I'm officially marking myself unsafe from the influence of Hailey Bieber.

She's already inspired me to buy capri pants, and loafers with tube socks, and trench coats, and flip-flops (something I swore I would never do)—but apparently, it's not enough. She also has to influence my workout routine.

Earlier this week, Bieber dropped an inside look into her summer thus far. Amid photos of beach sunsets, bikini pics, and Rhode events, Bieber shared a glimpse of her new favorite accessory. No, I'm not talking about resin bangles or hoop earrings—Bieber's current hyper-fixation is that of the athletic variety.

In a post-workout selfie, Bieber flaunted her usual glazed donut skin (though it seems to be from sweat, instead of dewy skincare products). She wore a Y2K-era headband and a baby tee, topped with a black weighted vest. Bieber is a bona fide convert, having posted pictures of the same vest on her Instagram earlier this month.

Fans were quick to source the product, linking it back to fitness gear brand Zelus. The workout accessory has more than 13,000 5-star reviews on Amazon and, if Bieber's influence wasn't enough, the comments are enough to sell anyone on this product.

Customers report the vest is durable, comfortable, and effortlessly levels up low-impact workouts, like walking or squats. What's even more intriguing, though, is its price tag. The vest is currently marked down from its usual $36.80 to a mere $22.99.

Thanks to Bieber, I'm no longer using my spare time to craft or marathon-watch reruns of Girls. Instead, I've spent the afternoon reading dozens Amazon reviews on the Zelus weighted vest. Life really does come at you fast.

Shop Chic Workout Gear

Isolating. Mysterious. Helpless. All words that came up during an intimate conversation about endometriosis at the home of feminist icon Gloria Steinem. Endometriosis affects 10 percent of women worldwide, but many suffer in silence, ignored by doctors and isolated by their sometimes debilitating pain. (Debilitating—another word that kept coming up.)

But isolation wasn’t an issue at the July meetup at Steinem’s home. Hoping to amplify understanding of endometriosis and the ways it affects sufferers, Chelsea Leyland and Tatiana Steel—who in 2020 co-founded Looni, a reproductive and hormonal health platform and brand—partnered with Steinem for one of her legendary "talking circles."

“We thought we had invented [them],” Steinem told the group about her now-famous series of discussions, which date back to the '60s. “Quite a few years later, we were here in this very room and Wilma Mankiller, the great chief of the Cherokee Nation, came and sat and listened to us for a while and said, ‘Well, when we do this we have a talking stick that we pass around.’ So...we invented the world’s oldest human institution,’” the 92-year-old said, eliciting laughter from the group.

“Anyway, I love that it’s a circle," Steinem added. "I love that it doesn’t have a president or a vice president. We’re all part of it. We can all participate and agree and disagree and learn and discover what we thought we knew was wrong.”

Inside Steinem's living room, her guests—which included doctors, advocates, and sufferers—introduced themselves, sharing their stories and the single word they associate with the disease. Some attendees were quickly brought to tears. Others couldn't share their stories fast enough. The release of being among those who truly understood—it was overwhelming.

On average, it takes seven to 10 years to be diagnosed with endometriosis. Several guests at Steinem's home had been told by doctors that their crushing pain was a "normal" part of being a woman—a notoriously common experience for endometriosis sufferers. For other women, their infertility—a known complication of endometriosis—wasn't properly addressed or treated for years. Gaslit—another word that came up again and again.

Leyland, the Looni co-founder who co-hosted the event, suffered multiple miscarriages during her ten-year struggle to be diagnosed with the disease. A circle like the one at Steinem's home, she said, would have been a lifeline.

"All I wanted to do was connect with other women who were experiencing loss and the burning desire to become a mother and being faced every day with the idea that that might not be a reality,” she told the group. “There is so much power in identification. Just someone saying, ‘I see you. I hear you. I’m going through the same thing.’”

Her word? Excruciating.

Other guests opened up about losing pregnancies—another topic often considered taboo, though women yearn to connect over it. Actor Marianne Rendón shared that after experiencing multiple pregnancy losses, she finally has a 10-week-old daughter—and yet, her journey with the disease is ongoing. Her word: distrust.

“It’s so sad to me that I distrust medicine when I want to find providers for [my daughter] and she’s so little," Rendón said. "I feel really grateful that you’re all here and fighting for this.”

On that point, everybody agreed: The fight takes everyone—an active community of advocates, medical professionals, and patients. And change begins with conversation.

To that end, dentist Dr. Eve Lofthus shared her research journey about the potential connection between the oral microbiome and endometriosis. Dr. Tamer Seckin, a renowned endometriosis surgeon, spoke about the role of genetics. Acupuncturist Mary Sabo spoke about integrative medicine. Dr. Piraye Beim of Celmatix Therapeutics and Dr. Semir Beyaz of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory talked the group through their research into medicines that could potentially be cures.

“I think we can make it because we are here all together,” Dr. Beyaz said. “The surgeon is here. The advocate is here. The scientist is here.”

The word he most associates with endometriosis: resilience.

Just like the disease itself—which can manifest in a variety of different ways, from IBS-like symptoms and infertility to crippling pelvic pain and organ invasion—the guests’ words were varied and expansive. Hopeful, said Kara O’Malley, co-founder of Our Daughters Foundation. Mobilize, said Liz Powell, the founder of Women’s Health Advocates. Perseverance, said Dr. Kolbe Hancock, co-founder of Spring Fertility.

"I have so much resentment for [endometriosis]—for how much it has taken,” said Nicole Notar, the founder of Endo Excision for All. “At the same time, it’s brought so many incredible human beings into my life that I never would have met otherwise.”

Her word? Community.

Following her cancer diagnosis and treatment, Princess Kate is sharing what's she's learned in an attempt to help others going through the same thing.

In a post shared on the Prince and Princess of Wales's official Instagram account, Princess Kate shared a personal message, along with a photo of herself.

"Every year, hundreds of thousands of people in this country hear the words no one wants to hear," Princess Kate wrote in the caption. "What follows is a path that tests every part of who we are: physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. The challenges ripple outwards, touching families, friendships, work, and the quiet moments we spend alone with our thoughts."

Princess Kate continued, "Cancer doesn't just affect the body. It changes how you think and feel and profoundly affects every aspect of life. I know this personally, and that the journey through and beyond treatment requires more than medicine alone."

Alongside a photo of herself on top of a mountain in the fog, Princess Kate revealed that she was taking part in the "National Three Peaks Challenge, not simply as a physical endeavor but as a chance to explore life beyond diagnosis and to give something back."

The Princess of Wales continued, "The Royal Marsden is a place that holds great meaning for me and whose care and expertise are life changing for so many people."

Importantly, Kate revealed that she'd decided to participate in the challenge in order to "raise awareness for the deeper impact of serious illness and the importance of holistic healthcare."

"Every individual is different, and ensuring there is a whole person approach to care enables those living through cancer to manage the deeply personal challenge of diagnosis," Princess Kate wrote. "Holistic therapies complement clinical pathways and support patients's ability to maintain their well-being, resilience, and quality of life during an exceptionally difficult time."

The Princess of Wales continued, "Healing, whether personal or collective, is not just about fixing what is wrong. It is about finding balance in how we live."

Kate ended her message by writing, "Between effort and acceptance, between control and trust, between thinking and simply being. Because in the end, bravery isn't just about pushing forward. It is about knowing how to stay grounded, connected, and present, no matter the terrain or landscape you are walking."

As far as wellness fads go, sitting in a warm pool being massaged by jets is quite pleasant when you compare it to popular longevity treatments like NAD+ drips and breath restriction exercise. Despite being a buzzy concept in the modern longevity movement’s quest to live longer and age slower, hydrotherapy—or using water to help treat common concerns like muscle aches, stress, and fatigue—has been around pretty much since the start of human history. The ancient Romans famously had their public bathhouses, while ancient Greeks are considered the inventors of contrast therapy.

While you might be familiar with, or even partaken in a sauna and cold plunge, it turns out there are a few things experts say we’ve been getting wrong when we submerge ourselves. I know, it’s just water, how complicated could it be? While you will still see some benefits if you just dunk yourself in cold water and call it a day, you won’t get the full scope of what hydrotherapy has to offer, says Marcus Coplin, ND, medical director at Murrieta Hot Springs Resort and The Springs Resort, and chief medical director at Bastyr University. Everything from how long you spend in the water to the type of water and even the order you do your treatments will influence how effective that treatment is, he says.

With that in mind, I asked the pros to reveal which hydrotherapy option will help you achieve your wellness goals and how best to practice it in order to reap the maximum benefits. Keep reading to learn four expert-approved ways to get wet.

Contrast Therapy

What Is Contrast Therapy?

While sauna and cold plunge might be the most well-known iteration of contrast therapy, any combination of exposing yourself to alternating temperatures—even a hot-and-cold foot soak, can help with recovery.

“You're exposing the body to two extremes of the stress spectrum,” Dr. Coplin explains. “The heat is increasing the red blood cells' ability to release oxygen to be used by the cells as fuel, increasing the entire metabolic capacity of the body.” The heat also expands your blood vessels, he says, allowing more blood to circulate throughout your system. When you then get into the cold, it contracts the capillaries, pumping all that metabolically rich blood back into your organs, which Dr. Coplin equates to “putting gas in the tank for these tissues.” The cold also helps get your lymphatic system moving, and the shrinking of the blood vessels helps alleviate inflammation by moving the blood away from those sore, swollen areas. Dr. Coplin does note that opting for wet or dry experiences will also impact the therapeutic benefits you see from contrast therapy.

“When you are immersed in water, there's a physical element to that,” he explains. “There's the pressure that the water exerts on the skin, which moves the lymphatic fluid from the skin into the capillaries. It creates a gentle pump for the body that way. Water is more directly therapeutic with that deep metabolic reset, whereas the drier experiences are more longer term.”

How Do I Do Contrast Therapy Correctly?

The ideal routine to reap these benefits, says Dr. Coplin, is to follow a heat, cold, rest, repeat program. Resting your body at room temperature after contrast is fundamental, he explains, because after heating up and cooling down, your body needs to rediscover its equilibrium. “It does that by activating the parasympathetic element of its nervous system, which is the de-stress element,” he explains. “If you're walking around with a low degree of chronic stress, putting your body into an intentional and targeted heat stress, and then cold stress, letting the body rest erases that chalkboard that's been slowly keeping tally of all those subconscious chronic stresses that your mind maybe didn't register, but your body certainly did.”

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t reap more benefits the longer you subject yourself to temperature extremes, meaning endurance is absolutely not the name of the game. “Go with what your body is telling you,” he says, meaning if you start to get dizzy or out of breath, then that’s your body’s way of saying it’s time to get out. He says his initial recommendation for contrast therapy is to do five minutes in a heat element, followed by 30 seconds to a minute in the cold, and then two to three minutes at room temperature resting, repeating that cycle three times.

While many biohackers have turned cold plunge into an endurance sport, Dr. Coplin says that can actually be detrimental to your goal. “You should always stay in cold water just long enough to where you can feel yourself relax into the discomfort. It doesn't need to be forcing yourself to stay in there.” And, there’s truly no reason to do more than three cycles, he says. In fact, it can be detrimental to your end goals. “It might overwhelm your body to the point where you're going to be tired and grumpy because your body is eliminating at a faster rate than it can handle.”

Hydrotherapy Circuit

What Is a Hydrotherapy Circuit?

For those that like a little variety, hydrotherapy circuits have been gaining in popularity as destinations for health-conscious guests across the globe. Depending on the locale, you can find everything from the usual saunas, steam rooms, cold plunges, and whirlpools, plus more unique experiences like the frost-producing shower at the St. Regis Resort in Long Boat Key or the icy walls of the Snow Room at the luxe Meraki Wellness in Grand Cayman. In Denver, Coba has a 43,000 square foot bathhouse in the works that will feature indoor and outdoor water elements like a float pool, heat stone, and cold sauna that guests can access with a $50 day pass.

According to Meraki co-founder Peter Clarke, hydrotherapy circuits allow for more tailored treatments that better fit your needs. “You might be an elite sportsman and you may want to do something one way or you might be a total novice and never ever done it in your life,” he says. “They would want different things.” Maybe you know that your body responds better to a wet heat, like a steam room, but prefers a dry cold, like a cold sauna. Or perhaps you like the double whammy of wet that comes from a heated whirlpool and a cold plunge. Hydrotherapy circuits allow you to experiment with different elements of contrast therapy and find the modalities that work best for you.

How Do I Do a Hydrotherapy Circuit Correctly?

Some circuits are unguided, while others have attendants to move you through the flow and advise you on timing and order of treatments to best achieve your goals. According to Giota Strikoudi, wellness concierge and founder’s ambassador at Meraki, they advise everyone to start with the sauna, because it provides the most impactful heat treatment. “Sauna influences heart rate variability, a marker of autonomic nervous system regulation in the heart,” she says. “It's related to stress regulation, so on that aspect, sauna has the same benefits as low to moderate exercise.” From there, Strikoudi says you should head to a cold element, like an experiential shower, followed by the steam room to help re-moisturize the skin after the dryness in the sauna.

But the beauty of a hydrotherapy circuit is you can find what works for your needs. If a cold plunge is not something you can handle, hydrotherapy circuits provide alternatives that allow you to experience the benefits of cold therapy in a more manageable format. “The snow shower is lovely — it's much easier than the cold plunge because you're not submerging your whole body in the cold,” says Janet Monroe, a licensed massage therapist at the St. Regis Longboat Key.

The important thing is not what type of cold you do, but just that you do it. “You're missing a very powerful therapeutic if you don't do the cold,” says Dr. Coplin. “If you can get connected to your breath and get in the cold water for as little as 30 seconds, what you find is that each time you do it, you're more adapted to the cold. You're actually retraining your body's window of what comfort feels like, and that is that neurological reset, hormonal reset, circulatory reset.” Just don’t forget to follow that heat, cold, rest, repeat cycle no matter which elements you choose.

Hot Springs

What Are Hot Springs?

While hotspots like Colorado and California boast an impressive array of natural mineral hot springs to soak in, many Americans have less exposure to balneotherapy—the technical term for mineral water bathing—than their European counterparts. Balneotherapy combines the physical benefits of contrast hydrotherapy, says Dr. Coplin, along with trace amounts of mineral absorption, which can have a range of impacts on the skin, from arthritis relief to remedying inflammation, depending on the mineral. “Every mineral spring is unique—each is based on the unique path that water found its way up to the surface from these supercharged water reservoirs deep in the earth,” he says. “As it finds its way up, it's collecting different mineral profiles based on the sediment beds that it's moving through.” In the U.S., our most common minerals are sulfur, sodium, potassium, silica, lithium, and calcium, he notes.

“Mineral waters provide both transdermal mineral absorption, where minerals like magnesium are going into the skin and being incorporated directly into the intracellular space,” says Dr. Coplin,who is also board president of the Balenology Association of North America. “There’s also what we call the mechanical aspect of some minerals, like sulfur, which actually creates an enhanced opening of the capillary beds in the skin, improving the circulation into chronically inflamed skin and helping the body better deliver nutrients and oxygen to that tissue. For hundreds of years, sulfur hot springs have been used to successfully treat skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.”

What Is the Correct Way to Maximize Hot Springs Benefits?

Just like the heating elements in contrast therapy, there’s no need to spend hours soaking in a steaming pool. Fifteen minutes will do the trick, and if the hot spring you are at has some sort of cool shower or stream nearby, do yourself a favor and do a 30-second dunk in the cold. While you might be thinking you need to find a hot spring with the specific mineral content that addresses your needs, Dr. Coplin says that there’s no reason to jet around the world in search of the “right” hot spring for you. “Everybody wants to know which is the best hot spring for them,” he says. “The real answer is that all of them are going to have a benefit. If someone who has arthritis goes to a sulfur spring they're still going to get a benefit. It's just maybe not as targeted and specific.”

Mineral Baths

What Are Mineral Baths?

If you’re not fortunate enough to live close to one of the Uninted State’s 1,600+ natural hot springs, your next best option is to create a mineral soak in your bathtub. Brands like Flewd and Esker offer formulas that are high in minerals like magnesium and loaded with beneficial aromatics and vitamins to soothe the skin and the senses. While baths lack the high heat benefit of most hot springs, says Andrea Colón, NMD, which are typically anywhere from 94 to 104 degrees, an at-home soak is a more accessible and convenient option for most.

“Soaking in mineral baths can alleviate muscle tension and stiffness,” says Dr. Colón. “Minerals like magnesium are known for their calming properties due to its ability to activate GABA receptors. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that can help to regulate the nervous system and promote overall relaxation.” Magnesium tends to be the most common mineral for at-home bathing, says Flewd founder and CEO Michael Lupo, because it’s one of the easiest to work with (outside of lithium orotate) and least likely to irritate the skin. “With a lot of minerals you read about the benefits and it sounds great, but there are issues where it smells bad, or it doesn’t dissolve, or it leaves a film,” says Lupo.

Magnesium also has the most research around transdermal absorption (although all of our sources agree that more studies are needed). “Transdermal absorption relies on having the right convergence of warmth, water, and weight,” says Lupo. ”You need to have some kind of temperature increase to help open the pores. You also need the aspect of high water solubility. Magnesium chloride has one of the highest water solubilities out of all of the variants of magnesium. It also has one of the smallest molecular weights, which means it's much easier for it to get through your skin into your bloodstream through transdermal absorption.”

What Is the Correct Way to Maximize Mineral Bath Benefits?

While magnesium chloride is often thought of as the gold standard for mineral baths, the more common (and affordable) type of magnesium you usually see is magnesium sulfate, or epsom salts. “Both forms of magnesium have been associated with muscle relaxation, pain relief, and stress reduction,” says Dr. Colón. “But there are a few differences in how well they are absorbed”

You have a few options these days for the type of bath, with the most common being salts, like those found in Flewd’s muscle-melting Ache-Erasing Anti-Stress Bath Treatment, and liquids like Esker’s Liquid Magnesium Bath Enhancer, which features two types of magnesium and a gorgeous blend of palo santo, eucalyptus, and lavender essential oils. “If you have sensitive or dry skin, you may prefer the magnesium liquid which is better for moisturizing,” says Dr. Colon. “For someone with more oily or acne-prone skin, magnesium salts might be the better choice.”

Dr. Coplin says the best way to mimic a natural hot spring at home is to do a little bath alchemy. “I usually recommend people buy bulk epsom salt from the drugstore, and then get the beauty brand that they like that has some kind of trace mineral,” he says. “Put in three or four cups of your bulk salt, and then add your bath treatment, and that's where you can really create a beautiful experience that has a therapeutic benefit. Magnesium salt at that ratio helps drive those trace minerals more effectively, so you can enhance the therapeutic effect of the other minerals by increasing with the epsom salt.”

While you may think soaking longer would be better, Lupo says that transdermal absorption for magnesium happens at around 10 minutes, so anything after that doesn’t necessarily mean you are getting a higher absorption of minerals. Be sure not to wash off after your bath, as there may still be trace minerals on your skin that could absorb, says Dr. Coplin. Rinsing is fine, but skip the soap.

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Meet the Experts

Princess Kate has had an extremely busy week, during which she's attended Trooping the Colour, Garter Day, and Royal Ascot. Now, the Princess of Wales is sharing personal advice in a new essay, including tips on staying well for longer.

In a new article shared by the Royal Foundation's Centre for Early Childhood, Princess Kate wrote, "Last week, a parent at my children's school asked me if we could all do just one thing, what would it be? My answer is simple: to prioritize love."

The Princess of Wales continued, "I'm not talking about overly sentimental and romantic gestures, but love that is quiet and unconditional, built on time and patience: the joy found in ordinary things; the everyday magic of life itself."

Elaborating on her idea, Kate wrote, "This is how we stay well, remain connected to our inner selves, and create the lasting relationships that nourish us throughout life. If we can surround children with nurturing, loving environments, we can help them build the human capabilities they need to thrive in the world today."

The Princess of Wales also noted that the current state of the world isn't always conducive to the health and wellbeing of individuals.

"In a world that can often feel fast-paced and fragmented, it is important to consider the environments in which children learn and develop," Princess Kate wrote. "Healthy development needs to be holistic. It should reflect the whole child, beyond physical or cerebral milestones, acknowledging the importance of early relationships, experiences, and environments."

Princess Kate continued, "By allowing children to feel connected from an early age, we can help them carry that sense of balance into adulthood."

With her focus firmly on early childhood development, it seems that the Princess of Wales is hoping to ensure everyone has the chance to live a happy and fulfilled life.

Kelly Sawyer Patricof and Norah Weinstein join our March Zoom call in infectiously high spirits. The Baby2Baby co-CEOs are bathed in Los Angeles sunshine, tuning in from their Culver City office at around 9 a.m. They tell me they’ve just come from their monthly all-hands staff meeting. “Every department shares their updates, and we do a lot of great work here, so those meetings always put us in a good mood,” Weinstein says.

Baby2Baby began in 2006 as a small grassroots L.A. resource for gently used baby items. But since Patricof and Weinstein—a former model and corporate lawyer, respectively—took over as co-CEOs in 2011, the organization has grown into a philanthropic empire reaching 1.5 million children living in poverty annually.

Over those 15 years, the nonprofit has distributed more than half a billion essential goods, from diapers and newborn formula to baby blankets and breast pumps. It has also amassed a slate of A-list supporters, known by Baby2Baby as “Angels,” who regularly write checks, post to their millions of Instagram followers, and personally hand out care packages to families in need. (In their Zoom background, I spy a photo of Patricof and Weinstein arm in arm with Kim Kardashian, Jessica Alba, Vanessa Bryant, and Olivia Wilde.) Baby2Baby’s annual fundraising gala in November has become a highlight on the West Hollywood social calendar; last year’s event honoring Serena Williams saw Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as guests and raised over $18 million for its mission.

But to label Baby2Baby as just another celebrity-magnet charity would be inaccurate. Its work is substantive, and Patricof and Weinstein, both mothers to two children, follow an unyielding “do-it-yourself” ethos. In addition to donating brand-name diapers, Baby2Baby manufactures its own. In 2020, Patricof and Weinstein teamed up with Governor Newsom to successfully lobby California to remove the sales tax on diapers. It’s since led to a domino effect, with 13 states following suit.

Every milestone, though, comes with a clear-eyed understanding of what’s left on the table and who still needs help. “We're so proud to have distributed 270 million diapers since our inception, but we have requests for 1.9 billion and still have a lot of work to do,” Patricof says. But as we continue our chat, I ask them to take this time to celebrate their wins. Here, we discuss several of them, from challenging the stigma that charity work is a “bored housewife activity” and enacting policy change, to the pure joy of handing out Hot Wheels to five-year-olds.

Diapers are, and have been since the beginning, a core pillar of Baby2Baby. Why is that?

Norah Weinstein: When we first joined, we held many meetings with other organizations, social service agencies, homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, and hospitals, and learned that the need was for very basic essentials like diapers. What we understood then—and what has made more sense in the last 15 years—is that if a mom cannot meet her baby's basic needs, she can't take advantage of any of the phenomenal programs out there, private, government, or otherwise. She can't even fill out an insurance form in an emergency scenario. That was a light-bulb moment for us that we now use as a teaching point with our team: we should always be listening and responding, rather than prescribing what people need.

It was a parallel experience putting together the kits for our program to combat the maternal health crisis, which we started in 2023 in partnership with the Biden White House and is now being piloted in 21 states. Last year, we received a historic $9 million grant from New York to give kits to every woman giving birth on Medicaid in the state.

But first we had to decide what to put in those kits. There's only so much room in those duffel bags, so we did a lot of research to find out what the moms and babies could use. We’re continually improving and innovating; when we get feedback from the moms that the diaper rash cream was more important than the vitamin D drops, we take that into account. We try to be very intentional in giving out things that are meaningful to the people who are getting them, the people who are the most important.

Kelly Sawyer Patricof: When we joined Baby2Baby, one in three families was struggling to afford diapers for their babies. It's gotten worse; now, one in two families is struggling. Diapers are the fourth-highest expenditure for a low-income family, after food, rent, and utilities. They're $80 to $100 per baby per month and aren’t covered by SNAP, WIC, or any other government assistance.

We try to tackle diaper need from all angles. Our diaper manufacturing system allows us to produce and distribute five times as many diapers at 80 percent less than retail, and we donate them to hospitals, homeless shelters, immigration centers, and other places. We launched the Goop Diapér in 2022 as a funny way to get people to pay attention to the fact that diapers are taxed like a luxury item. On our very first day in 2011, back in our tiny 600-square-foot space, Edelman PR called and asked if we wanted to do an event with Huggies to give away 100,000 diapers and $100,000. Now, 15 years later, Huggies is one of the sponsors of our maternal and newborn supply kits and gives us $8 million in product and monetary donations.

What drew you both to Baby2Baby back in 2011.

KSP: I was modeling in New York, but in my free time, I volunteered at a Head Start center in Harlem. I was inspired by the children I worked with; they lacked basic essentials and couldn't get an education. That was when the light bulb went off for me.

NW: While I was doing my day job in litigation at my law firm in New York, I was also doing pro bono work representing mothers. I felt a strong pull toward that kind of work and wanted to make sure it was part of my primary role. As well as both of us wanting to do something in this space, we also had big entrepreneurial instincts, and that drew us together initially.

You run Baby2Baby more like a Fortune 500 than a charity. What does that look like day to day?

NW: We do have a bit of a chip on our shoulders about being pigeonholed as anything other than the successful business we feel so proud to be. There are a few differences in our tax status, in how we put money back into the business and into the families we serve. But aside from that technical nuance, everything about running Baby2Baby is the same as running a business, in terms of leadership, logistics, warehousing, growth, staff, and growing pains. We have over 70 employees. Ten warehouses across the country.

TIME recognized us as one of the most influential companies in the world [on the 2023 Time100 list], which meant a lot to us. They didn’t say, “Okay, here's Baby2Baby out on the side, doing something lesser than, different, or specific.” We're in the group with the big kids, where we deserve to sit, so that was meaningful.

KSP: There’s also a sexist stigma against philanthropy because yes, it is more of a women-led business, and women are drawn to it. But that just inspires us to work harder for the mothers we serve. In 2025, we raised $70 million in cash and distributed over $122 million worth of product donations. We're serving over a million children in all 50 states and have changed laws. We are pretty solid in the fact that we are doing the work. If people want to underestimate us, it'll make us keep working harder.

Women are at the heart and soul of what we do—from our colleagues and C-suite to our angel group and the mothers we serve—and I do think we've changed the narrative to show that that’s a very powerful thing. We want to make sure that people joining the workforce, who are intelligent, amazing humans, come to the nonprofit sector and don’t look at it as lesser than, because it isn't.

Tell me about Baby2Baby’s Angel network and the celebrity ambassadors you work with.

KSP: We don't shy away from the fact that we have a lot of celebrities involved because they move the needle in every way. Our annual gala is one of our biggest fundraising moments in large part because our Angels bring the spotlight onto Baby2Baby. Companies come to us not only because we can donate five million diapers and wipes, but also because we’ll host an event and one of our celebrity ambassadors will take photos and give the brand exposure.

NW: The women we work with show up and take pictures when needed, but they also roll up their sleeves and are substantively involved in our programmatic work. Jessica Alba and Nicole Richie were at our first Mother’s Day event 15 years ago. Julie Bowen flew with us to the state assembly to advocate for the removal of sales tax on diapers. It's people like Miranda Kerr and Kim Kardashian, who raise their hands at our galas to donate millions of dollars. It's women like Jen Garner, Jessica Alba, and Emma Grede, who give us millions of items from their companies, whether it's The Honest Company or Once Upon a Farm. It's women like Gwyneth Paltrow who, in the middle of COVID, wore masks and gave out items to people driving by in their cars. It's Vanessa Bryant, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, Olivia Wilde, Paris Hilton, and countless others, who, during the L.A. fires, were here every day packing bundles for families who had lost everything.

These women come to us because they connect with the mission. Issues certainly impact people to different extents, but some of these themes—like needing diapers and having sleepless nights—resonate across motherhood. When Ciara speaks to a mother at one of our events, they can both appreciate the vulnerability and difficulty of new motherhood, regardless of their different circumstances.

What are some of the standout moments that left an impression on you from your 15 years at Baby2Baby?

NW: The children themselves are so inspirational, and always looking out for their siblings and family members. At our events, we create these magical toylands where kids can take home any toy they want. You might expect they’d want them for themselves, but every time, even the smallest child of five years old, they make sure to take something for their sibling at home. It's a beautiful reminder that people of the least means, who are struggling the most, have been taught to give back, which is what Baby2Baby's all about.

KSP: From day one, time and time again, we hear one through-line message from the parents at our distribution events: when we're able to provide diapers, and they can pay rent that month, put food on the table, and keep their lights on, we're not only providing basic necessities that they need—we're providing hope.

We also get very proud when we hear a new state has removed its diaper sales tax and clap for each one. Then we realize there are 23 states left to go, that diapers are still so expensive, the need is getting even greater, so we stop clapping and get back to work.

Photographer Shane McCauley | Hairstylist for Norah Melissa Uehara | Hair Stylist for Kelly Julie Ferrante | Makeup Artist for Norah Christina Lee Adams

Becky Kennedy isn’t trying to help anyone become the perfect parent. That’s not possible. The 43-year-old clinical psychologist and author tells me very matter of factly on a Monday afternoon Zoom call in mid-March that perfection wouldn’t be her objective even if it was. “Perfect is creepy,” she says. “I don’t hold myself to the goal of being perfect or calm all the time.”

Kennedy is better known to her audience of 3.4 million on Instagram and 342,000 on TikTok as Dr. Becky, and it's that kind of honesty and open-mindedness—backed by the credibility of being a mom of three kids aged 14, 11, and 8—that got her there. She earned the title of the “Millennial parent whisperer” during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she would share videos of herself empathetically addressing the anxieties of modern parenting from her New York City living room. Her popularity at a time when parenting advice is being spit out from all corners of the internet with regularity speaks for itself.

Kennedy has a lineup of Instagram videos boasting titles like “How to Say I’m Sorry” and “How to Stay Calm During a Tantrum,” but she maintains that parenting advice has never actually been the mission behind her platform. “I think of it much more as emotional infrastructure for a family,” she says.

Six years after her first viral Instagram post, which centered on how to respond to the stress and uncertainty of the pandemic, Kennedy is now the co-founder of Good Inside. It's a multi-platform brand that encompasses her podcast of the same name, her book, and a membership-based app that offers support in the form of online workshops, live events, a 24/7 AI-assisted chatbot, and more.

On our call, we got into what it means to be Good Inside, the importance of seeking out community as a parent, and the challenges of modern parenthood.

Your brand is called Good Inside. Can you explain what that means?

I think what it means is I have a sense of my internal worth separate from any given external behavior or moment, and that I can separate a moment that I'm not proud of from my internal worth. Even in the face of not being proud of my behavior, I can reflect: Why did I do that? What happened? What could I do differently the next time? Now I don't have so much shame, which freezes me. I always say on my podcast that, even as we struggle on the outside, we remain good inside, and I think it's that ability to stay in touch with your internal goodness that actually is kind of a necessary precondition for positive change.

Before you co-founded Good Inside, you were sharing personal stories about parenthood via social media. What made you think expanding your platform was necessary?

To me, social media can barely scratch the surface about the most important topics in our lives, so I love sharing thoughts and frameworks and ideas and snippets. But honestly, turning into something more came from DMs and people reaching out saying, "We want more. This is the first time something has made sense in my head and felt right in my heart." And I wanted to follow that thread. That's really what led to everything we do.

What kind of feedback were you initially hearing?

We have a lot of people in our community who aren't parents saying, "Oh, this just feels good for me as someone who doesn't have kids.” I think they were seeing through these social media clips and recognizing that these are deeper frameworks that they could be empowered by. People will say, “Oh, there's a post about a toddler, but I feel like this way of thinking about a boundary would be helpful with my boss or with my mother-in-law.” I have people who say, "I use this stuff all the time in the classroom” or “This would make me a better manager” or “I feel like this is marital advice.”

Has becoming a parent changed the way you practice psychology or interact with your patients?

Yes! I think so many of us are still kids in adult bodies and with adult responsibilities. And still, the things that we struggled with as kids or the areas where we often felt judged or unseen, they act themselves out. That's when we get triggered, that's when we have a hot reaction. And I think the beauty is that parenthood is just the most emotionally evocative journey we're on, and if we use it in that way, we see these moments we're not proud of in our own parenting, but we could use that, again, as a window to even better understand ourselves and grow further as parents or just as people.

How do you separate Dr. Becky, the psychologist, from Becky, the parent?

I always say to people, "My kids don't have Dr. Becky as a parent." That's true. But I think the thing that's built into Good Inside is that it’s not a platform for perfect parenting. It's not an approach to being a perfect parent. We always say that perfect is creepy. Perfect wouldn't even be the goal if it was possible. To quote Dr. Becky, we’ve built into Good Inside the idea of messing up, the idea of “I'm not going to be able to say what I want to say all the time,” and the idea that I can always repair. I think my kids have a parent who, yes, I think the Good Inside ideas and Dr. Becky ideas come to me as often as they can. They’re definitely the framework with which I understand my kids, but I don’t hold myself to the goal of being perfect or calm all the time. I try to do better more of the time, but repair when I struggle as much as possible.

You spoke to Trevor Noah about how necessary it is for parents to have community, but that’s a difficult thing to find these days as people become more isolated. Do you think your platform is filling that gap?

The best part about Good Inside is the community. Anyone who's deep in the Good Inside world kind of talks less about Dr. Becky and more about the other parents they meet. The best part of our membership is that there are members from over a hundred countries, and there's always someone awake to talk to. The discussions we're having online and live events—it's just the best corner of the internet. You don't find it anywhere else. People are pouring out their heart and being so real and responding to other people's vulnerabilities with, "Of course, that makes sense. Tell me more about that. Me too!" There's nothing I could ever say to a parent that is as powerful as the actual visceral experience of knowing you're not the only one, and AI cannot give that. Dr. Becky does not give that. The only thing that gives that is community. I'm very aware of that, which is why I'm so proud of the container we create for a safe community.

It's interesting that you brought up AI, because there are so many people who are turning to it for everything, including medical advice. As a psychologist, how do you navigate that?

I think it's really tempting to have something that, at least on the surface, offers this very quick fix and quick answers. I mean, I think the thing that it misses is, so often when we're anxious, our question isn't really the true question on our mind. We're asking a million questions about baby sleep, but kind of in the back of our head, we're wondering, “Is it going to be like this forever? Am I the only one struggling with this? Do I even understand what should be happening at this age?” And so we ask question after question after question, and the reason we keep doing it is because we're actually looking for something much deeper than the subject of our question, so I think AI is great. We all need a quick answer for something sometimes. I think we also all know at other moments, it's not actually landing in a way that feels helpful. So maybe instead of hammering away at the same thing and expecting a different response, [I need to do] something different. I think really importantly, Good Inside has never been about parenting advice. I think of us much more as emotional infrastructure for a family.

We’re constantly being told that less people are having children, and the statistics show it. Do you think being a parent is harder now than it was a decade ago?

I don’t know from personal experience, but I do think it is. This is the first generation of parents who are parenting in a world that never turns off, and where there is short-term convenience and comfort everywhere. Raising children is an act of short-term inconvenience with long-term gain and I think this world we're living in is becoming increasingly oriented towards short-term convenience, short-term rewards, short-term dopamine available everywhere. Parenting and raising kids kind of requires the opposite of that, so it's hard. Having a phone means that any of us, as adults, can get endless entertainment with very, very little effort. Well, raising kids requires a lot of effort and not a lot of entertainment. It's a lot of tolerating the stress and doing things that are kind of hard short-term for a long-term benefit of raising another human.

You spoke on a podcast about “the myth of maternal instinct.” Why do you think this idea is harmful, particularly for moms?

“Maternal instinct” insinuates that parenting comes naturally and that you should just know. The only thing that comes instinctually in parenting is how you were parented. A lot of parents I know say that there are things they want to do differently, but we wouldn't expect someone who's raised in English to speak Mandarin naturally. We would say, "Sure, you could change languages. But you're going to have to learn Mandarin." That doesn't happen naturally, and I think that's really so much of what Good Inside is all about. There are moments that come naturally, there are moments that are instinctual. There's a lot that doesn't, and that doesn't mean you're failing, and it doesn't mean you're flawed. That definitely doesn't mean something's wrong with you. Actually, in every other area of our life when something doesn't come naturally, that's just the moment to say, "I'm going to level up my support here." There’s no shame in investing in support for the hardest and most impactful job in the world.

What's something you wish more people understood about motherhood and the way children behave?

That there's always a story underneath someone's behavior. Behavior is really like a window into someone's home. Behavior is not an indicator of identity. It's a clue into something a kid is struggling with, and when we understand that, we can do the next piece, which isn't being permissive. It's saying, "Okay, well, now that I better understand what's driving behavior, I have some of the ingredients I need to actually improve behavior." Look at behavior as a clue, not into who someone is, but into what someone is struggling with.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

If you’ve spent any time on fitness-Tok recently or live in a city where trends seem to manifest overnight, you’ve probably noticed the rise of weighted vests on walks, hikes, and during strength training routines. But why? Well, put simply, weighted vests are an easy way to bring strength training into your everyday life. The added resistance increases the challenge of any activity— even low-impact movements like walking—which helps to maintain muscle mass without the need for heavy equipment.

That said, weighted vests aren’t exactly new. Trainers and athletes have used them for years as part of their strength training routines, but the trend never quite hit the mainstream until now. The Bala Bangle to weighted vest pipeline, some might say.

Before you click purchase, it’s worth thinking about how this will actually fit into your routine. Will it become part of your everyday movement, or end up collecting dust alongside the foam roller you swore you’d use? Weighted vests can be incredibly effective, but they’re not one-size-fits-all. The right approach depends on how heavy it is, how long you wear it, and the type of movement you pair it with.

To find out if this trend is really worth the hype, I spoke with board-certified surgeons, physical therapists, and personal trainers about what weighted vests actually do for your body and how to use them safely.

Why Strength Training Matters for Women

According to board-certified spine surgeon Saad Chaudhary, MD, strength training is incredibly beneficial for women as they age because it helps counter many of the physiological changes that occur over time. Women in their late thirties and beyond, especially those who are perimenopausal, can lose 3–8 percent of their muscle mass per decade (the horrors persist). “Weight training can stimulate muscle synthesis and preserve and rebuild muscle stock,” explains Dr. Chaudhary. “Moreover, weight-bearing activities and strength training can counteract rapid bone loss and help combat osteopenia and osteoporosis by creating mechanical stress that promotes bone density and reduces bone resorption and loss.”

How Can Weighted Vests Help?

Physical therapist Dan Ginader, PT, DPT, explains that women are not only more at risk for reduced bone density but are also statistically less likely to engage in regular strength training. “Weighted vests are an easy and accessible way to add resistance to bodyweight exercises,” he says. “If you’re primarily working out at home and doing movements like squats, lunges, or push-ups, a weighted vest can be a great way to add resistance and build strength.”

ACE-certified trainer Alex Silver-Fagan calls weighted vests “such an underrated tool” because they add resistance to movements you’re already doing without requiring a full gym setup. That added load helps maintain and build muscle in a functional way, which becomes increasingly important as we age. “I love them because they make resistance training more accessible, and you can work on strength, posture, and stability in ways that feel natural and sustainable.”

Dr. Chaudhary adds that several groups can benefit from incorporating a weighted vest into their routine, even on an intermittent basis. These include postmenopausal women, those with osteopenia or osteoporosis, older adults looking to prevent frailty, and anyone with limited gym access or time constraints.

How Weighted Vests Help Your Bones and Balance

Weighted vests can help slow bone loss by increasing the amount of weight and pressure placed on the torso and bones. “Exposing your skeleton to controlled and increased weight and load stimulates the bone-forming cells and inhibits the cells that resorb bone,” says Dr. Chaudhary. “Routine use of a vest in daily activities can have a modest effect in diminishing bone loss and fending off osteoporosis.”

He adds that a weighted vest can strengthen the core and lower-body muscles, which play a key role in maintaining balance and reducing fall risk. “A weighted vest can lead to stronger core muscles (key muscles of the spine, trunk, and pelvic region) and lower extremity muscles resulting in improved balance and minimizing fall risks,” he says.

However, Dr. Ginader notes that while weighted vests are an effective way to add resistance, they may not be the most targeted tool for improving posture or balance on their own. “Anybody can benefit from resistance training, and it’s best to start as soon as you can instead of waiting to fall into an ‘at-risk’ group,” he says.

Can Weighted Vests Replace the Gym?

If you’re someone who doesn’t want to splurge on a pricey gym membership or prefers to exercise outdoors or at home, a weighted vest can transform simple movements into a full-body workout. Silver-Fagan says, “You can take movements you already know, like push-ups, step-ups, or even a simple walk, and suddenly make them strength sessions.”

However, OMORPHO weighted vest founder Stefan Olander notes that these vests are not meant to completely replace traditional strength training. Instead, they enhance what you’re already doing, helping you build strength in a more accessible and sustainable way.

How to Use a Weighted Vest Safely

Before you strap on a weighted vest, it’s important to make sure your body can handle the added resistance. Dr. Ginader recommends starting small. “First become fully comfortable performing exercises without one. Once you can do that, start with a light vest around five to 10 pounds and slowly build up from there,” he says.

Dr. Chaudhary agrees that gradual progression is key. “It is optimal to start light, allow the body to accommodate, and make adjustments over time to enhance the musculoskeletal benefits of training while minimizing the risk for injury,” he explains. “I would advise starting fairly light at 2-5 percent of your body weight. Avoid high-impact movements including jumping and repetitive twisting. Start with 15 to 20 minutes, then increase duration gradually.”

Silver-Fagan adds, “Once you’re comfortable walking with it, start layering the vest into bodyweight movements you already feel confident doing before adding anything high-impact. Focus on posture and core engagement first. It’s not about pushing harder, it’s about moving better.”

However, Olander advises anyone with pre-existing injuries or joint concerns to check with a medical expert before adding external load. Dr. Chaudhary notes that certain conditions require caution or complete avoidance, including a history of spinal compression fractures, significant spinal stenosis or disc herniations, advanced osteoporosis, and more.

So, Are Weighted Vests Worth It?

Whether you’re in your early twenties and just starting your fitness journey or trying to maintain muscle mass as you age, a weighted vest offers a simple way to strengthen muscles and bones without putting extra strain on your joints. “Weighted vests provide a means to gently increase loads to the musculoskeletal system with a larger surface area of weight distribution across the torso,” says Dr. Chaudhary. "Using this device for everyday activity or gentle weight-bearing exercises can optimize the muscle and bone-building benefits without stressing the joints.”

Silver-Fagan adds that form and awareness are everything. “If you have back, joint, or balance concerns, talk to a trainer or physical therapist first. Start light, move with control, and stay aware of your alignment.”

A weighted vest won’t magically fix your posture (shoulders back) or turn you into a powerlifter overnight, but it’s an easy way to level up your daily walk and add a little more challenge to your routine without overdoing it.

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Meet the Experts

Feet pics usually come at a price, but if you’ve ever caught a glimpse of your favorite athletes’ feet, you’d notice they’re in surprisingly great condition. It’s not just good genetics, quality socks, or staying hydrated, either. Many professional athletes regularly receive medical pedicures, also known as sports pedicures, which are clinical-grade treatments that go far beyond your average nail salon experience.

Once reserved for beauty insiders, athletes, or anyone with a podiatrist on speed dial, medical pedicures are now much easier to access. They’ve become the gold standard for anyone who takes foot health seriously, especially as more people realize skincare doesn’t stop at the ankles. These days, nail care is about function as much as it is about aesthetics, and people are investing in treatments that support hygiene, comfort, and long-term wellness.

In the name of research, I booked one myself and spoke to a few pros to find out why the treatment is so beneficial—and so buzzy. Here's what I found out.

What is a medical pedicure?

Unlike a traditional pedicure, which focuses primarily on aesthetics alone, a medical pedicure—or medi-pedi—is a results-driven foot care treatment performed by a licensed podiatrist or a professional trained in both aesthetics and advanced foot health. Board-certified dermatologist, Teresa Song, MD, explains that the service includes a comprehensive assessment of the feet and nails to identify potential issues such as fungal infections, skin thickening, or biomechanical imbalances.

The treatment often involves the meticulous removal of corns, calluses, and dead skin, as well as medically appropriate nail trimming, meaning nails are cut straight across and at the correct length to prevent ingrown toenails or injury (no coffin nails here). There's also an emphasis on long-term foot health, with providers often addressing underlying issues like cracked heels, thickened nails, fungal infections, and recurring ingrown nails.

Medi-pedis are performed in sterile, clinical environments using either disposable or hospital-grade sterilized instruments—a far cry from your local salon or spa. Rather than massage chairs and floral foot soaks, expect a no-frills setup designed to prioritize hygiene, treatment, and prevention.

However, before you book an appointment, it’s important to remember that “as with any service, it’s essential to vet the provider’s qualifications and be prepared to pay more than a standard salon pedicure,” says board-certified dermatologist, Dana Stern, MD. You’ll want to make sure that the practitioner is certified in advanced foot care or licensed in podiatry. “The term ‘medical pedicure’ isn’t regulated and can be used by anyone, so if you’re seeking help for specific concerns like nail infections, corns, or thickened nails, make sure the practitioner is professionally trained to address them.”

How can a medical pedicure benefit people who aren't just athletes?

Whether you're a professional athlete or someone who’s simply on your feet all day, your feet endure a lot. Frequent impact, pressure, and moisture can lead to blisters, nail trauma, calluses, and other recurring issues, explains Marcela Correa, a licensed medical pedicurist and founder of Medi Pedi NYC. Medical pedicures help address these problems at the source by safely removing thickened skin with professional tools, trimming damaged or misshapen nails to reduce pressure points, and using techniques like manual massage or lymphatic stimulation to boost circulation. They can also relieve discomfort caused by tight footwear by softening hardened areas and reducing inflammation, and they support post-workout recovery by improving blood flow and minimizing pressure buildup.

"They enhance overall foot function and performance," Correa says. "Regular treatments also support long-term foot health and reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as plantar fasciitis, recurring fungal infections, or structural imbalances. This is crucial for active individuals where foot health directly impacts performance and injury risk."

What is the difference between a medical pedicure and a cosmetic one?

Cosmetic pedicures are typically performed by licensed nail technicians who complete a state-approved certification focused on nail aesthetics and basic sanitation. These treatments are mostly about appearance, but they only address the surface. According to Dr. Song, they also follow less stringent hygiene protocols than what you’d find in a clinical setting and aren’t designed to treat or identify real foot health issues.

Medical pedicures, on the other hand, are handled by podiatrists or professionals with advanced foot care training, like registered nurses or certified medical pedicurists. (Medi Pedi NYC, for example, runs its own training program.) These providers are trained in nail and skin pathology, infection control, and treatment protocols that go beyond what a salon offers. The focus is on correcting structural issues, addressing any issues, and improving long-term foot function using medical tools and techniques.

Sanitation is taken seriously, as you can imagine. Practitioners wear gloves, surgical masks, head coverings, and antimicrobial scrubs. Each treatment room is stocked with pre-sterilized tools and single-use files and buffers. After every session, the space is fully cleaned and disinfected, disposable tools are discarded, and a fresh set of sterilized instruments is prepped for the next client.

These treatments aren’t just reactionary—they're preventative. While they do address common issues like calluses, ingrown nails, and fungal infections, they also help spot early signs of inflammation, stress, or infection that could throw off your stride. Keeping your skin and nails in check, and spotting red flags early, can go a long way toward supporting mobility and endurance, whether you’re an athlete or simply an active individual getting older.

What are some signs your feet might need professional help?

According to Dr. Song, persistent pain during walking or training, such as running, weightlifting, or high-impact sports, may be a signal that you could benefit from a medi-pedi. Other red flags include thickened or discolored nails, recurring ingrown toenails, cracked heels, or peeling skin. If any of these issues last longer than two to three weeks without improvement, especially if over-the-counter products aren’t working, it could be time to book a medical pedicure or see a podiatrist. You might also notice abnormal odor or scaling that doesn't improve with consistent at-home care, like regular exfoliation or the use of foot creams.

Correa adds that recurring calluses, brittle or crumbling nails, itching, or unusual tenderness may also indicate fungal infections or underlying stress. “These are signs your feet are under chronic strain,” she says. This kind of strain can come from everyday habits like standing for long periods, walking in unsupportive shoes, or skipping recovery after physical activity. In athletes, it’s often caused by repeated impact, tight footwear, or friction over time. "Without professional care, they can progress into more serious complications."

How often should athletes, or those who put serious stress on their feet, consider getting a medical pedicure?

Both Correa and Dr. Song agree that active individuals or athletes should consider getting a medi-pedi every four to six weeks to maintain healthy nails and skin. “This schedule helps prevent the buildup of stress-related conditions and allows for early intervention if issues start to develop,” says Correa. Regular appointments can also help prevent fungal overgrowth through proper nail trimming, and minimize callus buildup that could lead to cracking or pressure-related pain.

That said, frequency should be based on your specific needs, including your activity level and footwear. For example, if you’re constantly in high heels or unsupportive shoes (here's looking at you, mesh jelly sandals), you may be more prone to foot strain and could benefit from more frequent care.

Foot structure also plays a role. People with flat feet or high arches may be at higher risk for pressure-related conditions or injury and could benefit from more regular treatments. It’s also common for those with these foot types to wear shoes that don’t properly support their structure (guilty!), which can make issues worse. Correa emphasizes the importance of considering underlying health conditions as well, such as diabetes, which can impair circulation and delay healing, or hyperhidrosis, a condition that causes excessive sweating and may lead to fungal infections and skin breakdown if not managed properly.

What is the experience of getting a Medi Pedi like?

While I’m not an athlete by traditional standards (no gold medals, no 5 a.m. practices, no line of buff suitors out the door), I am a boutique fitness studio enthusiast and a New Yorker who thinks a 30-minute walk counts as a five-minute stroll. As a result, I deal with frequent pain from flat feet and, until now, I'd never tried a medical pedicure. I do, however, take basic care of my feet with monthly pedicures at a non-toxic nail studio and the occasional at-home foot mask. But for the sake of journalism, I stepped off my soapbox and booked the appointment.

I went to MediPedi in New York, and my first thought was: Oh, this is serious serious. I walked into a private room that looked more like a dental exam space than the typical nail salons I usually visit, the kind where someone offers you hot tea and meditation headphones. The chair was more like a reclining medical lounger, complete with overhead lighting and sterile instrument trays.

Sometimes you get two technicians for these appointments, but one was tied up. “I'm doing an ingrown nail and then I’ll come help,” she muttered before ducking out. My technician got started right away, removing my polish and asking how long I’d had it on (way too long). My nails were coated in white calcium residue, which she carefully filed and buffed away using a high-speed drill.

The entire treatment is waterless, so there’s no soaking. Instead, they apply a gel callus softener that breaks down tough skin without the need for harsh scrubbing that makes the whole thing feel less harsh. From there, she trimmed my nails using a straight-across technique that helps prevent ingrowns and pressure points, buffed my feet and scrubbed away any rough patches. Somehow I also managed not to kick her in the face despite how ticklish I am.

It felt very similar to a dental cleaning—thorough, clinical, and surprisingly satisfying. I don’t have any major foot concerns, so it wasn’t painful, but I imagine that varies depending on what you’re getting treated. The founder popped in a few times to check on me and even said, “How we doing with these beautiful feet?” I did briefly consider adding that to my Hinge profile.

My appointment took less than 45 minutes, and you could definitely bring your laptop to multitask. At the end, she applied lotion and gently scolded me about the importance of drinking water and moisturizing—two things I’m notoriously bad at. She didn’t apply polish, which makes sense since that’s not really the point of a medical pedicure. Still, I’m now due for a trip to my regular nail salon for a summer color, which is a little annoying.

Over the next few days, I kept looking down at my feet in amazement—partially because I haven’t seen my toes without polish since I was 11, and partially because they just looked clean. Usually, when my polish is removed, my nails look dull and uneven, with white spots or a rough texture. But these looked fresh out of the box. My cuticles were smooth, the nail beds looked even, and the skin on my heels and toes felt noticeably softer.

How much does a Medi Pedi cost?

I tried the basic medical pedicure, which rings in at $206, but the space also offers à la carte pricing for things like gel polish removal, ingrown nails, corns, severely cracked heels, thick calluses, and overgrown or fungal nails. You can also tack on extras like apricot exfoliation, a CBD salve treatment, paraffin wax, nail braces (thin composite bands that help correct curved or ingrown nails), and laser treatments for nail fungus or stubborn skin conditions.

Is a Medi Pedi worth it?

Considering younger generations are more wellness-focused than ever, whether it’s Botox, lymphatic drainage, or longevity supplements, it’s worth keeping foot care in the conversation. You don’t need to go overboard, but if your feet look like they need extra help, they probably do.

Also, if you’re an athlete or just on your feet a lot, this is absolutely worth adding to your maintenance and performance routine. It can help prevent issues like calluses, nail trauma, and inflammation before they start affecting your comfort or mobility. It also gives your feet a level of care that a regular salon pedicure just can't match. Personally, I might not be back anytime soon, mostly because of the high price tag and the fact that my feet aren’t in crisis mode. But if something unsightly happens, I take up foot modeling (times are tough), or become a late-in-life athlete, this is definitely something I’d do again.

So while regular medical pedicures aren’t just for athletes, they’re a practical investment in long-term comfort, mobility, and overall health, especially as we age. It's safe to say that the foot care craze isn't going anywhere.

Meet the Experts

What if your morning protein shake could double as your beauty routine? It almost sounds too good to be true, right? Enter The Collagen Co.'s Glow Shakes. Originally launched in Australia, these all-in-one meal replacements are now making waves in the U.S., quickly becoming a fan-favorite daily essential for women seeking a smarter, more delicious way to glow and streamline their wellness routine. Loaded with hydrolyzed collagen peptides, more than 29 grams of protein, prebiotic fiber, MCT oil, and skin-supporting vitamins, these shakes are basically your dream skincare-meets-wellness routine served up in a creamy, indulgent, dessert-worthy drink that proves beauty from within is here to stay.

With less than one gram of sugar per serving and irresistible flavors including Iced Coffee, Salted Caramel Milkshake, and Cinnamon Churro, Glow Shakes turn nourishing your skin and body into a delicious sweet treat. More than just a meal replacement, these shakes are designed to keep you energized, curb cravings, and support your skin's natural radiance from the inside out. Whether you're powering through back-to-back meetings, sprinting out the door to school drop-offs, or squeezing in a last-minute workout between errands, Glow Shakes offer a reliable, convenient way to fuel your body and simplify your wellness routine while delivering real, visible results. Keep reading to discover the mouth-watering flavors that The Collagen Co. has crafted. Trust me—you'll want to try them all.

The Collagen Co.'s Glow Shakes

Dietary supplements can be game-changing for your health. Greens powders can help you get more nutrients in your diet; a daily multivitamin can boost your overall health; and conception support supplements can, you guessed it, support your body throughout the conception process. There are hundreds of supplements on the market, but doctor-founded supplement brand Perelel stands out among the rest. The brand is best known for its fertility and conception vitamins, and for good reason. The brand tapped celebrity-loved OB-GYNs, Dr. Andy Huang, M.D. and Dr. Brian Levine to develop its best-selling conception support pack, which includes prenatal support, antioxidants, and omegas to promote egg health and ovulation.

In a saturated market, there's comfort in knowing Perelel's formulas are science-backed and recommended by doctors with years of experience helping women conceive. Even if you're not in that phase of life, the brand has every kind of supplement you could ask for, including protein powder, hormonal support supplements, and sleep aids. Make a positive addition to your wellness routine with Perelel's vast array of supplements. Keep scrolling to learn more.

Fertility, Conception, and Prenatal Supplements

Perelel's conception and prenatal supplements were formulated with the help of a team of OB-GYNs who place mothers' health at the forefront.

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From sleep to hormonal support, Perelel has a full range of vitamins and supplements to improve your health.

Last year, I knew I wasn't making the healthiest choices. I skipped workouts more often than not, opted to drive short distances instead of walking, and generally felt disconnected from myself. Fast-forward to 2025—these days, I get up at 7 a.m., hit all my Pilates classes, stay hydrated, and walk my dog (even if she doesn't want to), and with these changes, I've shed the extra weight I gained during my low periods. But here's the thing: Feeling healthy isn't just about working out or eating clean. It's about making little lifestyle shifts that have a big impact, like journaling, meditating, getting quality sleep, and prioritizing the habits you know are important but don't give enough attention. And let me tell you, it feels incredible. And I know this is just the beginning. Below, I've rounded up all the wellness essentials that have been game changers for me, along with a few buzzy new finds making waves in the world of health and well-being.

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Yusra Mardini is an inspiration. At only 17 years old, she fled her war-torn home country of Syria with her sister, both swimmers training at the highest level. As the small boat she was on with 18 other refugees broke down in the middle of the Mediterranean, Mardini and her sister jumped in the water and pulled the boat to safety. After reaching European shores and finding her final refuge in Germany, she went back to training and ended up participating in the Rio and Tokyo Olympics. Her story was even turned into a Netflix movie, "The Swimmers" and Mardini and her sister were among Time Magazine’s list of The 100 Most Influential People in 2023. Here, she shares her experience with Marie Claire.

Marie Claire: What was the final straw that made you decide to flee your country?

Yusra Mardini: To be honest with you, there was not like one specific event. It just wasn’t safe to live in Syria. We lost our home, two years into the war, and started renting apartments, which became very expensive, and we had to move every three months. My father left to be a swim coach in Jordan where the pay would be better. The Olympic pool I was training in was also targeted all the time because it was seen as a military base. One time I had to hide under my desk in the school. It just wasn’t safe. The bombs would fall randomly. Like, you’d be walking and then a bomb would just fall and you would just stand to the side, wait for everything to quiet down, and keep on walking like nothing even happened. It became so normal, which is horrible. One day, my sister and I were just talking in our shared bedroom and we just decided, it’s time to leave. We found someone our parents could trust, my dad’s cousin, and they let us go.

MC: What is the thing that you remember most from your journey as a refugee?

YM: Probably the fact that we were looked at as criminals. Unfortunately a lot of people were scared of us; didn’t believe that the money we were holding was real—as if being a refugee means you have nothing. I was also always scared when we had to put our trust in smugglers because of all the stories about trafficking. That was terrifying, as was being separated from my sister for part of the journey. As long as I was with her, I felt safe. But in the end, we trusted, and we wanted to help, and it turned out all right. You know, there’s always good and bad in the world, no matter where you are, no matter who you are. I met so many incredible people. For example, Hungary was one of the worst points for us as refugees, but even there some people were trying to help us. When I got to Greece, I remember trying to buy something at a restaurant and they didn’t want to serve us. And there was a young girl who just came and gave me shoes, and gave a little boy a hoodie, and took us to her home to drink water. There’s always good, wherever you go.

MC: And now you’re trying to do good in the world. Tell us about your foundation.

YM: It was launched June 20, last year’s World Refugee Day, and it focuses on helping refugees worldwide through education and sports. Sports and education helped me personally get where I am today, and now I just want to give back. I feel like I have the power to offer the same opportunity to young refugees around the world.

I recently just came back from Kenya, where I saw so many incredible programs that are teaching some refugees in the camp how to become directors and producers and football and basketball players. It was just incredible to see that even in these really, really hard circumstances, they are still trying to pursue their dreams through education and sports.

So my goal is to give as many refugees around the world the possibility to pursue their dreams. We now have programs in Kenya, France, and Greece.

MC: Speaking of sports, tell us about competing in the Olympics with the Refugee team?

YM: The team came together when the International Olympic Committee and the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, came together and decided that there should be a team because there were many athletes reaching out that had no team, professional athletes who, because of war and displacement, didn’t have a passport. I was one of the 10 members of this first team for the Rio Olympics. I was 18 at the time, and I’m still in touch with a lot of the athletes. In the beginning, it was hard for me. I didn’t want to be called a refugee.

Of course, I understood that I was one, but I didn’t want to be known worldwide for it. It took me a while to be okay with that. But in the end, I understood that a lot of people would be looking up to us, a lot refugees would be watching from refugee camps. We realized that our responsibility was way bigger than any of the other athletes.

When I entered the stadium for the opening ceremony, I felt: It’s not just your dream anymore. It’s about changing something. It’s about proving that, yes, you can go through so many difficult things in life, you don’t necessarily get the life you had dreamed of, but you can still do great things. For Tokyo, I had qualified to be in the Syrian team, but I decided to stay with the refugee team.

MC: And what message do you want to share now?

YM: For young people, I just want them to understand that even if we imagine that our life will go a certain way, it doesn’t always turn out like that. We have to be flexible, and we have to step back, not give up, and try again tomorrow, or try something different. For the rest of the world, never forget the humanity of refugees. And for sports fans, support the refugee team and follow my commentary on Eurosport this summer.

On a Saturday in late June, 39-year-old Keira D’Amato stepped onto the rust-colored track at Oregon’s Hayward Field. The former American record holder in the marathon traded in her super shoes for Nike Dragonfly 2 spikes, toeing the start of the 10K alongside 22 other Olympic hopefuls—all but one younger than the mother-of-two. D’Amato ran 25 laps at just over a five-minute pace.

Fast? Undoubtedly. So speedy, in fact, that with under a mile to go in the race, she was in the lead pack, instilling hope with each stride in both her fans and individuals watching the telecast that 2024 would be the year D’Amato added Olympian to her resumé.

D'Amato didn't make the team. She did, however, laugh at comments insinuating she’s old enough to be 21-year-old competitor Parker Valby’s mom, the recent University of Florida graduate who took second place.

“It’s not the norm for women my age to be competing at this level. I think because it’s not the norm, more people haven’t tried,” D’Amato tells me. “Experiencing life has taught me lessons that I apply to sport in a way I couldn’t have in my early twenties. I’m sharper, more confident, competitive, capable, and disciplined [than I’ve ever been]. Yeah, it takes a little bit more time to recover, but I'm running the fastest times that I've ever run in my life.”

D’Amato is part of a growing number of athletes who are aging up. Come August, three-time Olympic medalist and two-time 100-meter champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 37, will run alongside women who are 13 years (or more) her junior, including 24-year-old Sha’Carri Richardson. Basketballer Diana Taurasi is currently the oldest player in the WNBA at 42, already has five Olympic gold medals, and is looking to add one more as a part of Team USA this summer. At 67, Julie Holt is a five-time CrossFit Games masters athlete with two wins under her belt, with a deadlift around 265 pounds and a back squat sitting at 250.

In the U.S. Swim Olympic Trials earlier this summer, 46-year-old, two-time Olympian Gabrielle Rose swam a personal lifetime best of 1:08:32 in the 100-meter breaststroke and was the oldest out of over 1,000 athletes competing in the event, surpassing swimmers who were half her age. Afterward, she told reporters, “I’m just hoping to show people you can do more. I want women in particular to know they can have a lot more in the older chapters of their lives.”

At 40, Des Linden—2018 Boston Marathon Champion—isn’t hanging up her kicks anytime soon, either. Linden’s competed in the race for the past four years, and has no plans on stopping. “The mindset that 40 is a masters athlete and signifies retirement, we’re seeing a shift,” Linden says.

That athletes are challenging what’s considered “old” can, in part, be attributed to what’s happening culturally. Women are redefining the narratives around aging as a whole, including delaying both marriage and motherhood, according to the CDC.

But also, women are choosing to compete for longer because they can. We’re seeing more and more examples of athletes winning, long past what is considered their “prime,” like D’Amato, Taurasi, and Fraser-Pryce.

In looking at the numbers, there’s been a steady increase in peak performance ages of female Olympic medalists—but not in male—as seen in 114 years of data spanning from the first Olympics in 1898 through 2014. Barriers that once forced women out of sports in a way that men don’t have to deal with, like childbirth, are no longer an end-all to athletic prowess, as seen with greats including Serena Williams and Allyson Felix.

It also helps that women are better supported. While historically, some saw athletes as disposable bodies once they hit 30 (or even younger), more coaches and programs are now aligned with athletes focusing on their physical, emotional, and mental health. That evolution coming on the heels of female athletes using their own platforms to speak out about the need to prioritize their well-being.

Dawn Scott, vice president of performance and innovation for the Washington Spirit women’s soccer team, has been working with high-level female professional soccer athletes for the past 20 years, including big names like Ali Krieger and Megan Rapinoe. “Krieger was in some of the best shape of her life in 2019,” Scott says. “And then up until she retired, she was playing every single game for Gotham. There’s a lot of reasoning for that, but it mostly comes down to the individual and how they look after their own body.”

Much of this is possible because of the money that’s being funneled into women’s sports, too. “The way that we're traveling and being treated, the accommodations, the resources that we have, the investment that we have, it all makes a difference in the longevity of an athlete,” says Krieger, 39. “We're able to now really put ourselves first and prioritize our health, both mentally and physically.”

That investment flows in from a number of companies, including big names like Ally Financial, Budweiser, Glossier, Gatorade, and Morgan Stanley. The financial backing being used on everything from bringing in emerging technology and experts to the intangible things that equally impact an athlete’s performance, like better salaries and stadiums.

Of course, staying in the game is bigger than dollars and physical ability. For so many pros, sports have been a part of their lives from a young age, and being an athlete is ingrained in their identity. While researchers have found that developing a strong athletic identity can be beneficial in driving motivation and performance, the associated cost is that its loss is felt deeply when an athlete exits their profession.

“When you think about it, you dedicate your whole life to being the best athlete that you can be, and then for most—if they’re lucky—they only get to do it until they’re 30,” says three-time Olympian Sanya Richards-Ross, who retired competitively from sport after the 2016 Olympics. Richards-Ross, who’s been a Nike athlete for the past 20 years, credits the support of her community as well as a regular prayer practice with helping her adjust out of sport.

In the weeks leading up to her final race, Richards-Ross repeated the following: “Thank you for this gift of track and field, and for all the ways that it’s blessed my life. But I know every blessing is not meant to last a lifetime. And so, I ask you to leave me with all of the good things, all of the lessons, all of my experiences, so I can use it for the next thing.”

The next thing can be super intimidating for many. “Ending an athletic career is a lot like putting your dog down,” Linden says. “Like you make the choice, you don't want to do it too early, but you don't want to do it when you're suffering and miserable. It’s this weird thing, and I always think of it that way.”

While everyone will have to hang up their uniform at some point, that women are ultimately deciding when is the real win. “My goals are very different now,” Linden says. “I don’t expect to be at the front of the Boston Marathon fighting for the win over the last three miles anymore. But, at the same time…it’s fun to disrupt some people that I shouldn’t be beating.”

D’Amato, who will be 40 in October, agrees. “[Older women] are capable of so much more, and there’s no reason to limit what we can do. I'm really proud to be one of those women pushing the limit to show us all what we're capable of.”

Welcome to Power Picks, a monthly series on the things that help us navigate our lives, step into our personal power, or simply get us through our day-to-day. Our hope is that by sharing what makes us feel great, we can help you feel great, too.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I’m easily influenced. It doesn’t take much for me to jump on the bandwagon of the latest TikTok-viral thing. This mentality has led to some great finds, like my new favorite walking shoes from Rothy’s and my favorite drugstore mascara, but it’s also led to some not-so-great purchases, like that viral thermal brush that ripped out my hair (IYKYK. But a recent TikTok-made-me-do-it buy—the Sunny Health & Fitness Mini Stepper—ranks among my all-time favorites.

As someone who works out at least five times a week, I’ve never struggled to keep a fitness routine. What I do struggle with is getting in movement the rest of the day. Some days, especially when I work from home, I'm glued to my desk chair for a solid eight hours. These are the days when I’ll look at my Oura Ring stats, see I’ve only hit 5,000 steps or so, and feel guilty. We’ve all heard that sitting is a “silent killer,” and it’s true: Too much sedentary time increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and death, per the American Heart Association. So when I saw the Sunny Mini Stepper blow up on my FYP, a lightbulb went off in my head.

The Sunny Health & Fitness Mini Stepper is essentially a miniature StairMaster: you push the pedals up and down to simulate the same motion as climbing steps. You can also use a dial to change the resistance. But at just 16-by-12 inches and weighing in at 15 pounds, it's much more compact than a StairMaster, making it as easy as can be to move and store. It comes with removable resistance bands so you can get your whole body involved, plus an LED screen that tracks your steps, calories burned, and time spent working out.

I’ve had this stepper in my fitness arsenal for six months now, and I use it all the time. If I’m tempted to mindlessly scroll through TikTok, I’ll hop on my stepper. Finishing an episode of a TV show or a chapter on my Kindle Paperwhite? You can bet I’ll be stepping away. On particularly early mornings when I’m up before the sun, I’ll use my stepper to warm up before my workout. I’ll even pull it out when I need a quick boost of energy during long days of work.

It doesn't get my heart pumping like a HIIT workout, but this stepper does make me break a sweat in as little as 10 minutes. It has the intensity of an uphill walk, but I can dial it up a notch (literally) when the mood strikes, or go nice and easy when I’m not in the mood for a sweaty workout. Sometimes, I won’t even bother with workout clothes and sneakers—I’ll just get to stepping in whatever it is I have on that day. The stepper’s accessibility is what makes this a real game-changer in my eyes: its compact size means I can keep it under my bed and easily pull it out whenever I feel like it. While I can’t always go on a walk because of the weather or time of day, I can always use my stepper.

The one drawback? It does require balance. The pedals are wide enough to be stable, but it takes time to learn how to push them and to get comfortable with the machine’s movements. By now, I've had plenty of practice and can now play on my Nintendo Switch while stepping without losing my balance—but if your balance isn’t great, take your time and work your way up to multitasking. At $60, it's a relatively affordable purchase, and a no-brainer way to meet your movement goals.

Every January, I set out to achieve the goals I've written in my journal throughout the previous year. In 2024, those goals include using food delivery services less often, moving my body more, and writing in my journal more throughout the year. But recently, content creator Rikhi Roy has been inspiring me to add more goals to that list. The aerospace engineer, digital creator, and podcast host knows a thing or two about incorporating mindfulness and intention into her busy schedule, so I'm taking a page out of her book and upgrading my wellness practices. It's no surprise that Roy added some new launches from The Honey Pot to her everyday routine (true game changers), and I have the inside scoop for you below.

On Her Morning Routine

"When my phone alarm rings at 6 a.m. from my kitchen counter, I pad over from my bedroom to grab my phone and lie back in my warm bed to start my day with my morning visualization and breathwork ritual. Feeling cozy while envisioning my best self and taking energizing breaths is my first act of balancing mindset work with self-compassion. The audio wakes me up gently, stops me from hitting snooze, and reminds me to find joy in all the little moments throughout the day, rooting me in gratitude and good energy. As the meditations wrap up, I convince myself to get out of bed. I cue up my favorite yoga teacher's morning playlist and start my skincare ritual. I keep it simple with three intentional products: an ayurvedic vitamin C serum, an eye gel, and sunscreen. Padding over to the kitchen with a freshly glazed face, I take my vitamins, make breakfast, and drink my first cup of coffee. At this point, I can see the sun rising over the turquoise blues of the Pacific, and I bring my food and coffee over to my dining nook to journal. I'm deeply passionate about the mindfulness practices that bookend my day, helping me stay organized for all the ways I want to show up across my life." — Rikhi Roy, Digital Creator

On Her Bodycare Routine

"Having a midday workout and shower ritual is a great way to reenergize and focus. I use The Honey Pot Prebiotic Wipes to wipe my face right after the gym. I love the refreshing feeling of wiping away impurities with just a few gentle swipes across my face. The convenience of these wipes makes my post-workout refresh seamless no matter where I am. When I get home, I use the Grapefruit Ylang Ylang Hydrating Herbal-Infused Body Cleanser and Prebiotic Foaming Wash. The body cleanser smells so good and energizing, and it's pH-balanced. Your skin feels really soft and nourished post-shower. It helps me feel reenergized to continue showing up purposefully for the rest of my day. The Prebiotic Foaming Wash's lather is airy and indulgent. Beyond how wonderful it feels, I adore that this dermatologist- and gynecologist-approved formula is crafted with intentional, prebiotic-infused care for my body's needs. It's a daily reminder to nurture myself inside and out." — Roy

On Her Wellness Journey

"My wellness journey began during my aerospace engineering studies and deepened in graduate school. It started with a simple meditation practice that became a beloved morning and evening ritual. Over time, I layered on journaling, life coaching, and therapy to learn how to thrive in academically challenging environments. This allowed me to speak at places like Yale, MIT, and NASA on the power of introspection for meaningful self-expression. Sharing my story as a bubbly engineer who loves fashion magazines and technical research alike taught me that vulnerability is a strength for deeper connections. Embracing my full self with humility and authenticity is an act of resilience for living a purpose-driven life. Today, my holistic wellness practices empower me to show up wholeheartedly as a content creator, podcaster, and engineer. I value intentional movement, financial wellness, and thoughtful bodycare rituals by using better-for-you products." — Roy

On Her Work-Life Balance

"I start work at 8 a.m. Showing up authentically with warmth and bubbliness in my aerospace engineering job has created profound shifts in my sense of self. Working remotely in an area I'm deeply passionate about means I get to work in my coziest or most fashion-forward outfits depending on how I'm feeling that day. I typically wear athleisure in the morning, get my steps in on my under-the-desk treadmill, head to the gym midday, and then change into cozy, elevated basics to work from my standing desk. Doing purpose-driven work in a field where I am underrepresented comes with unique challenges, and building joyful routines keeps me encouraged, motivated to 'pass it forward,' and make the most of the opportunities paved by those who have gone before me. I hope to inspire others to unapologetically create fulfilling lifestyles that integrate passion and purpose without burnout. After finishing work for the day, it's all about intentional social recalibration. My evenings are for self-nurturing through passion projects, volunteering, or quality TV alongside a delicious, nourishing bowl, candles, and sparkling water in a wine glass. I end my evenings journaling about my wins, gratitudes, and tomorrow's aspirations." — Roy

On Her 2024 Wellness Goals

"This year, my aim is to cultivate deep self-belief in areas where I've previously doubted myself. The key is consistency in action. I've been diligently committed to morning and evening facial skincare routines and using The Honey Pot's bodycare line midday. These intentional self-care habits have had a beautiful ripple effect, encouraging consistent sleep, balanced nutrition, regular movement, and a disciplined content-creation schedule. It's particularly meaningful to incorporate The Honey Pot because the brand's founder echoes the importance of vulnerability, balance, and reclaiming wellness. The brand's plant-derived products elevate my daily routines, and it represents collective wellness as the largest Black-founded brand at Target." — Roy

Shop More Favorites From The Honey Pot

I've never considered myself the outdoorsy type, but spending time in the sun always seems to cure my seasonal depression, so when I was given the chance to participate in the Merrell x Power Play hike, I raised my hand. I could set aside my feelings about the great outdoors for a morning hike around Inspiration Loop in the Pacific Palisades with women who inspire me on the daily.

I expected some heavy panting, but I didn't expect to experience a major development in the bond I have with my co-workers. Because I had the Merrell hiking shoes on, I knew it was the right choice in my journey uphill. I was also lucky enough to be accompanied by my work BFF and the leader of our team, Caitie Schlisserman, with whom I have worked side by side since 2015. Unplugging from our laptops and Slack messages opened up time for us to connect and talk about our journey together, one that's deeply rooted in mutual respect for one another and filled with a myriad of inside jokes. (Caitie, if you're reading this, all I'm going to say is, "Wall Street.") We met in our mid-20s and over the last decade have supported each other in developing our careers, getting married, buying homes, and starting families—we have a lot to be proud of in our relationship.

During the hike, we were prompted to think of our origin stories—where we come from, our core values, etc.—but I wanted to focus on the origin of our friendship and how it's developed over time. As Caitie locked arms with me to help me climb the proverbial mountain, I decided to ask her a few questions.

Nayiri Mampourian: I want to hear your perspective on our origin story. What do you remember about the first day we met, and how do you think that impacts our friendship today?

Caitie Schlisserman: I remember you turned to me while driving and said, "Where have you been all my life?" after realizing how much we had in common. At that moment, I knew our friendship would go far beyond the office. We've not only progressed in our careers together but also grown up together and supported each other through some of the most important moments of our lives. It's sisterhood at its finest.

NM: What do you think is the number-one ingredient for success in your female friendships, and how has it impacted our relationship?

CS: Emotional transparency. I think it's so important in female friendships to speak openly about how we feel without judgment. Because we're so close, we can be brutally honest with each other without damaging our relationship. There have been times when I've called you out because I felt you were getting in your own way, and it was emotional and upsetting in the moment but in the end made our bond closer.

NM: What's your favorite memory of us?

CS: Man, there are so many. But two weeks after you had Sophie, you came to meet me for lunch, and I was so impressed that you were brave enough to venture out on your own with a newborn. I remember thinking how much I wanted to be like you when I had kids of my own.

NM: How did this hike make you feel about taking time to connect with everyone?

CS: I know how important connection is, and nothing compares to connecting with people while being outside. It's refreshing and uplifting, and it's such a nice way to start the day.

As women, we're expected to wear many, many hats, but arguably, the most important one is the role we play with our best friends and the co-workers we create magic with. We have to support each other to continue this unstoppable sorority we're creating for generations after us. And for the record, I believe Caitie and I were put in each other's lives for a reason bigger than the two of us. When I asked her where she'd been all my life, I meant it.

Shop Our Shoes

Back in 2020, when there was a big spotlight on Black-owned brands, I discovered The Honey Pot. I was instantly enamored by the brand's mission to disrupt the feminine care market, educate people about the chemicals in our products, and redirect our consumer focus to natural, plant-based hygiene products. "The reality of it is when you look at the feminine care category, all of us have been indoctrinated into brands without our own cognizance of that," says Giovanna Alfieri, the vice president of marketing at The Honey Pot. Before discovering The Honey Pot, I'd been using the same brand of menstrual products that my mom used, and I'd never considered the chemicals or harmful ingredients.

Alfieri sat down with our editor-in-chief at Power Play 2024 to chat about The Honey Pot and the role that ambition plays in customer experience and product development. The company just launched an herbal-infused, hydrating body cleanser (it's currently in my cart), which is a huge win in a highly saturated market. "We're taking those core tenets from feminine care and understanding what matters for our consumers, such as better-for-you ingredients and a brand that is connected to them and launching into this category," she says. What Alfieri referred to as "an itty-bitty brand four years ago" has catapulted into a must-have brand that you can't ignore in the bodycare aisle. There's something really special about finding brands that are committed to creating wellness-first products and educating people about how to better care for themselves. I perused The Honey Pot site and managed to get distracted by the cute branding and funny wordplay, but I also found 15 products that I think will be game changers for you below.

Daily-Use Products

Sexual Wellness Products

Menstrual Products

I often ask myself, "Do I really know what's going on in my body?" As I near my mid-30s after giving birth twice, I know that my body can do extraordinary things—but I don't know everything. How much did my hormones fluctuate during both pregnancies and how does that affect me now? Why does my hair feel so different now than it did a few years ago? Why did I just discover the four hormonal stages my body experiences each month and why didn't I learn about that in sex ed? There's a reason why there are no answers to the questions so many women have about their bodies: There hasn't been enough research.

Co-founders Alex Taylor and Victoria Thain Gioia found themselves asking similar questions during and after their pregnancies. Startled by the lack of research and regulation in the prenatal vitamin industry and its one-size-fits-all approach to women's prenatal nutrition, they teamed up to create their own supplement company, Perelel, to address the industry's many disparities.

Today, Perelel offers supplements and vitamin routines for women in many different stages of life, but it's not stopping there. The company has pledged $10 million to women's healthcare research to help close the research gap and provide more access to essential reproductive care.

I had no idea how critical this situation was until I heard Taylor and Gioia discussing it during their panel at Power Play in Los Angeles earlier this week. The statistics are, frankly, shocking.

"Women have been omitted from clinical trials from the late 1970s until the late '90s, and even as recently as a study in 2009. Women are still severely underrepresented in medical studies," Taylor said during the panel. "Most of what we know is based on trials done on white men."

Make it make sense—because it sure doesn't to me.

When Marie Claire editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike asked the two women why they decided to take on this ambitious challenge, their answer was clear: "Women make up half the population, but we give birth to 100% of the future."

Women's healthcare is vital, and creating a product that meets a woman at every stage in her life is an obvious step in tackling the gender research gap if you ask me. But Perelel's commitment extends beyond supplements. The company has committed a portion of its pledge to the Magee-Women's Research Institute to further advance reproductive research, and it's partnered with the Good+Foundation to donate over $2.5 million worth of vitamins to women in underresourced communities.

I'm a mother to a daughter, the daughter of a woman who struggled through menopause, and a friend of so many incredible women who have dealt with fertility issues. I care deeply about the issues Gioia and Taylor discussed during their inspiring panel, but the research gap is something we all should strive to close. As the founders of Perelel said, "We give birth to 100% of the future."

Some people stock their closets with multiple pairs of jeans, but if you opened my closet door, you'd see that 95% of it is activewear. Nothing lights me up quite like a chic workout set, and as someone who exercises at least five days a week, I need a lot of sets (among other pieces) to keep me going. When I need some extra motivation, I spend an embarrassing amount of time scrolling through Nordstrom to see what my favorite brands are up to. ALO is at the top of my list, but I also love Bandier's clean, simple designs, Sweaty Betty's supportive pieces, and FP Movement's flowy styles. Scroll down to shop the extra-special activewear brands I love to wear for a good sweat sesh. And because no activewear outfit is complete without a good pair of sneakers, I rounded out the list with the pairs that get my stamp of approval.

ALO

Bandier

Beyond Yoga

Sweaty Betty

FP Movement

Vuori

Shop My Favorite Sneakers

At Marie Claire, we’re all about self-care whether that means a peaceful morning skincare routine, a revamped living space, a little online shopping moment, or anything in between. But the most important thing to remember is that the purpose of self-care is to support your mental health. Thankfully, it’s becoming more and more acceptable to discuss mental healthcare openly, but the stigma hasn’t vanished completely. According to Mental Health America’s 2023 study, 5.44% of adults experience severe mental illness and 55% of adults with a mental illness have not received any treatment. 

It’s vital to remember that mental healthcare is healthcare, and there’s no shame in asking for help when you need it, whether that means talking to a loved one or seeking therapy. Being vulnerable can be extremely difficult, and the process of finding a therapist can often make it more difficult. But there are organizations out there working to make mental healthcare more accessible, most notably BetterHelp. With 32,000 licensed therapists, the health app has facilitated over 350 million therapy sessions and connected over four million people with therapists—all while creating an environment where people feel comfortable to speak freely about their mental health. 

If the thought of seeking therapy is scary and overwhelming to you, you aren’t alone—one in four Americans has reported symptoms of anxiety or depression. Luckily, BetterHelp’s top priority is to connect you with a therapist who will support your specific concerns, taking the burden of finding the right therapist off of your plate.  Right now, BetterHelp is offering Marie Claire readers 25% off their first month (up to $70 in savings). The process is super simple: Fill out a brief questionnaire in order to get matched with a licensed therapist in as little as 48 hours. The app is designed to work around your schedule, with a personalization portal that helps you schedule weekly live sessions with your therapist and log your progress. 

At Marie Claire, we believe that taking care of your mental health is the key to living a happy and healthy life, and a conversation with the right person is the best place to start. 

Welcome to Power Picks, a monthly series on the things that help us navigate our lives, step into our personal power, or simply get us through our day-to-day. Our hope is that by sharing what makes us feel great, we can help you feel great, too.

I have a deep-rooted hatred for working out—always have. I strongly dislike getting ready for a workout (it’s a whole production), I actively despise sweating (RIP blowout), and quite frankly, I feel just fine, albeit in need of a shower, after the fact. It’s always been a chore that I would gladly neglect for weeks or even months at a time. Sure, I went through a SoulCycle phase in college, and I credit Melissa Wood Health exclusively for my sanity during the height of the pandemic. But overall I’ve never really been a fitness devotee or stuck to any form of a regimen. I maintain a healthy diet and walk everywhere, but getting my heart rate up has quite frankly just happened when it's happened. Am I proud of that? Absolutely not, but I’m writing this under the premise that honesty is the best policy—so don’t judge.  

But we’re here because my outlook on working out changed. The question you’re asking: How? Why? Allow me to take you back in time. January 2023 to be exact. All of my friends decided to get on the New Year’s resolution bandwagon and hand over $89 a month for ClassPass, a platform that partners with workout classes and studios to offer subscribers a discounted monthly membership in their area. 

Personally, I thought they were going through a ~phase~ and I was willing to die on the hill that paying to exercise was, excuse my language, a load of crap. YouTube has videos! MWH is $10 a month! Go for a run! Still, their ~phase~ persisted. They went to classes together and discussed ad nauseam how they planned to allocate their 43 monthly credits. (The primary subscription offers 43 credits per month, with most of the coveted classes between seven to 14 credits.)

Eventually, I caved. Chalk it up to jealousy or the momentary dedication to get toned for summer, but I signed myself up for ClassPass. I could be cheesy and say that I never looked back. But in reality? I eased into it—one class a weekend. I went to BK Pilates with my friends on a random Saturday afternoon. I begged my ClassPass friends to accompany me to a Taylor Swift Reputation X Lover SoulCycle ride (Eras Tour, here I come). I  somehow even let my old college roommate swindle me into doing a dance cardio class. For the record: I have negative rhythm and/or coordination. I reached a point where doing a class was more of a social interaction than an actual workout. 

As time went on, I found myself scrolling through the depths of the ClassPass app—exploring niche offerings. To my surprise, I was able to book massages (shout out Body Roll Studio), could get a manicure at Glosslab (just four credits, you guys!), or even book a personal training session. The opportunities? Endless. I slowly but surely got more daring with my selections. A solo Sunday evening acupuncture became my weekly reset ritual. I went rogue and signed myself up for whole body cryotherapy, aka standing in a freezing cold chamber. I embraced the credit allotment game.

I also decided to sign up for a boxing-meets-self-defense class. I took karate for years when I was younger (green belt at your service), and have always regretted giving it up. My flying front kick is by no means what it used to be, but something about exercising that skill, that once upon a time I loved so much, allowed a flip to switch in my head. I realized that these classes, treatments, whatever they may be, were actually just time set aside for me, myself, and I. They weren’t related to work, weren't social obligations I secretly dreaded, and, perhaps most notably, they doubled as a nice 45-minute slot of phone-free time. 

It was at this point that I started viewing my subscription differently. Putting time on my calendar for a class is now my top priority for the week—I schedule my life around it. It doesn't matter if I’m breaking a sweat or laying down like a bum during a massage, ClassPass has become my built-in excuse to just take a beat and a breather from everyday life. It’s become my back-to-center, pressure-free, me time. I’ve circled back on old hobbies, seen my friends more on weekdays than I ever thought possible, and, from a more literal perspective, am stronger than I’ve been in a long time. I'm able to approach my other responsibilities with a clearer head and am more thoughtful in how I spend my time. But most importantly, I no longer look at working out as a chore. I’ve actually come to cherish the time I dedicate to exercise—even if it messes with my hair washing schedule. 

Welcome to Power Picks, a monthly series on the things that help us navigate our lives, step into our personal power, or simply get us through our day-to-day. Our hope is that by sharing what makes us feel great, we can help you feel great, too.

Call me a cliché, but every year, come January, I get reignited to work on my health. Sure, maybe I fall into the wellness-kick marketing trap that every retailer puts out in the new year, but nonetheless, I always take the time to consider my goals for the year and what it would take to achieve them.

It was during this period of reflection that I realized something wasn’t clicking with what I was doing health-wise. So I got sucked into an internet rabbit hole, researching all the latest health supplements, gadgets, and programs, before I eventually discovered the Oura Ring. But before I get into my review of the small, but mighty health tracker, let me take you through exactly what led to my discovery. 

I’d like to think that on paper, I’m a pretty healthy girl. I work out every morning to get my day started, I drink lots of water, and I try to get away from my desk every once in a while. Plus, I eat most meals at home and tend to get in at least 8,000 steps a day. But even with these habits, I still wasn’t feeling healthy. Some days, I felt ready to take on the day during the morning hours, but was dozing off at my desk by 3 p.m. Other days, I felt so sore and groggy that just getting out of bed was a struggle. All in all, I knew something was keeping me from feeling like my best self. Maybe I wasn’t getting enough sleep, or maybe I wasn’t letting my body recover from the gym. Whatever the case, I was on a mission to find out. 

After doing some digging, I came across a ring seen on the likes of Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Aniston, and Gwyneth Paltrow that wasn’t just any ol' piece of jewelry—it was actually a fitness tracker called the Oura Ring, which prides itself on its accuracy. Built with tiny sensors and accompanied by an app, this ring measures different health metrics, from resting heart rate to body temperature and more, to provide you with a set of three daily scores: sleep, activity, and readiness. Over time, the ring starts to learn your body and its patterns and provides actionable advice on how to improve your health. I thought that this little gadget might finally reveal the missing link to reaching my goals, so I had to test it out for myself. 

Well, after a little over a month of wearing the ring day in and day out, I can definitely say I’ve learned a lot about my body. 

Let me first go into the ring’s sleep function: I thought I was OK in the sleep department. I average just under seven hours of shut-eye a night, which, compared to some of my friends, is fantastic. However, according to the Oura Ring, I wasn’t getting enough sleep to recover from my workouts. It then set a bedtime frame for my optimal amount of sleep, taking into consideration my average wake-up time. Lo and behold, on days when I'm able to fall asleep during Oura's suggested time frame, I wake up feeling like a million bucks and stay alert throughout the day. No joke. 

Another aspect of the Oura Ring that's changed my lifestyle is the gadget's readiness score. Every day you wear your ring, it provides you with a score, scaling from one to 100, that reveals how “ready” you are to take on the day, based on the activity and sleep you logged the day before. I ignored this score one fateful day, and, let me tell you, I’ll never do it again. I'd woken up feeling a bit tired, but thought, nothing out of the ordinary—then saw that I had a readiness score in the forties. Did I let that deter me from my morning workout? Of course not! Flash forward an hour later, and I found myself struggling to finish my workout because my body felt so achy and congested. As it turns out, I'd spent the previous night tossing and turning in bed. My body had come down with a cold, but I hadn't realized it yet. I was amazed that this ring knew me better than I knew myself, and now I check my readiness score each day as though it were the morning news.

The third aspect of the Oura Ring that stands out is its activity meter. While I find it has the tendency to over-inflate the number of steps I take, I love Oura’s activity notifications. I’ve heard that sitting still is the new smoking, and working a desk job for eight hours a day means that I’m doing a lot of it. Oura reminds me to move when I’ve been sitting for an especially long time, and these little nudges always manage to get me out of my chair. 

Plus, the Oura Ring provides so much more than just those three features. The ring also unlocks access to an in-app library of guided meditations for sleep and relaxation, plus tons of guides on various health topics, all of which make for quick, interesting reads. And for a monthly subscription of $5.99, you can access even more content, including in-depth features like sleep charts and period prediction. Given that $5.99 is the price of most people’s coffee order, I'd say it's pretty worthwhile.

As far as fitness trackers go, the ring is also a huge winner in terms of style. I’m not a big ring girl, but I do wear my grandmother’s gold wedding rings every day, and I’m pleasantly surprised by how well the Gold Horizon style fits in. Worn on my index finger, it looks like a statement piece, and is so much more chic than those bulky fitness trackers that instantly kill outfits.

Of course, the Oura Ring is by no means the end-all-be-all to solving your health woes. But it does make you more conscious of your body’s natural patterns. After some wear, you’ll learn when to go to bed, when to take it easy, and when to get up and move—all of which help you feel your best. I myself have learned all of these things from the Oura ring, and while I don’t feel 100 percent every single day, I definitely feel like it more often than I used to. Nowadays, you can catch me checking the Oura app every morning to see how ready I am for the day. Plus, you'll always be able to spot me by the smooth gold ring on my finger. 

It's a rule universally understood by all gym-goers: When you look and feel good, you work out more. That might not be true during the festive season, when we swap spin classes for sipping mulled wine and runs for ice-skating rinks, but come January, when we dust off the gym membership, getting into activewear that feels comfortable and looks great is half the battle. As my mom always says, "preparation is the key to success"—so this year, I'm stocking up early and shopping lululemon's Cyber Monday sale for all the flattering leggings, sweat-wicking sports bras, and perfectly-fitting activewear accessories our workout wardrobe could ever need. 

Right now at Lululemon, you can get up to 60 percent off old favorites, new must-haves, cool color-blocked pieces, and celebrity favorites (ever wanted to match with Olivia Wilde or Chrissy Teigen?). Race you to the treadmill.

• Under-$100 picks from Lululemon's Cyber Monday sale
• Everything on sale at Lululemon for Cyber Monday 
• Accessory deals in Lululemon's Cyber Monday sale

Running all 26.2 miles of the NYC Marathon—or, let’s be honest, any marathon—is not for the faint of heart. It takes months of training, plus dedication, stamina, and mental strength to even get into the race, and more women than ever are registering to run it each year. MilkPEP CEO Yin Woon Rani has made it her mission to support women running their own metaphorical races through her advocacy for women in leadership, and now MilkPEP is helping women run literal races with the 26.2 Program. 

“Milk has had a long history of supporting athletes—in some ways we say we’re the OG sports drink, because we’ve been supporting athletes for 7,000 years,” says Rani. “But it was amazing for me to discover that only 7 percent of global sports sponsorships go to female athletes—7 percent of a $30 billion pool. They put in the same effort, they have to run 26.2 miles just like everybody else, but their odds of being sponsored by a major brand or any financial sponsorship is much lower. We really wanted to support their journey.”

Through 26.2, everyone who identifies as a woman that will be running the next NYC Marathon is invited to join #TeamMilk and be a part of something big. Running with #TeamMilk means getting world class training advice from the pros, essential gear for race day, and support in post-race recovery. Plus, it gives runners the chance to connect with other women in the #TeamMilk community, who will be cheering each other on during the race. 

But what makes 26.2 really special is that every woman who joins #TeamMilk will see their registration fee matched—up to $600,000—in aid of Girls on the Run, a nonprofit that offers athletic youth development programming to girls of all backgrounds and abilities. 26.2 isn’t just supporting the women who will be out there on race day, but ensuring that girls everywhere are equipped with the resources they need to succeed in the future. “As we know, running the marathon isn’t something where you just show up and do it,” says Rani. “We want to use our dollars to shine a light on them, feature them in our advertising, and then additionally help encourage young runners through our donation to Girls on the Run.”

The opportunity to support women inspires Rani, both in her personal life and as MilkPEP’s CEO.  As a mother and an advocate for the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, Rani is keenly aware of how important it is for girls to see other women in positions of leadership. “When I would speak at events, invariably at every single event there would be a young Asian American woman or two that would come up to me after and say, ‘It’s so amazing to see someone like you,’” she says. “I just started to feel like I had to do something to help those young women—be more of a role model and be more active.” 

Her efforts to get involved ramped up during the pandemic, which saw a spike in racism toward the AAPI community. Rani joined a group of senior Asian American marketing professionals, who not only provide mentorship to the next generation but form a support system for one another as well. “For me, an empowered community has been super helpful. I always encourage people to find a community they can attach to, [like] this group I joined during the pandemic,” says Rani. “I always say about it—and it’s a little heartbreaking in some ways—that I didn’t realize I was lonely until I wasn’t alone anymore.” 

That multigenerational support is also why choosing the 26.2 Program to sponsor Girls on the Run was a natural fit. “Girls fall out of sports,” says Rani. “More and more of them fall out of it younger and younger, and by high school the drop-off is really very frightening compared to boys, for all kinds of reasons. So every little bit we can do to keep a girl active and athletic in whatever she chooses to be is just good for mankind, frankly.” 

And like the runners who inspire her, Rani is no stranger to a challenge. As the CEO of MilkPEP, Rani is propelling the complex and dynamic milk industry forward by speaking to what modern moms like her actually care about. Rani recognized that milk’s immune system boosting properties, its ability to hydrate better than water, and its essential nutrients,   could position it as the ideal performance beverage. Plus, the learning experience that has come from her work in a once-unfamiliar industry has been a fulfilling journey all its own. “I was super impressed with the people I met in the milk business,” she says. “I’m a total city girl—I’m from Singapore, I lived in New York City. I am not from the agricultural sector at all. And I was just so amazed by the farmers and the milk companies themselves, what good people they were, trying to do the right thing by the customer and the stakeholder. This was the kind of environment I wanted to operate in.” 

From there, it was clear to Rani that the NYC Marathon was the perfect place for MilkPEP to showcase their commitment to supporting and empowering women now and in the next generation. “We really believe in action—not just ads,” she says. “It’s been a nice additional layer to some really powerful advertising to help an organization like Girls on the Run that is changing young girl’s lives.”

To learn more about MilkPEP’s 26.2 initiative and to join #TeamMilk visit gonnaneedmilk.com/26.2 and visit their Facebook. 

I’d already turned the key in my door to lock it before a night out and, on a cognitive level, I knew this. I also knew I’d tried the knob a few times already, just to make sure, and that the door to my apartment was, without a doubt, locked. Still, I checked again.

“You’ve locked the door,” my friend said patiently, already halfway down the stairs of my building. “And all the burners are off, and the iron is unplugged. But you can check again if you need to.”

“I have OCD,” I explained sheepishly, even though I’d told her many times before.

“I know,” she said, “so we can stay here as long as you need to.”

I like to tell people I have clinical Obsessive Compulsive Disorder pretty early on in our relationship for precisely this reason: It adds a layer of understanding and, ideally, patience to my behaviors that I’m not sure I’d be lent otherwise. It also explains why it takes me ages to leave the house; why I need reassurance about basic things; why I’m chronically late to everything. It’s difficult to run out the door when I need to check the doors, the windows, and the stove several times over. Sometimes, I even take photos of these things in anticipation of the inevitable moment I question myself later.

OCD, I explain to people, isn’t truly about cleanliness or organization. For me, the main manifestation of OCD is a near-constant chorus of negative, repetitive thoughts based on my fears. These thoughts tell me something terrible is going to happen if I don’t wash my hands, dump out that water, tap a banister on my way down the stairs, or double back to step on the same slab of sidewalk again. They tell me I’m terrible; that I’m irresponsible and therefore left the door wide open; that anything bad that’s ever happened to me was something I deserved.

Like many people with OCD, I started experiencing symptoms when I was around 11 years old (symptoms usually begin manifesting during early adolescence). I didn’t realize there was a name for my illness (or that I was even ill at all) until almost 15 years later, when I was diagnosed in my mid-20s. I long knew there was something wrong—that I didn’t think the way other people thought—but I’d attributed it to some innate emotional instability; some inner weakness that I could erase if I could just be better. After all, I wasn’t “hearing voices,” per se. The thoughts sounded just like any other thoughts (which is what made them so confusing), but these were far more frequent, far more negative, and I couldn’t gain control over them. And because I’d never heard of anyone experiencing intrusive thoughts, I assumed I was alone in my perceived madness, and therefore was better off keeping quiet about it.

It’s easy to feel lonely when you think there’s something inherently wrong with you, and that it’s entirely your fault, and that no one in the world is experiencing what you’re experiencing. OCD is exceedingly rare, impacting around 2 percent of Americans, which is, perhaps, why it’s so misunderstood. Explaining OCD to a world that believes the illness to be nothing more than a predilection for hand sanitizer and the Container Store is almost as frustrating as the disease itself. 

After I was diagnosed, I surfed through Reddit and discovered many people feel trapped by their OCD diagnoses. It is manageable but incurable, and it’s difficult to come to terms with knowing you have an incredibly invasive, hopelessly permanent condition. It’s sort of like getting the flu and being told you’ll have it for the rest of your life.

But for me, the diagnosis was a relief: I finally knew what the problem was and, though it was a rare one, I was still far from alone. As a writer, it’s important to me to be able to express myself, and having the words to communicate—both to myself and to others—the inner workings of my mind was like finally being able to exhale after more than a decade of unwittingly holding my breath. The term Obsessive Compulsive Disorder was the missing piece of the puzzle in my journey to understanding myself, and to helping others understand me, too.

And although I refuse to be limited or defined by my OCD, I do think it’s an important factor to take into consideration as I move through life. People with OCD are at a higher risk of developing eating disorders (which I’ve had), insomnia (yup), depression (been there), and substance abuse disorders. This is because OCD is about control—something life often robs us of—which can be enough to send OCD patients into a tailspin. Having the disorder is like seeing the world through hyper-anxious lenses, which can be tempered when life is calm, but increase in severity once something bad has happened.

An example: When I was 20, I developed PTSD after a violent rape. I wasn’t yet diagnosed with OCD and had no idea what was going on when, suddenly, my negative thoughts spiraled out of control, preventing me from sleeping well for years. There were times when I thought I’d need to be committed because I didn’t yet have the ability to make sense of what was happening to me, or the vocabulary to communicate my inner turmoil to my loved ones. I didn’t understand that I had a condition that magnifies the impact of states like depression, anxiety, and PTSD, so I thought that my sanity was slipping from me. And I was so baffled by and ashamed of my mental state that I refused to tell anyone, unsure of what I’d say if I tried to.

That experience, above all else, is why I’m so cavalier in speaking about my OCD today. By labeling my intrusive thoughts and exposing them to the world, I’m able to rob them of their power and reduce the compulsions that accompany them. OCD may be incurable, but having a logical reason for my illogical thoughts has enabled me to dismiss them more often. And the ability to communicate my anxiety to the people around me has made me feel infinitely more authentic and seen.

An OCD diagnosis is never good news, but for more than a decade, I felt like I was living in the dark, always afraid of some monster lurking in a corner. So it’s nice to finally turn on the light; nice to discover that I have the ability to turn that light on whenever I want to; and even nicer to find that the monster, in reality, was never  more than a coat rack.

Whether you've never taken an exercise class or you're a regular at the gym, there's never been a better time to get active. Warmer weather combined with open outdoor spaces means you can connect with people who want to come together in the name of fitness. It's not about FOMO but JOWO: the Joy of Working Out. Propel Fitness Water by Gatorade is putting on a fitness tour that aims to spread the love of exercising this summer. 

In the month of August, Propel Fitness Water is headed to Detroit, MI, for the final summer tour stop. During every weekend in August (8/6-8/28), free fitness classes and product samples will be available to all exercisers who show up for a glow up. Propel's lead Detroit trainer, Amina Daniels, who is the founder of Live Cycle Delight (LCD) (two studios that prioritize body work and shared energy), will be one of the trainers leading workouts. 

Daniels is an avid cyclist and yogi, and her studios focus on enjoyment, awareness, and safety. She works hard to promote fitness in her community; LCD has been open for over five years, and their local events have included neighborhood block parties and teen wellness takeovers. 

The JOWO campaign also includes community giveback—Daniels received a donation to help support her fitness work. In total, Propel Fitness Water has donated $100,000 to trainers around the United States who embody the spirit of inclusivity and community that make working out joyous. 

Participants at these live events can look forward to a variety of exercise classes, ranging from running to HIIT and plyometrics, all taught by top-notch instructors. Get ready to sweat and bond with participants in the warm weather at a variety of outdoor locations. Even better? There are a ton of ways to connect and even win free gear. 

Even if you don't live in the area, you can still get involved: Follow @PropelWater on Instagram and post a post-workout selfie using #JOWOGlow for the chance to win workout swag. Propel Fitness Water wants exercisers of all ability levels to participate in their campaign—and it doesn't matter how you like to work out, so long as you're channeling your JOWO.

Propel Fitness Water is formulated for fitness and the perfect companion to all this exercise. Made by Gatorade, it’s the only zero-calorie, zero-sugar electrolyte water beverage among national enhanced-water brands with enough electrolytes to replace what's lost in sweat.

To find their own version of JOWO, people who live in Detroit can join trainers, including Daniels, for free fitness classes at the #PropelYourJOWO tour stops in August. Learn more and see the schedule at PropelYourJOWO.com. 

No purchase is necessary to enter the sweepstakes. It is only open to those 18 or older who reside in Michigan, and it ends 10/31/22. For complete details see the Official Rules.

This isn't your typical wellness issue. There are no fitness routines or recipes for losing weight. No, this issue is about being well in the well-rounded sense. About destigmatizing mental health in our culture, through pop culture. About breaking the patriarchal medicine mold. About considering the emotional and psychological impacts of something that seems very physical. We explore the body-brand paradox and identify what to download to actually feel better. This is a celebration of a new wave of wellness and we're so glad the tides are changing.

Through her rise to fame on The Office to creating some of streaming’s biggest hits, the actress, writer, and producer has transformed Hollywood. But her most fulfilling project yet is happening behind the scenes—as a mother, mentor, and mogul. 

For women whose livelihood is yoked to their physical self, the concept of wellness is highly complicated.

Removal of the uterus can have consequences that go far beyond the physical. 

The founders of these startups were unwilling to wait for the massive ship that is the American healthcare system to course correct for women.

This summer, spread the love of exercising.

Say goodbye to diet culture myths, expensive fads, and pseudo-science—and hello to frank, funny conversations about healthy minds and bodies.

The pain began when she was 13. Though Julie Jacques hadn’t even had her first period yet, her cramps were so bad that she was often bedridden, unable to function or even think. Once when she was 14, she fell to the ground in pain. She missed out on a lot. She was mainly home-schooled. When she couldn’t get out of bed, her friends would watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer with her or read to her while she cried in the bath and wondered what was wrong. 

Jacques’s doctors finally figured it out when she was 15—she had endometriosis, a disorder that causes cells similar to the uterus or endometrium to grow outside of it and which affects roughly 10 percent of women under age 50. But after attempts to treat the problem with birth control and a period of forced menopause, her doctor made his final recommendation—the removal of her uterus. A hysterectomy. Jacques was just 17.

“I felt like I had nowhere else to turn,” says Jacques, now 31. “I just wanted to be a normal kid going off to college without this pain. I was just like, Okay, get the surgery. Let me get my life back.”

Jacques’ life post-hysterectomy (she later found out that part of her cervix was removed, too) was far from what she expected. Within a year of the surgery, she began experiencing signs of endometriosis again (intense cramps even though she wasn’t menstruating, stabbing lower back pain, and dozens of ovarian cysts, many of which would rupture), which doctors dismissed as impossible, she remembers. Then another troubling symptom began to develop—a dip in her mental health. 

“I was down and at my wit’s end. I felt hopeless,” she says. She took medical leave from law school because of her symptoms. “It was a complete mess.”

At the time, Jacques didn’t understand the cause of her struggles. Since then, the reality of her situation has crystalized: Not only did removing her uterus not cure her endometriosis, as her doctors promised, it also led to a long list of harmful side effects, including a life-long struggle with mood issues and chronic pain. 

Though it may sound extreme, Jacques’s story is not unique. A hysterectomy may be prescribed for symptoms ranging from abnormal uterine bleeding and uterine fibroids to pelvic support problems and gynecological cancer. (Black women are diagnosed with fibroids nearly three times as often as white women, and tend to develop them earlier in their lives; they are more than twice as likely to receive a hysterectomy as their treatment.) Hysterectomy is the second-most common surgical procedure for women in the U.S., after the Cesarean section. More than 400,000 women get hysterectomies every year in the United States, according to an article published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology in 2014, and some estimates show that more than one-third of U.S. women will have one by age 60, although the rate that the procedure is performed declined significantly from 1998 to 2010. 

It’s important to note that many women who have hysterectomies are happy with their choice and do not report any negative side effects. It’s also important to note that there are some instances when a hysterectomy is life-saving. One is in the event of cancer, either cervical, uterine, or ovarian. Another extremely viable reason for hysterectomy is as part of gender confirmation for transgender men. 

Still, the vast majority of hysterectomies are performed for benign conditions. A 2015 study found that nearly one in five women who undergo hysterectomy may not need the procedure. The rate of unsupportive pathology post-surgery was especially high in women under 40, nearly 2 in 5 women. The study found that nearly 40 percent of women were not offered alternative treatments for a benign condition prior to surgery.

The question of necessity becomes particularly important when considering that a total hysterectomy will result not only in early menopause and the inability to carry a biological child in the future, but also, as women like Jacques have reported, mental and emotional side effects. Women we spoke to say their doctors dismissed their distressing post-surgery symptoms with a patronizing “it’s all in your head.”

“I wasn't asking for the hysterectomy,” says Jacques. “It was very much pushed on me.”

In Ancient Greece, it was thought that the hystera, or womb, wandered throughout the body causing mental and physical problems. In the 18th and 19th centuries, female hysteria was a disorder diagnosed mainly in women—a Canadian psychiatrist even advocated surgically removing the womb to cure women of mental illness. Smelling salts used by Victorian women presumably snapped that errant womb back into place. In the 1968 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM-II, hysteria was listed as a mental health condition, only dropping from the DSM-III in 1980. In summary, wombs have long equaled a propensity for neuroses. 

It’s not an entirely preposterous assessment. The connection between hysterectomy and mental health issues is clear: According to Mayo Clinic research, women are at greater long-term risk for anxiety and depression following a hysterectomy; if they underwent the procedure between the ages of 18 and 35, that risk nearly doubles. Hysterectomy patients also have an increased risk for bipolar disorder; endometriosis and hormone therapy may add to the risk of bipolar disorder after the procedure.

While the term hysterectomy technically refers to the removal of the uterus, the procedure sometimes includes the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and/or cervix. In fact, 300,000 women in the U.S. have their healthy ovaries removed every year. But even when the ovaries are kept intact, a hysterectomy can cause them to eventually stop functioning. One study found that 25 percent of women lose ovarian function by six months post-hysterectomy. According to Dr. Philip Sarrel, professor emeritus of Obstetrics, Gynecology, Reproductive Sciences, and Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, and president and founder of the Advancing Health After Hysterectomy Foundation, this could be due in part to the loss of the shared blood supply between the organs.

There’s likely one major cause for this mind-uterus connection: hormones, or the lack thereof. Research into the function of female hormones beyond their role in fertility is severely lacking, but we do know that when a woman’s ovaries stop producing estrogen (a potential result of a hysterectomy), she can experience a bevy of negative side effects. One paper published in Menopause Review in 2018, for example, connects estrogen deficiency with depression, psychological tension, anxiety, mood swings, loss of libido, and decreased self-esteem. 

Some of these issues (plus memory loss and brain fog) occur with the natural lessening of estrogen due to menopause, which typically happens gradually and naturally around age 50. But when a woman goes into early or forced menopause, the likelihood of these symptoms occurring rises. For women still in child-bearing years, a hysterectomy can be a form of forced menopause. 

The connection between estrogen and mental health isn’t well understood. But we do know that the ovaries form a connection to our brains as part of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis (HPG axis), a major signaling pathway that regulates the reproductive system. Even after menopause, this system makes hormones that keep women healthy for their entire lives. If the ovaries are removed entirely, those hormones are no longer being produced. 

Some experts also speculate that ovarian hormones modulate the serotonin system, and therefore mood. But the mechanism of that relationship has yet to be discovered. Dr. Sarrel thinks that the impact of a hysterectomy on mental wellness also has to do with the actions of estrogen on nerve transmission, as well as blood flow to the brain. He cites a growing body of research (including his own) that points to hot flashes having something to do with post-hysterectomy depression.

But even without a perfect understanding of why, Dr. Sarrel concludes simply: “Estrogen plays an essential role in biological existence. And it has for 600 million years.”

In Jacques’ initial surgery her doctor did preserve her ovaries. But not long after, she had to have one of them removed because it was covered with endometriosis. Her new doctor says the remaining ovary “isn’t that healthy-looking,” but has advised her to leave it in order to keep her hormone levels as steady as possible—and therefore her mental health.

Alternatives to hysterectomy for non-life-threatening disorders include laparoscopic procedures, medication, and a hormonal intrauterine device (IUD). OB-GYN Iris Kerin Orbuch, M.D., author of Beating Endo: How to Reclaim Your Life from Endometriosis, believes that too many doctors jump to performing a hysterectomy when they encounter a patient who is having pelvic pain. “You can’t be knife-happy,” she says. Dr. Orbuch describes patients who had a hysterectomy at 17 or in their 20s, who come into her office, “in tears because they're like, ‘My doctor said my pain was going to get better. I always wanted a kid. I'm still in pain…and my dreams are shattered.’ They never should have had a hysterectomy in the first place.” 

She advocates for treating underlying issues causing the pain before turning to surgery. Skipping right to a hysterectomy, she says, doesn’t handle other causes for pain, like tight pelvic floor muscles. “And now, you've shattered their childbearing dreams,” she adds. “It's devastating; you can’t just glue a uterus back in.”

With endometriosis, cells that are similar to the uterus lining or the endometrium are found outside the uterus, explains Dr. Orbuch. The inflammatory changes caused by these cells can alter the structure of the pelvis, pulling things to the left or right or the back. “Unfortunately, too many women are being treated with a hysterectomy for endometriosis, but it doesn't make sense. Their pain is outside of the uterus.” 

A hysterectomy is, however, the definitive treatment for adenomyosis. It is “a cousin of endometriosis,” she says. “Adenomyosis is when you have those cells that are similar to the lining of the uterus or endometrial-like cells, but they're found within the smooth muscle of the uterus. So their location is in the uterus. Women with adenomyosis can have heavy bleeding. They tend to have a low sacral backache. They tend to have midline pelvic pain, a heaviness in their pelvis.” Many women have both endometriosis and adenomyosis, “not always, but very often,” she says, “so it gets a bit complicated.” 

When surgery is the best option, Dr. Orbuch discusses all eventualities, including, if the patient still has ovaries, using their eggs and a surrogate. “I spell that out to them. I spell out that it may not help their pain, we don't know. I spell out that they could develop scarring or lesions, which may cause more pain. So any surgery theoretically can beget more pain.”

Jenneh Rishe was 30 when she had her hysterectomy. She was in a serious relationship but not married, and the couple wasn’t sure about wanting kids. Her symptoms included pain with sexual penetration and constant pain in her back, hips, and groin; during a pelvic exam she “was jumping off the table” every time the doctor touched her uterus. Rishe had been diagnosed with endometriosis and later adenomyosis. “I didn't know what specifically was causing what. The surgeon asked if, when he was doing the endometriosis surgery, if he needed to, [could he] take [my] uterus?”  

Faced with a decision about her “forever fertility,” she didn't feel prepared to make such a permanent choice. “So I told my surgeon that if, when he's in there, he's very suspicious of adenomyosis, he [could] do a different procedure, which is called a presacral neurectomy. Basically he would sever the nerves that send pain signals to my uterus. So I wouldn't feel pain. So that's what we did.” That gave her relief for about six months. Over time, she started “feeling bad again,” she says, with terrible back pain and “pelvic spasms that would bring me to my knees.” She had brain fog and was tired all the time. She tried everything she could to avoid having a hysterectomy—an IUD, steroid injections, physical therapy. “You name it, I tried it. I really did give everything a shot before deciding to move forward with the hysterectomy,” says Rishe. Ultimately, it was about her quality of life. “I was functional enough to go to work and barely manage through my day. I was taking every kind of THC and CBD [I] could. I'd have, underneath my clothes, a heating pad and a lidocaine patch. That was my every single day.”

She and her boyfriend sat down and asked themselves, “‘Just what is the point of all this?’ We both didn't know if we wanted kids. We weren't married or engaged or anything. And so I had to make this decision for myself, but also for somebody else, essentially.” Her dilemma after a year of trying to manage: Hold out for something she’s not even sure she wants and “stay miserable” or have the hysterectomy?

In 2017, she decided on the latter. “And, of course, I felt a lot better,” she says. “As I expected to, physically, I felt amazing.” She was, however, unprepared for the wave of grief that hit her at about three months post-surgery. “I'm a nurse; I'm very calculated in my medical decisions. I weigh all the risks and benefits. I went in very, very confident in my decision and I still am. But I think that rational side of me didn't leave room for any emotions that were going to come with it,” she says. “It just hit me like, Oh my gosh, like I can never carry a child of my own.” One of her closest friends was having a baby shower and Rishe, who by this point had gotten engaged to her boyfriend, couldn’t attend. “I was going in circles.” 

Rishe, author of Part of You, Not All of You: Shared Wisdom and Guided Journaling for Life With Chronic Illness, was disturbed by society’s narrative that women’s utmost joy and fulfillment is through raising a child. “I'm probably hyper-focused on it, but I feel like it is everywhere,” she says. “I can't escape this idea that motherhood is the be-all, end-all of accomplishment for women. I think that's what I wrestled with even more so than my own decision: that society made me feel like I wasn't good enough.”

On top of this feeling of existential loss, Rishe went into early menopause. “That was a whole other nightmare,” she says. Since the operation did not remove her ovaries, “the idea was that I would not have any hormonal issues, but that's not the case. [My hormones] were a mess. They were so inconsistent.” Her doctor had not prepared her for this possibility. “I tried every type of hormone replacement under the sun, every patch, every cream, every insert and nothing works…I have talked to a lot of women who have had hormone issues, post-hysterectomy, but are told because they have their ovaries that shouldn't be the case. But it is for a lot of us.” She also has hot flashes, vaginal dryness, insomnia, and anxiety. “I never had any of that before the surgery, ever.” 

Rishe has seen at least five hormone specialists some of whom, she says, admitted that they’re not used to seeing younger patients; they're not used to seeing a 30-something having perimenopausal-type symptoms with ovaries. “No one really knew what to do with me. I had a really hard time with that.”

If they are done having children, or don’t want them at all, hysterectomy patients may be told that their sex organs serve no purpose, and they might as well have them taken out. Even the American Cancer Society says that treatment for cervical cancer “depends on whether or not you want to be able to have children.” If you don’t, the plan for care is a hysterectomy, plain and simple. 

This line of thinking is sometimes continued when women approach their doctors with post-hysterectomy depression, or other psychological side effects. Anecdotally, women report doctors brushing off their symptoms and chalking it up to mourning their lost fertility. “I cannot tell you how many women who were depressed after hysterectomy with their ovaries retained who were told, ‘You're mourning the loss of your uterus,’” Dr. Sarrel says. “Women with depression really have a hard time being believed or being listened to.”

The impact of a hysterectomy on one’s fertility and sexuality is the subject of a new movie from Lena Dunham—her first feature film in a dozen years. Released just last month, Sharp Stick tells the story of a young nanny who comes off as frumpy and sexually naive due to having had a hysterectomy as a teen. After a fling with her charge's dad, the lead character embarks on a cinematic journey of sexual awakening. (A hysterectomy can result in loss of sexual response and desire, particularly if the cervix was removed, however, some women report an increase in sexual satisfaction after the surgery, perhaps as a result of reduction in pain during sex.) 

Dunham herself had a hysterectomy at 31, after a decade of battling endometriosis and several other surgeries. A known confessional storyteller, Dunham shared deep thoughts about her own infertility, surgery, and pain in an article she wrote for Vogue in 2018, "...something is wrong with my uterus. I can feel it, deeply specific yet unverified, despite so many tests and so much medical dialogue. I just sense that the uterus I have been given is defective." Dunham has openly mourned the fact that she’ll never physically carry a baby, saying she misses the pregnant belly she wore on Girls and the one she constructed as a child out of bunched up laundry. She talks about the "big stupid sobs" she cries over her lost uterus when she's alone in the bathtub. 

While Dr. Orbuch allows that most OB-GYNs are women’s health generalists and not specialists in, say, endocrinology or endometriosis as she is, which could contribute to the deficit in communication, one anti-hysterectomy activist, Nora W. Coffey, believes that doctors are deliberately not telling patients about the connection between sexual organs and mental health. “It's not that doctors don't know what they're doing. They know exactly what they're doing to women. They studied anatomy,” she says. “I’ve come to the conclusion that it's deliberate. They do not want the truth out.”

Coffey is the founder of the HERS Foundation, a nonprofit organization that has been educating women about female anatomy and the after-effects of hysterectomy since 1982. The impetus for HERS was Coffey’s own experience with the detrimental changes caused by her hysterectomy, which she underwent in her mid-thirties. Since then, she’s spent nearly 40 years trying to get medical school faculty to listen to her and to change their actions, to almost no avail. She’s also spent that time collecting stories from thousands of women with experiences like hers—and getting this information into the hands of as many women as possible.

To Coffey, there is absolutely no question about hysterectomy’s devastating effects on women’s psychological and emotional health. In addition to a long list of other side effects, data compiled by HERS through surveys and interviews has found that nearly 80 percent of women who had a hysterectomy with both ovaries removed have experienced a change of personality, 70 percent have lost the ability to socialize, 54 percent have experienced suicidal thoughts, and nearly 10 percent have made suicide attempts. HERS even has one woman’s suicide letter, which details her post-hysterectomy decline, posted on their website. 

“I don't think we realize how much the uterus has to do with who we are. How you walk, how you talk, how you dance,” says Coffey. “Every part of your body is affected, your brain. Everything.”

Whether research can prove exactly what that ineffable connection between the uterus and the mind is or not, Coffey says, the organ shouldn’t be cut out without a woman being fully informed about the potential consequences. In fact, she believes that one reason women become depressed after hysterectomy is that they’re not adequately prepared for what to expect. 

Jacques feels the same. Since her hysterectomy, she’s had three surgeries—the first two to mitigate the damage done by that initial procedure, and the last to finally rid her body of the endometriosis the hysterectomy was supposed to cure. While she knows now that her hysterectomy was unnecessary, she says she just wishes her doctor had told her something—anything—about what to expect. 

“I would have liked them to prep me a little bit,” she says. “My hormones were just beginning at that stage, so I would have liked more information about what could potentially happen, and if this would cause a hormone imbalance. Because it definitely did.”

Like Coffey, Jacques is using her experience to help others—she is currently a patient advocate for women and especially teenagers who may be pushed into a surgery they don’t need. Or, as Coffey puts it, give them the information to make that decision for themselves, whether “need” is part of the conversation or not.

“If you have a condition that you might die from and a hysterectomy would save your life,” Coffey says, “you still have the right to know the consequences and decide what you're going to do.” 

Additional reporting by Tessa Love

Did you know that the average menstruating person uses between 5,000 and 15,000 pads and tampons in their lifetime? Not only does this add up financially, resulting in what's known as the Tampon Tax—eschewing disposable period products can save you up to $200 per year, according to DivaCup founder Carinne Chambers-Saini—but those menstrual products also end up in landfills and in our oceans and waterways. Many of those products contain chlorine, dioxin, and other chemicals that are harmful to the environment and potentially to our bodies. Plus, the plastic applicators from most tampons take hundreds of years to decompose (meaning that your tampons will outlive you...and your kids...and potentially their kids). For these reasons, I've personally made the choice to switch over to sustainable menstrual products like period underwear, menstrual cups, and menstrual discs, and I'm so glad I did.

With the effects of climate change growing increasingly severe (and increasingly difficult to ignore), there is a growing movement to encourage individuals to make more sustainable choices in their everyday lives. It's important to point out that large corporations like ExxonMobil and Shell have a greater responsibility to make better choices than we individual consumers do, being that just 100 companies are responsible for over 70 percent of climate change. However, if we collectively choose to employ sustainable products in our daily routines instead of products that include plastic packaging or produce harmful waste, then we can use our dollars to encourage companies to produce more eco-friendly products and ditch their wasteful ways.

So here's to using menstruation as an avenue to be more sustainable in our daily routines and to encourage large corporations to follow suit. Below, check out some of my favorite products that have saved me money, time, and hopefully can play some role in saving Mother Earth. 

The Menstrual Cup

The period cup, with its longwear potential and reusability, has long been at the forefront of the sustainable menstrual product movement. It's inserted and removed like a tampon, but can be worn for up to 12 hours without putting you at risk for Toxic Shock Syndrome. Chambers-Saini says this is because tampons, which can cause TSS, are often made from rayon and polyester fibers that can scratch the vaginal canal, introducing bacteria that causes TSS. High-absorbency tampons also rob the vagina of the moisture it needs to naturally clean itself. Menstrual cups, on the other hand, are neither absorbent nor capable of causing scratches.

"People who try the product say that their lives are transformed when they try the cup," says Chambers-Saini. "At first, they're nervous it's going to be messy and difficult to use, but then they try it and experience not having to worry about replacing it or exposing the body to chemicals, and they find that this is a really empowering product."

If you've never used a menstrual cup before, you may have a few concerns, the most common of which we've tapped Chambers-Saini to help assuage. "Taking the cup out is the most common concern that we hear, and I assure you that it can't get lost," says Chambers-Saini. "The vaginal canal is only about four to six inches long and is blocked by the cervix." She goes on to say that, if you're still concerned, be aware that the cup isn't supposed to be inserted as deeply as a tampon would be, and should inside "worn a bit lower and more angled in the vaginal canal." Proper positioning will make removal easier and will ensure that the cup doesn't put pressure on the urethra (which can make urination difficult).

And if you are having trouble removing the cup? Chambers-Saini says, "If it does manage to wiggle its way up—which occasionally happens if it's not positioned properly—we have some tips and tricks on our website, like squatting and bearing down a little bit, which shortens the vaginal canal substantially. From there, pinch the base of the cup, gently pulling it from side to side to allow some air to enter. That should break the seal and you should be able to remove it very easily."

Period Panties

I was pretty skeptical when I first heard about period panties. Sitting around all day while I bled all over my clothing? No, thank you.

But when I finally opened my mind enough to try period underwear, these products changed my life (or at least my menstrual cycle) forever. These panties are made of super-absorbent, super-washable fabric, so you don't have to worry about leaks or bleeding through them. It's also so nice to just feel normal when I'm getting my period—to not have to worry about changing my pad, waddling around when I'm getting dressed to look for a pad or tampon, or having to stick something into my vagina throughout the day.

Long live the period panty.

Sustainable Menstrual Discs

Menstrual discs have gained tremendous popularity in recent years because of the rare novelty they're able to offer: Mess-free period sex. Many of these discs, however, are single-use, so while many can be worn for up to 12 hours and therefore reduce the volume of menstrual-related waste (in 12 hours, I can go through several pads or tampons) they take up space in landfills anyway.

Enter the reusable menstrual disc, and we have a healthy, mess-free, and environmentally-friendly solution to the period sex quandary. However, as with menstrual cups, take care to consult with your gynecologist before using menstrual discs if you're using an IUD—the suction from certain discs can potentially impact the placement of the IUD. 

Reusable Pads

Like many women, I use pads as my go-to when I'm sleeping or just relaxing at home. However, they pile up in landfills, cost a ton of money (especially after decades of having to buy them on a near-monthly basis) and, let's be honest, they often feel like diapers. Instead, consider these reusable fabric pads, which are washable, effective, and infinitely softer than their single-use counterparts.

Sustainable Tampons

While the above options work for many women, others have a hard time, after almost a lifetime of tampon use, quitting these tried-and-true products. As a result, some menstrual companies have responded by making chlorine-free, organic, biodegradable options that use little-to-no plastic, like these options below.

Meet the Expert

Moms deserve more. That's what the team at Willow, who created the first in-bra wearable breast pump, believes. The pandemic has exposed the structural challenges that parents face every day—but there's still so much expectation and judgment, particularly around how they choose to feed their babies. 

"Our business is built around Mom," explained Willow Chief Commercial Officer Sarah O’Leary in a recent episode of Marie Claire's Getting Down to Business Instagram Live series. "The person who gets missed in the conversation when a baby is born is Mom." Willow's mission is to build solutions for moms’ most meaningful problems—and they want your help to demand better.

A traditional breast pump isn't made with new moms or their mental health in mind: They're usually loud, bulky, and plugged into the wall—not to mention often uncomfortable and unwieldy. Adding to this initial challenge is lack of public spaces for moms to pump, and the necessity to pump every two to three hours.  Moms feel intense pressure because they've been told "breast is best," but it can be impossible to achieve their breastfeeding goals alongside the requirements of life, like going back to work or managing childcare for other children. 

"It's putting this burden on the parent to sort through [challenges] instead of saying, 'You have done something amazing, it's really hard, and how can we support you?'" O'Leary said. "What I wish for the world is that we get to a place where new parents are truly supported and enabled to experience this transformative experience."

The first Willow product was launched in 2018. They developed a tube- and cord-free wearable breast pump, the only one of its kind that offers 360° leak-proof mobility, meaning moms can pump hands-free, with dignity, while they go about their busy day. "Willow essentially set them free to be able to live their life," explained O'Leary. 

The brand now offers two wearable, cordless, hands-free pumps: the Willow 3.0 and the Willow Go, which is at a lower price point ($329.99, and as low as $150 with insurance). The pumps' suction is designed to mimic the latch of a baby, and the mechanism isn't reliant on gravity like traditional pumps. Willow 3.0 also offers insights via their mobile app, and there are discounts for military personnel, teachers, and healthcare workers. The pumps and accessories are available on their website but also on Target and Buy Buy Baby.

"We're working to bring this life-changing technology to more moms," said O'Leary. "Now our goal is that every mom has the option of pumping and breastfeeding in a way that enables her life and gives her freedom at a more accessible price point."

Willow recently announced their Register for More campaign, which includes a ton of resources for new parents, their partners, and friends and family who want to help. The goal is to enable women to demand better, whether it be help from the community or better structures in place at work. Part of the campaign is getting parents the support they desperately need. But it's also about placing moms at the center of the discussion about breastfeeding and caregiving. After all, being a mom is a strength in life and in the workplace—not a weakness. As O’Leary says: “I gain in my work from my experience as a mom. I have gained empathy, shifted in my leadership skills (try leading a 2-year-old!), have gained wisdom and perspective, and have become a master prioritizer."

Willow hopes moms, dads, partners, and other relevant voices join the discussion about breastfeeding, childcare, and other postpartum subjects on their website and via social media: on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #WithWillow. "I'm really proud to be working in a place where we're making a difference and starting to use our brand voice and storytelling to change that narrative about what parenting needs to be all about," said O'Leary. 

Learn more about the Willow Go and other pump options on Willow's website, and let your voice be heard on the Register for More website. 

What do you need during pregnancy and new parenthood? It's a question plenty  of people forget to ask. Without even meaning to, your support network often puts their focus on the new baby. And a lot of people—including complete strangers—have opinions about what you "should" be doing in the weeks and months of pregnancy, delivery, and early parenthood.

I have firsthand experience with this. From well-meaning family members to people at the supermarket, questions and feedback about my choices were frequent and often unsolicited. Why did my husband need to take extended parental leave after our daughter was born (and was there something "wrong" with me)? Did getting a night nurse make me an irresponsible parent? And when I pumped for the first few months: Why wasn't I exclusively pumping? What happened to my milk supply? Why wasn't I "trying harder" or pumping more often? And yet, it was only a few close friends (usually other moms) who bothered to check in about my wellbeing in those first exhausting months.

But instead, the Willow® brand wants to know what you need. For a little context, Willow Innovations was the first brand to challenge convention in the breast pump category, changing the space by creating the first fully in-bra wearable pump and the only wearable in-bra pump offering 360° leak-proof mobility. Today, they have two models (I used the Willow 3.0 for my pregnancy) that are cordless, small, and quiet, which allows for pumping on-the-go with dignity—at work, in the middle of chores, and even during an errand run. It's a huge time-saver, not to mention a great way to multitask and feel accomplished at the same time. 

Now, Willow is disrupting the conventional narrative about motherhood. Their new campaign “Register for More” is filled with resources for parents and parents-to-be, which you can also forward to family, friends, and anyone else who wants to learn about postpartum challenges. Willow launched Register for More to ignite conversation about how society supports mothers (and how to do a better job). Their pumps are just a part of their larger goal to normalize new parents' unique journeys and what they need to get to a healthy, happy place with their new baby.

Take the Register for More section on postpartum mental health, for example, authored by founder and CEO of Motherhood Understood, Jen Schwartz. It begins by inviting partners of new moms to ask themselves questions about her mental health and find out how she's really doing. Is she able to take care of herself? Is she struggling to complete everyday tasks? The section normalizes postpartum mental health conditions, includes facts and FAQs, explains how you can be supportive, and—critically—helps you learn what not to do. Yes, do educate yourself and reassure her you're not going anywhere. No, don't tell her to "snap out of it," please.

There are plenty of other resources, too, like actionable tips for pumping and breastfeeding—how to create a schedule that works, for example, what's normal and what's not normal with a baby's feeding, and what weird things are totally expected (yes, it's not unusual to get sleepy during nursing!). There's material on understanding physical recovery, requesting paid family leave, and even boundary-setting as a parent. There's also a whole toolkit on returning to work, and how to transition slowly and effectively into pumping, working, and multitasking as a parent working outside the home. Basically, if you've got a question in those early days, Willow wants to answer them. 

Federal and workplace supports, like paid leave and dedicated places to pump, are still emerging. And too often, parents still have to fight for their perspectives to be heard. But Willow imagines a better world for moms. Head to Register for More to go through these important resources. You can even submit your own entry for what you'd like to register for, from more support at home to lactation tips and more. You can also join the conversation on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #WithWillow.

After my daughter was born, I pumped breast milk for the first months of her life. It was a long, mega-stressful road: My supply was low and she wouldn’t breastfeed, but I was determined to give her as much as I could make. When you’re in the early stages of pumping, establishing a milk supply—which could mean pumping 10 times a day—is a big investment of time and energy when your baby needs you most. 

That’s why the wearable, smart Willow breast pump was such a lifesaver for me. If there’s a single word that describes the brand, it’s freedom. Lots of pumps are big, bulky, loud, and need to be plugged into the wall. Not this one. For a nursing parent, the ability to do chores, take care of your baby, and even lay down while pumping is one of those things you never knew you needed—and makes your life so, so much easier once you have it. If you're choosing to pump, I promise: The Willow can help.

The brand has two different models: the Willow 3.0 and the Willow Go. Both are wearable, cordless, hand-free pumps with a sleek design that fit into a bra and offer hospital-grade suction. They're quiet and discreet, making pumping on the go uncomplicated, and easy to clean with dishwasher-safe parts. Both pumps are FDA-cleared and FSA/HSA-eligible. And Willow users say they actually pumped more milk when using Willow 3.0, compared to previous generations of the pump.¹

The Willow 3.0 has all the bells and whistles. It's the only wearable breast pump that offers 360° spill-proof mobility: you can literally use it while doing a headstand when you're pumping into a plastic bag. The Willow 3.0 pump kit comes with spill-proof disposable milk bags, which are perfect for storage. Or, you can purchase Willow's compatible reusable milk container set, sold separately for $49.99, which makes transferring milk easy. Plus, the smart-pump technology lets you track your output, choose your suction level, and view your session history all from your phone via the Willow 3.0 App. With those perks comes a higher price tag—$499.99. You'll also need to factor in buying extra spill-proof milk bags at $23.99. 

Willow recently introduced the Willow Go wearable pump, which is less expensive at $329.99—or as low as $150 with most insurance. With Willow Go, you can still pump discreetly, but it's not completely leak-proof like Willow 3.0. It's still great for multitasking and moving around while you pump hands-free and cord-free. Unlike the premium pump, Willow Go is only compatible with the reusable milk containers that come with it. Willow Go is also the only in-bra wearable breast pump to offer up to 14 oz. capacity per session. For those who produce a higher capacity of milk, the Willow Go 7 oz. reusable milk container set is sold separately for $29.99.

Knowing that I could just pop on the two pumps and go about my work and home life, feeling comfortable with them tucked inside my nursing bra, meant that I had one less thing to worry about. Considering all the things on my to-do list in those first few weeks, it was a huge weight off my chest—pun intended. 

If I were pumping now (or if I pump in the future with a second child), I’d likely choose the Willow Go: I love the ease of the containers, and I've never made enough milk to store ahead. But the Willow 3.0 I used for my first child was top-notch, and the extra app features were a pure delight: Which breast produced more? Which session gave me the most milk? How close was I to being done? Finding those answers made me feel like I was an expert in my own body, with all the right tools and data to optimize my own breast milk journey. 

If you're wondering which pump is right for you, this handy comparison chart is a great way to compare features and envision what's best for your lifestyle #WithWillow. Or, check out Willow's resource center and get in touch. 

¹ In testing, experienced Willow users who pumped with Generation 3 at least 20 times pumped 20 percent more milk on average than with prior generations.

I, like many people, decided to start running in 2022. After hearing so many of my friends drone on about how taking some time to run has changed their lives (and their mental states) for the better, I figured it was about time that I joined in on the fun. But one aspect has stopped me in my tracks from actually starting: not knowing how to find the best running shoes for me.

I have a pretty massive sneaker collection, but none of the pairs I currently own could ever moonlight as an athletic shoe. And since the best kind of workout shoes are both cute and functional, I turned to Emily Abbate, a  certified run coach and the host of the Hurdle podcast, to help me sort through the expansive selection of running shoes on the market. 

"Depending on what you're going to be using the sneaker for, that's really going to determine what you need to prioritize in terms of your go to pick," she told me. Ahead, she broke down what exactly I⁠—and the rest of us new runners out there—should look for before we make a purchase. Oh, and they each have a little something special about the way they look, too. 

How do you run? 

This may sound self-explanatory, but everyone runs a little differently. "We all have a gait cycle when we run, and you may supinate or pronate," Abbate says, "or you may be a neutral runner." She clarifies that neither running style is better or worse on your body, and that they can even change over time.

But, with all of this in mind, you shouldn't necessarily let how you run deter you from trying on different types of sneakers to find your perfect fit. "If you choose a shoe that you feel comfortable and confident in, that is more important—and is shown to lead to less injury—than simply based shopping simply shopping based on your specific gait." 

Are you preparing for a marathon? 

Believe it or not, different sneakers are better for different distances. Long-distance runners know that comfort is key. That's why sneakers that are outfitted with cushioned details will be better for marathons or other longer runs.  Abbate says that HOKA's best-selling Clifton 8 Sneakers have become know across the internet for how comfortable they are to wear for good reason. 

But if you're running a shorter distance or if you're just working out, Abbate recommends opting for something that has less foam and padding. "A lighter shoe with less cushioning could feel faster," she says. "That's why we lean into these types of options when it comes to quick workouts."

Where are you running? 

Whether you're running on the concrete, on a trail, or on a track, your sneaker of choice should reflect your location. A trail path, for instance, might require you to opt for a pair like the Altra Mont Blancs, which is designed to give you better traction as you go. 

For her everyday runs, Abbate loves to wear either PUMA's Velocity Nitro 2 or New Balance's 1080 sneakers. Or, if you live in a particularly wet climate (or just love to run in the rain), Abbate recommends Nike's Pegasus 37 Shield, which are designed to be water repellent. 

Do you have "weak ankles?" 

If you find that your ankles hurt when you run, Abbate recommends speaking to a specialist about why that might be happening. "Make sure that you have someone you know kind of take a look at your form and your gait," she says. "And check out how your feet are hitting the ground as you're on the move.” 

Choosing one shoe or another may not resolve the issue, so figuring out exactly why you feel the pain where you feel it is important. If you are looking something that will be more comfortable as you move, Abbate says that looking for a pair of sneakers that has more padding underfoot could be helpful. 

The bottom line?

"Comfort is key," Abbate says. While understanding your gait or whether or not your foot pronates or supinates as you run, finding the shoe that makes you feel your best is what's most important for anyone looking to get into running in 2022. Keep scrolling to shop the best running sneakers on the market right now.

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Happy New Year! Do you have a moment to discuss orgasms? Specifically, the pleasure gap—the gender disparity in orgasms during intercourse? You see, in the last year, women were four times more likely than men to report that the sex they were having was “not at all pleasurable.” Frankly, that’s just not the good news we were hoping to hear this year. 

While the existence of the pleasure gap can be attributed to many things—the stigma around sexual pleasure, the portrayal of penis-centered intercourse in popular culture, or the general taboo when it comes to talking about orgasms—how to help solve the problem is easier. Enter: Dame, the revolutionary female-founded sexual wellness brand that’s giving vulva-owners the tools they need to prioritize their pleasure and close the gap. (And read on for an exclusive discount for Marie Claire readers!) 

Dame has engineered a range of sexual wellness products for couples and solo adventurers alike, developed and tested by real people with vulvas to ensure these toys really do what they promise. These products are next-level: Dame has reinvented the wheel when it comes to classic sex toy shapes like wands and bullets, adding thoughtful touches that could only have been created by someone who actually used these products.

So, because no two bodies or orgasms are alike, Dame invites you to get in touch with yourself—literally, of course, but figuratively too. When you take the time to explore your own sexual wellness and pleasure, you gain insight into what works, what doesn’t, and even your overall health.

Now about those products: You may recall that Dame was the genius brand behind Eva, a hands-free couples toy that focuses pleasure on the vulva during penetrative sex. Thanks to its unique design and its impossibly chic color options, Eva practically begged to be put on display as a conversation piece instead of hidden in the bedside drawer.

Also in the Dame family is Pom, a cute and bendy little vibe that adapts to you, with five speeds, five intensities, and a waterproof exterior so it can be used anywhere. And Aer, the suction toy to end all suction toys, which uses pulses of air to mimic the best parts of oral sex. Then there’s Arc, a discreet G-spot vibrator that can be used internally or externally, with a squishy bulb and focused ridge for the ultimate self-exploration. 

And now there’s Com, an external, curved rechargeable wand that contains Dame’s strongest motor to date. Unlike other wands, Com was designed with comfort in mind—it’s actually quiet, with a light design, an hour of battery life, and an ergonomic handle that works with your body. This isn’t a “personal massager” denying its a sex toy: This is a sex toy that totally works as a personal massager, too.

So make this year the one where you get in touch with yourself and figure out what you really, really like. Because closing that pesky pleasure gap means first prioritizing your pleasure. Dame just gets it.

Exclusively for our readers, take 15% off your first order with code 'MARIECLAIRE' at checkout.

Visit Dame to check out the products, and follow them on Instagram at @dameproducts.

2021 was a rough, exhausting year. Between the overwhelming news cycle and living through a pandemic for the second year in a row, life has been turned upside down for just about everybody these days. Thankfully, affordable stress-relieving gifts are here to help us unwind and remind ourselves to focus on the joy that still exists in the world. Shop the best relaxing gifts for yourself and your loved ones, ahead.

Designer Jeremiah Brent launched sustainable limited-edition home essentials and cleaning products in collaboration with Grove Co. This incense set, which comes with a marble incense holder, incense sticks, nested marbly trays, and an organic cotton towel, will inspire the person in your life to create comforting and calming rituals after long work days.

Depending on who you speak to, completing a puzzle may not be the most ~stress relieving~ activity, but this "Be Curious Mini Mantras" pick is a happy medium. The chic 42-piece puzzle provides a dose of inspiration and encourages the puzzle-goer to focus their mind on one task rather than everything else going on in the world.

As they say, laughter is the best medicine. Play adult card game "What Do You Meme?" when you want to blow off some steam with a couple friends before you binge-watch 'And Just Like That' together. During the game, players match photo cards with caption cards, ultimately creating their own funny memes. (It can also be easily played over Zoom!)

What could possibly be more soothing than this scalp-reviving head massager? Wrong answers only.

If they'd never splurge on La Mer on their own, they'll be obsessed with this intensive revitalizing mask to use on their most stressful days. The directions encourage users to breathe in deeply three times while rubbing the mask on their face. 

Who doesn't love a great dessert after a stressful day? Send them one of Tate's signature gift baskets that includes chocolate chip cookies, double chocolate chip and walnut chocolate chip cookies, two chocolate brownies, a blondie, and a crumb cake.

Never underestimate the power of a great candle (or two) and accompanying room sprays during a relaxing night at home. 

If they've been holding out on attending workout classes in person, gift them this supportive yoga mat beloved by yogis so they can continue to do their workouts at home on a comfortable mat. 

Eucalyptus is known to create a calming presence. Use these eucalyptus steam shower cubes concentrated with cooling peppermint to relax your mind, clear your lungs, and focus on the present.

This game-changing calming spray will help a friend or family member achieve a better night's rest, thanks to the product's calming ingredients like lavender and vetiver.

After a long week of meetings and seemingly never-ending to-do lists, put on some Netflix and cozy up in this bestselling set of silk pajamas.

The next best thing to binge-watching 'The Real Housewives of New York' after a stressful day at work? Sitting down with this New York housewives coloring book and a glass of wine.

The key to a more calming space begins with plants...and a super cute vase to put them in.

Speaking of plants, these pre-planted fresh succulents will spark joy every time they look at them. This set from Lula's Garden is a perfect holiday gift.

This resistance band set will give them that extra boost of motivation they need to complete their workout, ultimately reducing stress levels.

Allow her to take care of her skin (and smell amazing!) with this Jo Malone peony & blush suede body and hand wash. 

There are few things that have the ability to lower one's stress level more than a pretty journal dedicated to setting daily intentions and crossing off an extensive to-do list. 

Instead of doom scrolling, whip out this luxurious Scrabble set—featuring a large rotating board with linen texture and raised-letter grid—and try not to beat your partner for the third time in a row.

There has never been a bad day that a bag of chocolate and pair of cute warm socks can't fix.

Yes, as we mentioned above, we still do puzzles over here. Gray Malin's double-sided, 500-piece puzzle is for the guaranteed puzzle lovers and a great distraction from the current state of the world.

There's no better way to unwind than taking a warm shower, wrapping a towel around your head, and rubbing moisturizing lotion all over your body. Epara's comforting body cream is an ideal gift for the fiscally-responsible woman who wouldn't dare spend the money on the luxurious lotion for herself (even though she secretly wants to).

Feel zen while using a gua sha that depuffs, contours, and stimulates healthy drainage and circulation for the skin. 

If they have a history of stress-baking, gift them the late Maya Angelou's 'Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories With Recipes,' where the acclaimed writer and civil rights activist shares recipes that impacted her life and the stories behind them.

The stressed out beauty lover in your life will appreciate a brand new silk pillowcase from Slip, which is known for its positive effects on skin and hair.

Any Diptyque candle hoarder will be obsessed with this glass Figuier hourglass diffuser, which releases warm notes of fig and fresh leaves, to create a calming setting in their home.

Rupi Kaur's latest collection of poetry, 'Home Body,' will inspire them to be at home within themselves. The book is filled with stories of love, loss, and, ultimately, growth.

Chakra Zulu sells crystal sets based on zodiac signs, putting a personal touch on a gift for someone in need of a good cleanse and energy recharge. The Florida-based, Black-owned shop has quite the following on Instagram.

The Box of Emotions consists of 80 colorful cards with mini essays on different emotions to help you process whatever you're feeling. If you're up to it, schedule a Zoom call with your best friend and go through them together.

Support Black artists like Akujixxv today and every day. This "Safe Space" print is instantly calming upon first glance, and will bring a sense of peace amidst the chaos every time you spot it in your living room.

This nifty sleep aid projects a little light on your bedroom ceiling for you to synchronize your breathing with—it'll expand and withdraw slowly, in line with recommend inhalation and exhalation times for maximum relaxation. After either eight or 20 minutes of this (you can pick which one), it'll gently turn itself off, leaving you to drift off.

Skip the shower, grab a book, and unwind with a glass of wine thanks to this swivel bath tray. No phones allowed.

Art therapists often use dough to help people manage anxiety and depression. If you can't afford a therapist right now, invest in your own therapy dough that will be there for you to squeeze after work. Choose from either lavender,- orange,- or peppermint oil-infused dough.

Vitruvi's organic lavender essential oil belongs on every person's nightstand. The oil's calming scent is packaged directly from French lavender petals and is best used right before bed to assist in getting a good night's sleep. While you're at it, take a look at the brand's gorgeous oil diffuser, which comes in 10 different colors, and its bundle set.

Need to unleash your rage? There's a dammit doll for that. Avoid the massive hole in the wall and slam one of these dolls against your bed instead. (That's literally what they're made for.) Utilize this pack of three by gifting two to your best friends and keeping one for yourself.

Samantha Irby's hilarious 'Wow, No Thank You' will help take your mind off of everything going in the world—namely, living in the middle of a pandemic—with her brilliant, relatable essays about, well, being a person today.

Weighted blankets: The trend that became a bedroom staple, thanks to their legitimate anxiety-fighting powers. This cozy, affordable version by YnM has 3,650 five-star reviews to its name on Amazon.

The follow up to the original 'The Little Book of Mindfulness' is practically a meditation class transformed into a mini book. It's a reminder to slow down, pay attention to your breathing, and be present. Take it one day at a time.  

I’ll always remember the moment I knew I’d become an occupational therapist. I was a senior in college and had signed up for a program that allowed me to shadow a handful of occupational therapists at Rusk Rehabilitation Institute in New York City. I immediately fell in love with the thought of helping people in this way. 

It’s not so surprising when you consider that I’ve been seeing physical therapists and occupational therapists for as long as I can remember. I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, when I was just two years old, which means I don’t remember a time when the struggles that come along with an RA diagnosis  weren’t  a part of my life. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder affecting many joints, including those in the hands and feet, and it can cause painful swelling, and in severe cases it even can attack internal organs. 

As anyone with RA will tell you, the disease will humble you. I dealt with bouts of intense pain that made it hard to find any semblance of normalcy throughout my childhood and young adult life. I really struggled socially in college, because my symptoms sidelined me from much of what my peers were doing. So when I found my calling as an occupational therapist and pursued that path, it was a game changer. I realized that I could do something that would help other people who were struggling with similar challenges to my own.

The pain becomes debilitating

For 10 years, I worked as an occupational therapist in an outpatient setting at a nursing home. I truly loved every minute of my job. I was in remission at the time, and I was young and healthy enough that my RA never got in the way of my work. 

But like most people with this chronic condition, the medication that had helped me get into remission stopped working as effectively. Over time, my symptoms started to creep back with a vengeance. I’m talking about extreme swelling in my joints, to the point where it looked like there were two grapefruits under my skin where my knee bones should’ve been. And along with debilitating pain came extreme fatigue—a combination that didn’t exactly make my hands-on job easy. I even had a colleague suggest I use a walker to get around because I was struggling so much.

A few days later, I had a doctor’s appointment and I mentioned to my doctor that it was becoming really challenging to work. Her mouth gaped open. “You’re working?” she asked. “No. You can’t work right now.” 

And she was right—soon after, my RA became too much. I had to give notice at my job and I went on disability. 

While being forced to take a break from work may sound great, it’s not. I was devastated. When you have a job to go to every day that fulfills you, it adds so much to your life—even if that job isn’t perfect. So when that’s taken away from you, it’s like you have this hole you’re constantly trying to fill. I’ve come to learn that there are lots of misnomers around people on disability; the truth is that many of us who are disabled really do want to work.

Figuring out a way to pivot

In the moments when I had a reprieve from my pain, I did a lot of thinking about what I loved most about being an occupational therapist What I realized was that education was a big part of it, and helping people help themselves— even if I couldn’t work in a therapeutic setting. What’s more, the most meaningful interactions I had with my patients almost always happened when I shared with them that I too live in pain, and understood what it was like to walk in their shoes. 

I discovered that I could still do this work and take care of my body by writing about my illness. I started freelancing for RheumatoidArthritis.net—an online community for RA patients and caregivers to learn, educate, and connect with peers and healthcare professionals—and used the experiences I had as an RA patient to help others by giving them tips and tricks that worked for me along the way. I also wrote two books: A Resilient Life: Learning to Thrive, Not Just Survive, With Rheumatoid Arthritis and True Health: The Inside Job.

My advice for those derailed by a chronic illness

Having to give up the career I loved so much and pivot to a completely new one wasn’t easy, and I learned some hard-won lessons along the way. When people ask me for advice on managing RA in the workplace, here’s what I tell them.

1. Learn how to advocate for yourself.
   • The fact is that when you have RA or another chronic condition, you will very likely need some special accommodations to tee yourself up for success. And the more you’re able to acknowledge this and be up front about your physical needs with your manager, boss, and coworkers, the more sustainable your career can be.
2. Remember that flexibility is helpful.
   • I often tell people that RA is always one step ahead of you, which means you not only have to ask yourself how your body is doing today but also anticipate how you will feel tomorrow, and the next day. If you have a job that offers some flexibility, you’ll be better able to adjust your work and schedule as needed.
3. Prepare yourself for some trial and error.
   • In an ideal world, you’d know exactly the kind of work and work setting that would help you shine. But in reality, living with RA means there will likely be a bit of a learning curve. So ask yourself some questions: Do you need to work from home part-time? Would having every Friday off give your body the extra recuperation time it needs? I’ve learned I need what I call a “speed bump” in the middle of every day, when I lie down for an hour. This took me a while to figure out—and the aha moment came after years of pushing myself too hard and dealing with more pain as a result. But now that I know it’s what I need to do to thrive, I make sure to take that speed bump break every day.

Rheumatoid arthritis is the kind of disease that takes so much from you. But it’s amazing when you find a way to give back to yourself. And what I know for sure is that pursuing your passions and doing work you truly care about can do that, even if it has to shape-shift over the years.

One in five. That’s the number of adults in the U.S. who live with chronic pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Unlike acute pain—which comes on suddenly and is triggered by something specific like, say, a cavity, a broken bone, a burn, or a cut—chronic pain is ongoing. And it can be caused by a number of conditions, from migraines, and arthritis to multiple sclerosis and even cancer. The women below offer a glimpse into what it’s like living with chronic pain day in and day out. Read their stories to realize you don't have to suffer alone.

“I had to make some profound changes to cope.”

Radiologic technologist, Macy Owen, was only 22 when she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy cells in your body, causing painful swelling wherever it strikes (usually in the joints and, often, many at once). Knowing that lifestyle plays a part in helping to manage and minimize flares, she overhauled her diet, exercise, and sleep regimens. She now gets at least seven and a half hours of shut-eye a night; focuses on activities like yoga or Pilates that she enjoys so exercise is more of a like-to-do rather than a have-to-do; and she follows a nutrient-dense plant-based diet. 

The incentive to stay on track is powerful for the now 27-year-old, living in Knoxville, TN. “When I have an off day and go crazy on chocolate, the joint pain can be so intense that it wakes me from a dead sleep,” says Owen. “I also notice it first thing in the morning. My stiffness lasts double the amount of time it normally does.”

Granted, she has to work a little harder to do some of the things she used to do without hesitation—whether it’s opening a jar or running a mile—but she reminds herself of all the things her body does allow her to do. “RA may be chasing me,” she says. “But it will have to catch me first.”

“I ground myself in rituals like journaling, meditation, and reading.”

Shivika Sinha, 36, of San Francisco, CA, spent the early days of the pandemic bedridden, but not for reasons having to do with COVID-19. She was in the final trimester of her first pregnancy, and was experiencing intense pain—the result of what she learned was pubis symphysis dysfunction. This condition occurs when the pelvic joints become stiff or move unevenly causing pain that can affect your mobility. Therefore her doctors ordered bed rest for her final weeks. To make matters worse, she was simultaneously trying to keep her just-launched business afloat. (She’s the founder of Veneka, a sustainable, ethical, and cruelty-free wardrobe styling service.) 

Even after giving birth, Sinha’s discomfort persisted. “I was in chronic pain my first year postpartum. My pelvic issues caused constant sciatic pain, lower backaches, and more, ”she says. Nursing both a newborn baby and a business in its infant stages didn’t automatically take her mind off the shooting pain that radiates through her body with even the slightest movement. So she put into practice a simple, but effective strategy. “Each day, I made it my intention to be present with joy, love, and stillness,” says Sinha. “From my baby’s giggles to small wins at work, I savored such moments as a reminder that daily life is magical and more beautiful than pain.”

“I've learned to become a medical detective, tracking symptoms and my behaviors.”

Sonia Frontera, a 57-year-old attorney in Lambertville, NJ doesn’t have just one chronic condition; she has several. These include a rare autoimmune disorder called relapsing polychondritis that causes pain and swelling of the ear, nausea, and dizziness; chronic migraines; and myofascial pain syndrome that causes tinnitus, or TMJ, and neck and wrist pain. Imagine having “a head full of crickets while your eyeballs are being pierced with an ice pick” and you’ve got an idea of the pain Frontera experiences on a regular basis. 

Yet as bad as the physical symptoms are, it’s the emotional aspects of living with chronic pain that she finds most difficult. “When your condition is ‘invisible,’ people often dismiss your symptoms as hypochondria,” she says. “Being misunderstood and judged can be devastating.” Over the years, she’s learned to be her own healthcare advocate. Her advice to others experiencing chronic pain? “Be a medical detective,” she says. “Keep track of your symptoms and try to correlate the symptoms with your food intake, activities, or moods.” Then share that info with your healthcare team.

“It’s hard for others to understand what it’s like to live with pain every day.”

For 20-plus years, chronic pain has been Lacy Smith’s constant companion. The wife and mother of two, based in Phoenix, AZ, was diagnosed with psoriasis, a skin disease that causes red, itchy scaly patches, and interstitial cystitis, a painful bladder condition. To help the people in her life understand what that’s like, she uses what’s known as the spoon theory. “I have only a certain number of spoons each day—each spoon represents a certain amount of energy or mobility,” explains Smith, who is now 39 and works as a physical therapy assistant. “Some days I wake up with one spoon; some days I wake up with 15. I have to divvy those up each day depending on what I wish to accomplish.” For instance, “if I have something important to do with my family, I need to make sure I save all my spoons for that event or the rest of my day could be shot.” Structure and schedules are key. “It took me years to figure out that trying to keep my schedule completely open left me more opportunity to overdo things,” she says.

If the phrase “New Year’s Resolution” fills you with anxiety, you’re not alone: How many of us have made promises to ourselves at the end of one year that become burdens in the next one? When Victoria Repa, the founder of BetterMe, was growing up in Ukraine, she was told that getting healthy and staying that way would be a lifelong battle. But she was determined to change that, and make eating healthy, finding an exercise routine, and cultivating a positive self-image more exciting, instead of stressful. Even without formal training in programming or much access to technology growing up, she knew that an app was the solution to making these goals more accessible not just to her, but to everyone. That’s what led her to create BetterMe, an app used by 100 million people worldwide who are united in their goal of loving themselves and prioritizing their health in a stress-free way, all year round.  And now, BetterMe is making it even easier to cut the anxiety out of healthy resolution-setting with BetterMe: Health Coaching, a new approach to helping you change the way you think about well-being. 

All of BetterMe’s programs were designed by experts to shift the way you feel about your body, about food, and about what healthy looks like for you. It’s never going to suggest restrictive diets or arbitrary weight-loss goals, because crash diets and exhausting workouts aren’t merely unsustainable bummers—they just really don’t work. Instead, BetterMe knows that taking those first steps toward living healthier is more of a mental challenge than a physical one. That’s why BetterMe: Health Coaching is a program that’s designed to work over 6 to 12 months, to make sure that you’re creating lasting changes in your habits. BetterMe is an easy-to-use, totally personalized way to help you tap into the conscious decisions that you can make every day to live a healthier life. 

Diet and exercise are the most obvious ways to start feeling healthier, but BetterMe recognizes that they’re only part of the equation. BetterMe: Health Coaching uses psychology-based daily plans, which take about 10 minutes to complete and are full of interactive quizzes, diaries, and open-ended questions that help you reflect on your relationship with your body. Before you start working out or changing your eating habits, BetterMe recognizes that first you have to build up more self-compassion and love, challenge the negative voices inside your head, and overcome any resistance to your own goals. Foster mental well-being and you’ll be well on your way to physical well-being. 

BetterMe is not a weight-loss app. It’s a behavior-changing app—and it’s for everyone. Your personalized plan will include guided workouts and genuinely tasty, nutritious menus that are tailored to meet your exact needs and goals. No two people are alike, so BetterMe doesn’t try to put you into a box when it comes to your health. The app has workouts for prenatal parents, for users with limited mobility, and for folks who have never worked out before. Who needs a fitness app? BetterMe is an inclusive, judgement-free, self-love app. 

So whether you want to save it for January 1st or start your new BetterMe: Health Coaching plan today, this app is going to empower you to meet those goals by changing how you think about health. And Repa and her team are always coming up with ways to improve the app and your relationship to it, addressing more health concerns in newer, more inclusive ways. Self-improvement starts with self-love, and BetterMe can help. And isn’t “more self-love” the best New Year’s Resolution? 

Get started with BetterMe: Health Coaching, and visit BetterMe on Instagram at @betterme.health. 

Starting tomorrow, November 25, Everlywell, the at-home lab-testing service, is offering big savings on some of their most popular kits. Whether you've always wondered about your specific food sensitivities (once and for all, is it the cheddar cheese!?) or are curious what exactly allergens cause that stuffy nose and watery eyes situation each season, this is the perfect opportunity to invest in your health. From November 25 to November 30, shoppers can receive 35 percent off when spending up to $149 and 40 percent off when spending $150+ with the code HOLIDAY. That means major savings on some self-care gifts for yourself or loved ones. 

The company sends the kits directly to your door (though if you're in New York State, only the COVID-19 test is available at this time), you register the kit and follow the directions included, then ship it back and wait for your results. Once the sample is received, it's run through a CLIA-certified lab and results are reviewed by an independent physician. Test results are then available for you to review on Everlywell's secure portal with personalized insights and action items available to help you figure out next steps. Overall, it's an easy and painless (okay, some of the tests do involve a finger prick!) process, and an amazing tool to learn a bit more about your insides. Below, check out some of the most popular kits included in the sale.

Not only is the high-tech device a great way to begin integrating a workout into your daily life, but it's also on sale right now at Best Buy as a part of the store's ongoing Wish List event. You can snag one for yourself for $99.95, down from the original price of $149.95. The sale is running from November 12 right through November 14, so the deal won't last long.

And, if you're wondering what makes this sleek version worth it, here's the deal: Rather than just focusing on your physical health, the Luxe takes your mental health into account, too. An in-app Stress Management Score tracks signs of stress and gives you a score—the higher your score, the better. It also tracks how well (or how lightly) you sleep at night, tells you how ready your body is for a workout with a Daily Readiness Score, and identities the best times for you to work out throughout the day based on your heart rate. Oh—and it lasts for up to five days on one full charge, so you don't have to worry about it dying on you mid-run. Here's to actually going on daily jogs in 2022.

I will always remember the afternoon I got “the call.” I was about to head to the Senate Chamber to vote when I received the news from my doctor that we all fear: I had cancer.

A few weeks earlier, doctors at Mayo Clinic found small white spots called calcifications during a routine mammogram. After this was discovered, I had a biopsy at Piper Breast Center in Minneapolis. And then I got “the call.”

That was eight months ago—the start of a path that would include surgery and radiation, which also coincided with my dad’s illness and death. Of course this has been difficult at times, but today my doctors say that my chances of developing cancer again are no greater than the average person’s.

As we recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am thinking about the many Americans who may have breast cancer but not know it because they’ve been putting off physicals or routine examinations due to the pandemic, just like I delayed mine.

In fact, more than one in three adults reported delaying or forgoing health care because of coronavirus-related concerns. Every day, doctors are seeing patients who are being treated for more advanced conditions that could have been caught earlier.

So—what can we do about it? We must encourage preventive care.

It’s tough to make time to go in for a mammogram or routine health screening. So many Americans are juggling the competing demands of work, family, and their health, all while teaching their first grader how to use the mute button for Zoom calls.

But routine health checkups, exams, and follow-through are essential. By some estimates, thousands of people who missed their mammogram due to the pandemic may be living with undetected breast cancer.

Simply put, early detection saves lives. I’m grateful to have caught the cancer at an early stage and to not need chemotherapy or other treatments with negative side-effects. Since sharing my story, I’ve heard from people nationwide about their own experiences with cancer and the importance of preventive care, writing to me to say:

“I said then, and continue to say that I felt I was handed a box labeled ‘bad news,’ but when I opened it I found a bunch of smaller boxes, each one labeled ‘good news.’ I'm a poster child for early detection.”

“You have motivated me to go get my mammogram. I, too, avoided doing it due to COVID and found it so easy to skip it later, too. I’m setting it up tomorrow.”

Connecting with those across the country has been heartwarming—I’m humbled that people have felt comfortable opening up about their hardest days, tough treatment choices, and gratitude for life.

If there is one thing I have learned through this experience, it is that every day is a gift. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, cherish that gift by putting your health first and taking advantage of preventive care services. Go schedule a doctor’s appointment—and then call your friends and cheer them on when they do the same. It just might save their lives.

Today, Sloane Stephens will play her first match of the 2021 women's US Open against Madison Keys. It's not the first time the two—who are friends—have battled it out on the courts: In 2017, Stephens beat Keys in the tournament's finals, clinching the coveted title—and, while winning is certainly on the brain, Stephens is fighting for more than a trophy this year. She's fighting for change in the game.

Stephens is one of the many athletes—including Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka—opening up about how the intense pressure in professional athletics impacts a player's mental health. Speaking with Peloton’s Tunde Oyeneyin at a Mercedes-Benz event last week (Stephens is a proud Mercedes-Benz ambassador), Stephens shared how she once based her own choices on other people’s opinions or the public perception of her, which led her down a dark path.

“I’ve been in a place where it’s been dark and it’s been deep and it’s been sad," she said at the event. "I’m like, ‘I need to get out of that place. I need to take care of myself because it’s a cold world out here.”

So this year, instead of basing her self worth on other people's opinions, Stephens is prioritizing her own mental health and is doing what makes her feel best before stepping on the court—even if that means, yes, eating pizza right before play. She says something as small as eating the food you are craving can be empowering, on and off the court.

“It might not be the best food to eat pre-match, but it makes me happy and feel good," she says. "And sometimes your performance is based on you going out there and being happy.”

It's taking small steps like eating pizza—and larger ones, like speaking openly about her own experiences—that will truly move the needle. She’s hoping the chorus of voices demanding change in professional athletics will help protect up-and-coming athletes. “I’ve been saying it for years that we need to change the dynamic of how the tour is run and how these tournaments are played and how long we’re playing for," she said. "We play a season from January to November, which is unheard of. There’s no break...I think that younger athletes are not told enough that it’s okay okay to be sad, it’s okay to be happy, it’s okay to show your emotion. No one, I feel, in the sports industry is comforting in that.”

As a member of the Women's Tennis Association Players' Council, Stephens says she has fielded a lot of these types of concerns from athletes. "I think that obviously, we can do better to support each other," she said.

Stephens and Keys are leading by example. Though competitors, the two still find ways to support one another. In fact, Stephens shares how in the 2017 Open finals, Keys gave her sushi mid-match — a food Stephens often fuels with during play.

It's too soon to say if we'll see fish-swapping on the courts this year, but one thing is certain: by speaking out, speaking up, and giving herself grace, Stephens earns a win for athletes, everywhere.

The first person I told was my best friend, Arvin.

I confided in him as soon as I knew with certainty that I had been accepted to Weill Cornell’s egg donor program, in the middle of one of our many long nights drinking wine and talking late on the couch in his Brooklyn apartment. He asked all of the right questions: about the individual or family I might be helping, how the process worked, and, most importantly, when he needed to pick me up from the hospital.

Arvin is not a morning person, but on the day of my egg retrieval procedure in December 2017, he set three alarms and took the train from Fort Greene to the Upper East Side to take me home. Here I was with the full support of my best friend, yet I still asked him to be careful about who he spoke to about my experience, to let me decide how and when to be fully open about it.

“Just let me tell them,” I said, without knowing exactly who “them” was, or if I ever would. In calls to my family and long-distance friends, I omitted the entire experience, hiding my initial fear of the hormone shots, skipping over the blood draws and ultrasounds at the daily doctor’s appointments, and even the post-surgery pain and bloating, which left me unable to walk quickly or lift anything for more than a week.

No one outside of my immediate circle ever needed to know, I reasoned, even though I had wanted to donate my eggs since the first time I heard about the process at age 19. After reading an article about a cancer survivor conceiving via a donor egg, I was certain that I wanted to help people create their own families; I also knew that having children was not in my immediate future, and that I was far more interested in moving to a studio apartment in New York and dedicating myself to writing than rearranging my life to accommodate a family. But even though I knew this about myself—knew it, in the same way I know my eyes are brown—other people were less accepting. When I told one family member that I might be interested in donating my eggs, just to test the waters, I was met with a lecture about “protecting my own fertility” and told to look up articles from women who regretted their egg donation.

It took five years before I felt brave enough to go ahead with the process anyway. I needed to listen to my own voice, not someone else’s. But in the weeks leading up to the procedure, I made the mistake of reading the comments on articles written by women who shared their experiences as egg donors. "How could you? I would never," someone always wrote. "Don’t you want your own kids? How do you think your future husband would feel about it?"

Women had an obligation, it seemed, to preserve our eggs only for the purpose of procreating with a hypothetical spouse. I hated this notion, but I still couldn’t shake the idea that what I was about to do would be viewed as wrong, or at least controversial, by people I knew and cared about. As my body healed from the 30+ injections and a dozen blood draws, the shame and guilt I felt did not.

That was when I started thinking about Angela.*

I met Angela in college. She's a sweet and round-faced blonde whose bubbly nature belied a serious, scientific mind. She’s also the first woman I knew who told me she’d had an abortion. She whispered it to me in the corner of a dark room at a loud college party and cast her eyes around to make sure nobody else heard. It was her right to want to keep the experience private, and I kept her confidence. Years later, what I remembered wasn’t the abortion itself, or the intimacy between us in that moment; it was the fact that she felt she had to hide this experience out of shame, fear of judgement, and fear of societal punishment, even though one in four women will have an abortion by age 45.

I felt connected to Angela when I donated my eggs, and wondered how in the 21st century women continue to feel shamed for the raw, gritty truth of their experiences with fertility: for miscarriage, abortion, egg donation, parenting, being childless by choice. There are so many ways to be a woman in this world, so many paths, and yet none of them ever seem to meet society’s standards. I wish that reflecting on Angela’s experience in this way had immediately triggered some sort of grand realization about becoming an egg donor. Instead, I tucked it away and pressed it somewhere into the back pages of my brain.

Then, in late 2018, over a glass of wine at a French restaurant, a coworker-turned-friend told me that he and his husband-to-be were thinking about starting a family. They were beginning to look for egg donors and surrogates, he added quietly, perhaps unsure what I would say. I grinned, immediately thrilled for him. Without even thinking about it I blurted out, “You know, I’m actually an egg donor. I think it’s wonderful.” He stood up to hug me across the table, and we pulled each other in.

After that, the egg donation process got easier to talk about, even just as a mention in conversation about pregnancy and reproductive choice. So many people were wonderfully supportive: It deepened some of my relationships, and even inspired another friend to become an egg donor, too. And while I cannot say that I never faced any judgement, what I can say is that over time the judgement mattered less and my story felt like it mattered more. I learned that there are thousands of births each year from donor eggs in the United States alone; this process touches far more people than I ever imagined, and I am proud to speak openly about it.

Now, every time I hear a woman shyly confess that she doesn’t want children, or when someone close to me starts IVF and goes through a similar process to the one I did—all of those needles, hormones, emotions, hopes—I want to remind her that she shouldn’t be ashamed to seek support from the community around her. That I, too, had those feelings, but sharing my experience brought me so much more insight, growth, and connection than hiding it ever could.

All people should have the ability to architect their families as they wish, to construct them thoughtfully and with love, based on what’s right for them deep down inside. There are so many different ways to do that. As an egg donor, I am lucky to have found mine. And if anyone wonders if my future husband would mind, you can ask him at our wedding this summer.

*Names have been changed.

If you've noticed that your skin is out of whack, your stomach is more bloated than usual, or you're just feeling a little blah—it's possible that your gut needs a boost. Your gut is surprisingly important in regulating your body's specific ecosystem, so keeping it in check should be at the top of your to-do list. But rather than go on an all-juice cleanse or fast that can prove harmful, it's much better—and easier—to add a probiotic supplement into your daily routine. There are tons to choose from, and they all promise different things, so we rounded up our favorites to get you started. Whether you're looking for a good all-around pick or ones that are specifically gluten-free or vegan, we've got you covered.

Simone Biles has exited the gymnastics team final on day four of the Tokyo Olympics after performing on the vault. USA Gymnastics issued the following statement:

"Simone has withdrawn from the team final competition due to a medical issue. She will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions."

Though the exact medical issue is unclear, the 24-year-old seemed to have a tough landing and was spotted leaving the mat with one of the team's trainers. When she returned, she began cheering on her teammates on the sidelines as she watched them perform their routines. Biles's teammate Jordan Chiles replaced Biles on the uneven bars and the beam. The team ended up taking home the silver medal.

Olympian Laurie Hernandez, Biles's 2016 teammate and an Olympics analyst on The Today Show, initially emphasized on air that nobody should speculate about Biles's reported medical issue and encouraged Biles's teammates to continue supporting her no matter what.

Later on, Biles told The Today Show's Hoda Kotb that she's in good shape physically, but emotionally it varies, and she's unsure if she'll compete in the individual all-around competition this Thursday. "Physically, I feel good, I'm in shape. Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and moment," she said. "Coming here to the Olympics and being the head star isn't an easy feat, so we're just trying to take it one day at a time and we'll see."

At a press conference that evening, Biles stated that she aims to focus on her wellbeing. "There's more to life than just gymnastics...we'll take it one day at a time and we're going to see how the rest goes."

Let us clear up one major weight-loss myth: You absolutely cannot "spot reduce" fat anywhere on your body. Doing 100 consecutive crunches won't give you instant Victoria's Secret model abs because burning flab comes down to exercise and diet. But even those aren't always enough to achieve an "ideal" figure. 

A few days ago, Demi Lovato posted a beachy pic of her bikini bottoms with a very body-positive PSA:

Regardless of what society tells you these days... You don't have to have a thigh gap to be beautiful. It is possible to love your body the way it is. #fitness #health #acceptance #selflove

Amen. 

And as far as thigh gap obsession goes, sorry (not really) to break the news, but it's an unrealistic goal to aim for. Squats, lunges, and running won't increase the space between your thighs because targeted exercises help you tone muscle, not torch fat. And even then, muscle definition doesn't open your leg room.

Also, thigh gaps are primarily genetic. Some people are born that way, but for most of the population, this isn't a look you can—or should—strive for. There's no one "perfect" body out there.

Bottom line: Screw the thigh gap. It's a bigger fantasy that anything E L James could imagine.

You should also check out:

According to the World's Best Study, Red Wine Burns Fat

A New Study Says Using a Fancy Treadmill Desk Won't Help You Lose Weight

Timing Your Meals Could Redeem a Crappy Diet

Trigger warning: This article contains descriptions of suicidal ideation and depression.

The end of the highway had no railing. All Raven Saunders could see when she drove past it on her way to campus every day was a huge drop-off into an abyss. In her head, she had gone through all of the different scenarios for ending her life—pills, her .22 long rifle—but had never followed through. The depression came and went in waves, but one morning before school in 2018, two years after she placed fifth in the shot put at the 2016 Rio Olympics and seeped into a deep depression shortly after, it became too much. By 11 a.m., she finally forced herself out of bed and got in her car in a daze, thinking to herself, I don't even care anymore. She drove past all of the places she needed to go and headed toward that long highway in Oxford, Mississippi. The one with no railing.

"In my mind I was like, there's nobody that I can talk to. But I was like, I'll hit up my therapist and let her know where my mind is," explains Saunders. At that point, the then-21-year-old hadn't talked to that particular therapist for about eight months. (She'd found a new one since then, but hadn't seen that person for about three months.) The old therapist was the only person who knew about everything she was dealing with from school to relationships to her childhood—things some of the closest people in her life didn't even know. "I was like, if she doesn't respond or if it's the wrong number or whatever, then it really doesn't matter. Then I'll go ahead and do what I need." The way Saunders saw it, she had two options: Make a right before the intersection and go home, or make a left where the drop-off is. Her phone buzzed two stoplights before the turn.

In that life-changing text, the therapist assured Saunders she would get her the help she needed. Saunders went home and not long after, her assistant athletic director called, asking her to come into the office. "I remember going into the office, breaking down crying, and pretty much explaining a lot of stuff and how I was just like over everything. I didn't want to do this anymore," Saunders says. "They sent me to the hospital. And then from there, I went to my first mental health facility and I got some help."

Saunders started to understand more about herself, including certain memories she suppressed, and was able to face them in an environment where she didn't have outside distractions, like school or track or tying her performance to her worth. "I was very blessed and fortunate for that because I know that a lot of people may not have access to that or have a large support system that can get them the help they need before it's too late," says Saunders. "And that's really why I go so hard, especially behind mental health."

Her treatment eventually motivated her to start lifting and doing drills again in preparation for the next challenge: the Tokyo Olympics. Ahead of the Games, Marie Claire spoke with the 25-year-old athlete about finding her purpose in the off season, what she's looking forward to the most about the Games, and her advice for others struggling with their mental health.

Marie Claire: There's this misconception that people who struggle with their mental health can wake up, get help, and suddenly they’re okay again. And that's just not the case—your story is proof of that.

Raven Saunders: When a lot of people read my story or look it up it seems like, "Okay, I got help and now I'm healed." That's not the case because this journey is very difficult. I dealt with a depressive episode a few months ago that lasted about a month. The one before that lasted maybe two months. It definitely comes back. But now I know certain triggers or certain signs, like I'm not calling my parents as often as I should or not really going outside. If I'm constantly sitting in a dark room. Or just even with my emotions, like if I feel constantly drained. I learned certain things about myself in the midst of all the turmoil. It helps me come out of it faster or at least have the support around me. I don't feel like I'm dealing with my depression by myself.

MC: Many people struggle with tying their identity to their work or performance. How do you continue to excel at the sport you love without it defining you?

RS: I've always prided myself on being a hard worker, but also understanding that I have to have fun with it. That's why you'll see me dancing and things. I feel like I dance pretty much after every meet now. Good or bad. If it's too terrible, then I'm like eh, but I don't take it personally now. Beforehand, I would have sulked and sat on certain performances and things like that, but I've been able to brush certain performances off. And, in the good times, really embrace and enjoy them. Beforehand I'd be like, "What's next? What's next? What's next?" instead of appreciating being in the moment.

MC: Was there ever a thought that you wouldn't compete in Tokyo once you decided to train for it towards the end of your stay in the mental health facility?

RS: No. Especially after I had my hip surgery [in 2019], I was really distraught because I was like, "Man, the Olympics are next year. I can't even walk on two crutches." I couldn't even sleep on my side or my stomach at that point. Once I started physical therapy, I just started attacking everything so hard because it's like, I have to do this. I have to get it done. Back in April, I actually tore my right labrum, so my opposite hip, and it's torn worse than what my left was. In that moment, it was weighing on me. But talking to some of my close friends, I remember calling one of them—Gwen Berry, actually. I called her and I broke down crying. But at the end of the conversation I was like, "I know God and the universe hasn't put me through everything I've been through just to stop me now." I feel like this is just another challenge that I have to overcome to get to what I say I want.

MC: Being on a high in Rio and then coming down from it afterwards, I imagine training again can be a little triggering. How are you managing your mental health currently? Do you have any fears about what will happen after Tokyo?

RS: I don't. And that's one of the things that I learned. I know my depression comes and goes, but I'm not focusing on when my next episode will be. If you're constantly looking over your shoulder, you're going to force something to happen. I do check-ins with myself on the daily or at least every other day, just making sure like, Are you good? How's your mental health?

I really feel like this time around, I'm in a so much better space mentally, physically. Especially sharing my story, there's so many more people now that know the trials that I deal with. And I have friends that from time to time are checking on me, like, "Hey, you good? Everything okay?" And then the friends that I am around, they've been able to sense when my depression comes. They can tell sometimes before I even can, like, "Okay, you're depressed." It's just nice having that type of support system.

MC: Recently, Naomi Osaka has advocated for better mental health care in the sports world and beyond. As a fellow athlete competing in Tokyo, what has it been like to see her speak out?

RS: Honestly, it really warmed my heart because Naomi has a broader reach than I have, especially on a world stage. And I was so happy that she had the courage to go against the grain. Also, being a Black athlete...like if this was 10 years ago, 15 years ago, and Serena [Williams] or Venus [Williams] was like, "Hey, I need a mental health break" they would have been dragged through the mud months on end. But I'm just happy that [Naomi] was able to take that time and still have enough support and love from the world, like, "Okay. Take that time for yourself, whatever. You have plenty more Grand Slams ahead of you." Before we're athletes, we're people. And it's just nice to see that there are more athletes, especially nowadays, that are taking care of their mental health.

MC: What are you most looking forward to in Tokyo?

RS: The experience this Olympics will be very un-Olympics like. I remember at Rio it was just like a huge...not necessarily a party, but it kinda was because you were around so many athletes all the time. You got to interact with everybody. You could just stop somebody and be like, "Hey, look. What sport do you do? What do you compete in?" And I feel like to a degree we'll have that. But there's going to be no spectators. There's going to be no friends or family. Even the coaches are limited. And there are so many athletes that even now have to go out and compete without their coach, without their family, and without fans, which is completely the opposite of what the Olympics has always been.

But what I'm looking forward to the most is the actual competition, because that's the biggest thing. I feel like it may be the best Olympics because, in all actuality, a lot of people will come in and treat it like a practice. It'll be a lot easier for certain people to put their best performances ahead because all year you're competing in front of fans and then you go to the biggest meet of the year and there's nobody. So you're just like, "Okay."

MC: For our readers who aren't familiar, can you tell them what the shot put entails?

RS: In the shot put for women, we throw a four-kilogram ball, which is roughly nine pounds. The men compete with a 16-pound ball, so almost double what we throw. There are a few different techniques to it. I'm a spinner. On the women's side, we have a lot more gliders. The glide is more of a linear movement. It looks like a spin, but there's also a lot of linear force that goes into it. It's not a beauty contest. It's not a judging contest. It's literally who can throw the furthest while staying in the ring. I think my throw takes about a second to a second and a half, if that.

MC: Any advice you'd give to fellow athletes who may be struggling with their mental health right now?

RS: The thing that I would tell them is to seek help, and that you sometimes have to make yourself uncomfortable. I know a lot of times when you're depressed, you feel alone and you don't understand certain things. But if you do the work and you continuously try while you're in the midst of your depression to do certain things and do different things, to push yourself and constantly give yourself positive affirmations. If you're feeling down and you're feeling depressed [remind yourself], "I am worthy." That's one of my favorite affirmations and I repeat those things three times over: I will succeed. I will succeed. I will succeed. I will win. I will win. I will win. Just constantly reaffirming yourself of your words so as your mind is constantly trying to beat you down, you can fight that.

If you or a loved one are in crisis or experiencing thoughts of suicide, text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741) or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Both services are free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

You might never guess it, but chronic pain impacts 21.7 percent of women in the United States. We’re talking the spectrum of I don’t want to get out of bed to I can’t take it anymore—near-daily for months or longer. These are women you work with, see at the gym, pass going into the grocery store—maybe one of them is even you. And on top of the obvious physical and mental strain, chronic pain is literally costing them.

We spoke with three women who know firsthand just how big that financial toll is. Consider their stories a reminder that you never know what life may throw at you when it comes to your health. It’s never too late to learn more about your health insurance coverage (especially if you’ve recently started a new job!) or start an emergency fund to pay for unexpected medical expenses.

Shelling out cash in search of a solution

When Shelley Smith, 38, started feeling fatigue and joint pain right after her son was born 11 years ago, she didn’t know what was going on. “I bounced around from doctor to doctor for a year-and-a-half until I was finally diagnosed with [chronic] Lyme disease,” she says. Shelley was ultimately also diagnosed with fibromyalgia (a condition that causes widespread pain throughout the body) and hasn’t been able to find a treatment that works consistantly. “I’m never not in pain,” she says. “Sometimes it gets worse because I am too physically active; sometimes it gets worse for no reason.”

As a result, she’s gone down a path of trying to figure out what will help her feel better—something that costs a lot of money. “I joke that I have a $40 monthly heating pad budget because I use them so much and need to constantly replace them,” she says. “I also spend $30 to $40 each month on electrodes for a pain relief device I use.” On top of that, she spends $30 a month on pain creams and Epsom salts, which she bathes in almost every night to help her muscles feel better. “In the past, I was doing monthly massages because my muscles got so tense with the pain, but they were $100 each, and I had to give them up,” she says.

And then there were the supplements. “I’ve spent so much money to see if certain diets or vitamins would make a difference,” Shelley says. “At one time I was spending $200 to $300 a month on a supplement program because I was so desperate to find an answer.” All of that is on top of traditional medical expenses. “I am very lucky and have very good insurance, but I still spend between $6,000 and $8,000 a year on co-pays and lab fees,” she says.

As much as she’s already spent, Shelley knows she isn’t done searching for the thing that will finally keep her pain at bay. “I think people just don’t realize how much it costs to reduce your pain,” she says. “You’re always trying to find something that might work.”

Drowning in medical debt

It ended up being a blessing that Angela Lundberg, 42, got her rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis when she was only 18 years old. Because she was still on her parents’ health insurance plan, she was able to get the help she needed without worrying too much about finances. But once she hit 25, she was on her own. “I was doing temp work and didn’t get health insurance through an employer,” she says. “And because of my preexisting condition, I could only find a coinsurance plan.” This means that not only was the monthly premium high, but she also had to pay for a percentage of all her medical care. As a result, she found herself in tens of thousands of dollars of debt.

“I had to constantly decide if I was going to get the medication or treatment that I needed. [I knew if I] put it all on my credit card, I wouldn’t be able to pay it at the end of the month,” she says. “And after I turned 25, my [new] insurance didn’t even cover things like physical therapy, which I need.” It wasn’t until the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010 that Angela’s finances started improving.

She was able to get a better plan (her pre-existing conditions no longer were a barrier to getting approved for insurance) and, in 2016, qualified for Medicaid when it was expanded. “I’ve been able to get my credit card debt down to $10,000, and I’ve worked hard to get my credit score back to a good place,” she says. “But this medical debt has made a huge impact on me.”

Draining the FSA to fight pain

It takes Adina Felton, a 42-year-old contracting officer for the U.S. Department of Transportation, a few breaths to list the various diseases she has that cause her chronic pain. “I’ve had lupus and fibromyalgia since I was in my 20s, and for the past three years I’ve also had a rare form of epilepsy that causes daily headaches and migraines,” she says. “I also have scoliosis, where my back is curved like a ‘C.’ Basically, I’m in pain every day.”

Adina manages her symptoms with both traditional and holistic solutions. For example, she pays for unlimited Pilates classes, which comes to more than $200 a month. “I love it because it’s gentle on my joints and strengthens my small muscles while also realigning my body,” Adina says. “It really helps with managing my muscle and joint pain.” At one point she did 12 weeks of acupuncture (partially covered by her insurance) for a total cost of $480 but stopped when she realized it wasn’t helping her overall pain levels go down.

Adina also regularly sees doctors and takes meds to manage her health conditions. Since she has pretty good health insurance through her job, she is only responsible for copays when she goes to the doctor or refills her prescriptions. But that doesn’t mean they’re free. “I pay $65 a month for my pain medications and $40 every time I see a specialist,” she says. “But that’s a lot since I see a migraine doctor once a month, a rheumatologist every three months, a dermatologist for a rash caused by my lupus every three months, an eye specialist every six months (one of my medications affects my eyes), and a seizure doctor once a year.”

It’s easy to see how she maxes out the $2,750 she puts into her flexible spending account every year, but Adina doesn’t focus too much on the amount she spends. “This is all just something I know I have to do for myself,” she says. “I’m so used to it now and have learned how to work it into my budget—it feels like second nature to have these kinds of expenses.”

Avoiding socialization to pay medical bills

In the 13 years since being diagnosed with both rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, Leslie Rott Welsbacher, 35, has learned to live with both the pain and the cost of treating it. “I’m one of those people who gets a bill and pays it, but it’s definitely not easy,” she says. “When I was in grad school, I paid at least $10,000 over a two-year period [for various medical expenses], and I’m still not sure how I did it.”

Leslie has also had to shell out a lot of money for pricey procedures, like paying $3,000 for surgery on her right foot to help reduce pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis. “After a certain period of time, I stopped keeping track of how much I’ve spent because it’s so depressing,” she says.

Recently, it’s occurred to Leslie that almost all of her money goes to her medical bills. “I’ve done basically no travel for fun since my diagnosis—I’ve only traveled for work or for a health conference where my expenses were covered,” she says. “And I’ve limited socializing to help save money for the bills I know are coming.”

For Leslie, chronic pain has also impacted her career choices—something that has affected what she earns now. “At one point I wanted to be a journalist, but there’s no way I could work those long hours with my chronic diseases,” she says. “So then I got a PhD in sociology and wanted to teach, but a lot of my professors made me feel I couldn’t because of my illnesses. They told me I wouldn’t be able to survive the intensity of an academic career because I was sick. It was such an unaccepting environment.”

The discouragement of her professors and the reality of how exhausting it was to teach in front of a classroom of college students when she wasn’t feeling well convinced her to get out of academia—a decision she still struggles with today. “To spend six years in a grad program and not end up with a whole lot to show for it is sad and disappointing,” she says. “I’m now the compliance officer for a long-term community nursing company, but it’s not a job I love.”

These days, Leslie has much better insurance through her husband’s job but still can’t stop focusing on potential medical bills. “I’m pregnant, and it’s high-risk because of my diseases,” she says. “Without his insurance, I would have already spent $3,300 more for my care so far. If you’ve only ever had good insurance, you really don’t get what it’s like to always ask how much something is going to cost. I’m so grateful now for having good insurance—there’s just so much less worry.”

In my twenties, I had a habit for one-night stands. I'd meet a guy, traipse back to his place, and, after hooking up, promptly remove myself from the situation. No post-coital cuddle, no morning coffee, no lingering, intimate conversation.

In the rare instance that I did sleep over somewhere, I would inevitably jolt upwards at 5 a.m., panic-stricken, and scavenge for my belongings in the dark. Whether I recovered my candy-colored Hanky Panky underwear depended not on how lightly Guy X snoozed, rather how quickly I stirred another sleeping giant—my thoughts. More specifically, my violent, murder-y thoughts. You see, whenever I awoke to find a man innocently slumbering beside me, my mind always alerted me to the fact that if I wanted to, I could kill him.

What's to stop you, Jessica? It is not totally out of the realm of possibility. What if you lost all control and in one swift motion, you ended this poor guy's life?

Who is this girl, Dexter with blonde balayage? It's a fair question, and one that I posed to myself many times, but in actuality I was struggling with what I had yet to understand as Harm Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, a form of OCD in which you are flooded with intrusive thoughts or fears of hurting those around you.

An estimated 2.3 percent of Americans have OCD, but the percentage of those with Harm OCD is unknown, at least partly because intrusive thoughts are so offensive, they prevent many sufferers from coming forward.

By definition, intrusive thoughts are unwelcome, involuntary thoughts or images that are violent or inappropriate in nature. In my case, this translated to full-blown Tarantino musings—with a millennial slant—and they could strike at any time or place, often targeting the things I most value. I am a hopeless romantic, so date nights were a particular trigger, but the onslaught didn’t stop there. Coffee with a coworker led to visions of me throwing a scolding-hot matcha latte in their face. Fashion week reporting resulted in imagining a stiletto heel plunged into a model's eye. And brunch with a new friend never failed to end in broken Mimosa glasses and a bloodbath. Check please.

Although everyone experiences troubling thoughts—85 percent of the non-OCD population admits to having violent thoughts on occasion—when they happen to someone with an obsessive brain like me, the outcome is persistent and paralyzing. The harder you try to make the thoughts stop, the stronger they come on. I relate the experience to a pesky pop-up window—close one, and a hundred more appear.

Still, it didn't stop me from straining to close the metaphorical windows by any means necessary. Each time invisible gore splattered in my field of view, I would retreat to a restroom stall, the color drained from my face, and pull my hair until the pain distracted me from the bad thoughts. I would repeat silent mantras over and over: "You are not a psycho-killer. You are not going to snap. You are a good person." I Google searched characteristics of murderers to prove I was not one. It would take me many years to recognize that these behaviors are compulsions.

In his book Overcoming Harm OCD, psychotherapist Jon Hershfield explains, "A compulsion in Harm OCD is anything you do, mentally or otherwise, to try to convince yourself that you did not, will not, would not, and are not harming people." They range from "avoiding things, activities, or people that trigger thoughts of harm" to "engaging in superstitious behaviors to ensure that no harm will take place" and even "mentally reviewing memories to assure yourself that no harm could have been done." A person with traditional OCD may check to make sure they didn't leave the stove on, while someone with Harm OCD will revisit a location to make sure they didn't kill someone.

Detrimental as these habits are, they're deceiving in that they do offer a small dose of relief, however fleeting, and that feeling keeps sufferers coming back for more. That's where the repetition part of OCD comes in, which rapidly devolves into a time consuming and taxing chore. My personal brand of compulsions varied, but the most common one I implemented was avoidance: When I realized romantic situations were riddled with land mines of harmful thoughts, I opted to avoid relationships altogether. Hence, my penchant for hooking up.

People in my circle eventually caught on. At 28, my family wondered why I never brought home a boyfriend. My dad asked on more than one occasion if I was gay. (The supportive sentiment was appreciated.) And a former boss once declared, "Jessica doesn't drink, she doesn't smoke, but she loves her sexy time." I played along and leaned into the role, explaining away my perpetually unattached state as a means for exploring my options and having fun. It was easier to be a Carrie Bradshaw, after all, than a Carrie.

And then, I fell in love.

Michael—a wild-haired, gap-toothed, guitar-player from Boston—and I met at a dive in Los Angeles's Echo Park, and I knew instantly that I cared about him too much to ghost him. On the contrary, I badly wanted to explore our potential. Thus began an internal dance of bargaining. How deep could our connection get before intrusive thoughts took over?

It turns out, not very. For each butterfly-filled date we shared—a trip to a Robert Mapplethorpe pop-up at LACMA, a stroll through Greystone Mansion Park, an evening out in support of his band residency at Hotel Cafe—there was a nightmarish consequence.

What if you strangle him in Mapplethorpe's bondage? What if you push him over this towering balcony? What if you bludgeon him to death with a Rickenbacker?

As my feelings for Michael and day terrors blossomed in step, I ramped up my attempts to neutralize them, determined to make us work. I started hiding sharp objects out of sight, avoided the news (lest a clickbait headline about a murder send me on a spiral), and attempted to counter grisly thoughts with happy ones. "Think: Poppy fields! Rothko sunsets! Taylor Swift! Bad Blood—Wait, no, scratch that." Michael would notice when I got quiet, and when he asked why, I improvised an excuse. My heart sank every time, knowing that I was creating distance between us and robbing myself of the present moment.

Eventually, inescapably, the intrusive thoughts hit a fever-pitch. We were house-sitting for a friend, and as we tucked into bed, I discovered a hunting knife on the nightstand. The blade, obviously meant for protection, blindsided me and ignited a massive panic attack.

I knew then I could no longer keep up the facade, this double life I'd concocted, with compulsions exhausting me to the core. I decided to open up to Michael.

Fortuitously, around the same time I caught an episode of the NPR podcast Invisibilia. Titled “The Secret History of Thoughts,” the show featured a newlywed man called "S", who described an experience eerily similar to mine. While watching a violent movie with his wife, S was struck with the sudden, recurrent fear that he could stab her. By the end of the episode, the program gave his condition a name: Harm OCD.

A lightbulb went off, and I brought the podcast to Michael as a delicate way to segue into my reveal. After he listened, I clenched my sweaty palms, and posed: "You know how this guy is scared of hurting his wife?" He nodded, oblivious to where this was going. "Well," I gulped. "I feel that way too. I think I have Harm OCD, because sometimes I picture killing you."

"Hmmn." He furrowed his brow, unreadable. The silence that followed was unending. I was sure I’d sabotaged us, that I'd driven a stake through our entire future in the blink of an eye. The irony.

At last, he uttered, "Well... I'm glad I just signed a lease with you."

My stomach dipped. He let the sentence linger and then to my unimaginable relief, he cracked a smile. "Gotcha."

We both started laughing, which is something I desperately needed—to find the humor in the situation. Levity is easy to miss when you're lost in the macabre woods, but Michael showed me that mocking my thoughts could be a valuable tool (a philosophy later encouraged by my therapist). Soon after, with his encouragement, I sought professional help.

This wasn't my first attempt to consult a therapist or psychiatrist. Confessing to a stranger that you have murderous thoughts is an incredibly vulnerable and scary thing to do. Also, since there is not widespread awareness about my condition, some therapists I encountered didn't have the training to help me. I'd argue they threw me off-track. This is in part why the average time it takes someone with OCD to receive proper treatment is 14 to 17 years from the onset of symptoms.

Fortunately, I discovered OCD Center of Los Angeles. (The Executive Director, psychologist Tom Corboy, was interviewed on Invisibilia.) It was there I met Elena Fasan, a therapist who implements Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT, and in a single one-on-one session the trajectory of my life changed.

As a screenwriter, I'm encouraged to hide Easter eggs in scripts, and meeting Elena felt like unearthing a giant golden one in my life. By remarkable chance, she was an Omaha native like me, she also had Harm OCD, and most crucially, she knew how to treat me.

Fasan confirmed my suspected diagnosis and welcomed me to her weekly group sessions. It was there every Saturday morning, in a Brentwood high-rise, that I grit my teeth in OCD recovery—er, maintenance (OCD is not something you can "cure"). Through tears and laughter, I shared my story with a motley crew of obsessives and learned about their own inner-demons. They ran the gamut from intrusive sexual thoughts (Pure Obsessional OCD) to the inability to get a song out of your head (motor-sensory OCD) and the fear of harming a newborn (Harm/Postpartum OCD). Unlike pop culture portrayals—narrow depictions of OCD as something that makes one a neat freak—their personal stories proved the disorder’s range and helped me feel seen. And here's the kicker. Remember all the years I strived to silence my thoughts? Fasan put her foot down on that practice. She taught me that if I wanted to effectively manage my fears, I must stop running away from them. I must run headfirst toward them with Exposure and Response Prevention therapy, or ERP.

"All variations of exposure therapy focus on the same core principle," Corboy says, "which is that those suffering from these conditions will experience the greatest reduction of their symptoms by repeatedly doing the very thing that most terrifies them, without responding with any behaviors that are meant to reduce or control their anxiety."

Under Fasan’s guidance, I built an Exposure Hierarchy chart, a list of personalized, anxiety-producing situations in order of severity. The chart organizes your fears so you may gradually expose yourself to them. For instance, if I was triggered by a scary movie on my Netflix home screen, my assignment was to add it to my queue. If watching an entire slasher film was too intense, we'd start with just the trailer. Eventually, I'd escalate to watching a documentary about real killers, and so on.

It's important to note that exposure should never involve anything that is actually dangerous. That is, a therapist would never instruct someone scared of stabbing someone to actually carry out the act (obviously), and that's where an "imaginal" comes into play. Corboy describes an imaginal as "the writing of short stories based on the individual's obsessive thoughts. These are stories based on the sufferer's scariest thoughts—their deepest, darkest OCD thoughts, taken to the worst possible outcome."

The process of ERP and imaginals is terrifying at first, because it is designed to spike your anxiety. The madness behind the method is that when you face a triggering situation and accept the unavoidable anxiety and intrusive thoughts that follow, instead of performing a compulsion, it creates a new neurological pathway. The offending thought becomes less important. Basically, your mental process goes from Oh my god, what if I snap and kill someone, and ruin their lives and their family's lives and my family's lives, and I'm a trending topic on Twitter, and everyone hates me forever? to Oh, that was a weird thought.

Exposure Therapy, however simple in concept, is one of the toughest things I've ever tackled. But, little by little, it effectively stripped my OCD of its power, and emboldened me to reclaim my life. In time, combined with other CBT tools (like mindfulness meditation) I stopped hiding knives and started actually using them to cut up food—what a concept! Finally, I reached the top of my hierarchy chart, which required me to keep a knife on our nightstand.

This straightforward task would have been previously inconceivable for me, but with eight months of therapy under my belt, and Michael's consent and cooperation—bless him—I conquered the assignment. I kicked that exposure’s ass.

Today I'm a few years into my OCD maintenance. I graduated from group therapy—which is the goal with CBT—and have the tools to keep my OCD in check. I recognize triggers and perform exposures on the regular, and with the advent of support groups moving online (a silver lining of the pandemic world), I am able to pop in for a touch-up when needed. I wrote a TV pilot, Obsessed, centered on a character with Harm OCD. Along with director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Someone Great, Sweet Vicious), we aim to bring representation to this underground mental illness—something that is majorly lacking in the media.

Michael and I just celebrated our five-year anniversary, and while the future of our relationship is uncertain, like all things in life, I am learning to embrace the present moment instead of worrying about all the things that could go wrong. Do we want to kill each other sometimes? Sure. But, that’s to be expected after more than a year in lockdown.