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Preparing Our Youth for a Brighter Tomorrow Written by Aurelia Lyles, MBA There is so much on the line in our society right now. Another election is approaching, and whatever the outcome, the decisions we make will help shape the country our young people inherit. Things have been done, said, and witnessed that we cannot simply erase or forget. And who will have to live with the consequences? Our youth. How do we help them stay calm in the midst of a storm—especially a storm

By Aurelia Lyles, MBA We need community to survive. We need connection. We need to feel accepted and respected or at least believe that we are. But at what cost? When we step out into the world, we search for a place where we fit. We look for jobs, relationships, communities, and organizations that meet us where we are, hoping we will grow with them. Then we discover the strings that can come with belonging. There are expectations. Unspoken rules. And what I call decision mar

By Aurelia Lyles, MBA There is something powerful about calling a person by their name. The name their parents gave them. The name they chose for themselves. The name they tell you they use. A name says, “I see you.” And yet, we live in a society where we have become increasingly comfortable replacing a person’s name with a label. The “B” word. The “N” word. Stupid. Loser. Lazy. Crazy. Useless. And sometimes we say these things so casually that we forget there is a human bein

By Aurelia Lyles, MBA When many people hear the word etiquette, they think about which fork to use, how to dress for an occasion, writing thank-you notes, or knowing when to say “please” and “thank you.” Those things matter. But etiquette goes much deeper. At its core, etiquette is about how we conduct ourselves in the presence of others. It is about respect, dignity, consideration, self-control, and understanding that the way we treat another human being says just as much a

Editorial by Aurelia Lyles, MBA As the United States approaches 250 years, I find myself asking a question that feels both uncomfortable and necessary: What has American etiquette truly taught us? Has it taught us respect? Has it taught us kindness? Has it taught us community? Or has much of what we call etiquette actually been rooted in hierarchy, exclusion, performance, and power? While researching curriculum for the Brown Barn Project, I came across a book buried among my

Etiquette often brings to mind polite manners and social grace. Yet, many of the customs we associate with etiquette have roots in social systems that reinforced class divisions, racial segregation, and gender inequality. To build stronger communities today, we must look honestly at how these traditions developed and decide which values to keep and which to leave behind. True etiquette should promote respect, dignity, and connection—not exclusion or hierarchy. Victorian dinin

By Aurelia Lyles, MBA When people hear the word etiquette, many immediately think about the Victorian era—tea parties, formal dinners, and rigid social rules. However, the roots of etiquette stretch much further back in history, including the rich traditions of Ancient Egypt and African cultural systems that emphasized respect, harmony, and social responsibility. One of the most powerful concepts guiding behavior in Ancient Egyptian society was Ma’at. Ma’at represented truth,