Happy Tuesday, and welcome back to another edition of Positive DONUT – I'm so happy you're here! 

We have a jam-packed newsletter today filled with everything from remarkable friendships to adorable lion cubs to some amazing wins sent in by readers like you. Let me know which stories and sections are your favorites. I love hearing from you! 

Have a fantastic week🥰.

- Kailyn

Ready, Set, Go: Today's newsletter takes ~3.35 minutes to read (891 words).

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I am exactly where I need to be. Everything is working in my favor.

The story starts in 2021, when international supermodel Paulina Porizkova – a.k.a. Paulina – took to Instagram to share her grief following her ex-husband’s death and the fact that she was unexpectedly left out of his will. Heartbroken and in disbelief, Paulina turned to social media for community and friends, but she was met with a slew of internet trolls instead. Quickly dubbed the “crying lady of Instagram,” Paulina felt even more betrayal from her so-called supporters – until one follower commented with empathy.

Mistie Savage-McGuire is a self-proclaimed “nobody from Ohio.” The then 52-year-old was receving treatment for Stage 2b colorectal cancer when she came across Paulina’s posts and offered some kindness and encouragement in the coments.

• “[Paulina] was raw and honest, and some people were mean about it. It made me sad,” Mistie shared in a recent video interview. “I told her I could feel it.”

The supermodel replied back, thanking her for her understanding and striking up a conversation with her. Soon enough, their conversation moved to direct messages, and Paulina learned of Mistie’s disagnosis. She couldn’t believe that she had gone out of her way to show her kindness and empathy when dealing with such a stressor in her own life.

• “Everybody in my life was telling me you’ll get over it. You’ll be fine. You’ll snap out of it, you always have,” shared Paulina. “But Mistie was the one rare person who, while having her own serious issues, could actually empathize. And I just thought that was extraordinary.”

“We just clicked,” Mistie said. The rest is history.

Months went by and Paulina invited Mistie and her husband to come visit her New York home to finally meet in person; the couple drove the 500-mile trek from Ohio. Soon, the besties were visiting often, going to see shows in New York and visiting Paulina's country home upstate in between Mistie's treatments.

That is until a few months ago, when Mistie received the news that her treatment was no longer working. She made the impossible decision to stop all treatment and let nature take its course. When she told Paulina, the supermodel knew she had to do something memorable for her friend – and fast.

Soon enough, Mistie, Paulina, and their partners were lounging on the beach in Jamaica, soaking up all the sun, sand, and laughter they could get. While Mistie’s health has stabilized as of now, she knows she’s living on borrowed time – and is grateful for Paulina’s unexpected friendship through it all.

“This was probably the closest I will ever get to a dream,” Mistie, talking with the Washington Post, shared of the Jamaica trip. “...dream friendship, dream vacation, dream everything. My life is still beautiful, in spite of everything.”

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The Oakland Zoo welcomed three orphaned mountain lion cubs last month after they were discovered on the side of the road. The cubs – Thistle, Spruce, and Fern – are being treated and rehabilitated before moving to their permanent homes elsewhere. The three-month-old cubs are doing well – and are so ridiculously cute they induce the big cat version of baby fever.

👓 Check out the moment ten-year-old Kendyl Pool was able to “see” speech for the first time. Born the only deaf person in her family, Kendyl has always struggled with communicating and fitting in with her peers. That’s all about to change with her new glasses, however, which use AI to project subtitles of Kendyl’s conversations in real-time onto a tiny screen in the lenses.

💊 A groundbreaking new treatment for Type 1 diabetes just underwent its first human trial in Sweden and is showing positive results. It enables cells to avoid immune rejection and produce insulin without the typical use of immunosuppressants.

🏠 Toronto resident Ryan Donais has been working on his “tiny tiny homes” since the summer, constructing three itty-bitty mobile homes that can be pulled on the back of a bicycle. The homes – which cost ~$10,000 to build and provide electricity, heat, running water, and a bed – are part of his effort to combat homelessness across the city.

This concept, simply put, is that we all have a "highest version" of ourselves, which is connected to the greater good and purpose of the world. This version of ourselves is calm, loving, whole, and enough just as they are.

🧘‍♀️ The trick is getting ourselves there. And the 10-minute meditation I've linked below is a great start. It'll help you get in touch with this "best" version of yourself, guiding you into confidence and a deep peace with who you are.

Try it out here. 

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Welcome to my favorite section of the newsletter, What’s Your Win, where we celebrate all of the positive news happening right here within our Positive DONUT community.

Check out the wins we received this week!

⚒️ Tara D. from Whitby, Ontario, Canada, is feeling extremely resourceful (and rightly so😳)…

• “My clothes washer broke. I have no experience with fixing washing machines. I DO have a set of tools and a burning desire not to spend $1,000 (cdn). It took me about 1.5 hours to take it apart, find the issue (a missing starter button) , cobble together a fix (stole a button from one we don’t use), and put it back together again. Before I started I just kept thinking: 'well, it can’t get any worse than this.' Lol. When I realized I’d fixed it, there was plenty of whooping, hollering, and laughter.”

👏 Tiffany P. from Tallahassee, Florida, is having her hard work recognized…

• "Last August, I finally finished my master's degree after 12 years of constant setbacks and family emergencies. My boss fought for me with HR, and I'm now getting a pay increase in recognition of my hard work."

😍 Margaret M. from Boise, Idaho, is feeling excited alongside her students…

• "My win is that my college students are so eager to learn how to teach multilingual learners!"

🦷 Shannon F from Perth, WA, Australia, is finding confidence in her new home and new career…

• "Last year, I moved to Australia on a work holiday visa. At the start of December, I started as a dental assistant at an orthodontic practice. Previously, I was a graphic designer. I realized this week that I’m finally starting to feel confident at this job!"

Today's theme is animals. How many questions can you get right?

1. What are the only two species of mammals that lay eggs?
2. How many bones do sharks have?
3. What is the name of the second-tallest bird on the planet?
4. What is a rhinoceros horn made of?

(keep scrolling for the answers)

Whether you had an energizing conversation with a friend, beat a sickness, met a milestone at work, or even just booked a dream trip, we want to hear about it.

There is always something to be grateful for, and no win too small. And who knows? Sharing a bit of positivity from your own life could inspire someone else to recognize the good in theirs🥰.

Submit your wins here for a chance to be featured in next week's newsletter. We want to celebrate you!

Share your accomplishments – big and small – here.

1. Echidna and platypus
2. Zero; their skeletons are made entirely of cartilage
3. Emu
4. Keratin; aka the same protein that forms the basis of our hair and nails

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

–Kailyn

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