working

Joann Ernst, 72, shook her head as her older grandson decapitated an action figure. The other laid out puzzle pieces in a line, surrounded by a sea of toys.”You have to put all the Play-Doh back in the container so it doesn’t dry out,” Ernst called out to the 5-…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Maggie Bodner, a 28-year-old employee at Spirit Halloween, based in the Fort Lauderdale area. Her identity and employment have been verified by Business Insider. This story has been edited for length and clarity.I was laid off in June and started to…

A majority of Americans hear themselves in Dolly Parton’s “9-to-5.”Sixty percent of Americans identify as working class, according to a Pew Research analysis of a January 2026 survey. That’s up from 54% in 2024.And the label, historically applied to lower-earning workers, resonates across earnings levels. Middle-income families, who make between…

Ina Garten, 78, said the key to embracing new challenges later in life is making sure they’re fun.On Saturday’s episode of “The Interview” podcast, Garten reflected on her decision to pursue new creative ventures in her 50s, both as a cookbook author and as the host of a Food Network…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Julie Zhu, a 29-year-old entrepreneur in New York City who left Apple last year to focus on her startup, Odd One In. The following has been edited for length and clarity.A few years ago, I started considering leaving my job at…

Taylor Fritz, 28, said playing “League of Legends” is as much a part of his tennis routine as sleep and recovery.Speaking to GQ in an interview published on Wednesday, the tennis star said playing video games helps him decompress.”When you’re training and traveling, you don’t always have the energy —…

Country music legend Dolly Parton has died at age 80, and she remained active in her work in music, culture, and philanthropy until the end.”I still have so many things I want to achieve,” she told People four days prior to her death.Parton had no fear of aging and said she preferred…

Hayden Panettiere once wrote that starring on “Nashville” and reading the show’s script was like “looking in a funhouse mirror.”In her 2026 memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” published three months before her August 16 death, Panettiere wrote that it felt like her “personal problems were writing the script,” particularly…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Maddie Johnson, a 30-year-old attorney and business affairs executive who’s based in Los Angeles. It’s been edited for length and clarity.Last year, I was entering a new phase of life.I got promoted twice very quickly, and with that came a lot…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Fran Judd, a 76-year-old physical therapist in Sonoma County, California. Judd works full-time to afford care for her brother and daughter with disabilities. Her brother lived in an ADU in her backyard for two years. This interview has been edited for…