Heart of the matter
One of the privileges of being the editor of Red is hearing from readers who tell me, ‘It feels like it was written for me.’ Our intention is always to make you feel seen and heard – and that often starts with me having the same reaction.
Two of our features this month really spoke to me in this way. The first is Time On Your Side, on page 62, which explores the idea of time anxiety and states, ‘People who lead meaning-driven lives tend to struggle with the idea of wasting time.’ This cuts to the core of my angst about time passing too swiftly and needing to make every moment meaningful, but also my irrepressible tardiness
(I have a habit of over-committing), so I found The Crazy Busy Cure offered here particularly useful.
The second is Polly Dunbar’s interview on page 44 with former Pepsico CEO Indra Nooyi, on what it takes to lead a Fortune 500 company. Nooyi recollects waking her toddler at 5am to get her to the babysitter, and how delayed flights meant she was often unable to return until 10pm. She also spoke about ‘extreme multitasking’, which involved reading work papers, helping her daughter with homework, watching TV and talking to her husband all at once. Although I’m in awe of her incredible achievements (Nooyi is also one of the first women of colour to have run a company of this magnitude), my emotional response to her piece made me much clearer about the sacrifices I am prepared to make for my own career.
I’m proud that at Red we recognise the challenges faced in our complex, non-linear lives and careers, but also celebrate many different versions of happiness – whether that’s Nooyi and her professional accolades, former Harper’s Bazaar editor Justine Picardie, who writes so beautifully on page 42 about giving up a fast job in the city for a slow life in the country, or Rupaul’s Drag Race UK’S break-out star Bimini Bon Boulash (page 56), who has found joy in gender-nonconforming on their journey to self-acceptance.
And naturally, Red is also a place for inspiration – from our bountiful edit of the best winter coats on page 18, to the most beguiling new fragrances on page 98, to Yotam Ottolenghi’s delicious ‘storecupboard’ recipes on page 146.
As always, I hope you find something to embrace in the issue. Enjoy!