Halona Black

It’s 2 AM in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and I’m wide awake. The air conditioner hums like a jet engine, neon signs bleed through thin curtains, and the start-and-stop of motorbikes outside makes my body jolt.
As a neurodivergent traveler, these details don’t fade into the background. They overwhelm me, deeply. This is my first trip to Southeast Asia, and my nervous system is buzzing from the day’s chaos of airports, time zones, and the echo of unfamiliar languages. What most people might brus...

What is your go-to salad, or other easy summer meal? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Firing up the stove can feel like punishment when the heat is high and energy is low. That’s when the temptation to order takeout creeps in. But I’ve learned that there’s a simpler option that won’t leave me sweaty, broke, or bloated: Globally-inspired main-dish salads with a 2-minute homemade dressing.

As a digital nomad, I’ve made it a habit to explore local markets wherever I land. In Thailand, ...

Four women 50+ who have created lives centered on purpose, pleasure and possibility, not accumulation
What if the American Dream didn't come with a 30-year mortgage, but a passport? For a growing number of women over 50, fulfillment looks less like retirement parties and more like passport stamps. They're choosing cultural immersion over career ladders, community over convention and freedom over familiarity.
These women aren't running away from life, but rather they're running toward lives of...

Being let go from a job isn't always a surprise. Sometimes, there are whispers before the door slams shut, small signs that your time is winding down. That's how it was for me.
In 2010, I was an academic counselor at a community college in Washington, DC. I had also volunteered to develop the tutoring center, believing I was stepping into a dream role. For more than a decade, I'd worked in community education as a GED writing teacher, a tech training program manager, and an ESL teacher.
I did...

I've lived abroad since 2018, traveling solo through 10 countries and building a child-free life.
My 70-year-old father recently made me realize I chose a life without many roots or bonds.
Now, I'm reimagining my future by planting deeper roots and creating community.
On most Sundays, I walk to the beach in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, with a papaya, blackberry, and banana fruit bowl packed in my bag. After a couple of hours of sun, sand, and salt water, I go home, shower, and call my dad.
Our c...

Who doesn’t love The Golden Girls? Whether you watched it during its original run in the ‘80s or caught it through reruns, you probably laughed at the antics and camaraderie of four women building a life together under one roof in sunny Miami, never imagining that kind of arrangement for yourself one day. I certainly didn’t. But here I am at 48, single, child-free, and seriously wondering if I, too, might one day find myself in a sisterhood-style living situation of my own.

I’ve been living o...

Since 2018, I’ve lived in 10 countries in search of more than just adventure. I was seeking healing by any means necessary. What began as an urgent need to restore my body and spirit grew into something far more radical: a complete reimagining of who I was allowed to be.
But in those early years wandering through Southeast Asia, working as a freelance writer online, I felt an ache. I wanted to be witnessed. I wanted my family and friends to see how I was changing, how my body was getting stro...

Celebrity chef and Food Network champion Ameera Muhammad uses local fruits and vegetables to create delicious meals with a global accent. These dishes highlight what’s in season now.
Mediterranean Grazing Board
Too hot to cook? This versatile platter of veggies, fruit and cheese can be scaled up or down to feed a couple or a crowd. When choosing your components, make sure they’re sized at one to three bites, and arrange them artfully. It’s equally delicious with homemade dips or store-bought ...

For many of us, when we think of travel, our minds may go straight to family vacations jam packed with bus tours and overcrowded restaurants that serve dinner with local entertainment designed for the amusement of tourists. You buy a few T-shirts and refrigerator magnets to take back to your friends, then sprint to the airport — only to get home and feel you need another vacation just so you can recover.
But you know what? Travel doesn't have to look like this in 2025.
In fact, for a growing ...

If you make or purchase smoothies, juices or shakes, what do you like to put in yours? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Who would have thought that pumpkin seeds would make a great foundation for a protein smoothie. Imagine a cold, creamy vanilla base blended with warm, caramel and cinnamon notes from medjool dates. The ginger tickled my tongue and the golden color from the turmeric was reminiscent of the best iced chai latte I used to drink at my favorite plant-based cafe on the be...

Interview with a chef to learn about different uses of mushrooms for home cooks.

How are you adding more plants to your weekly diet? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
My editor knows I’m a big believer in plant-based eating, so she challenged me to try a growing nutrition trend. It’s called the “30 Plants a Week” lifestyle. In short, it involves eating 30 different types of plant foods in one week. Will my plant-based meals make the cut? Let’s find out…
The “30 plants a week” diet is based on twelve years of scientific research from Rob Knight, co-founder of the ...

Speeding up your metabolism may be one of the keys to healthy weight loss. But you don’t have to starve yourself to achieve it. Adding this one forgotten food group may boost your digestive engine. Which bitter foods do you enjoy? Tell us in the comments below.
Just the thought of bitter foods may be enough for you to turn your nose up. Perhaps it brings up old memories of your mom fighting you to take your medicine when you had a tummy ache. Now that you’re an adult, I invite you to rethink ...

Is there a favorite global cuisine that fits into your healthy eating plan? Mexican salsa? Brazilian fish stew? Jamaican callaloo? Have you ever traveled abroad and later tried a recipe sampled during your trip? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Ami knocked on my door a couple hours later than we had scheduled. It seems that no one really sticks to timetables in Thailand. It didn’t matter though because I was too ill to be bothered with a schedule. I hobbled over to the door and crac...

By the time I turned 40, I was deeply unhappy, unhealthy, and unsure of how to fix it. I was divorced, reeling from another failed long-term relationship, and living with my father and his wife while trying to regroup. My body felt like it was turning against me. I was obese, battling anxiety and depression, and stuck in a fog that dulled my creativity.
Just a few years earlier, I had left a 10+ year career in education and launched my freelance writing business. I was desperate to make it wo...