What the world in 2024 taught us about OVERRIDE!

When you open your awareness you see just how much in the world doesn't make sense. An incomplete roundup of "made me think" moments from the year. (And an invitation add yours!)

Dec 31, 2024

I think we can all agree that 2024 was a wild ride. Without dwelling, I think it’s important to look back on the year and give ourselves credit (page 191; chapter: Give yourself some credit) for all we’ve gotten through and navigated this year. I know me 5 years ago would not have fared as well, nor would have my nervous system. And while negativity bias often means the bad and hard stuff is what surfaces first, I think it’s important to zoom out and be able to see—and celebrate—our real progress and just how far we’ve come. (See page 179, chapter: Celebrate small wins and page 136, chapter: Zoom in and zoom out).

My goal is to get where I’m sharing regular round ups, but until we enter a magic world where there are endless hours in the day to do everything else, I’m allowing this post to be good enough. (See page 187, chapter: Write your own permission slip). Instead, this is my invitation to you to help me complete and build out the post by sharing your own insights and observations in the comments.

We’re not only capturing the bad and the broken, but the beautiful examples too—examples of ANOTHER WAY. Even if you haven’t read the book, I think you can come up with something to contribute.

OVERRIDE! is broken down into three main parts: A world of illusions (where we acknowledge the imperfect world we live in and why we believe what we believe; there’s a whole list of things that are broken/systems that are rigged), An empowered mind (where simple shifts in mindset can help change how we see the world and open new possibilities), and Strategies for action (change is not possible unless we take [aligned] action; small steps count!). (And if you haven’t picked it up yet, all the page numbers and chapters are references to the print edition of my book.)

In no particular order these are some of my “made me think” moments of 2024:

SPORT

After seeing several UVA (my alma mater) swimmers medal in Paris, I’ve become hooked to the podcast “Unfiltered Waters” hosted by former Olympic swimmers Missy Franklin and Katie Hoff. As I listen to their interviews with elite athletes (mostly, but not all swimmers), I can’t help but see so many themes from OVERRIDE! come up in their conversations, particularly regarding mindset. To be able to compete at that level every athlete must overcome something. (See page 109, Part 2: An empowered mind.)

There was so much complaining and naysaying going into Paris 2024 it was easy to get caught up in it as the truth. As someone who was here and on the ground, it was pure magic. It was an excellent reminder to me that we need guides and vision holders to show us ANOTHER WAY is possible. For Paris it was former Olympian and gold medalist in slalom canoeing Tony Estanguet who became the face of the Paris Games. In a culture known for c’est pas possible (See: page 15; chapter The uncommon choice), Tony became a leader who made the impossible possible from the Opening Ceremonies on the Seine to beach volleyball and blind football in Eiffel Tower Stadium, and taekwondo and fencing in the Grand Palais. He no doubt had an incredible team, but it takes the right leader to stretch and be an ambassador to the people. (see page 78, chapter: What leadership looks like.)

Simone Biles normalized prioritizing mental health when she pulled out of the Tokyo Olympic Games to a mix of admiration, and criticism. Her Netflix documentary, “Simone Biles Rising,” came out shortly before the Paris 2024 Olympics (where I had the honor of seeing her do her thing!) giving us a peek inside just how not only scary, but dangerous the “twisties” were. It allowed her to give her side of the story a voice. In part 2 we see how she really has moved on from what other people thing, and has FUN! (See: page 117, chapter: Logic + intuition. and page 182, chapter: Talk to a professional.)

The 2024 Paris Paralympic Games were incredibly inspiring to see first hand. However, it was much more challenging for an interested public to find where to watch it. The Opening Ceremonies of the Paralympic Games was incredibly powerful and I so wish the world could have seen it in full for the beauty and representation. I had to follow my own curiosity to understand the different types of disabilities competing and various classification systems. The stories of these athletes need to be elevated, thankfully I was able to learn so much by following many online. It was a powerful remind that we have to be our own advocates if we want our voice and story heard. (See page 67, chapter: Stereotypes and representation and page 137, chapter: Creative constraints and page 150, chapter: Follow your curiosity.)

“America’s Sweethearts: The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders” documentary [Netflix] revealed that the dancers who help the franchise earn millions don’t get paid much more than Chick-fil-a workers, have expectations of volunteer opportunities, and most have to juggle another full-time job to make ends meet. It makes one wonder, would men this visible ever be paid so little? (See page 68, chapter: Rigged systems.)

I loved discovering USA Rugby 7s (a sport I did not know existed) Ilona Maher via her Instagram reels where she normalizes the duality of being a rubgy player who loves to tackle and also loves wearing red lipstick and feeling beautiful. After the Olympics she went on to finish second place in “Dancing with the Stars,” again, promoting the message that women can do anything, and you don’t have to have a certain body type. This was the first Olympics where the athletes really got to give a voice to themselves, not just what was crafted by the media. Most recently she’s been giving a voice to the fact that she can’t just play her sport, she needs to do the other things (including social media) in order to make a living because of the massive pay discrepancy in women’s sports, giving a whole new meaning to influencer. (See page 67, chapter: Stereotypes and representation and page 138, chapter: Alternative narratives and page 168, chapter: Two things can be true at once.)

I read soccer star Megan Rapinoe’s memoir One Life. She was part of the US Olympic team in the past, and became known to me during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup when she had pink hair, and team USA won the tournament. Her role in working towards equal pay in women’s soccer was eye opening and pivotal. (Their FIFA win was still a $370 million shortfall with the men. Mind you, the US women’s team is regularly winning on the world’s stage—including this summer when I saw them take gold in Paris!—and the men didn’t even qualify for the Olympics). Her voice has long been one to stand up for social justice issues, and she was one of the first athletes to follow Colin Kaepernick’s lead to kneel during Black Lives Matter. Athletes go far beyond sport these days, reminding us all that we don’t all fit into one identity. (See page 68, chapter: Rigged systems and page 82, chapter: Work and identity and page 100, chapter: An incomplete, unofficial list of that which is broken.)

BOOKS

I thoroughly enjoyed Glynnis MacNichol’s book No One Tells You This about life as an unmarried, childless 40-something navigating the world (she’s on Substack too at

Good Decisions

). She’s one of rare voices to acknowledge actually being happy breaking beyond society’s blueprint of get married and have kids, while also addressing that our close friends can be such an incredible support that one person can never satisfy. In addition to trying to navigate her own life, she’s navigating a parent with dementia, and the health care system. The book is an inside look into what so many people feel, yet feel ashamed to say in the juggling act of it all. Life is hard, but she also finds the beauty in redefining what is true for her. (See: page 43: chapter: Societal norms and page 73, chapter: Chronic systems. In need of update.)

I read Maisie Hill’s Period Power and I’m just in awe (not in a good way) of the lack of research and education about women’s health. This is not what I learned in school. My friends and I are navigating things where no one has answers. It’s not like women don’t compose of ~50% of the population!? It does a disservice when men aren’t educated too. (See: page 45, chapter: The missing curriculum.)

I tried to read a book by a wildly popular male business/thought leader this spring after hearing him speak, but started to do my mental tally of how many women were cited in it, and had to put it down. It’s mind boggling how few men can cite women as experts in their books, except for sprinkling one or two for good measure. (I really want to make a whole post about this where we can crowd source different books and what the breakdown is!) (See page 67, chapter: Stereotypes and representation.)

THE NEWS

Gisèle Pélicot became a feminist icon at age 72 after winning her trial against her ex-husband who drugged and raped her along with 50 other men. In a deeply disturbing case (how could so many neighbors and people from the town participate and no one reported it), she chose not to hide, but to be vocal, and visible. Justice was served, but it’s crazy to think the outcome is only what it is because there was video proof. Still, it’s a bit staggering how few men shared this case or acknowledged the outcome. Like so many things, rape is not just a “women’s issue.” (See: page 65, chapter: The role and desire for control and page 162: Speak your truth.)

Billionaires only became richer after Trump won the election. What do billionaires need with more money? Why is it the male billionaires who seem to be hoarding the money, while women give it away? Why is having so much money celebrated when so many people in the world are in need? (See: page 100, chapter: An incomplete, unofficial list of that which is broken.)

U.S. headlines on any given day, continued gun violence and death of innocent people going about their daily life, dissolution of French government …. It’s impossible to keep up! (see page 78, chapter: What leadership looks like and page 192: Take a nap!)

MOVIES/TV

Season 3 of “Bridgerton” (Netflix) came out this year where we saw Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) as a full figured woman we’re led to believe is the black sheep of the family fall for Colin Bridgerton, which some would argue would never happen to a girl “like her.” It’s one of the rare moments where we see a body like hers as desirable in the mainstream, in a most refreshing way—beauty does not mean looking like skin and bones. (See page 67, chapter: Stereotypes and representation.)

”Nobody Wants This” became very talked about in my circles as Adam Brody’s character represented an emotionally mature male character who is open to hard conversations and is not threatened by a woman bringing her full self. It looks seamless, but it rarely represented. This series also normalizes that we’re all creating stories in our head. (See page 122, chapter: The story I’m telling myself… and page 182, chapter: Talk to a professional.)

The smear campaign against Blake Lively during the movie premiere of “It Ends With Us” emerged months later after the film came out. Her side of the story was broken by The New York Times and (and a legal filing) where there were many references of her “showing her receipts” (going to HR, asking for standard practices to be put into place, filing complaints). It reminded me just how much society as a whole doesn’t believe or trust women, and the problematic nature of social media where even PR experts were sharing they fell for the smear campaign despite knowing how the machine works behind the curtain. (See: page 113, chapter: Ask more questions.)

“Wicked,” the new major motion picture, had eerie parallels to fascist leanings in the world in late 2024 (as captured by Matt Bernstein aka @mattxiv). I was riveted by his solo podcast episode of “A Bit Fruity” asking, “Is Glinda good?”. “Wicked” is a brilliant, captivating movie (one that I did not expect to LOVE), and it’s been so inspiring watching the actors shine during promo and interviews. (Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo negotiated contracts together and got paid the same amount—talk about Shine Theory in action!) (See: page 113, chapter: Ask more questions and page 132, chapter Scarcity vs. abundance and page 194, chapter: Invite in MAGIC!)

One of the most beautiful posts I’ve seen for the end of the year is from Suleika Jaouad (of The Isolation Journals with Suleika Jaouad). She reflected on her ritual of going through her entire camera role at the end of the year, and was able to prove to herself that despite her third cancer diagnosis, there still can amazing moments, and much beauty amongst the darkness. One of those beautiful moments was celebrating the powerful documentary “American Symphony” which was intended to —and does—capture her wildly talented husband, musician Jon Batiste’s road to play at Carnegie Hall, while paralleling her unexpected second cancer diagnosis. Everything in Suleika’s life seems to speak to the multiplicity of truths. (See: page 73, chapter: Chronic systems. In need of update—where Suleika gets a mention! and page 168, chapter: Two things can be true at once.)

Once the themes of OVERRIDE! What if there was another way? are in your head, it’s hard to stop seeing them. That’s a good thing. As the author, the themes are deeply engrained in me, and I want them to be in yours too. It’s why I encourage readers to return to the book repeatedly as part of our collective rewiring. It helps take a lot of pressure off of life too when you realize it’s not you, it’s the systems, and you are not alone. When we can name and acknowledge what’s going on in the world we stop giving it so much power, instead, taking the power back for ourselves and the collective good. (Then we take small steps towards real change, one small step at a time.) (See page: 178, chapter: Take small(er) steps.)

Ok, your turn! Share an event, person, moment, observation, or reflection from 2024 in the comments. Let us know how something/one opened your mind, or how it’s showing you what’s possible—for good! (See: page 54, chapter: The power of the collective.)

Getting this book into the world MY WAY was my ultimate OVERRIDE! of 2024. What hurdles did you overcome this year that were worth it? What stories did you rewrite? What was your biggest OVERRIDE? ⚫️