🤔 Brainteaser of the day: A clock chimes five times in four seconds. How many seconds will it take to chime ten times?
Click here to see the answer.
✅ Today’s Checklist:
- What to know about traveling in 2025
- If you love Tina Fey, this comedy drama is about to be your new favorite
- Pet of the week: Meet Jax
QUICK LINKS
🎁 Gift ideas for your favorite jet-setter—no passport required.
😵💫 Money stress hits harder for women—here’s what to do.
🧰 Smarter performance reviews start with the right tools.
🌿 Real answers for real midlife symptoms.
TRAVEL
What to Know About Traveling in 2025 (Especially Under Trump’s New Policies)
Between Real ID rollouts, renewed travel bans, and increased airport scrutiny, flying in 2025 isn’t exactly stress-free. Add in the current political climate, and it’s no wonder some of us are triple-checking our boarding passes (and our rights).
Here’s your no-panic, need-to-know breakdown so you can travel smart, stay informed, and keep your cool.
🚨 Domestic Travel Just Got Stricter
Real ID is officially required
Starting May 7, 2025, if you’re flying domestically, your standard driver’s license won’t cut it. You’ll need a Real ID-compliant license (look for the star in the corner) or a valid passport to board. TSA will turn you away without it—even for a short hop to grandma’s.
Expect longer lines and more tech at TSA
Get ready for increased bag checks, electronics scans, and advanced facial recognition in many airports. Arrive early and keep your ID handy.
🌍 International Travel = More Red Tape
A new wave of travel bans
The administration has proposed a tiered ban system for 43 countries. Here’s the gist:
- Red Tier: Full bans for places like Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, North Korea
- Orange Tier: Increased scrutiny + visa limits for countries like Pakistan, Russia, Haiti
- Yellow Tier: Under review (restrictions may be coming)
If you’re traveling internationally (especially to or from affected countries), expect slower visa processing and more documentation requirements. Be prepared to show detailed itineraries, background info, and even your social media handles.
Yes, U.S. citizens are being stopped too
There’s been an uptick in reported detentions, even involving legal residents and U.S. citizens. It’s rare, but real. Carry backup IDs, have digital and physical copies of your documents, and know your rights if questioned.
📝 Smart Travel Tips for 2025
- Double-check your documents: That passport expiration date? Check it again.
- Sign up for updates: Use travel.state.gov or follow U.S. Embassies on social media for real-time alerts.
- Brush up on your rights: Not sure what you’re required to answer at customs or TSA? Here’s a primer from the ACLU.
- When in doubt, ask a pro: Immigration lawyers and travel advisors are your best friends right now—especially if your background or travel history might raise flags.
Travel in 2025 just got more layered, but a little prep goes a long way in helping you stay focused on the adventure (and not the anxiety).
WORKFLOW
When The Workflow Flows, Everything Changes
Clarity doesn’t just make work easier—it makes it possible. The kind of clarity that lets teams move without friction, prioritize without panic, and make progress without needing a dozen check-ins. It starts with visibility.
Tools That Bring The Clarity:
🧠 Scheduling with intention
See who’s available, who’s overloaded, and where the work actually lives. Spot burnout before it happens.
⚙️ No-code workflows that work how you do
Handle approvals, handoffs, and reporting behind the scenes—so you can stop micromanaging and start building momentum.
🗂️ Built for the long haul
Gantt charts, milestones, time logs, and deep collaboration tools to help you manage the big-picture projects—not just the to-do list.
📋 Structure that actually sticks
Projects, tasks, and timelines are all in one place. It’s not just about tracking progress; it’s about making the next step obvious.
✨ BONUS: We put together a monday.com Startup Guide so you can jump in without the tech headache. Just clarity, flow, and your most organized self.
Each tool solves a different problem. Together, they remove friction.
Because when teams aren’t bogged down by process, they think faster, work smarter, and lead with more confidence.
That’s what a good system unlocks: Not more work. Better work.
STAFF PICKS
📚 Read: Sing for the Red Dress by Joseph M. Marshall III
A gripping blend of suspense and purpose, this novel follows professor Dr. Gavin Lone Wolf and lawyer Katherine Hill as they unravel a chilling mystery tied to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Part love story, part wake-up call, Marshall delivers a powerful tale that demands attention and action.
📺 Watch: The Four Seasons
Tina Fey, Steve Carell, and Colman Domingo shine in this sharp new comedy-drama about three longtime couples whose tradition — and friendship — unravels after one unexpected divorce. Equal parts witty and tender, it’s a smart, soulful take on love, loss, and the chaos of starting over in midlife.
🎧 Listen: Hurry Up Tomorrow by The Weeknd
The Weeknd’s latest album is a 22-track odyssey of synth-pop, R&B, and cinematic vibes. With collabs from Justice, Anitta, Travis Scott, and Lana Del Rey, it’s moody, immersive, and made for fans who love when he goes full epic.
UPSKILLING
Excel Tips That Actually Save Your Sanity
Excel can be magic if you know how to use it.
But for most of us, it’s more like:
✅ Accidentally deleting a formula you spent 40 minutes building
✅ Googling “how to make a chart not look awful”
✅ Wondering why one tab breaks everything else
Here’s the thing: you don’t need to be a spreadsheet genius. You just need to know a few key moves that make your data work for you—not against you.
Try these pro-level basics:
- Lock reference cells with $ to keep formulas stable when copied
- Use UNIQUE() or FILTER() to build dynamic, no-maintenance lists
- Add data validation (dropdowns!) to keep your sheets clean
- Build with conditional formatting to spot trends at a glance
If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in a sea of broken formulas or ugly charts, this is your moment:
Miss Excel is hosting a free dashboard training—and yes, it’s as fun as it is functional.
Miss Excel (aka Kat Norton) built a full-blown business and community by teaching Excel and Google Sheets with actual joy. She’s trained thousands of professionals (and has over a million TikTok fans to prove it) by showing how to use spreadsheets to work smarter, not harder.
In this free training, she’ll teach you how to build a clean, automated dashboard from scratch—no fluff, no overwhelm, and no boring lectures.
👉 RSVP here to learn the spreadsheet tricks that save you 3+ hours a week.
PET OF THE WEEK
Meet Jax
Jax is a 1.5-year-old Yorkie Poo, who never tires! After an all-day family party including running in the yard with several kids and dogs, at the end of the evening, she moves on to her routine of galloping around the house as fast as possible. The remaining guests always watch in awe, because it seems impossible that this little girl could have so much energy.
The funniest habit (and most annoying one) is that whenever her owner is eating from a bag of popcorn, unlike other dogs, she doesn’t sit and wait for a piece. She sticks her head right into the bag to get her fill!
🐾 Got a cute fur baby? Submit them to be our pet of the week in an upcoming issue.
JOB LEADS
Your Next Gig = One Click Away
- One Market Inc is hiring for a Go-To-Market Lead (Palo Alto, CA).
- Resolution Technologies, Inc. is hiring for a Human Resources Generalist (Sonoma, CA).
- Vyper Industrial is hiring for a Social Media Strategist (Green Bay, WI).
- Dental Nachos is hiring for a Marketing Manager (Philadelphia, PA).
- Inceed is hiring for a Sr. Communications Engineer (Houston, TX).
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