😫 One ingredient missing from today’s workplace explains the burnout epidemic

Like real butter in movie theater popcorn, we’ve become used to not having it, but it made all the difference.

It used to be simple: work hard, get ahead. Now? A spreadsheet on the CFO’s MacBook decides who stays, and there’s no column for hard work or loyalty. It’s no wonder Gen Z is embracing “act your wage,” choosing boundaries over burnout in a system that no longer rewards going above and beyond.

When a 25-year-old asked NYU professor Suzy Welch how to survive burnout, the 66-year-old was stunned. At that 25, she said, she was working seven days a week and loving it. But the young woman’s response stopped her cold: “But you had hope.”

In this story by Amy Lamare, we learn how Welch’s moment of clarity reveals a generational disconnect: Boomers believed hard work = reward. Gen Z has watched that equation collapse under recessions, layoffs, and global chaos.

And what did we learn?

Yesterday, we shared the brilliant approach one Brazilian doctor (that’s a lot of doctors, nyuck nyuck nyuck) uses to comfort his child patients. That might have been leading the witness a bit, because fun-doc Patch Adams, as brought to life by Robin Williams, took over 40% of the vote. TV docs Meredith Grey and Claire Fraser split most of the balance.*

• Patch Adams (Robin Williams’s healing humor) (42.5%)

• Dr. Claire Fraser (time-traveling Sassenach) (23.0%)

• Dr. Meredith Grey (the actual Grey herself) (24.1%)

• Doc Brown (Careful, I think 'Doc' might just be his name) (10.3%)

* - Ye dinna ken how much joy it brings tae see Outlander hearts in me wee letter.

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🎬 Robert Redford transformed a 12-year-old into a future director with kindness

Scarlett Johansson learned from one of the greats.

Before she was an Avenger, Scarlett Johansson was a tween actor riding horses on the Montana set of The Horse Whisperer. But what stuck with her wasn’t an enduring love of horses, it was a vision of what she wanted to become. 

Promoting her directorial debut Eleanor the Great, Johansson told Colbert that working with Robert Redford (aka "Booey") was “transformative.” He treated her like a real artist. He coached, explained, and even therapized her through scenes. It was her first taste of what a great director could be, and, quietly, a seed was planted.

In this story by Ryan Reed, we see how kindness, patience, and a little behind-the-scenes magic can spark a lifelong dream.

🧩 From Genesis to genetics: 5 tools that turned conflict into conversation

A case study in making room for both belief and evidence.

Science doesn’t usually get invited to Sunday school. But when a group of BYU students studied evolution alongside scripture, something surprising happened: the debate softened.

As Mark Wales reports, the study found that using the right conversation tools, like avoiding binary thinking, sharing personal stories, and leaning on trusted messengers, helped students expand their acceptance of evolution without feeling like they had to abandon their faith.

Yes, this was about squaring Genesis with genetics. But the real lesson is bigger: these five tools are the same ones that can turn any hot-button conversation into common ground. Whether you’re clashing over politics, climate change, or family drama at Thanksgiving, the playbook works.

Do you have something GOOD to share?

We’re always on the lookout for uplifting, enlightening, and engaging content to share with readers like you. If you have something you think should be featured in the Daily GOOD, let me know!

💬 From the group text…

OK, interesting, if you faint in an Emu pen, they’ll try to eat you, but what’s with the naked one!? That’s a dinosaur, lady, run! We’ve seen this movie!