5SR - January 17, 2024
Hitha on NYC's new housing initiative, the importance of Origin, and Denmark's new queen
Today’s curator is the founder of #5SmartReads, Hitha Palepu. She’s a consummate multihyphenate - CEO of Rhoshan Pharmaceuticals, author of WE’RE SPEAKING: The Life Lessons of Kamala Harris and How to Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip, and professional speaker. Hitha is an unabashed fan of Taco Bell, Philadelphia sports teams & F1, romance novels, and is a mediocre crafter. She lives in NYC with her husband and two sons.
46 NYC office buildings could convert to apartments under city's new plan (Axios)
I’m hoping this initiative is successful, because it would make a huge impact on expanding housing, stabilizing rent, and better usage of real estate in New York - which are all critical issues right now.
One office building can yield about 500 housing units, per the projections from the pilot. With 46 buildings enrolled in the Office Conversion Accelerator, it could add over 20,000 new housing units to our city - which I hope are dedicated to those most in need.
Mayor Adams’ office is introducing legislation to the city council that would eliminate the bureaucratic rules that stand in the way of more conversions. One significant one is ending parking mandates for new housing as a whole - which is extremely expensive and occupies real estate that could be used for housing. This move could also help stabilize rent prices, as seen in Minneapolis.
I have high hopes for this. The next step is for it to be passed by the City Planning Commission before coming to the City Council for a final vote. You can find more information on the initiative here.
Exclusive: The rise of 'down to earth' Queen Mary (The HELLO! Royal Club)
As an amateur royal watcher, I much preferred Denmark’s lower key ascension ceremony this past weekend over the pomp and circumstance of King Charles’ coronation.
I also find myself drawn to the newly anointed Queen Mary, an Australian born woman whose advocacy goes beyond pretty words and appearances. While hereditary monarchy feels like a relic of the past, watching royals like Mary utilize her platform for purpose and impact (tangibly so) is refreshing, and should be the blueprint for monarchs and royal families worldwide.
From a quick search, it also appears the Danish royal family has one of the strongest returns on investment among their peers - the family received 88.9 million Danish krone in 2022 (about $13M), with 52% of Danes think the family is fairly compensation. The family’s popularity rate is 70%, with Queen Mary’s popularity at 80%.
I can’t think of another world leader or royal family with that level of popularity and support, and I’m quite looking forward to what Mary will do as queen of Denmark.
With 'Origin,' Ava DuVernay illuminates America's racial caste system (NPR)
Caste is a book that I still think about to this day, and one I need to re-read because I feel I’ve become numb to some of the horrors it shined a light on. And we cannot afford to become numb to the many injustices and horrors of the world.
I plan on picking it up again after I see Origin on Friday - a film that has never been more necessary than right now. And while the written excerpts from this interview with Ava DuVernay are powerful, please listen to the entire interview to appreciate what went into the creation of this film, from the language used for the crew on set to staging a book burning scene in Berlin and creating a safe set for an incredibly vulnerable scene in India.
Have you made your plans to see Origin? I hope you heed Sophia’s words in this post and purchase your ticket (and if you’re able, you can gift a ticket to a teen for just $16).
Pinky Cole Hayes Makes Meatless Burgers Fun (The Cut)
“A lot of entrepreneurs don’t talk about struggling. Everybody has it together, like, Oh, it’s all good. But nobody talks about the times where it gets a little uncomfortable. I’m in a very vulnerable state right now with my third child. I have three children under three years old, and a business that is still growing, that still needs me. I’m newly married. I’m a lot of things to a lot of people. So I’m learning how to channel that stress-free mindset at this moment.”
I can empathize with Pinky Cole Hayes’ words here so deeply. I feel like entrepreneurs rarely are able to be this vulnerable publicly, fearing that it may impact how an investor, partner, employee, or customer will view them negatively rather than seeing their humanity.
While I can’t relate to waking up at 3:30 in the morning to get a head start on her morning, I can relate to our kids’ love for Cocomelon (though I’m mercifully out of that stage), in shifting my role as CEO to be less in the weeds, in investing time in my community, and the feeling of not having made it yet.
This is a great How I Get It Done interview, and I highly recommend Hayes’ book I Hope You Fail if you want to learn more from her (it’s a very quick read/listen).
The Greater Goal in Gaza (Foreign Affairs)
No commentary will do this piece justice. Please read it with an open mind.
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