All of the sponsorship revenue from the remainder of season 2 of Do the Thing will be extended to the movement for black lives.

Learn more at m4 b.org. dot org. Hi, my name is Melissa Urban and you're listening to Do the Thing, a podcast where we explore

what's been missing every time you've tried to make a change and make it stick.

I originally recorded this episode in early May to launch the reboot of season 2.

And back in early May we were still in the midst of the global pandemic.

Many of us were under strict shelter-in-place orders,

with other states that were just beginning the slow and awkward process of reopening.

It's fair to say that we were all experiencing tons of uncertainty and the stress of this pandemic had taken a real toll on our mental health.

But then, on top of the pandemic, this country bore witness to the murders of Ahmad Arbury,

Brianna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and since then even Ryamilton, Dominique Fells, Olawatoyan Salu, and Raishard Brooks.

Across the world we've been protesting, advocating, learning, and taking action, not quite forgetting that the effects of the

pandemic, unemployment, fear, financial insecurity, exhaustion, illness, and death rage on.

While stress resilience and self-care are more important now than ever,

I didn't know how to relaunch a podcast in today's world

by talking about cold showers. I couldn't do it.

So I went back and recorded a new episode for last week. Some of my own anti-racism work that I've

been doing over the last year as part of Whole 30s and my own

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Curriculum. The practice of self-inquiry I shared in that episode has been a staple in my self-care for more than five years now and certainly has brought me peace, a sense of empowerment and capacity in this difficult time.

And still, I'm taking my cold showers.

Every single morning, haven't missed a day in over four months.

Cold showers have become another part of my daily self-care and the benefits have been

staggering. Increased energy, a happier mood, improved tolerance for stress and a

...