Supporting Friends of Medium Subscribers

One of our primary goals in creating curated collections is to support Friends of Medium who follow our publications. Dr. Mehmet Yildiz has articulated the value of this program, sharing his vision and strategies for aiding these members who contribute significantly to our writers’ incomes. You can explore his insights in his stories.

• Importance and Value of Medium Friendship for Writers and Readers
• Why I Became a Friend of Medium
• Celebrating My Reading Anniversary with My Upgraded Subscription to New Medium Friendship

At the conclusion of this post, we will introduce new writers who have recently joined us.

For new authors, any story submitted to ILLUMINATION-Curated must adhere to Medium’s distribution and boosting guidelines, just like any other publication we manage. We emphasize that the content should resonate with the discerning readership of this publication.

We value diversity and variety, meaning there are no topic restrictions as long as stories comply with Medium’s policies and our values. Currently, we cover over 100 topics, focusing on substantial and meaningful content for our readers, with plans to expand as our writers and readers propose new topics.

We do not impose censorship as long as stories align with Medium’s guidelines. Please review our submission guidelines and comprehensive checklist before submitting your impactful and well-crafted stories to ILLUMINATION-Curated.

• ILLUMINATION-Curated: New Submission Guidelines 2023
• New Writers: Enhance the Chance of Boosting By Using This Checklist

As Medium now requires paid membership for the Partner Program, we will also include stories from members in this publication to uphold our high standards and commitment to our loyal readers. However, our other publications continue to support non-members.

> Except for the Lampshade of ILLUMINATION, our publications do not accept AI-generated content. Please familiarize yourself with our AI writing policy.

In addition to Medium’s distribution guidelines, ILLUMINATION-Curated has established a specific set of criteria to enhance publication quality. We strive for high standards but do not demand perfection. We believe every writer can improve with constructive feedback from readers, editors, and peers, aiming to provide our subscribers with an enjoyable reading experience.

How Do We Promote Non-Boosted Stories?

As mentioned earlier, only about 1% of stories receive boosting from Medium, yet we still publish thousands of excellent stories to delight our loyal readers. Beyond sharing on social media, our editors create curated collections to present to our audience. Here are various types of curation services provided by our volunteer editors and curators.

Look What Aiden Found Today — Episode #83

• Favorite stories I read plus community-nominated pieces tailored for avid readers of ILLUMINATION Publications.

Mike’s Favorite Stories on ILLUMINATION Publications — #56

• Featuring engaging stories that you may enjoy as well.

Curation Service by ILLUMINATION — Volume 51

• Nominated and curated selections from passionate writers tailored for avid readers.

Curated Stories for the ILLUMINATION Reading Club

• ILLUMINATION Reading Club #9: Chosen stories from writers of Illumination Integrated Publications on Medium for avid readers.

Elin’s Chosen ILLUMINATION Stories — #2

• Check out these stories worth reading.

Curated technology stories by the tech profile of Dr. Mehmet Yildiz.

Building a Synergistic Tech, Business, and Leadership Community — Part III

• A unique story collection from writers of ILLUMINATION Integrated Publication — Volume 4.

Dr. Mehmet Yildiz also encourages all Friends of Medium to start sharing friend links on our tailored social media platform. We interviewed him to discuss how to achieve this goal and provided a script in a bulletin.

How Friends of Medium Can Amplify Important Stories Via Customized Social Media Sites

• An interview with Dr. Mehmet Yildiz introducing customized platforms to share valuable content via FoM links.

He also interviews our writers and promotes their top stories.

Interviews with Writers on Medium

• Featuring inspiring writers of ILLUMINATION.

Please remain vigilant regarding the rise of scams and spam accounts on Medium. Today, ILLUMINATION editors posted an important bulletin to inform you.

Community Announcement: Concerns for Growing Spam and Scam Accounts on Medium

• Let’s be aware of the increasing number of cybersecurity risks on Medium and protect the integrity of our accounts.

We have welcomed over 150 new writers who were eager to join us.

One of our publication goals is to foster a collaborative atmosphere and enhance engagement rates by connecting writers and readers, especially Friends of Medium subscribers who support our writers significantly. If collaboration and meaningful engagement with both readers and writers do not appeal to you, you may miss out on the vast audience we have cultivated since March 19, 2020.

We hope you enjoy our boosted stories from ILLUMINATION-Curated.

Boosted Stories in February 2024

• Less Spoken Nuances of DHEA Hormone with Informed Perspectives from the Literature by Dr. Mehmet Yildiz
• AI Can Now Create Photorealistic Videos From Just a Text Prompt by Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
• War in The Burgh by Pernoste & Dahl
• My Perspectives on the Ukraine Invasion Two Years Later as a Ukrainian Descendant by Oksana Kukurudza’s Sunflowers Rarely Break
• We need a materialist approach to fighting racism by Rebecca Ruth Gould
• How I managed to be productive at every level in the company. by Lisa Bage
• Pregnancy Requires as Much Energy as Extreme Endurance Sports by Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
• It Took Two Divorces for Me to Learn What Destroys a Marriage by Holly Paige
• 25 Years After Starting a First-Aid Business With a 6-Month-Old Baby, We’re Still Thriving by Gill McCulloch
• The Most Interesting Thing About Being a Scuba Diving Instructor Happened After I Quit by Andy Murphy
• Our New Hearing Aids — Startling Surprises in the Family by Bill Myers
• What I Think About Wedding Photography After 12 Years by Silviu-Florin Salomia
• The Power of Placebo To Boost High Performance and Self-Belief by Sean Kernan
• I Harvested 10 Lessons When I Weeded My Portfolio Garden by Mark Armstrong
• I Stumped Google’s Gemini — But Not ChatGPT by Wayne Stelk, PhD
• What Evolutionary Biology Says About the Future of AI by Eliot Bush
• Writing on the Roof by Pernoste & Dahl
• How the Election of Barack Obama Changed Race Relations in America by William Spivey
• What Happened When I Pushed My Body Past the Breaking Point by Joshua Mason
• The Chess Match: Employees vs. Companies in the Fast Food Industry by Luay Rahil
• Exploring Frogs With Transparent Skin by Rich Sobel
• How Self-Discovery Leads to a More Conscious Parenting Style by Gabriela Trofin-Tatár
• How to Deal with Painful Emotions from Our Past: Mickey Singer’s Tough Love Teaching by David Gerken
• If You Don’t Believe in Angels, This Could Change Your Mind by Bebe Nicholson
• Why Women in Pakistan Are Not Oppressed, But They Thrive by Ammara Hassan
• Navigating the Maze of Modern Loneliness with Observations and Interactions by Jussi Luukkonen
• Discovering Bratislava: A Captivating Gem in Central Europe by Jozsef
• Finding Comfort in Blocks: How Minecraft Eased My First Time Loneliness and Intense Grief at 17 by Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
• 4 Well-Research Benefits of Trimethylglycine (TMG) as a Methyl Donor Addressing Homocysteine by Dr. Mehmet Yildiz
• MTHFR Polymorphisms or Mutations: Getting Checked to Prevent Cardiovascular Issues by Dr. Mehmet Yildiz
• Do Statins Increase Diabetes Risk? by Dr. Julian Barkan
• How to Beat Depression With Exercise by Dr. Lutz Kraushaar
• Techno-Feudalism or Pax Machina by Dr. Ali Hechmi Raddaoui
• I’ll Never Forget the Lesson I Learned on My First Day of teaching by Dr. Daniel H. Shapiro
• A New Discovery Reveals How Eating More Protein After Exercise Fuels Muscle Growth by Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
• The Beginning of the World by Pernoste & Dahl
• Enjoying and Making Sense of My Life Beyond Deaf Silence by Joellyn Rose Keener
• Working Hard and Doing the Right Thing Will No Longer Get You the American Dream by Toni Crowe
• Design-Wise Clues: The Twentieth Century and Beyond by Matthew Bamberg
• Understanding Black History in America Requires That One Knows Where “White” Originated by William Spivey
• Let’s Talk about Atheists and Firm Believers in the God of Abraham by Marcus aka Gregory Maidman
• How Adult Children Can Boost Their Mother’s Happiness by Sean Kernan
• I Wrote a Novel: Here Are 5 Laws of Creativity I Learned in the Process by Kyle Chastain
• Class Is More Determinative of Success and Safety in America Than Race by William Spivey
• A Ukrainian Woman’s First-Hand Account of Forced Labor in Nazi Germany by Oksana Kukurudza’s Sunflowers Rarely Break

Boosted Stories in January 2024

• What Car Shows Mean to Me and How They Enriched My Life by Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
• Vitamin B12 Deficiency Rises, Concerning Me As It Was My Big Problem by Dr. Mehmet Yildiz
• Timing Will Never Be Perfect; Do What You’re Meant to Do Now by Vincent Van Patten
• A City Mural that Springs From the Heart by Rebecca Romanelli
• Why Do We Love to Believe Wacky and Weird Stuff? by James Alexander
• This Teacher’s Act Made Me Look For Him After 43 Years. Am I Too Late? by Wendy King
• My Bride — Homage by Veritas Civis
• The Fight Over Return-To-Office Is Getting Dirty by Luay Rahil
• The Good Clime Retrieves The Sunken Heart — One Mild Allusion To Settle The Harmed Mind by The Doctor — Joanie Adams
• Finding Your Wat in Cambodia by Joan Naidorf
• Ballad of 3-Eyed Lou by Pernoste & Dahl
• Temple Trails Abroad: My Journey Through Balinese Hinduism by Somil Gupta
• Surprising Life Lessons I Learned from Army Reserve Officer Training by Danielle Spinks Earl
• On the Regrets of Being a Parent by Sean Kernan
• Come Take a Peek Into the Minds, Lives, and Fears … of Queers by Brian Feutz
• Nourishing the Soul in Hungary’s Wilderness by Jozsef Kovacs
• Things I Miss About the U.S. As an American Living in Paris by Jolie Porter
• Three Soothing Perspectives on Death by Solveig Bjørkholt
• My Unusual Celebration of New Years by Dr. Mehmet Yildiz
• How To Safely Transform Dietary Protein Into Healthy Longevity? by Dr. Lutz Kraushaar
• The Day the Moon Wobbled Over Planet Earth by Adelia Ritchie
• Common Medical Myths That Many People Continue to Believe Despite Proof to the Contrary by David Mokotoff, MD
• Is It Possible to Completely Heal from Covert Narcissistic Abuse? by Melissa Kalt, MD
• Returning to Tibet to Find Happiness by Lorwen Harris Nagle
• What We Learned When My Fiancée Was Hospitalised for Life-Threatening Anaemia by Matt Williams-Spooner
• Navigating the Abyss: When a Navy Helicopter Plunged into the Ocean by Russell Carr MD
• Insider Insights: 10 Guidelines for Excelling as a Patient From an ER Doctor by Joan Naidorf MD
• Humor Succeeds When It’s Relevant To Your Target Audience by Mark Armstrong
• What Us Introverts Can Learn From Extroverts (and Vice-a-Versa) by Sean Kernan
• Defining Spiritual Faith in a Life of Distraction by Pernoste & Dahl
• When Helping Is Hurting: AI is Hurting Our Students by Denise P King
• LSD’s Renaissance in Mental Health Treatment by Matthew Bamberg
• Until Death Do Us Part by Jens Peter Olesen
• A Personal Account of Live Aid — the Day Musicians United to Fight World Hunger by Gill McCulloch
• How I Learned to Stop Bullying Myself by Leon Macfayden
• Evolution and aging: do the dinosaurs have anything to do with human senescence? by Eliot Bush
• Riley: The Dog Love of My Life by Russell Carr
• Creativity and Transcendence by Patricia Ross
• The Year Arrives with a Cancer Diagnosis in the Family by Bebe Nicholson
• Unravelling Rafflesia- A Most Unusual Parasitic Plant by Rich Sobel

Boosted Stories in December 2023

• Understanding the Nuances of 4 Types of Obesity by Dr. Mehmet Yildiz
• Gaming, Fun, and Humor: The Lifelines That Rescued Me From Social Media’s Grip on My Life by Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
• Which Type of Intermittent Fasting is Best for Weight Loss and Health? by Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
• Can Companion Robots Solve the Loneliness Epidemic Among Elders? by Mark Sanford, Ph.D.
• Echoes of Immortality — A Hero’s Final Anthem by Donn K. Harris
• How I Learned to Meditate Again After a 40-Year Lapse, and What I Get From It by Martin D. Hirsch
• Does Your Academic Performance Determine the Rest of Your Life? by Clarissa Ai Ling Lee, PhD
• Lessons From the Frontline: Managing an International, Three-Year IT Integration Project by Jozsef Kovacs
• Insights from a Scientist with a Poet’s Soul by Pernoste & Dahl
• What I Want in Life by Adelia Ritchie, PhD
• 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami: Our Dad’s Heart Attack May Have Saved His Youngest Daughter by Gill McCulloch
• New Years and the Value of Anti-Resolutions by Sean Kernan
• When Blind Faith Became a Necessity by Rebecca Romanelli
• Soulful Connections: Finding Meaning in Mammadou’s Childhood Letters by Dr. Mehmet Yildiz
• Thinking Back on an Unsustainable Diet in a 12-Step Program and a Dramatic Weight Loss by The Sturg
• Soulful Connections: Finding Meaning in Mammadou’s Childhood Letters by Dr. Mehmet Yildiz
• The Real Reason Medicine and Science Cannot Give You Exact Guidelines by David Mokotoff, MD
• The Artistic Meaning of Images Within Images by Lorwen Harris Nagle, PhD
• Cats and Copyediting: Using Illustration to Market a Book by Mark Armstrong
• If You Want to Lose Weight, You Must Lose the Heavy Thinking First by Elaine Hilides
• My Daughter’s Transgender Identity Didn’t Make Sense by Tony Leo
• A Glimpse of My First International Travel by Somil Gupta
• 6 Poor Coping Mechanisms Which Made My Trauma Worse by Leon Macfayden
• What’s So Wrong About Secretly Working Two Full-Time Jobs at Once Remotely? by Luay Rahil
• Our Family Trip to Beautiful Kalam Valley in Pakistan: A Tale of Beauty and Adventure by Ammara Hassan
• Do Eating and Breathing Noises Drive You Crazy? There May Be a Reason by Elaine Hilides
• Adopted Kids Who Feel Worthless by Stacey Patterson, J.D.
• How I Mastered 4 Essential Requirements to Become a Better Leader and Served My Clients by Jozsef Kovacs
• Describing the Human Predicament: The Sun, the Clouds and Us by David Gerken
• Dancing Inside by Pernoste & Dahl
• Here’s How Money Really Can Buy You Happiness by Luay Rahil
• Gigantic Genomes and Supersized Salamander Cells Surprise Scientists and Put a Wrinkle in… by Rich Sobel
• What Happened to Ebonics? by Matthew Bamberg
• Beyond Blind Spots: A Multi-Perspective Journey Toward Greater Understanding by George M Pantazis
• Who Is in Charge Here?–How Our Minds Control the Body by Dr. Emmanuel Ogamdi
• Can We Lose Fat and Gain Muscle At the Same Time? by Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
• Seeing a Cop In Line At Starbucks Gave Me The Jitters by G Correia

Boosted Stories in November 2023

• Dying Is the Most Intimate Space We Ever Share by Beth Riungu
• Mr. Speaker, There’s No Such Thing as a “Bible-Believing” Christian by Guy Nave
• Recent Discoveries and Potential Breakthroughs in Microbiome Health by Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
• If You Eat a Healthy Diet, Save Your Money Because You Don’t Need Probiotics and Prebiotics by David Mokotoff, MD
• Future Doctors and Nurses Don’t Want to See Patients by Dr. Julian Barkan
• 5 Surprising Links Between Fitness and Photography by Zacc Rowlands
• An Alternative Lens on Prayer by Davor Katusic
• Synaesthesia I: A Life of Colors, The Early Years by Donn K. Harris
• The Gap in Male/Female Life Expectancy Keeps Growing by Dr. Julian Barkan
• When The Great Himalayas Went Grey on Us, Literally by Somil Gupta
• Examining the Impact of Rice Consumption on Type 2 Diabetes Prevalence by Antonio Segovia, MD
• Shutting Down the Inner Critic to Liberate Your True Self by Mark Sanford, Ph.D.
• Remembering to Live by Pernoste & Dahl
• Why Business Organizations Must Implement the Zero Trust Security Strategy and Execute It by David Pui | Digital Transformation Architect
• New Discoveries that Redefine our View of Diet, Weight Gain, Exercise, and Health by Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
• How to Be Safe in the World of Cybercrime by Jussi Luukkonen
• Why Ban “Divisive” Teachings While Protecting Divisive Confederate Monuments? by Guy Nave
• Overcoming Post-COVID-19 Long-Lasting Olfactory Issues by Antonio Segovia, MD
• How My Grandmother’s Legacy Goes Beyond the Wrinkles by Gabriela Trofin-Tatár

Stories Boosted in October 2023

• Better and Better and Better Humans by Moshe Sipper, Ph.D.
• Should Doctors Be Less or More Empathetic? by Dr. Julian Barkan
• How Cholesterol Levels Impact Your Heart Health by Dr. K P Vasudeva Rao
• How discovering microbes transformed our understanding of life and health by Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
• Four Ways to Balance Your Content Creation Obsession by Clayton Moulynox
• Neuroscience Behind Why I Read 1000 Books With My Son Before He Turned 5 by Prashansa Gadgil
• Can I Connect with My Transgender Daughter as I Connected with My Son? by Tony Leo
• How ?ura Got the Fitness Geeks and Insomniacs Around Its Little Finger by Jussi Luukkonen
• How Survivorship Bias Colors Our World: Impact and How to Overcome It by Sridhar Pai Tonse
• The Unsung Heroes of Hollywood by Seda Anbarc
• Hidden Costs of Self-Publishing by Alison McBain
• More Meaningful Than Any Degree by Gail McNulty
• Lessons from the Grave by Sara Fellers
• Grandma and God Brought Me Home by AJ
• Facing the Judge and Jury of Your Inner Critic by Miz Mindful
• The Island Odyssey: A Weeklong Adventure in Rhodes by Jozsef Kovacs
• Insanity Along the Seine River — Part 1 by Shardul Deshpande

Organically Boosted Stories of Dr. Yildiz

As previously mentioned, Medium curators also boost stories directly without nominations. Dr. Yildiz shared some of his stories, which we added here as examples to guide our writers.

• Here’s How I Train My Brain Daily for Mental Clarity and Intellectual Productivity.
• Meditation Can Boost the Cortical Thickness in the Brain and Prevent the Thinning of It.
• Here’s How You Can Enjoy Your Life More in Better Zones.
• 4 Reasons We Procrastinate and 10 Steps to Overcome Them.
• Six Tips for a Youthful and Healthy Life as We Age.
• Here’s How to Make the Nervous System More Flexible and Functional.
• 3 Steps to Regulate HPA Axis and Defeat Chronic Stress.
• A New Clinical Trial Found a Low-Carb Diet Better Than the Dash.
• The Brain Needs 4 Types of Workouts.
• The Brain Needs 3 Types of Rest.
• How Writers Can Attract More Readers by Using Design Thinking Principles.
• How to Slow Down Subjective and Objective Cognitive Decline.
• Here’s Why I Focus on Nutritional Biochemistry Rather Than Diets.
• Queer Organisms: Nature’s Lesson for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equality.

Thank you for engaging with these remarkable stories. We look forward to featuring your narratives in all our publications and will select well-crafted, memorable, and impactful stories through our nominators. Additionally, Medium curators have organically boosted hundreds of stories from ILLUMINATION, which we plan to share in a future collection.

How to Access Updated Submission Guidelines

New writers need to review these guidelines before submitting their stories.