In this week's solo episode, I recapped the most popular story and edition from last year, plus shared new good vibes about returning tribal land, safer design for women, inclusive recognition for same-sex couples, and more!
In this week's solo episode, I recapped the most popular story and edition from last year, plus shared new good vibes about returning tribal land, safer design for women, inclusive recognition for same-sex couples, and more!
Here are this week's good vibes:
Good Vibes to Go:
Bernadette’s GVTG: Read Emily St. James’ novel Woodworking about a sweet teacher-student friendship. It’s a great, easy read with good vibes and interesting characters.
Subscribe to the 5 Things newsletter.
Watch 5 Things Live on YouTube.
So last year, I wrote 40 editions of the Five Things newsletter, which meant I shared over 200 good vibes in DEI stories. That’s a lot. And we’re going to keep needing those good vibes to get through what’s already kind of a crazy year.
I really do believe that we’re going to need each other. I think it’s a beautiful thing. And let’s get into it.
So the most clicked story last year was from the edition Uprising, in which I wrote about Bojangles offering Spanish-language ordering across its app, website, kiosks, and drive-through. They’re offering that at over 400 locations. Really great news from Bojangles.
That was also the most opened edition of Five Things, with nearly 68% of readers opening it.
And in that edition, I wrote about facilitating a workshop where one of the attendees raised his hand and said, “What’s the point of this? Leadership still sucks.”
We had a really great conversation as a group after that, but let me tell you — it’s something I think a lot of people are thinking this year.
And I’m going to continue to bring some good vibes to hopefully give you ideas of what to do when leadership still sucks — or tools for leaders to use so they can suck a little bit less.
Alright.
So the most shared edition from last year was called Patience. In that edition, I wrote about how last year required so much patience, with business being slowed due to the anti-DEI movement.
It also meant I had a lot of time to play pickleball. And pickleball requires patience.
So I wrote about being a patient pickler, and that was the most shared edition last year.
The most unsubscribed edition of Five Things last year was called Commonalities. In that edition, I wrote about talking to strangers on a train and how we can do that — and it had the most unsubscribes.
But when I look back at all of the stories from last year, the theme that really stands out is that this is all about inclusion you can use.
It’s about finding the win-win and keeping inclusion practical — because it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. It doesn’t need to be hard.
That’s always going to be my goal with the Five Things newsletter.
So let’s get to it.
Thank you, as always, for everything you do to build an inclusive world.
Here’s the first good vibe from this week.
Congress passed the BABES Act — which stands for the Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening Enhancement Act — which strengthens protections for parents traveling with breast milk, formula, and feeding equipment.
This law requires the Transportation Security Administration, TSA, to close enforcement gaps left by previous legislation that led to inconsistent, often humiliating screening experiences for people who lactate.
That meant breast milk, formula, and equipment were often mishandled, contaminated, or unnecessarily discarded.
And this disproportionately affects women and folks who are gender diverse.
So the BABES Act is looking to systemically fix those problems through training and enhanced measures.
Great good vibes to start this year.
Next, the U.S. Department of Transportation has formally endorsed an advanced female crash test dummy designed to better represent how people with female bodies respond in vehicle crashes.
This new dummy — which manufacturers can now use — has more sensors and more lifelike biomechanics to collect more detailed injury data.
The previous model was based on male body data scaled down and often not even tested in the driver’s seat.
This has led to women’s risk of serious injury in some crash types being documented as much as 73% higher than that of people with male bodies.
So when you’re designing anything — anything at all — think about how you can design and build for all kinds of users.
And the way you do that is to involve all kinds of users in product development, focus groups, and testing.
Involve different kinds of folks so you can have the biggest impact.
Next, South Korea has, for the first time, started collecting same-sex relationship data in their census.
The 2025 population and housing census allowed folks to select spouse or cohabitating partner instead of being forced into an “other” category that essentially erased those partnerships.
Previously, same-sex couples were misclassified and excluded from policy-relevant statistics that could impact them.
When we have data about different groups, we can better meet their needs and create policy that reflects lived experiences.
Very few countries allow same-sex couples to self-identify on the census, so this is a pretty big deal.
And this data can shape policy that challenges systemic bias in national planning.
Great good vibes out of Korea.
Here’s another story that gave me hope this week.
In the UK, the charity Broken Biscuits has opened what is believed to be the world’s first dog park designed specifically for disabled dogs.
It offers spaces where pups using wheelchairs and other mobility devices can safely play.
It’s a seven-acre park — which is huge — and includes a racetrack and a skate rink for wheelchair training, a driver’s test course to help dogs adapt to their new wheelchairs, cozy shelters for shy or neurodivergent dogs, and a café for owners.
The charity also homes disabled dogs and loans mobility equipment to owners who can’t afford it.
What I love about this is that it’s intentional accessibility — and it benefits the whole community.
It creates space for connection, community, and inclusion.
Another good vibe: California has returned 17,030 acres of ancestral land to the Tule River Tribe — almost as much land as has ever been returned to a tribe.
The parcels, adjacent to the tribe’s reservation, had been used as ranch land but were purchased with support from the state, private philanthropy, and the Conservation Fund, then returned to tribal stewardship.
The land includes diverse ecosystems and will enable restoration of traditional ecological practices, reconnect landscapes, protect watersheds, and support the reintroduction of native species like tule elk and beavers.
After centuries of systemic dispossession, returning land supports Indigenous sovereignty, dignity, cultural continuity, and ecosystem health.
Finally, your good vibe to go — a media recommendation.
Read Emily St. James’s debut novel Woodworking. You’d never know it’s her first book.
It’s about a sweet teacher-student friendship, with great characters, good energy, and an easy, enjoyable read.
I think you’ll like it.
And folks, if you don’t already get the Five Things newsletter, you can subscribe at 5thingsdei.com.