• Kate Hudson, 45, thinks that being a part of a big blended family has its own upside.
• Her three kids, who have three different dads, get to have "so much family," she said on a podcast.
• "They've got multiple grandmas, multiple grandpas, multiple dads, and moms," Hudson said.

Kate Hudson, 45, wants you to know that being in a big blended family has its perks too.

During an episode of "The Martha Stewart Podcast" released on Wednesday, the "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" actor spoke about her three kids and the dynamics of her blended family.

"There's a positive to it," Hudson told host Martha Stewart. "It's like they have so much family. They've got multiple grandmas, multiple grandpas, multiple dads, and moms."

"And then they'll pick and choose who they really really connected with and kind of forge those relationships," Stewart interjected, to which Hudson agreed.

Hudson has three children with three different fathers. Her eldest son, Ryder, whom she shares with her ex-husband Chris Robinson, was born in 2004. In 2011, she welcomed her second son, Bingham, with her ex-fiancé, Muse frontman Matt Bellamy. In 2018, she gave birth to her daughter, Rani, whom she shares with her current fiancé, Danny Fujikawa.

Together, they've built "a really strong unit," Hudson said.

"Being able to continue having such a great connection with the family — like the whole family, including my exes and their partners — it is actually great," she added.

Hudson herself comes from a blended family. Her mother is actor Goldie Hawn while her father is musician Bill Hudson. She has one biological brother, one step-brother, three half-brothers, and two half-sisters.

Kurt Russel, Hawn's partner of over 40 years, has played a big role in Hudson's life. Last Father's Day, Hudson captioned a photo of the two together on Instagram: "I love my Pa so much! What a man, lucky me."

According to a survey by the US Census Bureau published in 2022, the percentage of children living with at least one stepparent increased from 6.2% to 7% between 2007 and 2019.

In a personal essay for Business Insider, writer Sara Lyle — who is blending a family of three sons — shared some tips on how she's navigating the changes in family dynamics. She says one of the most important things is to include children in any life-changing decisions, so it can help lessen their anxiety and validate their importance within the family unit.

A representative for Hudson did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.

• Michelle Obama says her husband Barack Obama's punctuality used to get on her nerves.
• "Barack, you know, he had to adjust to what 'on time' was for me," Obama said on her "IMO" podcast.
• The former first lady previously said she had a bad impression of him when he was late for their first meeting.

Marriage isn't easy — even Michelle Obama used to have a major pet peeve with her husband Barack Obama.

During Wednesday's premiere episode of her podcast "IMO," which she cohosts with her brother Craig Robinson, the former first lady spoke about one of her husband's habits that used to get on her nerves.

"Barack, you know, he had to adjust to what 'on time' was for me," Obama told Robinson.

"Because he was on that island time," Robinson interjected, referring to the former president's Hawaiian roots.

Obama said it bothered her that her husband would often only start getting ready when it was time to leave for their appointments.

"You know, I've got this husband who's like, when it's time to leave, it's 3, he's getting up and going to the bathroom. And I was like, dude, dude, a 3 o'clock departure means you've done all that, you know? It's like, don't start looking for your glasses, you know, at the 3 o'clock departure," she said.

However, he tries to keep himself in check these days, she said.

"But he's improved over 30 years of marriage," she said. She added that her daughters, Malia and Sasha, know to be early if they are doing anything with her.

In 2014, using public data posted on the White House website, The Washington Post reported that the former president was over 35 hours late to his scheduled engagements that year.

In a 2018 interview, Obama shared that she had a bad impression of Barack Obama when they met at a Chicago law firm in 1989 because he was late for their first meeting.

"I was like, is he trifling? The black man's going to be late on the first day? I was like, 'Um,'" Obama told ABC News' Robin Roberts.

Punctuality is often touted as a key to success.

One such business leader who believes in punctuality is Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group.

"If you want to be more productive, then start at the start: get there on time," Branson wrote on LinkedIn in 2015. Not only is it a show of respect to others, it is also a way to effectively manage his day, he said.

"Of course, everything doesn't always go to plan. It isn't always possible to be on time, but it is always possible to try. When I find myself running late, I will often quite literally resort to running," Branson wrote.

Representatives for the Obamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular hours.

• Dax Shepard says he stopped trying to find out how much his costars made when he starred in "Parenthood."
• That way, he could continue to enjoy going to work, Shepard said on his "Armchair Expert" podcast.
• He said he was aware he was among the lowest-paid actors on the show.

Dax Shepard may be a popular podcaster now, but he said there was a time when he wasn't making much money as an actor.

During Monday's episode of his "Armchair Expert" podcast featuring his former "Parenthood" costar Lauren Graham, Shepard spoke about how being on the show changed the way he thought about pay transparency.

"Every job I had ever had in my life prior to 'Parenthood,' I made a point to find out what everyone was making," Shepard told Graham and his cohost, actor Monica Padman. "I'd always figure it out — either a conversation where I get it out of them or backchannel through an agent."

But when Shepard landed the role of Crosby Braverman in the NBC series, which ran for six seasons from 2010 to 2015, he decided to stop doing that. Because of that choice, Shepard said he was "so happy" working on the show.

"If I find out that Jabbar is making twice as much as me, how can I enjoy going to work?" he said, referring to Jabbar Trussell, his onscreen son played by actor Tyree Brown.

"That was the first time I ever broke that habit and boy, was that a blessing," he said.

Earlier in the podcast, Shepard said that he was among the lowest-paid of the show's actors.

Earlier comments about money

During a 2021 appearance on the "Tell Me With Ellen Pompeo" podcast, Shepard said that he was sometimes bothered by social media comments that he made less money than his wife, Kristen Bell.

"That shouldn't bother me at all," Shepard told host Ellen Pompeo. "I know how much I make. It's a lot."

"Yet, two days later, I'll be hearing that f— tweet in my head. 'Cause that person set out to emasculate me," he said.

The Wall Street Journal reported that in July 2024, Shepard signed an $80 million podcasting deal with Amazon's Wondery platform. As part of the deal, Wondery and Shepard's "Armchair Expert" team would develop and produce two new podcasts and one livestream a year.

In the past few years, a growing number of states, including New York, California, and Nevada, have passed pay transparency measures that force companies to disclose compensation levels.

Some employers are hesitant to share salary information upfront since it gives them an advantage during pay negotiations with candidates, workplace expert and author Jenn Lim previously told Business Insider.

Not disclosing immediately gives the companies "more wiggle room on the back end," Lim said in 2022. "It's a negotiation point."

If companies are hoping to appeal to Gen Z job seekers, pay transparency is a must: A 2022 Indeed survey of 2,000 people aged 16 to 26 years found that 85% of respondents said that it's important or very important for a job listing to include salary information.

Representatives for Shepard and NBC did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.

• Kate Hudson, 45, says she isn't afraid to apologize to her kids whenever she's in the wrong.
• Instead of being combative with them, the "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" actor tries to acknowledge her shortcomings.
• There are several steps to making an effective apology, psychologists previously told BI.

Kate Hudson, 45, isn't afraid to admit to her kids when she's in the wrong.

During an appearance on Thursday's episode of the "Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce" podcast, Hudson spoke about being "conscious of" her own behavior while parenting her kids and learning how to apologize to them when she goes "too far."

The "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" actor recounted a recent incident when she butted heads with her son, Bingham, 13, after he refused to do something she had asked him to.

"And in that moment, I got triggered," Hudson told host Kylie Kelce. "It wasn't about him, it was about my own inability to resolve or walk away from the moment that was happening."

Instead, Hudson said she "became combative" with her teenage son.

"But it happens all the time as a parent. When you walk away from it, you can recognize where you might've created more of a problem than you did a lesson," Hudson said.

She said that admitting to her kids that she could've handled the situation better would have been more helpful in resolving the conflict.

Not only that, it would also be a better parenting model for her kids to emulate.

"Sometimes in conflict, you go too far, and you need to say you're sorry, instead of teaching them that you doubled down," Hudson said. "And what you find in going to your kids and saying, 'I could have handled this better' or 'I made a mistake' or 'I'm sorry I didn't trust you' — whatever the scenario — is that connection becomes stronger."

Knowing when to acknowledge her shortcomings has been a key part of her parenting journey.

"I think that's the biggest lesson for me, and now that I feel like a veteran mother. Been like doing it for 21 years," the "Running Point" star said.

Hudson welcomed her eldest son, Ryder, in 2004 with her ex-husband, Chris Robinson. In 2011, she gave birth to her second son, Bingham, whom she shares with ex-fiancé, Muse front man Matt Bellamy. She welcomed her daughter, Rani, in 2018, with her current fiancé, Danny Fujikawa.

Psychologists previously told Business Insider that there are several steps to making an effective apology. These include being accountable, putting a plan in place to rectify the mistake, and being sincere.

It is also important to avoid phrases like "I'm sorry if…" or "I'm sorry, but…" since they reduce the apologizing party's accountability, Leah Rockwell, a licensed counselor, previously told BI.

"By adding 'and' into an apology, you create an easy way to open and broaden the conversation rather than to close it," she said. "As soon as the word 'but' is present, you are operating from a place of defensiveness."

A representative for Hudson did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.

• Ashley Tisdale says she had very different postpartum experiences following her two births.
• The "High School Musical" star felt "robbed" of her first experience as a mother due to postpartum depression.
• But welcoming her second child to the family was a "very easy transition," she said.

Ashley Tisdale, 39, is excited that she got to be a mom again.

The "High School Musical" star told Us Weekly that welcoming her second child was a chance to experience motherhood again since she felt "robbed" of her first experience due to postpartum depression, or PPD.

"To be able to have this experience again and to have it in such a great way and be so present, it makes me cherish every single moment," Tisdale said.

Tisdale and her husband, Christopher French, married in 2014. They welcomed their first daughter, Jupiter, in 2021 and their second daughter, Emerson, in September.

So far, it's been a "really easy transition" for the family, she said.

When she first became a mom, Tisdale said she was nervous and didn't know what to expect.

"With the second, you just feel so much more confident," she said.

She also credits her husband for his support.

"I feel like we balance each other out," Tisdale said. "There are times where Chris is really the fun parent and I might be a little bit more strict. And then, there's times where he's a little bit more strict with scheduling, and I'm a really fun parent."

In a September post on her website, written about two weeks after she gave birth to her second child, Tisdale reflected on how different her two postpartum experiences were.

When she had her first child, "something just wasn't clicking for me as a new mom," Tisdale wrote.

"I had expected to feel certain things as a new mother, but I didn't. Instead, I spent a lot of time feeling sad and anxious—and guilty about feeling that way," she continued. "It took me a while to realize that I was going through postpartum depression. Fortunately, I came out of it in time, but I remember feeling robbed of the joy I'd been hoping to experience."

But thankfully, things were different with her second child.

"When I first looked into Emerson's eyes, I immediately had the connection I'd dreamed of. This postpartum period has been so much easier because I feel like my normal self, and I feel 100% connected with my daughters," she wrote.

Tisdale isn't the only celebrity mom who has been open about experiencing postpartum depression.

In a March 2017 essay for Glamour, Chrissy Teigen shared that taking antidepressants helped her with postpartum depression. She was diagnosed with the condition after giving birth to her daughter, Luna, in April 2016.

During a 2020 episode of Jameela Jamil's "I Weigh" podcast, Reese Witherspoon shared that she experienced postpartum depression after the birth of two of her three children.

Based on data from the CDC, one in eight women in the US report experiencing symptoms of depression after giving birth.

Some symptoms of postpartum depression include severe mood swings, crying too much, and having difficulties bonding with the newborn baby.

A representative for Tisdale did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

• In 2023, a breast cancer diagnosis reframed Low Seow Yee's perspective on life.
• She decided to quit her job at a government agency to open Hangout Laundry, a laundromat, in Singapore.
• Laundromats are often touted as a passive income business, but she's hosting parties and making laundry fun again.

When Low Seow Yee went for her routine yearly mammogram in March 2023, she wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary.

But a few weeks later, she received a letter requesting that she come in for a follow-up. A biopsy revealed that she had stage one breast cancer. The next few months passed by in a blur.

Her bosses at the government agency where she worked were empathetic and told her to take as much time as she needed. After two surgeries and over 15 sessions of radiation therapy, Low was cancer-free.

"It was on my first day back at work when I realized, 'Oh no, I really don't want to do this,'" Low, now 46, told Business Insider. She handed in her resignation the following week.

Her medical scare had reframed her perspective on life. She had always been working for people — first in the events and F&B industries early in her career, and then in a marketing role for a government agency — and she wanted to try something new.

"It occurred to me that if I keep on doing this, I don't know — I feel like maybe I'm missing out on some experiences in life," the mother of three said.

From federal employee to small-business owner

In December 2024, Low and her husband opened Hangout Laundry, a 24-hour self-service laundromat in Bedok, a neighborhood in the eastern region of Singapore.

Low was drawn to the idea of starting a laundromat because it was an evergreen business. She also wanted to avoid making laundry feel like a chore.

"The whole idea was that we really want people to kind of look forward to laundry day. It doesn't have to be stuffy or boring," she said.

The air-conditioned interiors are bright and inviting. There's free WiFi and a coffee machine, and tables and chairs are set up where customers can wait.

Low's intention was to create a comfortable space where people could relax or get work done while doing their laundry.

Prices for the washer range between 7 and 12 Singapore dollars, or about $5 and $9. The cost of using the dryer is S$1 every 5 minutes.

While researching the industry, Low said she noticed that laundromats were often touted as a passive income business, which meant owners were not always around to keep an eye on things.

Dirty folding tables, or even a hot and stuffy atmosphere can have a big impact on the customer experience, and she wanted to change that. "I wanted it to be a more social place," she said.

Trusting her gut

Hangout Laundry is tucked away in the corner on the ground floor of a public housing apartment block.

The biggest challenge has been marketing the laundromat since it doesn't receive a lot of foot traffic; the nearest subway station is about a 15-minute walk away.

Everything on the laundromat's website has been optimized for search engines, Low said. That, coupled with getting their regulars to leave reviews, has helped boost their visibility online.

But ultimately, it's the experience that will keep customers coming back — something they feel is enhanced through social interaction. That's why Low and her husband take turns coming in almost every day to get to know their customers and listen to feedback.

Low said trusting her gut also paid off. For instance, she was told it was a bad idea to have a coffee machine in the laundromat, but she went ahead with the idea anyway.

Hot drinks range in price from S$3.30 to S$4.90, and Low said coffee now accounts for 20% of the store's sales.

She added that there are people who come in just for a cup of coffee or to use the desks: "We highly encourage it. I also have kids who want to come and study. I say it's no problem if they just buy a drink."

The average cost of starting a self-service laundromat is not as hefty as many other businesses, Gary Tan, a general manager at Fresh Laundry, a distributor of commercial laundry machines in Singapore, told BI.

Fresh Laundry offers turnkey services to those who want to set up their own laundromats, with entry-level packages starting from S$130,000, he said.

"If we were to include all other miscellaneous licensing and costs that an investor needs to consider, he needs to set aside an estimate of about S$160,000," Tan said, adding that a typical laundromat would take about three years to break even.

Low preferred not to share how much she has invested in or earned from the laundromat.

Making laundry a social activity

In the spirit of making the laundromat a more social space, Low held a Valentine's Day-themed party in February.

"We had a couple of rounds of silly games like blindfolded clothes-folding contests," she said, adding that there were multiple DJs and a pop-up bar that night.

Entry tickets were S$20 with one free drink, but free entry was granted to anyone who came with a load of laundry to wash or dry.

Low's already brainstorming ideas for the laundromat's next event — possibly a "Dungeons and Dragons" night, she says — and for ways to improve the laundry experience.

"Some people want iced coffee, so we're putting in an ice machine. Some people want a library of sorts, so we're thinking about it," Low said.

It's not easy being a small-business owner, but she hopes that it can rub off on her kids, who often come in on weekends to help her out.

"I'm hopeful that my kids can also learn to be a bit more entrepreneurial," Low said. "It would be nice."

• Katherine Phillips was burned out, so she left San Diego and moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2019.
• She works remotely on a Destination Thailand Visa and lives in a $340-a-month apartment.
• She says her life has slowed down since moving to Chiang Mai and it's done wonders for her mental health.

Katherine Phillips, 32, had never been to Chiang Mai, Thailand, before she moved there on her own in 2019.

Phillips, who grew up in San Diego, always dreamed of traveling around Asia. Her mother is from the Philippines, and while she's been to Manila multiple times to visit family over the years, she never got the chance to explore the rest of Southeast Asia.

After finishing grad school and getting her master's in counseling, she was ready to take a break.

"I was really burned out," Phillips told Business Insider. "It was a lot of 15-hour days."

While she was keen on the idea of taking a gap year to travel, she also wanted to make sure she had some income.

When she stumbled upon a job listing for a one-year counseling position at a private international school in Chiang Mai, she decided to go for it.

Why Chiang Mai?

Chiang Mai is about 450 miles north of Bangkok and has long been a popular destination for tourists and expats alike, in part due to its relatively low cost of living.

Phillips says Chiang Mai caught her attention because it frequently came up on lists of popular destinations for digital nomads and expats. It felt like a safe place to live.

Her parents were shocked when she first told them about her plans to move abroad.

"I've always done everything by the books. And this was the first time I was like, 'I'm going to leave the country,'" she said. "They were like, 'You couldn't have just gone to a different state? You had to go to a whole other country?'"

While they were supportive, they were also worried because they couldn't quite understand why she wanted to do it.

"My mom immigrated to the States when she was 18 or 19. She came here and created this really amazing life for herself. And then I, on the other hand, wanted to do the opposite and leave the States," Phillips said.

Her parents have always been somewhat traditional, she said: "You get the degrees, you climb the corporate ladder, that kind of thing, and I was not for that at all."

The school helped Phillips with her visa application, and she stayed in her job there for two years.

When the pandemic started, everything moved online, including her counseling sessions, and she could feel herself starting to burn out again.

"It just started to not feel fulfilling anymore, and I felt like I was doing a disservice. I don't want to show up every day miserable," Phillips said.

After she left her job, she got an education visa and enrolled in a university to learn Thai.

Now, she works remotely for a marketing agency. She has a Destination Thailand Visa, which was introduced last year and can be used by digital nomads and remote workers.

In November 2022, Phillips moved into a one-bedroom apartment near Nimman, a trendy district popular with tourists and expats. Her rent is 11,500 Thai baht, or about $340, a month. It's her third apartment in Chiang Mai.

The 550-square-foot apartment has an open floor plan, two balconies, and a washing machine.

Better mental health, more free time

In recent years, Chiang Mai has become a popular choice for people around the world looking to relocate.

Data from the Bureau of Registration Administration of Thailand indicates that 163,036 foreigners were living in Chiang Mai province as of December 31.

Several people who moved to Chiang Mai previously told BI they were drawn to the area's low costs and laid-back lifestyle.

Johnny Ward, a travel blogger, previously told BI he managed to build his dream "James Bond" villa in Chian Mai for about $600,000. Fred Jones, a retired cop from Florida, previously told BI that life in Chiang Mai is cheaper, safer, and less stressful than back in the US.

Living in Chiang Mai has done wonders for her mental health, and she has more control over her time now. That's partially due to the nature of her work, which is more flexible and project-based.

"I have time for hobbies now. What is that? Because that never happens in the States," she said with a laugh. Now, she gets to do creative things, like learn how to dance the salsa and the bachata, as well as make videos on YouTube and TikTok.

That said, her journey wasn't without its challenges. There was a language barrier, and it took Phillips some time to get used to the food in Chiang Mai, which was more spicy than back in the US.

She added that there was also a part of her that felt like she was missing out on things that were happening back in the States.

However, now that she's been living in Chiang Mai for so long, she says she doesn't see herself moving back to the US.

"I honestly feel safer than I do in the States sometimes," she said. "I feel like everyone looks out for each other."

Ultimately, she's glad she took the plunge to make the move.

"You can always go back to your 9-to-5, to your life in the States, but I think it's worth just experiencing it at least once, to try it out and see," she said.

Do you have a story to share about moving to a new country? Contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com.

• Dolly Parton's husband, Carl Dean, has died at age 82 in Nashville.
• Parton and Dean first met outside a laundromat in 1964 and married two years later in 1966.
• Dean has largely stayed out of the spotlight since then, but he inspired Parton's hit "Jolene."

Dolly Parton's husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, has died at age 82, the singer said in a post on Instagram on Monday.

"Carl Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, passed away March 3rd in Nashville at the age of 82. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie," the post read.

"Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy," the post continued. "The family has asked for privacy during this difficult time."

Parton and Dean met outside a laundromat on the day she moved to Nashville in 1964.

"I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me). He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about," Parton said of the meeting in a post on her official website.

Sparks flew between them almost immediately.

"My first thought was 'I'm gonna marry that girl,'" Dean told Entertainment Tonight in 2016 in a rare public statement for the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. "My second thought was, 'Lord she's good lookin.'" And that was the day my life began. I wouldn't trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth."

After two years of dating, they married in 1966 in a private ceremony in Georgia.

Since their marriage, Dean has largely stayed out of the spotlight.

Parton received her first songwriting award in 1966 for "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" recorded by Bill Phillips. Parton and Dean attended the ceremony and dinner together, but they did not continue making joint public appearances.

"After the dinner, we walked back out, and they brought us our car — I don't even remember what we were driving then — and we got in it and headed for home," Parton said at the Marty Stuart Jam in 2011, per country music news site The Boot. "Carl turned to me and said, 'Dolly, I want you to have everything you want, and I'm happy for you, but don't you ever ask me to go to another one of them dang things again!'"

Dean also inspired one of Parton's biggest hits, "Jolene."

The story for the song came from a bank teller who had a "terrible crush" on her husband, Parton said in a 2008 interview with NPR.

"And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying, 'Hell, you're spending a lot of time at the bank. I don't believe we've got that kind of money.' So it's really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one," she told NPR.

In 2019, the singer told Business Insider that a typical date night with her husband involved a romantic dinner at home, during which they would both get dressed up for each other.

"We've always been sweethearts as well as being best friends, as well as being husband and wife," she said. "So we just decide what we want to do."

A representative for Parton told BI that the singer had no additional comment.

• Hulu crashed during the livestream of the 97th Academy Awards.
• Some users reported error messages at critical moments of the show, including the best actress nomination.
• This is the first time the platform has streamed the awards live.

Hulu crashed during the livestream of the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, leaving fans disappointed and unable to follow along in real time for some of the biggest awards of the night.

For some users, the outage occurred during the best actress segment. Several Hulu users said the livestream went dark for them while Emma Stone was onstage introducing the award, before listing off the nominees.

"This evening, we experienced technical and livestream issues on Hulu which impacted some Oscars viewers," a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to Business Insider. "We apologize for the experience and will make a full replay of the event available as soon as possible."

Earlier in the night, the Disney-owned streaming platform experienced technical issues as well.

According to DownDetector.com, some 33,650 customers reported experiencing problems with login and video streaming beginning around 7 p.m. ET. — just as the awards show commenced.

"Our team has identified the issue and users affected should be able to log back in again soon. We apologize for the inconvenience," Hulu wrote in a post on X addressing the issue.

About an hour later, the company replied to the initial post and offered an update on the outage.

"Thanks so much for hanging in there!" Hulu wrote. "Our team took the necessary steps to resolve this, so you should be all set after rebooting your device. We appreciate your patience!"

It was Hulu's debut streaming the Oscars and a setback for its standing in the streaming wars.

Live broadcasts are particularly attractive to advertisers looking to reach large audiences amid the decline of traditional linear viewing. Disney had said last week that it had sold out of all of its Oscars ad inventory, with brands including Rolex, T-Mobile, and Starbucks purchasing spots.

Hulu rival Netflix has been bolstering its live offering lately, streaming live sports, WWE, comedy, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Some of its streams have also suffered from technical glitches, including the highly anticipated boxing match between Mike Tyson and YouTuber Jake Paul last year.

March 3, 2025 — The story has been updated to include a statement from Disney.

• Michelle Trachtenberg was found dead on Wednesday morning. She was 39.
• She began her acting career as a child star and is best known for "Buffy" and "Harriet the Spy."
• Trachtenberg's famous friends and former costars paid tribute to the actor.

After Michelle Trachtenberg's death on Wednesday morning, celebrities and fans are paying tribute.

The NYPD told Business Insider that Trachtenberg had been found dead in a luxury apartment in Manhattan near Central Park. No cause of death has been given, and authorities said they're not treating the death as suspicious.

Trachtenberg, who began acting in commercials at age 3, had a decadeslong career in Hollywood, appearing in memorable films like "Harriet the Spy" and "EuroTrip" and TV series like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Gossip Girl."

As the news of her death spread, her famous friends and former costars shared their reactions and heartfelt messages online.

Sarah Michelle Gellar referenced "Buffy" in a tribute to Trachtenberg.

Trachtenberg joined "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" as Buffy's sister, Dawn Summers, in season five. Her former on-screen sister Sarah Michelle Gellar, with whom she remained close, paid tribute to Trachtenberg in a touching post that paraphrased Buffy's famous speech to Dawn from the show's emotional fifth season finale.

"'Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you. The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live… for you,'" Gellar wrote.

Rosie O'Donnell said she wished she could've helped Trachtenberg.

In a statement to Us Weekly, Rosie O'Donnell, who played the beloved nanny of Trachtenberg's character in her 1996 film debut "Harriet the Spy," called the younger actor's death "heartbreaking."

"I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped," O'Donnell told the publication.

Alyson Hannigan said her thoughts are with Trachtenberg's family and friends.

Alyson Hannigan, who played Willow Rosenberg in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," shared a series of photos of herself and Trachtenberg on Instagram.

"I am deeply saddened by the news of Michelle's passing. She brought a loving energy to the set of Buffy. My thoughts are with Michelle's family and friends," Hannigan wrote in her caption.

Emma Caulfield shared a throwback photo of herself and Trachtenberg.

"I'm so sorry your bright light died so young," Emma Caufield, who played Anya on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," wrote in her Instagram story caption. "Our Buffy family lost a little sister today... Rest in peace lovely Mish Mish. You were loved."

James Marsters shared a heartfelt message about Trachtenberg.

James Marsters, who played Spike in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," worked closely with Trachtenberg from the time she joined the series as a teen in 2000.

"My heart is heavy today. We have lost a beautiful soul. Michelle was fiercely intelligent, howlingly funny, and a very talented person," the actor wrote on Instagram. "She died much too young, and leaves behind scores of people who knew and loved her."

"My heart goes out to her family who are good people, and are suffering the greatest loss anyone could bear. I hope everyone can give them space to heal in this most difficult time. Godspeed Michelle. You are missed," Marsters added.

David Boreanaz sent prayers to Trachtenberg's family.

David Boreanaz played the vampire Angel, Buffy Summers's longtime love interest, on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." He was a series regular on the first three seasons of the show before departing for his own spinoff.

Michelle Branch shared a photo of Trachtenberg with broken heart emojis.

Michelle Branch was a musical guest star on the sixth season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Blake Lively posted a lengthy tribute to Trachtenberg.

Blake Lively, who played Serena van der Woodsen in The CW teen drama "Gossip Girl," shared a photo of herself and Trachtenberg from the show on her Instagram story. Trachtenberg played fan-favorite antagonist Georgina Sparks in the show.

"This was the first day I met Michelle. She was electricity. You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed. Everything she did, she did 200%," Lively wrote in her caption.

The "It Ends With Us" actor also recounted how Trachtenberg would always have "yummy caramel smelling lip gloss" on because "she didn't just want to sparkle on camera, she liked creating a nice experience for anyone who was in her orbit, even down to the subtle smell of her lipgloss because she cared about the sweet details."

Lively then called Trachtenberg "a kind person, through and through."

"Hold those you love and have loved dear. The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle. May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire," Lively wrote.

Ed Westwick shared a photo of Trachtenberg as her "Gossip Girl" character.

Ed Westwick played reformed bad boy Chuck Bass throughout all six seasons of "Gossip Girl."

"So sad to hear of the passing of @MichelleTrachtenberg," he wrote in his Instagram story. "Sending prayers."

Chace Crawford shared photos of himself and Trachtenberg over the years.

Chace Crawford played Nate Archibald on "Gossip Girl."

"Michelle was one of a kind. I remember her coming on set for the first time and just absolutely owning it. She was a force of nature and just so so unapologetically funny and magnetic.. remembering those years with a big smile. Just a terrible loss. Love you," Crawford wrote in his Instagram caption.

Shawn Ashmore called Trachtenberg an incredible person.

Shawn Ashmore and Trachtenberg dated in the 2000s. In his post about her death, he called it an "incredible loss."

"Incredibly sad to hear about Michelle's passing. She was an incredible person and I will always remember the years we spent together fondly," he wrote. "She was loving, quirky and would never pass up a law and order SVU marathon:) My condolences to her mother Lana and sister Irene!"

Kim Cattrall shared a throwback photo of her and Trachtenberg.

Kim Cattrall and Trachtenberg acted together in the movie "Ice Princess" in 2005.

"Rest in peace sweet Michelle 💔" Cattrall captioned the post.

Mara Wilson mourned the loss of her childhood friend.

Fellow child star Mara Wilson posted a photo of Trachtenberg on her Instagram story.

"My heart is breaking for my childhood friend. Your memory will be a blessing Michelle," Wilson wrote in her caption.

Christy Carlson Romano said she and Trachtenberg "grew up in NY audition rooms" together.

"My heart aches for Michelle Trachtenberg. We grew up in NY audition rooms together and our moms were friends. We reconnected in LA during our messy young Hollywood era. It was like no time passed. Her sassiness always made me laugh," Christy Carlson Romano wrote on her Instagram story.

The actor said she "wished" they had stayed in touch.

"I never got to tell her that years before we reconnected I wrote and recorded this song for her movie 'Ice Princess.' It never made the cut, but every time I thought of her it would go through my mind and now it will forever. Rest in peace," she wrote.

Kate Beckinsale said her heart "aches" for Trachtenberg's mother.

Kate Beckinsale posted an old paparazzi photo of herself and Trachtenberg on her Instagram story.

"What a terrible shock and loss, my god. My heart aches for your mama. Fly safe little bird," Beckinsale wrote in her caption.

• "The White Lotus" star Patrick Schwarzenegger says he sometimes wishes he didn't have a famous last name.
• He says people who criticize him for being a nepo baby don't see the work he puts into his career.
• But nepotism isn't only in Hollywood; the business and tech worlds have their fair share of nepo babies, too.

Patrick Schwarzenegger, 31, says a famous last name like his can sometimes be a burden — especially since he's also trying to break into Hollywood.

In an interview with The Times published on Sunday,"The White Lotus" star pushed back against nepotism claims from people who say that he only landed the role on the award-winning HBO show because of his familial ties.

"I know there are people who'll say I only got this role because of who my dad is," Schwarzenegger told The Times. "They're not seeing that I've had 10 years of acting classes, put on school plays every week, worked on my characters for hours on end or the hundreds of rejected auditions I've been on."

Schwarzenegger is the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, a bodybuilder, actor, and former governor of California, and Maria Shriver, a journalist and niece of former US President John F. Kennedy.

"Of course, it's frustrating and you can get boxed in and you think at that moment, I wish I didn't have my last name. But that's a small moment. I would never trade my life with anyone," Schwarzenegger said.

At the end of the day, he is "very fortunate" to have the life and family that he has, including "the lessons and values" that his famous parents have instilled in him.

Nepotism is everywhere

Nepo babies, or "nepotism babies" have been a hot topic since New York Magazine published a story in 2022 about the famous kids of Hollywood celebrities.

Many nepo babies have criticized the label, saying that it diminishes the work that they put into their careers.

In June, Emma Roberts — Julia Robert's niece — called out the use of the label, saying that people who criticize nepo babies "don't see all the rejection along the way."

Some parents of nepo babies have weighed in on the discourse, too.

In 2023, Tom Hanks — whose son was cast to play his younger self in the film "A Man Called Otto" — said it's no surprise that all four of his kids are in the industry since it's "the family business." He added that if he had been in a different field, "the whole family would be putting in time at some point."

But nepo babies aren't just in Hollywood; The business and tech worlds have their fair share, too.

All five of LVMH chairman and billionaire Bernard Arnault's children work at the company and its brands.

Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, the eldest sons of US President Donald Trump, manage the Trump Organization together.

Even regular people who aren't rich or famous use their connections to gain an advantage in the workplace.

A 2023 survey of 2,000 workers conducted by Applied, a recruitment company, showed that 68% of Gen Z workers have used nepotism to land a job offer.

Career coaches previously told Business Insider that it's fine to use your network sometimes.

"Using your network and personal connection to learn information and gain introductions is generally seen as acceptable, even sensible. However, using your network to get unfairly hired into a role you may not be deserving of is generally seen as unacceptable," Hannah Salton, a UK-based career coach and author, said.

Although most reputable companies tend to have fair recruitment processes that don't allow nepotism, in practice, it's often hard to ensure impartial hiring always happens, she said.

A representative for Schwarzenegger did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

• Ayesha Curry says she prioritizes her relationship with Stephen Curry over their four children.
• "And that works for us because then you have two happy people raising the kids in the house," she said.
• Prioritizing each other involves making time for each other, such as going on date nights, she said.

Ayesha Curry believes that partners should put each other first in order to be good parents.

In an interview with People, Curry spoke about prioritizing her relationship with her husband, NBA player Stephen Curry, over their kids.

"I think for us, our relationship always comes first. Then we're parents," Curry told People. "And that works for us because then you have two happy people raising the kids in the house. So the family sector in our lives always comes first."

The couple, who tied the knot in 2011, share four kids: Riley, Ryan, Canon, and Caius — whom they welcomed in May.

This isn't the first time that Curry has spoken about how she and her husband make their marriage work.

In a 2019 interview with HelloGiggles, Curry shared that her parents and her in-laws were the ones who showed the couple the importance of prioritizing each other.

"And then also the biggest thing, both of our parents are still married and have been married for 30-plus years, and the one thing that they both shared with us — some through learning it the hard way, some through just making sure that they do it — is just making sure that we put each other first, even before the kids, as tough as that sounds," Curry told HelloGiggles.

This involves making time for each other, including date nights, she said.

"Because when you become a parent, you want to put your kids first, and we do, but we do it second to our relationship. Because ultimately, when our relationship is good, the kids are happy, and they're thriving, and our family life is good," Curry said.

At the end of the day, their relationship sets the basis for their family life.

"We have to put that into perspective and realize that it's not us being selfish, it's making sure we set a strong foundation," she said.

The Currys aren't the only celebrity couple who've spoken about making time for each other despite their busy schedules.

Robert Downey Jr. and his wife, Susan, shared that they don't go more than two weeks without seeing each other and being together as a family.

Gordon Ramsay's wife, Tana, says that she and her husband often get dressed up to go out on dates without their kids.

"In our relationship, having little kids again, our present to each other on our last anniversary was, we have to go to the theater once a month, and we have to go out three times a month, and we're not allowed to wear trainers," Tana said.

A representative for Curry did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.

• The 31st SAG Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday.
• Celebrity couples, like Jonathan Scott and Zooey Deschanel, made a splash on the red carpet with their outfits.
• Adrien Brody and Georgina Chapman opted for matching monochromatic looks.

On Sunday, some of Hollywood's biggest stars showed up at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles for the 31st Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.

While the event was filled with couples dressed in their best outfits, Kristen Bell — the host — left her husband, Dax Shepard, at home to look after the kids. "We don't have very many babysitters who are ever available," she told People.

Nonetheless, the show must go on; Here's a look at some of the best-dressed couples of the night.

Jeff Goldblum and Emilie Livingston

Jeff Goldblum and his wife, Canadian dancer Emilie Livingston, arrived at the event hand in hand.

Goldblum wore a dark suit with a bowtie and a green scarf, while Livingston opted for a bejeweled silver gown.

Jonathan Scott and Zooey Deschanel

Jonathan Scott and Zooey Deschanel are a match made for the red carpet. The couple showed up in coordinated black-and-white outfits with bowties.

Adrien Brody and Georgina Chapman

Adrien Brody, who was nominated for best male actor for his role in "The Brutalist," and his partner Georgina Chapman opted for matching monochromatic looks for the red carpet.

Brody wore a black tuxedo with a bowtie, while Chapman was in a sculptural strapless gown from her own clothing label, Marchesa.

David and Emma Gyasi

David Gyasi wore a simple black suit with a high-neck white shirt, while his wife, Emma Gyasi, nearly stole the spotlight from him in a stunning red gown.

William Jackson Harper and Ali Ahn

William Jackson Harper and Ali Ahn stood out from the crowd in their outfits.

Harper looked dapper in his embossed navy-colored suit, while Ahn wore a cream gown with feathered shoulder details.

Zoe Saldaña and Marco Perego

Zoe Saldaña, who won best supporting actress for her role in "Emilia Pérez," looked stunning in her black velvet gown with bejeweled ruffled detailing.

Her husband, Marco Perego, an Italian film producer, opted for a more subdued gray suit with an olive-colored polka dot shirt.

Leighton Meester and Adam Brody

Leighton Meester and Adam Brody were both decked out in earth tones as they hit the SAG Awards red carpet together.

Meester wore a strapless dark green gown with cut-out details, while Brody wore a brown suit with a black tie.

• The 31st SAG Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday.
• Many celebrities weren't afraid to show up in bold ensembles, some featuring elements like feathers and fringe.
• Danielle Deadwyler, Demi Moore, and Anna Sawai all wore sculptural gowns that turned heads on the red carpet.

The 31st Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards took place on Sunday at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Unlike other awards, such as the Oscars or the Golden Globes —which also honor directors, writers, musicians, and production teams — the SAG Awards are dedicated exclusively to recognizing actors.

Before the ceremony, which was hosted by Kristen Bell, some of Hollywood's biggest celebrities posed for the cameras on the red carpet.

Here are some of the most daring looks from the night.

Danielle Deadwyler

Danielle Deadwyler, who was nominated for best supporting actress for "The Piano Lesson," made a bold statement at the SAG Awards in a custom Louis Vuitton gown.

To complement her look, she wore bright red eyeshadow and matching red pumps.

Cynthia Erivo

Cynthia Erivo made a dramatic entrance in a vintage Givenchy gown designed by Alexander McQueen.

Her dress, made from a textured metallic fabric, featured fringe details at the neckline and sleeves.

Jamie Lee Curtis

Jamie Lee Curtis — who was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in "The Last Showgirl" — channeled showgirl energy at the SAG Awards with her black sequinned gown with a feathered top.

Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda, the recipient of this year's SAG Life Achievement Award, turned heads on the red carpet in a custom Armani Privé dress.

The peach-colored ensemble, which featured a wavy black pattern and a fringe skirt, was a departure from her usual menswear-inspired outfits.

Anna Sawai

Anna Sawai stunned on the red carpet with a custom Armani Privé strapless gown.

Her dress featured red crystals on the front with sheer side panels and a black velvet back.

Timothée Chalamet

Timothée Chalamet, who won best male actor for his role as Bob Dylan in "A Complete Unknown," wore a leather suit with a neon green shirt to the ceremony. To complement his look, he accessorized with a bejeweled bolo tie.

The actor's stylist, Taylor McNeil, seemingly drew inspiration from Dylan himself, posting a reference photo of the musician in a similar outfit on his Instagram story.

Fran Drescher

Fran Drescher, the president of the SAG-AFTRA actors' union, went for a menswear-inspired look.

Drescher rocked a baby pink satin pantsuit at this year's red carpet event — an outfit that looked similar to the one she wore to the 2022 Directors Guild of America Awards. This time around, she opted for open-toed wedges instead of pointed-toe shoes.

Demi Moore

Demi Moore, who won best female actress for her role in "The Substance," wore an edgy, drop-waist Bottega Veneta leather gown.

She styled her long black hair in loose waves and kept her makeup simple, but accessorized with a statement necklace and bracelet from Tiffany and Co.

Carl Clemons-Hopkins

Carl Clemons-Hopkins, known for his role as Marcus on "Hacks," turned heads on the red carpet in a black jumpsuit with oversized sleeves.

Tyler James Williams

Tyler James Williams, who plays Gregory Eddie in "Abbott Elementary," wore a red oversized suit with a cinched waist on the red carpet.

Banita Sandhu

Banita Sandhu, known for her role as Sita Malhotra in "Bridgerton," wore a sculptural metallic dress on the red carpet.

• Burnout from running a fashion consignment business led Michelle Morigeau to ditch the city and start a homestead.
• In 2021, she and her husband bought a 4-acre plot in British Columbia for about $458,000.
• They've been growing their own food, and plan to build a rammed earth house where they can live sustainably.

At the end of 2019, Michelle Morigeau felt like she had hit rock bottom.

As the owner of a Calgary-based fashion consignment business, she often got up at 4 a.m. to start work. Between overseeing the operations of her three physical resale stores and managing some 18 staff members, Morigeau was completely burned out.

"I just felt trapped and overwhelmed," Morigeau, 47, a YouTuber and homesteader, told Business Insider. "The hustle and bustle, the grind of being in the city, the noise, the traffic, the sirens — everything just got too noisy in my head."

Even though she lived in a beautiful rental house in the city and drove a new Jeep, her life felt unfulfilling.

Fast-forward to 2020, Morigeau — like many business owners — was forced to temporarily close her stores due to the pandemic.

By coincidence, her father-in-law, who was stuck in Mexico because of the lockdowns, needed someone to take care of his lakehouse until he got back. His property was in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia, about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Calgary.

"All of a sudden, my husband James and I were in the truck and out here at his lakefront property, and life just went from a hundred to zero," Morigeau said. "We fell into this mountain and forest life for about six months, and it gave me enough time to realize that this was somewhere that I wanted to be."

Slowly, the idea of leaving the city started to grow on her.

"I told my husband, maybe we could make it work living rurally in the mountains. And luckily, he was on board," Morigeau said.

Escaping the city for a slow, rural life

In May 2021, after a year of searching, the couple moved into a four-acre property that they bought for 650,000 Canadian dollars, or about $458,000.

A four-bedroom house — built in the '80s — stood on the land, offering views of the nearby mountain range. The plot was situated in a lake community in East Kootenay — the same area where her father-in-law lives — and offered ample space for the couple's homesteading ambitions.

"It's the same area that we were in when I fell in love with this place, so we knew we wanted to be around here," Morigeau said.

Since her husband was a builder, they also wanted to have enough space on the property to do DIY projects, she added: "We wanted space to be able to build a self-sustainable lifestyle, such as grow our own food and rear chickens."

Morigeau says her friends and family were initially skeptical when they first heard about her move.

"They said, 'What are you going to do out there? What is there to do?'" Morigeau said, recalling their reactions. "But the funny thing is that we have endless things to do — we've got at least 20 years of projects that we have planned."

Some of the biggest changes they've done to the property so far include adding a wood storage hut that doubles as a chill spot, expanding their chicken coops, and building an off-grid sauna out of rammed earth.

"We're also building a 1,300-square-foot geothermal greenhouse," Morigeau added. "That's a big project we're working on right now because we plan to grow food all year round."

They're about 70% done with the greenhouse. Once that project's completed, the couple is planning to build a 3,000-square-foot carriage house — a shop with a suite above — out of rammed earth.

Their eventual plan is to move into that upper suite while they demolish and rebuild the main house — where they're living now — also using rammed earth.

Living sustainably

The couple first learned about rammed earth construction through Morigeau's brother, who lives in Tasmania.

"He sort of put the bug in our ear by sending us YouTube videos," Moreigeau said. "We didn't really think too much of it until we moved out here."

That's when they learned about the properties of houses built from rammed earth, such as their resistance to fire and their ability to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature all year round.

"It gets really cold here in the winter, and it's really hot in the summer, so it'll be good if the house could stay a nice temperature," Morigeau said.

Moreover, a house built from earth has a low carbon footprint — which aligns with their desire to live sustainably and in harmony with nature.

"It would be what I would consider a healthy house, as opposed to the stick frame homes and stuff that they build now with materials that are probably carcinogenic for you," she said.

Earthen houses are not a new invention; this type of architecture has been around for years — like in the mud-brick buildings of Yemen's ancient walled city of Sana'a, and in Djenné, a town in Mali known for its adobe architecture.

Prior to building the sauna, the couple had never worked with rammed earth buildings before, Morigeau said.

But a big hurdle they're facing now is obtaining the necessary permits for their construction.

"Unfortunately, where we live, we need permits. We didn't move quite far enough away that we could not have the government involved," Morigeau said, adding that rammed earth is not part of the building code here in Canada.

"They're asking us to drop a lot of money in engineering, which we already had done, but now they want us to get architects involved," Morigeau said, adding that their discussions are an ongoing process.

Becoming self-sufficient

Morigeau has already started cultivating parts of their land. In addition to being self-sustainable, she also started a farm stand on her property in hopes of growing enough food to provide for the community.

"We have a huge garden," she said. "We grow enough food to feed us all summer as well as have the farm stand. And I preserve everything too."

She and her husband aren't the only ones interested in homesteading, the practice of living self-sufficiently off the land.

The lifestyle has grown in popularity in the years since the pandemic, per the Homesteaders of America, a grass roots organization that advocates for an agrarian lifestyle.

A 2022 poll of 4,000 homesteaders conducted by the organization found that food security and a desire for a simpler lifestyle were among the main reasons respondents started homesteading.

Several homesteaders that BI previously spoke to shared that the lifestyle was a way to reject the status quo and have control over their environmental footprint.

Morigeau said she learned everything she knows about gardening through trial and error and YouTube. She also picked up some tips from neighbors who lived in the area.

"I didn't grow anything in the city," she said. "This past summer was the first time I didn't have to look anything up while I was gardening."

Breaking free from materialism

Morigeau says that her life now is so much more peaceful compared to when she was living in the city. She also feels more connected to nature and to the people around her.

"We take care of each other, from our neighbors lending us big equipment to build our projects, to me taking care of their kids and making them granola," Morigeau said.

In a way, leaving Calgary was a way for her to start over, although it did take her some time to fully settle into life here.

She continued running her business remotely for the first year and a half before she was ready to give it up.

"I thought that I could do it remotely. The money was good and everything, but constantly having that pull back to the city, I needed to break that tie to really dive into my new life here," Morigeau said.

She eventually found someone to sell the consignment business to, but preferred not to share how much she sold it for.

"The first year of even considering it was really hard, since it was a business that had been passed down to me in 2013 by my mom when she passed away," Morigeau said. "Not to mention, James built me all of my stores, he put all of his love and energy into them. Letting that go was really, really hard."

Now that she's been out here for some time, Morigeau says she feels less attached to material things. She no longer cares about labels; all her clothes have to be practical since she spends a lot of time outdoors.

"After about a year of being out here, I had gone back to the store. I remember sitting in there, where people are buying Louis Vuitton and all of the famous brands, and just thinking, 'None of this really matters,'" Morigeau said. "That was when I realized that my passion for that business had died."

Her expenses are also lower now, because she feels less of a need to shop. Not only that, they're about a 40-minute drive to the nearest town — which doesn't even have a mall, she added.

"In the city, if I was bored, I would go shopping and buy things that don't really matter. Out here, there's not really anywhere to do that," she said.

Looking back on their journey, Morigeau says that their perseverance got them through even the toughest days.

"My advice to anyone would be, if it's something that you really want and you put your mind to it, it will happen for you," she said. "Because there were so many things that we came up against, and it took time, but we just kept persevering, and then it happened for us."

Have you recently relocated to a new country and found or renovated your dream home? If you have a story to share, contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com.

• The Hollywood producer Will Packer credits Beyoncé with teaching him how to deal with rejection.
• Beyoncé turned down a role in a movie he was producing five times, Packer said.
• He improved the script after each rejection and ultimately got her to change her mind.

The Hollywood producer Will Packer knows rejection is a part of life and work. After all, Beyoncé turned down a role in a movie he was producing five times before he convinced her to sign on to the project.

During an appearance on Tuesday's episode of "The View," Packer spoke about what he learned from his experience of getting rejected by the singer.

"Beyoncé told me no. I wanted her to be in this film, and she was very — she's a wonderful human being but said, 'Will Packer, I'm not doing your movie,'" Packer told "The View" cohosts, recounting the singer's words.

Packer, known for films such as "Girls Trip" and "Ride Along," said he made changes to the script based on the feedback he received from Beyoncé.

"I didn't go back or push back and didn't say, 'Oh no, woe is me.' And actually, I was making my project better each time," Packer said.

Although it took him five times "because Beyoncé is very particular," at the end of the day, he "only needed one yes."

"You only need one, so whatever your Beyoncé is, right, keep seeing if there is a way to adjust and learn something from the 'No,'" he said.

Beyoncé changed her mind, Packer said

In the end, Beyoncé changed her mind and agreed to star — alongside Idris Elba — in 2009's "Obsessed," the film Packer was producing.

When it comes to handling rejection, Packer's advice aligns with the guidance the career happiness strategist Amy Nguyen previously described to Business Insider.

"Mindset is important here because rejection doesn't mean that you are a total failure or a loser," Nguyen said. "Think of rejection as a lesson and get what you can learn from there so that you can improve yourself for the next job."

Representatives for Packer and Beyoncé did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.

• Kylie Kelce is expecting her fourth child with her husband, former NFL player Jason Kelce.
• Her advice includes extending patience and providing postpartum support.
• "Remember that your wife is growing a human," Kelce said.

Kylie Kelce is expecting her fourth child with retired NFL player Jason Kelce — and she knows a thing or two about dealing with pregnancy.

During an interview with Alex Cooper on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast on Wednesday, Kelce shared three things that men should do for their pregnant wives.

"Remember that your wife is growing a human," Kelce, 32, told Cooper. "Sometimes I think guys are like, 'Oh, she's fine.' And I'm like, no. You're actively building a human being, so, like, just give her some grace."

It's also important for men to adopt a "this, too, shall pass" attitude, and remember that the challenges of pregnancy — such as mood swings — are temporary, she said.

"I've had pregnancies where I've been really, really emotional, and after the pregnancy, I'm like, 'Jason, I don't know how you did that. Jesus, thank you for sticking with me," Kelce said.

The couple has been married since 2018, and they share three daughters — Wyatt Elizabeth, Elliotte Ray, and Bennett Llewellyn — with a fourth daughter on the way.

Lastly, Kelce says new mothers need their husbands' support during the postpartum period, too — perhaps even more than during the pregnancy.

"Postpartum is one of the hardest things I've ever done in my whole life. Labor is like a drop in the bucket compared to postpartum," Kelce said.

She added that she didn't feel immediately connected to her eldest daughter, Wyatt, the first time she brought her home.

"I did not feel that immediate, like, 'This is my baby,'" Kelce said. "I didn't have that sensationalized, like, 'I'm a mother now.' It was like a slow ease in."

The first few weeks postpartum were difficult on her body as well, she said.

"We're both in diapers. I have a cooling pad on my lady bits. I am afraid to sit down at any given point because it hurts so bad, and at the same time, every two hours, I'm supposed to connect you to my boob and something's going to happen," Kelce said.

Postpartum typically refers to the first six to eight weeks after delivery. During this period, many changes — both physical and emotional — occur in a woman's body.

Physical symptoms that new mothers may experience include breast engorgement, cramps, and vaginal bleeding. Some women also experience emotional symptoms, such as postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety.

"Postnatal depression and anxiety are incredibly common and it is so important that it is identified early to help you receive the support and treatment that you may need," Dr. Brooke Vandermolen, an OB/GYN, previously told Business Insider.

"Communicating your feelings can really help so others around you know how you are feeling," she said.

In addition to getting enough rest, new mothers should also pay attention to their diet, stay hydrated, and limit their physical activity at least until their doctors give them the go-ahead, per Cleveland Clinic.

A representative for Kelce did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.

• Heidi Ganaden and her husband left their big-city corporate jobs to open a hotel on an island.
• The couple moved from Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, to Siargao, also known as the country's surfing capital.
• One pandemic and a category 5 typhoon later, they've finally settled into their new lives.

Heidi Ganaden and her husband never thought they'd run a hotel by the beach in Siargao, an island known as the surfing capital of the Philippines.

The two of them were working corporate jobs and living in Manila, the capital city. She was in the telecommunications industry, while he was a landscape architect.

As avid surfers, the couple enjoyed hanging out by the beach but weren't too familiar with Siargao; Ganaden had visited once before in 2005, while her husband had never been there before. The island is one of more than 7,000 that make up the Philippines.

But a quick weekend trip in 2018 — it's only a two-hour flight from Manila — to visit some friends who were trying to set up a business there left them with a favorable impression of the island.

Not long after they got back to Manila, they received a call from their friends in Siargao about a plot of land by the beach that was available for lease.

"We thought, OK, maybe we can try and look at it. Maybe we can just put up a small shack so that we can go to Siargao, and we'll have a place where we can stay," Ganaden, 46, told Business Insider.

When they went to view the plot of land, they realized it was in a central location that was popular with tourists. New establishments, like restaurants, were also popping up all around the area.

They also noticed that more and more people were visiting Siargao, and they decided it might be a better idea to build accommodations instead.

"We actually didn't have the idea for a hotel initially. It was really an accident," she said. "We were in a central spot, and we thought it would be a waste to just offer it for a long-term lease, so we ended up with a small hotel."

Trading city life for island living

By the end of the year, the couple had signed a 15-year lease and started clearing out the land. They preferred to keep the amount they spent on the lease private.

They broke ground in 2019. That same year, Ganaden and her husband decided to quit their jobs to focus on the project.

"We thought it was now or never," Ganaden said. "We had no idea what we were doing, but we did it anyway because we were invested in it. We wanted to make it work."

The construction of their hotel took place in phases, and they hired some 15 contractors to help out. Ganaden estimates that they spent about 20 million Philippine pesos, or about $340,000, on the construction of the hotel.

The building process was fraught with challenges. Even though the island was developing, it was difficult to find raw materials and skilled construction workers, Ganaden said.

"Imagine a whole island where everybody was building with just two hardware stores," she said.

To meet their project timelines, the couple decided to use prefabricated materials. Everything was brought over to Siargao from Manila — even the contractors they hired.

"We had to bring them in and house them because for prefabricated material, there's a required skillset for it," Ganaden said.

They named the hotel "Lubihan," a term in the local dialect that refers to the coconut grove that once grew over the land. The entire property spans just over 4,000 square feet and has 13 guest rooms and one staff room.

"Since my husband is a landscape architect, he was able to make everything work. Even with the 14 rooms, we have a very nice common garden and a lounge area at the back," Ganaden said.

Nightly rates vary across the different room types.

"We can go as low as about 3,000 pesos all the way to as high as 5,000 pesos," she added.

One challenge after another

The couple's hotel journey hasn't been easy.

When early 2020 rolled around, they faced a major setback: the pandemic. Like much of the world, Siargao — and the Philippines — went into lockdown.

The couple was able to rent out a few of their completed rooms to travelers who were stuck on the island, and they dedicated their time to finishing the rest of the hotel.

But just as tourism in Siargao started to recover from the effects of the pandemic, a natural disaster struck.

In December 2021, Super Typhoon Rai — a category 5 storm — swept through parts of the Philippines, including Siargao, uprooting trees, wrecking buildings, and leaving destruction in its wake.

Lubihan was no exception.

"Our entire roof was peeled off like a sardine can, the majority of our glass doors broke and were dislodged by the strong wind. It was a disaster," Ganaden said.

All their staff members lost their homes.

"We had no power for months, no phone signal for months too," she said, adding that the island was almost cut off entirely from the rest of the world due to the damage sustained by the island's transport infrastructure.

But with grit and determination, and help from their community, the couple was able to rebuild the damaged parts of the hotel and their lives.

"It was months of recovery — emotionally, mentally and physically," Ganaden said.

They were new to the business

That aside, running a hotel with no hospitality background came with its own set of challenges.

"We are learning as we go, in terms of how to operate and what's needed by the hotel," Ganaden said. "For example, the kind of fittings that would last longer, or the kind of linens that would make laundry easier, things like that."

"I think if you have a background in hospitality, you'd know these kinds of things. But since this is our first time, we're doing trial and error on a whole lot of things," she added.

They have six full-time staff members, including an operations officer who lives on-site.

Ganaden's daily routine starts with dropping off her seven-year-old daughter at school. Then, she scans through the hotel's reservations for the day and stops by the hotel to check in on things.

"Then, it's island life after that. In our neighborhood, we have a CrossFit gym right next to us. And of course, if the tides are OK, we go out to surf," Ganaden said, adding that she pops back into the hotel after to keep an eye on things.

Island life is busy, too

In 2019, Siargao was voted as the best island in the world by Condé Nast Travelers.

Since then, tourism on the island has been on the rise. In 2024, Siargao was also included among Lonely Planet's top seven tourist destinations in Southeast Asia.

The island saw a total of 529,822 foreign tourist and domestic traveler arrivals in 2023, per the latest data available from the Philippines Department of Tourism. This is an increase from 181,188 foreign and domestic traveler arrivals five years earlier in 2018.

Siargao may be developing, but the island still retains its untouched feel that many similar beach destinations — like Bali and Hawaii — have lost due to over-tourism.

It's a far cry from the corporate life that Ganaden was used to back in Manila, but her days are still busy.

"We do also have meetings, especially with other business owners that we collaborate with, but they're very informal. All in flip-flops or barefoot by the beach, drinking a cocktail — so that's how our meetings are now," she said.

She says that her background working in an office taught her to be disciplined, which, in turn, helped her greatly in managing the hotel business.

One thing she really appreciates about life in Siargao is the tight community on the island.

"Even if you live in a village in Manila, you probably will not know your neighbor. In Siargao, everybody just talks to each other, which is very, very nice," she said.

That said, she does occasionally miss city-living and the convenience that comes with it.

"We don't have a fast food chain on the island. It's both good and bad, because sometimes you have cravings for a burger," Ganaden said.

The infrastructure on Siargao has also improved tremendously in recent years, she said, adding that fiber internet was only properly rolled out on the island the year before.

Prior to that, businesses like hers relied on Starlink for connectivity.

"A lot of remote workers want to live here, but they can't because of the internet," she said. "When we started having Starlink all over the island, a lot of them started coming in and working from here."

These days, Ganaden goes back to Manila with her family at least once every quarter.

"On the island, we all have this unwritten rule that you need an island break," she said. "We go back to Manila to decompress — because our hustle is on the island — and then we come back again."

Looking back on their journey, Ganaden says that it was a big leap for them to go from working in the city to running a business on an island with no experience.

"We were scared, but we knew that because of the discipline we had in corporate jobs, we'd be able to survive and find a way to make it work," she said. "I told my husband I know that if I'm pushed to the wall, I will find a way to climb over that wall or break that wall."

"That's how I am, so I was pretty confident about going into the entire thing scared," she said.

Have you recently relocated to a new country and found or renovated your dream home? If you have a story to share, contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com.

• Usher says he avoids working with his wife, a music executive, in order to protect their relationship.
• "Your things are your things. My things are mine," Usher said during a podcast appearance.
• Therapists previously told BI that partners should set boundaries with each other for a healthy relationship.

Usher prefers to keep business and pleasure separate, especially when it comes to his relationship.

During an appearance on Tuesday's episode of the "Baby, This is Keke Palmer" podcast, Usher spoke about how he would rather not work with his wife, Jennifer Goicoechea, a music executive, even though they're in the same industry.

"I definitely rely on her opinion about things. She's an incredible sounding board and brings calm to some of my madness sometimes," Usher told podcast host Keke Palmer. "But if we had to work together, oh my God, it wouldn't work. It would damage our relationship. I would never do that."

The "Yeah!" singer started dating Goicoechea in 2019 and married her during the 2024 Super Bowl weekend — after his halftime performance.

Although Goicoechea is established in the music industry — she is a senior vice president of A&R at Epic Records — Usher says he doesn't think they should expect to be involved in each other's work unless they want to.

"Like, matter of fact, we have a policy, you know. If this is a business that you're in, I'm going to help establish and work on it. But it's your business, you know, and then we have the things that we do together, but it's not a mandate. It's a choice in relationship," Usher said.

At the end of the day, he feels that setting boundaries is healthy.

"Your things are your things. My things are mine. I have something I'm passionate about, I need your support, I need your help, I want to get counsel. But those kinds of boundaries established, I think, are hopefully going to make this a more sustainable relationship," Usher said.

"This is my third one," he said, referring to the marriage, "and I'm trying to make sure I don't take this ring off."

Usher shares two children, Sovereign Bo and Sire Castrello, with Goicoechea. He has two other children, Usher "Cinco" Raymond V and Naviyd Ely, with his ex-wife Tameka Foster, whom he was married to from 2007 to 2009. He was also previously married to Grace Miguel from 2015 to 2018.

Having boundaries is crucial for a healthy relationship, Janet Park, a therapist at Healing Phoenix Therapy, told Business Insider previously.

"Boundaries establish what we feel OK with and don't feel OK with in a relationship. In that vein, boundaries are important because they serve a critical role in establishing safety and trust in a relationship," she said.

Additionally, if a person fails to honor their own needs and limitations, they may be setting themselves up for feeling uncomfortable or unfulfilled in the relationship down the line, she said.

One of the most important things about establishing boundaries is that it should sound more like a request, and not a demand, Adrienne Clements, a therapist in private practice, told BI previously.

"This can look like saying, 'Would you be willing to give me solo time in the house today?' as opposed to 'I need some solo time in the house today,'" she said.

A representative for Usher did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

• Terry Crews said he and his wife managed to rebuild their marriage.
• They have been married for 36 years but nearly split for good years ago due to his infidelity and porn addiction.
• "It's work. It's really work. You have to get better at it, it's a skill," Crews said.

Terry Crews and his wife, Rebecca King-Crews, know just how much effort goes into making a marriage work.

In an interview with People, the actor spoke about how they overcame all the challenges they faced in their years together.

"Me and my wife have been married 36 years and, at year 20 though, it was over. And we totally rebuilt our relationship," Crews told People. "And we decided we were going to be stronger together. It was a decision that we decided to make."

The couple got married in 1989, several years before Crews joined the NFL, and two decades before he made the transition to acting. They have five children together.

The "White Chicks" star added that love isn't just about feelings.

"It's work. It's really work. You have to get better at it, it's a skill," Crews said. "There's a lot of things I had to relearn."

He says he thinks of him and his wife as a "testament" to the fact that two people can make a relationship work as long as they are both willing to tough it out.

"It's wild because there was a point when, when I wanted to quit, she didn't want to, and then when she wanted to quit, I didn't want to," he said. "And I was just glad we didn't want to quit at the same time."

This isn't the first time that Crews has spoken about the challenges he faced in his marriage.

Crews shared how his past infidelity and porn addiction had affected his family during an episode of Dax Shepard's"Armchair Expert" podcast in 2023.

Crews said he would "start an argument" with his wife whenever she tried to ask him questions about where he was when he was feeding his porn addiction at adult bookstores near truck stops. He would also "be angry" at his kids "for getting in the way."

He also said he cheated on his wife by getting a handjob in a massage parlor while filming his first-ever movie in 2000, and "kept that secret for years."

He eventually decided to confess to his wife about the cheating a decade later when he began seeking help for his porn addiction. Although she left him at that time, they eventually reconciled after Crews went to rehab.

Crews and his wife aren't the only celebrities who have spoken about the steps they take to build and maintain a healthy relationship.

Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey don't go more than two weeks without seeing each other and their family.

Rob Lowe, who has been married to Sheryl Berkoff for over 30 years, said they go to couples therapy regularly because "it's like taking your car in and making sure the engine's running great."

Barbara Grossman, a couples counselor, previously told Business Insider that her tips for a successful marriage include sharing emotional baggage, carving time out to be together, and actively communicating grievances.

"I encourage people to talk about their past because it usually reveals the historical reasons for their behavior, opinions, and attitudes," Grossman said. "If you open up about situations — including unresolved feelings toward a family member, friend, or lover — it develops understanding, trust, and connection."

A representative for Crews did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.