What the Morning Routines of 3 Millennial Designers Look Like

We’ve meet the ambitious and savvy bosses of media, publishing and fashion, and now our #IAmaBoss series is venturing into the exciting world of design. From the moment these impressive ladies wake up, they’re tackling new and innovative ways to bring creativity and ease to their projects. Whether they’re promoting up-and-coming designers, creating tools for experienced designers or teaching future designers, these women are all about contributing and supporting the incredible field of design. Scroll on to read their productivity tips, morning routines and more!

Joanna Berzowska: Joanna is Associate Professor and Chair of the Design and Computation Arts Department at Concordia University, as well as the founder and research director of XS Labs, a design research studio with a focus on innovation in the fields of electronic textiles and reactive garments. Berzowska is also the Head of Electronic Textiles at OMsignal, a wearable and smart textile platform that enables leading fashion brands to design smart apparel. Joanna’s art and design work has been shown in the V&A in London, the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum in NYC, the Millennium Museum in Beijing, the Art Directors Club in NYC, the Australian Museum in Sydney, NTT ICC in Tokyo, SIGGRAPH, ISEA, SIGCHI and Ars Electronica Center in Linz, among others. She lectures internationally about the field of electronic textiles and related social, cultural, aesthetic and political issues.

Jannie Lai: Jannie is the head of user experience for Light, which is bringing the highest-quality photography to the smallest possible devices. Prior to Light, Jannie was the director of product design at Citrix, where she was responsible for the design and product experience of Citrix’s mobile consumer business apps. Previously, she held similar design roles at LiveOps, eBay and Oracle and has issued over five patents since the start of her career. She studied industrial design at California College of the Arts and received an engineering degree from the University of Michigan.

Allison Stuart: A Louisiana native, Alli moved to San Francisco in hopes of landing a role as a graphic designer. She stumbled her way into a great job, becoming the first member of the Community Team at 99designs, a global marketplace that connects designers with people who need design. In the last five years, she has connected with passionate designers all over the globe. Helping grow the community to over a million designers, she now runs a team that focuses on educating and motivating designers to reach their fullest potential. She loves art and design, and wants to one day not only encourage designers from all backgrounds to grow, but children as well.

What is your morning routine?

Joanna: I wake up at 6am, put on my comfy yoga clothes and take my little furballs for a walk. I either have a green smoothie or a green juice. I feed the dogs (my husband and I cook our own dog food), prepare breakfast or sandwiches for my boys, quickly check the technology news (especially filtering for material science, smart textiles and wearables). I see my trainer at 7:30am (she lives in my building, which is super convenient), then shower and go to one of my three offices. I don’t check email until I get to the office. It took me 40 years to come up with this routine, and it’s an awesome way to start the day!

Jannie: Before getting out of bed, I check in with theSkimm and catch up on design-related news from Fast Co Design or Design Milk. If I haven’t checked email already, I usually do that too to make sure nothing popped up overnight that will change the course of the day. On the mornings that I have more time to exercise, I’ll go for a walk or do some sun salutations. After exercise, I hit the shower, where I think about the things I want to accomplish for the day. My thinking time is in the shower: It’s where I’m most creative.

Allison: I am not a morning person, so my routine is meticulously timed down to the second. The official plan starts the night before, when I pick out my clothes and pack my bag. The morning routine is about 15-20 minutes, depending on how my pillow-hair looks.

8:35am: Stretch, moan, stretch some more.

8:36am: Talk myself into getting out of my comfier-than-usual bed.

8:40am: My feet hit the floor, I open the shutters and turn off my box fan.

8:45am: Run into a wall with half-closed eyes, get dressed and brush teeth.

8:50am: Throw on makeup, fluff up the hair.

9:00am: Check bus schedule and run out of the house just in time.

What is the last app you downloaded?

Joanna: Good Fences, a geometry puzzle game developed by a colleague of mine who is a professor at Waterloo University. It’s really hard.

Jannie: 500px. I started as one of their beta users, and it is nice to finally see how the community is responding to the new app. I recently browsed through the new interface and the app seems to be more socially oriented than before. I love the interaction I have with the photographers I’m following within the app.

Allison: I recently downloaded Duolingo in hopes of learning Spanish. My husband and I go through lessons right before bed… hasta ahora, todo bien.

What are your productivity tips?

Joanna: Every morning when I wake up, I ask myself, “What task is causing me the most anxiety?” Sometimes it’s an easy answer, since it’s been keeping me up all night, but sometimes I need to think deeply. My strategy is to start the day by tackling the thing that generates the greatest stress. After having completed the most stressful task of the day, I get a huge burst of energy and my creativity and productivity soars!

Jannie: While driving, I lean on Siri to help me send quick notes, respond to emails or jot down thoughts for myself. As a designer, I believe to stay productive, you must remain creative and reserve time to unwind, recharge or get inspired. In addition to Light, I try to always have a personal project that is not work related, say a painting project. Every three to six months, I take the time to think of the gigantic ideas, goals and dreams I want to accomplish. To make them real, I break them down into bite-sized, achievable tasks. It’s a thrill to look at a list at the end of the day and see things all crossed off.

Allison:

1. Think REALLY big and creatively about whatever project you have to complete. Imagine the finished product — your finished book, your painting hanging on the wall, your clean laundry, whatever it is — let the finished product drive you. I often use big sheets of paper, markers, my weekly agenda or whatever is hands-on to get all of my thoughts out.

2. Then, break up the big project into really small, day-to-day tasks. Think of it as drip coffee: Every drip is crucial to make the full cup. I often take my brainstorming to the computer and use Evernote and Google Calendars to lay out the stages.

3. There are no rules! Whatever path you need to take to complete your job or project is fair game. Most people who complete things in unconventional ways are the most likely to innovate.

Tell us about one maker who you admire.

Joanna: Stefan Sagmeister. I love the way his design practice integrates physical materials, the environment and the human body.

Jannie: Geeky Hooker. She’s the kind of hooker who uses a crotchet hook to create geeky characters called Critters. I love the designer’s artistry, personality and perspective. Even better, she doesn’t make these critters for profit — she puts them in the community in hopes that people will find them.

Allison: This may sound obvious since I’m the head of Community Marketing at 99designs, but I truly admire the design makers I chat with every single day. I’ve worked at 99designs for five years and have met some talented creatives around the world, like the incredible designer Giulio Rossi from Italy, who won Bon Ivor’s tattoo contest and was featured in Rolling Stone. This year, we’ve set up weekly Skype-dates with our top designers, and the stuff I see them produce, even outside of graphic design, is truly amazing and inspiring.

I wish someone had told me _______ when I graduated from college.

Joanna: I wish I had listened to the people who had told me to really take good care of myself, to focus on good diet and exercise. When you are in your twenties, you feel invincible and pull too many all-nighters, eating crappy food and skipping exercise. When I graduated from the MIT Media Lab, I worked at my computer almost 18 hours per day. I kept it up for ten years. My body definitely suffered. It’s definitely one of the reasons I am so passionate about my work at OMsignal. The idea of having garments, seamlessly integrated into my everyday routine, which help me stay in touch with my body and keep track of my well-being, is truly invaluable!

Jannie: Don’t be shy about putting your foot in the door. It took me way too long for me to learn to verbalize what I want and share my goals with others.

Allison: I got some strange advice when I graduated from college, but now I completely understand all of it. There are a couple of things I was NOT told that I’m glad I realized sooner rather than later:

1. Be open to opportunities you didn’t plan for. I strongly suggest you pick your first job based on liking the day-to-day role and company culture. Don’t pick a job based on pay alone or just because you graduated in it. Trust me.

2. Always ask for a promotion or anything else you’ve worked hard to deserve. Be prepared with exact reasons on why you deserve a million dollars, and even if you feel your heart racing like the Tell Tale Heart, ALWAYS ask.

Does their advice resonate with you? Know a #girlboss we should interview? Send an email to editorial@brit.co and she could appear in the next column!

We almost broke our necks reading headlines about Angelina Jolie and her potential new boyfriend, but the rumors were quickly shut down. Yeah, yeah, yeah...cue the world's smallest violin, I know.

Angelina's been through a very public divorce with her ex-husband Brad Pitt, so we know better than to expect her to display something new for the tabloids just yet. It did, however, make us start thinking about her past dating history. It's time to take a walk down memory lane, because these romances are filled with fellow entertainers and lessons learned!

Ex-Husband Jonny Lee Miller

United Artists/Getty Images

Angelina Jolie and Jonny Lee Miller entered each other's orbit during the filming of Hackers. This 1995 movie has everything to do with it's name, and ends with said Hackers ultimately unraveling a greater conspiracy. As is sometimes inevitable, Jonny and Angelina got close throughout filming, but went their separate ways once their time on set ended (via US Weekly).

They didn't stay apart for too long because they eventually got married the following year. It's even reported that Angelina proudly made a dark statement during their small wedding by wearing a t-shirt with Jonny's bloodied name written on it. She didn't do it to be gross though, but wanted to solidify their vows. "You’re about to marry him. You can sacrifice a little to make it really special," she remembers telling herself (via The New York Times). But, their marriage dissolved in less than two years and they decided to get divorced in 1999, according to US Weekly.

The two would go on to be amicable with each other, with Angelina even referring to Jonny as a "great friend" (via US Weekly). Earlier this year, Jonny sat down with Johnny Vaughan of Radio X to reveal something shocking. "I jumped out of an airplane...I was dating a young lady called Angelina," he said. He then shared that it was Angelina who encouraged him to do this daredevil feat with her. "She is cool as a cucumber. Fearless, that woman."

Ex-Girlfriend Jenny Shimizu

Dario Cantatore/Getty Images

During the brief time Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina weren't communicating, the Maria actress entered her first relationship with a woman. Jenny Shimizu and Angelina co-starred in another mid-'90s movie called Foxfire that centered the lives of teens and the bad decisions that land them in precarious situations.

Recounting how she felt about Jenny Shimizu, Angelia told Girlfriends magazine, "I fell in love with her the first second I saw her. Actually, I saw when she was being cast in Foxfire, and I thought she had just read for my part," she said. Ironically, her future ex-husband Brad Pitt was mentioned in the same interview, but the two hadn't met yet.

There's not much info about Angelina and Jenny's relationship beyond this, so it seems like things didn't last long.

Ex-Husband Billy Bob Thornton

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Here's where Angelina's relationships truly started to getting interesting. After things ended with Jonny Lee Miller and Jenny Shimizu, her next partner was none other than Billy Bob Thornton. InStyle recalls the two co-starred in Pushing Tin together, a movie about the ins and outs of two co-workers' fraught romantic relationships. Given the movie released in 1999, everyone didn't know how to respond to Angelina and Billy Bob's marriage the next year.

Unfortunately, even Laura Dern was caught by surprise — she and Billy Bob were allegedly engaged at the time. "I left our home to work on a movie, and while I was away, my boyfriend got married, and I’ve never heard from him again," she said, according to ABC News. That's...not the way to go about things, but apparently Angelina and her new husband didn't care at the time.

From then on out, Angelina and Billy Bob frequented red carpet events together. They didn't shy away from pulling off, uh, interesting stunts, that left everyone speechless. No one will ever forget when Billy Bob unashamedly admitted the two got frisky before walking the red carpet at the premiere of Gone in 60 Seconds.

However, their marriage dissolved because of their "different lifestyles," according to Billy Bob (via E! News). "So, that's really — that's the only reason we're probably not still together, maybe, because of a different path in life we wanted to take," he said.

Ex-Husband Brad Pitt

Anthony Harvey/Getty Images

This divorce breaks our hearts to revisit, but here we go! Everyone knows Brad and Angelina starred in the hit movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but we also could tell their intense chemistry had nothing to do with playing their respective roles. These two had such sizzling energy onscreen that it didn't take long for people to speculate Angelina was the reason Brad decided to part ways with Jennifer Aniston.

However, Angelina reportedly denies that was the case. She did notice she and Brad were excited to see each other at work though. "Because of the film, we ended up being brought together to do all these crazy things, and I think we found this strange friendship and partnership that kind of just suddenly happened," she said (via PEOPLE). According to the same outlet, it didn't take long for Brad and Angelina to move forward with their feelings once it was clear Jennifer was going to be out of the picture.

Though Brad and Angelina expanded their brood to include six children — Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne — a terrible incident unraveled everything. According to the BBC, Angelina accused Brad of become a belligerent drunk during a flight that resulted in injuries. She didn't waste time filing for divorce, which spoke volumes to us.

Um, The Weeknd?

Theo Wargo/Getty Images For US Weekly

Much to our surprise, Angelina Jolie and The Weeknd were rumored to be getting close around two years ago. They were seen on several 'dates,' one being at Giorgi Baldi, which continued to make people believe they were secretly dating (via Daily Mail). Since neither confirmed or denied the nature of their relationship, it's hard to say if there's any merit to the rumors.

We'll just have to speculate and keep it moving!

Is Angelina Jolie dating anyone these days? 

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for FLC

Last year, Angelina spoke with WSJ Magazine to talk about about her life and career. She intimately revealed that her body reacted to all the pressure from going through her divorce from Brad which serves as a stark reminder why stress is never good for anyone! "I suddenly had Bell’s palsy six months before my divorce," she shockingly admitted. She also made it clear her focus was on her kids and nothing else. "They are the closest people to me and my life, and they’re my close friends."

Despite being recently linked to British rapper Akala, Angelina put an end to rumors they're dating today. A source said, "They all work together," referring to Akala's relationship with someone else. "Angelina remains focused on her family and is not dating at this time," (via PEOPLE).

The common theme throughout Angelina Jolie's dating history is her attachment to unconventional romances. Maybe she didn't always make the best choices in love, but it doesn't seem like they've create a hole in her heart. We can't wait to see who she finally lands with next!

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It takes a lot for me to love a hair product. I’ve always kept maintenance around my locks super low-key, usually opting for the cheapest and most seemingly-effective shampoos, conditioners, and leave-in treatments you can find at the drugstore. To make a long story short, I’m not picky.

At the beginning of this year, I sought out to upgrade my self-care routines (albeit in small, affordable ways) so I could look and feel my best. Knowing hair care had become an afterthought, I figured why not switch up Old Reliable (AKA the Pantene shampoo and conditioner combo I’d used for years)?

I’m not knocking Pantene in any way, but after using the same products over and over again across countless showers, my locks became noticeably tired. Thus, I stumbled into Target to explore their perpetual collection of hair care and landed on what I think is now the best, most joy-evoking drugstore shampoo and conditioner I’ve ever experienced.

Meredith Holser

Other than the beautiful bottles, the Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Strengthening Shampoo + Conditioner set caught my eye for claiming stronger, longer, and healthier hair. I had seen the brand’s hair oil go TikTok-viral a few months prior, which gave me all the approval I needed to add the duo to my cart.

After 10 months of consistent use, I’m loving the set. Though I don’t necessarily use it for hair growth alone, I have observed accelerated growth as well as improved strength in my strands.

The conditioner in particular has earned a mass amount of bonus points in my book for depositing noticeable moisture to my locks after shampooing and providing a fairly no-fuss detangling routine, which is my most urgent hair concern.

Meredith Holser

The Mielle conditioner contains biotin (for “longer, healthier hair”), coconut oil, and babassu seed oil that work to moisturize and soften your hair after a good wash. This isessential since I’ve found that most shampoos strip oils from my scalp and hair – not a bad thing though. It’s what shampoos are made to do, but my hair craves more moisture!

The conditioner is also infused with rosemary and mint essential oils which increase blood circulation, allowing more oxygen to reach the scalp, thus stimulating hair growth.

Meredith Holser

Before drying + styling

As I mentioned, my hair has that classic “squeaky clean” feel after shampooing, and though that’s what I want from a shampoo, it doesn’t help to use only shampoo once my hair’s dried. Without conditioner, my hair definitely lacks moisture and feels dry and stiff – even while I’m still in the shower. This conditioner feels ahh-mazing and never fails to restore all the necessary moisture my locks have lost after a thorough wash!

When using it, I use 1 to 1 ½ pumps of the product. I typically focus it around the ends of my hair (where there’s the most damage) before working the remaining product closer to my scalp. I leave it on for around 5 minutes while I wash my body and face before thoroughly rinsing it out. My hair feels super silky and detangled after the conditioning’s done!

The Verdict

Meredith Holser

After drying + styling

Where a conditioner’s performance really matters for me is making my hair look soft and healthy after it’s dry, so I can go on to style it without pesky knots and further damage. Brushing my hair post-conditioner is always a breeze with this Mielle pick, and the same goes for styling. I use an air styler and it glides smoothly and easily through my strands for a nice at-home blowout every single time.

More than anything, this is the best drugstore conditioner to leave my hair looking supremely shiny after all is said and done. I know that using it consistently over the course of this year has set my hair up to be super healthy so I never have to worry about excessive dryness breakage!

Try It For Yourself

Amazon

Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Strengthening Conditioner

I bought this bottle (12 fluid ounces) back in January, and haven't had to restock it just yet. For $10, I can certify it's a really great deal and I've absolutely gotten my money's worth. Plus, for the results this conditioner delivers, it feels just like a luxury hair care product. It also goes for around the same price (there's a 12-cent difference) at Target!

Amazon

Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Strengthening Shampoo

I also highly recommend you use the conditioner in conjunction with the coordinating shampoo. It has a delicious rosemary and mint scent that leaves your scalp feeling uber-refreshed after a thorough wash. This bottle currently goes for $9 on Amazon and $10 at Target.

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The age of the movie star might have been replaced by the age of the fictional character, but there are still more than a few actors audiences L-O-V-E. Rachel Zegler, Florence Pugh, and Madelyn Cline are just a few of the stars who make the list, but there's one A-lister who's finally making his return to the big screen: Tom Holland!

The Hollywood Reporter confirmed on October 21 that the Spider-Man actor would join Christopher Nolan's new movie alongside Matt Damon and I have never leapt down an internet rabbit hole so fast. If you're wondering 'What movie is Tom Holland making?' then look no further. Here's everything you need to know about the new movie before it hits theaters.

  • Tom Holland is finally starring in a new movie.
  • After The Crowded Room "absolutely broke" him, he decided to take a break from Hollywood.
  • The new film, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Matt Damon, is coming next summer.


AppleTV+

Tom Hollandand Matt Damon will star in Christopher Nolan's new movie for Universal Pictures. The film is still unnamed for now, but if these two actors are involved, it's sure to be one heck of an action movie. We don't have an official synopsis yet, but sources told THR that it likely won't be set in the present day. The movie is scheduled for July 17, 2026 and Deadline reports they're expected to begin filming at the beginning of 2025.

Considering Tom is one of my favorite actors ever, I'm super excited to see him return to the screen — especially given how devastated I was when he said he needed a break from acting. "This show absolutely broke me in every way possible,” he said at the premiere for AppleTV+ show The Crowded Room in New York City. “I just kept my head down. I dug my heels in, and I just tried my best.”

"I'm no stranger to hard work," he told ExtraTV. "I've lived by the idea that hard work is good work. Then again, the show did break me. There did come a time where I needed a break and disappeared and went to Mexico for a week and had time on a beach and laid low. I'm now taking a year off, and that is a result of how difficult this show was."

Sony Pictures

This reminds me of Emma Watson's recent break from acting following 2019's Little Women, and her comments that being a child actor left her feeling "caged."

“The thing I found really hard was that I had to go out and sell something that I really didn’t have very much control over," she told The Financial Times. "To stand in front of a film and have every journalist be able to say, ‘How does this align with your viewpoint?’ It was very difficult to have to be the face and the spokesperson for things where I didn’t get to be involved in the process.”

Bero

Both Emma and Tom have been able to step into more senior creative roles...and they both happen to be in the drink space (Emma and her brother Alex launched Renais gin in April 2023, while Tom announced his new non-alcoholic beer BERO on October 16).

“After two years on my sobriety journey, I wanted to create something that reflected my lifestyle and values," Tom Holland said in a statement. “This beer isn’t just for those on a similar path, but for everyone who appreciates quality, craftsmanship and living life to the fullest."

Here's hoping you get to cheers a BERO on the set of your new movie, Tom!

Check back here for the latest Tom Holland movie news! And read up on his adorable relationship with Zendaya, of course.