One thing I can tell you about being a vegan: it definitely does not make people like you more. You're a pain in the arse at dinner parties. You make people feel guilty at barbecues. You turn gift shopping into torture. I get it, I get it. But please keep reading. I promise not to do any of those things. |
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I just want to tell you about an amazing thing that happened this week: I ate chicken again, for the first time in 20 years. I could have wept, had I not been smiling so hard. Because the chicken came from cells. It was "cultivated," if you will, in a high-tech factory in California that resembles a brewery. And as I bit into it, all I could think was, "As I live and breathe, it happened." |
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How often in life do we really, truly see our most audacious dreams come true? If you are new here, hi! Let me back up a second. Radius, which we measure in The Values Bridge, is the value of wanting to change the world. This is a noble pursuit, we can all agree, but in our data, only 6% of people hold it in their "core" set. That is understandable, I would offer, because changing the world is so damn hard. We may desperately desire systemic transformation, but over time, exhausted and defeated, we let other priorities take precedence. I speak from experience, because Radius happens to be in my top five values, and I cannot tell you the number of times I've asked, "Why do I do this to myself?" High Radius people – do you feel me? Ten years ago I met Uma Valeti, a cardiologist determined to take animals out of the food system by growing real meat from stem cells. My husband Jack and I were among the first investors in Upside Foods, the company he founded to do it. We weren't alone for long: Silicon Valley venture capitalists soon followed with $600 million in funding. On Tuesday, Uma and I stood in the JP Morgan executive dining room, a beta testing site, watching bankers enjoy utterly cruelty-free Chicken Tikka Masala. (The stem cells come from living birds.) I had two servings myself. It was delicious. And yes, it tasted exactly like chicken; that's what it is! Look, sometimes we have a love-hate relationship with one of our values. We know why we hold it, but it makes our lives harder or more complicated. Radius is like that for me. I love animals, but fighting for them can make you a pariah. Many times, it can feel so hopeless it's depressing. But every now and again, you do see progress. It's possible that Upside's chicken will be in supermarkets within a year, and if that happens, my Radius will do cartwheels in my heart, and I will celebrate with a barbecue in my backyard. Yes, I will. You're invited. |
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Monday was when I first heard about the Nor'easter forming in the Atlantic with its eyes on New York. I immediately put word of it in our family chat. Shrugs all around. Then I got pushy: "I guess this might impact my birthday dinner on Sunday," I noted. "We'll see!" was one vague reply. All week long, I have been peppering the chat with weather updates, and comments like, "This is going to be big!" Finally, my daughter asked, "What – are you the weatherman?" Indeed I am. Always have been. My love language, finally identified. OK, fine, this is a lame "hate." But the truth is, I am sad. Very sad! That dinner is a tradition: every year, we get together on my birthday for Ethiopian food, my fave. Now I might be eating gummy bears, alone. It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to. You would cry too, if it happened to you. |
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My trainer, Dani, is back again this week, with another perfect metaphor for life. |
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I was complaining, as usual, about how heavy the weights were when she noted, "It's only when you push through discomfort that you get stronger." "Take a picture of me!" I cried, "that's going in the newsletter!" We have two choices when things get hard. Turn back for softer, more familiar ground, or forge ahead through uncertainty and tribulation. It's the same question my Radius asks me every time I wonder why I do this to myself. |
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I've always been an everything-good-is-hard kind of girl. Otherwise, I suppose, I wouldn't have found myself eating chicken – real chicken, oh my goodness – on the 48th floor of a skyscraper the other day. But both options are legitimate. I mean that. Sometimes, for very good reasons, you do not have the wherewithal to push through hardship. Indeed, doing so would set you back, not ahead. So, push the weight one more time, or lay it down? What's your go-to? Tell me, and tell me why, at [email protected]. The gummy bears and I await. Happy Birthday to me, |
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PS: Thrilling news! Another Becoming You newsletter is coming soon, this one by our new Chief Economist Sania Khan. Each week, “The Offer Letter” will decode what's really happening to jobs, so you can navigate your own career with confidence. Make sure you get the first issue by signing up here. |
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What If Office Politics Are Secretly Telling You Something You Need to Hear?
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Christina hates office politics. Who doesn't? But after 20-plus years in corporate marketing, she's started asking herself a much harder question: What if the problem isn't the politics — what if it's her? This week on Becoming You, I sit down with Christina, a brand management veteran who recently quit her job, unsure whether she's interested in corporate life at all, or just tired of playing a game she never wanted to play. It's a conversation about self-awareness, entrepreneurship, and the difference between throwing in the towel and finally stepping into your authentic self. |
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