From the Editor: Jan-Feb 2018

It’s 2018. I know it sounds like a made-up year, referencing the distant future, but we’re actually here. Welcome.

2018 is bringing a big change to alive: you can now enjoy the magazine six times a year. Look for a new issue every couple of months—every single one will educate and inspire you. We promise.

In the Jan/Feb issue, we examine the brain: the epicenter of good health and the engine of great ideas. We delve into the mind of entrepreneur Vicki von Holzhausen, who creates beautifully designed bags from non-leather material. We get her insight into the world of design done right. I actually met Vicki through her husband, Franz, who knows a thing or two about form and function as well. As head of design at Tesla Motors, he just launched the most technologically advanced (and visually appealing, of course) sports car you’ll ever see. We include a sidebar about that—you’ll see why we had to.

We also explore virtual reality through the latest project from talented writer/director/actor Nora Kirkpatrick. Along the way, we discover how VR can alter our mentalities and our health for the better.

On our back page, we’re showcasing Instagram accounts that have caught our eye. There are food and fitness accounts, as you would expect. But we’ll also be curating visually striking accounts that focus on beautiful landscapes, architecture, nature photography and more.

In this issue’s mentor feature, we share insights from Christopher Gavigan, co-founder of The Honest Company. I first met him on a flight from Los Angeles to New York in 2014. We knew of each other and immediately began talking about the trials and tribulations of co-founding a company. For years, I’d admired what he’d built, so there was no shortage of discussion points.

In the food section, we introduce version 2.0 of Beyond Meat’s Beast Burger. Made from plants, of course, this burger is the first ever designed with the athlete in mind.

We also profile Candle 79, the famed high-end vegan restaurant in New York City’s Upper East Side. I first dined there in 2008. It exposed me to flavors and combinations that I’d never experienced before and opened up my culinary world.

Lastly, as you’d expect, we’ve packed this issue full of amazing plant-based recipes to get 2018 off to a functionally delicious start.

To your ambitions, Brendan Brazier Editor-in-Chief