How to save the world (in 5 steps).
I got the following email recently: Dear Ryan, I am a college student. I see so many problems in the world (homelessness, hunger, racism, etc.). I want to use my career and my life to help. Honestly, though, I don’t know what to do, or even where to start. What advice do you have? Cynthia […]
I never understood the term “neurodivergent.”
Next week I am doing a live interview with an expert on autism. Carly Danesh-Jones is a British autism advocate (who is on the spectrum herself). She even received an “MBE” for her work on autism advocacy. It is one of those cool things that the British Royal Family does like making people Knights and Dames […]
The problem is not what you think it is.
I am doing a training tomorrow for McDonald’s national security team. By the way, I’ve been working with McDonald’s for about a year, and I have been REALLY impressed with how committed they are to a compassionate approach to homelessness. In preparation for training their team, I was reviewing our old training on “How to […]
Should you enforce the rules or not?
I got an email recently that basically said: You tell us not to be “everyday sadists” who enjoy enforcing the rules (which I don’t; I hate enforcing the rules). But when I don’t enforce the rules, I feel like I’m not doing my job. I am confused. Should I enforce the rules or not? This […]
Is there hope for “Everyday Sadists?”
People email me a lot asking how they should handle a staff person who enjoys enforcing the rules too much. It comes across as “picking on” people or “bullying” them. I tell them that their staff member is what psychologists call an “Everyday Sadist.” There isn’t really anything they can do to help the person […]
Everything you know about human trafficking is wrong.
“I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my […]
Fear
I have fears that I struggle to understand. Not the kind that slither across the trail. I have fears that I can’t put into words. Not the kind that jump into my throat during air turbulence. I have fears that my diary will never know. Not the kind that pushes on my chest when I […]
Christmas Eve in a Homeless Shelter
The following story is from my book “A Homeless Christmas Story” To see the illustrated version and hear it read by Actor Emilio Estevez, go to https://www.homelesstraining.com/books/a-homeless-christmas-story/ (if the URL doesn’t work, type it into your browser) Winter’s crisp darkness settled over the large, brick homeless shelter. Chicago winds whooshed snow across a frozen parking […]
Tiny Acts of Humanity
I try really hard to write original stuff for these weekly newsletters. Every once in awhile, though, someone captures my thoughts far more articulately than I ever could. This poem from Danusha Laméris expresses my feelings on “tiny acts of humanity” perfectly. What I call “pennies in the cup” she calls the “true dwelling of […]
Billy the Kid was mad at me.
It was too cold to be this foggy. Maybe the weather was different in Salt Lake City. I didn’t know. I had only been there for a dozen hours. The motel had promised a “full breakfast,” but the waffle maker was broken, and the eggs were greener than even Theodor Guisel would eat. I settled […]
