I have so many girlfriends in their twenties who live in a white box apartment, having mediocre meals with mediocre friends, waiting for the life they want to hit them in their forties or fifties. They are settling in the now - what's the point?

I love to look at my life and look at what I can do better, how I can contribute more and where I can push myself.

My dad, who is a heart surgeon, works with many adult patients who did not take good care of their bodies in their formative years. He is able to teach them how to break old eating and exercise habits and reshape their bodies, but not without a great deal of resistance.

Tell your kids they are perfect the way they are, but they shouldn't stay where they are forever because growing, testing the limits, and evolving make life better and more fulfilling.

I am inspired by working moms. Mothers who somehow balance the demands of their many lives - professional, familial, personal, and interior - and still manage to make time to have fun and invest in themselves! This is a huge challenge that I look forward to taking on.

Don't make a different meal for every person, but make buildable meals. And, I do this with my kids, try to expand their palates gently.

Standards are what you hold for yourself, too. If I don't hold those standards with friends, colleagues, and lovers, I can't hold them to their relationships.