by Mike Critelli

During the Great Depression — a most frightening time — President Franklin Roosevelt made this memorable statement during his First Inaugural Address:

Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.

As leaders, we confront comparable fear, anxiety, divisive tendencies, and anger of our employees. How do we deal with it? 

We remember that we have been here many times before.

Remembering the Past

Any American over 70 would have lived through all these frightening times. Younger Americans have lived through many of them.

Epidemics and Pandemics 

In the early 1950’s, Americans were so fearful of children contracting the deadly and debilitating polio virus that swimming pools were closed during the summers and parents did not take their children to public beaches. That threat abated when the Salk vaccine was developed. 

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by MakeUsWell

The Ides of March, famous as the day that Julius Caesar was assassinated, is noteworthy for me as it’s the day I was born. On that day, God gave me breath... and a monkey. I’m thankful for the breath...not so much for the monkey.
— Alan Steelman

Alan Steelman is a Charter Member of the MakeUsWell Network. He has enjoyed success in the political and business arena and is now in the third interaction of a career: helping people be well. He is the author of Managing Your Monkey: Mind Fitness (2022).

MakeUsWell reviewed his book and found it compelling, insightful, and practical. Alan tells an engrossing story while providing useful suggestions to manage the day-to-day stressors of life.

MakeUsWell highly recommends this book!

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by Mike Critelli

Over the past several weeks, when sharing what I’ve learned about the expanding and compelling body of research on the harmful effects of social media, I encountered bewilderment, denial, and highly confident—but misguided—responses from many well-educated people. 

We are in the midst of multiple societal crises that manifest themselves in an explosive growth of mental illness, substance abuse, alienation from work, political and cultural division, and increased violence. But most of us are unable to step back and diagnose the potential root causes of these crises.

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by MakeUsWell

Who Is David Joosten?

Family man and entrepreneur David Joosten’s ability to measure probability and recognize trends started at a young age. While most students in high school are busy with the banality of adolescence, David found his passion for entrepreneurship early and started a business as a PowerSeller on Ebay. Clearing six figures selling video games and DVDs led to studying economics at Harvard. 

After graduation, he joined marketing at Google. There he learned how data-driven marketing worked at scale—making growth systematic—with a team that was eclectic and inspiring.

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by Mike Critelli

Recently, the Social Media Victims Law Center filed lawsuits against Meta (Facebook and Instagram's parent), TikTok, and Snap. What does this have to do with the MakeUsWell Network? 

Everything!

In 2016, I joined the PowerMyLearning Board, a New York-based non-profit. Its mission is to empower teachers and families. The organization used to provide free laptops to low-income families. After the families received the laptops, learning workshops were offered. I attended one at a Bronx school.

After 2½ hours of training, on the many benefits of the new laptops with Internet on-ramps, the last hour was a real eye opener. The trainers focused the parents on all the bad things unsupervised use could bring to the kids.

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