My highlights from the whirlwind weekend.
I spent last weekend at South By Southwest — the annual event held in Austin that’s packed with fascinating people and events. Actually, Wikipedia does a better job explaining this fun-filled festival than I ever could, so I’ll allow them:
“South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as ‘South By,’ is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas, United States. It began in 1987 and has continued to grow in both scope and size every year.” (Fun fact: The co-founder came up with the name as a play on the title of the Alfred Hitchcock film North by Northwest.)
The weekend was a whirlwind: My feet and body were aching by the time I left. But despite the copious amount of Aleve I had to ingest, I had a blast.
How could you not have a blast in Austin, a town that’s buzzing 24/7, even when a festival isn’t happening? I was lucky enough to have a couple of incredible tour guides waiting for us on the ground — my friend and journalist Tony Plohetski, who has done remarkable work (particularly covering the Uvalde shooting) for the Austin American-Statesman; and Ryan Buxton, who has done some remarkable work with us at Katie Couric Media, specifically on Wake Up Call, your favorite newsletter! (Ryan, I’m still full from that multi-course dinner at Hestia Saturday night! 😊)
Even though internet relationships and working remotely can be such a gift, it was so fun to see them both in 3D!
Of course, wherever I went, I wanted to go in style. And that meant shopping for cowboy boots at Tecovas. Cowboy boots are my weakness and they’re back in style in a big way. I indulged in a white pair — a decision I was unsure of until our salesman Kevin, a dead ringer for Patrick Swayze, told me they were all the rage and always sold out as soon as they came in. I was worried they might be a bit too Jessica Simpson circa her 2005 cover of “Those Boots Were Made for Walkin’,” but I bought them anyway. We’ll see if I wear them on the less-than-clean streets of Manhattan anytime soon, but they are comfortable! (Like the look? You can buy your very own on the Tecovas website! If white shoes are a bit bold for you, they come in lots of other great colors.)
Friday night, at the last minute, I went to a comedy show sponsored by Variety. I wanted to say hi to Chelsea Handler, who was being honored, so I headed to the tent, had a spicy margarita, and got ready to laugh. There were a few hundred people sitting on benches, turning the place into a sort of rustic Comedy Club. The first comedian was Eric André, a favorite of my daughter Carrie’s. I’ve watched his show with her a few times, and his comedy might best be described as absurdist insanity. I thought I’d video him for a minute and send it to her, when he saw me in the audience and started referring to me as “the lady videotaping him.” Then he recognized me and said, “Hey you look just like who I think you are…”
Hijinks ensued and he spent a few minutes razzing me (he was actually very sweet and called me “a queen”), then told the audience we were dating. The whole thing was simultaneously hilarious and mortifying. Almost every comedian after him used me as material for their act. Chelsea regaled the crowd with this story from a few years ago: We were at a dinner party on the Upper East Side, and she asked Woody Allen and Soon-Yi, “So how did you two meet?” (I quickly ushered Chelsea out of that party.)
Then it was Patton Oswalt’s turn. I can’t remember his jokes, but several involved yours truly. To say that I was awkwardly self-aware during the whole evening is an understatement.
The next day, SheMedia was hosting “The Future of Health” tent, and I had the privilege of moderating a panel called “Blowing Up the Biological Clock” about not letting your fertility window dictate your whole life.
Freezing your eggs has come a long way since the FDA approved the process a decade ago. My friend Liz Plank, a journalist and author who chronicled her journey on the podcast Race to 35, shared what her experience was like. She told the crowd that she’d wished she had started the process at 25 instead of 35, but having done it, felt incredibly liberated in her life choices. Also in the conversation was Tara Comonte, CEO of TMRW, a company that’s modernizing how (unregulated) fertility clinics store and track eggs and embryos. Apparently, too many women don’t know what really happens after they’ve frozen their eggs. It’s a brave, new, and very exciting world for those who want to set their own timeline when it comes to having kids, which can open up limitless possibilities.
We headed to the main stage, where I interviewed Ryan Gellert, the CEO of Patagonia. It was a fascinating and inspiring conversation. I think Patagonia has mastered the art of being a corporation for good. In 2022, the founder, Yvon Chouinard, and his wife Malinda transferred their ownership of the company, valued at about $3 billion, to a specially designed trust and a nonprofit organization to ensure all of the company’s profits will go to efforts to save the planet. Now in its 50th year, the company gives all its profits to environmental causes.
Ryan and I spent most of our time talking about the challenges of being a sustainable company, from harvesting materials and processing them to producing goods and transporting them to market. Here are some scary facts: Did you know that textiles are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to pollution? That all the clothes we throw away can take more than 200 years to decompose in a landfill? That during that process, those old clothes and shoes generate greenhouse methane gas and leach toxic chemicals and dyes into our groundwater and soil? Yikes. Neither did I! Fast fashion and our throwaway mentality have only exacerbated the problem: Did you know people wear their clothes 36 percent less than they did just 15 years ago?
Patagonia is trying to change the consumer mindset — even though selling all kinds of sporty items is their bread and butter. Earlier in the day, I visited their Austin store and learned about their Worn Wear program: Bring any damaged piece of clothing or gear (it doesn’t have to be made by Patagonia!) into one of their stores, and they’ll repair it for you on the spot. How cool is that?
Gellert told me he wants people to think of clothing as a long-term investment — and that if it breaks, you should fix it, like you would an appliance. Our conversation really made me think about how much clothing I need — and how I should always be thinking before I buy. You can watch our whole interview here.
Needless to say, these were all extraordinary experiences. But for me, the highlight was spending time with Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya, the subjects of a documentary I was honored to help produce called No Ordinary Campaign. Sandra and Brian met in New Hampshire in 2008, when they were both working on President Obama’s campaign and fell in love.
Brian was diagnosed with ALS five and a half years ago, when he was just 37 — he found out he had ALS the day he and Sandra brought their daughter Naomi home from the hospital. Since then, he and his wife have dedicated their lives to raising awareness, testifying on Capitol Hill, raising millions of dollars for research, and pushing for the FDA authorization of AMX0035, the third drug ever available to ALS patients. The documentary follows their challenges: Brian’s physical decline is matched only by their unrelenting desire to improve the lives of everyone with ALS. But above all, it’s a love story.
On Saturday Brian, Sandra, and I did a panel with Tania Simoncelli, head of the Chan Zuckerberg Rare As One initiative, focused on the incredible work CZI is doing to accelerate research for rare diseases through patient-led movements. (I was surprised to learn that rare diseases include those that affect 200,000 people a year — which doesn’t sound that rare, does it?) Also on the panel was Dr. David Fajgenbaum, who’s worthy of his own essay… For now, check out his book Chasing My Cure.
The panel was really amazing, but the main act was on Sunday:
Before the screening of the doc at SXSW, the Obama Foundation hosted a reception at Willie Nelson’s recording studio off South Congress. Rachel Platten performed — you may know her hit “Fight Song,” which is used in the movie — and I’ll never forget watching Brian and Sandra see her singing. Witnessing their indomitable spirit, and seeing their two little girls entranced by Rachel’s performance, was moving beyond words. I wasn’t the only one in tears.
Then Sandra announced a special guest was joining the party.
President Obama walked in and of course, immediately commanded the room. He told everyone how proud he was of Brian and Sandra, and the work they do every day. He reminded us all that change happens when one or two people decide to step up to the plate. I can think of no other couple worthy of his adulation.
While the documentary isn’t available to the public quite yet, we’re determined to get it out into the world. For the doc, one of Brian’s best friends from Yale followed the couple around for three years and beautifully captured moments of heartache and moments of triumph on film. Getting to know everyone involved in it has enriched my life immeasurably, and I can’t wait for you to get to know them as well. Hopefully, we will have more to share sooner rather than later!
While it took me a few days to recover from the jam-packed weekend, I was so appreciative that my work has allowed me to meet so many extraordinary people. And I love that I can share them with all of you.
