Arianna Huffington: Sound Asleep and Still Changing The World

Why is sleep the best remedy for just about everything? Billy Shore sits down with Thrive Global Founder and CEO Arianna Huffington and pastry chef and North Fork Table & Inn owner Claudia Fleming to talk about the effects of stress and exhaustion on creativity, productivity and health. “90% of the health care problems we deal with are stress-related and preventable,” says Huffington. “If your life is just about productivity and there is no joy, there is something wrong,” she explains, talking about how her Thrive Global platform helps people improve their well-being and performance. Fleming is aware of her own tendency to overwork. “You can literally never stop. You can stay all night, but if you don’t say ‘I’m leaving’, you can hang out all the time and not be very productive,” she says.

 

Huffington also discusses how technology and our acrimonious political climate are creating additional stress that can be crippling. “There is absolutely no benefit in living in a perpetual state of outrage. We need to be very protective of our energy and use it wisely, use it to bring about change rather than simply venting,” she advises. Fleming sees her role as a chef as innately political. “Food is politics. You can’t get away from the fact that agribusiness runs a good portion of our government,” she explains.

 

Listen to this thoughtful discussion on the dangers of exhaustion and burnout and recalibrate your understanding of creativity, productivity and performance.