I love Valerie Frankel’s novels, but I think I love her recent body image memoir, Thin is the New Happy, even more. It’s brutally honest, painful, shocking and very funny. I interviewed Valerie recently and got some great insight into what motivates and inspires her, not to mention how it felt for her to pose nude for Self Magazine.
Why Did You Write Thin is the New Happy?
I decided to write Thin Is the New Happy when my two daughters reached the age when my bad body image demons were born. I didn’t want them to go through 30 years of chronic dieting, self-loathing, always thinking about their weight as I had. So I set out to conquer these issues, be a better role model for them. Also, I didn’t want the next 30 years to be more of the same. Three decades of a dieting addition was more than enough.
Tina Su recently left her corporate job to focus on her passions full-time. Tina writes weekly at Think Simple Now (which recently celebrated its first anniversary), focusing on personal happiness and wellbeing. If you haven’t done so already, we highly recommend subscribing to Tina’s site, not least for its combination of inspiring content with practical, real-world advice.
We caught up with Tina recently as part of our series of interviews on people who have successfully transitioned from thinking about their dream to actually living it every day.
It’s Veterans Day / Remembrance Day today and I wake up with the same conflict I do every year. As a person morally and practically opposed to war, how do I honor the young men and women who served our country without supporting the wars they died for?
What happened to “Armistice Day”?
President Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day in 1919 with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
So from the very beginning, even before Congress changed it to “Veterans Day” in 1954 (http://www.history.army.mil/faq/vetsday/vetshist.htm), the focus was not on Peace. It was not a powerful plea to never let this happen again, to never again sacrifice our youth to the violence of war. It was a tribute to the bravery or sacrifice of those who died in battle, a celebration of war victories over evil, and a vindication of the efficacy of war as a means of defending freedom or sovereignty.
Jonathan Fields is a reformed hedge fund lawyer-turned entrepreneur, yoga instructor, published author, blogger, father, husband and all around great guy. We caught up with him and were inspired by his experiences of trading a live-to-work existence for a quest to make a living from doing what he loves.
You’ll find Jonathan’s answers after the jump, and for more about Jonathan, not to mention countless tips for living your dream, don’t forget to check out his truly excellent blog, Awake at the Wheel.
She doesn’t have a crystal ball, but if anyone can teach you how to clear your plate so you can make way for the best, it’s Gina Trapani. She’s the founder of one of the most successful weblogs of all time, Lifehacker.com, and the author of Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better. Maybe you can actually plan for greatness…
What’s the feeling you’re usually trying to achieve? What helps you get that?
I always want to feel like I’ve made something useful. It’s probably the obsession with productivity my job requires, but at the end of the day, if I can point to something I made or written and feel like things are better because of it, I’m happy. Usually I get there by working on the things I want to work on because I’m interested and excited by them, versus the things I feel l should work on because of some expectation.
What’s the advice that you’re always giving people?
I always give people the advice I need the most myself: to relax, to listen to your gut, and to try.
I love Valerie Frankel’s novels, but I think I love her recent body image memoir, Thin is the New Happy, even more. It’s brutally honest, painful, shocking and very funny. I interviewed Valerie recently and got some great insight into what motivates and inspires her, not to mention how it felt for her to pose nude for Self Magazine.
Tina Su recently left her corporate job to focus on her passions full-time. Tina writes weekly at 
Jonathan Fields is a reformed hedge fund lawyer-turned entrepreneur, yoga instructor, published author, blogger, father, husband and all around great guy. We caught up with him and were inspired by his experiences of trading a live-to-work existence for a quest to make a living from doing what he loves.
