✨ Food Lovers, Dreamers, and Anyone on a Journey Toward Self-Mastery—This One’s for You.

This week on The Optimist Project, we’re joined by classically trained chef, self-taught baker, and founder of Bad Ash Bakes, Ashley Cunningham.

Ashley’s story is one of fearless evolution—from teenage culinary prodigy to full-time entrepreneur with a deep spiritual practice and a next-level cookie game. In this intimate and inspiring conversation, she opens up about learning discipline through early responsibility, navigating tough kitchens with compassion, and facing fear head-on in pursuit of her dream.

We talk about the rituals that ground her, the power of silence and prayer, and how she creates space for joy, intention, and community through her bakery. Ashley’s brand of optimism is rooted in showing up, staying steady, and pushing past fear—not just for herself, but for the young Black women she hopes to inspire.

✨ Ashley drops gems on growth, grace, and building a legacy that tastes as good as it feels.

What does discipline mean to you? What space are you creating to welcome others?

📩 We want to hear from you—DM us, send a voice note, or leave us a message and share your version of optimism.

📲 @optimistprojectpod // The Optimist Project Podcast

✨ Executive Producer: @yarashahidi // Yara Shahidi

✨ Executive Producer: @chocolatemommyluv // Keri Salter-Shahidi

🎙 Guest: @sobadash_ // Ashley Cunningham

🍪 @badashbakes // Bad Ash Bakes // 247 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101

📞 Voicemail: (323) 761-0837

🎧 Tap in—because optimism, like a good cookie, is best when shared.

🌟 Deep Thinkers, Creative Leaders, and Purpose-Driven Souls—This Episode Is for You.

This week on The Optimist Project, I had the honor of sitting down with multihyphenate creative strategist and cultural force, Mir Harris.

As the founder and CEO of MirSays, Mir has built a career rooted in storytelling, social impact, and the kind of optimism that doesn’t ignore reality—but reshapes it.

In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, we unpack realistic optimism—what it looks like to hold faith and clarity through dark moments, how rituals and community ground us, and why leading with integrity is a revolutionary act.

We also explore Mir’s rich and layered career journey—spanning music, media, activism, and beyond—and how her love for storytelling, faith, and service fuels every chapter.

✨ Mir drops gems on navigating burnout, honoring your voice, and staying creatively inspired—even when the world feels heavy. And in our Giving Flowers segment, she pays tribute to the artists and changemakers lighting the way forward.

What helps you stay rooted in optimism? What’s your personal ritual for staying ready?

📩 We want to hear from you—DM us, send a voice note, or drop us a message and share your light.
📲 @optimistprojectpod // The Optimist Project Podcast
✨ Executive Producer: @yarashahidi // Yara Shahidi
✨ Executive Producer: @chocolatemommyluv // Keri Salter-Shahidi
🎙 Guest: @meremir // Mir Harris
📞 Voicemail: (323) 761-0837

🎧 Tap in and join the conversation—because optimism gets more powerful when we share it.

🌊 Truth Seekers, Legacy Builders, and Lovers of Deep Stories—This One’s for You.

This week on The Optimist Project, I had the absolute joy of sitting down with award-winning storyteller, explorer, and changemaker Tara Roberts.

Tara is the voice behind the National Geographic podcast Into the Depths and the first Black woman to grace the cover of Nat Geo as an Explorer. Her work dives—literally—into the stories of lost slave shipwrecks, amplifying ancestral truths that were almost erased by time.

In this soulful, searching, and ultimately empowering conversation, we explore what it means to pursue purpose with courage, how optimism can be a form of resistance, and why honoring our histories is a path to healing.

✨ Tara shares wisdom on listening to your calling (even when it takes you underwater), following curiosity as a compass, and turning passion into something beautifully transformative. We also talk about her journey from magazine editor to global explorer—and how her life has become a living archive of resilience, remembrance, and radiant hope.

If you’ve ever felt called to do something bigger than yourself, if you’re trying to reconnect with legacy or ignite a new chapter—you’ll find fuel in this episode.

📩 What histories are calling you forward? How are you choosing optimism in your everyday life? We want to hear from you. DM us, leave a voice note, or send us a message and share your light.

📲 @optimistprojectpod // The Optimist Project Podcast

✨ Executive Producer: @yarashahidi // Yara Shahidi

✨ Executive Producer: @chocolatemommyluv // Keri Salter-Shahidi

🎙 Guest: @tararoberts_explorer// Tara Roberts

📞 Voicemail: (323) 761-0837

🎧 Tap in—and let this conversation remind you that even the deepest waters hold light.