Day: August 2, 2025

• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
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Happy August! “Dawson’s Creek” star James Van Der Beek, 48, is among the growing number of young people being diagnosed with colon cancer. He tells BI the one subtle symptom that made him get tested.

On the agenda:

• A man wondered why he needed the restroom so much. The fix was simple.
• Would you pay $2,500 a year to scan your body for signs of danger?
• New York City’s most exclusive clubs are invite-only fitness classes.
• “OK, no problem!” How Gen Z became the people-pleasing generation.

But first: What’s on your playlist?

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This week’s dispatch

Let’s talk tracks

I wouldn’t have guessed that Palmer Luckey is into Kelly Clarkson.

Still, a recently-revealed Spotify playlist making the rounds was indeed that of the Oculus VR and Anduril founder. Yes, the man who created a company that makes defense technology apparently loves pop music, with Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” and Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi” in his “Best Music Ever” playlist.

“Like most olds, I jam to the music I grew up with,” Luckey wrote in an email to BI’s Henry Chandonnet. “Around my peers and the radio-driven world of shared cultural experience it was ‘Sk8er Boi’ — who doesn’t like reliving the highs and lows of teenage angst?”

In light of this, I asked a few BIers what’s on their Spotify playlist. Here’s what they said:

Michael Domanico, senior managing editor, people: “‘Teenagers’ by My Chemical Romance has been heavy in my rotation. That type of music was ambient noise in the early 2000s for me, so going back to that sound has been really satisfying.”

Jordan Hart, business news reporter: “Faye Webster’s voice on ‘A Dream With a Baseball Player’ is filled with yearning, and the chords in her music are dreamy, especially on this track. When I want to pretend I’m in an indie music video, I put this song on and sing to an imaginary love interest.”

Samantha Rollins, deputy editor, entertainment/real estate: “‘Aquamarine’ by Addison Rae is going platinum in my home. The once-corny TikToker is actually cool now, and this song is an upbeat but dreamy track that wouldn’t feel out of place on Madonna’s ‘Ray of Light.'”

Lisa Ryan, executive editor, audience: “One song that’s made its way onto my ‘On Repeat’ playlist is ‘Silver Springs’ by Fleetwood Mac — clearly I was influenced by all the TikToks and Reels about it. But it’s a great song, so no embarrassment here.”

Cadie Thompson, deputy news chief and executive editor: “‘What I Got’ by Sublime is one of my all-time favorites. It hits just right whether I’m in a good mood or trying to shake off a bad one. What can I say? I’m a ’90s kid.”

Pelvic floor relief

For years, Adam Gvili organized his life around trips to the bathroom. He needed to pee 20 times a day, was often constipated, and had painful bowel movements.

After six years and many appointments with different specialists, Gvili discovered he had a tight pelvic floor, an area in the body usually associated with women.

Twice-weekly therapy eased his symptoms.

Also read:

• Men are embracing pelvic floor therapy — and not just for better sex

Are full-body MRIs worth it?

Doctors have been debating the utility of full-body MRIs for decades. These scans, which can cost $2,500 or more, are now used in high-end longevity clinics, with celebs like Kim Kardashian touting them on social media.

Everyday people have also shared success stories, but these scans can also send patients down a time-consuming and expensive spiral. Doctors shared a framework with BI to help assess whether a full-body MRI is a good idea for you or not.

A security camera for your insides.

The swollest speakeasy

The definition of luxury fitness in New York City is no longer a high price tag. Instead, studios are leaning into invite-only classes, where you have to know someone to get in.

Two studio founders told BI that it’s all about vibe curation. Smaller classes keep the workouts personal and effective. “It’s not about feeling special because you’re a member,” one regular attendee said.

If you know, you know.

The people-pleasing generation

Healing from her own people-pleasing tendencies is what inspired Meg Josephson to become a therapist. She said her Gen Z clients especially struggle with this, thanks to the online world.

The internet Gen Z grew up in magnifies rejection and makes it so much easier to seek validation, leaving them in a never-ending approval loop, Josephson said. Luckily, people-pleasing isn’t a fixed trait — and even Gen Zers can shed it.

How to ditch the label.

What we’re watching this weekend

• “Twisted Metal”: Over on Peacock, season 2 kicks off based on the hit video game set in a postapocalyptic wasteland. Anthony Mackie stars as a man with amnesia on a quest while surrounded by some colorful characters.
• “Chief of War”: Created by and starring Jason Momoa, this new Apple TV+ series is set in the 19th century where four major kingdoms of the Hawaiian Islands are all battling in a bloody war.
• “Eyes of Wakanda”: This animated Disney+ series is a spin-off of the successful “Black Panther” movie franchise that focuses on a group of Wakandan warriors who set out on dangerous missions.

What to shop

• Budget finds, Prime convenience: Amazon’s new Haul section is packed with ultra-cheap, under-$20 finds — from kitchen tools to trendy clothes. Naturally, we had to order a bunch of stuff and show you what it’s like. Ultimately, shopping on Haul is impulse-buy heaven, but quality can be hit or miss.
• Your feet will thank you: We tested 22 pairs and ranked the most comfortable shoes for standing all day. Each pair is built for support, durability, and long-haul wear, no matter your job, routine, or travel itinerary.
• Best Breville for your brew: Coffee aficionados know Breville is the gold standard for home kitchens, whether you want quality shots with minimal effort or full control over every step. We tested and compared the brand’s top models, from beginner-friendly to barista-level machines.

More of this week’s top reads:

• A cardiologist explains how to tell if your heart is aging too fast, and four tips to keep it young.
• Costco started opening early for executive members. I wish they’d done it sooner.
• A Navy SEAL vet turned CEO shared his morning routine to stay fit at 48.
• What it’s like staying at a resort with one of the largest pools in Hawaii.
• The high-protein trend is coming for your Starbucks order.
• Four simple food rules to stay in shape and live longer, followed by a longevity doctor.
• A former “Real Housewives” star just sold her waterfront home for $40 million. Take a look.
• Older job seekers may be hurting their chances. A career coach shared how to avoid self-sabotage.

The BI Today team: Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Akin Oyedele, deputy editor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.

• Pharrell Williams’ auction house sold $1 million worth of rare and collectible watches in July.
• The collection featured watches from brands like Rolex, Cartier, and Richard Mille.
• These are the five top-selling watches, which accounted for 70% of the sales.

Pharrell Williams opened up a trove of watches for wealthy collectors to peruse for nearly two weeks.

The musician and entrepreneur’s online auction house, Joopiter, said it sold just over $1 million worth of luxury watches, including Rolex, Cartier, and Hermès models, that were put up for bidding in July.

The auction was described as a curated selection of collectible watches that span generations of style. It’s unclear how many of them, if any, were part of Williams’ private collection. He’s been spotted in watches from many of the brands that went up for auction.

Robertino Altieri, CEO of WatchGuys.com, said the “eclectic collection featured some holy grails, vintage pieces, and Japanese watches that sold at some surprising prices.”

For example, two one-of-a-kind watches from Ōtsuka Lōtec each sold for $12,500 and $13,750 apiece, respectively, about $10,000 more than the brand typically retails for.

Five watches in the collection made up the majority of the $1 million grand total. Together, these items cost $756,250.

These are the most expensive watches sold in the auction, and how much they went for.

Rolex Daytona Ref. 16519 ‘Sodalite’: $43,750

The Daytona “Sodalite” sold on the “higher end of its expected value,” Altieri said.

The watch — made with a rare blue sodalite dial and eight diamond indexes — is the first Daytona model to be produced in white gold with a stone dial.

“Rolex remains king when it comes to the secondary market,” Altieri said.

Cartier Tank Cintrée Ref. WGTA0090 ‘NSO’: $62,500

This Cartier Tank Cintrée is a “one-of-a-kind model that was made as a special order,” Altieri said. He wasn’t surprised the watch sold for so much at auction.

“This unique dial color makes it especially special, as the blue is extremely rare for Cartier watches,” he told Business Insider.

Joopiter described it as a unique creation made through Cartier’s exclusive New Special Order program, which ended in 2025, watch publication Hodiknee reported in April.

Rolex Day-Date Ref. 18366 ‘Platinum Baguette Lapis Lazuli’: $125,000

This specific Rolex Day-Date model has a bezel set with 24 baguette-cut diamonds — two for each platinum hour mark. Altieri said it’s an off-catalog watch, meaning it’s part of Rolex’s exclusive secret menu that isn’t promoted in its catalog or website.

“Williams has a flair for rare dial colors and off-catalog pieces,” Altieri said. “These tend to do well, so it was expected that these watches would sell around market value.”

Richard Mille RM030 PSG: $137,500

Williams is no stranger to the Richard Mille brand. He’s been spotted wearing the sporty watches on many occasions. The RM030 PSG is a limited-edition collaboration with the football club Paris Saint-Germain.

The final price was somewhat shocking for Altieri, considering similar models list for around $250,000.

“The sale price could potentially be attributed to the description, which suggested that it may require servicing,” he said.

Patek Philippe Celestial Ref. 6104R-001: $387,500

Despite the hefty price tag for the highest-ticket item sold in the auction, Altieri said it’s considered a low point for a Patek Philippe with a market value between $400,000 and $700,000. It features a diamond bezel and a starry dial.

“While this low selling price may be shocking to some, this is somewhat expected as a piece like this is very particular and has a small client base seeking it out,” Altieri said.

• My husband and I made a pact never to divorce if we had children.
• We spent years disconnected and barely speaking, but we didn’t leave — thanks to the pact.
• Nearly 30 years later, I’m grateful we stayed because our love now is deeper and hard-earned.

I remember sitting on opposite ends of the couch, years into our marriage, barely speaking to each other. We were in therapy, and the couple’s therapist looked at us and said we’d be better off apart. At the time, I believed her.

Our marriage had slipped into a quiet disconnection. We were going through the motions, parenting well but partnering poorly. I don’t remember when it started. It wasn’t one dramatic argument or betrayal. It was the slow erosion of everything that matters in a marriage: attention, intimacy, and communication. The space between us got wider, and eventually, we lived like roommates instead of husband and wife.

But we couldn’t leave each other because we made a promise that divorce would never be in the cards for us.

Early in our marriage, we made a pact

Years before we found ourselves on that therapy couch, we both agreed that if we became parents, we wouldn’t get divorced.

It wasn’t a promise either of us took lightly. We both came from divorced families. We knew what it felt like to be caught in the back-and-forth, split holidays, loyalty tests, and the constant calculation of whose turn it was, who you vacationed with last, and who you “owed” the next visit. That quiet damage shapes you. You learn to keep score. You learn not to expect peace. And we both agreed: if we had kids, we’d never put them through that.

So when things got hard, and they really did, we stayed. Sometimes we were resentful. Many times we were mean to one another. Most of the time, we were just numb. There was a two-year stretch where we were simply coexisting. We weren’t even fighting anymore. We were just surviving.

We learned to reconnect and grow again

That therapist’s words stuck with me: “You’d be better off apart.” For a long time, I didn’t disagree.

But we had made a commitment to each other and, more importantly, to the family we were building. As difficult as it was, we kept showing up. Not perfectly, not always willingly, but consistently.

But then one day, my husband made me laugh. That reminded me of why we got married in the first place. We used to laugh a lot. We used to have fun. That was the turning point. That was the part in the long middle of our marriage when we started to grow together again.

We learned that connection is something you can relearn, that intimacy can return, but only if you allow each other to be seen and heard. Forgiveness isn’t a moment; it’s a process. Sometimes, love looks like staying.

It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it

We’re now approaching our 30th wedding anniversary. I find myself most grateful not for how long we lasted, but for how far we’ve come. I’m thankful because staying forced us to grow. We became better partners — more honest, more respectful, more trusting. Not because we willed ourselves to be, but because the pact we made gave us the time and space to get there.

Regrettably, in today’s society, it’s acceptable to just walk away when something doesn’t make you happy anymore. While some marriages do need to end, particularly when there’s abuse, chronic infidelity, or betrayal that breaks trust beyond repair, many relationships aren’t broken; they’re just stuck. If both partners are willing, there is a path forward. It might not be pretty. It will take time, but healing is possible.

The love I have for my husband now is not the kind of love I had at 28 when I was planning our wedding. It’s deeper. It’s calmer. It’s built on shared history, mutual respect, and the kind of trust that only comes from walking through fire together and making it out the other side.

We still have hard days. Every couple does. But now we move past them, together. We solve our problems, together. We choose to laugh a lot. We talk about everything. We prefer being together rather than apart. This joy didn’t come from some big romantic revelation; it came from rebuilding, one brick at a time.

We didn’t stay because it was easy. We stayed because it mattered.

And I’m so glad we did.

• Parrie Hartley, 30, wasn’t interested in settling down and having kids in her twenties.
• In February, Hartley moved from Austin to Spain for a fresh start.
• Adjusting to a new language was hard, but she’s happier in Spain and has made new friends.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Parrie Hartley, 30, who moved from Austin to Barcelona in February 2025. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

I’m from a really small town outside of Houston, where there are not a lot of employment opportunities. I’ve always been a city girl at heart, so in 2020, after a brief stint living in Australia, I moved to Austin and started working in software sales.

Austin’s tech scene is booming. Many, like big corporations, like Amazon, Tesla, and Meta, have opened offices there, bringing with them a lot of jobs. Moving there definitely built my career and made me a lot of money.

Living in the city was awesome, too. It’s a great place for young people, with an amazing culture, food, and music scene. There are a lot of events, and I definitely made some really great friends there.

In May 2024, the startup company I was working for started making layoffs. By then, I had already started thinking about leaving Austin. I had been in the city for five years and was itching for a change.

Everything in my life was perfect on paper, but I still missed adventure. I’ve always been very curious about the world, and I really do think I’m the best version of myself when traveling.

At the time, I was 29 and single. I had no husband, job, children, or pets. My parents were healthy, so I didn’t really have anything tying me down. I decided, “Why don’t I move abroad?”

A student visa was my ticket to Spain

I had been working in sales, so I had built up quite a bit in savings. But once I decided to move, I sold everything — furniture, clothes, anything that I could get money from.

In Austin, I lived alone in a 1,100-square-foot apartment on the East Side, downtown, and paid $1,800 monthly on rent. To save money, I moved back to my hometown and started picking up some shifts at a local boutique.

I considered a lot of different places to move abroad. I had already lived in Australia, so I checked that off the list. I’d also been to Asia, which I enjoyed, but I felt that living there might have been too much of a culture shock. So, I began researching visa options for Europe.

One option was a student visa, which I discovered could be obtained by enrolling in a language school. The visa was available in Portugal, Spain, and Italy.

As a Texan, I didn’t feel a strong need to learn Portuguese or Italian. I had also visited Spain when I was 22, during a backpacking trip with friends to Barcelona, and had a great time. I figured that if I moved there, I could learn Spanish and be close to the other European countries I wanted to visit.

It took about four weeks to organize all of my paperwork for the visa. I had to obtain an FBI background check, get a medical clearance from a doctor, show proof of health insurance, and submit my bank statements to show that I had sufficient funds in my account.

In the end, everything came together, and my visa was approved just three days before my flight to Spain in February.

I got lucky finding housing

I attend a Spanish language school called Expanish in Spain. I have classes five days a week, four hours a day. The course lasts 40 weeks, with eight weeks of holiday included. I paid $6,800 in total.

I live in a neighborhood pretty close to the Church of La Sagrada Família , which is not only the most famous building in Barcelona, but possibly in all of Spain. Since I’m in such a central area, there are a lot of tourists and markets around, but the area itself is still fairly quiet.

My building is between three major metro stations. Figuring out the metro was initially a challenge for me as an American, but it turned out to be super easy. I feel safe walking there day or night because the area has low crime.

I got really lucky finding an apartment through a rental website called Idealista. They matched me with a couple, and I’m paying €600 ($686) for my room. I pay €10 ($11) a month for WiFi, plus water and electricity, which adds another €40 ($46) a month.

The apartment is around 753 square feet and came fully furnished, which was great. We have air conditioning, but unfortunately, it doesn’t reach my room, which is rough in the summer.

It’s easy to make friends in Barcelona

Meeting people in Barcelona is easy, and the people are very warm and welcoming. The city is filled with people from all over the world. Most are away from their families, here for a year or two, so eventually, you end up creating your own little family.

Often, making friends is as simple as going out and striking up a conversation — if you hear someone speaking English, you just start talking.

I’ve met plenty of people through my language school, though it tends to be a revolving door since it’s a temporary program, and most students are only around for three or four months. Outside of school, I’ve built friendships through Bumble BFF. I also joined a volleyball league when I first got here, and I play regularly.

I haven’t ventured onto the dating apps just yet. I’m 30, and I do want to build toward a relationship, but I feel like I need to get my life a bit more together first.

That said, I’m definitely having fun meeting people. I’ve met guys from Brazil, the Netherlands, and Colombia — it’s been a really fun mix. Honestly, it feels a bit like being a kid in a candy store.

Moving here was the right choice for my future

Most of my time here has been really positive. I spend a lot of time at the beach, and I’m walking up to 20,000 steps a day. You can really see the difference in my face. I’ve also been traveling.

In July, I visited Menorca, one of the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain. My round-trip flight was only €40 ($45.72). I just packed a backpack with bikinis and went. This month, I’m also heading to Mallorca because I scored free tickets to the Love Island UK finale.

Right now, I earn money tutoring both kids and adults in English during after-school hours. I’m also helping my cousin, a lawyer in Texas, with some administrative work.

My current visa is valid for one year and will expire in early February 2026. I’d love to stay longer, so I’m exploring the option of applying for a digital nomad visa. It’s available in several European countries and essentially allows you to live and work remotely, as long as you meet certain income requirements and have health insurance.

As for moving back to the US, I don’t plan on it, at least not if I don’t have to.

Of course, there are cultural challenges that come with living abroad, especially in a place where you don’t know the language or the people.

I also miss my family, and get a little sad when I miss family events or big moments in their lives and can’t be there in person. But I’ve come to realize that life keeps moving — both for them and for me.

My motto is: you choose your hard. For me, marriage and raising a child right now would be difficult. For someone else, it might be moving overseas alone without knowing the language. But that’s the kind of hard I’d gladly choose any day.

• My husband is a surgeon doing his residency and often works 80-hour workweeks.
• For us, right now, support looks a little different.
• I’m doing more household tasks, and we have less time together than I thought we would.

When I married my husband, I knew I was marrying someone exceptional. He’s kind, generous, endlessly patient, and deeply devoted to helping others.

What I didn’t fully understand at the time was that I was also marrying a career. One that demands nearly every ounce of his time, energy, and emotional capacity. That’s because I married a surgeon.

We’ve been together since his first days of medical school

I thought medical school was the hard part. He went through four years of back-to-back exams, unpredictable schedules, and long nights spent studying. He graduated from medical school in 2024, we moved states for him to begin residency later that year, and we got married this May. And while residency has been hard for him, it’s also hard for me.

I learned how to be flexible, how to manage things on my own when needed, and how to celebrate small victories, such as when he passed exams and the weekend mornings he didn’t have to go to the hospital. But nothing really prepares you for residency.

I’d heard about the long hours, of course. Everyone familiar with life in medicine has. But hearing about it and being with someone living through it are two very different things. Averaging an 80-hour workweek might not sound that bad, but when you’re living it, you realize that it means you’re working more hours than you’re not, six days a week, sometimes seven. It’s consistent 13-hour shifts.

And for him, a “long shift” isn’t just a late night here or there. It’s months of overnight rotations. It’s waking up at 4:30 a.m. on a Saturday and not getting home until 9 p.m. on some days. It’s missing holidays, birthdays, and weekends. It’s walking through the door, emotionally drained after performing chest compressions for 36 minutes, or losing a patient you fought for all day.

Residency is all-consuming

As a partner, I’ve had to learn how to live alongside someone dealing with these things. That hasn’t always been easy. I’m not someone who naturally thrives on independence; I’ve always loved the closeness that comes with partnership.

So, finding myself navigating life more solo than expected, managing plans, meals, chores, and my own emotional highs and lows, has been a real adjustment. I’m not just sitting around waiting for him to walk through the door, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss having him there more often.

What makes it harder is that there’s no true guidance

Most people don’t fully understand what it means to be married to someone in the early stages of medical training. His schedule isn’t his own. We can’t easily plan vacations. He can’t always promise he’ll make it to dinner. And when something small, like taking out the trash, gets overlooked, I have to remind myself that this is someone who just worked 14 hours trying to save lives.

In a typical relationship, you divide and conquer. But I’ve learned that in for us right now, support looks a little different. It’s picking up the slack without keeping score, and it’s knowing that love, right now, doesn’t always mean time together. Instead, it means empathy, patience, and staying tethered even when life pulls hard in another direction. It means listening to and consoling each other when we’ve had a tough day, even when the definition of “tough” looks drastically different in each of our jobs.

We first started living together when he was in medical school, and we had set tasks around the house. He was in charge of taking the trash out and cleaning the toilets, and I was in charge of vacuuming and laundry. Whoever cooked dinner, the other person cleaned up. We grocery shopped together. The last person out of bed had to make it.

Right now, in this phase of life, these tasks fall mostly on me. Sure, it took an adjustment period of getting used to, but I’ve learned that a strong relationship is less about keeping track of who’s doing what and more about how you can support and love your partner. And when he has the time to help, he absolutely does.

I don’t compare my relationship with others

There are plenty of Reddit threads sharing stories like mine, but I try not to read them. Every relationship is different, even within the medical world, and if I compare our relationship to others, there won’t be any winners.

What matters most is how we show up for each other — and we absolutely do. Sometimes that’s him staying up an extra 20 minutes after a grueling overnight shift to eat breakfast with me, and that small moment means everything.

Loving someone in residency means loving someone who’s being stretched to their absolute limits and choosing not to let that stretch tear you apart. It’s definitely not easy. But for us, it’s worth it.