Authors
Sam wrote and edited hundreds of articles during her time with the Goodness Exchange team from 2016-2021. She wrote about topics from the wonders of nature to the organizations changing the world and the simple joys in life! Outside of the office, she’s a part-time printmaker, collector of knick-knacks, and taster of cheeses.
Sam Burns
Former Editor-In-Chief
Hi! I’m Sam.
Over the course of my four years working at the Goodness Exchange (formerly Ever Widening Circles), I wrote 350+ articles on a wide range of topics, from adorable stinging slugs to the power of ballet in favelas, not to mention the countless stories celebrating the work people are doing in science and technology that can enhance all of our lives. (You can browse my articles if you scroll down!)
My time at the Goodness Exchange began in 2016 during a bi-annual hygiene cleaning (as most good stories do) at Lynda and Chuck’s dental practice. I was your typical wandering senior in undergrad with no clue what they wanted to do next, so when they offered me the opportunity to write a few articles a month for “the website Lynda just started” while I finished my degree, I jumped on it. For 4 years I was the Chief Curator and Editor. With different possibilities coming at me daily, showing me the world that existed entirely outside of my bubble, my view of what can be shifted entirely.
But even with all of this writing, it’s still hard for me to write about myself. So, here’s what my boss had to say about me:
“Sam brought a mastery of connection to the Goodness Exchange that is celebrated in every article she touched, and in every aspect of our visitor experiences. She is exceptionally gifted at wearing many hats, fluidly moving through every day from writing, research and business decision making, to diving deep into conversations with the thought leaders in our orbit. Most importantly Sam is an expert in going from “mind & heart”—on any topic—to the printed word that makes us all soar!
Sam is also a superlative “shape-shifter”, so open to everything that she seems always in the process of becoming something radiant and new. The sparkle she brought to every new person she met was a gift we are inspired by every day and we are proud to see all the ways it has infused GE with that same light for 3 years. She had been instrumental in our quest to find the common threads that connect us all.”
Dr. Lynda
Now, you can find me hunched over a table working on a new carving, printing and covered in ink, walking in the woods, at a show, dancing, building a meditation practice, eating bagels, or getting lost on a long drive.
If you see me at a party, ask me about:
- The two times I’ve fallen through a floor
- My grandmother and the raccoons
- The book I’m reading
Check out my artwork and connect with me on Instagram @somethingsburning.ink
Author's Articles
17 min read
En Pointe Elegance: Unraveling the Secrets of Ballet’s Signature Footwear
Pointe shoes are the most important tool for a ballet dancer, second only to their body. So who makes them and how they are prepared before each use is crucial to their career. Let's take a look at this fascinating process...
13 min read
Bringing Beats to Life: ASL Interpreters Make Music Accessible
How do you bring the energy of a song to the audience when it's interpreted into American Sign Language (ASL)? Amber Galloway Gallego is an innovator passionately working to not only interpret lyrics but the emotions and instruments that give them life.
8 min read
Without Cheese, We Might Not Be Here!
Throughout human history, cheese has given us a huge survival advantage and changed civilization. If that isn't friendship, we don't know what is. So let's spend a little quality time with one of our oldest pals, and remind ourselves of all that we've been through together.
10 min read
The Ancient Solution to a New Problem: Solving Our Invasive Wild Pig Predicament
Wild pigs are one of the most destructive invasive species in the United States. They're devastating ecosystems, destroying agriculture, killing other animals, and costing billions of dollars in damage. But there's something that we can do, and it all ties back to who our species is at our roots.
7 min read
A New Era for Tortillas: Masienda’s Pioneering Approach to Tradition and Taste
If you want to have a really, really good tortilla, you're going to need the best corn. Masienda is a company not only supporting Mexico's small heirloom corn farmers but bringing the practices that enhance the nutritional powers of the grain back into the market.
15 min read
How an Engineer Created a Band that Broke the Charts
Is what you're doing in life what you always thought you would be doing? Could you take what you know and create something new that could never have existed without you? Here's the story of an engineer turned rock star, whose story is one we can all relate to!
5 min read
How Mountain Biker & Artist Sarah Uhl Finds Inspiration in Motion
Artist, activist and adventurer, Sarah Uhl, aids us in discovering our environments in the name of finding our flow in life!
5 min read
The White Horse: An Effort that Links 90 Generations!
This piece of art has been draped across an entire English hilltop for three thousand years. And we have an unbroken thread of ordinary people to thank for it being here today; they showed up unfailingly and sat patiently smashing it with hammers. Take a look!
5 min read
How to Handle Everyone’s Favorite Person: The Critic
Whenever we decide to put ourselves and our work out into the world, there's one guarantee: there will be critics. But there is a very solid way we can alter how much of an impact they have on us. In her brilliant and motivating talk, Brené Brown gives us a few tools to do just that!
14 min read
The Toilet is Saving Our Lives!
Did you know that this innovation stops deadly diseases from finding you with every flush? Billions of people still don't have access to one. So we'd like to take a moment to celebrate the humble toilet and see how some truly amazing thought leaders are bringing them to everyone around the globe!
Zaria Forman’s Massive Glacier Portraits Inspire Love for Unseen Landscapes
This isn't a photograph of the Getz Ice Shelf, its a drawing! Zaria Forman creates large-scale depictions of glaciers, and NASA's Operation IceBridge invited her on a trip to get even closer to them. Here's that story and the gorgeous creations that came from it!
Checkmate! All-Girls Chess Tournament Creates Community for Young Players
The most impactful innovations in the world often combine two things no one ever thought to bring together. Here's what we get when we let young girls loose on the game of chess! It challenges many notions all at once.
Follow Us
Positive news for curious people.
There is a wave of goodness and progress well underway, all around the world.
