If you combine the NYSE and TBPN, do you get a BFD? Apparently.
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is announcing that it has inked a partnership with the live video podcast TBPN, becoming the shows exclusive exchange partner.
The deal marks another feather in the cap for TBPN, which has become one of the most-talked-about financial and tech-focused media startups in only 11 months, and also marks a further cross-generational shift into new media by the NYSE, which itself is 233 years old.
TBPN (Technology Business Programming Network) will continue to record and broadcast from its home base in Los Angeles. The show will now have access to the NYSEsimilar to other financial networks that have permanent or semipermanent perches on the exchange floor, like CNBC, FintechTV, and others.
While TBPN isnt necessarily a news or journalistic show, it has become a platform thats become must-see TV (or streaming) for those in and around the tech industry.
Its hosts, Jordi Hays and John Coogan, are entrepreneurs in their own right, with Hays having founded crowdfunding VC startup Party Round (among other projects). Coogan is a cofounder of Soylent.
Their entrepreneurial chops have helped attract an audience and high-profile guests. The shows also feature numerous interviews in each episode, including from high-profile Silicon Valley executives and leaders such as Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman, and others, such as entertainment stalwarts James Cameron and Casey Neistat.
The partnership kicks off in earnest in late December, but the initial interest in a long-term courtship between the two materialized when Hays and Coogan, broadcast live from the NYSEs Wall Street headquarters for design startup Figmas IPO at the end of July. Hays and Coogan also had Lynn Martin, NYSEs President, join the podcast that day, laying the ground for what was to come.
Hands down, that was probably the most memorable show this year, Hays tells Fast Company. Im not sure how they discovered the show, he says, but they were incredible hosts, allowing us to come in and set up for what was certainly the most notable IPO of the yearto be there, in the exchange, for that was incredible. So, we kept talking, came back for the Klarna IPO, and it made a lot of sense for the NYSE to be our home base as a company when were in New York.
Martin agrees and says the exchange is likewise excited about what TBPN, and what Hays and Coogan, are building.
[Photo: NYSE]
Over the past year, TBPN has covered some of the biggest tech IPOs of 2025 from the NYSE, including Figma and Klarna, Martin said. As TBPNs exclusive exchange partner, we are thrilled to formalize our relationship and to provide the backdrop for their coverage of the next wave of tech-driven innovation. NYSE remains the worlds leading marketplace for tech-driven innovation, and this partnership underscores our commitment to providing the premier platform for companies that shape our future.
Well level each other up
The partnership itself gives Hays, Coogan, and the rest of TBPNs team, including President Dylan Abruscato, direct access to the NYSE space in all of its grandeur, the numerous events (including future IPOs), executives, analysts, and personalities who filter in and out, in addition to the exchanges growing stable of media resources. Abruscato, who only joined TBPN in September, says that access to the NYSE can also add a sports-like element to the show.
The Figma IPO show, Abruscato says, was one of his favorites as a viewerit had a certain feel to it, kind of like Draft Day, or the Combine, he notes, referencing the two biggest off-season events held annually by the NFL. He hopes that TBPN can capture a similar energy when the show is broadcasting in New York.
Im really excited about having a place in New York City at the forefront of finance where we can do the show, he says. Were also really excited about leveraging our placement on behalf of our show and guests. He also says that the partnership will help both the NYSE and TBPN. Well level each other up.
We are the next generation of content and programming, not just for tech, but for business news. The NYSE is going to bring us into the fold, he continues, and take what has initially been a very West Coast-based show, with a diehard Silicon Valley audience, and spread the word around NYC, which has traditionally been very finance-focused, he says.
But well keep focusing on our bread and butter: Business news, through a tech-lens.
While the NYSE is, at its core, an exchange, theres another element to it that many people may not realize: The NYSE actively works to build up the companies listed on the exchange through various means. That, in a nutshell, is the driving force behind partnering with TBPN.
The NYSEs growing media muscle
Earlier this year, the NYSE launched the NYSE Partnership Network to facilitate media and content operations. That includes helping amplify the companies listed on the exchangearound 2,500 of themon or around milestones, events, and announcements. The Network works with traditional and new media partners, along with agencies and content creators or startups, such as TBPN, to provide strategic media support. The exchange is also evaluating new partnerships with publishers and content creators to help its listed companies tell stories and generate press.
The NYSE is best known for capital markets and innovation, but its also a storytelling powerhouse, said Joe Benarroch, the head of Content, Media Partnerships and Distribution, at the NYSE. “We’ve anchored our partnerships strategy, so public and private companies have ample opportunity to tell their stories. We are glad to be the official exchange partner of TBPN, which is transforming the creator economy and unlocking a new era of narrative power.
With that in mind, Hays makes it clear that he and his cohost are not planning on becoming corporate cheerleaders. You would assume that were sitting here all the time saying, tech and business can do no wrong! Yay Capitalism! he says. Though both he and Coogan have their roots in the tech industry, they do have enough separation to be able to speak candidly about itsomething that other podcasts or media offerings may not be able to do.
We both have young children. Were not itching to get them iPads or on social media. Were not oblivious about the tech industrywe believe that were trying to have hones conversations about a lot of this at a time when broader society has a lot of concerns about what the industry is doing, he says. Were aware of that, and try to push the guests and content to have real conversations about the impact of the work being done in the industry.
Being able to have fun, be honest, and speak truth to power, when warranted, makes TBPN a potentially powerful addition to the NYSEs media partner ranks. And it gives TBPN more established media firepower to pair with its small, independent media agility and authenticity.
Hays says that he thinks, ultimately, itll be a boon for both his podcast and for the NYSE, opening each to new opportunities and audiences.
Its a massive win-win for both of us.
As Americans grapple with $1.23 trillion in credit card balances, Klarna Group is introducing a new way to access premium rewardsone that doesnt require a credit card at all.
The Swedish fintech company launched its Premium ($19.99/month) and Max ($44.99/month) membership tiers in the United States on Thursday, expanding upon its existing Core and Plus offerings and mirroring successful rollouts in the UK and EU.
The move positions Klarna squarely in the territory long dominated by high-end credit cards like the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve, but with none of the spending thresholds, APRs, or annual fees that usually define that segment.
The timing is strategic: Americans, especially affluent Americans, are increasingly walking away from traditional credit cards and leaning into debit-first financial tools and buy now, pay later (BNPL) options.
According to Klarna, 11.2% of U.S. adults cancelled a credit card in the past 12 months, and that jumps to 15.1% among people earning more than $100,000. Nearly one in three high-income consumers (30%) now use BNPL as one of their preferred payment methods.
That shift was central to how Klarna designed these new tiers.
Affluent consumers are growing tired of the overspend-to-earn dynamics of traditional credit cards and the eye-watering annual fee that comes with them, said David Sandström, chief marketing officer at Klarna. They want premium benefits without carrying a balance, chasing categories, or navigating fine print.”
Klarna’s new tiers, he adds, offer “transparent pricing, month-to-month subscriptions, immediate access to meaningful perks they will actually use, and no requirement to take on debt.”
A Premium Ecosystem Without Credit
Traditional premium rewards in the U.S. have been dictated by the major card networks and issuers. Klarnas pitch is that the entire system can be rebuilt for consumers who dont want debt in exchange for access.
The legacy premium card model assumes youll spend more to earn more, Sandström said, adding, “Were redefining premium by reinventing the economics, not replicating the incumbents playbook.
That means U.S. members can access benefits typically found behind $500+ ins annual fees, including travel protection, lounge access, cash back, and subscription bundles, without needing a credit line or hitting a spending minimum.
With more than one million Core and Plus signups in the U.S. over the past two months alone, the appetite appears strong.
Building a Global Rewards Network
One standout feature is Klarnas ability to convert earned cashback directly into points or miles across major loyalty programs. Its the kind of benefit usually restricted to premium cardholders, but now available to debit-based and BNPL users.
We focused first on scale and consumer relevance, Sandström said of Klarnas partner strategy. Airlines like United, British Airways, Air FranceKLM, and Turkish Airlines and hotel groups like IHG, Accor, Radisson, and Wyndham serve the widest range of global travelers. They also integrate cleanly with cashback conversion, allowing members to unlock value immediately. Well continue expanding across regions and loyalty ecosystems to give consumers more choice and deeper travel utility.
This partner ecosystem, built on cash back rather than credit spend, further distinguishes Klarnas model from the legacy rewards system.
Making the Value Impossible to Miss
Klarna claims Premium and Max unlock between $3,000 and $5,000 in annual perks, ranging from subscriptions (Vogue, GQ, Headspace, ClassPass, The New York Times, Care.com) to travel coverage and concierge-style offerings.
But the company knows consumers are rightfully skeptical in a world filled with subscriptions and fine print.
Sandström argues that Klarna deliberately built transparency into the product experience.
Members can track benefits unlocked, used, and saved directly in the app, ensuring the value is transparent, not theoretical,” he said. “Because perks activate instantly and deliver tangible savings, Premium and Max counter subscription fatigue: you use it once and feel the impact immediately.
Klarna Card: The Physical Anchor for a Digital-First Strategy
The new tiers are available to any U.S. consumer, but Klarna expects the Klarna Card, its fast-growing debit product, to become a key touchpoint.
The Klarna Card is core to our U.S. and our global strategy, Sandström said. With over four million signups since July, its one of our fastest-growing products ever.”
The Premium and Max tiers each offer a 16g metal card, continuing a trend among financial products that blur the lines between banking utility and lifestyle branding.
Premium vs. Max: Two Paths Into Klarnas New Rewards Ecosystem
Klarnas two new top-end tiers, Premium and Max, are designed to meet different levels of travel frequency, lifestyle needs, and appetite for perks, but both operate under the same promise: predictable pricing and immediate value.
Premium, priced at $19.99 per month, is tailored for consumers who want meaningful upgrades to their everyday spending without committing to an expensive annual fee.
Members receive more than $3,000 in yearly value, including access to a rotating catalog of premium subscriptions. Premium users also earn 1.5% cash back when they pay from their Klarna balance, and receive global travel protection for trips booked throughout the year.
Max, at $44.99 per month, pushes the concept further and is clearly aimed at the frequent traveler who might otherwise carry an Amex Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Klarna estimates that the plan delivers more than $5,000 in annual perks, anchored by unlimited airport lounge access through LoungeKey, which reaches more than 1,800 lounges worldwide.
Max members earn 2% always-on cash back, gain access to elevated travel, rental cars, and cancel-for-any-reason protections, and unlock a broader suite of subscriptions, including the exclusive social and travel community ASmallWorld.
The tiers signature accessory is a rose-gold 16-gram metal card, designed to mirror the tactile satisfaction of high-end credit cards without tying the experience to a revolving line of credit.
Together, Premium and Max create a rewards ecosystem that looks familiar, but operates on entirely different economics. Klarnas approach reframes perks as something to subscribe to rather than earn, untangling them from spending thresholds and debt.
The Future of RewardsWithout Credit
Sandström believes that American consumers are ready for a shift and that the traditional systems dependency on credit lines is nearing its expiration date.
In five years, credit-dependent rewards will feel outdated, he said. Consumers will expect transparent value without annual fees, debt traps, or points systems that only work for heavy spenders.”
“Membership-style rewards will replace bloated card programs,” Sandström predicts. “Klarna intends to lead that shift.”
Fifty-two-year-old Dinam Bigny sank into debt and had to get a roommate this year, in part because of health insurance premiums that cost him nearly $900 per month.Next year, those monthly fees will rise by $200 a significant enough increase that the program manager in Aldie, Virginia, has resigned himself to finding cheaper coverage.“I won’t be able to pay it, because I really drained out any savings that I have right now,” he said. “Emergency fund is still draining out that’s the scary part.”Bigny is among the many Americans dependent on Affordable Care Act marketplace health insurance plans who are already struggling with the high cost of health care, according to a new survey from the health care research nonprofit KFF.Most of the more than 1,300 enrollees surveyed in early November say they anticipate that their health costs will be impacted next year if Congress doesn’t extend expiring COVID-era tax credits that help more than 90% of enrollees pay for health insurance premiums, per KFF. The possibility of an extension looks increasingly unlikely.The enhanced premium tax credits set to expire at the end of this year have been at the center of recent tensions in Congress, with Democrats calling for a straight extension and several Republican lawmakers vehemently opposed to the idea. Their inability to agree on a path forward fueled a record 43-day government shutdown earlier this fall.President Donald Trump and some Republicans in Congress have circulated proposals in recent weeks to offer a short-term extension or reform the Affordable Care Act, but no plan has emerged as a clear winner. Meanwhile, the window for Americans to shop for next year’s plans is well underway with less than a month to go until the subsidies expire.KFF’s poll reveals that marketplace enrollees most of whom say they would be directly impacted by the subsidies expiring overwhelmingly support an extension. The survey found this group is more likely to blame Trump and Republicans in Congress than Democrats if the tax credits are left to expire.
Enrollees already find it challenging to afford health expenses
The expiration of the tax credits which a separate KFF analysis found will more than double monthly payments for the average subsidized enrollee comes as Americans are already overwhelmed by high health expenses, the poll shows.About 6 in 10 Affordable Care Act enrollees find it “somewhat” or “very” difficult to afford out-of-pocket costs for medical care, such as deductibles and copays. That exceeds the roughly half of enrollees who find it challenging to afford health insurance premiums. Most also say they could not afford a $300 per year increase in their health insurance costs without significantly disrupting their household finances.Cynthia Cox, a vice president of KFF who leads the organization’s ACA research, said the population of Americans on Affordable Care Act health insurance includes some high-earning entrepreneurs and small business owners, but the bulk of enrollees are lower-income and therefore vulnerable to even small increases in health costs.“These are often going to be people who are living paycheck to paycheck, who have volatile or unpredictable incomes as well,” she said. “Increases that many of them are facing are going to be some sort of financial hardship for them.”
Most enrollees see cost increases on the horizon
Slightly more than half of Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollees believe their health insurance costs will increase “a lot more than usual” next year, according to the poll. About another 4 in 10 anticipate increases that will be “a little more than usual” or “about the same as usual.”Larry Griffin, a 56-year-old investment banker and financial adviser in Paso Robles, California, already pays $920 a month for his gold-level health plan through the state’s insurance marketplace. He says that price will go up to about $1,400 a month next year alongside jumps in copays and his annual out-of-pocket maximum.He’s concerned the increases will affect his ability to save money for his upcoming retirement, but with the recent amputation of his left leg below the knee, as well as other health issues, he said he can’t risk going off health insurance or downgrading his plan.Griffin is among the roughly three-quarters of marketplace enrollees who say health insurance is “very important” for their ability to access the health care they need.“I’m not going to say that I can’t manage it, I can, but it’s just another one of those things,” he said. “Here’s, you know, knock number 5,000 against me after all of the other things I’ve had to deal with.”Patricia Roberts, 52, a full-time caregiver for her daughter in Auburn, Alabama, expects her monthly health insurance premiums to rise from around $800 a month to $1,100 a month next year costs she can manage. But her friends across the border in Georgia are staring down doubling monthly fees next year.“I don’t know how people are going to live, with it already being a struggle just to pay for food and all the other things,” Roberts said.
Support for an extension stretches across political parties
The poll shows allowing the enhanced tax credits to expire would be overwhelmingly unpopular with current marketplace enrollees.Support for continuing the tax credits extends across party lines. Nearly all Democrats and about 8 in 10 independents who are enrolled in marketplace plans say the credits should be extended, as do about 7 in 10 Republicans. Support is similarly high among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who support the MAGA movement, and those who don’t.Yvette Laugier, 56, a Republican in Chicago, said while her income is too high to qualify her for the enhanced premium tax credits, she supports extending them temporarily with additional fraud protections to give lower-income enrollees more time to consider their options.Among those who think Congress should extend the credits, about 4 in 10 say Trump would deserve “most of the blame” if they were allowed to expire and roughly one-third say that about Republicans in Congress. Democrats in Congress are much less likely to receive blame: only 23% of enrollees say they would deserve the bulk of responsibility.Bigny, in Virginia, said the blame should be split between both Democrats and Republicans. But he has hope they can come to a compromise and potentially a temporary extension in the coming weeks.“They should just sit and really look for what’s best for American people overall,” he said.
Swenson reported from New York.
Ali Swenson, Linley Sanders and Amelia Thomson-Deveaux, Associated Press
Since Pantone began naming its Color of the Year in 2000, weve seen two flavors of both brown and yellow, three variations of purple, blue, and turquoise, and four distinct takes on orange.
But for the first time ever, Pantones color is essentially a non-color. Or you could call it every color.
Pantones 2026 Color of the Year is a white. In Pantone language, thats code 11-4201aka Cloud Dancer.
Pantonewhich operates somewhere between a trend forecaster and social psychologistargues that Cloud Dancer is part of a great cultural reboot. In the era of AI, everything feels like its changing on a daily basis, and the overstimulation of the internet is only increasing as we go. Cloud Dancer is a liminal space as we enter an unforeseeable new era. Savoring the physical world, its intentionally closer to the white of a piece of paper than an impossibly glowing, AI prompt box.
[Photo: Pantone]
Were trying to frame this [era] in a more positive way, looking at this as a transitional time, because it really is, says Laurie Pressman, VP at the Pantone Color Institute, who notes the color is a blank slate opening the door to creativity and innovation.
The word “cloud” refers to not just Cloud Dancer’s color, but also its real world texture. Often presented in voluminous textiles, on the runway and in living rooms, its literally meant to nod to a puffy cloud in the sky. Its an almost synaesthetic sensation thats a counterpoint to the other cloud: dead, unseen data centers answering our intangible queries.
[Image: Pantone]
Take the psychology for what you will. Functionally, though, Cloud Dancer also serves a practical purpose within design aesthetics.
Pressman points out that its timeless and genderless, and that it works blown out all on its own or with a wider array of colors beside it. On one hand, of course thats all true! Its white! On the other, Cloud Dancer is a very specific white: One that balances warm and cool tones in equal measure. (Note: in many real world examples that Pantone shared, Cloud Dancer appears less gray than it does on the swatch.) That means Cloud Dancer can fit with about any color palette you toss at it. Its not a white that will leave you squinting, guessing, and regretting. Its visual tofu, there to absorb the colors around it.
[Photo: Joybird/courtesy Pantone]
In an internet-driven cultural ticker where all tastes live side-by-side at once, and no single color is really in or out anymore for all that long, Cloud Dancer serves as a universal binder. Its the mortar for wider color expression, as effective on a blinding sneaker collab as a tranquil bedroom set.
But is white even a color?
Critics may complain that, of all colors, Pantone chose white. Its a non-color. Is that a cop out?
You might also have noticed some thematic overlap with the quiet luxury movement. Peaking some time circa 2023, fashion brands embraced neutrals, like Cloud Dancer and Pantones previous color of the year, Mocha Mousse, equating simplicity with style.
[Photo: Pantone]
When I point this out, Pressman nods along, noting that its synergy with quiet luxury was a point of discussion on the team. The difference, she says, is not so much the use of such a white, but the intent underlying it. Quiet luxury masked affluence behind understated hues. (Or, perhaps you might say it performatively masked affluenceoffering a wink and nod to those in the know.) Instead, Pressman argues that Cloud Dancer is more about creating a tabula rasa in an era of uncertainty.
Indeed, the white has been ontrend on runwaysbut not in some subdued apologetic way. From Jennifer Lawrences Dior at the Governors Ball, to Rosalía claiming white like a cleansing counterpoint to Charlie XCXs Brat green, its been used as a celebratory statement. A new collaboration between Moncler and Jil Sander makes a strong case for winter white, according to W.
[Photo: 3M/courtesy Pantone]
No doubt it helps that white has long been a shortcut, like black, to casually bolstered taste. We see that in how white button-downs and court shoes (along with every iteration of low white sneaker) has become a staple in wardrobes for years. Whiteand specifically puffy, textured bouclérefuses to leave high end living rooms.
[Photo: Hasbro/courtesy Pantone]
Likewise, Pantone is announcing new collabs with both Post-it and Play-Doh that feel like a cheat code to elevating taste. Each respective product will be offered in Cloud Dancer. Seeing these colorful, iconic products stripped of their hues is actually arresting. They get a sudden modernist makeover, feeling at-home next to a foam board architecture model. (Huh, maybe white is a color after all!)
I think the white works in these creative contexts because its being presented as a blank construction material, offering an invitation to craft in an era of automation.
The color name . . . speaks to this whole feeling of gazing into the clouds, says Pressman, and wondering what are the possibilities of what’s out there?
Headlines about a shredded cheese recall affecting more than a quarter of a million cases of various products have been making the rounds for the last few days, understandably alarming consumers.
Yet the recall itself is not new, despite only being widely publicized at this time. Heres what you need to know.
Whats happened?
Back in early October, a company called Great Lakes Cheese Co of Hiram, Ohio, reportedly issued a large-scale recall that impacted a range of shredded cheese products.
The recall was initiated after Great Lakes Cheese was informed by one of its suppliers that some of its “Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella” may have been contaminated with a foreign materialin this case, metal fragments.
The consumption of metal fragments could obviously cause internal injuries to anyone eating the cheese products, posing a health risk.
In response to an inquiry from Fast Company, Great Lakes Cheese said that it immediately identified the affected “raw material” at its facilities back in October, and that it instructed retailers to remove any affected products from store shelves.
Yet despite this recall happening in October, the information wasn’t widely shared with the public at the time and is only now coming into sharp focus and garnering media attention.
That’s because of an enforcement report by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which was published on the agency’s website this month.
What has the FDA said?
On December 2, the FDA published an enforcement report on the October 3 shredded cheese recall. In that report, the agency announced that it was classifying the voluntary recall as a Class II recall and listed the recall as Ongoing.
The FDA classifies recalls into three categories. Per the FDA:
Class I: a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.
Class II: a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.
Class III: a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.
The FDAs classification of the Great Lakes Cheese as a Class II means that while consumption of the recalled cheese is unlikely to have serious adverse health consequences, it can cause temporary injury or health consequences that are medically reversible.
The status of the recall as ongoing suggests that the recall is currently in progress. It’s not unusual for the FDA to issue a classification of a recall months after the recall took place.
What has Great Lakes Cheese Co said?
In the wake of the media attention sparked by the FDAs enforcement report, Great Lakes Cheese publicly addressed the recall on Wednesday.
In a statement provided to Fast Company, the cheese producer confirmed that in early October, it had been notified by a supplier of possible foreign material contamination in some of its products. The company then said that it took immediate action.
We instructed retailers to remove the products from store shelves after the announcement in October, the company stated. When we were confident all recalled products had been removed from store shelves, we distributed new product that did not have the potential to contain foreign material and was safe.
Great Lakes Cheese says that all recalled products have been removed from markets and that any of its products currently on store shelves are not products associated with the October recall.
The company also addressed the ongoing status listed in the FDAs December enforcement report: “While the status of the recall is marked as ongoing in the enforcement report, our records show all product has been fully removed from store shelves.
What products are included in the recall?
The FDAs enforcement report provides a list of impacted products. In total, there are 263,575 cases of cheese products included in the October recall.
As Taste of Home notes, those products have sell-by dates ranging from January to March 2026, meaning consumers could still have the items in their possession.
You can find a list of the exact recalled products on the FDA’s enforcement report. Brands on that list include:
Always Save
Borden
Brookshires
Cache Valley Creamery
Chestnut Hill
Coburn Farms
Econo
Food Club
Food Lion
Freedoms Choice
Gold Rush Creamery
Good & Gather
Great Lakes Cheese
Great Value
Happy Farms by Aldi
H-E-B
Hill Country Fare
Know & Love
Laura Lynn
Lucerne Dairy Farms
Nu Farm
Publix
Schnucks
Simply Go
Sprouts Farmers Market
Stater Bros. Markets
Sunnyside Farms
Where were the recalled products sold?
The recalled products were sold at stores in 31 states and Puerto Rico. Stores where the recalled products were sold include major retailers like Aldi, H-E-B, Target, and Walmart, as well as numerous grocery stores.
The states and territories the cheese products were sold in include: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NM, NV, NY, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, and Puerto Rico.
What should I do if I have the recalled products?
If youve bought any cheese products, you should check your refrigerator to see if the recalled products remain in your possession.
If you have them, you should not consume them.
Any households with any of the affected items from October in their refrigerators or freezers should discard the product or return it to the store where it was purchased for a refund, Great Lakes Cheeses statement says.
Artificial intelligence is radically changing how healthcare providers tackle vision loss, with tools that can be used from diagnosis to treatment and even follow-up care.
One such example is Visilant, which uses smartphone imaging, telemedicine, and AI to screen, diagnose, and monitor patients for vision care.
And with this technology, more of the one billion-plus patients who live with vision loss can be treated, Jordan Shuff, executive director and founder of Visilant, said at last months World Changing Ideas Summit, cohosted by Fast Company and Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C.
But in this race to expand care, its also important to have guardrails in place. To ensure that AI doesnt diagnose in a vacuum, there are some simple checks incorporated in the process so that a doctor can be pulled in to offer expertise when necessary, Shuff said.
We design these [tools] thinking about what is the workflow, who are other people involved, what is all the data involved, and how can we build guardrails so it works alongside a human,” Shuff said.
EVOLUTION OF TOOLS, THINKING
The past decade has seen huge improvements in tools used in healthcare settings, while some of the thinking around providing a broader continuum of care to patients has also evolved, said Gabriel Jones, cofounder and CEO of Proprio, a medical tech company.
We’re very fortunate to have these tools that enable automation, where that’s the right answer, really to drive better outcomes,” Jones said.
AI can help to be predictive with careit might help to avoid surgeries in the first place, for examplewhile its use in the operating room may actually redefine what an outcome is, according to Jones.
The implications for how we treat, who we treat, the types of procedures and pathologies we can addresslet your mind go, because the pie is way bigger than whatever it looks like today, he added. And that’s why it’s a really exciting moment.
Small changes in routines can create significant improvements in how much gets accomplished in a day. Here, experts share 15 practical habits that can boost productivity and lead to better results in your work and personal life.
Plan Your Week Every Friday Afternoon
One small habit that’s made the biggest long-term difference in my productivity is making a plan every Friday for the coming week.
Most people start their Mondays feeling behind before they’ve even begun. Their inbox dictates their day, and they spend valuable energy reacting instead of leading. I used to do the same thinguntil I started ending each week with a simple Friday planning ritual.
Before I wrap up on Friday, I take less than 30 minutes to look ahead at the next week. I review upcoming meetings, identify priorities, and map out where key tasks will fit. When I close my laptop, I know exactly what next week looks like and I can actually enjoy my weekend because my brain isn’t spinning about what’s waiting for me.
When Monday morning comes, I’m energized from actually resting over the weekend, and I hit the ground running with clarity and confidence. I’m not reacting; I’m executing a strategic plan. Over time, this habit has helped me stay focused on meaningful work, protect my time, and feel genuinely presentboth at work and at home.
It’s a small commitment that delivers massive peace of mind and productivity all week long.
Samantha Lane, TEDx Speaker | Time Management Coach & Executive Trainer, Present and Productive | Origami Day
Commit to an Earlier Bedtime
There’s one habit that changed how I work, and it didn’t come from any kind of glamorous productivity tool. Funny enough, I figured it out by noticing a damaging pattern. My nights were setting me up to fail the next day.
For a long time, I kept waking up tired. Not just sleepy-tired, but the kind where your brain feels heavy the moment you open your eyes. I’d load up on coffee, push through my schedule, and hope I’d somehow get more focused as the day went on. Which never happened. I run my own business, so there was always one more email, one more task, one more “quick thing” to do before bed. By the time I finally sat down to relax, the night was basically gone. And then I’d stay up way past 12 a.m. because I felt like I hadn’t had any time to myself.
One night, I ended up going to bed around 10:30 p.m. without even planning it. The next morning, I felt completely different. I didn’t need to drag myself out of bed. My brain felt clear. I actually felt awake. I went to bed early the next night, too, just to see if it was a fluke. It wasn’t. The difference was massive. That’s when I realized how much my evenings were affecting everything. My nights were draining the version of me I needed in the morning.
Sticking to that bedtime meant I had to stop working earlier. I picked 6 p.m. and held myself to it. At first, it was hard. I kept feeling like I should be doing something. I was antsy. But that one boundary changed how I worked during the day. I stopped wasting time on little tasks and started focusing on what actually mattered. Plus, I got my evenings back. I didn’t need to stay up late anymore because I finally had real time to wind down.
It’s not exciting or trendy, but going to bed a few hours earlier (before midnight) changed everything for me. Out of all the things I’ve tried over the years and all the money I’ve spent on flashy “productivity tools,” this caused the biggest difference in how I feel and how well I work.
Lisa Jeffs, CEO & Founder, Lisa Jeffs Toronto Life Coach & Toronto Executive Coach
Remove Distractions and Focus on One Task
The habit that’s changed everything for me is ruthless single-tasking. One task at a time, no exceptions.
To make this work, I had to remove every distraction that tempted me to multitask. I used to run three monitors thinking more screen space meant more productivity. The opposite happened. Every open tab, software window, and notification pulled my attention away from the one task I needed to complete. I switched to a single screen and started wearing earplugs to block out noise. It sounds extreme, but it forces me to stay locked in on what actually matters.
The results showed up fast. Projects that used to take days now get finished in hours because I’m not context switching every few minutes. Client work gets deeper attention, which means better outcomes and fewer revisions. My team noticed the difference too because I’m more present in conversations instead of half-listening while checking Slack.
The hardest part isn’t the setup. It’s saying no to things that feel urgent but aren’t important. Once you get comfortable protecting that single-task focus, the productivity gains compound quickly.
Xavier Tai, Founder, EasyScalers
Process Action Items Immediately After Every Meeting
One small habit that’s had an outsized impact on my productivity is blocking five to ten minutes after every meetingor block of meetingsto process action items immediately.
In most workplaces, meetings end and we rush straight to the next task. We talk about next steps, but then they get lost in the shuffle or buried on an endless to-do list. Taking even a few minutes of transition time changes everything.
Here’s how I use it: anything that takes two minutes or less, I do right awaysending a follow-up email, scheduling the next call, or updating a document. Anything that takes longer than two minutes, I don’t put on a to-do list; I schedule it directly on my calendar for a specific day and time.
This simple practice prevents small tasks from falling through the cracks and eliminates the mental clutter of wondering what I forgot. Over time, it compoundsprojects move faster, communication stays tight, and I end the day with far fewer loose ends. It’s a tiny adjustment that creates exponential gains in focus, reliability, and calm.
Marissa McKool MPH, Burnout Coach, The Public Health Burnout Coach
Reset Your Workspace Every Evening
Most people lose tomorrow because they don’t close today properly. That’s why I swear by a habit I call “The Reset.”
Every evening before I close my laptop, I take 10 minutes to reset my workspace, my inbox, and my head.
It sounds simple, but it has been a game changer. I clear out the clutter, finish any two-minute tasks, and write down the three most important things I’ll tackle first the next morning. Then I stop working.
Because of this, I start every day on the front foot and not playing catch-up. I know what matters, my desk is clear, and I’m not wasting that first hour reacing to whatever is shouting loudest in my inbox.
Before I started doing it, I would often end the day in chaos with tabs open everywhere, half-finished thoughts, and energy well and truly spent. The next morning was always about reassembling my focus. Now those 10 minutes buy me hours of clarity.
Sean McPheat, Founder & CEO, MTD Training
Document Recurring Processes as You Complete Them
One habit that may seem small but made a huge impact not only on my productivity but also on how smoothly our operations run is creating standard operating procedures as I go.
In our overall operations, there are always recurring tasks like onboarding new hires, processing orders, generating reports, approving content, and managing communications with suppliers. When I was getting started, I always found myself re-explaining the same process or digging through my emails to remember how I did something the last time. It ended up being mentally draining and very inefficient.
That’s when I started to make it a rule: if I have to do something more than twice, it needs to have an SOP. So, whenever I complete a certain process, I take a couple of minutes to document it, taking note of each step, the tools I used, and the templates needed. It doesn’t have to be 100% perfect immediatelyit just has to exist, and I just refine it as I go along. Over time, that documentation evolves into a solid and scalable process.
The impact of this productivity hack has been significant. New hires/team members can get up to speed faster and make fewer mistakes, and I spend less time teaching the entire process and more time focusing on making strategic decisions.
Jessica Bane, Director of Business Operations, GoPromotional
Take Two-Minute Pauses Between Major Tasks
The habit that changed my productivity wasn’t about doing more; it was about transitioning better.
For years, I moved through my day as if I were being chased. I had back-to-back meetings. I switched quickly from strategic planning to operational tasks. I jumped from tough conversations to designing training content. There was no pause or transition, just constant forward motion. I thought I was being efficient, but I was losing focus everywhere.
The change came during my time at AWS. I balanced UX research, EQ-centered leadership development design, and implementing generative AI solutions, often all in the same afternoon. I noticed my best work happened when I had natural breaks between tasks, but my calendar rarely allowed for that. So, I built it in: a two-minute reset between each major task or meeting.
I did not scroll social media or check emails. Instead, I took a genuine mental break. I stepped away from my screen, took three deep breaths, and asked myself: What does the next task really need from me? Sometimes the answer was creative energy; other times, it was focused analysis or empathetic listening. This habit wasn’t just about resting; it was about recalibrating so I could engage with each task using the right mindset, not just leftover energy from before.
The impact was immediate and noticeable.
When I led research on automating training processes, those two-minute resets helped me shift from technical research to strategic conversations with stakeholders. I could be fully present in each context rather than dragging the last conversation into the next one. My error rate dropped. I stopped rereading emails three times because I was skimming distractedly. I caught mistakes before they became problems. My team noticed I was more responsive to nuances in conversation.
The productivity gain wasn’t about fitting more into my day; it was about focusing fully on what was already there. What makes this habit sustainable is that it’s small enough to feel easy but substantial enough to create a real mental reset. You don’t need a meditation app, a special space, or permission. You just need to stop treating your attention like it’s an endless resource and start treating transitions like the productive work they truly are.
Your brain isn’t a machine that switches contexts instantly without cost. Respect the transition. Your focus will thank you.
Alinnette Casiano, Leadership Strategist, Growing Your EQ
Spend 15 Minutes on Your Critical Task
I started every workday with exactly 15 minutes on my most critical task, no matter what. Just the first 15 minutes, not the complete thing. It’s simple neuroscience: when you start small and keep going, your anterior cingulate cortex, which controls switching tasks and starting them, gets ready. After two weeks, the neural connection gets stronger, and what used to seem like climbing a mountain becomes second nature.
One executive I trained was overwhelmed with leadership duties and hadn’t written a strategic memo in months. We made one rule: every morning for three minutes, just write down one thought. She finished her whole strategy framework in 90 days without once feeling exhausted. She wasn’t suddenly more disciplined; her brain had only changed how it started tasks to make them seem less threatening.
The underlying lesson is that you don’t get more done by working harder; you get more done by getting your brain to believe that starting is safe and easy.
Sydney Ceruto, Founder, MindLAB Neuroscience
Start Each Day with Exercise and Deep Work
The single most impactful habit I’ve maintained for two decades is The Habit of Winning the Morning.
It’s not about the alarm time; it’s about preloading your day with uninterrupted, high-leverage work. I’m at my desk by 7:00 a.m., having already exercised and cleared my personal mental clutter. This routine engineers a psychological and professional head start that lasts all day.
Here is the measurable value this habit delivers:
Gain a 2-Hour Head Start on Your Peak Performance: By getting to my desk early, I consistently create a daily buffer of focused, deep work that prevents me from playing reactive catch-up for the rest of the day.
Build Mental Resilience Through Physical Movement: Dedicating a full hour to exercise delivers a sustained surge of chemical energy and mental clarity, ensuring I approach high-stakes problem-solving with maximum focus.
Achieve Consistent Momentum and Confidence: Starting the day with intentional wins (exercise, deep work) generates a sense of control and efficacy that fuels an energetic and proactive approach throughout the entire workday.
Thomas Powner, Executive Career Management Coach * Recruiter * Resume Writer * Career Keynote Speaker, Career Thinker Inc.
Brain Dump Weekly Plans to Your Assistant
Every Monday morning n my drive, I talk out loud to my custom GPT that acts as my personal assistant. I brain dump everything for the week: projects, errands, client follow-ups, content, even small admin. My assistant organizes it by day of the week and by category, flags blind spots, and asks clarifying questions I usually forget.
When we finish, it gives me a single structured list. I move that list into Google Tasks, and Zapier syncs it to my Notion to-do database so my workspace stays current. Each morning, Google’s contextual view with Gemini gives me a quick summary of what matters today and pulls helpful context from Gmail and Drive.
The result is simple. I start the week with a clear plan, my tools stay in sync, and I stop carrying the entire to-do list in my head. Fewer dropped balls, better prep for calls, and more focus time because I’m not resorting priorities all day.
Gloria Espina, Recruitment Systems Strategist, Recruitment Gal
Write Worries Down and Store Them Away
When life or work starts to feel overwhelming, I turn to a simple practice I call “the box.” It’s a small wooden box that sits underneath my desk, not for storage, but for clarity.
Whenever I’m consumed by stress or distraction, I write each worry on a piece of paper, fold it, and place it inside. Once the lid closes, that thought has been acknowledged and contained. It no longer controls my focus. Weeks or months later, I open the box and read those same notes. Almost without fail, the things that once felt so urgent never materialized, or they resolved with far less impact than I feared. That realization has fundamentally shifted how I manage my energy and productivity. I’ve learned that clutter in your mind is just as costly as clutter in your calendar.
This ritual helps me quiet the noise so I can channel energy toward meaningful work, which moves the business forward. By giving my worries a place to live outside my head, I create space for clear thinking, better decisions, and focused execution. It’s a small habit, but one that’s helped me lead with more presence and produce more with intentionnot exhaustion.
Felicia Gallagher, Founder | CFO | Finance Strategist, ThreeStone Solutions
Replace Your Phone with a Dedicated Alarm
I stopped using my phone as my alarm device. I started this practice after I realized that, while convenient to have one device next to my bedside, as soon as I woke up to turn the alarm off, I could not help but see several notifications that I had received overnight. Even if I did not look at the notifications, within seconds of waking up my brain was off to the races. The fact that I knew there were messages on my phone was enough to fill my mind with an unhealthy cocktail of curiosity, anxiety, and even fear of what might have happened overnight and needed my immediate attention. Needless to say, whatever recovery and relaxation benefits I had gained with sleep left my mind within seconds. All of this became much worse when I decided to actually read any of the notifications.
Switching out my phone as an alarm has saved me from getting the instant info and data hit that would provoke nervous energy. This in turn has allowed me additional mental runway before the brain gets fired up with external data. It took some serious practice to make this transition. Now the anxiety levels are much lower getting out of bed and my ability to thoughtfully engage with business issues on my phone has gone up. It has also helped me be more present with the family and be able to support their early morning needs without me being distracted.
Rohit Bassi, Founder & CEO, People Quotient
Choose One High-Impact Task Each Morning
“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing,” said Stephen R. Covey.
I got inspired by that quote long ago. Because as leaders, we are always surrounded by priorities, requests, and opinions. But not everything that comes across deserves our attention. So, I adopted this one simple habit inspired by Covey.
Every morning, I decide on one task that will make the biggest impact that day. This daily clarity greatly reduces the feeling of overwhelm, alongside giving me room to handle the unexpected without losing sight of what truly matters.
It helps me stay intentional. And I end each day with a real sense of accomplishment. Because when the main thing stays the main thing, everything else starts falling into place.
Sandeep Kashyap, CEO & Founder, ProofHub
Carve Out Dedicated Calendar Blocks
Time blocking. It’s not enough just to have a to-do list to be productive because different tasks require different amounts of time and energy.
When you carve out time on your calendar, you ensure that there’s enough time in your day to get the right things done. You can also prioritize important tasks to be done firstand at times when you’re at your best.
Time blocking pairs well with Cal Newport’s concept of deep work. Save time for yourself to get quality work done, not just a quantity of shallow work. This goes for both professional and personal tasks.
I adopted time blocking into my own workflow about six years ago, and it’s been invaluable. I take time every week to set my schedule, and then I don’t have to worry about missing things.
Robert Carnes, Marketing Director, GreenMellen
Build Daily Rhythm Through Four Reflection Moments
For much of my career, I believed productivity meant maximizing output, earlier mornings, longer hours, and tighter schedules. Over time, I learned that real productivity isn’t about doing more. It’s about aligning more often.
The most effective habit I’ve built doesn’t require a new system or app. It’s a simple reflection routine that takes just three to five minutes at a time, yet it’s completely changed how I lead, think, and show up for the people who count on me.
Morning ReflectionSet Intention
Each morning before leaving home, I take a few quiet minutes to ask, What deserves my focus today? That one question sets the tone for the day. It helps me focus on what truly matters instead of reacting to noise. Many of my clients do this same reflection when they first get to their office before opening their email or going into meetings. Whether at home or at work, that intentional pause turns a busy day into a focused one.
Pre-Meeting ResetRegain Presence
Before important meetings or tough conversations, I take one to three minutes to reset. A deep breath, a quick stretch, and the reminder: Be fully present here. That short pause helps me show up calm, clear, and attentive. It helps me listen better, respond more thoughtfully, and lead ith steadiness instead of urgency.
End of Day ReflectionCreate Closure
At the end of the day, I take a few minutes to look back and ask, What moved forward today, and what needs my attention tomorrow? That simple check-in helps me close the loop mentally. It keeps unfinished thoughts from following me home and allows me to be more present with my family. The result is better rest, stronger relationships, and a clear head for tomorrow.
Evening ReflectionEnd with Gratitude
Before bed, I take a moment to ask, What am I grateful for, and what did I learn today? That question helps me reset and end the day.
These four momentsmorning intention, pre-meeting reset, end of day closure, and evening gratitudehave become my daily rhythm. They’ve helped me lead with greater presence, make clearer decisions, and stay grounded when things get complex.
Real productivity isn’t built in big bursts of effort. It’s built in quiet, consistent moments of reflection that reconnect what you do with who you want to be and how you want to show up for others daily.
Gearl Loden, Leadership Consultant/Speaker, Loden Leadership + Consulting
Hershey’s has finally jumped on the Dubai chocolate trend, and it typifies the intentional approach the company is taking to viral candy.
The Hershey’s Company announced it’s releasing a limited-edition Hershey’s Dubai-Inspired Chocolate Bar that adds green pistachio filling and kadayif pastry to a classic break-apart Hershey’s chocolate. They’re treating the release like a sneaker drop: only 10,000 bars are being released.
[Photo: Hershey’s]
“We don’t chase every trend, but this one was big enough, and there was an opportunity to do it in a Hershey way,” Dan Mohnshine, Hershey’s vice president of demand creation strategy and brand development, tells Fast Company.
To make the bars, Hershey’s flew a small team to Italy to source pistachio and kadayif cream. The company reviewed nine formulas before deciding on the recipe they’re using, which was chosen for its balance of crunch and salt to complement the milk chocolate.
“The ingredients and filling we developed are exclusive to the Hershey’s Dubai-inspired baryou won’t find this exact combination anywhere else,” Mohnshine says.
The bars will be available for $8.99 at the Hershey’s Chocolate World Times Square on Thursday or online through Gopuff orders in New York City, Philadelphia, or Chicago.
It was a roughly two-month process from late July to September to get the bar from concept to reality, and all 10,000 bars were produced in the company’s Hershey, Pennsylvania, research and development center. The candymaker has a “Velocity Lab” capability that Mohnshine says is “all about taking ideas to consumers quickly by embracing agility, an iterative mindset, and rapid prototyping based on trend signals.”
For the Hershey’s Company, choosing when to jump on a trend depends on whether the candymaker believes it can provide a unique offering and value.
Hershey’s is late to the food trend, which went viral on TikTok beginning in 2023. Shake Shack introduced a Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Shake in June, and Lindt and Ghirardelli released their takes on the trend in July and October, respectively. Demand for pistachio broke the supply chain.
Still, that hasn’t hurt the company’s bottom line. As a limited-edition drop, Hershey’s Dubai-inspired bar is just a sugar rush in its overall sales.
Though the company reported on its October earnings call that Halloween sales were disappointing, which CEO Kirk Tanner blamed in part on the day of week, it’s seen a 6.5% increase of consolidated net sales.
Though just 10,000 bars will be released, Mohnshine says “never say never.”
“We’re really excited to hear what our fans think about Hershey’s version of a Dubai-inspired chocolate bar,” he says.
Yes, its that time of year again: when we dont just wrap up one chapter but start anticipating the next, determined to begin with something that resembles a clean slate. The ritual is familiar: a little reflection, a little optimism, and a list of promises to our future selves.
New Years resolutions are extremely popular, particularly relative to their low execution rate. According to a recent 2025YouGov survey, 31% of U.S. adults can be expected to set at least one resolution for the new yearwith the highest participation among younger adults (under 30), of whom 58% say they will make a resolution.
Saving money emerges as the single most common New Years resolution among Americans (26%), followed closely by goals related to health and well-being: 22% plan to improve physical health, 22% want to exercise more, another 22% aim simply to be happier, and 20% intend to eat healthier.
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The benefits without the work
New years resolutions reveal a painful truth about change, namely: everybody seems to love change, until they have to do it. Indeed, even when people say they want to change, what they actually want is to have changedin other words, to enjoy the benefits of having changed or having achieved the desired transformation, but without the painful and effortful work of undergoing the process to achieve it.
We are, in essence, creatures of habits, and though every habit was once a new behavior, it is hard to unlearn behavioral patterns and dispositions that have become defining habits. In the famous words of Samuel Johnson, the chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.
Although New Years resolutions may seem like trivial once-a-year occasions, they paint a bleak picture about our capacity to change. Consider that these are typically borne out of a genuine desire to improve ourselves, and are motivated by intrinsic or at least personal motives, rather than people telling us to change or evolve. In theory, this should put us in an ideal position to achieve our goals, since all change is fundamentally the product of our own desire or will to changethat is, the only way to get someone to do something is to get them to want to do something.
Hard to keep
In practice, however, we do a dismal job holding our resolutions and are generally likely to break them and then recycle them in future years. In a longitudinal study of 200 resolvers, 77% had maintained their resolutions after one week, but this dropped to 55% after one month, 43% after three months, 40% at six months, and only 19% still held to them after two years.
Another study provides more reasons for optimism: it tracked 159 people making New Years resolutions and 123 similar non-resolvers for six months. Both groups had comparable backgrounds and goals (mainly weight loss, exercise, and smoking cessation), but their outcomes diverged sharply: 46% of resolvers were still successful at six months, compared with just 4% of non-resolvers. Among resolvers, higher self-efficacy, greater readiness to change, and stronger change skills predicted success, and those who succeeded relied more on practical cognitive-behavioral strategies than on emotional or awareness-raising tactics. The authors conclude that New Years resolutions offer a valuable natural window into how real behavior change unfolds.
The connection to organizational change
That said, when we look at most organizational change interventions (especially the ubiquitous attempts to develop or transform leaders), there are even fewer reasons for optimism. Heres why:
(1) Leadership change interventions are rarely driven by internal desire.When organizations ask leaders to change, they usually want them to change in a specific way, aligned with the business agenda. This means the change is externally imposed rather than intrinsically motivated. Unsurprisingly, meta-analytic research shows that intrinsic motivation dramatically increases the success of behavioral change interventions, while externally imposed change often produces compliance without real transformation.
(2) Measurable outcomes or quantifiable metrics are often lacking.Many leadership development programs still rely on vague perceptions of improvement or on self-reported progress, rather than objective before-and-after data. Organizations often over-index on participation, sentiment surveys, or anecdotal indicators, while ignoring behavioral KPIs or longitudinal performance outcomes. Success becomes conflated with completion, and leaders often receive credit for attending a program rather than actually changing.
(3) Personality often stands in the way of change.Most leadership behaviors that organizations want leaders to change, such as listening more, dominating less, delegating better, becoming less impulsive, or being more emotionally regulated, are deeply rooted in personality. And personality is highly stable. Leaders dont micromanage, interrupt, or avoid conflict because they forgot how to behave differently; they do so because these tendencies are their psychological defaults. Asking someone to act against their personality is rarely sustainable unless supported by strong motivation, environmental scaffolding, and ongoing reinforcement.
(4) The environment often pushes leaders back to old habits.Even when leaders make progress, the organizational context often pulls them back. If incentives, culture, role expectations, team dynamics, and senior-leader behaviors remain unchanged,new habits cannot survive. A leader may return from a development program eager to delegate more, only to find that the culture rewards heroic overwork, rapid responsiveness, and being in control. In such contexts, reversion to old habits is almost guaranteed.
What works
And yet, well-designed leadership development interventions do work, typically yielding average improvements of around 30% for approximately 30% of leaders. Crucially, they tend to share certain characteristics:
(1) They are enhanced and supported by a coach.Coaching meta-analyses show significant positive effects on behavioral change, goal attainment, and leadership effectiveness. Coaches help leaders translate insight into action, apply new behaviors in context, and stay accountable.
(2) They rely on high-quality, evidence-based coaching and expert change professionals.The expertise of the coach matters. Effective coaches draw on validated psychological frameworks, provide accurate diagnosis, challenge constructively, and avoid the vague platitudes common in low-quality coaching.
(3) They ensure the organizational context and incentives align with the change expected.If new behaviors are not reinforced (or worse, if the organization rewards the opposite behaviors) change will not stick. Structural alignment (incentives, culture, team expectations) is a critical amplifier.
(4) They leverage the science of behavioral change.Small habit formation, nudges, friction reduction, implementation intentions, environment design, and regular prompts all increase the likelihood that new behaviors will persist.
(5) Most importantly, they select the right leaders to invest in.Coachability, which largely boils down to openness to feedback, willingness to self-reflect, humility, and a genuine desire to improve, is one of the strongest predictors of leadership development ROI. Whatever you think of personalities like Trump or Musk, its clear they have little appetite for being coached. In contrast, leaders who are curious, self-aware, and eager to grow are far more likely to change.
Viewed through this lens, New Years resolutions and leadership development are two versions of the same psychological phenomenon: most people want the outcomes of change without the discomfort of transformation. Leaders, like the rest of human beings, start the year with good intentions, but only a minority translate those intentions into new habits. Perhaps the most important New Years resolution for leaders, then, is not to change everything, but to commit to the small, unglamorous, sustained behaviors that actually make change possible. After all, lasting leadership growthlike lasting personal changeis less about setting resolutions and more about building habits that survive past January, and perhaps even until the next decade.
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Changing prices for what the market will bear has long been a staple of pricing for everything from airplane seats to a gallon of gas to hotel rooms. Indeed, an entire field of so-called dynamic pricing exists to figure out how to extract the most profit from the most willing customers has now emerged. But were at an inflection point now in which such practices are going from the exception, and for relatively few items, to the norm. The regulatory framework is at the moment right in the midst of figuring out what the guardrails will be.
The Intermediary Industrial Complex
Remember when a gallon of milk cost the same for everyone who walked into the store? That quaint notion is rapidly becoming as obsolete as the paper price tag itself. Retailers frequently use people’s personal information to set targeted, tailored prices for goods and servicesfrom a person’s location and demographics, down to their mouse movements on a webpage. We’re witnessing the emergence of a pricing ecosystem where your browsing history, zip code, and even the speed at which you scroll through a web page can determine what you pay.
Companies like Revionics, PROS, and Bloomreach are building the infrastructure for a world where pricing becomes as personalized as ones Netflix recommendations. The Federal Trade Commission found that the intermediaries worked with at least 250 clients that sell goods or services ranging from grocery stores to apparel retailers. This isn’t a niche practiceit’s becoming the operating system for modern commerce.
Consider this scenario from the FTC’s findings: A consumer who is profiled as a new parent may intentionally be shown higher priced baby thermometers on the first page of their search results. This opens the door to algorithmic exploitation of vulnerability. When your recent searches reveal a sick child, the system is programmed to catch you at the moment youre likely to be least price-sensitive.
The regulatory response is crystallizing around three distinct vectors.
First, consumer protection law challenges the fundamental fairness of charging different prices to different people for identical products. The Robinson-Patman Act, dormant for decades, may find new life in addressing digital-age price discrimination. It was originally intended to help small vendors compete with large ones by forcing everybody to compete on the same playing field when it came to pricing, eliminating predatory pricing by large players.
Second, those who support stronger privacy laws question whether using granular personal data for pricing decisions constitutes an unfair practice. The Electronic Frontier Foundation argues that predatory pricing is only possible because our privacy laws are so weak. Americans, they suggest, deserve to know whether businesses are using detailed consumer data to deploy surveillance pricing, for instance, charging higher prices to those already in the parking lot (as Target has been accused of doing) or to those with fewer alternative options, as Staples has been accused of doing.
Third, antitrust concerns emerge as companies with the power and resources to engage in surveillance pricing may trigger competition concerns. Only the largest companies have sufficient data to perfect these systems, potentially creating insurmountable competitive moats. Further, the algorithms used to set prices can act as signals that allow firms to effectively collude, even if they dont do so explicitly.
With everything else becoming dynamic, perhaps the era of fixed prices is over
Here’s the strategic contradiction companies must navigate: The same data capabilities that enable personalized servicethe holy grail of customer experiencealso enable personalized exploitation. Every company talks about “customer-centricity,” but surveillance pricing reveals the tension between serving customers better and extracting maximum value from them.
Forward-thinking companies might find competitive advantage in explicitly rejecting surveillance pricing. “Same price for everyone” could become the new “organic” or “fair trade”a trust signal that commands its own price premium. Costco’s membership model already embodies this principle: pay to enter a space where prices are transparent and universaland Costco has long set a ceiling on how much margin it extracts from its member-customers.
We’re in a brief window where surveillance pricing is technologically possible but not yet legally constrained. Companies experimenting with these tools should assume that window will closethe only question is how quickly and how completely.
