Every Thursday night, Matthew Mercer leads a merry band through a maze of goblins, spells, and enchantments, as he plays an immersive role-playing game. In our story, Matthew explores what these creative games open up in him and how shining his light into the world gives others permission to do the same.

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Shawn Colvin grows up in a dangerous house. There’s a dad with a hair-trigger temper. But there’s also a dad who builds things, and who plays music, who teaches Shawn how to play a guitar. Years later, an out-of-the-blue phone call gives Shawn the opportunity to explain to her dad what her childhood was like – and to forgive him. In this act of compassion, Shawn is able to let go of her own burden and find compassion for herself — who she is now and the lost little kid she used to be.

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Urban farmer Indy Officianalis, host of National Geographic’s Farm Dreams, grew up knowing that nature was the place she felt most comfortable. When the world made her feel different, it was her private escape where she belonged. In this week’s episode, Indy tells the story of when she first learned nature could actually be an oasis for everyone, a place that erases differences and allows for new connections.

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Reshma Saujani, activist and founder of Girls Who Code and Moms First, prides herself on being in control. She’s always been the one to say “I got this.” But after years of struggling to achieve her lifelong goal of being a mother, the weight of powering through the pain gets to be too much. In this week’s story, Reshma learns that instead of white knuckling through life’s unexpected changes, she can allow herself the time and space to properly feel them.

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It happens not in a yellow wood, but in author Steve Almond's befuddled 20s, when he is facing for the first time a decision that might actually matter. To the left lies success. To the right, something more interesting.

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As he helps his youngest child prepare for her first day of school, Rohan offers us all a chance to practice three unique approaches to learning. Whether we’re hearing a new idea, analyzing that new idea, or putting that idea into practice, the steps laid out in today’s meditation lead us towards deeper understanding. Above all, Rohan suggests infusing our studies, or mindfulness practice, with a sense of play, a sense of fun, which can help us eagerly seek out opportunities to refine our skills.

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Jen Hatmaker — author and host of the For The Love podcast — is a charismatic, natural born leader. But growing up, Jen believes there are only certain roles women like her can be expected to perform. Roles that are always secondary to men in leadership. This week, Jen tells the story of embracing her inner lion and learning that we can be powerful in many ways, not just the ways we’ve been shown.

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Shea Hembrey is 5 years old, walking along the road to his farmhouse on the edge of the Mississippi River Delta, where the floodplains meet the Ozark Mountain foothills. The undulating hills surrounded by dense rows of oak, sassafras, sugarberry, and persimmon trees. He spots a pale, smooth-polished fleck: an egg! “This is a baby bird,” he tells his parents. “And I’m going to hatch it.” From that point forward, his willingness to be patient – to let what is already there reveal itself – opens up the world to show its goodness. We all possess this kind of wonderful intuition, but you must pay attention to that knowing feeling and start to trust it.

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As the youngest of 10 kids, Majora Carter is used to being a little bit invisible, shyly watching the world around her as she draws with her crayons. But her first-grade teacher, Ms. Transport, sees that she has a special talent for art. She encourages Majora to share her gifts – and (the real challenge) to accept praise. Her rallying cry: "You deserve to take your flowers!" Years later, as a grown woman, Majora realizes she can return the favor.

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Ecologist Nalini Nadkarni – known as the "Queen of the Forest Canopy” – has spent a career clambering around tree tops, studying the interdependence of plants and animals in an ecosystem. But when an accident in the canopy brings Nalini's work to an abrupt halt, she is forced to reckon with interdependence of a profoundly different nature.

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Jessamyn Stanley, author of Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance, realizes one day that her life has become filled with unwanted clutter. Suddenly, how she’s perceived on the outside no longer reflects what she feels on the inside. But in her efforts to minimize her footprint and live a minimalist life, Jessamyn learns something unexpected: She can choose to love who she is right now, messiness and all.

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