• I'm currently caring for my aging parents, disabled brother, and three young children.
• There are many things I wish I would have known and prepared for before being in this situation.
• Once I was settled into my new roles, I was able to take time to work on my own wellbeing, too.

When my first two children were 2 and 6, my mom ended up in the hospital. Little did I know, she would never return to living independently. Suddenly I was scrambling to figure out where she would live, the status of her finances, and researching what to expect given a new dementia diagnosis. Just a few years later, my father's health began to decline and there were signs of dementia — all while I had a third child on the way. With both of my parents losing their ability to fulfill guardianship duties for my brother with Down syndrome, his care soon became my responsibility as well. I was part of the Sandwich Generation — with a side of fries.

No one prepared me for this, but maybe they should have. After all, my mother was 38 when I was born, and I had my three children when I was between the ages of 34 and 40. No other siblings or extended family lived nearby. As people have children later and our parents live longer, I'm not alone in this situation: almost a quarter (23%) of American adults are part of the sandwich generation, according to Mental Health America. Everyone should be ready before a care crisis hits their family — I wish I had been.

Being prepared makes a big difference

There are many things I wish I would have known and prepared for before being surprised and overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for aging parents and a disabled sibling while already caring for my own children.

I quickly realized that I couldn't avoid having difficult conversations with my parents and my husband about eldercare, medical wishes, wills, and advance directives. It's not fun to talk about worst case scenarios, or planning for death and disability, but it's infinitely easier to manage these events if you have a plan in place beforehand.

I started thinking ahead

It quickly became crucial for me to develop an extended care network for support. I got in direct contact with doctors and social workers and hired an eldercare specialist to take on tasks for my mom that I couldn't manage alone. The specialist helped take my mom to appointments when I was unavailable, made care suggestions and connected me to trusted resources, and helped slowly purge some of my mother's belongings before she moved into a nursing home.

Getting power of attorney for my mother and getting named on her accounts was critical to being able to take care of all of the financial and health responsibilities that emerged.

Similarly, becoming my brother's co-guardian before it was completely necessary so that I could have time to learn the responsibilities of the role made the transition much easier. I hired a lawyer to help file guardianship paperwork and streamlined my communication with his care team.

Having a flexible work schedule as a consultant also allowed me to handle some care tasks during business hours. It was still exhausting, but things were manageable.

I made sure to make time for my kids

My husband took on more of the childcare responsibilities in our family while I was in the thick of sorting out financial and health issues for my mom and brother, but I always made time for them.

It was a juggle, but I didn't let my new caregiving responsibilities keep me from taking family vacations with my kids or attending their school performances. Sometimes they simply came along with me to visit their grandma or uncle while I took the time to help with financial or health tasks. Spending time with their disabled relatives has had the positive impact of building empathy and recognizing the importance of caring for others.

I had to take care of myself, too

Once everyone else was settled, I started to focus on myself. I had to learn to maintain my own boundaries and ditch my people-pleasing tendencies. Even though I was doing so much to care for everyone around me, I felt constant guilt that it wasn't enough, and pressure to do everything others needed or wanted at any given time, often at my own expense.

I had to come to terms with the fact that sacrificing my own needs was not sustainable or productive, and that saying no to some requests and asking for help would be the only way I could care for others and maintain my own health and wellbeing.

We've been taught to save for a healthy retirement, but planning for the possibility of extra care and disability in our elder years has been a taboo topic for too long. I would encourage other Gen Xers and Millennials to consider taking a more proactive approach to figuring out childcare, eldercare, and finances to avoid burnout and care crises in their own lives. Doing so will certainly make things easier down the line.

• I visited Atelier Playa Mujeres on a girls' trip to celebrate turning 40 with my best friends.
• My half of a four-night stay in a junior suite with ocean views came to about $337 a night.
• The stay included tasty food, access to great pools, and other perks. It was an excellent value.

At the end of January, my best friends and I headed to Mexico for a girls' trip to celebrate turning 40.

We all flew from the United States into Cancún and headed about 50 minutes north to Atelier Playa Mujeres, which drew us in with its adults-only, all-inclusive experience and spa.

I split a junior suite ocean-view double room with one other person for four nights and spent $1,349 for my half, or about $337 a night.

Here's what my trip was like.

The lobby set the tone for our trip with floor-to-ceiling windows, rich greenery, and a central bar.

Upon arriving at Atelier Playa Mujeres, I entered a circular driveway, where I was greeted with a cool towel and luggage service.

At reception, I was given my room key — a braided bracelet, which I appreciated as I often lose key cards. I was also handed a glass of bubbly, the first of many adult beverages to come.

The lobby looked incredible and was filled with light (from its floor-to-ceiling windows) and people milling about its large bar.

The resort initially felt massive but was easy to navigate, thanks to great signage.

While heading to my room, I passed El Cafecito, a coffee shop offering drinks, pastries, and ice cream.

I also passed Bar de la Calle, which would become our go-to for pre-dinner cocktails. There were lots of signs around the property which made it tough to get lost.

My room was easy to find.

The resort has nearly 600 suites but never felt overcrowded during our stay. I easily found my room, 2518, down a long hallway of suites.

My junior suite was spacious, with sleek wooden decor.

The two queen beds were super comfortable, and our room also had a small couch and table. I loved the sleek wood decor and simple accents.

Our complimentary minibar included snacks like M&Ms and Kit-Kats, drinks, and two bottles of wine.

The bathroom looked elegant, too.

Our bathroom featured a double sink, a free-standing tub, a walk-in rain shower, and Molton Brown toiletries.

Plus, our suite had stunning views of the ocean and lush greenery surrounding us.

We spent most of our time at the main pool.

We spent most days lounging on Bali beds by the 14,000-square-foot main pool with swim-up bars and restaurants.

The Bali beds, which felt like cozy cabanas, were the perfect spot to hang. Our poolside servers were exceptional and always kept the drinks and food coming.

Just off the pool area, the beach had more lounge chairs and thatched umbrellas. The property also has a relaxation pool with its own restaurant, Limón y Sal, and a more laid-back atmosphere.

Dining options were plentiful, with 13 restaurants on the property.

The property had many restaurants for us to try. We booked dinners through the resort's app, enjoying Japanese at Takeshi, Mediterranean at Cala Di Luna, steak at Los Abrazos, and Italian at Cilento.

Cala Di Luna was a group favorite, but overall, the food quality exceeded my expectations for an all-inclusive resort.

At night, we got drinks and enjoyed some entertainment on the property.

Evening entertainment included shows and access to a nightly club.

Many of the shows felt cruise-ship-esque — one even consisted of a contortionist twisting to music — and the silent disco was a highlight of our trip.

The gym area was impressive, too.

The gym featured state-of-the-art equipment, from Technogym devices to weights.

During our stay, there was also someone offering quick massages in a chair outside the gym — a nice reward for getting our workouts in on vacation.

Across from the gym is Alba, a café serving juices and smoothies to order. We had some of the best salads there for lunch.

The three-level spa was the largest I've seen.

The property's NUUP spa is about 38,750 square feet and has three floors. I've never seen a spa so large.

Our group of six booked 80-minute massages there for $250 each, and the staff was able to accommodate us all at once. The experience began with a hydrotherapy circuit: steam room with a body scrub, cold shower, sauna, and jacuzzi.

After our massages, we relaxed in a hydrotherapy pool with targeted water massages for different body areas.

In my opinion, you won't easily find a luxury experience for this cost elsewhere.

Finding such a great all-inclusive resort that cost me under $400 a night was a win.

Although I split the cost of my room with one other person to get this lower rate, I still think Atelier Playa Mujeres is an excellent value.

The service was excellent, the facilities beautiful, and the food impressive. Plus, the child-free atmosphere made for the perfect girls' trip.

• The US has announced that a number of key tech products will be exempted from Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs.
• Smartphones, chip making equipment, and other electronics will be exempted, per the US Customs and Border Protection.
• Wedbush Securities' Dan Ives called it "dream news" for the tech industry.

The US has announced that a number of key tech products, including smartphones, computers, and chip making equipment, will be exempted from President Donald Trump's sweeping "reciprocal" tariffs.

The US Customs and Border Protection published the list of exemptions late Friday night. The guidance appears to exempt the products from Trump's baseline 10% tariff rate on most countries and at least some of the higher duties on China.

The move will likely come as welcome news to the tech industry, which looked set to face major challenges navigating Trump's tariffs. While many tech giants have deep ties to China, Apple in particular is fully enmeshed in the country, where it has spent years building up the supply chain for its iPhones.

In a post on X, Wall Street analyst Dan Ives called the exemptions "dream news" for the sector.

"US Big Tech spoke and the White House made the right move at the right time. Massive relief for market and tech stocks into Sunday night," the Wedbush Securities managing director wrote.

It comes after a wild week in global financial markets that saw chaos hit both the stock and bond markets.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

• My mother and I have always had a difficult relationship, but now I'm her caregiver.
• As she shows signs of dementia, I have to care for her, my kids, and my own health.
• I'm learning to set boundaries so that I don't run myself into the ground.

I came from a strict religious family where, as a woman, I was encouraged to get married, stay home, and take care of the kids. My parents didn't consider preparing me for anything beyond marriage and motherhood, so leaving the church caused a lot of friction with my mother, specifically.

I worked hard to be the first woman in my family to go to college and eventually found success in my career. But I struggled to have a solid relationship with my mother; we were cordial, but we weren't close.

Now that I am her caregiver, I'm learning how to navigate this new phase in our complicated relationship.

I've had to let go of the bitterness to be her caregiver

My dad died unexpectedly a little over a year ago. This sudden loss caused severe stress for my mom, and her symptoms of dementia progressed quickly.

My sister and I have decided to split caregiving duties while awaiting my mother's official dementia diagnosis. I had to let go of our history to care for her because she needed me, and I couldn't turn my back on her.

Even though I share caregiving responsibilities, it's not easy. I still have a preteen daughter at home and one in college. I also have a job and my own business.

Plus, my mom always has lists of things for me to do at her house: reorganize her basement, decorate her house for every season, mulch her yard, and redo her landscaping. I'm forced to neglect my own house cleaning.

Plus, I have to take her to endless doctor's appointments. Most days, I feel like I just can't keep up.

Caregiving has taken its toll on my own health

Since I'm always busy, I rarely have time to take care of myself. I wasn't eating regularly, and when I did, it was something quick from a gas station. I started having dizzy spells and heart palpitations; I knew I was spreading myself thin.

One day, while driving, I had one of my dizzy spells and had to pull over. It was the wake-up call I needed to go to the doctor to find out what was wrong.

After getting a serious diagnosis, I realized I couldn't handle this anymore. I reached out to an organization called Fox Valley Memory Project — a nonprofit that helps dementia patients and their families — for help.

While speaking to them, I cried — for the first time since taking on caregiving responsibilities.

I knew then that I had to set some boundaries

Since we have always had a difficult relationship, I learned to set boundaries with my mother ages ago. However, I initially threw most of those boundaries out when I started caring for her, so I've had to be intentional about setting new boundaries in this phase.

While I take my caregiving duties seriously, I still carve out time to prioritize myself. I ensure I eat every day and take myself to doctor's appointments. I also have to remind myself that I can't complete everything that needs to be done. I can only do what I am able to complete in a day.

I now know that with my health issues, my self-care is just as important as everyone else's.

Additionally, my mom and I used to argue often since we never shared common beliefs. But now I remind myself that she is suffering from a disease that she has no control over. It's not worth arguing with her anymore; it only makes me feel worse.

I also had to come to terms with the fact that I won't be able to take care of my mother as her disease progresses. My mom has been adamant that she wants to stay in her home and we've tried so hard to keep her there. But I know that we won't be able to for much longer. She'll need a more long-term solution where she will get 24/7 care.

I'm letting myself feel guilty for that, but I am not letting it eat me alive.

I'm trying to stay present

I know caregiving for my mother could go on for years, but I can't think about that. I just have to take it one day at a time.

I just have to give her the grace I would want if I lost my memory.

I don't know what the future will bring, but I do know that taking care of myself is just as important. So, I'll do what I can and figure it out as I go. It's the only thing I can do.

• Donald Trump has brought his love of maximalism and gold furnishings to the Oval Office.
• He added gold embellishments to the walls, ceiling trim, and fireplace mantle.
• He also swapped out Joe Biden's rug and presidential portrait choices.

The Oval Office is looking a little bit different lately.

Every US president makes new interior design choices upon entering the White House, often reflecting their personal tastes or political views.

In his second nonconsecutive term, President Donald Trump has incorporated his love of maximalism and gold furnishings into the Oval Office.

More White House renovations are in the works. Trump told Fox News he plans to install stone tiles over the grass in the White House Rose Garden to turn it into a patio that he says will be better suited for large events.

"The grass just doesn't work," Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham in March.

Take a look inside Trump's redecorated White House to see the changes he's made since former President Joe Biden left office.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Biden's dark-blue Oval Office rug was originally designed for Bill Clinton.

The rug, which featured the presidential seal in the center, was designed by Kaki Hockersmith, an interior designer based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Upon returning to the White House, Trump replaced it with a lighter rug used by Ronald Reagan.

The rug's design includes the presidential seal, a sunbeam pattern, and olive branches along the border as a symbol of peace.

Trump also used the rug during his first term.

Biden only had two flags in the Oval Office.

Biden displayed an American flag and a flag with the presidential seal.

Trump added the flags of different branches of the US military.

Trump's Oval Office features the flags of the Army, the Marine Corps, and the Navy.

During Biden's presidency, the Oval Office's ceiling didn't feature any additional embellishments.

The crown molding on the ceiling matched the cream wallpaper.

Trump added gold trim to the crown molding on the ceiling.

The gold embellishments matched the gold curtains, which remained in place from Biden's presidency.

Biden's Oval Office featured a prominent portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Biden also hung portraits of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton together to symbolize the benefits of different opinions, as well as portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Trump added additional portraits and numerous gold embellishments to the space.

Trump added more portraits with decorative frames to create an Oval Office gallery wall. He also replaced Biden's portrait of FDR with one of George Washington and displayed historic gold urns and baskets from the White House collection on the mantle.

Trump also incorporated smaller gold details, such as coasters, branded with his name.

Trump's love of gold decor is well-known. His Trump Tower penthouse in New York City features numerous gilded ceilings, furniture pieces, and artwork. Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, also includes a ballroom covered in gold from floor to ceiling.

• I tried frozen breakfast sandwiches from Aldi, Jimmy Dean, Odom's Tennessee Pride, Swaggerty's Farm.
• Swaggerty's took my top spot for its seasoning and fresh-tasting English muffin.
• I thought the sandwiches from Jimmy Dean and Odom's Tennessee Pride were solid runner-ups.

Finding a breakfast option that's quick, tasty, and filling can be a struggle.

So, I tried a bunch of frozen breakfast sandwiches with sausage to see which (if any) could make my busy mornings easier in a delicious way.

I tried options from Aldi's Breakfast Best line, Jimmy Dean, Odom's Tennessee Pride, and Swaggerty's Farm.

I followed the microwave instructions for each sandwich to ensure they were all cooked in a similar way and ate them at breakfast time to get an actual feel for how they fueled my day.

Here's how I ranked them from my least favorite to my top pick.

Aldi's Breakfast Best biscuit sandwiches didn't impress me much.

I paid $4.59 for four sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwiches from Breakfast Best, an Aldi label.

At about $1.15 per sandwich, these were affordable. Unfortunately, they landed at the bottom of my list.

The sandwich didn't turn out great in the microwave.

After following the microwave instructions, the biscuit and parts of the cheese got hard, while some areas of the sausage patty stayed cold.

The sandwich also had some unpleasantly crunchy bits, likely from the cheese and biscuit.

Although it was filling and more affordable than some of the other sandwiches, I'd rather make eggs and sausage from scratch than eat this one again.

I also think this sandwich might benefit from a different cooking method because following the microwave instructions didn't work well for me.

Jimmy Dean Delights Egg'wiches don't use bread as buns.

The Jimmy Dean Delights Egg'wich sandwiches cost me $8 for a box of four, or about $2 a sandwich.

Instead of bread, the sandwich uses mini frittatas (seasoned with bacon, spinach, caramelized onion, and Parmesan) as the outer layers.

These sandwiches also contain turkey sausage and cheese.

This turned out nicely in the microwave.

The egg "buns" were nicely seasoned, which gave the sandwich an almost garlicky kick and great flavor. Plus, the egg patties meant it was filling without feeling overly heavy.

With ingredients like caramelized onion and Parmesan, this sandwich definitely tasted higher quality than the others I tried.

I also appreciated that the microwave worked well for this one. Without bread, there was no risk of it becoming soggy or dry, and the eggs cooked perfectly.

Odom's Tennessee Pride biscuit sandwiches took second place for me.

I also picked up a 12-pack of mini sausage buttermilk-biscuit sandwiches from Odom's Tennessee Pride at Walmart for $6.32.

These mini sandwiches came in packs of two, so these cost about $1.05 per serving.

The sandwiches don't have cheese or egg, but they were surprisingly delicious.

These sandwiches were the simplest of the ones I tried since they had no cheese or egg, but they still had plenty of flavor.

Two mini sandwiches were just the right amount to be satisfying.

Since they were smaller, they cooked faster than the full-sized options I tried, which I also appreciated.

These bite-sized sandwiches would be an especially great choice for families with kids who need a quick breakfast on the go.

Swaggerty's Farm has sausage, egg, and cheese muffins.

I paid $8 for four Swaggerty's Farm sausage, egg, and cheese muffins, making each $2.

These were tied for the priciest pick on the list, costing the same per sandwich as the ones from Jimmy Dean.

These were my favorite.

The sausage was super flavorful with a nice kick of spice, and the English muffin reheated well — it stayed soft and tasted freshly baked.

Although I found these took slightly longer to microwave than the package suggested, the extra cook time was worth it. The cheese was perfectly melted by the time I took the sandwich out of the microwave.

Plus, the Swaggerty's Farm sandwich felt the biggest and most substantial of all the ones I tried. It kept me full until lunch without any extra snacks in between.

Overall, it was my clear favorite.

• President Donald Trump on Friday teased that his baseline 10% tariff rate could have "exceptions."
• The exemptions would apply "for obvious reasons," Trump said, without elaborating.
• The Treasury secretary said this week that around 70 countries were looking to negotiate tariffs.

President Donald Trump on Friday teased that his sweeping baseline 10% tariff on most trading partners could have "a couple of exceptions."

Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One as he made his way to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump said 10% was "pretty close" to a floor for those looking to make a deal.

"There could be a couple of exceptions for, you know, obvious reasons, but I would say 10% is a floor," he told reporters, without elaborating.

The 10% baseline rate, announced as part of the president's "Liberation Day" tariffs, came into effect on April 5. Higher duties on certain countries also began on April 9 before Trump called for a 90-day pause.

The policy changes have fueled wild volatility in both stock and bond markets this week and drawn concern from economists and some notable names on Wall Street.

Pressed on what he thought about the market reaction, Trump told reporters Friday: "I think people are seeing we're in great shape. We're making a lot of money as a country now."

"I think the bond market's going good. It had a little moment but I solved that problem very quickly. I'm very good at that stuff you know," he added.

Earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US had about "70 negotiations lined up" with foreign governments to discuss trade deals.

While Trump agreed to pause the implementation of his tariffs for many countries while negotiations take place, the burgeoning trade war between the United States and China has continued to escalate.

China on Friday raised its total retaliatory levies on US imports to 125% following the Trump administration's Thursday statement that US duties on Beijing had increased to 145%.

Speaking on Air Force One, Trump nevertheless appeared hopeful a deal could be reached and touted his "very good" relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Elsewhere in the interview, the president was also keen to share loose details of his annual physical, the results of which he said would likely be released Sunday.

"Overall, I felt I was in very good shape. Good heart. A good soul. Very good soul," he said, before taking the opportunity to rib former President Joe Biden.

"I wanted to be a little different than Biden. I took a cognitive test and I don't know what to tell you other than I got every answer right," Trump added.

Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• Life on board the International Space Station takes some getting used to.
• Being weightless affects everything from the way food tastes to getting a good night's sleep.
• Here's what it's like to spend months in space.

Ask any astronaut who has spent extended periods in the International Space Station what the most challenging part was, and they will probably say missing friends and family.

While there are plenty of amazing and unique experiences, life in space comes with other little challenges, too — try getting your hair to stay flat without gravity or wearing the same outfit for days on end.

NASA and other space agencies are trying to learn all they can about how humans cope with difficulties, big and small, when they're traveling 17,500 miles an hour around the Earth. They work hard to bring some of the comforts of home to space.

Here's what it looks like to spend months on the International Space Station.

Since 1998, the International Space Station has had over 280 visitors.

Astronauts and cosmonauts from 20 countries have been on board, according to NASA. It's a floating lab where researchers conduct experiments related to space travel. Astronauts typically stay for six months to a year.

Almost everything they do revolves around discovering more about life in space, and they keep meticulous track of how their bodies respond to the weightless environment. Some of what they've learned has led to developments in drugs and medical technology that benefit humans on Earth, too.

There's not a lot of room on the ISS.

It's more like a not-a-lot-of-space station. It's a six-bedroom house packed into an area that's shorter than a football field, according to NASA. Five agencies share the station, which has six sleeping quarters, a gym, and two bathrooms.

Astronaut Frank Rubio described it as a building made of hallways, with no large space like a living room to gather.

"You almost have to block the fact that it is so small," he told "Houston: We Have a Podcast" in 2024.

The food isn't all freeze-dried.

Space food needs to meet a few requirements. It can't crumble to bits and clog up machinery, it has to be able to stay fresh for months, and it should taste good.

Several newer methods for preserving food for long-distance travel have given astronauts more meal options, and ISS astronauts can make everything from spicy shrimp to chocolate pudding cake.

"A lot of it was really tasty," retired astronaut Leland Melvin told Business Insider in 2023.

Lots of astronauts like spicier options because the lack of gravity makes fluid float into their sinuses, making them stuffed up and affecting how food tastes.

Astronauts and cosmonauts will often bring snacks that remind them of home. For example, one of Rubio's crewmates brought items for a charcuterie board.

Daily exercise helps prevent bone loss.

Early on in space travel, doctors realized astronauts were losing bone density after spending long periods of time in a weightless environment. Now, ISS residents do a couple of hours of exercise every day to help prevent that.

It's a mix of cardio and load-bearing workouts, Rubio said. They do so many squats that "every day is leg day in space," he added.

There's a technique for brushing your teeth without running water.

In 2013, retired astronaut Chris Hadfield demonstrated how he brushed his teeth in space on the Canadian Space Agency's YouTube channel.

First, he used a resealable water container to wet the toothbrush. Then he slurped the water off the brush and applied regular toothpaste. When he was done, he swallowed the toothpaste and filled his mouth with water to clean the toothbrush.

Showers are actually sponge baths with washcloths, per NASA. Astronauts use shampoo that they don't have to rinse out. Suction takes care of extra water, which then goes to a waste tank.

The toilets on the ISS rely on airflow.

Hoses, funnels, and suction are all crucial components when it's time to go in space. In 2020, NASA redesigned its toilets for more comfort and durability.

Astronauts get rid of toilet paper in water-tight bags, and the solid waste is shipped off to burn up on reentry through Earth's atmosphere. Urine is another story.

Most of the water on board is reused.

Water is a precious and heavy commodity. Humans generate a lot of it, including through sweat, urine, and the droplets in their breath. Most of it doesn't go to waste on the ISS.

"We have hardware on station that helps take that output and turn it back into clean, drinkable water," NASA aerospace engineer Brendan Lutes told "Houston: We Have a Podcast" in 2024.

The agency reported in 2023 that it is working on recycling 98% of the water the astronauts expel.

There's no laundromat on the ISS.

Astronauts only get to bring a small amount of clothes with them, and they have to make them last. They might wear the same outfit for a week, according to NASA. Washing clothes would be too water-intensive, so their well-worn garments get burned up like other waste.

That doesn't mean there are no chores on the ISS. Astronauts have to use vacuums — like the one pictured above — to make sure there are no crumbs or debris floating around that could damage instruments.

The astronauts are on the ISS to work.

A typical workday on the space station is around 12 hours with some breaks for lunch and exercise, according to Rubio. During that time, astronauts and cosmonauts are conducting experiments and monitor their own health. They're often involved in ongoing medical experiments.

The ISS also needs a lot of maintenance. In recent years, the modules have started showing cracks and leaking air. A toilet breakdown and temperature fluctuations are a few of the other problems the station has faced.

In a recent report, the Office of Inspector General wrote the leaks are "a top safety risk" that NASA is investigating and monitoring.

Days fall into a routine.

Astronaut Rubio spent over a year on the ISS and said that "every day is different, and yet every day is the same." He woke up around 6:30 a.m., ate breakfast, and got ready for work, which started around an hour later.

He would take half an hour for lunch and get in his two-hour workout. The workday would end around 7 p.m., he said. The work he would do each day — experiments, maintenance, spacewalks — would vary.

Email, phone calls, and video chats help astronauts stay connected to their families.

When astronauts and cosmonauts are stationed at ISS for months at a time, they often miss events like birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations. Email is a reliable way to stay in touch.

"On Saturdays, we have meet-with-the-family time," astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson said in a 2013 NASA video. During these weekly video chats, they can catch up on everything that's been happening at home.

Holidays aren't the same as at home.

On December 25 last year, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore — the two astronauts who were unexpectedly stranded on the space station — wore Santa hats, decorated cookies, and contacted their families, The New York Times reported.

Holidays in space can be tough even for astronauts who expect to spend an entire year away from home. "Thanksgiving, where you're used to having it with loved ones, those kind of tend to hit home a little harder," Rubio said during the podcast.

There are also no Champagne toasts since NASA doesn't let its astronauts drink alcohol on the job.

There's entertainment so astronauts don't get bored.

Homesickness isn't just about missing family members. Astronauts often long for many comforts Earthlings take for granted.

Karen Adkins is a NASA psychological support coordinator who works on morale and well-being for people heading to ISS for lengthy missions. She and other team members start meeting with astronauts two years before their mission, and "we start developing what we call their in-flight support resource plan," she told "Houston: We Have a Podcast" in 2024.

It includes everything from figuring out how they'll contact their family to deciding what special items they might want to bring on board. They also set up a crew personal webpage, stocked with TV shows, movies, podcasts, music, and other entertainment.

Several astronauts have voted from space.

In the late '90s, NASA figured out how to help astronauts participate in US elections. Before they leave Earth, they fill out a request for an absentee ballot. County officials then email the ballot for the astronaut to fill out and send back.

In the past, astronauts have created mini "voting booths" in the crew quarters. "The voting clerks love getting pictures of crew voting on board," Marta Durham, a former NASA flight operations Instructor, told "Houston: We Have a Podcast."

NASA is keen to see how the ISS garden grows.

If humans are going to live on Mars, they must first perfect space gardening. Fresh produce is key to providing necessary nutrients.

The Vegetable Production System, or Veggie, is the space station's six-plant garden, per NASA. It's helping astronauts learn how to make food without gravity and sunlight. They've grown peppers and lettuce on board.

NASA keeps a close eye on astronauts' health before, during, and after their time on ISS.

Long spaceflights change astronauts' bodies in a lot of ways. The lack of gravity affects their balance and ability to walk. The brain adapts to the lack of gravity, and some of these changes can become permanent, University of Florida researchers recently found.

Astronauts routinely track their own health, taking saliva samples and wearing monitors for heart rate, sleep, and temperature. Not only will such data be helpful for future missions, but some research could affect people on Earth, too, especially those who live in remote areas with less access to medical care.

Haircuts aboard the ISS are doable.

Six months can be a long time to go without a haircut. Astronauts can get a trim, provided they have a vacuum on hand to capture the clippings.

It can be tough to sleep through 16 sunrises a day.

As the ISS orbits the Earth, it experiences the sun rising and setting 16 times a day. That's just one reason astronauts may have trouble catching their z's.

Rubio described crew quarters as a phone booth. Inside, there's a sleeping bag attached to the wall to keep sleeping astronauts from floating and knocking into walls. He actually enjoyed the weightless sleep, but for some people, it takes some getting used to, he said.

Some days, it's nice to step outside for a spacewalk.

When the ISS needs maintenance or repairs, astronauts get suited up for a spacewalk. There have been over 270 since 1998, per NASA. Some have been only a couple of hours, others have taken over eight hours.

The suits are equipped with oxygen and water. Before heading out into space, astronauts breathe pure oxygen to rid their bodies of nitrogen and avoid getting "the bends," which is a condition often associated with scuba diving.

Astronauts actually do a lot of training underwater on Earth before doing a real spacewalk. Nothing can quite prepare them for the real thing, though, astronaut Nick Hague told "Houston: We Have a Podcast."

"You just can't replicate that floating around in a spacesuit in the vacuum of space," he said. "The only place you do it real for the first time is in space."

The view from inside isn't bad, either.

One of the major perks of spending time on the ISS is its view of the Earth. Astronauts have seen hurricanes, lightning, and glittering cities.

They have incredible photos to prove it. Some astronauts, including Don Pettit, are known for their astrophotography. He brought a lot of equipment on board to help himself and his fellow crew members take even better pictures, he told "Houston: We Have a Podcast."

• I'm getting married in six months, but I'm unsure if I want to change my last name.
• I feel no connection to my last name and my partner feels none to his.
• We both don't want to take each other's, so we wonder if we should create a new one.

My great-grandfather, whose surname was Olynyk, came to the US via Ukraine sometime in his '20s. He was a man who could tell a story with fantastical exaggeration, so much so that he claimed that he changed our family surname from "Olynyk" to "Lane" due to his run from the law in Ukraine.

We never did find out what the crime was. The truth is probably closer to his desire to blend into American culture. He might have read it on a street sign and decided it was simple and easy to pronounce, but the former is better lore.

Not only is my last name entirely made up, plucked from the imagination of a man fleeing from a former life, but it feels disconnected from any ancestry. My father never had a relationship with his dad, my grandfather, and we come from a small estranged family in general.

So here I am, stuck with "Lane," a name that holds no real meaning to me or my family. With my wedding soon approaching, I must decide if I will give that last name up entirely.

My wedding is a chance for change

In six months, I'll be married. I always imagined this could be my excuse to discard my last name. I daydreamed of something romantic, something that could fit into my journalism career and make me stand out. Something where I could slough off "Lane" and adopt a new name and beginning.

Unfortunately, Miles, my lovely fiancé's surname, has a similar broken lineage. With descendants from Syria and Turkey, how did he end up with a surname like "MacClure?"

Through a string of events, his dad was given the last name by a stepfather, who passed this name on to Miles. In a similar vein to mine, it's sort of made up. It has no family heritage and no resemblance to where his family comes from.

Neither of us is interested in taking each other's names. He hates his last name, and I find mine painfully boring, so what now?

By getting married, we have some options

We floated the idea of taking his mom's surname — Alwan — from her Turkish father. My mom is from Austria, but her maiden name — Windisch — is a mouthful and easily mispronounced.

We could make up our own name. In fact, if you Google "endangered last names," there's an entire list of last names with fewer than 20 bearers.

Of course, we could dig further into family history and find something exciting, making it our own.

We could also just stick with what we have. We both have careers, bank accounts, memberships, paperwork, etc., tied to our names. Is all of this worth the hassle? Miles says, "No," but I can't help but think this is finally my chance.

It feels strange for me to bring a future child into the world and attach a hyphenated surname of not just one but two names that don't hold any symbolism. Why should "MacClure" and "Lane" be the ball and chain our nonexistent children have to carry around for the rest of their lives?

With busy lives, who knows what the outcome will be

Friends have told me that keeping our names could be a way to reclaim them. We are starting our own future together, and it could be special to breathe new life into them. Others have said I'm thinking about it too much. It's just a name.

But names are who we are. In his book "How to Win Friends and Influence People," Dale Carnegie wrote, "Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language."

They should bring us pride — and remind us of our bloodline and the future that follows.

For now, our surname hangs in limbo. With the panic of planning a wedding alone, I'll probably let this slip by. Suddenly, it'll be six months from now, and I'll shrug and surrender to keeping "Lane." A name that's like a thorn in my side, a millstone around my neck, a cold I can't shake, but hey, at least it's mine.

• Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, said he expects the future of work to include "symbiotic relationships" with AI.
• In a podcast interview, he said younger generations will inherit a changed world.
• In order to prepare, he suggests people "play" with the models that are currently available.

Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman expects the workers of the future to develop close relationships with artificial intelligence agents, to the point of symbiosis.

"I do think your day-to-day workflow just isn't going to look like this in 10 or 15 years time," Suleyman said on a recent episode of the "Big Technology" Podcast.

"It's going to be much more about you managing your AI agent, you asking it to go do things, checking in on its quality, getting feedback, and getting into this symbiotic relationship where you iterate with it," he said.

Suleyman, the cofounder of Google DeepMind, believes that people are too tied up in the "day-to-day" of AI and failing to reckon with its possible long-term impacts.

"After all, it is intelligence that has produced everything that is of value in our human civilization," Suleyman said. "Everything around us is a product of smart human beings getting together, organizing, creating, inventing, and producing everything that you see in your line of sight at this very moment."

Artificial intelligence, shrouded in its fair share of hype, hasn't yet delivered on the vision often painted by tech leaders — such as breakthroughs in medicine, like treatments for deadly diseases, or solutions to the climate crisis.

But the technology has certainly begun to alter the world we live in. In some cases, applications of the technology have drawn concerns — such as AI's use in warfare or companies leaning on AI agents over human workers. Demis Hassabis, who co-founded Google DeepMind with Suleyman, has gone so far as to say he worries about ending up like Robert Oppenheimer.

And there's no going back now — Suleyman, who's particularly optimistic about AI's future effects, only expects the pace of innovation to increase.

"And we're now about to make that very same technique, those set of capabilities, really cheap — if not, like, zero marginal cost," he said.

In order for younger generations to best prepare themselves to inherit a changed world, Suleyman suggests they familiarize themselves with the technology.

"It's a little bit like saying, 'What should young people do when they get access to the internet for the first time?'" he said. "Like, part of it is sort of obvious, where it's like — use it, experiment, try stuff out, do crazy things, make mistakes, get it wrong."

It's technology's users, Suleyman added, rather than its creators, that ultimately help determine the direction of its future development by identifying how it's best used.

"As we've seen over and over in the history of technology, the things that people choose to do with their phones, with internet, with their laptops, with the tools that they have are always like mind-blowing," Suleyman said. "They're always way more inventive and surprising than anything you could possibly think of ahead of time."

"I think the same applies to a 15-year-old who's in high school, thinking about what they do next in college or whatever, or whether or not they go to college," he added.

In order to sort through the noise, Suleyman said, anyone curious should experiment with the models themselves.

"I think the answer is, play with these things," he said. "Try them out, keep an open mind. Try everything that you possibly can with these models, and then you'll start to see their weaknesses as well, by the way, and you'll start to chip away at the hype."

• Snowmass in Colorado is nearing the completion of its $1 billion Base Village.
• Once its final complex opens in late 2027, there won't be land left in Base Village to develop.
• Wealthy Americans are buying the building's few remaining condos for millions of dollars.

Three decades ago, Snowmass Village was known mainly for its mountain. It was a quiet town where serious skiers searched for powder in the winter, and mountain bikers flew down trails in the summer.

Now, Snowmass has a different reputation. It's still luring skiers, mountain bikers, and nature lovers, but it's also attracting those with large pocketbooks.

That's because the town has added a $1 billion development at the bottom of its mountain called Snowmass Base Village.

It's home to luxury hotels, fine dining, shopping, and multimillion-dollar residential complexes.

As Base Village nears the finish line of construction, only a few luxury condominiums remain, and after those are sold, there won't be land left in Base Village to develop.

A $1 billion development nears completion

On and off for the past two decades, Snowmass has been developing and building its Snowmass Base Village.

The area sits down the road from Snowmass Mall, a two-story complex built in the 1960s. With a few restaurants, cafés, and stores, this was a limited area for tourists.

In an attempt to make Snowmass a popular destination, Aspen Skiing Company bought 11 acres down the road from the mall and planned to develop Snowmass Base Village. The hope was that the town would become a place where wealthy visitors could vacation, dine, shop, and explore Snowmass Mountain.

"To keep Snowmass relevant in the world of ski resorts, this was needed," Andy Gunion, a managing partner at the development firm East West Partners, told Business Insider.

Plans for Base Village were approved in 2004 after a contentious vote. Construction started and stalled during the recession. In late 2016, East West Partners acquired the base with KSL Capital Partners and Aspen Skiing Company.

Nearly a decade later, East West Partners is finishing its final residential structure: the Stratos, a two-building, 89-unit luxury complex.

Beyond this final project, Base Village includes nine other residential buildings with amenities like heated pools, fitness rooms, housekeeping, ski valets, and 24-hour concierge. The complexes also have ski-in, ski-out access — a prime perk in a ski town.

In addition to the residences, there's a community center, hotel, restaurants, an ice rink, a medical clinic, and a children's area.

Gunion said potential buyers were initially skeptical about whether Base Village would be successful after years of stalled construction. The first 14 condo units sold by East West Partners went for low prices.

"Our profit margins on these were not great because we just needed to start," Gunion said. "The people who bought early got great deals."

Gunion said interest picked up as time went on, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Selling units hasn't been a challenge in recent years.

For example, the Cirque Building, which was completed in 2024 and is part of the Viceroy Hotel, sold out of most of its privately owned units within the first two weeks of being released for $2,700 a square foot.

Meanwhile, the first Stratos building won't be finished until early 2027, and the second is set for late 2027. Though the opening is two years away, the buildings have nearly sold out. Sales launched at the end of January, and only 21 units of the 89-unit complex remain.

Originally, the Stratos units started at $2.85 million. The cheapest option is no longer available; today, units range from $2.95 million to $30 million.

There isn't a cookie-cutter buyer

Gunion told BI that buyers come from across the country and the world.

Florida is the No. 1 market, but Gunion said that's by a slim margin. Others come from Texas, California, Chicago, and New York. He added that international interest is also increasing, especially with Brazilian buyers.

Most of these people are second homeowners or are purchasing condos as investments. While they might vacation in Snowmass, few owners are full-time residents.

Gunion said that was the expectation when designing and building Base Village.

"Here's a neighborhood that's for second homeowners and resort guests, and that's what Base Village is always intended to be," he said.

Once Stratos is complete, Base Village will also be finished, which means there will be limited new construction in the area.

Wealthy buyers interested in Base Village will have to buy condos being relisted at a higher price or expand their search outside the ski hub.

Either way, luxury seems to be the theme when it comes to real estate in Snowmass.

"We've elevated the market with all these residences," Gunion said.

• Just before I turned 31, I ended a 10-year relationship.
• The decision was difficult to make, but I learned a lot about myself while healing.
• I actually love spending time alone, and I've become so much more confident.

Last year, I ended my relationship a few days short of my 31st birthday after spending months on end considering what the best thing to do was and how we could salvage what was left of our decadelong partnership.

In the end, as heartbreaking as it was, I couldn't see another way forward. Making the decision to break up was scary, not only because of how long we had been together but also because, being over 30, as much as I hate to admit it, I subconsciously felt like damaged goods. But I also learned from the experience.

I actually enjoy spending time alone

I've always valued alone time, but this is the first time in my life that I've been spending an extensive amount of time by myself. Surprisingly, I realized that I love it.

Yes, it can get a bit lonely sometimes, and there are times I find myself going to the gym just to be around people. But waking up to a complete and utter quiet and being able to do whatever and whenever I want is also pretty blissful. Living alone is a different kind of freedom that I never experienced before.

Speaking my mind is important

As someone who used to be codependent in the first few years of my relationship, I spent years being a people pleaser. This ranged from minor things like not voicing my opinion if I wanted to see a different film at the cinema, agreeing on a holiday destination I wasn't too interested in, or acting like certain situations didn't upset me even though they did. I told myself that I was easygoing and not causing hassle.

I learned the hard way that if I'm not OK with something, it's my job to voice my opinion because my partner can't read my mind. I wasn't, in fact, nice and easygoing; I was not advocating for myself, which is a highway to resentment.

I have to budget more now, but I feel more in control of my finances

In London, where I live, it's pretty common for people to live in flat shares in their early 30s, but I knew I couldn't go back to sharing a flat with strangers, even if it meant that I might need to consider selling my kidneys to afford rent. Having my own space is fantastic, but it also means that I'm spending double on rent and bills.

Because of this, I finally took budgeting seriously, and while I've got less disposable income, I've also never felt this in control of my finances.

Some relationship clichés are true

It sounds silly, but I finally understand a lot of clichés I used to roll my eyes at. For example, "love isn't enough." I used to think that our love could move mountains. But then, little by little, mistakes are made, a few too many words are said, and one day, you wake up and catch yourself thinking that maybe love wasn't the powerful force you thought it to be and that you can't build a successful relationship on love alone.

I'm more confident in myself than I ever was

Having gone through the loss of someone so close to me has put things in perspective. As heartbreaking as making the decision was, and as much as I'm still grieving my relationship, I also feel stronger. There are so many couples that stay in relationships because they're too scared to leave, even though any positive feelings they had toward each other are long gone.

Ending my relationship has built a level of trust in myself that I never had before — the kind that you only feel when you know that you have your own back. I don't get as stressed by small problems and big life changes because I trust myself to be able to handle them.

• US special operations forces are working with a lot of different drones.
• Operators said the speed of technological innovation requires constant learning.
• Each type of uncrewed system has a different purpose, but the goal is to acquire a lot of it for cheap.

FORT BRAGG, North Carolina — I play a lot of video games, and the simulator in front of me looked familiar enough: a handheld controller hooked up to a laptop.

Picking up the controller with confidence, I figured my years of gaming would give me an advantage. I was ready to fly my drone through an abandoned city, or so I thought.

The controls for movement — up, down, front, back — were extremely sensitive, far more than I expected.

I tried flying my drone into an empty, concrete building. I shakily skirted the edge of it and landed on the street. Then I just flew up and down for a bit, crashing a few more times as I went along.

"I'm not very good at this," I said. The US Army special operator who had been attempting to coach me, agreed, telling me that I probably wouldn't make a good drone pilot.

The good thing is that I don't need this particular skill, but the soldiers preparing for future fights and modern war need it as much as they do small arms skills and fieldcraft. Drones are fast becoming an unavoidable part of warfare.

War is changing

The operator took the controller and effortlessly flew in and out of small windows in buildings. He cut sharp corners and soared through the open air. He made it look easy. It's not.

US special forces have been leading the charge on acquiring drones and training with them, working closely with industry partners on what capabilities are needed and then honing the skills required to operate them effectively.

At the US Army Special Operations Command's Capabilities Exercise at Fort Bragg in North Carolina last week, drones were everywhere. Small quadcopters, uncrewed ground vehicle systems, robot dogs, loitering munitions, and more were on display.

Operators and officials cited a number of reasons as to why uncrewed systems seemed to be such a priority.

Ground drones

Pointing at one of wheeled drones, Bryan Boyea, the ground robotics capabilities manager with USASOC's robotics division under its force modernization center, said that the goal was to "eliminate first contact ever being a human being."

The drone, Boyea noted, allowed operators to extend their eyes and ears on the battlefield.

Another, smaller drone — white and flatter to the ground — was nearby. This one, he said, is mostly for reconnaissance and intelligence purposes, gathering information on potential enemies in both urban and subterranean environments instead of a human being or military dog.

The drones are among the smaller ground equipment available to special operators, portable so teams can pick them up and carry them around. The bigger one weighs around 30 pounds.

Quadcopters

First-person-view, or FPV, quadcopters were sitting nearby. These are smaller uncrewed aerial systems, lightweight and used for either intelligence-gathering or dropping smaller payloads.

One of the key attributes of these types of drones, operators said, was their adaptability — being able to change the sensors and payloads based on the mission requirements. They're also highly mobile, relatively easy to learn, and — ideally — scalable, meaning operators could use them in swarms.

A variety of companies are involved in producing different types of drones, and one operator said an important project is ensuring that the technology can work together with other systems via similar software.

Because the technology is developing so quickly, there's often a debate surrounding whether learning drones is an additional duty for operators — or an entirely new job in itself.

One Army special forces operator, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the difference may come down to the type of drone.

A small ground drone with limited controls, it's likely that "anybody can pick that up in like 20 seconds," he said. But a quadcopter, for example, something that requires more flight skill and maintenance, "that's a job."

Loitering munitions

Some other uncrewed aerial systems, or UAS, such as UVision's Hero loitering munition and AeroVironment's Switchblade, were on display as well. Loitering munitions are one-way attack drones that loiter in an area before striking a selected target.

UVision's Hero has smaller and larger models; the former is easier to transport for forward-deployed operators, while the latter requires a launching platform and is designed for greater ranges.

The Switchblade, also a loitering munition, has been used by the US military for over a decade and saw heavy use in conflicts in the Middle East. They're designed to be small, although larger models do exist as well. This technology, much like FPV quadcopters, has been employed extensively in Ukraine.

Robot dogs

Multiple robot dogs — quadruped ground drones — were also at the CAPEX, including one toting a rifle on its head. One such model was from Ghost Robotics.

These drones have been a growing interest for militaries around the world as ways to enhance the reach and reconnaissance of soldiers, as well as keep humans and military dogs out of harm's way.

Controlled by an operator, a robot dog's resting position looks, well, like a dog sitting. After it rises, it can move around on its four legs, twist and turn to look around, and run. When the camera at the front of it points in a direction, it does sort of feel like a dog looking up.

Operators, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Business Insider the biggest challenge with all these drones is quickly learning all of the different controls and specifications.

Operators said it's becoming a bigger requirement, and it falls in line with SOF's larger shift towards great-power competition and preparation for the possibility of a war with a near-peer or peer-level adversary, a fight that could see prolific drone use, as well as countermeasures like electronic warfare.

It's a process bringing in new warfighting technologies, but one operator said "we're very good at integrating and training with the teams to make sure everyone's on the same wavelength when it comes to how we're going to integrate sUAS [small uncrewed aerial systems] and UGVs into the battlefield and onto a team."

• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Welcome back to our Saturday edition! Gen Z is driving a golf and tennis boom. See why they're obsessed with these "old money" sports.

On the agenda:

• Designer totes and luxury duffels: Successful men told BI the bags they swear by.
• Nine foods a neurologist always buys at the grocery store for better brain health.
• A wealthy family is selling their private island in Connecticut for $35 million.
• "The White Lotus" star Jason Isaacs discusses the future of the Ratliff family.

But first: The greens are calling.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider's app here.

This week's dispatch

Fore the love of golf

It's officially golf season as the first major tournament of the year is underway. While we're all watching to see which lucky golfer will receive a coveted green jacket when the Masters concludes on Sunday, some are excited to get back on the links themselves.

Golf isn't just good cardio. It's also a proven avenue for fostering strategic connections. Mastering the game's often unspoken etiquette can not only elevate your performance but also give you a serious edge when you're building those relationships.

David Weiss, a golfer and contributing writer to Business Insider who's been to over 200 golf courses around the world, advises thinking strategically to maximize your game.

Weiss writes that you don't need to bring too much to the course with you, especially because packing a lot can be cumbersome and hurt your back. Instead, "most courses are well-stocked with high-end rental clubs and sell everything from golf balls to Gatorade," he says.

The golfer also suggests checking a course's dress code, picking the right tee, and paying in advance for your tee time if it's a popular golf course.

There's plenty of other solid advice — from making sure you're using the golf cart responsibly to not drinking too much on the course — that PGA pros and professionals told BI. Check out those tips before you head out the door.

Money in the bag

Laptops, water bottles, notebooks. We all reach for a lot of things daily, and there are plenty of options for the bags that carry them.

Founders, venture capitalists, and other successful men told BI about their bags of choice, from designer totes and luxury duffels to classic commuter backpacks.

Bag secured.

Brain food a neurologist lives by

Dr. Aaron Lord doesn't think there is one "cure-all" superfood or supplement for brain health. Instead, he said "everyday choices" are key.

Good nutrition can lower Alzheimer's and stroke risks while boosting focus and performance. The neurologist isn't short on recommendations: How about cooking with fresh parsley or snacking on homemade popcorn?

A doctor's grocery list.

Touring a $35 million Connecticut private island

Off the Connecticut coast, Hay Island has been in the Ziegler family — known for their baking powder empire — for over a century. Now, it's for sale, but it will cost you a pretty penny.

The 18-acre island's New England colonial house, built in 2010, boasts an infinity pool, views of the Long Island Sound, and a two-bedroom guest house. Not too shabby, right?

Take a look around.

Jason Isaacs doesn't want you to read this

Throughout his career, the actor Jason Isaacs has made it his business to melt into his characters without pretense or fanfare. However, his character Timothy Ratliff on "The White Lotus" might make his spotlight brighter than ever — much to his chagrin.

For BI's Role Play series, Isaacs reflects on the twist-filled season three finale of "The White Lotus," the "odd experience" working on a Michael Bay set, and the real-life roots of Lucius Malfoy's evil in "Harry Potter."

Checking out of "The White Lotus."

Also read:

• There's a million-dollar tax lesson in 'The White Lotus' season finale

What we're watching this weekend

• "The Last of Us": Picking up five years after the events of the first season, season two of the post-apocalyptic drama debuts on Max.
• "The Hating Game": In the mood for an enemies-to-lovers flick? This 2021 rom-com, based on Sally Thorne's bestselling book, stars Lucy Hale and is streaming on Netflix.
• "Black Mirror": The satirical sci-fi hit is back on Netflix with six new episodes and a robust cast list including Issa Rae, Will Poulter, Tracee Ellis Ross, and more.

See the full list

What to shop

• Bye-bye, fine lines: Research and evidence show that retinol is one of the best solutions for wrinkles and discoloration, even around the eyes. These are the best retinol eye creams, including luxury, mid-range, and affordable options.
• Organize your luggage: If you're skeptical of the power of packing cubes, let us change your mind. These simple travel accessories can make or break your next trip, and the Monos Packing Cubes are one of our favorites.
• Where to find the best candles: Rather than impulse buying the jar you see while grocery shopping, we recommend shopping from these retailers for the best candles. They offer the most variety, highest quality, and beautiful containers.

More of this week's top reads:

• Saunas are the hot new hangout spot, so I tried a $44 social cold plunge class.
• 12 gut-friendly foods high in protein and fiber that a doctor keeps stocked in his kitchen.
• Judy Greer is much more than a rom-com heroine's best friend.
• The real-life von Trapp family from "The Sound of Music" built a hotel in Vermont. Here's what it's like to visit.
• I went on a solo trip to Paris after a breakup. It helped me start healing.
• They hoped RFK Jr. would help their kids with autism. Then the cuts began.
• I attempted to dunk my face in ice-cold water for a week. It made me dread getting out of bed.

The BI Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York City (on paternity leave). Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago.

• I took my first international flight at 6 weeks old and had moved four times by age 5.
• My nomadic childhood wasn't a series of disruptions — it was the ultimate entrepreneurial boot camp.
• The military mindset I developed as a kid helped me launch a successful startup in uncertain times.

As a child of the military, I learned early that change wasn't just a possibility — it was an inevitability.

Logging in two countries and four moves before the age of 5 will teach you that. Attending a different elementary school nearly every single year will ingrain it in you.

Looking back, I now recognize that my nomadic childhood wasn't a series of disruptions — it was the ultimate entrepreneurial boot camp.

Every new school, every carefully packed box, and every farewell taught me invaluable lessons in thriving amid uncertainty — lessons that have proven instrumental in helping me navigate the tumultuous waters of startup life.

How I used my military mindset to launch a successful health startup

My journey into adaptability began before I could even walk. At just 6 weeks old, I embarked on my first international flight, cradled in my mother's arms as she deftly managed my nonverbal 5-year-old sister and a mountain of luggage.

This was long before smartphones and Google Translate, and watching my mother face the challenges of living in a foreign country instilled in me a fundamental belief: no obstacle is insurmountable.

It's a mindset that has served me well in the unpredictable world of entrepreneurship.

In early 2020, at age 35, just as the pandemic disrupted traditional healthcare models, I co-founded MyUTI, a startup focused on accessible, at-home urinary tract infection testing.

Our logic was simple: if people could swab their noses for COVID-19 at home, surely there was a better way to handle UTIs — the second-most common infection in the US.

Launching a healthcare startup without external funding in such uncertain times didn't feel impossible; it felt like exactly the kind of puzzle I had grown accustomed to solving.

For example, growing up, each military move forced me not just to react to change, but to anticipate it. When my co-founder and I started pitching our idea for MyUTI, it was to rooms filled with predominantly men who often viewed our focus as "too niche."

Instead of backing down, we doubled down, leaned directly into the skepticism, and started proactively addressing objections at the start of our pitches.

The result: we secured a grant from the state of Colorado, validating both our strategy and its importance to the market.

Getting our product to market didn't mean the challenges ended though

Next, we had to build a marketing strategy that complied with stringent healthcare regulations.

My instinct isn't to dwell on difficulties but to immediately shift into solution mode, asking, "How do we make this work?"

We chose to prioritize high-quality educational content for social media to boost organic traffic and consumer trust, which helped establish our brand's credibility in the very noisy digital health landscape.

That proactive, solutions-focused mindset — honed through years of military-driven transitions — enabled me to successfully navigate uncharted territory and ultimately build a thriving business in uncertain times.

Today, the business helps thousands navigate their healthcare.

For all the difficulties and bittersweet goodbyes, I wouldn't trade my military upbringing for anything

Today, as I face the myriad challenges of co-founding and running a healthcare startup, I draw strength from my upbringing and more recent achievements.

In moments of doubt, I remind myself that I've navigated uncharted territories countless times before.

Whether it was switching to a new school and quickly learning local social customs as a kid or code-switching from customer interactions to pitching for grant funding in my current role.

I take a deep breath, embrace the unknown, and trust in my ability to find innovative solutions.

My military upbringing has shaped me into the entrepreneur I am today, equipping me with a unique set of skills that no business school could replicate.

• Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000 and has been competing with SpaceX.
• Blue Origin has two rockets and is developing a moon lander and multifunctional spacecraft.
• Here's the rocket company's history, mission, customers, and biggest rocket launches.

Blue Origin's rockets are making a name for themselves in the private space race.

Jeff Bezos founded the aerospace company in 2000 with the idea of moving heavy, polluting industries off our planet and into space, where millions of people would live and work. The company's name, Blue Origin, refers to Earth.

Bezos called Blue Origin his "most important work," in a 2018 interview with Axel Springer.

Blue Origin's mission is to "build a road to space" by developing reliable, cost-effective rockets.

Blue Origin is vying for space industry dominance as spaceflight companies aim for the moon and Mars. The company's New Shepard rockets regularly fly tourists on short flights to the edge of space. Its New Glenn rocket is designed to carry heavy missions into orbit or to the moon. Blue Origin engineers are also developing a moon lander, called Blue Moon, for future NASA use.

Blue Origin's ambitions have been a source of rivalry between Bezos and Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX remains the world's leading rocket-launch provider.

History and founding

Bezos has said he founded Blue Origin with the vision of giant space stations hosting entire mega-cities of people, based on concepts proposed by the physicist Gerard K. O'Neill in 1976.

Bezos told Lex Fridman in 2023 that he wants to support one trillion humans living throughout the solar system. He added that would result in 1,000 Mozarts and 1,000 Einsteins at any given time.

"We could easily support a civilization that large with all the resources in the solar system," he added.

Still, Bezos says in a video on Blue Origin's website that "Earth is the best planet."

Blue Origin did not initially seem to improve Jeff Bezos' net worth, though. Bezos later revealed, in 2017, that he was selling Amazon stock to finance the rocket company.

The company kept a very low profile for its first two decades. Blue Origin's first rocket launch was in 2015. That was an uncrewed test flight of the suborbital New Shepard rocket.

Bezos himself flew on New Shepard's first passenger flight in July 2021, making history as the first billionaire to reach the Kármán line, which is a somewhat arbitrary but internationally recognized boundary at 100 kilometers (62 miles) altitude. It's sometimes referred to as the beginning of outer space.

Bezos stepped down as Amazon CEO that same year, saying he wanted to focus on Blue Origin.

In May 2023, Blue Origin won a NASA contract to land astronauts on the moon, after suing the agency for awarding its first moon-landing contract to only SpaceX. The company lost the lawsuit.

Blue Origin's super-sized orbital rocket, New Glenn, launched for the first time in January 2025.

In April 2025, the company clinched its first Pentagon launch contracts.

Blue Origin's CEO is Dave Limp. The company is headquartered in Kent, Washington, and has rocket launch facilities in West Texas. It has also used a launchpad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Blue Origin rockets

Blue Origin has one suborbital rocket and one orbital rocket. It's also developing a moon lander and a moon-orbiting spacecraft.

New Glenn

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket is designed to launch missions into Earth's orbit and to the moon, with a reusable booster to reduce launch costs.

New Glenn is named after the first American to reach orbit, John Glenn. Seven BE-4 engines on the booster give it enough power to carry up to 45 metric tons into space.

New Glenn belongs to a new generation of the largest, most powerful rockets ever built, next to SpaceX's Starship and NASA's new moon rocket, the Space Launch System.

Blue Origin had begun developing an orbital launch system by 2013, and New Glenn finally made its inaugural flight in January 2025.

New Glenn's first launch was a major leap forward for Blue Origin. It was the first time a rocket company successfully reached orbit on its first-ever attempt.

Here's how the rocket's launch works: As New Glenn screams through the skies, the booster does most of the heavy lifting. Once its fuel is spent and the rocket is on a strong trajectory toward space, the booster separates from the rocket's second stage, which continues onward using BE-3U engines.

Blue Origin aims to land the booster on a platform in the ocean, but on New Glenn's first flight, the booster was lost as it fell back to Earth. Eventually, the company wants to reuse boosters up to 25 times.

According to Blue Origin, the company is already working with customers for New Glenn missions, including AST SpaceMobile, telecommunications companies, and the US Space Force.

New Shepard

Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket is designed for suborbital flights which skim the edge of space. It has been flying tourist crews of up to six passengers since 2021.

Bezos himself flew on New Shepard's first flight, then took the Star Trek actor William Shatner on the rocket's second flight later that year.

Upon landing, Shatner said seeing the blackness of space was like looking at death, and added, "I hope I never recover from this."

Blue Origin plans to fly its first all-female passenger crew aboard New Shepard on April 14, including Gayle King, Katy Perry, and Bezos's fiancée, Lauren Sánchez.

Flights on New Shepard last about 11 minutes. Passengers get about three minutes of microgravity, where they can unbuckle from their seats, drift around the spaceship's cabin, and peer out the windows at Earth, before strapping back in for the plummet home.

Because it doesn't need to push itself all the way into orbit, New Shepard is a tiny rocket at just 61 feet tall. BE-3PM engines launch the rocket, then re-fire to softly land it back on the ground. New Shepard is completely reusable.

New Shepard's development involved nine years of testing, which included 16 test flights and three tests of the capsule's emergency escape system.

The vehicle is named after astronaut Alan Shepard, who was the first American to travel to space. Unlike Glenn's orbital flight, Shepard's flight was suborbital.

Blue Moon

Blue Origin is developing the Blue Moon vehicle to land missions on the surface of the moon, launched by the New Glenn rocket.

The company is developing variations of the spacecraft for cargo — up to three metric tons of it — and human crews.

Blue Origin is building BE-7 engines for the lander. The engines are designed to operate in the vacuum of space with enough power to land heavy missions on the moon.

Blue Origin is developing the lander under a $3.4 billion NASA contract.

The contract calls for Blue Origin to conduct an uncrewed test mission to the lunar surface before carrying two astronauts there in 2029.

For NASA astronaut missions, Blue Moon must be able to dock to the Lunar Gateway space station the agency is planning to build in lunar orbit.

Blue Ring

In 2023 Blue Origin announced it was working on a highly maneuverable spacecraft called Blue Ring.

The company plans to sell Blue Ring missions to other companies, which can put more than 3,000 kilograms (about 6,600 pounds) of hardware on board.

Blue Origin says the vehicle can enter a variety of orbits between Earth and the moon.

"Blue Ring addresses two of the most difficult challenges in spaceflight today: growing space infrastructure and increasing mobility on-orbit," Paul Ebertz, the senior vice president of Blue Origin's in-space systems, said in a statement.

The first New Glenn launch carried a prototype of Blue Ring.

Blue Origin vs. SpaceX

Blue Origin and SpaceX have competed for NASA contracts and clout. SpaceX frequently wins the competition.

SpaceX was founded two years later than Blue Origin, but it was launching rockets to orbit by 2008. Its highly influential orbital Falcon 9 rocket first began flying in 2010. Blue Origin didn't launch its first orbital rocket until 2025.

Some of Bezos' space projects mirror Musk's.

For example, like SpaceX's Starship, Blue Origin's New Glenn is designed to be a reusable super-heavy-lift mega-rocket.

While SpaceX launches thousands of Starlink internet satellites into orbit, Bezos's counterpart — Amazon's Kuiper satellites — have been building to their first launch.

At the New York Times DealBook Summit in December 2024, Bezos said that Blue Origin "is not a very good business, yet."

Still, he added, "It's going to be the best business that I've ever been involved in."

• I'm Gen X and my daughter is Gen Z. Across the generational divide, there are differences.
• We've had varying experiences with education, communication, and money, among other things.
• Even though we approach things differently, we still get along.

As a Gen X dad, I get along well with my Gen Z daughter, but occasionally we butt heads across the generational divide. While we have a lot of things in common, we also have some different perspectives on life.

We communicate differently

My daughter is approaching 20 and has been comfortable with technology from a young age. She's grown up with smartphones and social media and has benefited from technology in so many aspects of her life. Like much of her generation, my daughter prefers quick and informal communication methods, like texting or messaging apps. I grew up without the constant presence of social networking and continue to plod through the advances of technology, and I tend to prefer more structured communication, like phone calls.

While quick texts don't always cut it for me, I admit they can be convenient. My daughter and her friends message quickly and use emojis, abbreviations, and memes to express themselves They use social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat to stay connected, but I feel uncomfortable sharing photos and videos to keep everyone informed about aspects of my life. I find that most of my peers plod steadily through messaging, keep it simple, and use formal wording.

We recently chatted over FaceTime when my daughter was overseas, and it was great to see her face on the other side of the world. Growing up in a technology-rich environment has shaped her proficiency and comfort with various digital tools, including videoconferencing platforms like Zoom. I envy that.

Technology has changed education, and she's benefited from that

I went through a traditional education system focused on formal classroom learning, while my daughter has benefited from digital learning tools and online education. She can watch a recording of a university lecture if she misses it in person and can find information easily and quickly, which puts her in a good position for a possible legal career.

What frustrates me, however, is the use of the internet as a superpower. My daughter is more inclined to search for answers on Google and seek easy solutions for mundane things. I was always encouraged to be a free-thinker and to figure things out for myself.

We also view work and money differently

In the workplace, many of my peers typically value loyalty and job stability, while my daughter and many of her friends prioritize flexibility and work-life balance. While she is keen to pursue a high-paying job, and it's possible she may change employers regularly, I have spent two-thirds of my working life with just two employers.

In terms of finance and money, my daughter is typical of her generation and lives in a world of immediate gratification. She likes the convenience of swiping and paying for everything with a card, and I like the old-fashioned way of paying with cash. She would rather we transfer money to her electronically than hand over cold, hard cash. Ironically, when she had a student job in a supermarket, the electronic payment system went down, and she admitted that cash had a place in society.

She also prioritizes speed when it comes to food (and, of course, paying for it). While my daughter thinks nothing of hopping on her phone to order Uber Eats, I don't mind the delayed gratification that comes with cooking a delicious homemade stew. One action is quick and easy, and the other is rewarding but requires more effort. My daughter wants quick and convenient every time.

We both value responsible spending and security, but we have different approaches to how we handle our money. I have a more conservative approach to finances. My daughter prioritizes travel and experiences over saving for a house deposit and is not overly worried about accumulating student debt.

Though we don't always see things the same way, she gives me hope

One area I envy my daughter's generation is the strong commitment to environmental sustainability and eco-friendly practices. While I was growing up, I didn't see the same level of awareness of environmental issues and the climate crisis in many of my peers.

My daughter's passion for making the world a better place is inspiring and makes me feel proud and hopeful for the future. Her generation seems to talk more openly than mine about issues like mental health with friends, family, and colleagues, and that honesty is a good thing.

I am learning to accept that sometimes I won't see eye-to-eye with my daughter. It can be frustrating, but disagreements are opportunities for growth and learning. It's a journey of mutual compromise and appreciation for each other's unique perspectives. And fortunately, we share core values, such as respect, kindness, and empathy, which strengthen our relationship.

• Natalie White started Moolah Kicks to create shoes designed specifically for women's basketball.
• She saw an opportunity after seeing WNBA stars show off shoes named after NBA players.
• Moolah Kicks is now in 631 stores. It is worn by college athletes, AAU teams, and WNBA players.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Natalie White, the founder of Moolah Kicks, which makes women's basketball sneakers. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I started playing basketball when I was five years old. I'm from New York City, and one of my earliest memories of the sport was traveling to Ocean City, New Jersey, to play in a tournament. I was the only girl on the team. But it didn't matter. Basketball soon became my life.

I played on the girls' team in high school. Then, I went to Boston College, where I joined the women's club team and managed the varsity team while studying finance and art.

While picking out basketball shoes for my senior year, I came across an ad featuring WNBA players. The ad pictured stars Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi promoting other athletes' signature sneakers. Sue Bird held the Kyrie 4 shoe, and Diana Taurasi held the LeBron 12.

I saw that ad, and it hit me. What is this saying? You can be the absolute best in the game but you will still be wearing and promoting sneakers named after someone else?

I looked into the issue and saw that not only is there a social implication, but a performance one as well. The female foot form differs in five key areas, including the ankle. So, when we play in these shoes, we're more at risk for knee, ankle, and leg injuries that are so common in basketball. It felt like a one-two punch.

In 2020, as a senior in college, I started Moolah Kicks to create sneakers for female basketball players.

The brand name is slang for money and a nod to the street culture of women's basketball that I grew up with. It also signifies the financial opportunity the Moolah brand creates for female players with the help of our partners and the women's basketball community that has embraced us.

Working with female athletes to grow the brand

We work with female athletes to grow our brand.

WNBA player Courtney Williams wears our shoes. We've collaborated with major brands, including Stanley, and we've been on the "Today" show.

We've also expanded our reach into youth and amateur sports over the last few years. Since we started, we have signed over 100 name, image, and likeness deals with athletes and gotten hundreds of Amateur Athletic Union teams to wear our shoes.

We produce a shoe called the Press Break designed for girls' feet. We wanted girls to have shoes earlier, as young as in grade school. It is so important that when she plays in her first game or practice, she can take the court in shoes that will elevate her game and promote career longevity.

We're just getting started with the women's basketball movement.

We've gone from an idea to selling our sneakers in 631 stores. I cold-called businesses to get them to carry our shoes. It can feel daunting to put yourself out there, but if you are intentional with your approach, describe some clear value that you may be able to add, and honor the other person's time, it can change your life.

Three pieces of advice that I would give to anyone is to always be ready, hustle, and remember that the cream always rises to the top.

Every challenge is an opportunity to get stronger

When you're at a startup, one day can completely change the company. It is countless when you think about what could go wrong.

There are challenges in everything: manufacturing, contract and legal stuff, cash flow, operations, admin, and freight charges. What happens if there is an error on our duty bill?

COVID disruptions to the supply chain, along with being a startup brand caused some challenges to our brand early on. Now, we are incredibly lucky to partner with one of the top factories for performance footwear in the world.

The biggest lesson I learned is that every challenge is an opportunity to get stronger.

Moolah is a story about what happens when you lean into your community.

We want to be synonymous with women's basketball. We want to create our own lane in which success is not compared to men's basketball. It's our own sport, our own identity, our own image and success.

• Shoppers have a plan for avoiding tariffs: Costco.
• Warehouse club chains saw a jump in foot traffic at the end of March, according to Placer.ai.
• Costco and Sam's Club rely on store brands, which might be attractive to tariff-wary buyers.

American shoppers are flocking to stores like Costco and Walmart's Sam's Club for refuge from tariffs.

Foot traffic at those sorts of stores — known in the retail industry as "warehouse clubs" — spiked 9.7% between March 24 and March 30 on a year-over-year basis, according to location-data provider Placer.ai. Visits were down at both grocery stores and superstores for the same period.

That "indicates a possible pull forward in demand during the weeks leading up to the expected implementation of the latest tariffs — particularly at 'stock-up' retailers like warehouse clubs," R.J. Hottovy, the head of analytical research at Placer.ai, wrote in a post on Friday.

The data aren't perfect, Hottovy added, saying that they compare the last full week of March 2025 with the same week in 2024, which included higher-than-normal foot traffic as consumers shopped for an early Easter last year.

Costco did some stocking up of its own ahead of tariffs. Executives said in an earnings call last month that the retailer was bringing in extra inventory to the US to soften the blow of the duties.

Some shoppers started stockpiling essentials, such as meat and skincare products, after President Donald Trump announced a series of tariffs on goods originating everywhere from France to Vietnam at the start of this month.

On Wednesday, Trump paused many of those tariffs for 90 days. At the same time, he upped duties on imports from China to 145%, escalating the US's conflict with one of its most important trading partners.

While it's still early, other retailers have also started to see evidence of stockpiling. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said on Thursday that some data indicated that shoppers were pulling forward some purchases.

Warehouse club chains tend to focus on underpricing other retailers for essentials by selling items in bulk and under their own store brands instead of national ones.

"Consumers are likely to increasingly gravitate toward retailers that offer bulk purchasing, strong private-label alternatives, and everyday low prices," Placer.ai's Hottovy wrote. Those are "areas where warehouse clubs and discount grocers with robust private-label assortments excel."

• I tried Meghan Markle's first collection of As Ever products, which sold out in an hour.
• I bought the three teas, crepe and shortbread cookie mixes, raspberry spread, and flower sprinkles.
• My favorite was the crepe mix, which was quick, easy, and made delicious crepes.

Ever since Meghan Markle's jams started popping up on celebrities' Instagrams, everyone has wondered the same thing. Could the Duchess of Sussex become the next lifestyle queen?

It's a question that's been endlessly debated in think pieces, not to mention hundreds of articles from British tabloids dissecting every potential rumor and snafu with Meghan's new brand. The interest only intensified when it was revealed earlier this year that she was releasing a whole line of products and a new Netflix show.

But how do Meghan's new products actually taste? We got our hands on the first drop from her As Ever brand, including the famous jam, and are ready to tell you all about it.

Meghan's As Ever line is part of her new push into the lifestyle space.

Many wondered what Meghan's next move would be as she and Prince Harry continued to navigate their post-royal life.

There have been highs (the hit Netflix series "Harry & Meghan") and lows (that Spotify deal) along the way. However, in March 2024, Meghan revealed she was ready to venture into the lifestyle space with her new brand, American Riviera Orchard.

One year and a trademark dispute later, the brand has been renamed to As Ever and has a key investor in Netflix, which also released Meghan's new lifestyle show "With Love, Meghan," a Martha Stewart-style series that features the duchess in her ultra-luxurious Montecito neighborhood.

The show, which premiered on March 4, was derided by critics but still made Netflix's top 10 list and has already been renewed for a second season.

As Ever's first collection sold out in an hour.

On April 4, Meghan released six items in her first As Ever collection.

There were mixes for crepes and shortbread cookies, three different teas, a tin of flower sprinkles, the famous jam (now called raspberry spread), and a limited-edition wildflower honey. We were able to buy everything except the honey, which sold out in five minutes.

With the exception of the $28 honey, each product cost between $12 and $15. Meghan recently told Fortune that she wanted her brand to look prestigious but have an "accessible and affordable" price point.

"I think during any time of recession, people still want to find creature comforts, items that can bring them joy," she added.

Our review begins with the teas, which are packaged in beautiful tins.

If you've seen "With Love, Meghan," then you know tea might be the only thing she loves making more than a crudité platter, so it didn't surprise me that it was a big part of her brand. The collection features hibiscus, peppermint, and lemon ginger teas, and each $12 tin comes with 12 sachets.

Each tea comes in a black and gold tin featuring a label with "As Ever" written in the Duchess of Sussex's lovely handwriting. At the top of each label is the gold As Ever logo, a palm tree flanked by two hummingbirds. It's definitely pretty enough to show off on your kitchen counter.

My one design critique? There's no branding on the tea bag labels! It's just a small blank white square. The little label would've been the perfect place to add the logo again or another nice touch to elevate the tea as it dangles from your cup.

First, I tried the hibiscus tea, which had a beautiful color.

Meghan recommends enjoying the hibiscus tea as she does with her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet — by letting it "brew with the warmth of the sun." I popped a bag of hibiscus tea into my glass, letting it sit on my windowsill for a few hours.

There was something romantic about watching the color bloom into a bright and beautiful fuchsia hue every time I walked by my kitchen.

Per Meghan's instructions, I served the tea over ice, which allowed its flavor to sing. The floral notes were subtle, with a delightful pop of tartness.

The herbal lemon ginger tea reminded me of my childhood.

According to the packaging, this tea was inspired by a "soothing tincture of lemon and ginger" that Meghan has been making "for years."

I have a Greek mother who believes chamomile tea can cure just about any ailment, whether it be a cold, a tummy ache, or a bout of sadness. When I poured a hot cup of Meghan's lemon ginger tea and breathed in deeply, the smells brought me back to being a kid again.

Along with lemon and ginger, the blend has lemongrass, lemon peel, licorice root, and spearmint (all organic, of course). It makes for a very soothing cup of tea.

Meghan said the peppermint tea is "easily the favorite tea in our home."

I compared Meghan's peppermint tea to a bag from the Traditional Medicinals box I had in my kitchen, and it was hard to discern the difference between the two, although the As Ever bag had a bit of a deeper flavor.

It's not exactly groundbreaking, but it's a nice cup of tea!

After all that tea, I was ready for some crepes.

"Why does a crepe feel more special than a pancake? I don't know, but it does," Meghan says before making a version of these crepes on her show.

According to her newsletter and the As Ever website, the mix was inspired by the crepes Meghan ate at Parisian cafés when she was backpacking as a student. She promises the $14 mix is "easy to prepare and endlessly adaptable."

I'd never made crepes before, so I was intrigued to see if it was as easy as Meghan promised.

My first crepe was a pale and soggy mess that went straight into the trash. This is through no fault of Meghan's instructions — I'm just not a very confident home chef.

But as Meghan repeatedly says in her show, "we're not in the pursuit of perfection, we're in the pursuit of joy," so I tried again. And again.

By the third crepe, I was getting the hang of it, and by the fifth, I felt like a total pro. "Am now domestic goddess," I thought to myself. (Apparently, my internal voice is now Bridget Jones.)

Meghan's crepes were my favorite product from the As Ever line.

While making homemade crepes seemed extremely daunting, it was validating to know that even I could quickly whip them up at home. And they were delicious!

The crepes came out light and crispy, providing a bit of crunch with each bite. I followed Meghan's recommendation to try them with a chocolate hazelnut spread, a lovely little sweet treat my boyfriend couldn't get enough of.

I also tried the crepes with the famous raspberry spread that started it all.

Meghan calls herself a "preserving nerd" and clearly loves to make homemade batches. The Duchess of Sussex told Fortune that she'd been sending her homemade products to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos every Christmas for years.

The $14 As Ever raspberry spread is based on her recipe and comes in a special keepsake box. According to the website, a $9 version sans box will be available soon.

The raspberry spread tastes surprisingly fresh and homemade.

I've seen complaints that Meghan's raspberry spread is "runny." But as she notes on the website, the spread has been crafted with a "fluid texture so it can be drizzled, spread, poured, and enjoyed for so much more than your morning toast."

I personally liked the texture and that I could see dozens of seeds in every spoonful. It made the spread feel like something a friend had crafted in their kitchen. It's slightly sweet, with a refreshing zing from its lemon juice.

I ended the day by making Meghan's shortbread cookies, which came with a package of her flower sprinkles.

I ran into a few issues while making the shortbread cookie mix, which costs $14.

The box says that your batter should become "light and creamy," which… wasn't the case for me. My batter was powdery and dry, and I struggled to roll the dough onto my counter without it breaking apart.

After some panic Googling, I added a few drops of cold water to help bind the dough. I was able to form the dough into a log and placed it in my fridge for an hour to chill.

Once the dough had properly chilled, the cookies were ready in 11 minutes.

After taking the dough out of the oven, I could easily slice the cookies.

I filled two baking sheets with about 20 cookies and still had over a quarter of the dough left over to store in my freezer.

I topped off the cookies with more flower sprinkles before digging in.

Meghan tells Mindy Kaling on her show that the flower sprinkles are "just an accessory." But she loves putting them on almost everything, including doughnuts, salad, and eggs.

They added more of a pop to the cookies, which came out pretty pale from the oven. I wish the instructions had included some of the tricks Meghan uses while making these on her show, including adding a little egg wash on top, which would've helped turn them golden, and rolling the sides in sugar to add some needed sweetness.

Still, the shortbread was a great base for the raspberry spread, and my boyfriend and I found that the cookies were slowly growing on us.

"These are actually good," he declared the next day.

Meghan's first As Ever collection is playing it safe, but her crepes are really great.

After finishing Meghan's new Netflix show, I told my friend Sam that it felt like the equivalent of placing cucumbers over your eyes for an at-home spa day.

"It doesn't ultimately do anything for your skin, but boy, is it relaxing!" she replied, calling it the perfect metaphor.

I'm not surprised Meghan is playing it safe, both with the first season of her show and with her first collection of products. She's tentatively staging a comeback and is all too aware that just about everything she does will be picked apart in the process.

Her first As Ever collection is full of solid products I'd happily use again — especially those delicious crepes. But I hope we see Meghan take some risks and infuse her brand with a bit more personality as she gains more confidence in the lifestyle space.