Black Women’s Health Imperative CEO Linda Goler Blount on health equity and reproductive justice

You may never have heard of President and CEO of the Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) Linda Goler Blount, but for over 25 years, she’s been doing the arduous and yet vital work of assuring that Black women achieve health equity and reproductive justice. Sometimes working behind the scenes securing funding, and other times in…

Rebekah Sager

Oct 12, 2021

Array – Photo credit: Array

Sometimes working behind the scenes securing funding, and other times in front of the cameras or on Capitol Hill fighting what can feel like a Sisyphean feat to move her organization forward in its mission. Blount is resolute in her battle against two of the greatest risk factors to the health of Black women are racism and gender discrimination.

UP: What are some of the biggest challenges facing Black women today — vaccine hesitancy, preventative health, maternal mortality, diet, stress… etc?

LB: Stress is the number one health issue for Black women. Obesity-related syndromes such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease have their roots in stress — and microaggressions trigger stress. We know there’s a causal relationship between stress and weight. Black women have about 15% more cortisol in their bloodstream than white women. It changes their metabolism. If you give Black women and white women the same low-fat diet, Black women will lose weight more slowly and if both groups eat a high-fat diet, Black women will gain weight more quickly. We can see this in the DNA level. So, we focus our programs on asking women how they feel about being a Black woman in this environment at this moment. Because if we don’t understand that and more importantly, if providers, policymakers, and corporate leaders don’t understand that, then we’re not going to make the kind of progress we need to improve health outcomes for Black women. And equity is a long way off.

UP: Talk about the connection between racism and the health of Black women.

LB: In 1992, Arline Geronimus published an article on “weathering” where she discussed that Black women are literally aging faster than white women. Between two women, one Black and one White, both age 65, although they may look the same, Black women can be five to seven years older biologically because of the effect of racism and gender oppression. Fleda Mask Jackson found a causal relationship between experiences of racial and gender discrimination and low birth weight and premature deliveries and maternal deaths. We understand the biological response and what that does to the body, but not the psychological impacts. And I’m really interested in the everyday experiences of Black women and what that does [to the body]. When you have to have that talk with your 16-year-old son about driving and when the police stop him. When you see people not getting promoted or things said at work that are just out and out racist. When you go to a store and you’re followed around because you’re Black and they assume you’re going to steal something. We don’t have a full understanding of what that does to us.

UP: What are some of the changes in the health of Black women from when the organization started versus today?

LB: Our roots are in self-care. BWHI started 38 years ago with groups and sister-circles talking about health. Then over time with reproductive health, in particular, the organization needed to deal with policy and structural barriers that prevented us from practice to self-care. The changes have been on evidence-based strategies and calling it out when Black women are not included when drugs, therapeutics, and devices developed without the involvement of Black women as both as participants and as researchers.

More recently, we began working to change the narrative around how we talk about data, gender, and race, and how we tell the story. If we don’t start changing the way we use language, then we’re never going to understand Black women’s health. People will say, ‘Black women die 42% more from breast cancer than white women.’ But, that doesn’t tell the whole story and what a reader is left believing is that this data is the way it is because these women are Black or Latina. It’s not biological or genetic, it’s the lived experience.

UP: What can Black women do today to change their health outcomes?

LB: We talk a lot about meditation or prayer, and breathing. Breathing is critical. The 5-7-9, where you breathe in for 5 seconds, hold for 7 seconds and breathe out for 9 seconds. This can literally reduce cortisol in your bloodstream. We’ve got to take time for ourselves. Be intentional about separating yourself from stuff that isn’t good for you. For me and my team, we try to make it a point to take breaks. This work can be overwhelming. When you’re talking about dealing with hundreds of years of oppression and people who want to keep things exactly as they’ve always been, but who say things that are very different. I try to keep perspective. But it’s hard because there’s exactly one organization to do this work and if we weren’t here to do it, I don’t know what would happen.

UP: Can you give a couple of anecdotes where the health outcome of a Black woman was impacted by one of the BWHI programs?

LB: I would say around screening and mammography. In 2015, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) had this brilliant idea to raise the age of mammography for women from 40 to 50 years old. So, in 2016 we worked with several members of Congress on the PALS Act aka Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screening to get a moratorium on recommendations for women to begin screenings at 40 years old. Because if this became policy then insurers would stop paying for mammograms under 50. I attended at least 30 meetings, testified in front of Congress, I met with HHS, and other than the one Black person who’s on the USPSTF, I was the only Black person in the room. It was disheartening, but not surprising. But, these recommendations are based on science. So, here I am face-to-face with my former colleagues at the American Cancer Society who want to raise the age. So, I told them, ‘I know the data.’ These studies were done in Sweden and Canada and there’s not a Black woman in them. Black women get breast cancer 5 to 10 years younger than white women. This highlighted a Black woman’s organization and science and that we know the data just as well as you. While you may interpret it one way, let’s look at the complete story. You’re talking about applying a body of evidence to a group of people who had nothing to do with its creation in the first place.

UP: Do you feel a sense of pressure because, at this moment, the door of interest is open concerning the health and wellness of Black Americans?

LB: It’s an exponentially greater level of stress. We talk all the time about having this open window and being afraid it’s going to slam shut. Like, white people are going to be over this. ‘Okay, you’ve had your moment. We invested millions of dollars and you all need to be happy. So, let’s get back to the way things were. Just shut up and dribble.’ But, while feeling that pressure, there’s not a whole lot that can be done in the six months, nine months or even in a year, so we have to keep the conversation going. Right now, we’re creating a corporate index so that people can look at corporations and say, ‘Well, here’s your statement from last year. Now, what are you really doing?’ If we don’t keep pressure on these folks they get to ignore and pretend they never said what they said.

UP: Are there celebrities or well-known figures you would love to partner with BWHI? Any specific initiatives?

LB: Having Serena [Williams] talk about maternal health would be amazing. We need women across the lifespan. We need Oprah and Alfre Woodard. All these women for whom health is critical and understand the significance of the health of Black women. If we are successful, I think we also need to get Black men involved in this work.

UP: What can people who’re reading this do to move the needle forward on the health of Black women in their lives and/or communities?

LB: They can learn about BWHI and the issues as they really are not what they read, but understand the context in which Black women live and what that means for their health. So, they don’t fall into the trap of blaming the obese Black woman or blaming the woman with hypertension and being mindful of the language they use when they’re talking about race, gender, and health. It takes understanding to get to a level of compassion. And for those who have resources, they can contribute.

UP: Who are some of the women you look to for inspiration?

LB: I’d say Civil Rights activist Gloria Richardson. She’s always been the symbol of what can be done by a Black woman. I want to be the Gloria Richardson of epidemiology and I can say to these scientists, ‘Talk to the hand,’ in the same way she did holding off a national guardsman with a bayonet in his hand and [a fierce side eye].

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Youth-led party for community engagement, MEDEA, Tanzania Captured by James Roh for Pura

Culture, Education, Empowered Women, Equality, Family, Identity, Modern Families

The next generation of female leaders has arrived. Here’s how they’re making sure they (and every girl) get a chance to learn.

Malala Fund and their local partners, with support from Pura, help girls find their voice. The result: greater access to education and a better world.

Sarah Watts

3/8/2026

Music, community and joy drive real change

In a small village in Pwani, a district on Tanzania’s coast, a massive dance party is coming to a close. For the past two hours, locals have paraded through the village streets, singing and beating ngombe drums; now, in a large clearing, a woman named Sheilla motions for everyone to sit facing a large projector screen. A film premiere is about to begin.

It’s an unusual way to kick off a film about gender bias, inequality, early marriage, and other barriers that prevent girls from accessing education in Tanzania. But in Pwani and beyond, local organizations supported by Malala Fund and funded by Pura are finding creative, culturally relevant ways like this one to capture people’s interest.

The film ends and Sheilla, the Communications and Partnership Lead for Media for Development and Advocacy (MEDEA), stands in front of the crowd once again, asking the audience to reflect: What did you think about the film? How did it relate to your own experience? What can we learn?

Sheilla explains that, once the community sees the film, “It brings out conversations within themselves, reflective conversations.” The resonance and immediate action create a ripple effect of change.

MEDEA Screening Audience in Tanzania. Captured by James Roh for Pura

Across Tanzania, gender-based violence often forces adolescent girls out of the classroom. This and other barriers — including child marriage, poverty, conflict, and discrimination — prevent girls from completing their education around the world.

Sheilla and her team are using film and radio programs to address the challenges girls face in their communities. MEDEA’s ultimate goal is to affirm education as a fundamental right for everyone, and to ensure that every member of a community understands how girls’ education contributes to a stronger whole and how to be an ally for their sisters, daughters, granddaughters, friends, nieces, and girlfriends.

Sheilla’s story is one of many that inspired Heart on Fire, a new fragrance from the Pura x Malala Fund Collection that blends the warm, earthy spices of Tanzania with a playful, joyful twist. Here’s how Pura is using scent as a tool to connect the world and inspire action.

A partnership focused on local impact, on a global mission

Pura, a fragrance company that recognizes education as both freedom and a human right, has partnered with Malala Fund since 2022. In order to defend every girl’s right to access and complete 12 years of education, Malala Fund partners with local organizations in countries where the educational barriers are the greatest. They invest in locally-led solutions because they know that those who are closest to the problems are best equipped to solve and build durable solutions, like MEDEA, which works with communities to challenge discrimination against girls and change beliefs about their education.

But local initiatives can thrive and scale more powerfully with global support, which is why Pura is using their own superpower, the power of scent, to connect people around the world with the women and girls in these local communities.

The Pura x Malala Fund Collection incorporates ingredients naturally found in Tanzania, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Brazil: countries where Malala Fund operates to address systemic education barriers. Eight percent of net revenue from the Pura x Malala Fund Collection will be donated to Malala Fund directly, but beyond financial support, the Collection is also a love letter to each unique community, blending notes like lemon, jasmine, cedarwood, and clove to transport people, ignite their senses, and help them draw inspiration and hope from the global movement for girls’ education. Through scent, people can connect to the courage, joy, and tenacity of girls and local leaders, all while uniting in a shared commitment to education: the belief that supporting girls’ rights in one community benefits all of us, everywhere.

You’ve already met Sheilla. Now see how Naiara and Mama Habiba are building unique solutions to ensure every girl can learn freely and dare to dream.

Naiara Leite is reimagining what’s possible in Brazil

Julia with Odara in Brazil. Captured by Luisa Dorr for Pura

In Brazil, where pear trees and coconut plantations cover the Northeastern Coast, girls like ten-year-old Julia experience a different kind of educational barrier than girls in Tanzania. Too often, racial discrimination contributes to high dropout rates among Black, quilombola and Indigenous girls in the country.

“In the logic of Brazilian society, Black people don’t need to study,” says Naiara Leite, Executive Coordinator of Odara, a women-led organization and Malala Fund partner. Bahia, the state where Odara is based, was once one of the largest slave-receiving territories in the Americas, and because of that history, deeply-ingrained, anti-Black prejudice is still widespread. “Our role and the image constructed around us is one of manual labor,” Naiara says.

But education can change that. In 2020, with assistance from a Malala Fund grant, Odara launched its first initiative for improving school completion rates among Black, quilombola, and Indigenous girls: “Ayomidê Odara”. The young girls mentored under the program, including Julia, are known as the Ayomidês. And like the Pura x Malala Fund Collection’s Brazil: Breath of Courage scent, the Ayomidês are fierce, determined, and bursting with energy.

Ayomidês with Odara in Brazil. Captured by Luisa Dorr for Pura

Ayomidês take part in weekly educational sessions where they explore subjects like education and ethnic-racial relations. The girls are encouraged to find their own voices by producing Instagram lives, social media videos, and by participating in public panels. Already, the Ayomidês are rewriting the narrative on what’s possible for Afro-Brazilian girls to achieve. One of the earliest Ayomidês, a young woman named Debora, is now a communications intern. Another former Ayomidê, Francine, works at UNICEF, helping train the next generation of adolescent leaders. And Julia has already set her sights on becoming a math teacher or a model.

“These are generations of Black women who did not have access to a school,” Naiara says. “These are generations of Black women robbed daily of their dreams. And we’re telling them that they could be the generation in their family to write a new story.”

Mama Habiba is reframing the conversation in Nigeria

Centre for Girls' Education, Nigeria. Captured by James Roh for Pura

In Mama Habiba’s home country of Nigeria, the scents of starfruit, ylang ylang and pineapple, all incorporated into the Pura x Malala Collection’s “Nigeria: Hope for Tomorrow,” can be found throughout the vibrant markets. Like these native scents, Mama Habiba says that the Nigerian girls are also bright and passionate, but too often they are forced to leave school long before their potential fully blooms.

“Some of these schools are very far, and there is an issue of quality, too,” Mama Habiba says. “Most parents find out when their children are in school, the girls are not learning. So why allow them to continue?”

When girls drop out of secondary school, marriage is often the alternative. In Nigeria, one in three girls is married before the age of 18. When this happens, girls are unable to fulfill their potential, and their families and communities lose out on the social, health and economic benefits.

Completing secondary school delays marriage, and according to UNESCO, educated girls become women who raise healthier children, lift their families out of poverty and contribute to more peaceful, resilient communities.

Centre for Girls’ Education, Nigeria. Captured by James Roh for Pura

To encourage young girls to stay in school, the Centre for Girls’ Education, a nonprofit in Nigeria founded by Mama Habiba and supported by Malala Fund and Pura, has pioneered an initiative that’s similar to the Ayomidê workshops in Brazil: safe spaces. Here, girls meet regularly to learn literacy, numeracy, and other issues like reproductive health. These safe spaces also provide an opportunity for the girls to role-play and learn to advocate for themselves, develop their self-image, and practice conversations with others about their values, education being one of them. In safe spaces, Mama Habiba says, girls start to understand “who she is, and that she is a girl who has value. She has the right to negotiate with her parents on what she really feels or wants.”

“When girls are educated, they can unlock so many opportunities,” Mama Habiba says. “It will help the economy of the country. It will boost so many opportunities for the country. If they are given the opportunity, I think the sky is not the limit. It is the starting point for every girl.”

From parades, film screenings to safe spaces and educational programs, girls and local leaders are working hard to strengthen the quality, safety and accessibility of education and overcome systemic challenges. They are encouraging courageous behavior and reminding us all that education is freedom.

Experience the Pura x Malala Fund Collection here, and connect with the stories of real girls leading change across the globe.

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A small gesture of kindness helped generate a retirement fund for Domino’s Pizza driver Dan Simpson. – Photo credit: The Idaho Statesman & Brian Wilson/YouTube

Culture, Wholesome

Retiring Domino’s driver goes out of his way to get missing soda. His ‘tip’ is now over $24,000.

“It took about three minutes.”

Erik Barnes

4/2/2026

During his shift as a pizza delivery driver for Domino’s Pizza, Dan Simpson noticed the order included a two-liter bottle of Diet Coke, but the shop was out. Instead of canceling that part of the order, he went to a nearby convenience store to buy the soda.

“It took about three minutes,” he told the Idaho Statesman. Those three minutes earned him a “tip” that now totals more than $24,000.

@katey_93
When Domino’s is out of Diet Coke, but your delivery driver stops at the store to get it for you. Dan, you went above and beyond tonight, thank you!The world needs more Dans. Happy almost retirement! #dominos #fyp
♬ original sound – Katey Ann

Caught on a Ring camera, Simpson presented the pizza and store-bought sodas to the grateful customer, who was astonished he had gone out of his way to get the Diet Coke. The customer was appreciative but upset they didn’t have any extra cash to add to Simpson’s tip. Simpson, however, was happy to have done a good deed and receive the tip he’d already earned, sharing that he had been delivering pizzas as a second job for 14 years and was just 26 days from retirement.

Simpson’s small gesture goes viral

The Ring camera footage was posted online, and commenters remarked on Simpson’s kindness:

“This is old school respect and going beyond duty.”

“As a loyal Diet Coke drinker, this would mean everything to me.”

“I am going to screammmmmmn, I love him. 😭😭😭”

“This literally made me cry. He’s so sweet. 🥺”

“He is a Pawpaw. I know it. This is something my Daddy would do. 🥰🥰”

“He’s overjoyed about $6.60 🥹 That’s so humble but it makes me sad for some reason. Probably because he deserves the WORLD with a soul like his. 🫶”

“GET DAN’S INFO!!!! He retired already and is still working! He deserves to retire! And I’m willing to pitch in for his retirement!!!”

Everyone wanted to “tip” him

Commenters and the customer agreed that Simpson’s $6.60 tip wasn’t enough. Not only did the customer send him a retirement card with $50 inside, but a GoFundMe was also started to contribute to his retirement. Within a couple of days, Simpson’s additional GoFundMe “tip” reached more than $24,000 and is still growing as of this writing.

Commenters cheered on and praised the donations as they came in:

“As someone that has worked with Dan for years, he is so deserving of this. He would always stay late and take extra deliveries when we were super busy even though he started his first job at 5am and had to be back at 5am the next day.”

“Just donated! Happy retirement Dan!🥹🩷”

“An example of how being a decent human goes a long way. One kind gesture turned into a 5k tip!! Kind gestures are so rare that the masses want to gift those who do nice things.🫶👏”

The customer who posted the Ring camera footage on TikTok later gave commenters an update:

“We dropped off a retirement card & an additional cash tip to the Domino’s Dan works at. In the card we wrote him a letter that explained how we put him on TikTok and that the internet fell in love with him. Dan gave us a call this afternoon and thanked us for the card, additional tip, and for TikTok’s donations to the GoFundMe. When we were talking with Dan, it had just reached $900! He was literally speechless and so humble. Dan doesn’t do technology, but he’s very thankful for all the support. We’ll keep ya’ll updated! Let’s see how far we can get this to go for Dan, he deserves it!”

Simpson was shocked and humbled by the gesture, especially since he believes in doing the right thing for its own sake.

“I know what it’s like to be down and out,” said Simpson. “So when I see people who are hurting, I try to help them.”

What Simpson did proves that even the smallest gestures, like getting a soda, can make a big impact on people.

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A beautiful art project has strangers answering an old-fashioned telephone and saying whatever’s on their minds. – Photo credit: aview.fromabridge/Instagram

Culture, Wholesome

Strangers answer a mysterious red telephone on a bridge

“The action of holding the phone to your ear is powerful.”

Evan Porter

4/2/2026

Viral “street interviews” are a relatively new form of content. They’ve popped up in the last couple of years and often involve random social media creators sticking a microphone in someone’s face on the street and asking personal, funny, or sometimes invasive questions about sex, relationships, and money.

In many big cities, these interviewers are everywhere. Though the clips are sometimes entertaining, many have pointed out problems with the format. Namely, that (often drunk) people can go viral for embarrassing moments and wind up humiliated on an international stage. Or famous. Either way, there’s little recourse for regretful participants, and even less substance in the interviews.

Artist Joe Bloom wanted to reimagine the street interview

“Interviewing strangers is such a beautiful art form but it’s been made so tacky,” Bloom told The Guardian in 2024. “You get some knobhead on the street running up to someone with a microphone asking them about their trauma. It feels awful. The AI-generated subtitles don’t even match up. It’s contrived and rushed. They just don’t care.”

He came up with what he thought was a better idea. Inspired by the early optimism of Internet projects like “Humans of New York,” he wanted to find a way to share people’s real stories, not just farm viral clips about embarrassing topics.

Immediately, he harkened back to his nostalgia for the telephone. No, not the iPhone, not texting, but the classic landline handset.

“You see it in movies: it’s always this nostalgic and almost glamorous thing, holding a phone up to your ear and talking into this object,” he said.

There’s just something about an old-fashioned telephone. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

“A View from a Bridge” project is born

The project, called “A View from a Bridge,” launched in 2023 and saw Bloom place old-fashioned handset telephones on random bridges in London. When strangers would pass by and if they picked up, he’d be on the other end ready to chat.

What he found was that, surprisingly, people were willing to talk. Not just that, but they were more than willing to bare their souls.

There was the kid who had deep thoughts about the body after learning he was more than just a skeleton with a heart inside.

“What’s the point in not knowing who are you?” the wise boy said of his mission to devour all the books he could about anatomy.

@aviewfromabridge
Leon’s View From A Bridge Filmed, interviewed + edited by @Joe Bloom Production assistant’s @Hossam Fazulla @Counterpoints🧡 Original music @lolly2popp . #reading #london #humanbody #humans #aviewfromabridge #facts #windy #kite
♬ original sound – A View From A Bridge

Another young man opened up about all the time he spent chatting and connecting with people all over the world during COVID via virtual reality chat:

“A lot of people tend to think that history as it was has ended. … Things can never be how they once were. I don’t think things have changed that much in terms of people wanting each other and needing each other.”

@aviewfromabridge
“I don’t think things have changed much, in terms of people wanting each other and needing each other” – Cameron’s View From A Bridge @Cameron Winter . Filmed, interviewed + edited @Joe Bloom Original music @Ross Woodhead #geese #vr #virtualreality #Love #connection
♬ original sound – A View From A Bridge

The power of the format

Bloom’s project brings down people’s guard in a natural, organic way. As the interviewer, he stands far away. Typically, the subject can’t even see him at all. It gives the subject a sense of safety in the anonymity and lack of face-to-face eye contact.

And then there’s the phone itself.

“It creates an openness for the person being interviewed,” Bloom said of the format. “The action of holding the phone to your ear is powerful. It’s quite a calming thing.”

Who doesn’t remember long nights spent talking on the phone as a teenager, pouring out your deepest fears and dreams to friends and crushes? Research has found that in intimate, trusting relationships, we prefer to open up face to face. However, with people we don’t yet trust or are just getting to know, we’re often more forthcoming online or over the phone.

Bloom uses this phenomenon to get stranger interviewees to open up in ways the “street interview” creators could never dream of.

View this post on Instagram

And the results are far more powerful and human. In each story, thousands of viewers see themselves and find ways to connect with the subjects—with their fears, pain, or even just funny observations. The videos are ultimately helping millions of people feel less alone.

That’s exactly the kind of optimism and connection Bloom was going for, and it’s something sorely lacking in most corners of the Internet.

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Yakult Ladies are improving eldery lives. – Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Culture, Wholesome

Japan’s Yakult Ladies are quietly preventing lonely deaths and improving thousands of elderly lives

They’ve became one of the most important social safety nets in the world’s oldest nation.

Kat Hong

4/2/2026

Imagine you’re an older woman sitting alone in a small apartment in Tokyo. Your children live across the country. Your husband passed away years ago. Most days, you don’t talk to anyone at all. But on Mondays? On Mondays, you get dressed. You straighten the cushions on the couch. You wait by the door. Because you know someone is coming.

@jesseogn
have you ever tried yakult? #japan #japanthings #yakult #tiktokjapan
♬ Summertime – Maxxxx_

That someone is your Yakult Lady—one of more than 31,000 women who crisscross Japan on bicycles and motorbikes, delivering small bottles of probiotic drinks to elderly homes. On paper, it’s a sales job. In practice, it may be one of the most important social welfare roles in the country.

And most people outside Japan have never heard of it.

It started with a doctor who wanted everyone to be healthy, not just the rich

The story begins in 1930 with a young Japanese medical student named Minoru Shirota. He was deeply concerned that poor children kept dying from preventable diseases, something most doctors at the time ignored. This wasn’t because medicine didn’t exist, but because it had no way of reaching them.

So Shirota made it his life’s work to change that.

Minoru Shirota. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

He spent years in a lab at Kyoto Imperial University working to isolate a cultured strain of beneficial bacteria strong enough to survive the journey through your digestive system and actually do something good when it got there. By 1935, he had turned this concoction into an affordable fermented milk drink and named it “Yakult,” taken from the Esperanto word for yogurt.

Here’s the thing that makes Shirota genuinely remarkable: he refused to let it become a luxury product. He insisted the price remain low enough for the poorest families to afford. Good health, in his view, wasn’t something only wealthy people deserved.

By 1963, Yakult had launched a home-delivery network staffed by women from local neighborhoods: people they trusted, who knew their communities, and who could sit with a customer and explain what “good bacteria” actually meant in plain terms. Thus, the Yakult Lady was born. Today, 81,288 of these women operate across 40 countries and regions worldwide, with 31,341 working in Japan, visiting between 30 and 50 homes a day, up to four days a week.

Japan’s loneliness crisis is bigger than most people realize

In 2024, 76,020 people died alone in Japan, and 76.4% of them were over 65. Some of those bodies weren’t found for weeks. In 130 cases, they weren’t discovered for more than a year.

This problem is so widespread and serious that it even has a name in Japanese: “kodokushi”—lonely death.

Japan is the oldest society on earth, with nearly 30% of its population now over 65. Multigenerational households that once defined Japanese family life have dwindled to just 12.2% of homes. Millions of elderly people now live entirely alone, and that number is expected to grow by 47% by 2050. The problem has become so severe that, in 2021, Japan became the first country to appoint a government minister for loneliness.

So when a woman on a bicycle shows up at your door with a cooler box and a warm smile—when she’s been doing it every week for years, when she remembers your knee has been bothering you and asks how it’s going?—that’s not just a sales call. That’s a lifeline.

“We are watchers”: What Yakult Ladies actually do

Asuka Mochida is 47 years old and has been a Yakult Lady for years. When the BBC asked her to describe her role, she didn’t mention sales targets. “We are watchers in a sense,” she said. “People who look out for others. We notice small changes in health or lifestyle.”

That phrase—”small changes”—is everything.

What makes a Yakult Lady genuinely irreplaceable isn’t the probiotic drink (though research does suggest it helps). It’s the consistency. She sees the same faces week after week. She knows Mrs. Tanaka takes her delivery at 9 a.m. sharp, and that if it’s still on the step at noon, something is wrong. She knows Mr. Yamamoto doesn’t like to talk about his health directly, but always mentions his energy levels when you ask how his garden is doing.

@askmewhats
Life of a Yakult Lady in #Japan #yakult #yakultlady #yakultph
♬ Delightful Day – Randy McGravey

That kind of knowledge—intimate, earned over months and years—can’t be replicated by a government form or a wellness app. When something seems off, these women act. They’ve contacted family members, alerted local authorities, and in multiple documented cases, helped locate seniors who were in real medical danger.

They’re neighbors who show up, and keep showing up.

One anonymous customer said it better than any policy paper ever could: “Knowing that someone will definitely come to see my face each week is a tremendous comfort. Even on days when I feel unwell, hearing her say, ‘How are you today?’ at my doorstep gives me strength.”

Small bottle, big idea

There’s something almost quietly revolutionary about what the Yakult Ladies represent. In a world that keeps looking to technology to solve the loneliness epidemic—chatbots, wellness trackers, social apps—Japan’s most effective answer turns out to be a woman on a bicycle who remembers your name.

The yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japanhttps://t.co/kcaiwGjYVa pic.twitter.com/0PXLaaFggS
— Agingdoc🩺Dr David Barzilai🔔MD PhD MS MBA DipABLM (@agingdoc1) March 4, 2026

It doesn’t require a smartphone or a subscription fee. It simply requires someone to show up, consistently, and actually pay attention.

The next time you walk past an elderly neighbor’s door and wonder if they’re doing okay, maybe this story is a gentle nudge to knock.

You don’t need a cooler box filled with probiotic yogurt. You just need to connect.

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Toddler (left), elderly man (middle), McDonald's drive-thru (right). – Photo credit: Canva

Culture, Wholesome

Toddler befriends a lonely elderly man at McDonald’s

“Protect his positive energy at all costs.”

Heather Wake

4/2/2026

Children often possess a remarkable ability to make friends wherever they go, largely because they operate with an innate openness that’s not yet hindered by learned social barriers. It can make for some unexpected friendships and truly heartwarming stories.

That was certainly the case for Hudson Drew, a three-year-old Oklahoma boy who went viral for his sweet interaction with an elderly man during breakfast at McDonald’s.

As Ashlyn Drew, Hudson’s mother, explained to KFOR-TV, they had made a “last-minute” decision to stop at the fast-food chain for a quick breakfast. That’s when Hudson, affectionately known as “Huddy,” noticed the senior eating alone.

An elderly man eating alone. Photo credit: Canva

Curious, Huddy asked his mom where the man’s children might be. She replied, “They probably grew up and moved away.”

This didn’t sit well with the boy, so he immediately marched over to the man so they could share a meal together. This kind gesture left Drew “crying in the middle of a McDonald’s.”

“My little boy has the biggest heart,” she proudly wrote in her TikTok video’s caption.

@ashlyntaylor88
My little boy has the biggest heart. He was sad that this man was eating alone so he took his food over and sat with him. Made this momma’s heart happy and sad at the same time 🥺❤️#fyp #raisingaman #bigheart #mcdonalds #toddlersoftiktok
♬ Raising a Man – Whitley Morgan

Viewers were equally moved

“I just know that made that man’s whole week.”

“This is the cutest thing I’ve seen ever.”

“Did u know seniors are the least touched, talked to, or hugged? Ur son prob did more for that gentleman than any medication could ever do!!”

An elderly couple hugging. Photo credit: Canva

Even major brands praised Huddy’s kindness.

Duracell’s official account urged folks to “protect his positive energy at all costs.”

“Pass me the tissues,” echoed Pizza Hut. Meanwhile, Eggo shared, “immediately starting sobbing this is SO sweet.”

This kind of behavior is typical of Huddy

“Since he was born, he has always lit up the world,” she told KFOR-TV. “He’s a very sweet kid. I didn’t think I would get emotional. I always say ‘Live like Huddy’ because he doesn’t see people any differently. He loves everyone.”

He also apparently has an affinity for intergenerational friendships. As Drew explained in the comments, “he loves all old people like they are his own grandparents.” At the restaurant his family owns, “he always sits with older couples.”

“He lost his great-great-grandparents and misses them dearly,” she explained.

Interestingly, Drew later discovered that the man lives just three miles away, and was good friends with Huddy’s late great-grandfather. Perhaps their connection was destined. Either way, more Mickey D’s meetups are in store.

As for the overwhelming positive response to Huddy’s video, Drew hopes it inspires others to show some love to the elderly community.

“When you see an older person, more than likely their spouse has passed away or is in a nursing home, so I just say take the time to say hi, smile,” she said. “A smile can do a lot. Sit with them. They can tell you some great stories.”

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Emberly Lau dances to "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys with help from her former teacher. – Photo credit: @dpkymeg/Instagram (used with permission)

Culture, Wholesome

Elementary teacher steps in when the audio suddenly cuts out during school talent show

She saved the day without missing a beat.

Heather Wake

4/2/2026

A teacher in Northern Michigan became the living embodiment of “the show must go on” during a school talent show.

On March 24, eight-year-old Emberly Lau took to the stage to perform a dance set to Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire.”

Like many young performers, she had spent weeks preparing for her big moment, carefully practicing each move and building up the courage to step into the spotlight.

Only, midway through the routine, the audio suddenly cut out, leaving Emberly dancing in silence.

Little girl having stage fright. Photo credit: Canva

For a brief second, it could have spelled disaster. A missing soundtrack can throw even seasoned performers off their game, and for a child, it can feel overwhelming.

Teacher comes to the rescue

But without missing a beat, Emberly’s former first-grade teacher, Kurstin Frank, began singing the lyrics from the audience.

Even when she did not know every word, she carried the rhythm and melody forward, giving Emberly exactly what she needed to continue. It helped that Frank had a lovely voice, but more importantly, she had the instinct to support her student without hesitation.

View this post on Instagram

Thanks to that spontaneous act, Emberly never stopped dancing. Instead of freezing or running offstage, she pushed through, finishing her routine with confidence. What could have been an awkward interruption turned into something unexpectedly beautiful. Other audience members began to join in, clapping and singing along, transforming the would-be catastrophe into a shared experience filled with encouragement and joy.

Emberly’s mother, Meg, who caught the whole thing on camera, shared in a sweet Facebook post that Emberly had been working on her routine since Christmas. Understandably, Meg felt “mom panic” set in when the music glitch set out to ruin Emberly’s hard work, but those fears were quickly set at ease by Frank.

In the post, Meg hailed Frank as a “true hero,” thanking her for creating a “magical, special, and memorable” moment completely on the spot, all with a student on her lap.

Other folks were equally quick to praise the teacher as the video began making the rounds online.

“Teachers can really change a person’s life”

Check out some of these lovely comments from Instagram:

“Anyone else get CHILLS? I can only imagine how she felt once the music cut off. Go teach. 🙌”

“This is probably gonna be a formative memory for this young girl who was vulnerable and went onstage for perhaps the first time.”

“Teachers can really change a person’s life.”

“The way she lit up at ‘burn baby burn baby’ that confidence came right back! 💐🥹 There are truly teachers who stay with you 😭”

”Best teacher EVER 👏🙌❤️”

View this post on Instagram

Moments like this remind us that sometimes it isn’t perfection that makes an experience unforgettable, but the people who show up when things don’t go as planned. It’s also a testament to the teachers who go out of their way to make sure their students can succeed—whether in the classroom, onstage, or in adulthood. All in all, it’s a truly feel-good story.

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Welcome to Gen Z's "Western Revival," partner. – Photo credit: Canva

Culture, Generations

Gen Z’s ‘Western Revival’: Why line dancing, rodeos, and honky-tonks are exploding in cities like NYC and Atlanta

Rodeos sold out Madison Square Garden in 2026, and line dancing events are up 165 percent.

Kat Hong

4/1/2026

Picture this: It’s a Tuesday night in Queens, New York—the kind most young people spend doomscrolling on their couches or making out at a local bar to Ariana Grande songs. But at a packed honky-tonk, a room full of twenty-somethings in cowboy boots is learning to two-step. By the end of the night, they don’t want to leave.

This isn’t a one-off or a dream scenario. It’s a reality happening all over the country. In Atlanta and Boston, in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., young people who grew up glued to their phones are lacing up boots, heading out to line dancing classes, trail rides, and rodeos, and finding something they didn’t know they were missing: each other.

Young people all over the country are participating in "Western" socializing events like never before.

Welcome to the “Western Revival.” It’s a lot bigger than you think.

The numbers will stop you in your tracks

Let’s drop some statistics that’ll make you do a double take. According to Eventbrite data comparing 2024 to 2025, line-dancing events grew by 165%, and attendance jumped by a staggering 254%.

Trail rides? Attendance is up 374%. Professional Bull Riders sold out Madison Square Garden and TD Garden in Boston. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo drew 2.7 million people in a single year—a new all-time record.

And here’s the part that really says something big: the fastest growth isn’t happening in country-friendly places like Texas or Nashville. It’s happening in New York, Atlanta, Boston, and San Francisco—cities where, until recently, the closest thing to a cowboy was a Halloween costume.

Nearly half of all young adults—49%—say they’re actively seeking experiences that feel less curated and more real. Another 79% say it’s important that events feel spontaneous or unpredictable, and 44% say they’re willing to spend more if a venue feels genuinely unique. So what about a ranch bathed in golden-hour light? Or a neon-lit honky-tonk with a live fiddle player? Yup, that’ll do it.

No, it’s not really about the boots

Sure, the cowboy boots are cute. Okay, make that really cute. But this isn’t a fashion story…or at least, it’s not only a fashion story.

It's not only about the cowboy boots. – Photo credit: Canva

The amazing thing about Western Revival events is that they’re inherently participatory. You can’t passively attend a line dancing class. You have to show up, plant your feet, and be a little bit goofy while you learn the steps. There’s something deeply human about that. And for a generation that spent its formative years staring at screens during a pandemic, it turns out that “a little bit goofy in a room full of people” is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Of course, Beyoncé helped start the fire

You can’t tell this story without talking about Cowboy Carter. When Beyoncé released her country album in 2024, she didn’t just make great music; she rewrote the rules about who gets to claim Western culture. More than a third of Gen Z music fans say they first explored country music because of that album. She took a genre that had long felt exclusive and made it feel like it belonged to everyone.

@yuliaxgon
Cowboy culture didn’t start in Hollywood. The original cowboys were Mexican vaqueros: Indigenous, Afro-Mexican, and mestizo horsemen who developed the techniques, tools, and clothing we now associate with the American West. After the U.S. took over northern Mexico, including what is now Texas, that culture was appropriated, repackaged, and whitewashed. Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter era isn’t just about country music or fashion. It’s a powerful act of reclamation. As a Black woman from Texas, she’s tapping into a legacy that’s been erased: the deep, intertwined roots of Mexican and Black communities in shaping cowboy life. From the sombrero to the rodeo, from Black cowboys post-emancipation to Afro-Mexican vaqueros before the U.S. even existed, this is the real story behind the cowboy hat. #beyonce #cowboy #vaquero #cowboycarter
♬ original sound – Yulia G

And she wasn’t alone. Post Malone, Chappell Roan, Jelly Roll, and Shaboozey represent a wave of artists who have been cheerfully demolishing the walls between country, hip-hop, and pop. Today, two out of three Gen Z listeners say they’re now tuning into country more than ever. When the music changes, the culture follows.

A lonely generation is finding its people

Here’s the part of this story that matters most: Eight out of ten Gen Z respondents in a recent survey said they’d felt lonely in the past year. Eight out of ten. Think about that: This is a generation that has more ways to “connect” than any in history, and yet so many of them feel profoundly alone.

Photo from an Eventbrite line dancing event. – Photo credit: Eventbrite

A Freeman survey of 2,000 adults found that 91% of Gen Z respondents want more in-person events in their lives. They want real friendships. This is such a vulnerable truth: these young people want to show up somewhere and matter to the people around them.

Funnily enough, honky-tonks and dance halls are becoming exactly that: a new kind of communal third space, somewhere between home and work where you don’t have to perform for an algorithm. You just have to know how to count to eight.

As one line dance instructor put it: “It’s pretty low risk, high reward. Come out, have fun, learn something, and enjoy time with your friends.” There’s a beautiful simplicity to that. In an era of infinite options and zero commitment, sometimes the most radical thing you can do is just show up.

Is this bigger than a trend?

Short answer: yes. Trends come and go, but what’s happening here feels different—it’s more like a generation quietly course-correcting. Young people are choosing presence over passive scrolling. They’re putting their phones in their pockets and their boots on the floor. It’s just like Nancy Sinatra sang in 1966: “These boots were made for walkin’, and that’s just what they’ll do.”

It’s refreshing to know that, sixty years later, there’s still a kernel of truth in that line.

And what Gen Z is finding there, in the middle of a line dance or on the back of a horse at sunset, is something the Internet can never replicate: the feeling of belonging somewhere real.

You don’t have to be a country music fan to understand that. You just have to be human.

So if you’ve been curious, maybe grab a pair of boots and find a class near you. The strangers waiting on that dance floor might just become your people.

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Alexis Smith being crowned crowned Miss Kansas in June 2024. – Photo credit: Miss Kansas/Facebook

Culture, Identity

A pageant winner boldly calls out her abuser in the audience during her final interview

“I took back my power—not just for myself, but for my dreams and everyone watching and listening.”

Annie Reneau

Upworthy Staff

4/1/2026

Domestic violence survivors cheered on the winner of the 2024 Miss Kansas competition after she stood on stage and called out her abuser who showed up to the pageant. Before Alexis Smith was chosen from 26 participants in the state competition on June 8, 2024 to represent Kansas in the 2025 Miss America contest, she was asked to speak on stage about her Reclaimed Respect initiative.

“My vision as the next Miss Kansas is to eliminate unhealthy and abusive relationships,” Smith said. “Matter of fact, some of you out in this audience saw me very emotional because my abuser is here today. But that’s not going to stop me from being on this Miss Kansas stage and from representing as the next Miss Kansas. Because I, and my community, deserve healthy relationships. We deserve a domestic [violence] free life.”

Watch:

@lexlex_smith
Respect Reclaimed is about reclaiming your power and standing firmly in it. On the night of Miss Kansas, my journey took an unexpected turn when someone I have been healing from tried to disrupt my peace. Instead of falling into silence, I chose to live out my vision for a better world. I took back my power—not just for myself, but for my dreams and everyone watching and listening. This isn’t about shunning others; it’s about turning our pain into purpose and channeling it in a way that unifies and uplifts. I’m ready to use my story, tools, and resources to end unhealthy relationships in all forms. My voice and advocacy will empower everyone to reclaim their own power in their own unique way. I might be small in stature, but I stand tall in strength, purpose, and power with hopes of inspiring others to do the same. #fyp #abuse #miss #misskansas #missamerica #pageant #awareness #me #relationship #respect #tiktok
♬ original sound – Alexis Smith

In the video shared on TikTok, the freshly-crowned Miss Kansas wrote, “Respect Reclaimed is about reclaiming your power and standing firmly in it. On the night of Miss Kansas, my journey took an unexpected turn when someone I have been healing from tried to disrupt my peace. Instead of falling into silence, I chose to live out my vision for a better world. I took back my power—not just for myself, but for my dreams and everyone watching and listening.”

She wrote that it wasn’t about shunning anyone, but about “turning our pain into purpose and channeling it in a way that unifies and uplifts.”

“I’m ready to use my story, tools, and resources to end unhealthy relationships in all forms,” she wrote. “My voice and advocacy will empower everyone to reclaim their own power in their own unique way.

I might be small in stature, but I stand tall in strength, purpose, and power with hopes of inspiring others to do the same.”

@lexlex_smith
Bye bye #DV #RespectReclaimed #FYP #MissKansas #Shoot #photography #photoshoot #TikTok
♬ original sound – ✿ – bri ✿

People who have experienced abuse themselves applauded her advocacy.

“As a victim of domestic violence I applaud you for speaking out!! I watched this 10 times!! I’m still getting bullied by his parents even with a no contact order. I plan on helping women like us as well.”

“WHAT A WOMAN. This is absolutely incredible. From one survivor to another, I am SO SO proud of you for reclaiming this moment for yourself. You will do amazing things “

“Incredibly brave of you. You just made a statement for all women. I appreciate you so much.”

A woman holds a sign that reads: “Love shouldn’t hurt.” Photo credit: Canva

“As an old survivor…I’m so damn PROUD OF YOU!! Love, A Stranger “

“We got to see you ACTIVELY showcasing your platform LIVE IN PERSON! My utmost respect to you Miss Alexis. This is beyond any crown, I cannot wait to watch your journey. As someone who grew up around domestic violence, I have chills watching you. You will always have a supporter in me. You absolutely ate that. “

“YAS GIRL! As a fellow survivor, you are an inspiration and I’m so proud of you for using your voice and showing your strength.”

“”I experienced emotional and psychological abuse for a very long time,” Smith shared with KMUW, “and it was recognizing that I was losing control over my own personal emotions, trying to save the emotions of someone else, and so to be able to save myself. I recognize that we don’t want to both go down together. I need to be able to leave this relationship. That way, I’m able to pursue a future, because you just never know what can happen to your partner or happen to yourself when you’re in those relationships.”

According to The Wichita Eagle, Smith uses her 19 years of experience as a ventriloquist to teach kids about healthy relationships with puppets as part of her Reclaimed Respect initiative. She also works full-time as a cardiothoracic ICU nurse. And she went on to compete at Miss America 2025 in Orlando in January, where Miss Alabama Abbie Stockard was crowned.

This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.

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Woman texting (left). Man texting (right). – Photo credit: Canva

Culture, Wholesome

She reached out to her husband after a ‘rough week.’ His loving response was everything.

“Marry him. I don’t care if you’re already married, marry him again.”

Heather Wake

4/1/2026

An ideal partner isn’t just someone you can celebrate with. They’re the person who makes the bad times feel just a bit better. One husband is getting a lot of praise online for doing just that.

In a Reddit post titled “My Husband’s Response to My Really Bad Week Made Everything Just a Bit Better,” a wife explained how she had really been having a “rough week” on multiple levels. Not only had she faced a setback at work, but she also “accidentally ripped off a fingernail.” Talk about adding injury to insult.

Needing to vent, she texted her husband, saying, “I think I’m having a bad day 😕 like, I’ll be fine. I just wish I could curl up on the couch and feel all the feelings and also nap for three days 😅.”

Woman texting. Photo credit: Canva

What followed was a text that had viewers saying she should “marry” her husband all over again.

From the start, her husband both validated her emotional state and reminded her that it was temporary.

“My sweetheart,” his message began. “I know you’re going through a lot, both emotionally and physically with how draining the last week has been. I also know you’re resilient as heck and you’ll be fine, but that doesn’t make those feelings right now any less real.”

That alone earned him major brownie points, but then he sweetened the deal—literally, with ice cream.

“But we’ve got a pint of Ben and Jerry’s at home…and a lot of Critical Role to catch up on,” he wrote, referencing one of their beloved television shows. “I’m all for the curling up part of your plan.”

Then he asked, “In the meantime, want to meet up for lunch today?”

My Husband's Response to My Really Bad Week Made Everything Just a Bit Better 💕
byu/BreninLlwid inMadeMeSmile

It’s easy to see why this response won over so many. It was emotionally aware, attentive, and generous, leaving many to call him a “certified keeper.”

“The ‘curling up’ part of the plan is elite support honestly.”

“Man, when someone is happily willing to just slow down with you for a bit and not find more and more reasons to be busy or not available, that’s someone that really sees you and wants to be there for you and with you. It makes it feel like it’s ok to take care of you instead of feeling guilty and like you’re just lazy.”

“Marry him. I don’t care if you’re already married, marry him again.”

“This is what love should look like.”

“Having a love like that is truly a blessing!”

On a wholesome note, it also inspired many others to share some love for their equally attentive and supportive partners.

A couple cuddling while watching TV. Photo credit: Canva

“I have one like this and it’s nearly impossible to describe to other people how very much I love and appreciate him without looking like I’m a boasting a*****. I’m just so glad you have one too.”

“Same. I wish I could clone mine and give him out as gifts to friends I love, because I wish everyone could experience this kind of amazing love and support. It is sadly so so rare.”

“Legends like this are one in a million!! I’m lucky enough to have one too.”

This is what everyday romance looks like: rough weeks turned into cozy date nights, solitary struggles made more manageable by knowing someone is in your corner, and challenges transformed into opportunities for connection. It’s not necessarily the kind of romance we see in the movies, but it’s magical nonetheless.

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