5 Good Things: Sailing into history, surprise wedding, luck of the Irish & more - CNN 5 Things - Podcast on CNN Audio (2024)

Episode Transcript

Hey there! At CNN, we believe in keeping you in the loop with what's going on in the world. We get it, though. Sometimes it can be a lot to take in. That's why we're switching things up. Each Saturday, we'll take a breather from the breaking news and focus on stories that remind us of the good stuff happening. You know, the kind of stuff that brings a smile to your face! We'll tell you how one woman made history with her epic trip around the world. Plus how a famous brewery is helping people connect to their Irish roots. From CNN I'm Krista Bo, and this is Five Good Things.

'Sailor Cole Brauer has become the first American woman to race nonstop around the world by herself. At 5'2" and 100 pounds, Cole docked back in Spain on March 7th, coming in second place overall and during Women's History Month too! Cole says she hopes this will open up the male-dominated sport to other women.

Well, you know, I was born this way. I've always been a woman, and I don't look at it like it's a downside. And so if you can use it as a strength, when everyone looks at you like you're weak, I think you could be very successful.

'Now, what exactly does sailing around the world look like? Well, she sailed right past Europe and around Africa, Australia and South America. Cole gained almost half a million Instagram followers while documenting her 130-day journey.

Good morning guys! So, happy Sunday!

Giving updates like this along the way.

Going pretty quick right now. A little slammy, a little poundy poundy right now. But all and all pretty good!

she battled some intense storms and rough waves.

It just felt like the boat was whining. And you know, this is your home, this is your baby, and you don't have any other lifeline.

'But Cole made it through and sailed into history. And the 29-year-old is already itching to get back on the water and plan for her next big race in 2028.

Catholic school students are used to going to mass in the middle of the day. I know this because I used to be one! But students at Good Shepherd Catholic School in Minnesota were hit with a really sweet surprise recently. This wasn't just any ol' mass...

I'll have the distinct pleasure of introducing to you for the first time

It was their teacher's wedding.

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin and Catie Zwier! *wooo*

'From pre-K to sixth grade, kindergarten teacher Catie Zwier invited the whole school to her surprise wedding last month. CNN affiliate WCCO captured some of the students reactions.

I knew that it was like a celebration, but I didn't know they were actually getting married. It was like so amazing. Like, I cried, I laughed, I smiled.

After the wedding ended. Students and staff lined the hallways waving silver pom poms as a cute sendoff for these wires.

This school is so special, it's like the best place to be, and being able to show that to the kids and share that with the kids was just amazing.

Tomorrow's Saint Patrick's Day. And while many of you will enjoy a pint of Guinness to celebrate, the famous brewery is doing more for the Irish than quenching thirsts. It's helping people fill the blanks of their family trees! For more than a century, many people who've tried to find their Irish ancestors have hit a dead end. That's because a 1922 fire at Dublin's Public Records office destroyed tons of vital census and probate records that could have been key to unlocking family mysteries. But since Guinness was the largest private employer in Dublin for almost a century, they have a trove of records that could help solve them. The genealogy site Ancestry has released over 1.5 million of the brewery's employee records and trade ledgers from 1799 to 1939, free to access until March 22nd. Ancestry. Genealogist Crista Cowan says she's excited for people to discover their roots.

So no matter when your family left, there is a possibility that you could make a connection.

The ocean is so deep, there's so much we don't know about what swims around down there! But now it looks like we're getting closer to finding out more. Fresh off a three week expedition off New Zealand's coast. Marine researchers from Ocean Census stumbled upon approximately 100 potential new species of deep sea fish, squid, mollusk and coral. They focused on the little explored Bounty Trough and collected nearly 1800 samples. They even found a mysterious starlight creature they've never seen before! As scientists delve into their discoveries, the ambitious goal is to identify 100,000 new species in the next decade.

Coming up, a massive study tested out a four day workweek. Did the companies keep it or nix it? The answer after a quick break. But before we go. Can't get enough of all this goodness? Well, then you've got to sign up for CNN's The Good Stuff newsletter. For a weekly dose of more uplifting news and cute animal videos straight to your inbox every Saturday. You can find the link to sign up in our show notes. We'll be right back.

So what if every weekend was a three day weekend? One U.S. senator introduced legislation this week that would establish a 32 hour workweek with no pay cut. But is this really practical? Well, the think tank in the UK actually tested this out. It ran the world's biggest study ever of a four day workweek for six months in 2022. And the results of how it went are in. CNN's Taylor Gargano is here to break it down for us. Hey, Taylor!

Hi!

So, did it stick?

Well, Krista, yeah, it actually did stick! You know, this was supposed to just be an experiment, but most of the companies still have the four day workweek in place. You know, to no one's surprise here, employees were big fans of this program, and a lot of them just reported being happier overall with their lives.

Wow, I can imagine... so it sounds like the bosses are on board too?

Yup, exactly. A lot of CEOs said this was a positive, productive thing for their companies. So like as an optimist, I can't help but wonder if maybe this really is where we're headed.

Maybe. Who knows?

Yeah, and just think of all the extra time we would get each week. I mean, think of all the stuff we could do. Maybe I could finally become an influencer like I've been talking about.

That's right. Maybe. Or maybe I would learn how to become a DJ or train for a marathon or something. Do you want to do that with me?!

Oh... I think that, I think that might be all you Krista *haha* thanks, but no thanks!

All right. That's all for now. Join us tomorrow for the next edition of One Thing. Host David Ryan sits down with CNN's David Culver and Caitlin Hu to discuss how gangs in Haiti pushed out the country's prime minister. Five Good Things is a production of CNN Audio. This episode was produced by Taylor Galgano and me, Krista Bo. Our senior producer is Faiz Jamil. Greg Peppers is our supervising producer. Matt Dempsey is our production manager. Dan Dzula is our technical director, and Steve Lichteig is the executive producer of CNN Audio. We get support from Joey Salvia, Haley Thomas, Alex Manasseri, Robert Mathers, Jon Dianora, Leni Steinhardt, Jamus Andrest, Nichole Pesaru, and Lisa Namerow. Special thanks to AJ Willingham, David Allan, and Katie Hinman. Thanks for listening. Till next time!