How I feel every Tuesday bursting into your inbox with the aim of brightening your mood and day: 

We have a packed issue full of some hopeful, positive stories in the midst of a pretty heavy week of news. So sit back, relax and enjoy a much needed brain break.

Have a fantastic week!🥰

- Kailyn

⏰🚀 Ready, Set, Go: Today's newsletter takes ~3.32 minutes to read (885 words).

P.S. Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here for free.

I am enough. I am blessed. I will be kind to myself today.

I’ll be honest with you, Positive DONUT fam: it was difficult for me to sit down and write a good-newsletter this week knowing that so many Americans are struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. 

As I browsed through the headlines of all the devastation, however, I couldn't help but notice one theme that still rang true through it all: the hope and perserverance of people just like us. Rather than spotlight just one story this week, I thought I would share a few stories of hope found within the aftermath of the storm.

To start, the icon and beloved country superstar Dolly Parton announced two massive donations to relief efforts. The Tennessee native committed $1 million to the Mountain Ways Foundation, which is providing immediate relief to those affected by Helene. She also shared that her Tennessee businesses (Dollywood Parks & Resorts, Dolly Parton's Stampede, and Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show) and the Dollywood Foundation are working together to match her donation and give an additional $1 million.

• “I just want you to know that I am totally with you because I am part of you. I love you,” Dolly told a crowd of over 250 community members. “I look around and I think, these are my mountains, these are my valleys, these are my rivers flowing like a stream. These are my people. These mountain-colored rainbows, these are my people, and this is my home.”

Up next comes the story of James Waters, a Red Hill, North Carolina, resident who watched his farm get swept away in a mudslide. James has been blown away by his community’s effort to help restore the small town and locate missing people in the storm's aftermath. From using his generator to restore power to the town store to teaching his children the importance of looking out for your neighbors, James is grateful for his tight-knit community’s resilience. “We’re going to check on the neighbors,” he shared from a conversation with his son. “That’s what we do."

Lastly, multiple sports teams and athletes have contributed to relief efforts, including NC State football player Davin Vann, who spearheaded a donation drive to help storm victims in North Carolina. The owners of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers – David Tepper, and his wife Nicole – have committed $3 million to relief efforts through their foundation. Multiple sports arenas and facilities have also been used as makeshift shelters and donation locations.

All that to say, there is always a chance to find hope in a heartbreaking situation. While it will be a long road to recovery, every person willing to help is taking one baby step forward.

To find a Hurricane Helene relief initiative worth donating to, check out the link here.

Besides obvious aesthetic benefits, lifting weights and regular exercise can help with…

• 😊 Boosting key-mood boosting endorphins which improve mood and reduce anxiety by up to 30%
• 😴 Improving the quality of your sleep
• 😎 Gaining confidence and self-esteem
• 🌞 Battling depression – recent studies shows physical activity 1.5x more effective to battle mild-to-moderate depression symptoms than taking antidepressants

Whether you’re starting your fitness journey or want to get better results, Caliber can help. Caliber is the #1-rated strength-training app, with 4.9 stars across 900k downloads. The average user even achieves a 20% improvement in their body composition within three months.

Get started free with the Caliber app.

👶 Sometimes you just need to see a really cute baby (or two). Meet Kelsea and Willow, aka the “miracle twins” who were given an only 10% chance of survival when doctors discovered the fetuses were sharing one placenta within the womb (twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome). 

Following a successful laser ablation surgery, the girls were born at 32 weeks and spent a month in the NICU before being sent home.

• Fast forward seven months, and Kelsea and Willow are thriving and developing as normal. 
• “They continue to amaze us every day,” mom Sally Kynoch shared. “They truly are miracles! We are forever grateful for everything that was done to save our twins."

🐢 Oh, baby!... The Mediterranean has witnessed a record rise in sea turtle nesting in recent years, thanks to tireless efforts from conservationists. In Greece specifically, the Caretta caretta loggerhead sea turtle has made a major comeback, going from an average of 5,000–7,000 nests/year to well over 10,000 nests this season. “It’s hugely moving…” said one of the sustainable development experts. “[A]n amazing number.”

🌏 Hot takes with Jane… Subway Takes is a TikTok series hosted by artist and comedian Kareem Rahma, where he asks New Yorkers what their “hot takes” are while riding on the subway. This week, he welcomed legendary animal researcher and climate activist Jane Goodall. Her hot take? “Young people have such an important role, and they don’t know how to play it.” Watch the quick interview here.

🥲 Good Karma is out there… You might want to grab the tissues for this one. Check out this heartwarming video of a women who received quite the surprise after giving $10 to a man in need.

Below you'll find two meditations to choose from. Whether you have half-an-hour to spare or only a quick five minutes, taking time to slow down and re-center yourself is never a bad idea.

Get ready to feel the zen😌:

1. Recenter and clear your mind (5 mins) 
2. Guided Higher Self Meditation (30 mins)

Let me know which one you choose. And enjoy!

JadeYoga doesn’t just craft the world’s best-performing yoga mats – they also plant a tree for each mat sold, with 2.5M+ planted and counting. They’re made from natural rubber sustainably harvested from rubber trees, a rapidly renewable resource.

• Voted “Best Mat of 2024” by New York Times Wirecutter, JadeYoga’s Harmony Mat provides an unmatched combination of grip, cushioning, and durability providing the ideal foundation. Available in 13 colors and USA-made.

Get the most out of your yoga journey today with JadeYoga.

Welcome to What's Your Win, the section of the newsletter where we get to celebrate all of the good news happening right here in our Positive DONUT community. Check out the submissions we received from subscribers like you this week! 

🐱 Donna S. from Secaucus, New Jersey, is enjoying life’s simple joys…

• “My win is watching my husband & cat cozy up on the couch together.”👇

🎨 Deane B. from Seabrook Island, South Carolina, is celebrating the completion of an exciting project…

“I believe 2025 is going to be The Year of Women. I am a visual artist who brought together a community of ordinary, everyday women who shared a vision to support other women. From afar, we created a large piece of art called the fresh stART art project. Thirty amazing females from across the country joined me in creating 63 pieces for one large art composition. The theme of our art project is fresh starts, new beginnings and second chances. To those facing hardships and even to those who are not, the fresh stART artwork offers hope and inspiration. It also provides a visual reminder to see possibilities and to believe in one self."

• She continued on: "Only a few of us are professional artists. However, we are all brave women who have prevailed over hardships. When people view the fresh stART art project, we hope they might recognize something in themselves that is powerful and good. It took three years for fresh stART art project to be completed. Finally, it is finished and it is time to celebrate! Now the focus is to find suitable places to exhibit it. This art project was made with so much love! We hope you can sense the love simply by viewing the pictures."👇

+NOTE: Responses may have been slightly edited for length and clarity.

There's always something to celebrate. Whether it be a new job, a heartwarming conversation with a loved one, crossing an item off your bucket list, or simply enjoying your day a little more than usual, we want to hear about it. 

Share your day-to-day wins with us here for a chance to be featured in next week's newsletter. Who knows? Sharing the positivity in your life might inspire someone to recognize the good in theirs🥰.

Share your wins here.

👆 Check out the referral prizes you can get, just for introducing people you know to little old us. 

What to do: Copy your unique link below, then send it to anyone who you think would like Positive DONUT. Once you hit each milestone, you'll get an email with a link to claim your prize.

Start referring.👇

Hit that reply button and let me know, I read every response. Have a great week!🥰

–Kailyn

P.S. Enjoying this newsletter and want to support my work? It'd mean the world if you told a friend or two about Positive DONUT. You can even win sweet, sweet prizes for each person you refer using your unique link (found above).