learned

It’s no coincidence that my last name, Mesa, translates to “table.” I believe I was born to work in the hospitality industry, and my passion for hosting people was nurtured from a young age. Growing up in the Dominican Republic with my maternal grandparents not only introduced me to an…

It’s been almost four years since a condo fire sent me packing to Central America for my first-ever solo backpacking trip.New passport in hand, I flew to Belize to get scuba certified and maybe “find myself” — but honestly, I had no clue what I was getting into. That first…

Just about every day, someone asks me for advice. Often it’s a question about parenting, something I have been practicing for decades as the mother of five.Friends, colleagues, and mothers at the beginning of their parenting journey want to know how I dealt with a myriad of concerns, everything from…

As the first Christmas after my son William’s death approached, I couldn’t bear the thought of putting up a Christmas tree. I couldn’t imagine displaying all the nutcrackers we had collected together. I couldn’t walk into our usual family gathering pretending to be OK. I was petrified of being watched,…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Spencer Penn, the 33-year-old founder of LightSource, who lives in San Francisco. It’s been edited for length and clarity.I moved to California 10 years ago, back when Tesla was a boutique car business. We were making 1,000 vehicles a week.My friends…

Spotify Wrapped could already feel humiliating. This year, there are more opportunities than ever to flip over the stone that is your phone habits and see what crawls out.Last year, my top artist was Florence + The Machine. I stand by it; “What Kind of Man” is one of the…

Automakers are constantly learning from their competitors in China. Tesla, one of the leading EV companies, is no exception.Jon McNeill, the former president of Tesla’s global sales and marketing who now sits on General Motors’ board, told Business Insider that Tesla has torn down Chinese EVs and that the lessons…

I first came across the Financial Independence, Retire Early movement when I spoke to a Big Tech employee who quit her job and retired early, only to regret it days later.Speaking to her and over 60 other FIREers in the past two years has taught me that this increasingly popular…