Special Episode: Books, Art, and Zombies: How to Survive in Today's World

Charlie Gleason, a designer at Heroku and Salesforce, sits down for a special conversation with Margaret Francis, the SVP of Platform Data Services. Their conversation is around the unavoidable topic of COVID-19, quarantines, and the disruptions to normal life around the world. Margaret starts the conversation by briefly contextualizing the event against two other catastrophes she experienced: the DotCom Crash of 2000, and the Global Financial Meltdown of 2008. While those two incidents had very real consequences to the tech, real estate, and banking industries, this current pandemic feels different, not the least of which being that every facet of life has been disrupted.

Despite this, Margaret and Charlie keep their spirits up in a variety of ways. It's important to be radically honest with your family and coworkers about difficulties you're experiencing. You may just find that others have similar feelings, and sharing these thoughts can create stronger bonds of empathy. It's important too to try and find new ways every day to laugh, whether that's trying out a ridiculous haircut, or finding nonsensical videos online. Margaret advises trying to reconnect with a hobby you just haven't done in a long time. For her, that's reading, and she's recently picked up some of her favorite books that she knows will bring her joy. Trying out new activities can also lead you towards discovering new hobbies to enjoy, too, such as baking or sewing.

We will one day be out of quarantine, and the pair pontificate on what that might mean for societies across the globe. Change seems inevitable, whether that means the MTA will continue its recent practice of scrubbing New York City subway cars clean, or the continued extension of safety nets that governments are establishing. No matter what, it's important to try and keep touch with friends and family, and to keep in mind that when this is all over, we will hug each other once again.