamed that once you become really famous, you become No 1 in the world, you would have a different life. But once you have this, everything, and you realise that its not what youve been dreaming of, then all your dreams fall apart.

Safina grew up training in Valencia as her brother, Marat Safin, ascended to No 1 in 2000. Despite his two major titles, Safins discipline never matched his talent. Fans lined the stadiums for his charisma, looks and famed selfdestructions as much as his tennis. Safina was different. Her discipline drove her success as she became a supreme athlete, but she always directed her frustrations inwards. While he would break racquets, she would break down.

This is where her disappointment lies she came to take everything in her career so seriously that the pressure was suffocating and her joy was lost: I couldnt handle my emotions and all these things, and for me thats why it was tough.

The rise itself was thrilling. Safina announced herself to the world in the spring of 2008, beating both Justine Henin and Serena Williams to win a breakthrough title in Berlin. Within a year she was No 1 and dominant on clay, but the more Safinas ranking rose the more she would play the biggest moments in a state of perpetual torment, on the verge of tears, unable to cope.

I always had a dream to be famous, No 1 and all this, but then suddenly I felt so much pressure being there. I didnt expect that I would have this pressure. I thought it was going to be fun, you know? You become famous, you become No 1. And everybody is happy. Its actually the opposite! Everybody wants to beat you.

In the 2009 Australian Open final, she froze and was eviscerated 6-0 6-3 by Williams. She collapsed under pressure in the Roland Garros final against Svetlana Kuznetsova, infamously serving a double-fault on match point. By Wimbledon, she was the No 1 player in the world yet Serena held three grand slam titles. She became the butt of every joke.

Of course, you hear every day the same questions in every interview: When are you going to win your first grand slam? And Im like: You think I dont want to win a grand slam? And then I started to struggle with this because its something that was really annoying for me and it was very painful because its something that I really wanted to win.

There was no chance for the redemption achieved by the likes of Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki and Kim Clijsters. By 2010 her back pain felt like somebody stabbed a knife in your back. As she continually rehabbed for a return, just the thought of stepping on to the court became a source of trauma. She quickly learned that no longer competing was also a relief for her mental health. It was so deep in my mind, because phew... I just couldnt go back again to feel this pain. I had enough of this pain and I think another thing [was] that, finally, I could step away from all the pressure I had.

When your whole life is tennis, hotels and travelling the world every week, stopping abruptly can have a huge impact. [Retirement] was different. Completely different, which I was also not ready for. I guess its my journey in life. I take it always with philosophy, I dont start to make a drama out of it. Well, thats my journey, anyway we only have one life. And thats it. So why not try everything?

Safina sees her future in the player box rather than on the court. She cannot wait to fly back to Valencia and work as a coach. She may not have been able to enjoy herself at the top of the sport, nor to stay healthy, but the emotional intelligence and self-awareness she displays as she talks in her third language will carry her a long way. Perhaps it can help.

For all the experiences that I went through while I was struggling, I dont want players that I coach to feel like that. I want them to understand that tennis is a beautiful life. Its a beautiful sport. Its so much joy and even the hard work should be a joy. Tennis is not a struggle. Its fun and its a short period of life. I dont want to go back for my perspective myself because I know that Im going to be the same taking it too seriously and crying. Then she laughed. I want to teach the players not to make the same mistakes Ive made.

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Dinara Safina: 'Being world No 1 is not fun, it is the opposite' - The Guardian

A new randomized control trial published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice investigates whether elements of psychodynamic therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can be combined effectively into an integrative treatment for anxiety. The researchers found that while CBT was effective in lowering anxiety symptoms, an integrative approach, featuring psychodynamic principles, was more effective than CBT alone.

CBT is often considered the gold standard in psychotherapy due to the proliferation of studies on its effectiveness. This status has been contested as there is limited evidence that CBT is more effective when compared to other approaches. Also, meta-analytic research has found that psychodynamic therapy is as effective as CBT. These two approaches to psychotherapy are often seen as working toward different purposes, as CBT focuses on skill-building and behavioral changes, and psychodynamic therapy prioritizes gaining insight.

CBT is one of the shortest forms of psychotherapy with a planned duration of 10 to 20 sessions, depending on diagnosis, symptoms, severity, treatment goals, and conditions of the health care system. Practitioners of CBT often develop individualized and time-limited therapy goals that attend to the reduction of symptoms, reduce distress, and attempt to change the thinking and behavioral styles of their patients.

On the other hand, psychodynamic therapy includes long-term and short-term forms of treatment (7-40 sessions) and places a focus on self-discovery. Psychodynamic approaches improve mental health but attempt to create other positive changes that go beyond symptom-reduction, such as improved self-awareness and more authentic relationships.

Research in counseling psychology has investigated the similarities and basic principles across different theories of psychotherapy. There are a variety of common factors between therapies that include (but are not limited to): the therapeutic alliance, expectations of positive change, therapists qualities, logical understanding of clients problems, and systematic therapeutic practices. Differences between therapeutic approaches usually include formulation, focus on past-vs.-present, among others.

For this reason, the study authors developed an integrative model of psychotherapy, where the clients past experiences can be explored to gain insight into their present experiences, thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. The therapy also focused on developing skills for changing behaviors once they were better understood.

Although there is strong evidence suggesting that both CBT and psychodynamic therapy work, there is scarce research about the efficacy of such an integrative approach. The authors of this study were interested in the combination of psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral therapies in hopes of merging the formers stability (patients are less likely to relapse) and the latters effectiveness (remission occurs with fewer sessions).

The researchers developed a therapy manual that lasted 15-sessions and an experiment to evaluate the efficacy of the manual. The effectiveness of the manual was to be compared with traditional CBT. They identified 36 participants who had been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, using a psychiatrists diagnosis, DSM-V clinical diagnostic interviews, and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HRSA).

Because generalized anxiety is often found to be comorbid with depression, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess for a possible depression diagnosis. Those whose depression was their main concern were ruled out of the study.

Out of the 36 participants, the researchers randomly assigned twelve to each of the experimental groups (1 for integrative therapy and 1 for CBT) and the other twelve to a control group. The efficacy of each treatment was evaluated by assessing each participants symptoms and severity using the HRSA and BDI self-report surveys before and after they were exposed to psychotherapy.

The results suggested that CBT without the integration of psychodynamic therapy is effective in reducing generalized anxiety when compared to the control group. Similarly, integrative psychotherapy (psychodynamic therapy and CBT) was also effective. However, the integrative treatment was found to be more effective than CBT alone.

These results are novel, as no other study assessing the effects of the combined therapeutic approaches was identified. In a culture of psychotherapy where frameworks are often pitted against one another, this article illustrates the similarities and complementariness of different methods. Moreover, it highlights the strengths of both therapies and how they can be combined to alleviate client suffering efficiently and for a more extended amount of time.

The study suggests that an integrative form of therapy may be useful for anxiety. Although psychodynamic treatment is often ignored as a legitimate and evidence-based therapy, it is not only effective as a stand-alone approach (as evidenced by past studies) but can improve the effectiveness of other forms of therapy.

****

Orvati Aziz, M., Abolghasem Mehrinejad, S., Hashemian, K. & Paivastegar, M. (2020). Integrative Therapy (Short-Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 39, 101122 (Link)

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Integrating Psychodynamic Approaches with CBT Improves Therapy - James Moore