How I hope this email feels hitting your inbox every week:

Listen, I’m not one to beat around the bush or shove toxic positivity in your face. There's no denying it’s been a heavy couple weeks of news. But that’s exactly why I’m still here, week in and week out, delivering all the good to you no matter what. 

If your nervous system could use a bit of a reset, take this as your permission slip to sit back and relax with Positive DONUT for a few minutes—you deserve it.

As always, let me know which sections and stories are your faves. I love hearing from you! 🥰

–Kailyn

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s newsletter should be a ~2.64 minute read (702 words).

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My feelings matter and I am important.

At an assisted living community in Fairfax County, Virginia, a group of high school students is using manicures for something much bigger than nail polish.

🎀 The teens are part of GlamourGals, a nonprofit organization that aims to reduce social isolation among older adults by creating spaces for conversation and connection with volunteer teenagers. The beauty element helps break the ice, but it’s never the whole point.

“Painting nails isn’t what I’m mainly interested in,” said one chapter president Zahra Nikzad, 16. “It’s the conversation. I want to understand their experience. I want to listen.”

• Nikzad started her local GlamourGals club while missing her grandmother, who lives in Afghanistan. Regular FaceTime calls made her think about seniors who don’t have family nearby, or anyone consistently checking in.

Connection in action… During a recent visit, students rotated through common rooms and memory-care units, chatting as they painted nails and set out crafts. Some residents shared life advice with the teens, while others told stories that looped back decades, debated favorite school subjects, or joked through a card game once the polish dried.

The students rarely checked their phones. The residents noticed.

That focus is intentional. GlamourGals trains teen volunteers to lead with listening and empathy—skills that don’t always come naturally to their age group, but matter deeply to seniors who spend much of their time around the same faces.

• With 150+ chapters around the country, the GlamourGals have helped hundreds of thousands of seniors since the org's founding in 2000.

As one resident put simply, after a hug goodbye: “It’s nice just to be with young people.” For GlamourGals, that goal matters more than nail polish.

Most people abandon their health goals by mid-January. Noom's different. It's built for lasting change through personalized coaching that adapts to your life, not just another program that fades after the resolution rush.

Noom’s biggest sale of the year is still live: get a full year for the price of 6 months*. It starts with a 5-minute quiz to create your custom plan for better nutrition, sleep, stress management, and more.

It’s a shocker photographer Vicky Outen didn’t burst with cuteness overload while snapping pics of some of the baby seal pups recently born at the Donna Nook Nature Reserve in Lincolnshire, England.

• 1,924 pups were born in 2025 alone, with hundreds of visitors flocking to the reserve to catch a glimpse of the fluffy little cuties.

👠 New Barbie on the block…Mattel this week unveiled its newest addition to the Barbie family: a doll with autism, part of the company's effort to make toys that represent children of all kinds.

🥂 Sober bars are on the rise in New York City, as alcohol consumption in the US hits a 90-year low. They’re fostering fun and a sense of community, completely alcohol free.

👨‍🚒 Watch the remarkable story of Terry McCarty, a burn victim who surprised everyone when he chose to become a volunteer firefighter.

If you've been a subscriber since the beginning, you know by now that I'm a big fan of meditation. The simple practice of intentional breathing can have incredible effects on your overall well-being.

I loved this quick 10-minute Morning Cleansing Guided Meditation to help start your day off on a high note. Try the meditation here, and let me know how it goes!

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Welcome to What’s Your Win, the section of the newsletter where we celebrate all of the good news happening right here in our Positive DONUT community. Did you know that sharing positivity with others can actually have some amazing benefits for our health? Now that’s a win if I’ve ever heard one.

So what are you waiting for? Check out this week’s win here:

❤️ Michelle S. from Leduc, Alberta, is celebrating a major milestone…

• “I want to celebrate 7 years cancer free, My last treatment was January 2019. I am so blessed to have my health!”

Even if you've been celebrated before, we'd love to keep receiving good news from you, so please don't hesitate to participate!

🛍️ The Goods is your shopping sidekick—written by product testers who actually try what they recommend. Smart picks, real deals, zero guesswork—so shopping feels easier (and smarter). Check it out here. 💡

📅 January is here, which means a new year, new schedules, and new calendars. For the busy person juggling it all, get ready for the Skylight Calendar to change your life. See everything this smart calendar can do here. ✨

💡 In partnership with our friends at The Goods.

✨ Affiliate link. If you make a purchase, Positive DONUT earns a tiny commission at NO additional cost.

1. What has a head and a tail, but no body?
2. What has many keys, but can’t open any doors?
3. What invention lets you look right through a wall?

(Keep scrolling for the answers)

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

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

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

1. A coin 🪙
2. A piano 🎹
3. A window 🪟

Advertise with us: Want to reach other optimistic and engaged readers like you? Become a DONUT partner here.

Legal Disclaimer: *Promo code “NYE2026” is available on select 12-month plans only with the purchase of a Noom Weight subscription. Limited time offer, Noom reserves the right to stop the offer at any time.Taxes will be additional where state and local tax applies. Offer available to new and rejoining members only.