Brooke Faulkner

11/8/2017 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

Building Self Esteem at Any Age

C.S. Lewis once wrote: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” Many of us often seem to get humility confused with bad self-esteem as a way to justify our dwelling place within self discouragement. But it’s not good or healthy for us to stay there. We’re more or less taught this by society unfortunately, and learning bad self-esteem at a young age is pretty common. Since so many of us are programed to think lowly ourselves, how can we turn that around, no matter where we are in age or life experience? We all have different challenges that work against our own self respect and self image, but they can be manageable and do not have to break us down. Trust, Trust, Trust Did you know that including a … [Read more...]

10/12/2017 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

How to Realistically Find an Optimal Work-Life Balance

Finding the appropriate work-life balance is a challenge that every individual struggles with at some point in their life. As Juliet Schor reports in her book “The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure,” hours worked and stress about those jobs are on the incline, while family time, sleep, and leisure time are gradually becoming more like amenities, rather than necessities for all classes of employed Americans. According to research, finding a suitable work-life balance is even harder if you’re a member of a younger generation. “Nearly one-third of millennials say managing their work, family, and personal responsibilities has become more difficult in the past five years,” writes Time contributor Donna Rosato. “And nearly … [Read more...]

8/29/2017 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

How Your Desk Job Is Harming Your Health

Getting that high-paying desk job can be a dream come true or your worst nightmare. Desk jobs can be killers, literally. More and more studies are coming to light on the effects office jobs have on your health. Not only is stress a major negative factor, but long hours, sedentary work environments and the vices people use to cope with these stressors contribute to the rampant ailments and diseases that plague our country as well. However, you don’t need to quit your job just yet to improve your health. There are simple, everyday things you can do to make your desk job more beneficial to your longevity. Stressed out Stress doesn’t take just a mental toll, it takes a toll on your body as well. You can even be put in a stressful … [Read more...]

7/11/2017 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

The Role of Big Data in Public Policy

We live in an age where data about who you are, where you are, and what you’re doing is being collected and tucked away into databases so large, traditional processing software is inadequate to handle it all. This is the age of big data, a powerful and rich resource that continues to grow more quickly than we are able to find ways to make use of it. Our lives are being tallied and measured by posts, emails, purchases, pictures, and clicks. Public policy is shaped by our values and ideals, and we express many of those through the things we do. As such, used responsibly, the data we recorded about the things we do can help guide public policy decisions. Big data has the power to transform the public sector and is frequently cited as a … [Read more...]

6/20/2017 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

At the Intersection of Faith and Education

Where do faith and education intersect? It’s been a topic of heated debate in the United States for, oh, the last 200 years or so, since public education got its start in the US. Faith is integral to how many people experience personal growth and development, but as the U.S. becomes more religiously diverse — with Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and others — the issues of religion and educational institutions have begun to spur a deeper level of confusion than ever before. Even though conversations about policy can be brutal, at the end of the day, access to college is something we should all be thankful for. As players in this drama, it’s important to understand the history. Let’s start at the beginning of the North … [Read more...]