“After my first daughter was born and I fell down into the working- mom rabbit hole of exhaustion and isolation, I reached out to a bunch of girlfriends and asked if they’d be interested in participating in a daily email gratitude list. Each day we write down what we’re grateful for—as mundane as a warm latte or as grave as surviving cancer.”
—Molly Guy
Cofounder, Stone Fox Bride; Fast Company Most Creative Person
“I love traveling with my dog, Penny, and Sherpa is the best carrier I’ve found. It’s small enough to fit under airplane seats (and is approved by all major airlines), but large enough for her to feel comfortable.”
— Ben Sheats
Head of engineering, Vine
“I look to the website Present & Correct for inspiration—and to satisfy my school supply fix.”
–Nancy Kruger Cohen
“Copain is a beautiful winery in Northern California that produces amazing Sonoma Coast wine. In particular, I love the P2, a blend of pinot grigio and pinot noir. Chilled, it’s perfect for poolside in the summer.”
— Katrina Lake
Founder, StitchFix.com
“The Moshi SenseCover looks great and stays closed, but shows caller IDs and answers calls, and flips open as needed.”
— Anthony Perez
“I carry a tube of Berocca everywhere with me. It’s a fizzy tablet energy drink that’s a lifesaver when dealing with jet lag.”
–Victoria Taylor
Communications director, Reddit
“The new album Kauai, by Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, is the most soothing, beautiful, poignant EP about love, heartbreak, and Hawaii. I always have it playing while I’m writing or working. It comes paired with a mix tape from DJ Drama that’s dedicated to Atlanta.”
— Issa Rae
“Soapwalla Restorative Face Serum is a quick-absorbing, supereffective moisturizer for the mornings after the nights you stay out too late.”
— Naomi Zeichner
What are you reading?
1. Transformational Thought by Jason McLennan
“Layers and layers of provocative thought around sustainability tied to social change and gender equality, wrapped in rationale and advocacy of the benefits of beauty. Wow.”
— Anthony Perez
Director of concept design, Starbucks; Fast Company MCP
2. “This year I finished the final novel in John Updike’s Rabbit series. They follow an everyman, Harry Angstrom, through his adult life, from early twenties to death, and they are a piercing, beautifully written chronicle of postwar America.”
–Michelle You
Cofounder, Songkick; Fast Company MCP
3. The Language of Food by Dan Jurafsky
–Nancy Kruger Cohen
Chief creative officer, Mouth.com
4. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
— Issa Rae
Founder, ColorCreative.tv
An app for everything
1. For budgets:
“IXpenseIt helps me to track all the purchases throughout the day, then creates daily, weekly, and monthly reports so I can catalog everything.”
— Molly Guy
2. For Selfies:
“To.be Camera lets you insert yourself into stock photos of waterfalls and cats. An extra 99 cents gets you a series of moving slogans like ‘I can’t force-quit you.'”
— Naomi Zeichner
Editor-in-chief, The Fader
3. For Group Chats:
“HipChat is great for capturing team communication and culture, particularly for geographically diverse orgs like ours.
— Ben Sheats
Can you recommend a winter cocktail?
The Kick Inside
— Gabriella Mlynarczyk
Mixologist, Cadet and Library Bar at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Los Angeles.
3 oz Apple cider
1 ½ oz ICD Standard vodka*
¾ oz Timber City ginger syrup**
½ oz Honey syrup (half honey, half hot water; diluting the honey makes it more pourable)
1 oz Fresh lemon juice
1 pinch Cracked black pepper, plus more for garnish
½ oz Madeira wine
3 drops Vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat apple cider to a simmer.
- Add vodka, ginger syrup, honey syrup, lemon juice, pepper, Madeira, and vanilla. Ladle into a heatproof glass or mug.
- Garnish with a cinnamon stick, a turn of fresh black pepper from a pepper mill, and a slice of apple or ginger.