From science to art to government and beyond, countless women have played a critical yet often undervalued role in shaping our world. Women’s History Month offers an opportunity to celebrate those changemakers — past, present, and future. Running throughout March, the month was established in 1987 and coincides with next Sunday’s International Women’s Day. To get involved, consider donating to a nonprofit that empowers women and girls, and then take this quiz to test your knowledge of women leaders throughout history. — the Nice News team
In Conversation
An Interview With “Cybersecurity Girl” Caitlin Sarian
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
Marina Williams Photography
Trying to stay safe online can be confusing and overwhelming — but Caitlin Sarian’s educational, bite-size videos aren’t. Over the course of her career, Sarian has been a global cybersecurity lead at TikTok and senior manager of data protection at a law firm, in addition to serving as a cybersecurity consultant for nearly 10 years. But today, her 2 million-plus social media followers primarily know her by her nickname: Cybersecurity Girl. We picked Sarian’s brain to learn tangible steps we can all take to protect ourselves. What’s an unexpected way you’ve seen people risk their online safety? Probably the most unexpected way is creating accounts everywhere you go. Every website wants you to sign up. Every app wants your full profile. The more accounts you create, the more places your data lives and the more opportunities there are for it to be breached. You do not need an account for every online purchase. Check out as a guest when you can. Consider using a separate email address for shopping or newsletters. Some people even maintain an online alter ego for non-essential sign-ups, meaning limited personal details and no connection to primary accounts. You do not owe every platform your entire identity.
Collagen makes up nearly 30% of the body’s total protein, but production begins declining in our 20s. Supplementing with clean, grass-fed beef bone broth protein can support smoother skin, stronger joints, better digestion, and improved exercise recovery. Paleovalley’s formula delivers 13-15 grams of protein per serving, sourced from regenerative farms and slow-simmered for maximum nutrient extraction — never overly processed or chemically treated. Choose between chocolate, savory, and many other delicious flavors and enjoy all the benefits of homemade bone broth in a convenient powder.
6 Lessons We Can All Learn From the Olympic Mindset
Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images
The Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina were a whirlwind of extraordinary and inspiring stories. From Norway’s overall dominance to Team USA figure skater Ilia Malinin demonstrating remarkable resilience following a devastating defeat and Italy’s Federica Brignone becoming the oldest Alpine skier to win gold (twice) less than a year after a traumatic crash. Though most of us may not have the genetics required to compete at a world-class level, sport is an incredible mirror for life — and there is so much we can learn from the mindsets, habits, and practices of elite athletes. To shed some light, we turned to Brad Stulberg, performance coach and author of the newbestselling book The Way of Excellence. He shared six of the best lessons and mindsets from the Games that each of us can apply to our own life (like “caring is cool,” a concept we proudly subscribe to). Check out the article.
Humanity
The Case for Finding a Place Where Everyone Knows Your Name
Joe Sohm—Visions of America/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
You’ve seen it on Cheers, Friends, and Gilmore Girls: regulars visiting the same place over and over again, whether it’s a bar in a big city or a diner in a small town. Turns out, research shows that frequenting a place where everyone knows your name really is as good as it seems on TV. Friendly interactions with acquaintances (baristas, waiters, and fellow regulars) are classified as “weak ties” in sociology — but their impact is anything but weak. The term was coined in 1973 by researcher Mark Granovetter, who found that these loose connections help bridge our social circles and create wider networks, opening doors to unexpected support and opportunities. A 2020 data analysis from Oxford University backs that up, finding that regulars tend to be more socially engaged, content, and trusting of others in the community compared to non-regulars. “These kinds of small interactions actually can boost our mood and overall contribute to our social health by making us feel more connected, by allowing for regular, consistent interaction, and even by presenting us with the opportunity to potentially make friends and develop deeper relationships,” Kasley Killam, a Harvard-trained social scientist, told Self magazine. Sticking with tried-and-true spots can have ripple effects too, she added: “If we show up to our local establishments and are regulars, that’s a way for us to really revitalize our communities and help ourselves, but also the other people who we come into contact with.” So if you needed a nudge to get out and find a third place, this is it!
Culture
Got 60 Seconds? That’s All You Need to Watch a Microdrama
Ivan Rodriguez Alba/iStock
Make room, 20-minute sitcoms, 40-minute dramas, and watch-in-one-sitting miniseries marathons. Hollywood’s latest streaming trend is the microdrama: a full TV series made up of one to three-minute episodes, designed to be watched on your phone — maybe in line at a coffee shop, on the subway, before bed, or in between meetings. The novel format is “sort of the Triple Crown of the modern entertainment industry,” Tomm Polos, director of creator arts at the University of Southern California, told NBC News. “Because they’re social-friendly, they’re cost-effective, and they’re data-driven. That is what everyone wants.” The numbers back that up, as short dramas made $1.4 billion in the U.S. last year, according to the consulting firm Owl & Co. The shoots are quick and lean, with little time for extra takes. “This is sort of a different beast, because you’re just moving so fast,” said director Chris Baker, who likened the bite-size content to “snacks,” while feature films are more like “dinners.”
The latest novel by American Marriage author Tayari Jones, Kin is a story about family, biological and chosen. Best friends Annie and Vernice, inseparable since their infancy and both motherless, grow up together in 1950s Honeysuckle, Louisiana, before diverging in their journeys. Vernice heads to Spelman College, where she falls in with a sisterhood of affluent Black students and has her eyes opened to inequality, while Annie embarks on a quest to find the mother who left her when she was a child — and in doing so created a void her daughter would risk her life to fill.
To the chagrin of some Bruno Mars fans, the artist was nowhere to be seen when surprise guest Lady Gaga sang their collab, “Die With a Smile,” during the Super Bowl halftime show — but it might have been because he was busy putting the finishing touches on his new record. The Romantic, Mars’ first solo album in a decade, dropped Friday. The nine-track LP includes the single “I Just Might,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January.
This Week in History
Yellowstone Becomes World’s First National Park
March 1, 1872
Douglas Rissing/iStock
Spanning over 2.2 million acres and situated atop an active volcano, Yellowstone is home to over half of the world’s active geysers and boasts nearly 300 waterfalls. In other words, the place is pretty awe-inspiring. Enough so that, even amid rapid westward expansion in the U.S., Congress opted to preserve and protect it as the first-ever national park. On this day 154 years ago, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law, which mandated the area remain a “pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” The park, located primarily in Wyoming but extending into Montana and Idaho, was inhabited by Indigenous tribes for thousands of years and remains a place of deep spiritual significance for many. Learn more fascinating facts about Yellowstone.
1440: News As It Should Be
News today is often masked with bias. 1440 cuts through the clutter and gives you unbiased, fact-based news in just five minutes. The team scours over 100 sources to cover politics, sports, business, world affairs, and more in one daily newsletter. It’s the easiest way to stay informed on what matters — and it’s free.
