The Soul of America.


I arrived in the U.S. yesterday. Well, let’s be honest. I arrived in San Francisco. As Jefferson Airplane’s Paul Kantner suggested long ago in the hippie era, “San Francisco is 49 square miles surrounded by reality.” Geez, there’s a lot of REALITY these days, isn’t there?

Here’s one “reality” I experienced the past half-year in Baja: how am I tending to my soul? This is not a question we ask ourselves daily. And, it’s rarely a question that a country asks itself.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to co-create the Airbnb Open in 2014 (San Francisco), 2015 (Paris), and 2016 (Los Angeles). We created the world’s largest celebration of hospitality that grew from 1,500 in 2014 to 20,000 hosts (and guests) in Downtown LA in 2016. To be honest, it was nuts and I loved it. Liam Lynch was by my side, along with a few other people, to help guide this conference, which evolved into a festival, into being an endearing part of the Airbnb host ecosystem.

Liam sent me this video a few weeks ago of his wife, Mairead, offering this song to America today (they released it on July 4 and it’s still had less than 1,000 views). She’s an immigrant from Ireland and wrote this song three years ago sitting at a piano. She said it just poured out of her. She says, “The song, therefore, is a prayer and a plea to our higher ideals. That the dream of what the idea of America is and can still become is a reality that we can manifest together.”

Not meaning to be political here, but it felt appropriate to post this today, my first full day back in America. I hope you’ll share with others. You can learn more about Mairead here. I know it’s easy to “blow off” a video. I think it’ll inspire you today and Monday’s were meant for inspiration.

P.S. You’re invited to join me this Thursday.

Kathy Smith, described as the Fitness Titan by Forbes, will be joining us as our special guest for episode #10 of the Happy Hour Show. Kathy has stood at the forefront of the fitness and wellness industries for more than 30 years. And with her highly-acclaimed podcast, The Art of Living, and all-in one workout app Re-Shape, Kathy remains at the cutting edge of a business she helped to pioneer. The Kathy Smith empire boasts over $500 million in sales – with a collection of New York Times bestselling books, videos, lifestyle products and fitness equipment – and a spot in the Video Hall of Fame.

the happy hour show

Here’s why’ll you enjoy this episode:

  • Receive an inside look at what it was like to train alongside fitness phenom Jane Fonda
  • Kathy will share storytelling from her life as a correspondent on The Today Show, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show
  • Helpful advice on how to live a vibrant, passion-driven life
  • Discover Kathy’s “Gamechanger” tips

See you this Thursday, August 20th at 5:00pm PT / 8:00pm ET. Reserve your free spot here.

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