In 2011, on my first trip to Cambodia, I met a monk who explained to me that in his province and in many/most others, if 100 students started school together in kindergarten, by the time they reached the 6th grade the class size would be close to 30, most of them boys. When I visited his pagoda school, I saw no girls older than ten. 

That year, and every year since, I am struck by countless distressing realities for the Cambodian people: cultural trauma, poverty, limited education, and violence against women among them. In 2018, the main opposition party was banned, opposition leaders were in jail or exiled, and independent media was significantly curtailed. The strong and long arm of China continues to shift the landscape in all ways.

Yet every year, I am awestruck and humbled by the men and women, boys and girls who wish to discover, invent, and know the unknown; who continually overcome astounding obstacles toward a better future.

We met so many wonderful people this year in our work with and for outstanding organizations. Among them, and featured in the photo above, are the students and staff of the Harpswell Foundation, founded by physicist, author and humanitarian Alan Lightman. On this day, I shared the leadership stage with Seema Hingorani, founder of Girls Who Invest, introduced by Samneag Roul, survivor, thriver and quiet leader.

Even in this company, the real stars are these young women. 

They choose becoming over numbing. They choose the future over the past. 

Let's do the same in their honor.

In harmony and health,

Stacy Sims
Founder

p.s. To join a summer True Body Intensive in Cincinnati or our next year's Cambodia trip, let me know. Embody empathy through shared experiences. Dates coming soon.