And The Good News Is...

And The Good News Is...: My 5 "Mandela Moments": How the Quintessential Dre... :   This post was published in the Huffington Post on December 20, 2013 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michele-hunt/  Last S...

  This post was published in the Huffington Post on December 20, 2013 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michele-hunt/  Last Sunday while attending a celebration in honor of Nelson Mandela's life I had an epiphany; Nelson Mandela deeply touched my spirit on five synchronistic moments that came at critical times in my life. His loving spirit, unwavering optimism, and remarkable courage inspired me to find light in some of my darkest moments. During these times I might have fallen victim to cynicism however, Mandela's example helped me to rise above my personal struggles and focus my energy on helping to create a better world. Mandela's life inspired me to continue to dream big and reinforced my core values of love, peace and the belief that the world can be changed. In short, Nelson Mandela helped shape my belief in DreamMakers. He also helped to confirm my commitment to being an unapologetic optimist. This way of being, thinking and working has brought me gr...

Nelson Mandela, thank you for committing your life to love, freedom and justice. Mandela the man will be deeply missed, however his spirit has enveloped the world. I believe that even those who choose hate have been and will be affected by his love and compassion. I was honored to meet him when I served in President Clinton's Administration. He was a gracious man who resonated love! May we all find the courage to live our dreams and do our part to co-create a better world. 

(This post was published in the Huffington Post on November 21, 2013,  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michele-hunt/) Sustainable Dubuque: “The Masterpiece on the Mississippi” , that’s what the people of Dubuque affectionately have named their city, and they have every right and so many reasons to be proud of their community. I was recently invited to keynote the Growing Sustainable Communities Conference in Dubuque. My plan was to give my speech and spend a couple days learning about their sustainable “activities” and “programs”.  My condescending attitude was shattered within hours after I arrived. Cindy Steinhauser, the Assistant City Manager, picked me up at the airport and before taking me to my hotel she took me on a city tour.  I was tired and even a little annoyed because my trip was full of long lines, long delays and a bumpy flight, so all I wanted to do was check into my hotel and regroup. When Cindy began to weave the compelling story of Dubuque’s Sustain...

And The Good News Is...: DreamMakers: Innovating For Good : This was posted in the Huffington post on August 7, 2013 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michele-hunt/d...

This was posted in the Huffington post on August 7, 2013 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michele-hunt/dreammakers-innovating-fo_b_3716985.html My passion is to seek out and shine a light on people who found the courage to create big, bold visions and are transforming their visions into reality, to help make the world a better place. I call these people DreamMakers. They take on seemingly intractable problems like poverty, the degradation of the planet, global health, illiteracy, hate and prejudice… These visionaries are accomplishing extraordinary results in the face of tremendous obstacles.   I believe we learn best through stories, especially personal stories of challenge and triumph. I have interviewed numerous DreamMakers for my book series, documentary and my articles - it seemed like I was always talking to the same person. Although they are highly diverse and unique in their own way, they share some common c...

This Post was published in the Huffingtom Post on 07/22/2013 The Trayvon Martin tragic injustice has sparked a long overdue conversation in America. What is at the heart of racism in our country? Why is the fear so intense between the black and white communities? Why can't we find the courage to authentically talk about it? I am so proud of our president for calling on us to engage in thoughtful conversations in our homes, churches and communities across the nation. He is asking us to talk about why an innocent young black male has to fear for his life walking home, why he becomes a suspect when he enters a store, or feared when he steps into an elevator -- normal activates most of us take for granted. He is also asking us to go deeper, to get to the heart of the matter. I was very happy to hear the president talk about the need to understand the "context"; the background and circumstances that got us to this horrible place. Context matters, it gives us the framewor...