In The News

Founder of the mega-popular dietary program The Whole30, APB speaker Melissa Hartwig Urban is releasing a new cookbook on October 15^th entitled The Whole30 Friends & Family: 150 Recipes for Every Social Occasion. The idea for the 30-day elimination diet program that became the Whole30 was born through a friendly post-workout dare to cut out sugar, alcohol, and processed food. Melissa had no idea it would completely change her life, and the lives of so many others. Today, the Whole30 is one of the most established and influential nutrition programs in the U.S.

Less than two weeks after stepping down as president at Combs Enterprises, APB speaker Dia Simms has made a solo move into the cannabis industry. Her distribution firm, called BRN Group, will be a “first of its kind, privately-held, global brand development, management and distribution company that licenses, manages and distributes superior cannabis brands worldwide.”

APB speaker Jaclyn Corin, a leading organizer of March for Our Lives, continues to share her story with the goal of mobilizing and inspiring others. Her new Teen Vogue op-ed piece chronicles how she has grown as a person, an organizer and an advocate in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting tragedy. She also discusses the subsequent growth of a powerful tide of youth activism. 

Former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, APB speaker Gina McCarthy, recently sat with WBUR to discuss climate change with youth activists. McCarthy, who is currently Professor of the Practice of Public Health in the Department of Environmental Health and the Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE) at Harvard, revealed that an inability to make climate change a part of everyday discussion will lead to irreversible consequences. When asked how she stays positive despite not holding “the keys” to running environmental health, McCarthy said, “You can’t be unrealistic about the challenge, but you have to be hopeful for the future...” She went on to say, “I want to make sure that anybody your age recognizes that when an administration like this may not be paying attention, it’s not the end of the discussion. It’s not the end of your opportunity to make progress...”

Author of Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back and I Almost Forgot About You, APB speaker Terry McMillan is releasing her newest book, It’s Not All Downhill From Here, in March 2020. The novel focuses on a group of women who went to high school together, but later went down different paths. However, after a loss, they reunited. McMillan illustrates the many challenges these women face and how they pull themselves up through the power of friendship and forgiveness.

From offices to naval ships, today’s workplaces are doing more with fewer people. The trend will continue with the advancement of AI. “As complexity increases, as technology spins the world into vaster webs of interconnected systems in which each only sees a small part, organizations will need a different kind of employee,” says David Epstein. “They’ll need people with range.”

Known for her New York Times best-selling book on modern parenting, The Gift of Failure, APB speaker Jessica Lahey is continuing to advocate for flexible, successful parenting strategies in a recent New York Times Guide to Smarter Living. Her column celebrates the opportunity of a new school year for families everywhere, promoting learning through valuing process over product and planning for smarter technology use. Lahey draws on both data and personal experience to model a more collaborative, less punitive view of the parental role.    

“I want my kids to know when you’re chasing big dreams, you may fail, but if you get back up again — that’s how you fly.” Thirteen-time best-selling author and APB speaker Brad Meltzer appeared on Good Morning America to discuss the release of his two new children’s books: I am Walt Disney and I am Marie Curie. “I was tired of my kids looking at people who are famous for being famous and thinking that’s our hero,” said Meltzer, on what inspired him to write the children’s biography of Walt Disney.

The Jeopardy! record holder for most correct responses on average and longest winning streak, APB speaker Ken Jennings, is launching  Half-Truth, a trivia game that transcends rote recall and makes trivia accessible to everyone.

Veteran journalist and APB speaker John Quiñones of ABC’s What Would You Do? recently received John F. Hogan Award from the RTDNA (Radio Television Digital News Association) for his continuous contributions to the profession of journalism. During his 36-year tenure at ABC working as a reporter, news anchor and television personality, Quiñones always found ways of “adding context and clarity” for viewers, RTDNA chairman Jerry Walsh said.