Jane Goodall shares her secrets on how to lead a full life

Primatologist and anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall, 86, has lived an incredible life that's been defined by her ability to bridge the gap between humans and the animal kingdom.
Most notably, her work studying chimpanzees up-close in the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania from 1960 to 1975 changed how people perceive what it is to be human and chimpanzee.
After documenting chimpanzees using tools in 1961, the discovery was so Earth-shattering it prompted her mentor, anthropologist, and paleontologist, Dr. Louis Leakey, to make the bold proclamation: "Now we must redefine tool, redefine Man, or accept chimpanzees as humans."
Since she has gone on to found the Jane Goodall Institute UK and the Roots & Shoots program where tens of thousands of children in 100 countries work together to make the world a better place.
Her monumental accomplishments are even more incredible being that she began her career at a time when women faced an uphill battle in the world of science, and many dissuaded her from going into the jungle.
"Everybody laughed at me and said that I'd never get there. It was far away, we didn't have money, and I was just a girl," she told our partner site, GOOD, last year.
In a recent profile for the Wall Street Journal, Goodall was asked her advice for those who wish to follow in her footsteps by going where they've been told they shouldn't.
"Follow your dream, follow your passion, do what you're passionate about. When I dreamed of Africa when I was 10 years old, everybody laughed at me: How will you get by? You don't have money. (It was wartime.)You're just a girl," Goodall said.
But she had incredible support from her mother, who probably had no idea at the time that her prodding would help inspire generations of women and scientists to push boundaries.
"Mum said, 'If you really want something like this, you'll have to work terribly hard. You'll have to take advantage of all opportunities. And if you don't give up, maybe you'll find a way,'" Goodall recalled.
via Sommer in Hamburg / Flickr
As someone who was told to know her place in the world, her advice is important for those who are told they cannot achieve their dreams because of who they are.
"That's the message I take to young people all around the world, particularly in deprived areas," she added. "So many people have said or written, Jane, I want to thank you because you taught me, because you did this, I can do it too — meaning follow your dreams."
Now, for the rest of us who may not want to spend decades alone in the jungle observing nature, Goodall has advice on how everyone can help make the planet a better place.
"Every single day we live, we make some impact on the planet and we need to make ethical choices, thinking about the consequences on future generations," she told GOOD. "What do we buy, eat, wear? Where did it come from? That will start moving us towards a better world."
After 86 years of being on one of the most incredible adventures of the past century, Goodall seems to have two ideas that she believes are paramount: persistence and consciousness.
She believes everyone should be persistent in the pursuit of their dreams while also living a conscious life, focusing on how their day-to-day decisions have an impact on the future of the planet.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.