From the very beginning stages of Glow15, I knew what I wanted to accomplish. I wanted you to live your life with boldness, with courage, with passion, with energy, and with the beauty and youthfulness that make you feel like, well, you. This project has represented not only what I have done in my career, but also what I have done throughout my life. I am honored to bring you Glow15, and I am humbled to be surrounded by so many people who helped me do that. A book, like any project, is only as strong as all of its parts. And I wanted to thank the people who made this book come to life.
A book project like this—from conception to publication—can look like a major freeway system. So many things are traveling in different directions—sometimes at high speeds, sometimes with roadblocks.
To the beautiful and smart JJ Virgin, you introduced me to the most wonderful and amazing literary rockstar agent in Celeste. Your desire to connect the dots and people makes all the difference.
To my agent, Celeste Fine, you have been my light and vision. You got so excited about Glow15 three years ago and patiently guided me to this day.
To Stefanie Schwartz and Lindsey Green, you took my dream of creating a book and made it a reality. From the inception to production, you handled both the big picture and the details with incredible skill, creativity, and thoughtfulness.
To Ted Spiker, thank you for writing and helping to organize and guide me through the process of writing my first book. Your incredible talent around the written word is truly remarkable and it was so great to have you involved.
To Deb Brody, thank you for being bold and believing in me. Nothing made me happier than to have you decide that you would be my editor and publisher no matter what. Your vision and leadership through the process has been exactly what I was looking for. Your kindness and support—while also being fierce and decisive—have been inspiring. To the entire team at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Marina Padakis Lowry, Melissa Lotfy, Melissa Fisch, Tom Hyland, Rebecca Springer, Jessica Gilo, Breanne Sommer, and Ivy McFadden . . . thank you for believing in me.
To Carol Brooks, my dear friend and literary mentor, your inspired and brilliant mind helped guide me. You are always willing to be generous and kind with your time and understanding of what makes us women tick. You are a beacon of light and love.
To master storyteller Mary Kinkaid, thank you for spending countless hours working with me to bring out my stories. I had no idea I had so many to share in this book.
To Sarah Passick, thank you for all the positive support and many ideas. Without you we could never have reached our goals.
To Holly Lichtenfeld, Karen Balcombe, Amy Shay-Jacobs, and Jen Hansard, thank you for your dedication and hard work to get the message of Powerphenols and AutophaTea into the marketplace.
Thank you to my friends Kat Brooks, Suzanne Gatt, and Rachel Simons, the three women who independently and together brought substance and love to this book through the right skincare ingredients to the exercises that make all the difference.
To the women who participated in the study and my beta test, thank you for leading us and showing us how to be brave.
One of my great joys in writing Glow15 was discovering the science behind it. I’m indebted to the masterful minds who have spent hours teaching me and all the women in the program about autophagy. Their work is an inspiration.
Above all, I want to thank Elzbieta Janda, PhD, for introducing me to the world of autophagy. You are my personal hero, and I look forward to knowing you for the next sixty-plus (youthful) years to come.
To Nobel Prize winner Yoshinori Ohsumi, PhD, thank you for your tireless commitment to autophagy and paving the way to improving millions of people’s health.
To Steve Anton, PhD, how can I thank you for all the years of tirelessly answering each and every question I have had around how women can be fit, have energy, and look and feel our absolute best? From the countless hours on weekends working from your office to going through hundreds and thousands of studies to find the perfect information, you have been my partner and dear friend.
To Heather Hausenblas, PhD, the hottest doctor on campus. Thank you for teaching us how to exercise to activate our autophagy and do so in a way that we can get past all the self-sabotage that exists. You are the greatest and a true inspiration.
In addition, many experts helped shape the content of this book, as I worked closely with them to produce scientifically backed plans and principles.
To Michael Breus, PhD, The Sleep Doctor, you took our sleep plan and worked it so that all women can harmonize their autophagy with their circadian rhythm to sleep better. How exciting to learn that your cutting-edge information is tied to the 2017 Nobel Prize in Medicine. We’re deeply grateful for the information you share with us.
To William Dunn, PhD, a star in the world of science and autophagy, you guided us to understand this complex and fascinating topic.
To Dendy Engleman, MD, you provided important insight about skin and beauty. You are the true definition of beauty and brains, and you guided us with science-backed ideas to help women outsmart wrinkles.
To Richard Wang, MD, PhD, a world-renowned autophagy expert and dermatologist, through your intellect and understanding of skin and autophagy, you allowed us to put together the very best autophagy-activating ingredients and a plan that can help all women look and feel younger fast.
To clinical nutritionist Rob Maru, who is not only a natural product innovator, but also my friend—you are like a brother to me. You have the most amazing way of developing the concepts and products that change millions of people’s lives. I absolutely love to share your health upgrades with women all over the world. Thank you for sharing your passion.
To Jenny Ruff—publicist and friend, style consultant, confidant, and beauty guru—you worked tirelessly day or night and I always knew that with you by my side, I would be able to share this book with all of your best friends.
To Tim Adams, thank you for being my coach and helping me to do the right exercises at the right times. I couldn’t have done it without you.
To Jacqueline Phillips, you are the makeup artist extraordinaire. And as a woman who never likes to wear makeup, I always look forward to the way you make me look.
To Anna Gunselman, thank you for your photographic direction and shots for the front of this book—you capture my essence every time.
To Carol Perrine, thank you for helping me train my brain through the ups and downs of writing this book.
To Wayne Lukas, who’s better than you? I am in constant awe of the way you can influence millions of women with your style and brilliance. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for influencing me.
To nutritionist Brooke Alpert, RD, who provided meals and recipes, you knew exactly how to take the ingredients that make us young and put them together in a delicious way.
To clinical nutritionist Lizzy Swick, MS, RDN, you always said yes and made all my dreams around food come true in simple and smart recipes.
To Michael Fishman, for bringing me into the world of online communications. Your careful curation and leadership of our community has allowed so many great voices and messages to be expressed.
To Christina Rasmussen, you are my soul sister, and the work that you do around grief helps millions of us (www.goodlifeproject.com)—thank you.
To Pedram Shojai, thank you for sharing my story of sustainability with millions of people through your documentary Prosperity. Keep up the good work.
To Dave Asprey, picking up the bar of Kerrygold sitting at JJ Virgin’s wedding table and knowing it was yours says it all. You walk the walk and talk the talk.
To Bo and Dawn Easeman, thank you for giving me my voice and ability to communicate my story, which as you can see I started my book with and I start every conversation with.
To Dr. Kellyann Petrucci, your passion, perseverance, and girl-power are awesome.
To Nicole Beurkens, our families can glow and thrive only as much as we do, and your expertise in children’s health and nutrition makes that possible.
To Adam Bornstein, thank you for your enthusiasm and expertise in communication. I’m forever in awe.
To Michael and Izabella Wentz, thank you for guiding me on how best to communicate my message. You two are such a powerful husband-and-wife team and through the Thyroid Secret and Hashimoto’s Protocol have had a massive impact on people’s health and well-being. I’m proud to know you both.
To Amber Spears, thank you for sharing my message through your world in your smart and savvy way.
To Jenny Thompson, thank you for being a CEO muse. Your mind is a fountain of truly brilliant ideas, and I am grateful to call you my friend.
To Dr. Joe Maroon, a neurosurgeon, Ironman, and 77 years young, I learn so much from you. You have always been my mentor in the world of self health and well-being. I look to you to teach us about omegas, polyphenols, epigenetics, and inner balance.
To Sanjay Khosla—my mentor and fellow mountain climber—every day I grow from something that you teach me about building meaningful solutions and a business with soul. You are one in a billion, and I am deeply humbled as I constantly learn from you.
To Tom Aarts, my dear friend who has opened the doors to more health and wellness. You are a force of good, and I cannot wait for the world to experience your company, Smart Family Nutrition.
To Elayna Rexrode, you have been a constant support. I love that you have adopted the Glow15 program and made it your own. I could not have done it without you. Thank you for your nights and weekends.
Most importantly, thank you to my family, for the love, support, and time that you gave me. Without it, I never would have had the opportunity to share this book with the world.
To Mum and Dad, for giving me a massive head start and showing me the principles within this book forty years ago! The lifestyle you introduced me to—that I was once embarrassed for my friends to see—is now what everyone is embracing. I am proud of that, and I’m proud to be your daughter.
To my husband, Rob, and my incredible children, Megan, Christian, Brendon, and Samuel: you are my inspiration.