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Greg Sullivan
July 25, 2025

"This kind of transparency is so important."

We all know that the level of fitness achieved by celebrities we see on television isn’t attainable for many, if not most everyday people. And yet, when their sculpted bodies grace our screens, it can still activate a little voice that says “clearly you’re not doing enough."

That’s why it’s so helpful and grounding when a celebrity is actually transparent about the work it takes to achieve their physique, so that it might quiet that self-deprecating narrative and help us get a little more realistic about achieving whatever fitness goals we might have. Jessica Biel’s recent response to a fan who asked her to share her workout routine is a perfect example of that.

It all started with a clip from her Prime Video thriller series, The Better Sister, where she plays a super-fit character…as is evident by how toned she looks in a backless white dress worn during the show’s opening.

💡 Millennial woman reveals 'The Shift' she felt at 35, and so many of her generation can relate

She put into words something everyone feels at that age.

There’s something so satisfying when someone can take a phenomenon that many of us feel and, for the first time, put it into words so we can better understand it. A Millennial woman recently coined the term “The Shift” to describe the moment she realized that a growing number of people in positions of responsibility were younger than her, and it struck a chord with many in her generation.

Once one has made “The Shift,” they begin to realize that the people who, ten years before, were teenagers, are now in their late 20s and have responsible positions in life. They are lawyers, police officers, parents of young children, and teachers. It’s like realizing that your besties' younger brother or sister is all grown up and has a family.

“I see what lights you up.”

There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

On a hot Sunday in July, Carole Wade took the mic at a Dallas senior living facility where my mom lives. I happened to be visiting for the karaoke event, and the list of residents who couldn't wait to put their stamps on their favorite tunes was so long, the event had to be extended. ABBA's "Mamma Mia," David Lee Roth's "Just a Gigolo"—you name it, they sang it.

When it was Wade's turn, the microphone was brought to her table. She took it in her hands as though it was an extension of her fingers as the music cued up. Then, as she began to effortlessly sing "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac, the room got still. Frozen. All eyes were on her, and most of those eyes were wet. The lyrics, so beautifully fitting:

"Well, I've been afraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you.
But time makes you bolder,
Even children get older,
I'm getting old too."

Wait, "genre" is really pronounced like that?!?

Americans use French words all the time, even if we don't think we do. In fact, nearly 30 percent of the English language has its origins in French, and the close relationship the United States has had with France since the Revolutionary War has given us many of the words we use in everyday speech.

But that doesn't mean we have a solid handle on the French language or many of the words we use from it. French is famously challenging pronunciation-wise, with its many silent letters and funky glottal trills, so some Americanized pronunciation of foreign words is to be expected. But apparently, even when we try to pronounce French words "the French way," we frequently miss the mark.

An eye-opening video of a native French speaker and an American going over French word pronunciations drives this fact home, starting with the beloved French dessert, crème bruleé. If you're an American, you likely read that aloud as "krem broo LAY." But according to our French friend in the video, it's actually pronounced "krem BROO lee."