A few years ago, while conducting research for his first book, RJ Jacobs reached out to a virologist at Vanderbilt University. She and her lab colleagues studied viruses and the diseases they caused. “We’re currently investigating a strain of the coronavirus,” she said during their interview. RJ, and most of the rest of the world,…
Evelyn Henson – Happy Art and Artist
In a world with disturbing news coming at us from every angle, Evelyn Henson’s art makes me smile. And don’t we all need a little happy these days? Loaded with bright colors, delightful animals, and spirited landscapes, her colorful art is “meant to brighten your day and bring sunshine to your home for years to…
Julie Wainwright – The RealReal
I love pretty clothes and shoes, but I don’t have the budget for Chanel or Prada or Gucci. I’d only given The RealReal website, and its high-end apparel, a cursory glance. “Take a harder look,” Julie Wainwright encouraged me. “Not all our brands are luxury, and I bet we recirculate some of the lines you…
Bea Johnson – Zero Waste Home
A well-meaning friend, bearing a box of individually-wrapped cookies and cakes, knocked on Bea Johnson’s door. “Are you kidding me?” grumbled Bea after the guest left. “I guess people don’t know what our zero-waste lifestyle means.” Before I spoke with Bea, I didn’t either. I run errands with my fabric bags and reusable water bottle,…
Chris Crowley – Younger Next Year
At an Aspen dinner party, martini in hand, Chris Crowley chatted with an Exercise Science and Muscle Physiology researcher. This PhD showed Chris a graph of normal aging patterns in our country. According to the data, after age fifty, people tend to gain weight, move slower, and develop aches and pain. One man represented on…