Our Brain Trust Members Share How They Spend Their Time Off

“Being in natural elements around trees and water or mountains always helps me to relax. The big island of Hawaii is one of my favorite spots.”

—Adir Abergel, Hairstylist

“I am a water spirit, and I cannot get enough of my family. We are big fans of Playa Hermosa in Costa Rica, Lake Powell, the Caribbean, and any beach in Florida or South Carolina.”

—Vero Beach, FL plastic surgeon Alan Durkin, MD

“If we’re talking about vacations where the whole world is slow, I love to indulge in cooking a yummy meal with my husband and hosting friends, which I generally can never do because hosting requires prep work and I often look at grocery shopping like a chore.”

—Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton, Founder of Chillhouse

“Hiking and enjoying nature, Pilates, hot yoga, doing Ozone Therapy, spending time with friends and family, and making organic, healthy food with my daughter!”

—Kara Yoshimoto Bua, Makeup Artist

“I love going swimming in the ocean and marveling at all the wildlife.”

—West Palm Beach, FL dermatologist Kenneth Beer, MD

“I’m originally from London, so I spend most of my vacation time there visiting friends and family. There is no city quite like it, especially in the summer. If I’m not in London, I love to hike and be outdoors. I am definitely more of a mountain girl than a beach girl.”

—Jennifer Hanway, Holistic Nutritionist

“Traveling, especially to a beach, drinking overpriced juices, riding bikes or scooters, and exploring with my senior rescue, @pompomcharlie.”

—Lara Eurdolian King, PrettyConnected.com

“My best vacations are when I travel in Europe with my family. I love visiting great museums with my grandchildren, eating in fabulous restaurants and seeing the latest shows.”

—Lydia Sarfati, International Spa Expert

“As I’ve gotten older, especially in my 50s, I now find it easy to just completely let go, even on day one of my vacation. My thoughts aren’t about what I should be doing, but rather accepting that I have less control and realizing that I’ve earned this time to relax and not worry about business or life in general. I now spend my time off mentally at peace.”

—Mally Roncal, Mally Beauty

“My favorite way to vacation is to travel. I feel when you see new places and meet new people, you come back energized and full of new ideas. Not sure where I will go this year, but a few amazing places are on the list.”

—New York, NY cosmetic dentist Nargiz Schmidt, DDS

“I love to incorporate self care and healing into my time off. I do this by surrounding myself with people I love, slowing down my mind with meditation and yoga, and staying active with outdoor sports.”

—Shari Auth, Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine

“I head to Nantucket, my happy place, every weekend for R&R with family and friends.”

—Washington, D.C. dermatologist Tina Alster, MD

“Unplugged! Now it feels like a true luxury not being chained to the phone answering messages or emails. The cherry on top is being unplugged and getting to travel to a faraway land without too much of an itinerary.”

—Victoria Fu & Gloria Fu, Chemists & Founders