On the shoulders of giants

This episode of Insights at the Edge (a podcast by Sounds True) featuring guest Dr. Tererai Trent, was so moving, I had to share. On the surface, it's the incredible story of a woman who achieved her dreams after surmounting incredible odds -- breaking the vicious cycle of poverty, fighting gender and cultural stereotypes. But as this interview brings out, it's also about acknowledging not just luck, circumstance, and perseverance, but also the help of the people and communities that surround you and build you up. Dr. Trent's story is really powerful. She's now an activist and professor, she leads an international organization, she empowers other women, and furthers the access to education in her home country. At age 28, when she left rural Zimbabwe to go get her college education (and eventually, a PhD), she was already the mother of five children in an abusive marriage. She talks about the hard days with so much compassion and perspective, it's breathtaking. I highly recommend listening to the full episode for the take home message; the host, Tami Simon, gives Dr. Trent the space to simply recount her story and it's so very powerful; moments of it are shocking, but all of it is inspiring.