Even Deepok Chopra’s team at the Chopra center is getting into the excitement around AWE. We all have experienced the benefits, but maybe didn’t know we were experiencing AWE. How exciting! The cool thing is that the science proves that we get the same benefits from everyday experiences as we do standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon.

On the day of my wedding, my friends presented my husband with a rather unconventional gift: a large binder wrapped in pink fur titled "The Fisherman’s Guide to Life with Candra." Familiar with me more intimately than anyone else, they believed that this "operations manual" could provide him with valuable insights into my quirks and preferences.

During a recent conversation on The Business of Being Human podcast, I got to go deep with one of my favorite topics: the transformative power of workplace culture. I chatted with host Wendy Horng Brawer, who’s on the leadership team at Intune Collective, about how intentional culture can be an antidote to the “Great Resignation.” We talked about how articulating a clear mission and shared values inspires people to join, and stay with, a company. Why recognizing employees and letting their individual strengths shine is a game-changer for retention, productivity, and morale. And why working one-on-one with CEOs is the secret to making culture changes that last.

My work situation has shifted recently, and I’m still getting used to the pros (amazing people, inspiring mission, exceptional culture) and cons (two words: compliance videos—plus new processes and red tape that I’m not used to) of the change. At the beginning of this transition, I was having sleepless nights and was anxious and pretty darn grumpy. I mentioned this over coffee with my husband, Matt. He smiled at me. “It’s just change, honey. It’s just change.”

Wow, the year has sprinted out the gate. The winter holidays already seem like a long time ago, especially when it’s so sunny and mild here in Marin County. Still, I keep thinking about some realizations I had while digging out from the massive storms in the Sierra Nevada in January. I was on a snowy vacation, and I didn’t turn on my computer for seven days straight. (I hope you enjoyed some version of that yourself. After another tough year, we all deserve to unplug and recharge in whatever way feels right to us.)

I really hate unloading the dishwasher. (Weirdly, loading it’s no problem). If I had to rate how much I dislike this chore on a scale of -10 to 10, it would be somewhere around an -7. As a point of reference, having to take the dog out in the middle of a busy day is a 2. Letting myself sneak off for a quick nap after the dog walk is an 8.