Insights

#HispanicHeritageMonth officially kicks off today, September 15, and runs through October 15. It begins on the Independence Days of five Latin American countries – Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua – and continues with a nod to the...

My friend Rachael O’Meara invited me to write the foreword to her new book, Pause the Journal: How to Use Intentional Writing to Create Your Dreams, which helps readers form new habits in taking daily breaks to read, write, and reflect. I share it with you here on my website, as a preview to the book and also because I’ve become a big believer in journaling and meditation. In combination, these practices have helped me to create a gratitude practice, which helps me improve my mood. feel clear headed, and experience better focus in my work and family life.

In honor of Veteran’s Day (November 11), I proudly share the story of Djakaria Konate, who I wrote about in the series PORTRAITS OF IMMIGRANT VOICES, a project I worked on with artist Alfonso Pérez. Djakaria’s story inspired and surprised me, regarding how someone who...

This opinion article originally appeared in The Richmond Times Dispatch. What will Monument Avenue look like in the years and decades ahead?  And what will replace the Confederate statues and pedestals along Monument Avenue? When I reflect on these questions, one...

Do you practice meditation or have you ever tried meditating?   I started a number of years ago and have found it to be very helpful for my mental health and overall happiness. One of the key concepts of meditation is to practice what is called “beginners mind,”...

December 18 is International Migrants Day, a global event that highlights the contributions of the millions of migrants and displaced people around the world. The United Nations initiated this day of solidarity with migrants on December 18, 1990 when it adopted the...

This past August, I got a call from Karla Almendarez-Ramos who manages the City of Richmond’s Office of Multicultural Affairs. She said, “Joe, I need a writer to help me and an artist write profiles of immigrants as a celebration of National immigrants’ Day this...

I just finished reading a terrific new book, The Founder’s Manual: A Guidebook for Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur, by Ryan Frederick. I found it to be an excellent resource for startups, entrepreneurs, and anyone who develops or markets new products. Watch Ryan Frederick and I discuss his book in this video interview. And here’s a transcription of our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity.

The Founder’s Manual: A Guidebook for Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur, by Ryan Frederick, is an excellent resource for entrepreneurs as well as for anyone who works in innovation or marketing new products. And anyone even thinking about starting a company would find the book enormously helpful as well.

A number of the entrepreneurs that I have worked with or written about started their businesses during a crisis, like I did. Their stories below show how a crisis can create clarity about what’s important to focus on as well as how they focused on opportunity while going through difficult times.

“Crisis is opportunity.” You’ve probably heard that catch phrase numerous times. The word crisis evokes for me an anxiety-producing event, such as a financial/job loss, a breakup, a health problem, or political instability. However, when I look up the word on Dictionary.com, it reads, “a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, especially for better or for worse, is determined; a turning point.”