Somewhere between the ages of “pay your own insurance” and “stop taking the risks that require it,” a person is faced with certain options. Some choose to get really into a physical challenge— running, training for a marathon so their mother can post about it on Facebook, or— God forbid— rock climbing. And then there are those— faced with the growing loneliness of being out of college, the soft-basil-plant-on-the-kitchen-windowsill wilting of their career, or the sudden realization that their life is interesting and meaningful— who decide to start a TikTok.

If any of you are looking for recommendations for times and places to have your first seizure— aren’t we all— a rehearsal studio post-show is actually the best case scenario. I felt an immediate sense of comfort knowing that I would be “yes, and”-ed into an ambulance faster than you can say thank you, five.

Let me paint the picture for you:
We were in a rehearsal studio with an audience of—I don’t know—maybe forty, and mercifully, the last performance had just finished. Not because the performance was anything less than incredible, which it was, but because the stage needed to be clear for the day’s next show-stopping performance….

Ah, the cats of New York. A city too sophisticated for the feral—at least on the island.

Of all the things to acquire in this city, the best is hotly disputed. Some say a hedge fund. Others, a trust fund. Personally, my heart is split between a rent-stabilized apartment and a cat. Because once you have a house in New York—and a creature to make it a home—there’s not much else left to conquer.

Boomers had to share a family phone. Connected to the wall. With a wire. Millennials texted—perfected the LOL, OMG, and of course the ROFLAMO, which I am still trying to decode (I assume it’s either a government code or a cry for help). That means Gen Z, with its abundance of connection, has become the supreme phone call generation.

Shopping is a job? Kate Oldham lives the age-old dream as a Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager for Saks Fifth Avenue, finding the perfect products in Beauty, Jewelry, and Home just so they can go from their shelves to your front door. She unpacks what it was like to move to New York to start a new life in her late 20’s and offers advice to any and all who dream of being retail royalty.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m American, because I’m a woman, or some heinous little cocktail of the two (my therapist would call it “internalized misogyny;” my father would call it “liberal guilt”), but when it comes to my career, I always look before I leap. An admirable quality, or so I was taught. Move boldly, but strategically. Do the work, send the invite, shake the hand, don’t get blacklisted— eventually the ladder will lower. I thought that was as fast as things could possibly go.

And then this motherfucker…

Media maven Roxanne Donovan, the founder and President of Great Ink Communications, breaks down the trials and tribulations of starting your own business as she explains how she went from interviewing musicians for her college paper, to managing communications for some of the biggest names in New York commercial real estate.