• Google engineer Aashna Doshi says that strategic networking helped land internships that led to a full-time job.
• To distinguish herself from the pack, she showcased her skills with independent projects, Doshi told BI.
• When you finally have a foot in the door, do your best to become a reliable "go-to" person, she added.

It's just not enough to cold apply for tech jobs anymore, said Aashna Doshi, a two-time intern turned software engineer at Google. To land a spot at a tech giant, you need to be networking "intentionally."

"Knowing who you want to meet, finding that common bridge between both of you, and then really learning from their experience, was a big game changer for me," Doshi told Business Insider.

Doshi suggests reaching out not only to people whose career paths you'd like to emulate, but also those with whom you share common ground, including similar personal experiences.

"I was talking to a bunch of people, and saw this software engineer who was working out of Europe, and was super inspired by her story," she said. "She was also a woman. I love to see other women in tech and also, she's European. I grew up in Belgium, so that's kind of my connecting point to her."

A foot in the door

While Doshi ended up getting a referral from the engineer in Europe, she said she wasn't initially thinking of asking for one.

Reaching out because you're genuinely interested in someone's trajectory, she added, has twofold benefits — you're likely to learn more from a less stilted conversation, and the connection you make could last throughout your career.

"I reached out to her to learn more about her story, not like, 'Hey, can I get a referral at Google?'" she said. "I actually didn't even have any intention of asking her for this internship referral, but we became friends and she let me into her life, which is what her day-to-day looks like, how she grows in the role that she's in."

Remembering that professional connections, like any relationship, are two-way streets, also goes a long way towards helping them endure, Doshi added.

"As we move and progress in our life, the way in which I think about it is, we are collecting people, and we are supporting people," she said. "And the people that will come all the way through will be the ones that you have formed a genuine bond with. If you ask someone for a referral and they give it to you, I mean, that's well and good, but five years down the line, 10 years down the line, they might not even remember who you are."

If you can't get an internship, complete a project

Since you're likely to be taking similar classes as your competition, it's what you do with that knowledge that can make you stand out, Doshi said.

Projects are the "one thing that I will say again and again and again for any student," she said.

The Google engineer partly credits her success in securing an internship to the projects she developed in her downtime.

"This is the way you can set yourself apart from 1000 other people, because if you take data structures and algorithms, and your peers take data structures and algorithms, you all have the same foundational knowledge that you are building," she told BI. "But what you do with that knowledge, what you do with the data structures and algorithms, really, really makes a difference."

There's no pressure to specialize in a niche skillset right out of the gate to impress potential employers, either, Doshi said. What you're really aiming for is a broad knowledge base and a flexible personality.

"They don't expect you to come in with tons and tons of experience," she said. "They actually care about more — can you think in a specific way, and given a situation changes, are you able to adapt to that? More than doing like 700 LeetCode questions and getting those exactly right, I tried to do more problem solving in adaptive sense."

Becoming a 'go-to' person

If and when you finally do land an internship, the challenge then becomes securing a full-time return offer.

In Doshi's case, she did her best to become integral to the teams she was placed on — being a point person for a particular issue can help you be more memorable, as well as slowly build a positive reputation with senior employees.

"If they have a bug, and they trust you enough to be like, 'Oh, Aashna, you've done something like this before. Why don't you take this up?'" she said. "That is not just giving you work. It's, 'Oh, we trust you to take something like this up.' So being that person they can trust, being that go-to person, is an absolute game changer."

Doshi also cautions interns against self-isolating. You're not expected to know everything, and shouldn't try to act like you do.

"As an intern, you are coming in with, as everyone knows, less experience than the rest of the team. The intention is to show progress," she said, adding, "The key lies in asking the right questions. A lot of people say there are no wrong questions, etc, etc. Maybe there are no wrong questions, but there are questions that are better than others, in my opinion."

Knowing how to ask for help can be just as important as knowing when — Doshi suggests presenting your questions in a way that shows you've attempted to solve the problem on your own first.

"Do your due diligence before that, which means if you're stuck, ask the right person for help," she said. "I'm going to explain that I already tried to do X, Y, Z, and it didn't work. How do I move forward?"

The goal of an internship is, after all, to absorb as much knowledge as possible. Try to avoid letting your fear of looking lost halt your progress, she added.

"So this kind of framework really accelerated my learnings, because I wasn't wasting hours and hours on something that absolutely I didn't understand or didn't work," she said. "And while I wasn't spending those hours, I still did my due diligence, which is, do my research, look through the code base."

• Some of the best-selling EVs are about to become a lot more expensive.
• Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" eliminates the $7,500 tax credit for new electric cars.
• Here are the 20 electric and hybrid vehicles that qualify for the $7,500 discount.

President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" is about to make EVs even more expensive.

On Thursday, the US House of Representatives passed Trump's tax and spending bill, and in doing so, killed the $7,500 tax credit for new, US-made electric vehicles.

Trump signed the bill into law on Friday, meaning that the tax incentive will end on September 30th.

Auto industry experts have previously warned that removing the $7,500 credit will make EVs even more unaffordable, and there are already signs that some automakers are starting to adjust their prices.

Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup Slate Auto quietly removed the "under $20,000" expected price tag for its upcoming electric pickup truck from its website this week. The company had previously said it expected the customizable pickup to qualify for federal tax incentives.

20 electric and hybrid vehicles currently benefit from the $7,500 tax credit, according to the US Department of Energy's website — but for buyers looking to snap them up before the discount goes away, there are a couple of important caveats.

For starters, not every version of those vehicles meets the criteria for the tax incentive.

Some are limited to specific model years and trims. For example, only the 2026 version of the Hyundai IONIQ 9 qualifies for the tax credit.

There is also a max retail price limit of $80,000 for vans, SUVs, and pickups, and $55,000 for all other vehicles.

In addition, the credit is only available to buyers with an adjusted gross income of $150,000 or less, although the limit extends to $300,000 for married couples filing jointly and $225,000 for heads of households.

There is also a separate federal tax credit of up to $4,000 for used EVs and hybrids, which applies to a much wider range of vehicles, but that will also come to an end in September once Trump signs the bill into law.

Every EV that qualifies for the $7,500 tax credit

• Acura ZDX
• Cadillac LYRIQ
• Cadillac OPTIQ
• Cadillac VISTIQ
• Chevrolet Blazer
• Chevrolet Equinox
• Chevrolet Silverado
• Chrysler Pacifica (hybrid)
• Ford F150 Lightning
• Genesis Electrified GV70
• GMC Sierra
• Honda Prologue
• Hyundai IONIQ 5
• Hyundai IONIQ 9
• Jeep Wagoneer S
• Kia EV6
• Kia EV9
• Tesla Cybertruck
• Tesla Model 3
• Tesla Model X
• Tesla Model Y

• Business Insider recently spent a night aboard a US Navy destroyer sailing from England to France.
• Our reporter got an inside look at daily life for sailors on USS Thomas Hudner.
• Sailors explained what they like about being on the ship, as well as some of the challenges.

ENGLISH CHANNEL — About a year and a half before Business Insider stepped aboard the US Navy destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, the ship was battling hostile drones in the Red Sea. Kill marks can be seen painted on the warship, which recently found itself again wrapped up in the violence in the Middle East.

BI's stay aboard the powerful warship at the tail end of May and into June was significantly quieter by comparison.

The roughly 24 hours spent aboard the Thomas Hudner as the ship crossed the English Channel from England to France to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day invasion offered a glimpse into what life is like for the warship's sailors as they handle missions while grappling with the grind of daily Navy life.

Setting sail, two tugboats pulled the 500-foot-long Arleigh Burke-class destroyer away from the pier and into a crowded harbor. Sailors in their dress blues stood manning the rails as people on the shore looked on with great interest.

Getting the warship underway at Portsmouth was a whole-of-ship effort, with sailors from the bridge to the combat information center and from the flight deck at the stern to the bow all playing a role.

Cmdr. Cameron Ingram, Thomas Hudner's commanding officer, told me that each of the 300-plus sailors aboard has a "vitally important" job keeping the ship operating smoothly.

"We're one big complex machine, and I am just a single component within it," he said. "A ship needs a captain, yes. But a ship needs lookouts, and a ship needs folks to do laundry, a ship needs people to do maintenance on weapons systems and damage control systems, and to stand watches."

"As much as the crew needs me to do my job, I need them to do their jobs every single day, because I cannot do my job if they aren't doing theirs," Ingram added.

Dinner that evening came early and consisted of pizza, pasta, and Brussels sprouts. I ate with officers in the wardroom, where the World War II film "Saving Private Ryan" was playing on a TV in the background.

Considering the purpose of the destroyer's voyage across the English Channel, the famous Steven Spielberg movie was a fitting choice. It's recognized as one of the most realistic portrayals of the Allied invasion of Normandy ever recreated in film, capturing the horrors of the daring operation to secure the foothold needed to break Nazi Germany. The warship I was on was churning the same waters that the massive D-Day fleet had sailed 81 years earlier, thousands never to return home.

Following dinner, the ship's skipper delivered a lengthy announcement over the ship's announcing system praising the crew and offering a preview of the coming D-Day events. He ended the broadcast by playing a song over the loudspeaker from the musical "Les Misérables," a nod to the visit to France.

I spent the evening wandering around the ship, observing sailors as they did their jobs and listening to them talk about life on the destroyer and in the Navy in general.

Life aboard a destroyer is demanding. Sailors operate in tight quarters, sharing berthing spaces and working long hours to keep up ship operations. Daily routines center on watch rotations in areas like the bridge, CIC, and engineering spaces to ensure the vessel stays mission-ready.

Despite the challenges, such as limited personal space and time away from family, sailors value bonds with crewmates, the service and sense of purpose, the resilience fostered aboard the ship, and the opportunity to travel.

"I've been all over the world," Petty Officer 1st Class Anna Watson, who manages the computer infrastructure for the ship's combat systems, shared. She came to Thomas Hudner, a ship homeported in Mayport, Fla., from the Navy's 7th Fleet, the command that oversees the Indo-Pacific region.

"I've been to Japan, Thailand, South Korea — places like that — and now I get to see Europe," she said.

"Definitely one of the benefits of being in the Navy, and being on a ship in the Navy, is you get to see most of the world. So that's pretty cool."

Some sailors BI spoke with that night pointed to the opportunities for professional growth that come with a deployment and working on a ship.

Chief Petty Officer Olaf Sampson, the head electrician, said being in the Navy and serving on a deployed warship is "a great stepping stone for young people to get into," where they can establish independence and learn a skill or trade.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Aiden Grimes, who works with the warship's embarked helicopters, finds the problem-solving aspect of his job very appealing. "You don't have a lot of people to go to, so you have to figure it out yourself, and I like doing that," he said.

Lt. John Wacker, who flies an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, has previously deployed with a littoral combat ship and a cruiser, but this was his first time doing so on a destroyer, which he described as the "main force" of the Navy's fleet; the service has 74 DDGs, the most of any ship class. He said it was "cool" to watch how the crew operates on the ship.

The experience isn't easy, though. Deployments mean months away from family and friends, with port visits few and far between. And the requirements and scheduling can also change on a dime and give way to a high tempo of operations that can be stressful.

In the fall of 2023, for instance, the Thomas Hudner became one of the first American warships to engage in combat against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who had just started their attacks on Israel and international shipping lanes in the Red Sea.

Those battles marked the start of a prolonged campaign for the Navy, which sent multiple aircraft carriers and warships, like Thomas Hudner, to the Middle East to fend off Houthi attacks. The Pentagon even extended some deployments, putting additional stress on crews with a difficult mission.

More recently, not long after the ship participated in D-Day events in France, the Thomas Hudner was dispatched to the Eastern Mediterranean along with four other destroyers to help shield Israel from Iranian ballistic missile attacks. The Navy warships collectively scored multiple interceptions.

The Houthi and Iranian engagements underscore the need for sailors to always be ready for the possibility of a new mission. That high state of readiness, however, can take its toll. Military roles come with different pressures compared to life in the civilian world.

When it came time to rest that night on the destroyer, I retreated to the stateroom I had been assigned, which resembled a small command center with a pull-out bed and an en suite bathroom. It was my second time spending the night on a Navy ship. Last year, I embarked overnight on the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower during a Red Sea combat deployment.

The room was on the colder side, and I didn't sleep more than about an hour, though that had more to do with my insomnia than anything else. Without WiFi or cell service, I played games on my phone just to pass the time until breakfast, which was pancakes, eggs, corned beef hash, and a few much-needed cups of coffee

After breakfast, I made my way up to the ship's bridge to watch as we approached the scenic French coastline and my final stop, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. The destroyer sailed slowly into the port, accompanied by tugboats, and methodically pulled up alongside the pier.

The following process of dropping the anchor and using the massive lines to secure the destroyer in place — the reverse of what the crew did in Portsmouth — was as intricate and lengthy as it was in England. It involves tough, manual labor, but for some, that's part of the appeal of serving on a ship.

"There's also something kind of majestic, if you will, about pushing a gigantic piece of iron war machinery through the water," shared Chief Petty Officer Chris Miller, who is responsible for the destroyer's self-defense systems. "It takes a lot to make this thing move, and there are a lot of moving pieces to it."

"It's very intricate in design and very sophisticated, but it's also very powerful," he added, summing up his thoughts with: "It's awesome."

• A new $500 membership service allows patients to skip the doctor's office and get their own labs.
• Function Health then gives people nutrition and supplement advice, and encourages retesting.
• I found the extra data interesting, but ultimately needed a doctor to properly interpret it.

The Rock loves it, Zac Efron invests in it, and Equinox gym members are signing up for it in droves. Function Health is the latest hot commodity for longevity seekers looking to optimize their health.

The promise is simple: skip the waiting room at the doctor's office and head straight to the lab, for comprehensive medical testing that evaluates the health of key organs, like your heart and kidneys.

Function also measures some things that "regular" doctors typically don't, like electrolyte levels as well as the so-called "heavy metals" — lead, mercury — potentially poisonous substances that can sometimes lurk in our air, water, and food. It might even find cancer.

I wanted to see what all the big buzz was about with this $500 annual blood-and-pee testing service, so I tried it out. Disclaimer: I didn't have to pay for it, because Function Health gave out free trials to journalists as the company is still in beta testing mode.

In the end, my Function results led me to seek out more advice from doctors than I usually would, to help me separate the signal from the noise in all the data.

I freaked out about all the little cholesterol particles hiding out in my blood

The good news is that Function is not a huge time suck. It takes about 15 minutes to get the initial testing done and you can roll up to just about any Quest Diagnostics lab location nationwide (except in Hawaii and Rhode Island).

Their tests measure over 90 different biomarkers in your blood and urine, including almost all the typical stuff you'd find in a doctor's office (except STD testing). Function performed roughly three times the number of tests I had done the last time I went to the doctor's office for routine bloodwork. There were more measurements related to hormones, key nutrients, my metabolism, and heart health. Function Health also measured my "biological age," a scientifically squishy indicator of health and fitness.

With so many tests being run, there's a good chance that something you measure when you do Function will come back abnormal. That doesn't always mean there's something wrong with you; sometimes your own "normal" doesn't fit neatly into a given reference range.

Function is OK with having a few errant flags in the data, and encourages re-testing any out of range labs. Their ethos is the more information, the better. It's about creating a more detailed picture of your overall health, not making sure each test is perfect every time.

People are "wanting to know more about their biology, and to be advocates for their own health," Dr. Mark Hyman, one of the founders of Function Health, told Business Insider.

Hyman, a longtime friend of US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., chalks it up "to disillusionment with healthcare in general" in the US. Hyman says many people who use Function's tests may be able to resolve their own health concerns without ever seeing a doctor afterwards.

"While you'll need to see a doctor for certain things, the beauty of Function is you come in, follow up, order follow up tests on yourself, and then you can follow the guidance," Hyman said.

His venture dovetails with the rise of new tech promising to put you in the driver's seat of your own health. Think wearables (rings, watches, glucose monitors) and concierge medicine (full body MRIs, anti-aging IV drips). As the personalized medicine industry booms, Function is taking off. The company says its membership has more than doubled since December, to more than 200,000 customers.

I ended up overanalyzing my results, and coming to some pretty silly conclusions

The very first "out of range" marker that was mentioned in my Function report was a cholesterol measurement. While my regular LDL, or "bad" cholesterol number — the one you'd get measured in a doctor's office — looked fine, Function also measured the size of my LDL cholesterol particles.

Apparently, I had slightly elevated numbers of small and medium sized LDL cholesterol particles, which are more dangerous than larger LDL particles. This "could indicate an increased risk for cardiovascular disease despite normal LDL cholesterol levels," my results said, adding "it is vital to address the out-of-range results."

This was a surprise. I had always been told I have "good" cholesterol.

I started imagining all those tiny, sticky cholesterol particles racing towards my aging heart. Knowing how important heart health is for healthy aging, and that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, I started to worry. Should I quit my beloved mayonnaise? Maybe I should at least cut back.

After my initial shock, I reached out to independent cardiologists and longevity doctors for this story. I also spoke directly to Hyman about my results. All of those physicians refocused my attention, helping me interpret the results, and zoom in on the more meaningful ways to adjust my lifestyle.

Frankly, they reminded me why this kind of testing isn't widely recommended, and why we go to the doctor in the first place.

Without help from doctors, I was stressing about the wrong things in my labs and on my plate

Even for me, a seasoned health journalist who isn't generally freaked out by medical test results, this felt like a lot to take in. In addition to the supposedly off-balance cholesterol numbers, there was also low vitamin D, and a few other items that could impact everything from my immunity to metabolism and fertility.

Without a doctor's advice, I found it was easy to get lost in the noise of all the results.

"I think if you showed any cardiologist or lipidologist your panel, they wouldn't be worrying about you," Dr. Ken Feingold, an emeritus professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, who is an expert on lipids and lipoprotein metabolism, told BI.

The cholesterol numbers that really matter were fine, including the basics (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL) but also some of the more niche measurements that doctors are now factoring into clinical decision-making, like lipoprotein A and apolipoprotein B (APOB), Feingold said.

"I think it would be very unfair to expect a consumer, the person that had the lab work done to try and figure it out on their own," Dr. David Sabgir, a cardiologist in Ohio who is also not involved with Function Health, told BI.

In theory, Function is designed to help consumers make simple nutrition tweaks they hadn't thought to make — perhaps adding fatty fish for omega-3, vitamin D, or fiber supplements.

"80% of people's health issues will never need a doctor," Hyman said. "They're really lifestyle-driven and they can be modified through modifying your diet and your lifestyle."

However, as a consumer, I found the barrage of information confusing, making it harder to feel in control of good decision-making.

Plus, while Function gave me diet and supplement recommendations (vitamin D, fiber, berberine, omega-3, and coQ10, along with more fish and eggs), it buried the most important piece of nutrition advice that every doctor I spoke to was quickly able to point out.

Doctors told me to cut back on white bread and enjoy avocados

In a follow-up interview with Hyman — which is not standard procedure for Function patients — he told me I could improve my particle numbers by cutting down on, or ideally eliminating, refined starches and sugars.

This was advice that was not highlighted in my Function dashboard, but other doctors wholeheartedly agreed. It was the first thing they said.

Miora longevity clinic director Dr. Gregory Pippert uses advanced blood testing that's similar to Function's, often catering to patients who are trying to optimize their health and gains in the gym.

"I look at so much green on that," he said of my cholesterol panel. "Then I see particle numbers that are not massively high."

For Pippert, the headline was simple: just skip the refined grains more often.

"Do I really, really need the big extra thick slice of white bread? Maybe not," Pippert said. "It's making the good choices more than the bad choices, but not obsessing."

Seeing more granular data may help some patients take general pieces of health advice — to hit the gym five days a week, incorporate more strength training, or adhere to heart healthy diets, like the Mediterranean diet, more seriously.

"The anxiety associated with the results may trigger more compliance with lifestyle modification," Sabgir said.

But how can we be sure we'll pick out the right tweaks on our own? If I'm skipping mayo but not switching to whole grains or cutting back on sugar, I'm probably not going to have a huge impact on my test results.

"I don't know why people are offering this," Feingold said. "It's a way to make a lot of money because sure, they're charging a significant amount of money for this, but you don't really need it to make decisions about who you're going to treat, most of the time."

• Ukraine is using ground robots to evacuate wounded, lay mines, and attack Russian forces.
• An operator said they don't use different robots, instead they adapt and tweak the same ones.
• They work like "Lego sets" — a positive for Ukraine's soldiers, as they need to constantly adapt.

Ukraine is using ground robots "like Lego," putting them together differently to use for different missions, from evacuations to attacks, a Ukrainian robot operator told Business Insider.

Oleksandr Yabchanka, head of the robotic systems for Ukraine's Da Vinci Wolves Battalion, told BI that his unit doesn't have different robot types. Instead, they equip and put them together based on specific needs.

They might use a rigid capsule so it can carry a wounded soldier, but later, if they need to destroy a Russian position, they attach a bomb to it and "turn that system into a kamikaze one," he said.

Yabchanka described ground drones as being adaptable systems that soldiers can put together themselves on the field.

"We all remember Lego. We were growing up together with those kits," he said.

He also described it as a positive development for Ukraine: In a war where tactics and technology are constantly changing, helping soldiers be nimble could be key.

Adaptable robots

Vadym Yunyk, the CEO of FRDM Group, which makes the D-21 robotic ground logistics complex, told BI that "the adaptability of the D-21 is one of its key advantages."

The robot can be used for transporting provisions like ammunition, as well as for the emergency evacuation of wounded, or even as a platform for mounting weapons.

Yunyk said this adaptability means that units can "quickly integrate the platform into their own tactics."

The company has also adapted the system further: In response to requests, it attached a combat module to the D-21, making the D-21-12R, a robot that can fire while moving between different positions, Yunyk said.

And they're working on adding a grenade launcher, too.

"This opens the way to even more flexible applications for the D-21 and D-21-12R," he said. "In other words, we are not just offering a product — we are providing a tool that adapts to the real needs of the front lines."

Milrem Robotics, an Estonian company, describes its THeMIS robot, which is being used in Ukraine, as "an advanced multi-role defence platform designed for various operational tasks."

The company says its "modular and versatile design allows customization according to the customer's needs" and that its robots can gather intelligence, dispose of ordnance, and evacuate troops. They can also be fitted with a variety of weapons depending on what soldiers have available and want to achieve.

Kuldar Väärsi, the founder and CEO of Milrem Robots, told BI that innovation on the battlefield goes even further.

He said that soldiers have been using the tech in ways the company wasn't even expecting.

"Ukrainian troops are really creative, and they really find very simple ways how to get even more out of the equipment," he said.

A new type of warfare

Ground robots are not new to warfare, but the scale of their use in Ukraine, the different types of usage, and the number of companies quickly bringing them to the battlefield stand out.

They also have the potential to be a key tool for Ukraine, as it has far fewer troops than Russia, which is a much larger country. Russia is also working on its own versions.

The speed of innovation is notable, too, with countries rapidly deploying AI and new tech to make them more autonomous and more powerful.

Yabchanka said soldiers are playing a key role in that development.

He said his troops often tweak, refine, and upgrade the ground robots themselves while on video calls with manufacturers.

It's a similar dynamic to the one that drone operators have described to BI. One operator said he often texts and FaceTime manufacturers to give them feedback and get updates.

FRDM Group's Yunyk said his robots also have to constantly be updated based on feedback and how soldiers are using them.

"The product lifecycle in this war is extremely short," he said. "What worked a month ago may already be outdated today. Therefore, developers do not have the luxury of working according to old templates."

He said that if companies spend two years developing a product, "there is a high risk that it will become irrelevant even before development is complete."

"This is a new reality in which those who adapt faster, not those who plan longer, win," he added.

• Moving to Argentina in 2022 helped Greyson Ferguson pay down his student loans.
• But his costs started to increase after the 2023 election, so he had to look for greener pastures.
• He's moved to Albania, where he hopes his financial situation and mental well-being will improve.

I'm from America, but I couldn't achieve the American dream if I stayed in the States.

I graduated from college on the heels of 2008's Great Recession. It seemed like nobody was hiring. I built a career writing for travel magazines and news outlets to keep up with student loan payments that started at around $900 a month.

When COVID hit, I lost clients, and my financial situation became dire. Loans and rent gobbled up nearly $2,000 a month before car payments. I moved in with my sister and then tried living in a dirt-cheap trailer, but I couldn't make up for the income I lost.

In 2021, I decided to leave my life in the US and move to Argentina with my two dogs. I hoped the lower cost of living abroad would help me slash expenses and reduce my debt.

For a time, everything clicked. I saved money and began paying down debts, but with the financial success came a darker side to living abroad. I struggled to connect with locals, and my isolation led to full-blown depression.

As Argentina's economic situation and my mental health floundered, I decided to move to Albania. I'm hopeful it's the solution I've been searching for.

Living in Argentina helped me pay down my loans

When I searched for a new home outside America, I knew I needed a country that allowed longer-term stays, was affordable, and would let me bring a pitbull.

In March 2022, I moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, which met all my criteria. As a freelance writer with US clients, I didn't need any work approval, and I could keep extending my stay as a tourist by crossing the border every three months. I did fumble a bit with the local Spanish dialect — it took me far too long to discover "ll" sounds like "sha," so tortilla was pronounced tor-ti-sha. But I got by.

At the time, one US dollar traded for around 110 Argentine pesos. However, the unofficial exchange rate, which was used widely by locals although it's considered illegal, increased the dollar value to 200 pesos.

When I moved to Argentina in 2022, inflation rates were astronomically high, but as someone who didn't earn in pesos, the move still slashed my costs significantly. Aside from no longer having a car payment, my pre-paid mobile number cost around $4 a month, while my gym membership ran close to $15.

Locating a place to stay using local real estate agents took time, but I eventually landed a fully furnished apartment, decorated in what I'd call a dumpster-dive chic aesthetic. It cost me $400 a month, including utilities. In Arizona, my rent, car payment, and utility bills cost $1,635.

With the reduced cost of living and clients slowly returning post-COVID, I made good progress on paying down my debt.

The financial benefits didn't last long

After Argentina's 2023 presidential election, things started to change. The newly elected Javier Milei immediately slashed utilities and transportation subsidies and devalued the peso. Poverty rates reached their highest level in two decades.

The impact was felt across the country, and my own rent and utility costs living in Buenos Aires increased significantly.

I'd also been struggling with a growing sense of loneliness since moving to Argentina. Despite my best efforts, I hadn't made close friends, and I began experiencing bouts of depression.

I stuck with it because of the progress I'd made with paying down my debt, but the economic changes were making loan repayments more difficult.

Then, one of my two dogs died. I knew I needed to make a change before my emotional state declined even further.

With the same parameters as before, I set out looking for an affordable country to move to

As someone who enjoys staying on top of travel trends, Albania piqued my interest. The coastal photographs looked so nice that I thought they were AI-generated. I noticed US passport holders could enter for a full 12 months as tourists without applying for a residency permit.

In April 2025, I moved into a furnished two-bedroom apartment in Tirana, Albania's capital city, for roughly $600. With utilities, the first month cost $650.

Albania still remains somewhat of a new expat destination. It doesn't have the brand appeal of Spain or Italy, but locals I've asked have noticed a big increase in outsiders in recent years.

Albania's economy seems stable, which should provide me with predictable monthly expenses. I'd say most things are cheaper here than in Argentina. A cup of coffee costs me just $0.59 per cup.

It will take some time to figure out how much spare cash I'll have to pay off debt at the end of the month, since there are resettling costs involved in a move, like buying new dishes and a vacuum cleaner for the ever-shedding dog. I'll be happy if my expenses start to look remotely close to what my early Argentina days were like.

I've learned you can't be prepared for everything when you move abroad

When I moved to Argentina, I thought I was prepared. I'd researched the country and its occasionally volatile economy, which was financially beneficial to non-peso earners.

But moving abroad involves handing over power. Hopping on a plane and settling somewhere new is invigorating, but also terrifying. You can't account for the unknowns.

I chose Argentina for financial gain, but had no idea I'd struggle making friends, or that the extended isolation would lead to depression. I still wouldn't change anything about this difficult patch — it's part of my journey.

The digital nomad experience is fluid, and your experiences aren't always positive. This fluidity has washed me into Albania. The country's friendly nature makes me hopeful my life will improve not only financially but mentally as well.

Do you have a story to share about relocating for financial reasons? Contact the editor, Charissa Cheong, at [email protected]

• A lot has changed on LinkedIn in the 20+ years it's been around.
• One thing about it is constant: It's a popular place to network and find your next job.
• LinkedIn experts shared with BI their do's and don'ts for using the professional site.

What do you say in a cold outreach message? Should your work history be lifted verbatim from your résumé? Do you use first- or third-person in describing yourself?

Anyone who's ever tinkered with their LinkedIn profile has probably found themselves asking questions like these.

BI asked LinkedIn experts for their tips on optimizing your LinkedIn profile and building your professional brand on the site. The next time you need to brush up on your profile (hint: you're probably not doing it enough), here are their do's and don'ts for using the networking site.

Optimizing your profile

LinkedIn gives you the option to default to your current job title in your headline. But "having skills in the headline is one of the areas that can really help you show up more prominently in search," said executive, résumé, and LinkedIn writer Virginia Franco.

Consider putting two or three of the top keywords or skills associated with your job target in your headline.

"Think of it as your 220-character elevator pitch," said Beth Granger, a consultant who focuses on networking and building your professional brand on LinkedIn.

But along with hard skills, you also want to "balance those keywords with a feel for your personality, to generate chemistry for you as a candidate," says Meg Guiseppi, executive job search strategist.

Similarly, a lot of people neglect their banners, but they're "your own professional billboard," said Granger.

Franco has seen clients take the three top keywords affiliated with their job target, add their name, and use that as their background image.

In your About section, strike a more conversational tone than you would in a résumé. (That means ditching the third-person voice.)

"It is a real chance to tell the reader about the problems that you fix, maybe some details about your leadership style, or what makes you tick," said Franco.

And lead with what you most want someone to know, since they may not click to read to the end.

In the Experience section, Franco focuses on the last 15 years of her work history. List your job responsibilities, not just your employer and job title, and don't just copy-paste from your résumé. You can describe a specific project and its results, or go more in-depth than you could in a bulleted list.

Highlight for each role "what you were brought on to do, what things looked like at the end, and high-level how you went about doing that," Franco said.

Choose from one of the pre-populated job title choices since those will better surface you in search, and if that's a little different from your actual title, use the space to explain why.

For workers just starting out in their careers, don't just list your school and degree in the Education section. Consider including the names of courses you took, as those are often keywords that can help surface you in searches.

In the Skills section, getting endorsements can help boost your credibility and your profile's search ranking, says Guiseppi.

A good time to ask for recommendations (not to be confused with skill endorsements) is when a colleague thanks you for something. You can also give a recommendation first and then ask for one in return.

Growing your network

Optimizing your profile isn't the only thing you should be doing on LinkedIn. Equally important is maintaining an active presence on the site. An easy way to get started is by commenting on others' posts.

"If you were in a room full of people, if people were talking and you walked up and joined their conversation, that's much easier than standing in the corner and saying something and hoping people will come listen to you," said Granger.

As far as making your own posts, think sharing articles of interest, reposting others' insightful comments, or commenting on industry happenings. One hot topic in seemingly every industry right now is the potential impact of AI on people's work. You can also take your cue from what others in your network are saying.

When it comes to building your network, send a personalized note with every connection request to cut through the noise, explain why you're reaching out, and refresh someone's memory of where you met.

At the end of the day, you want the parts of your profile to work together to make people "feel like they can reach out to you," said Granger.

"You want your profile to be able to start a conversation."

• Career coach Albano Gega shares the LinkedIn networking template that he gives his clients.
• He suggests cold outreach starts with a short question as a hook to get a response.
• Gega then recommends building rapport before a friendly ask for a networking call.

If you're on the job hunt, you're likely tired of being told that you have to network.

Sending out dozens of applications can be an ego check on its own. And flooding strangers' inboxes or LinkedIn DMs to ask for a job referral can feel downright degrading.

The bad news is that networking is still one of the most reliable ways to find a new role, especially as so many people are job hunting and as AI continues to automate parts of the process. The good news is that it doesn't have to feel so agonizing.

Albana Gega, founder of tech career-coaching platform Alza, told Business Insider that he refers to networking as "prospecting at scale," and thinks of networking chats like a sales call.

As a coach who has successfully placed clients at companies like Amazon, Klarna, and Airbnb, he said the goal is to boost the job seeker's visibility as a valuable asset, rather than depending solely on a résumé.

While many job seekers reach out to recruiters or hiring managers, Gega said that they should aim to target people in adjacent positions to the role they want. It's what Gega refers to as "lateral networking," and he said it gives job seekers a better chance at getting referrals, insider information, and early interview invitations.

This is the template he shares with his clients:

Gega's three-part LinkedIn template

Message 1: The Hook:

Hey [Name], you're at [Company]?

Why it works: It's under 40 characters. It's a question that triggers a natural "yeah, what's up?" response. It doesn't ask for anything — just opens a door.

Message 2: Build Rapport:

Nice. I've been following [Company/Product]. Looks like you've been there a bit… How's it going so far?

Mention something specific here if you can, like a product launch or a recent post. If you have common ground like school, industry, or mutuals, work that in casually.

Message 3: Light Intent And A Friendly Ask:

Honestly, one reason I reached out, I'm lightly exploring new roles and [Company] is on my shortlist. Been chatting with a few folks just to get a feel before diving into apps or interviews. Would it be cool if I asked a couple quick questions? Totally fine to keep it here or hop on a 20-min Zoom, whatever's easier.

Why it works: It's non-pushy and honest. You position them as the expert and it gives them two easy options.

Common Hooks to Try:

Use these to vary your openers:

• You're at [Company]?
• Mutuals with [Name]—small world?
• Saw your post on [Topic], super helpful.
• How's it going on the [team or role or project]?

Next steps for job seekers

If the person agrees to take a networking call, Gega advises his clients to start with light conversation, thank them for the call, and give a genuine compliment.

Then, job seekers should ask two to three questions, such as inquiring about their favorite part of working at the company. They should end the call with a "soft ask" about anyone else they think they should chat with while they're exploring things, Gega said.

In general, Gega said that the strategy has nuance and that "less is a lot more." Job seekers should never inundate anyone with requests, says Gega.

"The same rules that maybe apply offline should apply online," Gega said. "You never go to somebody and spam them."

• All Elite Wrestling CEO Tony Khan has fully embraced streaming.
• Simulcasting matches on HBO Max has coincided with a lift in cable ratings.
• Khan shared his YouTube strategy, and why he's not worried about Warner Bros. Discovery's split.

The pay-TV bundle is dying a long, slow death, and streaming is the prime suspect.

Media analysts sometimes blame content providers for cannibalizing the cable bundle and accelerating its collapse by building streaming services that give consumers direct access to once-exclusive content.

But for All Elite Wrestling, this hasn't been the case.

AEW started simulcasting on HBO Max in January, just as rival WWE's "Raw" event on Monday nights moved exclusively to Netflix.

The move has corresponded with a rebound in AEW's cable ratings in that span from their lows late last year.

Through the second quarter, AEW's audience on traditional TV has grown 25% for "Collision" on TNT on Saturdays and 6.5% for "Dynamite" on TBS on Wednesdays, compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, according to Nielsen data. And those figures don't include viewership on HBO Max, which isn't public.

Notably, AEW's cable viewership rose even more this year in the 25- to 54-year-old cohort that advertisers love, even as a streaming alternative emerged. All of this growth came as pay TV continued to wither, which affected sports leagues like the NHL and NBA.

That has AEW founder and CEO Tony Khan especially fired up.

"We've been picking up traction in these key demos," Khan told Business Insider. Still, he said that among 18- to 24-year-olds, "a lot of the growth is on streaming."

While ratings are trending higher, AEW is still clawing its way back out of a slump. Viewership for "Collision" and "Dynamite" was down 9% and 12%, respectively, year over year.

AEW has been locked in a battle with the category's behemoth, WWE, which previously poached two of its biggest stars: Cody Rhodes and CM Punk.

Khan, a lifelong wrestling fan, spoke with BI about how streaming has jump-started AEW's growth and why he's not sweating the uncertainty surrounding the spinoff at Warner Bros. Discovery — his most valuable business partner.

AEW everywhere, all at once

In this cutthroat, crowded media landscape, Khan's game plan is for AEW to be everywhere — from in-person events, to traditional TV, to streaming, to social media, to YouTube.

But from a monetization standpoint, not all platforms are equally valuable. AEW's most lucrative businesses are in-person events and pay-per-view events, where it's paid directly, though Khan said its backbone is its $185 million media deal with WBD across TBS, TNT, and HBO Max.

"The lifeblood of AEW, really, is the partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery," Khan said.

Social media and YouTube serve a different role: generating buzz and bringing in new viewers. AEW has to be where its fans are, though there's a risk that showing highlights for free will train audiences to follow the action in short form, instead of watching full matches on TV or in person.

However, Khan thinks highlights on TikTok and YouTube drive higher demand for TV and events instead of eroding it — similar to how streaming matches coincided with a cable ratings bump.

"People want to watch the full event in its entirety, but also consume highlights on digital," Khan said. "I think we found a great balance in that, and also offering access to a lot of the great classic matches in the AEW library to the fans has helped us drive a lot of viewership, as well."

AEW must thread the needle between maximizing reach and ensuring that live matches and pay-per-view events "feel special," as Khan put it. That means giving enough to lure casual fans and newcomers to TBS, TNT, and HBO Max, without giving so much that they don't watch live.

AEW streams pre- and post-shows live on YouTube for big matches. But some of AEW's rivals are going a step further by experimenting with livestreaming marquee events on YouTube, for free. WWE streamed its "Worlds Collide" event live on the platform in early June, and the NFL is hosting a regular-season game live on YouTube in September.

As of now, Khan isn't following suit. The AEW CEO said he's firmly committed to TBS, TNT, and HBO Max, no matter what's happening at their parent company.

Not splitting hairs

WBD announced a long-awaited spinoff last month that will pull HBO Max away from TBS and TNT. Khan said the split shouldn't affect AEW, which reached a media deal with WBD last fall.

"We have a great partnership with both sides," Khan said, adding that AEW is "very well entrenched" across the forthcoming Streaming & Studios and Global Networks companies.

WBD's media rights deal with AEW is unaffected by the split, so HBO Max will continue to stream matches that air live on TBS and TNT.

Regardless, a top media analyst thinks sports leagues like AEW should brainstorm alternatives for their next deals in light of the spinoff.

"Without a broadcast network or a streaming platform (we are not counting Discovery+), it is hard to imagine sports leagues being excited to work with GLN [Global Linear Networks] going forward, unless they have no choice," Lightshed's Rich Greenfield wrote in a mid-June note.

AEW has seen firsthand how HBO Max can effectively complement TBS and TNT. Once they belong to separate companies, that symbiosis could disappear. And while AEW could theoretically re-up with TNT Sports and find a separate streaming deal, Greenfield questioned that logic.

"GLN could license its sports streaming rights to third-parties (assuming contracts allow it)" Greenfield wrote. "But then why would a sports rights holder not just choose a vertically-integrated platform to begin with?"

Other analysts are less bearish, including Robert Fishman of MoffettNathanson. He wrote last month that "sports remains a key pillar to support affiliate fee stability in the years ahead" for the Global Networks business that will house TBS and TNT.

Instead of wondering what the future holds for WBD's assets, Khan is focused on the present. The 100th episode of "Collision" airs Saturday night, and viewers can tune in on TNT — or Max.

• Sean 'Diddy' Combs faces up to 20 years in prison, despite being acquitted on the most serious counts.
• It likely won't be that high. Prosecutors said the guidelines call for around 5 years and 3.
• The judge said he's already considering Combs' violent conduct and decided to keep him in jail.

Shortly after a jury acquitted Sean "Diddy" Combs of the most severe charges against him, a prosecutor still warned that he was a danger to society.

The two Mann Act counts for which he was convicted, related to transporting victims for prostitution, still carried a combined sentence of up to 20 years in prison, said Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey Wednesday, urging the judge to keep Combs in jail until his sentencing hearing.

"The maximum sentence the defendant faces is 20 years in prison under the two statutes of which he's been convicted now," Comey said.

While Combs could get a severe sentence, he's not likely to get anything close to 20 years.

"Even though the Mann Act carries a potential 10-year maximum sentence, Diddy is going to get time served or close to it," said Neama Rahmani, the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers and a former federal prosecutor. "His sentencing guideline range may be as low as 15-21 months."

The sentence will ultimately be decided by US District Judge Arun Subramanian, who presided over the trial in a lower Manhattan courtroom.

In a letter to the judge later on Wednesday, prosecutors said that sentencing guidelines called for more like five years in prison.

Even though Combs was acquitted of racketeering and sex-trafficking charges, which could have resulted in a lifelong prison sentence, prosecutors said Subramanian should still take into account the violence and drug use that witnesses testified about. They estimated a sentence of between 4 years and 3 months to 5 years and 3 months, but cautioned that they were still evaluating a sentencing recommendation and may come up with a new estimate before the hearing.

Combs' attorneys say the sentencing guidelines point to a range of 21 to 27 months, and that he would be entitled to even less time behind bars.

Nadia Shihata, a former Assistant US Attorney who prosecuted R. Kelly on racketeering related to sex abuse, said a 20-year sentence was unlikely even if Subramanian takes a broad view of the evidence.

In order to get 20 years, prosecutors will have to ask the judge to consider acquitted conduct, Shihata said.

Even though those predicates and sex trafficking weren't proved at trial, the judge can decide if there was a perponderance of evidence proving those acquitted crimes.

Shihata believes it's unlikely the judge "will give him anywhere near 20 years."

Combs has already spent 10 months incarcerated in the Metropolitan Detention Center, which would count toward any sentence decided by Subramanian.

The judge on Wednesday indicated he is already considering Combs' violent conduct, which his lawyers had admitted to jurors at trial. Subramanian did not grant Combs bail to allow him to be released from custody ahead of the sentencing hearing, noting that the trial evidence demonstrated he couldn't prove he wouldn't be a danger to those around him.

"This type of violence, which happens behind closed doors in personal relationships, sparked by unpredictable bouts of anger, is impossible to police with conditions," Subramanian said. "Having conceded the defendant's propensity for violence in this way, it is impossible for the defendant to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that he poses no danger to any other person or the community."

Subramanian set a tentative sentencing hearing date for October 3, but said it may be sooner depending on whether the federal sentencing commission could prepare a report on a recommended sentence before then.

• Sam Struan has been a recruiter for over 10 years and has focused on building résumés for two years.
• He suggests his clients add value statements to each job listed on their résumés.
• Struan said there are a couple of statements that should be left off a résumé.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sam Struan, a 36-year-old recruiter and résumé writer based in Scotland. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I had been doing part-time résumé writing throughout much of my 10-year career in agency and internal recruitment before taking it full-time about two years ago. Since then, I've helped write over 700 résumés.

There are lots of résumé writing gimmicks out there claiming that certain design elements, keywords, or page counts will land you a job, but I say keep it simple and focus on the content.

There are a few non-negotiables that should be on a résumé

Every résumé should have contact information like your email and phone number.

I also recommend including a one-to-two sentence value statement near the top of the résumé, which includes years of experience, the types of roles you've had, and the types of organizations you've worked for, quantified by head count and revenue.

Stay away from vague descriptions like "I'm a results-driven leader with a proven track record of operational excellence." Your goal is to present the facts, leave nothing up for interpretation, and make the recruiter's job easy by serving them the important information directly.

I constantly tell people to add certain information to their résumés

The most common thing I suggest people add to their résumés is company summaries for every previous place of employment.

This is a one-to-two-line blurb describing its product, service, geographic scope, head count, and revenue. This information gives the recruiter more context so they don't have to look up the company, and it's also an opportunity to show off what exactly you have experience with.

For example, mentioning that you worked for a similarly sized company or sold a similar product as the company you're applying for may broaden your appeal to the recruiter.

Some things are better left off résumés

The most common thing I recommend clients remove from their résumés is overly stylistic design choices like images or logos. They won't get you rejected by applicant tracking systems, but in some cases, they make it more difficult for the software to parse your information correctly.

I also advise people to remove certain soft skills, such as "good communication" or "results-driven." Anyone can say they have good communication, but it's meaningless without context or proof.

Content is more important than résumé length

A one-page résumé is typically appropriate for new graduates or folks with a few years of work experience, but people with more experience may need up to a three-page résumé. I have about 10 to 15 years of professional experience, and my résumé is two and a half pages.

I typically see a need for even longer résumés for government, medical, or academic roles that require certifications, publications, or other important credentials.

There's a widely held belief that résumés need to fit on a page, but a recruiter should not be turned off by a longer résumé. I probably would've been fired on the spot from my previous recruiting jobs if I denied candidates strictly based on their résumé length.

Some people have sent me 20-plus-page résumés with only five years of experience, which totally missed the mark. But if a candidate's experience is good, it's not a reason for immediate disqualification.

Above all, keep it simple

Regardless of résumé length, you want your professional experience to start on the first page. Sometimes I see résumés that don't even list someone's most recent job until the second page. You don't want that. People shouldn't have to search through your résumé to find your professional experience.

Use a clear font, black ink, and rely on metrics-driven reasoning to tell the story of why you're the right fit for the job. Keep it simple.

If you're a recruiter with job-searching advise you'd like to share, please email the editor, Manseen Logan, at [email protected].

• I keep accidentally making audio recordings in iMessage. I've almost sent them to some people!
• This seems incredibly common — and could easily become embarrassing for someone.
• Apple says turning off the "Raise to Listen" feature in Messages will stop this from happening.

My iPhone threatens to ruin my reputation, career, marriage, friendships, or entire life. Several times a week. Sometimes, I look down to discover it's been — unbeknownst to me — recording an audio message.

With one wrong move, I could accidentally send that accidental audio message to, well, anyone.

What might have been in those few minutes of surreptitiously recorded audio? Most likely, just ambient white noise coming from inside my purse or pocket. But it could be terrible! Maybe I was singing along (badly) to the radio. Maybe I was loudly discussing some scandalous social gossip or confidential work information. Maybe I was complaining about my editor. (Brad, I know you're reading this — I would never.) Maybe I was having a particularly cacophonic bathroom experience.

Accidental iMessage recordings happen on other people's iPhones, too

I'm not alone — this is happening to lots of people. When I grumbled about this on Threads, I got dozens of replies from people who were also constantly accidentally recording. There are several Reddit posts about the problem, too.

One of those posts contains a pure nightmare: "My phone sent a recording of me peeing to my boss." They said they quickly sent a follow-up text telling their boss the recording was accidental and not to listen. "I have no idea if he heard it. I can only assume he did and, out of respect, never brought it up," the redditor told me over direct message.

Another person said they accidentally sent a recording of sexy talk with their spouse to their sister. Yikes!

Of course, sending voice memos and audio recordings can be great! Sometimes, they come in handy when you want to tell a longer story — and especially in group chats. The other day, I sent a four-minute audio recording to my friend detailing some gossip about our social circle. But I want to use audio recordings to gossip — not accidentally be the cause of it. ("Did you hear Katie sent a recording of herself in the bathroom to the group?!")

What was driving me nuts was that I couldn't really seem to understand why this kept happening. In fact, when I actually want to send an audio recording, I fumble around with actually knowing how to do it. Hint: It's not the microphone in the text box — that's for speech-to-text. The audio message is buried in the list of options when you hit the "+" sign, sandwiched between Stickers, Apple Cash, Send Later, and Memoji. (Tim Cook, I am looking you dead in the eyes and telling you I will never use Memojis. Stop trying to make Memojis happen.)

I love my iPhone because it usually just works. I understand it, it's intuitive, and after years of using one, I understand how the features work. But here I was, unable to figure out why this kept happening. Was it a bug or user error?

If this is happening on your iPhone, there's a fix

It turns out, the "Raise to Listen" feature is ON by default in iMessage.

This feature is for you to be able to listen to audio recordings when you put the phone up to your ear, but it also works the other way. When you have iMessage open and put the phone up to your ear (or close to it — the phone gets confused sometimes!), it can trigger the audio recording.

Here's how you find it: Go to Settings > Apps > Messages. Scroll all the way down until you see the "Raise to Listen" feature. Toggle this OFF if you don't want to use it.

It might make it slightly more difficult to listen to audio messages, but it will stop the accidental ones. (When I reached out to Apple for comment on my potential life-ruining, they suggested turning off Raise to Listen if it was an issue for me.)

The Raise to Listen feature has been causing weird accidental audio messages since at least 2015, but it seems (in my experience) that it's happened much more often in the last year or so.

Now that I've turned the feature off, I can breathe (and poop) easily, knowing I wont accidentally send someone a recording. You should do it, too.

• Boris Burkhardt leverages his field hockey experience to excel as an entrepreneur.
• Burkhardt's sports background taught him team-building, resilience, and adaptability.
• He applied these skills to lead ventures in e-commerce, boat rental, and cybersecurity.

Business and field hockey are the two loves in Boris Burkhardt's life.

As a teenager, Burkhardt played for various national youth teams representing the Netherlands, before making his professional debut for Amsterdam. Today, at 28, he captains the Amsterdam first team and has represented the Netherlands at the international level.

From a young age, Burkhardt was also interested in setting up his own companies. One of his earliest ventures involved diving into the water on golf courses at night to retrieve, clean, and resell golf balls.

"That's where I developed a quite entrepreneurial mindset," Burkhardt told Business Insider.

Since then, he has launched a boating company and founded Game Hero, an e-commerce brand focused on gaming gear. He also spent time as a venture capitalist at seed-stage fund CapitalT.

Burkhardt said he hadn't sold any of his companies yet, but he is in the middle of launching a new B2B cybersecurity and fraud prevention business, Guzco.

The company is backed by industry experts with "deep experience in logistics and shipping software" who have helped build the infrastructure behind major e-commerce platforms, he said.

Burkardt is living proof of the crossover between professional sports and leadership. In a recent phone call with BI, Burkardt described the four leadership traits that have guided him in his side-by-side careers in sports and entrepreneurship.

1. Knowing how to build a winning team

Professional athletes learn discipline and teamwork from a very young age, Burkhardt said.

"You have to know the weaknesses and the strengths of a team and from your teammates," Burkhardt said.

"How to build a winning team, that's something you learn from a very young age when you play sports," he added.

When the pressure is on, in sports and businesses, some people excel. Others hide away.

"You have to know how people are acting and who you can count on," Burkhardt said.

2. Being comfortable with losing

"You lose a lot of matches," Burkhardt said. "I learned a lot more from losing a match than winning a match."

But it's all about how you come back from it.

"How do you manage to get back stronger? How do you fight back?" Burkhardt said. "That's something where resilience and resistance are really being built for yourself."

The same lessons apply when building a company, he said. When things go right the first time, you might just have been lucky, Burkhardt said, so you don't learn anything.

"When you lose a deal or you didn't manage to close the deal, then you dive into it — where did it go wrong?" Burkhardt said. "Failure is something you should embrace when you play sports or when you're building a business to get better."

3. Embracing the moments when things don't go to plan

Burkhardt says having a growth mindset is vital in both sports and business.

He says it helps when things don't go to plan, and he has to pivot or make changes.

"When you're like, 'Oh, I want to get into the team, oh, I really want to close this deal,' then you're maybe too fixed on that instead of putting the relevant work and trusting the process that you will get to the long-term goal," Burkhardt said.

"You just need to let it go, work hard, have a lot of fun with people around you and your team," he said. "And then the long-term goals will come to you."

4. Keeping his team obsessed with what he's building

Many companies fail because the team gives up, Burkhardt said.

"It's really important that you make sure that the team has the same ambition and is pushing to get to the goal," he said. "The goal is the hard work and also making the space for fun."

The team should also be as invested in the outcome as you are as a leader, Burkhardt said, because talented people could jump ship at any time.

"If someone doesn't believe in you, your mission, or the vision you have, they won't join your company," Burkhardt said. "Keep pushing as a team and make sure your team is willing to stay obsessed with what you're building."

• Vern Perry leads Blackstone Strategic Partners, a major buyer of private equity funds.
• Perry predicts a record $220 billion in private fund resale transactions this year.
• He spoke to BI about his career, how he stays focused, and his advice for getting ahead.

If you're looking to sell your private equity fund stakes, you've probably reached out to Vern (short for Verdun) Perry. Perry heads Blackstone Strategic Partners, one of the largest buyers of buyout funds that have yet to mature.

When Perry started out, secondaries investing was a fringe strategy. Last year, it grew to a record $160 billion in volume as large investors, like Harvard University, look to sell investments to free up cash.

He previously told Business Insider that he believes the market will set a new record this year of $220 billion.

Business Insider spoke with Perry about his career, his advice for young professionals, and his top efficiency tips. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Walk me through your career. How did you end up leading this business for Blackstone?

I've been a secondaries investor going on 25 years, since Strategic Partners was founded. After graduating from Morehouse College in 1994, I worked as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and in acquisitions for a holding company. I then made my way to Harvard Business School and interned at investment bank Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette during the summer of 1999.

'99 was busy. I worked around the clock, from 8:30 a.m. to well past 3:00 a.m., but I loved the place, people, and work. At the end of the summer, I received an offer and accepted it on the spot.

The critical juncture of my career came a couple of months after joining DLJ full-time. I was introduced to Stephen Can, founding partner of Strategic Partners. I didn't know what secondaries were, but once Stephen explained the strategy to me, it changed my life.

What has happened since joining Blackstone?

When we joined Blackstone in 2013, we had 27 professionals and $9 billion in AUM. Now, we have 141 professionals and $87 billion in AUM. During that time, we've returned roughly $33 billion in distributions to our investors

Since the team was founded, we've done more than 2,200 secondaries deals, which we believe is the most of any secondary buyer. That's a deal closed every three business days on average, for 25 years.

I've heard market uncertainty can slow secondary activities, so I was struck by your prediction of a record year.

Whoever said that is correct, but the current dislocation started in 2022, with high inflation and interest rates, which resulted in a significant decline in exits and distributions.

That's why you saw record volume in 2024. Sellers wanted to sell in 2022 and 2023, but they could not agree on pricing and terms with buyers. By 2024, their pricing expectations came in line with reality. Some could argue that sellers were fatigued after over 2 years of relatively low distributions.

Why won't there be a two-year dislocation due to Trump's tariff announcements?

Many investors have no more time to wait. If tariffs had followed four years of normal capital markets, exits, and investment activity, then yes, it would likely have started a new 12-24 month period of slower secondary sales.

It doesn't matter that tariffs are causing some uncertainty; many investors have to find liquidity. So, they sell some of their older fund names to free up capital to invest in new funds.

What career advice do you have for people looking to break into finance?

I tell young people not to focus on what's hot today. Instead, think about what might be hot tomorrow and try to get in early.

When I got into secondaries, some people turned their noses up at it. In 2021, Harvard Business School published a case study on Blackstone Strategic Partners with me as the protagonist. I can't tell you how many students now want to do secondaries.

Any other tips for getting ahead?

Focus on people first and numbers second. If you mistreat someone and you run into them 25 years later, they will only remember how you mistreated them, not the good things you did.

Treat people fairly and with respect and your reputation will follow you. For example, Tony James helped recruit me to DLJ and helped to form Strategic Partners in 2000. When Strategic Partners was looking for a new home, Tony James was Blackstone's president and COO.

You seem like a very busy man. How do you get it all done?

Every week, we have a team meeting over lunch to talk about resource allocation, and we talk about every single deal. We assess which deals are not high quality or high probability. The next step is a quick but respectful no, which allows us to lean in and double our efforts on the high-quality deals.

Delegation is so critical to efficiency. We are all ambitious and want to succeed, but we cannot and do not have to do it alone. There are lots of capable people, and it can be their opportunity to step up, learn, and grow. Sometimes efficiency is about saying no for yourself and yes for someone else.

What's something you do to keep yourself grounded?

I try to make time every day to connect with a family member or close friend. Life and work can be hectic, so it is all the more important to be intentional about nurturing relationships and making time for the people I care about.

The other reason I do this is to stay grounded. The family and friends I connect with have known me since my humble beginnings. It is important to have people around you who will tell you the truth, even when it is painful to hear.

What advice do you have for the industry around creating more pathways for people who weren't exposed to finance early in life?

My advice for the finance industry is to increase the number of schools from which it recruits. For example, in 2015, Blackstone recruited from 9 colleges and universities. Today, that number is over 100 different schools.

• "Summerween" is Halloween in summer (duh).
• Retailers like Walmart, T.J. Maxx, and Michaels are stocking pink pumpkins and other summery/Halloween-y decor.
• Is it stupid? Sure. But we could all use a little more fun.

Boo! You might see something spooky — spine-tingling, even — when you walk into a Home Goods or Walmart this week.

And you might shriek in horror when you see ghosts and pumpkin decor on display. Summer has only just begun! How could they be stocking Halloween stuff when school barely just let out?

Relax, it's Summerween! The fake shopping holiday for those who want to put out Halloween decor in July.

This isn't the first Summerween, by the way — it's been around for a few years now. But it's growing: It appears to have started at the craft store Michael's, spread to T.J. Maxx/Marshalls/Home Goods. And now, this week, Walmart is adding "Summer Frights" decor to its stores.

In fact, rapper Princess Nokia just released a new song, "Drop Dead Gorgeous," that has a lyric: "Summerween and I wanna get my spooky on."

Summerween's origins appear to trace back to the cartoon show "Gravity Falls," where in a 2012 episode, the characters carved watermelons and went trick-or-treating.

But there's another element afoot: some adults (and you probably know one) just freaking love Halloween.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

Like those who love the holidays, Halloween superfans have become their own subculture. They use phrases like "code orange" to alert others on social media when they come across fun themed merch. Retailers are using it to get a head start on fall, spurring people to buy their decorations now—a time of year when shopping enthusiasm is typically muted.

Lowe's first "Halfway to Halloween" push came in April 2024, and the retailer repeated it this year, even adding a second wave of products in June. Target released some of its more popular Halloween items, like $5 decorative birds, in May and more is planned for later in the summer. Michaels had its earliest Halloween launch ever this June. By late July, the merchandise will completely take over the front of stores, said Melissa Mills, senior vice president of merchandising.

I went to check out the selections in my local T.J. Maxx, Home Goods, and Walmart. I was particularly excited to see the Walmart offerings, since this is apparently the first time it has them. But my local store didn't have anything yet. (I did notice some open shelf space in the "Seasonal" section.)

Over at T.J. Maxx and Home Goods, the Summerween selections were in full effect.

There were pink candles with ghosts, dish towels, magenta velvet skeletons, painted driftwood candy corns, and framed art of ghosts and Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein at the beach.

Pink and purple were as prevalent as orange and black, which sets these Summerween items clearly apart from their October cousins. It was cute, not scary.

For a moment, the thought crossed my mind to actually buy some of this — a fuzzy pastel candy corn caught my eye. I am not one of those Halloween enthusiasts, but I'm sure my kids would love celebrating Summerween.

Halloween is one of the few non-denominational, non-political, purely fun holidays throughout the year — why not double up on it?

Is this all just an excuse to sell people more junk? Well, sure.

But so what?

Do you think Thanksgiving is "real," too? That Christmas isn't overly commercialized? Or that Mother's Day isn't just a racket by greeting card companies? Do you worry about the real meaning of Toyathon? Grow up. Open your eyes and your heart and embrace Summerween.

• Scott Heltz and Shaquita Riley renovated a bus to travel the American West.
• They chose a bus over an RV for more customization and a sturdier structure.
• The couple plans to build a home in Arizona using shipping containers and live off the land.

Scott Heltz had always hoped to give up his day job one day, buy an RV, and explore the country. When the New Orleans-based electrician met his partner, Shaquita Riley, in 2019, he finally found someone to do it with.

But Riley had a slightly different idea. She suggested buying an old school bus and converting it into a mobile home, or a "skoolie." Heltz, who loves building things, was intrigued. There was more room to rebuild and customize an old bus than an RV. Within six months of meeting, Heltz and Riley bought a 2004 school bus for about $3,000.

"The biggest thing for me was traveling," Heltz, 55, told Business Insider. "I always wanted to travel."

Heltz estimates the couple spent about $40,000 renovating the bus over the course of three years. They cut off the roof and raised it, installed new sheet metal, and tore out the old interior, replacing it with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, eating area, and lots of colorful art.

"The day I put the toilet in the bus, my wife ran out and bought a mattress, and she never spent another night in the house," Heltz said.

The couple left New Orleans in 2023 and haven't looked back. Since then, Heltz and Riley — and their two dogs and two cats — have traveled the American West, mostly working and camping in state and national parks. These days, they're living in their bus in southern Arizona and hoping to settle down.

They're not alone. A growing number of Americans are giving up their brick-and-mortar homes and traveling the country in RVs and skoolies, working in exchange for a place to park and a modest hourly wage. Some are older people retiring on the cheap, others are families looking to expose their kids to the country, and still others are living in vehicles to avoid high rents or homelessness.

Skoolie life isn't for everyone

Heltz stressed that the skoolie life isn't as glamorous as some influencers and others make it out to be. There are mechanical issues to deal with, insurance can be expensive, and living in tight quarters and working menial jobs in parks can be tough.

"There were times when I definitely questioned why I was cleaning toilets instead of doing something that I was made to do," he said.

The lifestyle also came with a significant pay cut for Heltz. But the bus hasn't given them much trouble, and their expenses have been relatively low.

"Bus life got real romanticized for a while," Heltz said. "It's not for the lazy. It's not for people that aren't self-sufficient."

He added, "It's not just throwing a futon in a bus and driving around the country and seeing things. You've still got to live. You've still got to survive. You've still got to pay bills."

Are you work-camping or finding creative ways to save on housing costs? Reach out to this reporter at [email protected].

They're not planning on living in the bus forever. Last year, the couple, who aren't legally married but plan to wed this year, bought 20 acres of land in Douglas, Arizona, a small town on the border of Mexico, where they want to build a container home and live off the land. Riley wants to become a turkey farmer and raise a slew of other farm animals, while Heltz wants to build his own solar power station so they can live largely off the grid.

They've cleared the area where they'd like to build the house, and they've built a driveway, but they're still working on getting a well on the property — a crucial feature in the southwestern desert.

In the meantime, they're living in their bus in an RV park in Sierra Vista, Arizona, about 50 miles from their property. Heltz is working for an RV dealer, where he repairs vehicles. He's hoping he'll be able to start his own business repairing mobile homes. Riley recently completed her BA and is working towards becoming a therapist.

"We'll see how it goes. It's kind of day by day," Heltz said. "But we do have a plan."

• Despite many smooth Tesla robotaxi rides, videos of hiccups are being shared online.
• Autonomous driving experts are concerned about Tesla's "camera-only" approach and "phantom braking."
• The three autonomous driving experts told Business Insider about how they think the launch went.

Tesla's robotaxis are finally on the road — and on camera.

The lucky few who got to ride Tesla robotaxis after last month's launch posted videos of their rides online, and it didn't take long for viewers to identify possible errors by the driverless vehicles. Business Insider asked autonomous driving experts to review those videos and share their thoughts on what they saw, and what might need to be changed before Tesla scales up its long-awaited product.

Tesla's robotaxis launched on Sunday, June 22, in a limited area in Austin. Its "early access rides" were only available to a group of Tesla influencers and investors, who have been live-streaming and posting about their rides. Most of the rides appear to have gone smoothly, but there have been some hiccups.

According to the posted videos, the list of robotaxi issues includes speeding more than 10 miles above the limit, driving into the wrong lane, incidents of random braking, issues with the pullover button, and at least two interventions from the safety monitor due to parking issues.

The three autonomous driving experts told Business Insider about how they think the launch went, and what may have prompted robotaxi issues caught on camera.

BI called the influencers and investors to ask about their rides, but did not hear back. Tesla did not respond to a detailed request for comment from Business Insider.

The vision-only robotaxi design

Robotaxi uses an advanced version of Tesla's Full Self‑Driving (FSD) software as its central system, complete with eight cameras installed around the vehicle to capture 360° visual data. The vehicles do not use any radar or lidar, unlike competitor Waymo, whose cars rely on multiple ways to sense the environment.

Lidar uses laser light pulses to scan the environment, while radar detects objects with radio waves.

Raj Rajkumar, professor of engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, told BI that while issues with pullover and even driving into the wrong lane could likely be fixed through more training data, incidents of what he described as "phantom braking" may have exposed a flaw in the robotaxi design.

In one video he saw, YouTuber Kim Java was on a robotaxi ride when, according to the video, it braked with nothing obstructing it, causing her belongings to fall to the floor.

Java, a YouTuber specializing in tech and clean energy with more than 250 thousand subscribers, can be seen in the video saying, "That's something that people have talked about being one of the limitations of Full Self-Driving with robotaxi," immediately after the braking incident.

"To process camera data, one has to use AI and machine learning," Rajkumar said. "But hallucinations are an integral part of how AI operates, and once you hallucinate, phantom braking ends up happening, so a camera-only solution will not be sufficient for a very long time."

"Imagine being on the freeway at 65 mph and the car suddenly brakes for a phantom object, and there is an 18-wheeler semi truck behind you, and they cannot stop," Rajkumar added. "It could be extremely dangerous, depending on what's happening around you."

Steven Shladover, lead researcher at the Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology program at the University of California, Berkeley, told BI he is concerned that Tesla's camera-only approach without lidar or radar will eventually lead to passenger injuries without intervention.

Shladover reviewed a range of different Tesla robotaxi mishaps, including an apparent incident of speeding and veering into the wrong lane, in addition to the sudden braking.

"Automated driving needs a combination of sensor data from cameras, radars, and lidars, as well as precise localization relative to a high-accuracy digital map of the roadway environment and other data such as the local rules of the road and speed limits," said Shladover.

"Phantom braking" is a known phenomenon in some Tesla software systems.

Tesla is facing a class-action lawsuit over alleged phantom braking in its Autopilot system, which is "an advanced driver assistance system" that is different from the supervised version of Full Self-Driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also launched an investigation into Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in 2022 after more than 750 drivers complained to the agency that their Teslas suddenly slammed on the brakes at high speeds while on Autopilot. The investigation and evaluation are still ongoing.

In the same year, a Tesla driver who told police they were using the supervised Full Self-Driving was caught in an eight-car pileup due to sudden and unexpected braking. CNN first reported this incident in December 2022, and Tesla did not respond to their requests for comments.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk addressed phantom braking complaints in 2020 on what was then Twitter, but he has not commented further since then.

"Is the issue of phantom braking fixed in this release?" user EV-HQ asked in October 2020. "Has been a number of people talking about this recently."

"It should be," Musk replied, following up with, "Meant to say that it should be fixed in the latest wide release. Won't need to wait for FSD."

Tesla's robotaxis need more training

Autonomous driving experts are saying "not so fast" when it comes to replacing human drivers entirely, especially for Tesla's robotaxis.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said prior to the launch that a human safety monitor would accompany each robotaxi in the passenger seat out of an abundance of caution.

From what can be seen in the videos, the human monitor can halt the vehicle by pressing an "In Lane Stop" button on the touchscreen. This feature can be seen used in a video where a safety monitor stopped a robotaxi from colliding with a reversing UPS truck as the vehicle attempted to park itself.

The video in question is posted by Dave Lee, an early Tesla investor and a YouTuber with more than 230,000 subscribers.

"There are real robotaxis on American roads, but none is a Tesla," Bryant Walker Smith, a professor in engineering and law at the University of South Carolina, told BI. "Tesla is still relying on safety drivers for its Austin demo — and rightly so, because its technology is immature."

"There is a huge difference between launching without safety drivers and testing or demoing with them, akin to climbing up a giant cliff with or without a harness and rope," Smith added.

It is common for autonomous vehicles to launch with a safety driver first. Waymo's early vehicles, including those in its public pilot programs, initially included a safety driver in the driver's seat. The Wayve self-driving car, which recently launched in London, also comes with a safety driver.

It is also common for robotaxis to experience incidents, even years after initial launch.

In 2024, Waymo recalled its vehicles twice, once for a fleet of 670 cars after an unoccupied robotaxi hit a telephone pole in Phoenix. Cruise's robotaxis repeatedly caused jams on city roads after launching in San Francisco in 2022. In 2023, a Cruise vehicle dragged a pedestrian initially hit by a human driver for an additional 20 feet instead of stopping, which led to the company's robotaxi business folding.

Rajkumar said that Tesla robotaxi is "extremely geofenced" to a region of Austin that, based on screenshots, seems to span 5.5 to 6 miles east to west and 3.5 to 4 miles north to south.

Waymo, too, has limits on where it can go, and it is unable to drive freeways in most of the cities it operates in.

Rajkumar called the launch "a good start," but said there is still a way to go before the Tesla robotaxi could handle unfamiliar situations on its own, completely free of human intervention.

"There is a very long list of things that happen in real life that we do not anticipate when we drive," Rajkumar said. "But we are very intelligent creatures, we know how the world operates and we can decide to take action on it on the fly, even if it's something that we have never ever seen before."

• Protein smoothies that are both beautiful and functional are popping up everywhere.
• They're a sign of how fitness has had a luxury rebrand.
• I enjoyed Soho House's protein smoothies, which cost $12 each and contain protein powder, fruit, and supplements.

I was perched at the gym bar of a Soho House branch in London, looking at a perfect row of plastic cups full to the brim with a pastel-colored, silky liquid, when it struck me how much protein shakes have changed in recent years.

Long gone are the days of gulping down a lumpy, makeshift concoction of water and protein powder in an ugly plastic shaker after a workout. Today, there's a new class of glossy protein shakes that are infinitely tastier and chicer: reflecting fitness' luxury rebrand in recent years.

With wispy swirls and a cloud-like texture, the designer protein smoothies at Soho House looked like zoomed-in snippets of an Impressionist painter's take on a Mediterranean sunset. Whether they would taste as good remained to be seen.

Served in a sleek Soho-House branded cup and each named after a branch of the members club (The Berlin, Warehouse, Shoreditch), they're part of a menu that launched in February. It includes five protein smoothies and one electrolyte drink intended to help gym-goers prepare for or recover from training.

They're $12 (£9) a pop and available in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami.

The smoothies feature different blends of either whey or plant-based protein powder with fruits, plant milk, supplements like creatine, and buzzy "superfoods" including chia seeds and matcha.

Expensive smoothies with functional add-ons are not new. Jamba Juice sells plenty of $9 smoothies, and Joe and The Juice's protein shakes, which launched in June 2024, go for $14.50. Although not a fitness drink, the viral $20 Hailey Bieber Strawberry Skin Glaze smoothie, a collaboration between the cult LA organic grocery store Erewhon and the Rhode skincare founder, mainstreamed the idea of the exorbitantly expensive smoothie.

Soho House is just the latest luxury brand to launch a range of elite protein smoothies for its wellness-crazed clientele. Both Barry's Bootcamp and Equinox have similar offerings. They all prove just how fashionable fitness has become, while their stylish appearance helps them double up as a gold star for participation in the world of luxury wellness.

Just holding one made me feel like an LA influencer.

Here's how I ranked Soho House's protein smoothies, from most to least favorite.

The Shoreditch

Ingredients: Cherries, strawberries, goji, chia seeds, whey or plant-based vanilla protein, kefir, coconut milk

Nutrition: 26g protein, 64g carbs, 3g fiber, 42 miligrams salt, 356 calories

The Shoreditch was hands down the most beautiful of the smoothies, and certainly looked like its designer took cues from Hailey Bieber's Erewhon collab.

It tasted very sweet and creamy, but the kefir (a fermented yogurt drink that contains gut-friendly microbes) gave it an added layer of tang, which I enjoyed. The protein powder was virtually undetectable too. I might have got a little sick of the sweetness by the end if I had drunk the whole thing, but it was definitely one of my favorites.

I personally wouldn't want to drink this every day because it's quite intense, but if I did a heavy workout or a long run, I would happily tuck into one of these.

The Warehouse

Ingredients: Pineapple, mango, goji, turmeric, ginger, vanilla protein, cayenne pepper, chia seeds, kefir, and coconut milk

Nutrients: 26g protein, 28g carbs, 3g fiber, 43mg salt, 375 calories

The Warehouse tasted like the protein shake equivalent of a spicy Margherita. It had a tropical fruit base from pineapple and mango and a layer of spice from turmeric and cayenne pepper, which mellowed it out.

The kick took me by surprise and elevated the overall flavor. I would definitely order this again.

The Berlin

Ingredients: Cacao, banana, dates, sunflower seed butter, cacao nibs, vanilla protein, and oat milk. A coffee shot for £1 extra.

Nutrition: 30g protein, 18.6g carbs, 11g fiber, 136mg salt, 401 calories

Berlin tasted like a thick chocolate milkshake. I hate the taste of protein powder, so I was pleasantly surprised that I could barely notice it. I'm also not a fan of bananas (sorry), which can make smoothies a bit of a minefield for me. But all the flavors in this blended nicely into an overwhelmingly chocolatey flavor.

Again, I wouldn't be buying this every time I went to the gym, but it was a delicious treat that I might enjoy after achieving a fitness goal.

The Beach House

Ingredients: Berries, banana, sunflower seed butter, blue spirulina, chia seeds, dates, vanilla protein, kefir, coconut milk

Nutrients: 26g protein, 77g carbs, 5g fiber, 34mg salt, 444 calories

I was told that The Beach House is the No. 1 best seller of all the smoothies, so I had high expectations. It was tasty, but definitely not my favorite.

For me, there was nothing distinguishing about The Beach House. There were no ingredients in it that any of the other smoothies didn't have, so I feel it lacked identity.

It tasted like a slightly muted version of the Shoreditch, which is no bad thing if you're looking for something more low-key.

The Farmhouse

Ingredients: Mango, banana, celery, vanilla protein, goji, green spirulina, matcha, and pea milk

Nutrients: 30g protein, 26g carbs, 7g fiber, 167mg salt, 299 calories

The Farmhouse, as the name suggests, had an earthy flavor. It tasted less exciting than the others, kind of like a green juice, but still pleasant.

For me, a big part of the appeal of a fancy protein smoothie is that drinking it should be fun, so I'd be more inclined to go for one of the fruitier options.But this would be a good choice if you were having these regularly, as it's high in protein and has less sugar and fewer calories than the other shakes.

House Water

Ingredients: Coconut water, creatine, cucumber, lemon, ginger

Nutrition: 0g protein, 1g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g salt, 128 calories

The House Water is an electrolyte drink, not a protein shake. It's cheaper than the shakes, costing £5 ($6.80). It's a nice option if you want something lighter to give you a little boost before a workout class or after a training session, and a tasty way to take your creatine, a workout supplement that research links to muscle gains and weight loss.

If you like coconut water, you'll love it, but I personally don't.

Overall, the smoothies were tasty and cheaper than other similar products on the market.

Is $12 a lot for a drink that comes in a plastic cup? Certainly. But given it can help you achieve nutrition goals so conveniently while looking and tasting good, I say they're worth it if you have the money.

• Zohran Mamdani has pledged to freeze rent for some apartments in New York City if elected mayor.
• The move aims to aid low-income New Yorkers amid rising housing costs.
• But critics argue it may hinder building maintenance and new housing construction.

If one slogan defined Zohran Mamdani's successful campaign to be New York City's Democratic nominee for mayor, it might be his call to freeze the rent.

The pledge — plastered across T-shirts, tote bags, and campaign mailers across the city — has drawn some of the most energetic support and opposition to Mamdani's campaign.

It's not unusual for a New York City mayor to support temporarily pausing rent increases on the city's nearly one million rent-stabilized units, which make up about half of all rental apartments and house more than 2 million people. But Mamdani has gone a step further, promising to replace the members of the Rent Guidelines Board with individuals committed to freezing rents every year of his term.

Tenant advocates say that a rent freeze would provide crucial relief to low-income New Yorkers — especially families of color, seniors, and Gen Z renters — in one of the most expensive cities in the country. But landlords say rent freezes would starve many buildings of crucial income needed to maintain and repair stabilized apartments, while some housing economists say depressing rents could discourage much-needed housing construction.

Here's what's really going on with Mamdani's rent freeze, and what it would mean for the city.

How New York renters are actually doing

Mamdani's rent freeze pledge comes as the city's renters are struggling. About a quarter of all city households that don't live in public housing or use a housing voucher are severely rent-burdened, meaning they spend at least half of their income on housing. The typical tenant household earns about $70,000 a year, but citywide median rent hit almost $3,700 a month — or over $44,000 a year — in late 2024.

Rent-stabilized apartments make up the biggest share of the city's affordable housing. The median rent in a stabilized apartment was is about $1,500 in 2023 according to the city's latest data — about $141 less than the total median of $1,614 for all rental units.

Black, Latino and low-income residents are overrepresented as tenants in rent-stabilized apartments and thus could especially benefit from a freeze.

The rising cost of living is making it hard for New Yorkers to stay in the city. "The median income for a rent-stabilized household is $60,000 a year. Any rent hike could push them out of the city," Mamdani said in a campaign video.

For now, rents will keep rising. Less than a week after Mamdani's primary win, the nine-member Rent Guidelines Board voted on Monday to raise rents for one-year leases in stabilized units by 3%, and by 4.5% on two-year leases.

The board raised rents by a total of 9% during the first three years of Mayor Eric Adams' term. That's up from Adams' predecessor, Mayor Bill De Blasio, who oversaw three rent freezes during his eight years in office and a 6% increase in stabilized rents overall.

One of the Rent Guidelines Board members who voted in favor of the rent increase, Alex Armlovich, called it "a nuanced compromise" between competing testimonies from landlords and tenants.

The pros and cons of a rent freeze

Critics of rent freezes point to a few major issues. They argue that rent increases are needed to allow landlords to keep up with their costs, including building repairs and maintenance.

Proponents of freezing rents argue landlords can tap other resources to fill the gap in revenue. Sam Stein, a housing policy analyst with the Community Service Society — a nonprofit focused on aiding low-income New Yorkers, said that city-run targeted programs designed to aid landlords who can't cover the costs are better-suited to address the problem rather than raising rents for all stabilized units.

Mamdani and other rent freeze advocates argue that many landlords of stabilized units are doing fine. Indeed, a report by the Rent Guidelines Board found that these landlords' average income, after subtracting expenses and adjusting for inflation, was up 8% between 2022 and 2023.

But that number doesn't give a full financial picture, as landlords could have mortgages and other debts, and it's an average across a very diverse array of buildings.

Buildings with rent-stabilized apartments range from brand-new, high-end complexes with sky-high market rents and a small number of stabilized units, to 100% rent-stabilized buildings that have had controlled rents for 70 years. That diversity makes it especially tricky to fit a citywide rent increase to all those units.

"We have both the newest, healthiest, most expensive rental buildings in the city and the most distressed, low-rent buildings in the city all under one system, and we're supposed to pick one number," Armlovich said.

Addressing the housing shortage

Fundamentally, New York's affordability problem is caused by a shortage of homes. Recently, apartment vacancy rates hit a more than 50-year low of 1.4%.

Some housing economists worry that freezing rents on stabilized units could discourage housing construction, further depressing the supply of homes and hurting affordability. They point to real estate developers who accept tax incentives on new and converted buildings that include a certain amount of rent-stabilized units. Some argue builders would be less likely to take advantage of these programs if the stabilized units brought in less revenue under a rent freeze.

Armlovich said that several rent freezes under a future administration would likely only have a modest impact on housing construction broadly. But he worries that an environment of frozen rents could scare off some developers and financiers.

"It's just like old conservative, middle-aged bankers being like, 'Oh my god, you want to underwrite a construction loan under socialism?'" Armlovich said.

Mamdani has also floated other pro-building housing policies. The candidate has proposed building 200,000 subsidized affordable homes and doubling the city Housing Authority's funding for preserving existing affordable housing, while he's expressed some interest in loosening land-use regulations to spur new construction.

What renters and landlords think about a rent freeze

While Mamdani's win was something of an upset, lifelong New Yorker John Leyva said it was a reflection of renters' desire to see a mayoral candidate promising to tackle affordability issues head-on. Leyva has been organizing tenants in Brooklyn who he said have been squeezed with rents for the past decade.

"I was paying $400 a month for a two-bedroom when I first got here," said the 54 year-old, who's lived in his rent-stabilized apartment for the past 30 years. At the time, he was able to afford college, a car, and rent on a minimum-wage job. "Tenants now have two and three jobs just to try to pay what they can now."

Kenny Burgos, CEO of the New York Apartment Association, said that renters' and landlords' interests don't need to be opposed in solving New York City's affordability crisis, but that a rent freeze isn't the solution.

"When it comes to affordability, the only proven way to reduce the rent is increase the supply," Burgos said. With the volume of new housing that New York desperately needs, Burgos said Mamdani will have to work with developers and the private sector to meet that demand if he wins this fall.

Property taxes in New York City are the "single largest expense in operating their housing," Burgos said. Without raising rents, landlords are facing a "dire" situation.

But Leyva said it's not as simple as supply and demand. It takes time to build new, permanently subsidized housing, and the private sector isn't sufficiently incentivized to do so, he argued, adding that renters need immediate relief.

"Lobby for less taxes if that's what's the problem," Leyva said of landlords who feel squeezed by operating costs. "But the tenants can't give more."

• Julie Wilburn moved from Maryland to Morocco for a better quality of life.
• She has lived there for 13 years and now runs a small school.
• Similar to the US microschool movement, Wilburn found a need for more personalized learning in the region.

Julie Wilburn, 53, never anticipated that, over a decade after moving from Maryland to Morocco, she would be running her own school.

That's now her reality.

"I started with four kids out of my own house, and then I just started building a little school, and now it's been 13 years and I have this school that now has 60 to 65 students," Wilburn told Business Insider.

Wilburn said she worked at small religious schools in Maryland, and when she met her husband, who is from Morocco, she decided she wanted a change.

They moved to Morocco, and Wilburn found a teaching job. When the school shut down, she decided to start her own microschool, a model that typically has fewer than 20 students and focuses on personalized learning.

American Group International, Wilburn's school in Agadir, teaches students from kindergarten through 12th grade, and they come from diverse backgrounds, including the United Kingdom, Spain, and France.

"A lot of people are moving out of the first-world countries, and actually, the quality of life is better here," Wilburn said, adding that one thing she likes about Morocco is the availability of fresh food.

Plus, the couple thought the US was getting too expensive. She referred to her electric bill: she said that in America, she was paying around $400 a month for electricity, and her bill in Morocco is just $25.

Wilburn is one of many Americans who have left the US in search of a cheaper and better life. Her current role as a school leader is also representative of a growing movement in the US in which parents are seeking out alternative forms of education, like microschools, to best suit their children's needs.

While her school is now larger than the typical microschool, Wilburn said the structure has been instrumental to helping students in the region succeed.

"Our school's like family. They go home with their classmates, they have birthday parties together," Wilburn said. "It makes our school different than the bigger schools."

'Born out of a need'

BI previously spoke to microschool leaders and advocates in the US who vouched for the alternative learning style. Critics, on the other hand, worry that minimal regulation over microschools could diminish their accountability.

Mary Jo Fairhead, who runs a microschool in South Dakota, said that after working in a traditional public school for years, she saw a growing shift among parents who wanted more personalized educations for their kids, especially coming out of the pandemic.

"If a child's struggling and they need something more personalized, we find it for them," Fairhead said. "Or if they're excelling and they need something that's going to challenge them more, we find that for them."

Wilburn saw that same need for a different style of education in Morocco.

"Our school was born out of a need: a need for inclusive education, small class sizes, and alternative pathways for students with diverse learning profiles, special needs, or families seeking a more holistic, flexible, and international approach to learning," she said.

Wilburn obtained accreditation certificates for her school from two US-based agencies, and she said she is working to get regional accreditation to help expand her learning initiatives to other cities. She also partners with programs in the UK to provide English examinations and teacher training exams.

While educational standards and regulations differ by region, some education analysts have expressed concerns with minimal oversight over microschooling in the US. Paige Shoemaker DeMio, a senior analyst for K-12 education policy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, previously told BI that most states do not have legal definitions for what constitutes a microschool, paving the way for potential misuse of funds and inability to track students' progress.

Ensuring success after students graduate is a priority, Wilburn said. Her school's curriculum includes bilingual English and Arabic instruction, and if her students want to go to college, she helps find them scholarships and placements.

"I had one boy, he came back here from Saudi Arabia. I took whatever he could give me to help him get through school," Wilburn said. "And now this year he graduated with a British diploma with his BA, and he's going to go back to Saudi Arabia and work with his friend to help them run a school there."

Have you moved from the US to a location abroad? How have you found the different education systems? Share your thoughts with this reporter at [email protected].