On episode 256, we welcome Gail Straub to discuss her work empowering women across the globe, being a civilian diplomat, not being taken seriously in Russia as an American Marxist, lessons about inner strength from traversing the Himalayan mountains, the complexity of political activism in China, diversity as a core component of peace, the elements of human nature uniting all of us, and what instills hope in Gail for our collective future.

Gail Straub is the author of eight books, including the best-selling Empowerment, The Rhythm of Compassion, and her feminist memoir Returning to My Mother's House. She is the co-founder of the Empowerment Institute and IMAGINE, a global initiative that has helped empower women across Africa, India, and the Middle East, impacting millions of lives. Her work has appeared in publications like Huffington Post and Spirituality & Health, and she has been a leading voice in human development and women's empowerment for over four decades. Her newest book, available now, is called Home Inside the Globe: Embracing Our Human Family.

| Gail Straub |

► Website | https://gailstraub.com

► Home Inside the Globe Book | https://amzn.to/4tRUXn8

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| Seize The Moment Podcast |

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On episode 255, we welcome Jonathan Vigliotti to discuss the 2025 Palisades Fire, the systemic failures that caused and maintained it, the ethics of hiring private fire brigades, how climate change influenced the fire, the political neglect and flawed reasoning around effective management, fire safety standards as the bare minimum, bureaucratic collapse, Mayor Karen Bass's mistakes, incentivizing politicians to take natural disasters more seriously, the role of the 2028 Olympics in diverting attention, and problem of problem solving without accountability.

Jonathan Vigliotti is an Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Award–winning CBS News national correspondent whose work has appeared on numerous platforms including CBS Sunday Morning, Face the Nation, 48 Hours,and more. His reporting has taken him to more than forty countries and territories across six continents. His new book, available 5/12/2026, is called Torched: How a City Was Left to Burn, and the Olympic Rush to Rebuild L.A.

| Jonathan Vigliotti |

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/jonathanvigliotti

► Twitter | https://x.com/JonVigliotti

► Torched Book | https://amzn.to/3OwBGIm

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On episode 254, we welcome Aaron Poochigian to discuss his new translation of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Aaron's struggles with addiction and how the book helped him in recovery, suffering as stemming from interpretations of rather than facts about the world, meaning as stemming from virtue rather than reputation, learning to accept all of nature to manage suffering, applying the concept of 'strange beauty' to discover it everywhere, and the psychotherapeutic elements of Stoic philosophy.

Aaron Poochigian is a poet, classics scholar, and translator who lives and writes in New York City. His work has appeared in such newspapers and journals as The Financial Times, The New York Review of Books, and Poetry Magazine. He's the author of Four Walks in Central Park: A Poetic Guide to the Park, and his translations include Stung with Love (Penguin UK). His new translation, available now, is Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.

| Aaron Poochigian |

► Website | https://www.aaronpoochigian.com

► Twitter | https://x.com/Poochigian

► Meditations Book | https://amzn.to/4tO7Uyr

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

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► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment

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