My kids are 37, 32, and 4 years old. Being an older mom is different.

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
A family of four standing in front of a Christmas tree.
Charisse Ellison, 55, with her younger son, Jaron, 32, (left) daughter, Alina, 4, and older son, Markeith, 37.

Courtesy of Charisse Ellison

I was juggling a tech leadership role and caring for my autistic brothers until burnout stopped me in my tracks. Here's what I changed to recover.

Tech Insider : Business
Kirsten Hurley

Courtesy of Kirsten Hurley; Rebecca Zisser/BI

I'm 87 and earn $12 an hour working two jobs. I hope to retire by 90, but who knows if I'll be able to.

Tech Insider : Economy, Business, Travel
Rebecca Reed
Rebecca Reed, 87, works two part-time jobs to stay financially afloat.

Annie Flanagan for BI

I turned ChatGPT into a personalized gift planner, and it changed my holiday shopping

Tech Insider : Business
Headshot of a woman wearing a white blazer, black heels, and gray pants.
Rashel Hariri created a three-part gifting framework for her ChatGPT project.

UliB Photography

I'm the US CEO of Philip Morris International. My schedule books out a year in advance, but I'm not very timely — here's my routine.

Tech Insider : Business, Sports, Style
a woman in a navy blazer and jeans poses against a wooden table
Stacey Kennedy.

Alexander Berg

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Stacey Kennedy, the US CEO for Philip Morris International, based in Stamford, Connecticut. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I was Rob Reiner's first assistant director on 'Misery.' He cared about people and taught me an important lesson.

Tech Insider : Business
Photo of Dennis Maguire
Dennis Maguire, who worked alongside director Rob Reiner on his films "Misery" and "Stand by Me," remembers Reiner as a caring, gregarious person.

Dennis Maguire

I met my husband buying salmon one night after work. We've been together for 12 years.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Family posing for photo
Kat Milner's first date with her now-husband lasted over seven hours.

Courtesy of Kat Milner

I got laid off at 57 and couldn't find work for 20 months. I had to sell my apartment and work odd jobs to make ends meet.

Tech Insider : Business
woman sitting by window
Amy Smith says she fell into a depression during her 20-month search for a job.

Justin Paget/Getty Images

I spent years trying to hide my face. Today, I'm a proud woman who embraces my facial differences.

Tech Insider : Business
A split image of a baby with a facial difference and the same girl as an adult.
Brooke Parrish as a baby in the mid-1990s and as an adult today.

Courtesy of Brooke Parrish

I offered to help my best friend settle her mom's estate. I had no clue what I was signing up for.

Tech Insider : Business
Alexandra Mysoor headshot
Alexandra Mysoor started her company Alix after helping a friend close her mom's estate.

Courtesy of Alexandra Mysoor

Subscribe to as-told-to