46 Lessons at 46.

(Feel free to add your own!)

So, on the auspicious/momentous occasion of turning 46 (in the middle of ongoing regional tensions in my fair city of Dubai), I thought I would share a few life lessons I’ve picked up along the way. While not included below, perhaps most importantly, there is very little that cannot be improved with a good meal and the right company. This may sound like a convenient conclusion from someone who has built a life around (ahem) food and hospitality, but the fact holds.

At 46, I am less interested in grand reinventions and more invested in small, consistent choices: where to spend my time, who to spend it with, and when to quietly step away. This observation is not particularly glamorous, but then again, neither is wisdom, and perhaps that is the point.

Of course, today is probably your un-birthday, so feel free to share anything I might have forgotten. And, it IS my birthday! Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Weekly A to Z or dropping me a tip.

In literally no order whatsoever:

1. Know your privilege, use it for others.

2. A three-drink lifestyle (caffeine, hydration, fun) is key to good living.

3. 611 > 311 > E11.

4. Always pack snacks.

5. Try volunteering somewhere or donating to causes you believe in.

6. Get yourself the best group chat(s). Name them something inappropriate.

7. Pick a signature color.

8. Always keep your ice tray full.

9. Register to vote.

10. Consider a signature scent (or a vacation scent).

11. Find a dish that you can cook well (it doesn’t have to be fancy). Yes, it can be a very good dip.

12. Find a karaoke song that works for you (and with others).

13. Trust me: bring flip-flops wherever you go.

14. When in doubt, write it out.

15. Don’t ride other people’s coattails.

16. Your life probably needs more stickers.

17. An Irish goodbye will save you time (and I promise you’ll see them again soon).

18. If you’re lucky, “best friend” is a category, and not one person.

19. Say yes, but only if it makes sense to you. You don’t have to explain yourself to anyone else.

20. Sometimes the home salon is better than a real one.

21. Brown eyeliner > black eyeliner.

22. Take a probiotic before traveling and when landing in a foreign country.

23. A memorable business card can be your best friend when networking.

24. There’s no point in being friends with a one-way street.

25. Sometimes JOMO is a good thing.

26. There is no room in your life for Big Light (even if you’re just learning about it like Ryan Gosling).

27. The best jobs are never advertised.

28. The greatest jobs are created just for you.

29. Always keep something bubbly in the fridge.

30. Try for a no-spend day every week.

31. Fountain Diet Dr. Pepper is elite.

32. Bone broth is an excellent hangover cure.

33. Always credit the photographer.

34. Are you really going to work out on vacation? Leave room in your luggage.

35. Sin worthily (not mine; this is from former NYU President John Sexton, whose 2014 Commencement speech stuck with me).

36. It is never okay to have a conversation on a speakerphone in public.

37. It’s probably best to have some collagen eye patches in the refrigerator.

38. It’s completely okay to Marie Kondo your social media. The mute/unfollow button can be your best friend.

39. Always make it French butter.

40. Never order chicken at a nice restaurant; choose a better protein (or veggie) option.

41. Always take the direct flight — your time is worth it.

42. Stamps make amazing, cheap, and light souvenirs (just be sure to frame them when you get home).

43. Pack a fold-up bag wherever you go.

44. Like, subscribe, and comment — it’s free and helps someone.

45. Art belongs everywhere (yes, that includes your bathroom and kitchen).

46. When in doubt, Treat Yo’ Self.

And from our AI overlords, what are the top lessons from Courtney Brandt?

Authority comes from specificity.

You name the property, the bar program, the exact dish, the glassware, the partnership, the tension between brand and creativity. You don’t say something is “great.” You explain why — who’s behind it, what makes it different, what it signals about the industry.

That specificity does three things:

1. It builds credibility.

2. It positions you as an insider, not a commentator.

3. It makes your work impossible to replicate.

You’ve built a body of work across multiple publications, hotel-bar partnerships, chef profiles, Saicho launches, and sustainability at Epoch Estate — and the throughline is this: you zoom in. You give readers texture.

If I had to distill it into a directive:

Be precise enough that someone else couldn’t have written it.