June 2025

Citigroup is doubling down on its hybrid work policy by giving most of its 229,000-person workforce a remote summer perk.

According to a leaked memo sent to employees on Monday, obtained by Business Insider, Citigroup is giving its hybrid employees the option to work remotely for any two weeks of their choosing in August. Most Citigroup staff are hybrid and work in the office at least three days a week, with only traders and bank branch staff expected to work in person five days a week.

Citigroup’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Sara Wechter, sent the memo, which noted that the perk was part of the bank’s commitment to flexibility and its hybrid work policy.

Related: Citigroup Mistakenly Credited a Customer with $81 Trillion Instead of $280: ‘Inputting Error’

“Our hybrid work model helps us attract and retain top talent and sets us apart from other companies in our industry — and we remain committed to this model,” Wechter wrote.

Wechter added that the bank chose August “because it is traditionally a quieter time for our businesses and clients, when many are already out of the office due to vacations.”

^{Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser. Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images}

Citigroup last gave employees the option to work remotely for two weeks during the summer in August 2022. The bank has also offered two weeks of remote work every December since 2022.

Employees must work remotely from a location where they have a legal right to work, so this isn’t a “work from anywhere” arrangement.

While Citigroup reinforces its commitment to hybrid work, other banks are pushing for a return to the office. JPMorgan required most of its employees to work fully from the office starting in March, while Goldman Sachs has required it since 2021.

Related: Citigroup Eliminated More Jobs This Week. Here’s Which Roles Were Affected.

Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser has long been a proponent of flexible work. She opted to work part-time as a partner at McKinsey after having her first child, an arrangement she maintained until she departed McKinsey for Citigroup in 2004.

As the first woman to lead a major U.S. bank, Fraser has led a multi-year effort to transform Citigroup by updating its technology and encouraging work-life balance. Since becoming Citigroup CEO in March 2021, Fraser has emphasized that hybrid work was here to stay at the bank.

In March 2021, she created Zoom-Free Fridays at the bank so that employees were not required to take video calls on Fridays. She additionally urged employees to take their vacation time and keep work to standard working hours.

In January, Fraser told directors on a quarterly call that the bank’s hybrid work policy gave it an advantage in recruiting new talent and that the policy would continue.

Related: Here’s How Much 8 CEOs Made in 2024, From JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon to Disney’s Bob Iger

June 19th is one of the newest holidays on the federal calendar. It commemorates Juneteenth, the day that the last enslaved people in Texas learned that they were free in 1865. Since it was officially declared a national holiday in 2021, most people don’t know much about it or why it’s a day worth celebrating. All that most people know about the holiday is that they get an extra day off between Memorial Day and the 4th of July, and that’s a win for their work-life balance (or work-life blend as I like to call it).

Although Black Americans have celebrated the holiday for centuries, more and more businesses are jumping on board. For many Black Americans, Juneteenth symbolizes freedom and independence from a hard, dark history. But I have good news: the holiday isn’t just for them — it’s for you, too. Companies and employees alike can benefit from celebrating Juneteenth. Here are four reasons why they can benefit, too.

Celebrating Juneteenth gives your employees a much-needed day off and positions your company as the “hero”

Instead of waiting until the 4th of July for a much-needed long weekend, you can offer your employees an extra day off on Juneteenth. Whether it’s a paid or unpaid holiday, giving your employees a break in the summer months gives them a much-needed reprieve from their stressful to-do lists. A recent meta-analysis has shown that holiday breaks and vacations play a crucial role in the mental and emotional wellbeing of your employees. These benefits can extend to improved mental health, enhanced problem-solving, and a boost in job satisfaction. Simply put, refreshed employees are happy employees. Giving workers that additional day off pays dividends toward their productivity and general contentment at the company. And all it costs the business is one working day. Who knew adding one additional day to your company’s holiday roster would have such a positive impact on retention and employee happiness?

Related: You Need a Real Vacation (And So Do Your Employees)

Juneteenth conversations can strengthen connections and communication within the company

While many people are new to Juneteenth and don’t know much about it, some people have been celebrating it for a very long time. Creating the opportunity for knowledgeable employees and less knowledgeable employees to connect and share facts, history and information about the holiday can not only strengthen connections within the company but also create space for deeper dialogue and more open communication in the future. As a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consultant, I’ve seen employees who would otherwise have nothing to discuss with colleagues other than work topics actually bond and learn something new from one another’s lived experiences. Those extended discussions about non-work-related topics can build stronger employee rapport and nurture company cohesion in subtle yet durable ways.

Related: The 6 Do’s and Don’ts for Engaging in Juneteenth Conversations

Celebrating Juneteenth allows leadership to re-engage employees in the company’s core values

I’ve led my fair share of values-driven meetings, and all too often, just months after the company values presentation, employees forget what they are and why they matter. That’s not the fault of leadership as much as it’s the lack of seeing the company’s values in action. Juneteenth can be an opportunity to practice what your company preaches and show your employees that you truly value diversity, curiosity, collaboration, fairness or any other core value that’s relevant. For example, on Juneteenth, you can encourage your employees to seize the day by volunteering with an organization that promotes diversity or uplifts the wellbeing of Black folks in their communities. This act can encourage your employees to embody the core values of diversity and collaboration. An alternative idea is for leadership to use Juneteenth as an opportunity to send a company-wide email sharing a brief history of the holiday and why it aligns with the organization’s core values of curiosity and fairness. The opportunities are endless to lean into Juneteenth and leverage it as a learning tool and a way to show — not tell — your employees how to exemplify the company’s core values.

Related: Core Values and Practices Are Booster Fuel for Your Business. Here’s How to Establish the Right Ones.

Celebrating Juneteenth reaffirms your company’s commitment to DEI

As mentioned, when it comes to your company values, it’s best to show and not tell. One way to do that is to demonstrate to your employees that DEI is still a priority by holding an insightful group session. I’ve been invited to speak or lead a session around Juneteenth on numerous occasions, and it’s one of my favorite times of the year to show up. Not only are employees already engaged in the topic, but they’re also learning more about it from others and are often more receptive to new information during that period. I come in to help employees recognize how Juneteenth and its history and learnings can inspire the day-to-day business operations, strengthen inclusion efforts at the company and improve overall cohesion. Investing in hosting a speaker or seminar on or around Juneteenth can be a great way to educate, engage, and reiterate your DEI commitments to employees at all levels of the organization.

Final thoughts

Juneteenth is an opportunity for companies to lean in, not lean back. Instead of hesitating around the holiday and what it means for non-Black employees, step confidently into the space of making meaning, connection and a learning experience out of it for everyone. No employees are ever upset about having a paid day off, and a bonus benefit is that they can often enjoy learning something new about the country and our shared history. Companies and employees who treat Juneteenth as more than just a “Black” holiday and instead as an opportunity to rest, reflect, and connect can benefit greatly on the employee wellbeing and productivity fronts.

I started my journalism career in 2004. Within months, it was clear: the industry was changing — fast. Newsroom layoffs, budget cuts, and staff downsizing became routine. Whispers of “impending cuts” turned into annual realities. Every year brought fewer resources, fewer colleagues, and more pressure to do more with less.

Eventually, the tone of the industry changed completely. We went from reporting the news to defending its very existence. I remember being handed scripts to read on-air, asking viewers to “support local journalism.” Imagine reporting on the world while quietly campaigning to save your own job. It was humbling — and revealing.

That’s when I realized I needed a Plan B.

About eight years into my 15-year career as a reporter and anchor for Canada’s largest private broadcaster, I started building a real estate-focused marketing agency. Quietly. In the newsroom, side hustles were frowned upon. Some managers even banned them. It was a strange contradiction: everyone knew the industry was shrinking, but no one was allowed to prepare for what came next.

So I did it anyway.

Over time, that agency grew quietly in the background. And one day, it was big enough that I didn’t need the newsroom anymore. I stepped away — and stepped fully into entrepreneurship.

What I didn’t expect was just how many of my journalism skills would become foundational to building and running a successful business.

Here’s what translated — and why it matters to anyone navigating uncertainty in their career today.

Related: The 3 Biggest Mistakes That Made Me a Better Entrepreneur

Deadlines build more than discipline — they build trust

In journalism, deadlines weren’t flexible. If your segment wasn’t ready by airtime, it didn’t go to air — simple as that. There was no “I’m running a bit behind.” That kind of real-time pressure trains you to deliver no matter what. And more importantly, it teaches you that other people are counting on you to deliver.

In business, that same mindset is a competitive advantage. When you consistently meet deadlines—for clients, collaborators, or even yourself — you build a reputation as someone who can be trusted. In a world full of flakiness, that trust is rare and valuable.

Clarity is the most underrated communication skill

As a journalist, my job was to take something complicated — legislation, economics, crime stats — and make it clear, fast. I learned how to break down ideas so that a viewer with no background knowledge could still understand the story.

That skill carried straight into business. Clients aren’t looking for more information — they want clarity. They want someone who can explain things in plain language, with confidence and precision. If you can do that, you’ll win attention and loyalty, even in crowded markets.

Reading the room is a business skill, not just a social one

Every newsroom has an unspoken energy. Some days are tense. Others are collaborative. You learn to read body language, anticipate reactions, and adjust your tone accordingly. Sometimes you learn the hard way — by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. But eventually, you get good at it.

That emotional intelligence became essential in business. Whether I’m in a sales call, a client pitch or a team check-in, I rely on that same ability to gauge the room. Knowing when to speak, when to pause, and when to pivot isn’t just nice to have — it’s how you build rapport, close deals and lead people.

Your visual presence sends a signal — whether you like it or not

In television, how you show up is part of the job. Lighting, clothing, posture, eye contact — everything matters. You’re trained to think visually because you’re being seen, not just heard.

As a business owner, I carried that forward. Whether I’m on a Zoom call, recording video content, or meeting a client in person, I think about how I show up. Not because I care about superficial polish, but because I understand that presence builds credibility. People make snap judgments. Being intentional about your appearance — your energy, tone, body language — is part of your brand.

Asking smart questions leads to better outcomes

Great interviews don’t happen because the journalist talks a lot — they happen because they ask questions no one else thought to ask. They listen. They dig. They help the subject get to something real.

That skill set applies almost everywhere in business. Whether I’m onboarding a client, hiring a new team member, or troubleshooting a campaign, asking thoughtful, open-ended questions makes all the difference. It leads to insights, not just answers. The better your questions, the more valuable your results.

Content creation isn’t a buzzword — it’s a daily practice

Before “content marketing” was trendy, journalists were doing it every day. Writing headlines. Filming segments. Recording voiceovers. Editing clips. We were creating daily, on deadline, with quality and consistency.

When I pivoted into business, that content muscle was already built. I could write fast. I could shoot video. I could find the story angle. That made building a content-driven agency much easier. But more importantly, it helped me communicate my value consistently — through blogs, videos, emails, and social media.

Storytelling is the bridge between facts and emotion

At the core of every newscast is a story. That doesn’t change in business. In fact, the need for narrative is even more important. Because people don’t buy based on data — they buy based on belief.

Whether I’m crafting a brand strategy, writing a sales page or scripting a webinar, I’m asking: What’s the story? What’s the tension? What changes by the end? Who’s the hero? Storytelling isn’t fluff. It’s structure. It’s how you help people care.

Research before you speak — it builds credibility

Journalists don’t get to make things up. We’re trained to dig for sources, verify facts and back up every claim. That instinct — to validate before publishing — translated directly into business.

When I make marketing recommendations, I don’t rely on gut feeling alone. I cite trends, pull performance data, reference case studies. That research-backed approach builds trust — and helps clients feel more confident in their investment.

Related: Why Entrepreneurship Is Better Than Any Personal Growth Book

Writing is a business superpower

In journalism, you write every day. Scripts, voiceovers, headlines, tweets, captions. You learn how to write tight. You learn how to write with impact. And you learn how to match your voice to your audience.

In business, that’s been one of the most useful tools I’ve carried with me. Clear, persuasive writing helps across the board — website copy, email campaigns, pitch decks, client reports. Especially now, when so much content is AI-generated and generic, human writing that’s sharp and intentional really stands out.

Working under pressure is the ultimate team test

Television isn’t a solo act. Every show depends on producers, editors, camera operators, and anchors working in sync, under tight deadlines. If someone drops the ball, everyone feels it.

That taught me how to lead under pressure — and how to hire people who can handle it too. In business, things go sideways. Clients change direction. Launches break. The ability to stay calm, adapt and keep moving is what separates amateurs from professionals.

The bottom line

When I left journalism, I thought I was walking away from a shrinking industry. What I didn’t realize was that I was walking into something I’d been preparing for all along. Entrepreneurship wasn’t the opposite of journalism — it was the evolution of it. The same skills that helped me succeed on-camera helped me succeed in business.

So if you’re in a profession that feels uncertain right now, I’ll say this: look closely. You’re probably building skills that will serve you long after your current role ends. You might just be gathering the exact tools you’ll need for the next chapter.

Don’t wait for a crisis to start your Plan B. Build it now, even if it’s in the margins. That quiet side project, that weekend freelance gig, that small experiment — it might be the thing that gives you security when the job no longer can.

Only 21% of employees worldwide are engaged at work. Let that sink in. In today’s workforce, more than half of employees (62%) feel disconnected from their work, while 17% report being actively disengaged. This isn’t a motivation problem — it’s a meaning problem. And it signals a critical opportunity for leaders to rethink how we create environments where people can thrive.

Here’s what’s striking: It’s not just about pay. Or perks. Or even flexible hours. According to the latest State of the Global Workplace report, 50% of employees are watching for or actively seeking a new job, and meaningful work is consistently among the top factors driving these decisions.

This is where most leaders get it wrong. In today’s workforce, culture is no longer a bonus — it’s a baseline. The modern employee is asking: Does this work matter? Do I matter? If the answer isn’t clear, they’re already halfway out the door.

Related: The Key to Employee Engagement Is Purpose. Here’s Why — and How to Foster It in Your Workplace.

The leadership clarity gap

The disconnect between what leaders think drives engagement and what actually does is staggering. Research reveals that while most executives believe their organizations provide clear purpose, only about a third of employees experience that purpose in their daily work. This perception gap explains why so many well-intentioned engagement initiatives fail.

In my own leadership journey, I’ve found that clarity isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s everything. Leadership isn’t about charisma or command; it’s about being deeply grounded in your own values and purpose. When that happens, people don’t need to be pushed, they’re naturally pulled toward something meaningful.

The manager connection

Here’s what I see too often: managers who want to lead well but were never given the tools. According to Gallup, 70% of team engagement comes down to the manager, but most have never had real training. So instead of leading with purpose, they’re left guessing.

And when managers are unclear, so are their teams. That’s not just a statistic; it’s a signal that we’ve prioritized the wrong things. If we want people to stay, grow, and contribute at a high level, we need to start by equipping the people we expect to lead them.

From transactional to transformational

The shift from transactional to transformational leadership doesn’t require a radical overhaul, it starts with small, consistent actions grounded in purpose. I’ve seen teams change dramatically simply because a leader started having honest conversations, listening more deeply or sharing the “why” behind the work.

The data reflects this: Employees who have meaningful check-ins with their managers are nearly four times more likely to be engaged. Those who feel their opinions matter are far more likely to bring their full selves to the work.

But at the core, it’s not about stats — it’s about connection. Transactional leadership keeps people compliant. Purpose-driven leadership makes them come alive.

Related: Workers Are Disengaged. Here’s How Employers Can Win Them Back.

Beyond the quarterly cycle

One of the most revealing insights from my work with leadership teams is that engagement isn’t primarily driven by compensation or even work conditions. The real differentiator is leadership clarity, the extent to which employees understand how their work contributes to something larger than themselves.

This explains why so many well-compensated professionals still feel disconnected from their work. It’s not about the paycheck; it’s about the purpose. And purpose isn’t something you can manufacture with team-building exercises or mission statements on the wall. It emerges from authentic leadership that connects daily tasks to meaningful outcomes.

The path forward

So, what does this mean for you?

If you’re a leader still relying on perks, pizza parties and performance bonuses to drive engagement, it’s time to rethink your approach. Ask yourself: Do your people know why their work matters? Do they feel seen and heard? Do you?

Purpose isn’t a perk. It’s your leadership advantage, the one thing competitors can’t replicate. And in a world where disengagement is the default, leaders who get this right will be the ones who win.

As workplace research makes clear, the great workplace shift isn’t about resignation or quiet quitting. It’s about purpose seeking its proper place. Leaders who recognize and respond to this fundamental human need won’t just retain their teams, they’ll unleash their full potential.

Related: 5 Ways Employee Engagement Makes Your Company More Competitive

The ripple effect

Here’s what happens when you get this right: Engaged employees don’t just stay longer, they become your strongest advocates. They refer top talent, go the extra mile without being asked and create the kind of culture that competitors can’t poach or replicate. I’ve watched organizations transform not through expensive restructures or flashy initiatives, but through leaders who finally understood that their people weren’t looking for more benefits. They were looking for more meaning.

The companies thriving in today’s market aren’t the ones with the best perks packages. They’re the ones where Monday morning feels different because people wake up knowing their work matters. Where managers have real conversations instead of checking boxes. Where purpose isn’t a poster on the wall, but a living, breathing part of how decisions get made.

Every day you delay this shift, you’re not just losing talent. You’re losing the battle for the future of work itself. The leaders who act now, who choose connection over control and purpose over process, won’t just survive the engagement crisis — they’ll use it as their competitive advantage while everyone else is still wondering why their people keep leaving.

“Growing up in LA, I’ve always been aware of the wildfire risks that come with living in Southern California,” Marina Lee, a 21-year-old computer science student at the University of Southern California, tells Entrepreneur. “But the urgency truly hit home when my grandmother found herself in the evacuation zones during the recent LA wildfires back in January — she called me because she got an evacuation alert on her phone.”

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple. Marina Lee.}

Lee recalls being overwhelmed by the situation and unsure of what to pack, where to go and how to stay updated. Realizing that so many other people were probably experiencing the same confusion and fear, she decided to build an app to solve the problem: EvacuMate.

Related: She’s Been Coding Since Age 7 and Presented Her Life-Saving App to Tim Cook Last Year. Now 17, She’s on Track to Solve Even Bigger Problems.

Lee’s EvacuMate helps users prepare an emergency checklist of essential items, upload copies of important documents via their iPhone camera roll and import emergency contacts through their iPhone’s contacts list. The app also allows users to monitor air quality levels and put together a first-aid kit.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Marina Lee}

It took Lee about one month to develop the app and submit it to Apple’s Swift Student Challenge, a competition that invites students across the globe to enter their original app playgrounds built with Apple’s Swift coding language.

Most students begin preparing their submissions months in advance, so the deadline “felt a little tight,” Lee notes. However, she was ready to rise to the occasion, having started her coding journey in middle school and completed several projects in the years since.

Related: Apple Is Making a Major Change to Its Operating Systems Across All Products. Here’s What We Know.

As a “very creative” person, Lee first focused on the app’s design and layout, she says. Then she turned her attention to the practical features. Lee asked friends and family for feedback as she worked on EvacuMate, and the “very collaborative process” allowed her to engage with her target audience and understand how they’d interact with the app.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Marina Lee}

“I  definitely look forward to meeting other Swift Student Challenge winners [at WWDC].”

Out of this year’s 350 winning submissions, Lee was selected as one of the 50 distinguished winners invited to attend the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) at Apple Park. The 2025 conference, which takes place in-person and online from June 9-13, kicks off with CEO Tim Cook‘s keynote address and will showcase the company’s new technology and software.

Some of this year’s other distinguished winners include Taiki Hamomoto, 22, of Japan, whose app Hanufada Tactics teaches users how to play the traditional Japanese card game; Luciana Ortiz Nolasco, 15, of Mexico, whose app BreakDownCosmic offers a virtual gathering place for astronomy enthusiasts; and Nahom Worku, 21, who grew up in Ethiopia and Canada and developed the app AccessEd, which provides learning resources that are available with or without Wi-Fi connectivity.

Related: This 17-Year-Old High School Student Has a $20,000-a-Month Side Hustle — and It All Started With a Skill He Learned in Class

“I  definitely look forward to meeting other Swift Student Challenge winners [at WWDC] and other developers in general from across the world,” Lee says. “Throughout my years of involvement in the hackathon community, I’ve been able to build lasting friendships and connections with students from all across the world, but it was only through a virtual setting. So attending this conference would really bring that experience in person.”

Lee is currently interning as a front-end engineer at Amazon in Seattle, Washington. The role focuses on web design and building user interfaces, a process that, like coding, also gives her the chance to get creative, she says. She hopes to pursue similar work that allows her to merge her passion for creativity, art and coding after she graduates from college.

Related: Meet the 16-Year-Old Stanford Intern Whose AI Project Could Save Your Life — Plus 5 Other Young Tech Visionaries Recognized By Apple

Other young people who want to learn how to code and potentially pursue an engineering career should consider participating in hackathons, 24-48-hour events where students collaborate on projects and attend workshops, Lee says. Lee recalls being intimidated at first, but the experience laid the foundation for where she is now.

“I met some new friends that I still keep in touch with to this day,” Lee says. “[The experience] allowed me to learn more about coding and become more involved in the hackathon community. I started organizing some [hackathons] myself and mentoring at other hackathons. It’s a good first step in coding and really allows you to [join] the community.”

If you got a job offer in Massachusetts, could you afford to move there? What about Hawaii? Financial site SmartAsset used the most recent data available (February 2025) from the MIT Living Wage Calculator to gather the basic cost of living, including necessities like housing, food, transportation, and income taxes, to find how much salary it takes to live “comfortably” in each state.

Researchers applied the cost of living in every U.S. state to a 50/30/20 budget (50% for needs, 30% for wants, and 20% for savings) to sort the list. Unsurprisingly, Hawaii was found to be the most expensive state for a single adult to live comfortably.

Related: Here’s How Much a Family of 4 Needs to Live ‘Comfortably’ in Every U.S. State, According to a New Report

Living “comfortably” is defined as earning enough money for needs like housing and wants like trying that pricey restaurant, while still being able to put away money for long-term savings. According to the report, it takes a minimum salary of $124,467 for a single adult to live comfortably there.

According to a 2023 report from Hawaii Governor Josh Green, the Aloha State’s housing market is the most expensive in the nation, and an annual income of $252K would be needed to afford a median-priced new home.

West Virginia, meanwhile, was found to be the cheapest state for single adults, where a salary of “only” $80,829 is needed to live comfortably. Housing in West Virginia is 27% lower than the national average, and utilities are 6% lower, according to RentCafe. Still, this means that in the entire U.S., having a salary under $80,829 means you won’t be “comfortable.”

Here are the 10 most (and least) expensive states for a single adult with no children.

Most Expensive States for a Single Adult With No Kids to Live Comfortably

1. Hawaii

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $124,467.20

2. Massachusetts

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $120,140.80

3. California

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $119,475.20

4. New York

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $114,691.2

5. Washington

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $109,657.60

6. New Jersey

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $108,992.00

7. Maryland

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $108,867.20

8. Virginia

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $106,704.00

9. Colorado

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $105,955.20

10. Connecticut

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $105,164.80

Least Expensive States for a Single Adult With No Kids to Live Comfortably

1. West Virginia

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $80,828.80

2. Arkansas

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $81,078.40

3. South Dakota

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $82,160.00

4. North Dakota

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $82,284.80

5. Kentucky

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $83,574.40

6. Oklahoma

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $84,281.60

7. Ohio

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $84,780.80

8. Alabama

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $85,280.00

9. Louisiana

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $85,321.60

10. Mississippi

Income needed for a single adult, 2025: $86,320.00

Click here for SmartAsset’s full report.

Apple announced sweeping changes to its products on Monday, the first day of its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

Notably, the iPhone maker confirmed rumors that it is changing how it names its software updates. Instead of using a version number, Apple will use a system with a number that represents the year after the update is released. Apple’s next update will be iOS 26, arriving in the fall for most Apple users.

The naming change applies to all Apple products. For example, the next iPad update will be named iPadOS 26, and the next MacBook update will be called macOS 26.

Related: This College Student Wanted to Help People During the LA Wildfires. She Built a Practical App in Just 1 Month — and Won Apple’s Annual Competition.

Apple announced other changes, like a new design and AI features. The company has made all of the new features available for testing starting on Monday through the Apple Developer program, with a public beta version to be released next month and a broader update rolling out this fall.

“We continue to advance each of our platforms with more ways to harness the power of Apple Intelligence, as well as a beautiful new design, our product experiences become even more seamless and enjoyable,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said during the event keynote.

Here are some interesting new capabilities Apple debuted on Monday.

1. A new design with Liquid Glass

Apple made its biggest design update ever, with a new design element called Liquid Glass. The translucent element, which Apple used to craft new buttons, switches, tab bars, and notifications across its products, looks like glass on the screen and takes on the color of its environment.

“This is our broadest software design update ever,” Alan Dye, Apple’s vice president of Human Interface Design, stated in a press release. “It combines the optical qualities of glass with a fluidity only Apple can achieve, as it transforms depending on your content or context.”

Apple has integrated Liquid Glass components into its redesign, including translucent menus that respond to a user’s perspective of the screen and a new lock screen with a Liquid Glass time.

^{Liquid Glass time on the lock screen. Credit: Apple}

Apple’s new Liquid Glass design applies to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS for a unified look.

2. Live Translation will be integrated into the iPhone

Apple is bringing Live Translation to Messages, FaceTime, and Phone to translate text and audio on the spot. The AI-powered feature is backed by Apple-built AI models that run entirely locally, so personal conversations are never uploaded to the cloud.

Live Translation means that users can talk to each other in different languages, and have the translation appear on the screen in real-time. For example, when a user receives an iMessage in another language, they can opt for that message to be translated into their preferred language. On FaceTime, a user can hear someone talking in another language while following along with translated live captions.

^{Live Translation on FaceTime. Credit: Apple}

Live Translation could help overcome language barriers for business calls and personal calls alike.

Related: Own a Pair of AirPods? Listen to This — New Apple Tech Will Translate Languages During Conversations in Real Time

3. Visual intelligence gets sharper

Apple is bringing more AI capabilities to the forefront with visual intelligence. Users can tap into their iPhone cameras and use what they see to ask ChatGPT questions. They can also search Google or Etsy to find products similar to what they are looking at.

Visual intelligence also recognizes when a user is looking at a poster of an event, and can extract the data to add as an event on their calendar.

Related: Apple Is Reportedly Developing AI Smart Glasses to Compete with Meta and Google

4. Workout Buddy on Apple Watch

Apple is adding an AI workout companion to the Apple Watch called Workout Buddy.

Workout Buddy considers metrics tracked by the Apple Watch, like heart rate, pace, distance, and previous workouts, and leverages this knowledge to motivate users during their workouts with verbal encouragement.

For example, when a user starts their run, Workout Buddy could say, “Great job starting your run. This is your second run this week.”

Workout Buddy will be available for workout types like indoor run and outdoor cycle.

Men’s mental health is in crisis worldwide. Statistics show that men account for 70% of suicides worldwide, as described in an article by Rob Whitley, a professor in psychiatry from McGill University in Canada. Despite this alarming fact, men are less likely than women to seek help when experiencing poor mental health. This is due to the fact that there is still a social stigma that makes many men believe that being perceived as vulnerable or seeking help goes against the norms of societal constructions of masculinity.

Interestingly, research by Mind, a UK mental health charity, found that work life is the main source of men’s mental health issues. The charity found that one in three men attribute work stress to the ill effects on their mental wellbeing, which is twice as many as women who report this. According to another study conducted by CV Library in 2019, 61% of men surveyed wanted to quit their work as it affected their mental health, compared to only 48.5% of women who said so.

Moreover, the pressure to perform well in business has meant that CEOs and entrepreneurs are disproportionately affected by mental health issues, too, compared to the wider public, according to an article published in Small Business Economics.

Related: Taking Care of Mental Health Is Powerful, Not Weak

When the Priory Group, a mental healthcare facilities provider in the UK, interviewed 1,000 men for a survey on men’s mental health, they discovered that although 60% of men have talked about their mental health with someone at some point in their lives, 40% of men still haven’t discussed their mental health issues with close friends, family or even a medical professional. Among these men who have never opened up about their mental health, the majority reported that the underlying reason for it is that they’d learned to deal with it themselves, with the second and third most popular reasons being, “I don’t wish to be a burden to anyone” and “I’m too embarrassed.”

These findings tell me that there is a way forward, but it requires out-of-the-box thinking. To tackle men’s mental health in business, we need to craft solutions that will make men more likely to seek help in their workspaces, without feeling embarrassed about it. Here are five ways we can do this:

1. Bringing awareness to the workplace

One of the first steps to destigmatizing the shame many men face with regard to mental health issues is to normalize the discourse around mental health issues. According to an independent workplace mental health review by Lord Dennis Stevenson and Paul Farmer conducted in 2017, “the correct way to view mental health is that we all have it and we fluctuate between thriving, struggling and being ill and possibly off work.” Bringing the realization that even a seemingly healthy and productive employee or business leader can have underlying mental health issues will lessen the pressures many men face around seeking help.

Through normalizing these discussions via newsletters, group projects and even casual training sessions, a workplace can be an easier space for men to discuss their mental health challenges if the subject matter is actively framed as something that everyone collectively could go through.

Related: 6 Common Barriers to Happiness and Productivity for Men

2. Reduce the usage of the term “mental health”

To ensure that mental health services in the workplace are utilized by men, it is vital that we change the language we use to describe the problem in the first place. Using the term “mental health” can be distressing or off-putting for men, according to research, and instead, more specific terms such as “stress” or “burnout” should be used to describe mental health problems.

Men prefer focusing on and talking about problems that are more solvable, so avoiding broader terms when discussing mental health issues can make them open up more. Asking men specific questions relating to work performance could be easier for them to tackle instead of asking more general questions like, “Are you okay?”

3. Encourage lifestyle-based solutions

Men can often feel isolated if they are identified as having a personal problem in their workplace. Instead, greater benefits could be achieved in men’s mental health when mental health solutions are tied to wider lifestyle solutions, creating workplace activities that carry out themes such as sportsmanship, camaraderie and teamwork. Making mental health something that a company can work together to improve will make men’s participation more likely, since the focus is not entirely on them as individuals.

Well-being outings, group mentorships and friendly sporting events could be promoted as activities that could improve the collective well-being of a workplace and help colleagues work together collaboratively. According to the mental health charity Mind’s “Get It Off Your Chest” study, men have a high preference for physical activities when it comes to tackling their mental health.

4. Provide access to online therapy

Research has found that men are more likely to seek help when they can consult a mental health professional, especially when this can be done online, where anonymity can be guaranteed. This approach would also ensure that men would be confident to discuss their mental health struggles without feeling like they’re putting their job or position at the company at risk.

Related: We Need a Real Commitment to Mental Health at Work. Here’s How (and Why).

5. Create good senior role models

Men are more likely to be empowered to take care of themselves and others when other men in leadership positions are seen to be doing the same. It can be very powerful, for instance, for a male CEO or senior executive to talk to their employees about their own mental health struggles and explain how they work towards their mental well-being. The same could be said about the CEO and entrepreneurial communities, where businesses can work together to ensure that their leaders can work collaboratively and share personal experiences to improve their mental health and well-being together.

Image Credit: Veronica Sams

Most entrepreneurs build a product, then find an audience.

But what if you could do it in reverse — build an audience first, and then create a product to serve them?

That’s what Lauryn Bosstick advocates to new founders. She’s run this playbook to great success: She first built a fanbase of millions through blogging (The Skinny Confidential) and podcasting (The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Show), then spun out a top-tier podcast network (Dear Media) and a thriving beauty brand (also called The Skinny Confidential).

“My audience is invested in the development of the product,” Bosstick tells me on the Entrepreneur podcast Problem Solvers. “So by the time that it’s launched, they feel like they’ve been a part of every step of the way.”

People often misunderstand this strategy, she says: It’s not about just being an “influencer” who spins off products. It’s about mitigating your risk. When you launch a product without an audience, you have no idea who (if anyone) truly wants what you have. But when you develop your audience first, you can learn exactly what they want — and then serve them.

“ I really focused on the audience and the community for, gosh, like eight years,” she says. “And then I launched products.”

Want to try it? Listen to our conversation, or read her step-by-step playbook below.

1. Find Your Point of View

Founders are often afraid to say what they think. They want their products do the talking.

Bosstick understands that — to a point.

“A point of view can get you in big trouble,” she says. “But I think the pendulum is swinging. If you don’t have a point of view, you’re going to get eaten alive.”

Why? Two reasons. First, the world is full of noise, and only strong points of view break through. Also, consumers today are looking for brands they identify with, not just brands that make good products.

Everyone has a point of view, Bosstick says, but not everyone knows how to articulate it in a consumer-focused way. If you’re struggling, go back to basics — and find the root of what you’re passionate about.

“Ask your parents, and think about what you really liked when you were little,” she says. “What are the things you were gravitating towards, whether or not they made you money? Ask your childhood friends: What do they remember about you?”

She also recommends reading Donald Miller’s book Building a StoryBrand, which explains how to take complex ideas and make them simple and resonant.

2. Pick your medium

Once you know what you want to say, you need to figure out how to say it. Bosstick emphasizes being “incredibly self-aware of what medium works for you.”

For her, the medium was clear: “I was born to talk on a mic. I came out with a mic in my hand,” she jokes. That led naturally to podcasting. (Her show has been downloaded more than 500 million times.)

But maybe you’re better behind the scenes. Bosstick points to successful creators on Substack who are “creating huge community” through writing. “If I’m that girl on Substack, I already have a book planned two years down the road,” she says. “From the book, I already have a podcast planned. From the podcast, I already have a brand planned.”

The key is matching your natural strengths to the right platform, then thinking several moves ahead.

Don’t get overwhelmed, she says: You don’t need to be on every platform. “ If you can delete something off your plate that you really don’t need, delete it,” she says. “I mean, I can’t keep up with my inbox on LinkedIn. That’s not realistic. Choose the one that’s going to be the most impactful. For me, that’s Instagram.”

3. Gather insights that convert

Once you have an audience, start listening closely to them.

“I crowdsourced my audience — not for money, but for their opinion,” she explains.

For nine years, she watched her analytics, answered hundreds of DMs daily, and responded to tweets. She was “in the field” with her community, understanding their pain points and desires in real time.

This helped her understand, for example, the kind of beauty challenges her audience was frustrated with — and the specific pain points they have with existing products. That’s why she ultimately launched a beauty brand, and then focused on specific products inside the category.

The Skinny Confidential ice roller is a good example, she says. Her audience spent years complaining about existing ice rollers on the market. All she needed to do was listen. “I found a problem, I disrupted it. I made it better. I made it more beautiful,” she says. “When they got it in the mail, it exceeded their expectations.”

4. Provide value before you sell

Bosstick follows what she calls the “give, give, ask” model:

1. Give your audience tons of value through content.
2. Give more value by focusing on each community member.
3. Ask them to buy your product.

For that to work, however, you need to spend a long time engaging with and being valuable to your audience. Get to know them personally and become their champion — not just a salesperson.

It’s human nature: People want to feel seen, heard, and valued. When you give them that through consistent, valuable content, they’ll reward you with their attention, their trust, and eventually, their money.

“It’s slow, it’s meticulous, it’s really watering the community,” she says. “From there, you can have the sale and the product later down the road.”

We’ve all heard the saying “Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.” There is a lot of truth packed into this statement. Passion typically lies at the foundation of every successful business. For many business owners, choosing entrepreneurship meant escaping the dull, soulless corporate jobs that simply didn’t make them happy. Instead, they wanted to get up every morning and engage in work that was exciting, challenging and meaningful.

Building a business from the ground up requires a ton of blood, sweat and tears. The entrepreneurial journey isn’t for the faint of heart. Despite the headwinds of starting a new business, passion can be a powerful driving force that propels early growth. There are countless stories of entrepreneurs who created world-class brands by simply chasing what they love.

While passion is a critical ingredient in any successful business, it can present challenges when it’s the founder’s sole focus. At the end of the day, a business must be profitable to survive. This doesn’t mean that passion should be cast to the wayside. Instead, entrepreneurs need to be aware that too much passion can create blind spots that hold the business back from achieving strategic growth and maximizing their personal well-being.

Related: Passion Alone Is Not Enough to Open a Business

1. Identify your passion traps

As humans, we’ve evolved to desire the pursuit of things that bring us joy and pleasure at all costs. For this reason, it’s easy for business owners to selectively focus all of their time, attention and energy toward parts of the business they are most passionate about. The challenge is that not every product or service provides the same amount of value to the business. If your business isn’t as profitable as you think it should be, it may be that you are falling into a passion trap.

To solve this, create a matrix of all your products and services. Next to each item, rate them on a scale of 1 to 5 in two categories — passion and profitability. Your rating in the passion column should be based on how much you enjoy working on this product or service or how much fulfillment it brings to your life. The other rating indicates its profitability, scalability and long-term potential from a financial perspective.

The items on your list with the highest combined score should be where you double your efforts, since they achieve both objectives. However, products or services that are high on passion but low on profitability are likely passion traps. These might be better reserved for a hobby in your free time rather than a part of your business.

2. Change your financial mindset

Unfortunately, too many entrepreneurs fall into the endless cycle of aimlessly trying to capture more and more revenue. While this can be great for the bottom line, it can create a lot of stress and pressure on the business owner. They end up focusing entirely on the financial side of the business and neglect the side of the business that builds excitement and purpose for the entrepreneur, which can lead to stress, burnout and loss of motivation.

Instead of the mindless pursuit of money, reframe your business’s financial goals in terms of supporting your desired lifestyle. This gives you something more tangible and rewarding that’s tied to the financial success and strategic growth of your business.

For example, maybe you started the business with the intention of having a better work-life balance, but the growing business now demands that you work 80 hours a week. An alternative mindset would be to focus on allocating some of your growing revenue to hiring a general manager to take work off your plate so you can spend more time with your family. When you tie your increased profit to your personal lifestyle goals, it makes achieving them more meaningful.

Related: What Part Does Passion Play in Your Success as an Entrepreneur?

3. Strategic delegation and outsourcing

Many businesses are started because they leverage the strength or passion of the founder. This can be a powerful driving force in designing amazing products and building excitement with customers around the brand. The challenge is that this can also be a distraction for the business owner. There are numerous critical tasks that must be completed in order to keep the business in operation, such as accounting, payroll processing, record keeping, legal compliance and inventory management. If the entrepreneur is too focused on only the tasks that bring passion, the business could struggle operationally.

The real test is when the business has grown so much that the entrepreneur no longer has any time left to work on the exciting parts of the business. This can cause the business owner to lose their passion entirely or begin to resent the business. To solve this, it’s a good idea to outsource or delegate non-passion tasks to others. This is a win-win as it ensures the business operates smoothly while also freeing up the founder’s time to do more of what they love to do.

4. Segment your schedule

Passion and profit are two very important sides of the same coin. Focusing too much on the business operations itself can stifle creativity and the passion that allows for the creation of new products, keeping the business owner engaged and driving excitement within the team. On the other hand, leaning too heavily into passion can damage your ability to operate the business effectively and stunt your growth. It’s a catch-22. As a business owner, you have to be mindful to balance your time carefully between the two. A good practice is to schedule intentional blocks of time dedicated to CEO activities and others for more creative outlets.

Related: Why We Balance Passion With Reason

Passion is a must-have attribute for any entrepreneur. However, unchecked passion can be a recipe for disaster. When used correctly, it can be an amazing catalyst for growth. As an entrepreneur, it’s important to strike the right balance to avoid unintended consequences of burnout, financial instability, stress and lack of joy from blindly chasing passion projects.