In today’s show of Words with Friends, Phil interviews author, speaker, and creativity evangelist Denise Jacobs.

Our main theme is the word, “criticism”.

Most people are not receptive to criticism. When criticized, most of us tend to become defensive and look for faults in other people instead of looking inwards.

This is because pointing a finger is way easier than indulging in painful introspection.

When others criticize us or we are brave enough to do some self-criticism, often we question our deep-set beliefs that we had for many years.

But, is criticism really necessary for self-improvement?

Another school of thought suggests that criticism gets in the way of creativity and prevents us from performing at a peak level. Those who have an extreme fear of criticism are even paralyzed into total inaction.

In the next segment of the show, we discuss the Black Lives Matter movement, and how it is forcing us to question and rethink our deeply ingrained beliefs and our actions.

Racial inequality has existed in our society for ages.

It is surprising how often inequality tends to rear its ugly head – and often in subtle ways.

While George Floyd’s tragic death has sparked a much-needed debate, as a society, are we really ready for an honest, no-holds barred conversation?

Denise shares her own experiences to reveal how she has experienced racism at different junctures in her life.

We hope you enjoy this show!