Jenny Riddle

I was on my Sunday run—my bright pink running shoes kicking up dust along the Elmhurst Prairie Path—when I tuned into my favorite weekend podcast, The Interview from the NYTimes.

Unexpectedly, I began to feel my mind bending a little as I listened to Rutger Bregman, the guest. Something he said reminded me of Kourtney, a young woman I'd recently met.

Bregman, bestselling author and founder of the School for Moral Ambition, believes many of us—especially the privileged and talented—are … [Read more...] about Are You Morally Ambitious?

This past weekend in New York, I saw something that stopped me in my tracks: a one-man play based on Patrick Bringley’s memoir "All the Beauty in the World"—a moving reflection on grief, healing, and the ten years he spent as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Even more remarkable? The actor performing it was Patrick Bringley himself.

My husband, my sister, and a few close friends sat together in a small 99-seat New York theater. Everyone was mesmerized—not just by the … [Read more...] about We Need Permission to “Stop and Adore”

My family ate a lot of meals together growing up. On Friday nights, my mom would stop at Jewel after work. I loved unpacking the paper bags and spotting the yellow Lay’s potato chips and Dean’s French onion dip. One of her go-to meals? Toasted corned beef sandwiches on rye. No sauerkraut for me, thanks.

When Bill and I had kids of our own, we did the same thing: ate around the table. Partly because eating out with three kids wasn’t in the budget, but mostly because we believed what my parents … [Read more...] about From Corned Beef to Courage

I was at Whole Foods a while back when a young guy drove by and shouted, "Grandma!" out his window at me. I laughed—because I’m 60, sure, but also because he wasn’t really seeing me.

His image of what getting older meant—sneering “Grandma” at a woman he didn’t know—was emblematic of something bigger. How often do we make people invisible, not just because of age, but because of bias, assumptions, or inattention?

I’ve noticed it in stores, where salespeople ignore me as if I’ve blended into … [Read more...] about Ever Had Someone Look Right Through You?

My dad was my high school debate coach. Unlike my older sister, I didn’t feel much pressure to compete—truthfully, I stayed on the team because it meant getting the last period of the day free. My real passion was in the theater department, but as a freshman, I competed in a few debate tournaments.

To be honest, I was woefully unprepared. My evidence box, a small plastic recipe file, was thin, and my understanding of the energy crisis—our debate topic that year—was even thinner. What … [Read more...] about Why Shrill is a Badge of Honor