My commute might look pretty unusual to most people: I usually catch a 7 a.m. flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco every Wednesday and fly home every Friday night — traveling about five hours door-to-door each way.

I never planned on becoming a supercommuter. But an unexpected conversation turned into a job offer, and I found myself splitting my life between two cities.

I live in Los Angeles, but I lead sales and marketing as Head of GTM (go-to-market) at the AI startup daydream. In addition to two flights, my weekly commute also consists of too many Ubers and more 4:30 a.m. alarms than I care to count.

A year into my supercommute, though, I can say that what started out as exhausting — and honestly a little unhinged — turned into one of the best career decisions I’ve made.

Here’s why I chose this path, and what I’ve learned from it.

The biggest driver behind my decision was access. San Francisco’s AI scene has a concentration of builders, thinkers, and off-the-record conversations that Los Angeles just could not match.

It’s easy to underestimate the power of proximity these days, but being in the room changes everything. You meet someone at a panel, grab coffee after, and suddenly, you’re part of the conversation.

That’s how I landed this role. I connected with someone in San Francisco over a shared interest in search engine optimization (SEO), which is the process of adapting your website to reach more users through search. A few chats later, they said, “Is it crazy if we brought you on?” I had no sales background, but I said yes and figured it out as I went.

These kinds of doors don’t usually open over Zoom. The last three roles I’ve landed all came from face-to-face interactions. 

Being in the room helped me get my bearings and succeed as I pivoted to a new industry and a new job function. It meant I could solve problems shoulder-to-shoulder with colleagues, bounce ideas around in real-time, build trust with clients, and boost team morale. That’s hard to replicate from a screen. 

San Francisco offered a chance to step into a bigger role. At daydream, I lead all our go-to-market efforts. It’s high-stakes, fast-paced work that pushes me to learn constantly.

But Los Angeles is home. My family is here. So are my closest friends, some since the 2nd grade. It’s where I reset and feel like myself again, whether that’s through dance classes, quiet walks, or simply being around people who know me beyond my job title. 

It’s also where I run my personal finance coaching business, Doing Well, in the evenings and on weekends. I started it after building a money management system to overcome my own financial anxiety, and now we help others do the same.

Juggling a business and a full-time job is exhausting, and being in Los Angeles — near my support system and many of my earliest clients — helps me stay grounded and motivated to keep my side hustle going. 

I didn’t want to give up what either city had to offer, so I chose both, even though it meant living out of a suitcase.

Despite the wins you might see now, the first few months were hard. I left a stable job. I’ve cried in Ubers and eaten solo dinners at the office. And I bounced between short-term rentals, often in sketchy neighborhoods, to save money.

Typically, daydream encourages people to relocate. Since I made the choice to supercommute, the travel costs are on me. So I pay for every flight and hotel out of pocket, averaging around $450 per week. 

At first, I didn’t feel grounded in either city. I work remotely from Los Angeles on Mondays and Tuesdays, then in San Francisco Wednesday through Friday. In the early months, I hadn’t built community in San Francisco yet. And even though I had deep roots in Los Angeles, the constant travel made it hard to be fully present.

I started doing affirmations and reminding myself every morning why I was doing this: to level up my career and take on bigger responsibilities that push me to grow. Discomfort wasn’t a sign to quit. It was part of the process. Eventually, it became proof that I was building my skills, expanding my network, gaining confidence, and opening new doors for myself.

A year into this commute, things are finally clicking. I still pack bags, hop flights, and juggle multiple projects, but now it feels like momentum, not chaos. I’ve built deeper relationships, shined in my new role, and stayed connected to the life I love in Los Angeles.

Some opportunities are earned that way — by showing up again and again, even if it means flying five hours to do it.

Janet Lee is the Head of GTM at daydream, an AI startup that helps companies grow by building and managing their end-to-end organic growth engine, from SEO to generative engine optimization (GEO). She also founded Doing Well, a personal finance company that offers monthly coaching and bookkeeping to help people manage their money, build better habits, and make informed financial decisions. She regularly shares personal finance and career insights on her socials @startdoingwell. Find her on Linkedin.

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Many American families are increasingly struggling to keep up with the cost of living in most of the 50 U.S. states. 

The U.S. median household income rose between 2022 and 2023 to just over $80,000 a year, according to the most recent Census Bureau data. But a family of four needs at least $186,618 a year to live comfortably in Mississippi in 2025, the country’s most affordable state, found a SmartAsset study that published on June 4.

“Living comfortably” means having enough income to dedicate 50% to necessary costs, 30% to discretionary wants and 20% to debt payments and saving, also known as following the 50/30/20 budget, according to the study.

In Massachusetts, the most expensive state in the U.S., a family of four needs more than $300,000 per year to meet that threshold. Costs of living grew by over 4% in that state from 2024, slightly more than the national average of 3.87%, SmartAsset’s analysis found. 

Boston has the highest cost of raising a child in the country, a separate SmartAsset study recently found, and much of that total cost comes from child care. Raising a child in Boston costs an estimated $39,221 per year, including $23,800 just for child care, according to SmartAsset.

Having children typically gives families other added costs, too: food, supplies and, in some instances, increased housing costs.

The cost of living for families in other states may not be quite as high as in Massachusetts, but three states — Vermont, New Jersey and Montana — are on track to rapidly catch up, with double-digit growth rates from 2024, found SmartAsset’s report.

On the flip side, overall costs of living actually shrank from 2024 in six states, the report said: Hawaii, New York, Georgia, Delaware, Michigan and Iowa.

SmartAsset used the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s living wage calculator to estimate the annual cost of essentials in each state. MIT calculates family living costs for two working adults and two children and includes essentials like housing and food for all those family members as well as child care.

Here’s the income it takes for families of four to live comfortably in all 50 states in 2025, according to the study:

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $194,522
• Change from 2024: 0.47%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $259,002
• Change from 2024: 6.76%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $237,952
• Change from 2024: 3.17%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $193,773
• Change from 2024: 7.18%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $287,456
• Change from 2024: 3.88%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $273,728
• Change from 2024: 3.30%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $290,368
• Change from 2024: 3.75%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $223,142
• Change from 2024: -2.54%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $217,651
• Change from 2024: 4.10%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $210,829
• Change from 2024: -0.94%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $294,362
• Change from 2024: -0.08%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $223,142
• Change from 2024: 5.63%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $234,291
• Change from 2024: 1.00%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $220,230
• Change from 2024: 6.91%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $202,675
• Change from 2024: -4.13%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $200,678
• Change from 2024: 1.99%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $192,941
• Change from 2024: 1.49%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $199,597
• Change from 2024: 5.27%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $239,699
• Change from 2024: 4.42%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $259,168
• Change from 2024: 8.23%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $313,747
• Change from 2024: 4.17%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $207,584
• Change from 2024: -3.22%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $251,264
• Change from 2024: 2.65%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $186,618
• Change from 2024: 4.96%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $218,317
• Change from 2024: 7.94%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $234,957
• Change from 2024: 11.14%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $215,738
• Change from 2024: 1.25%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $238,534
• Change from 2024: 0.53%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $259,501
• Change from 2024: 6.31%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $282,714
• Change from 2024: 12.55%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $220,813
• Change from 2024: 8.28%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $276,973
• Change from 2024: -0.72%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $210,746
• Change from 2024: 0.68%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $207,334
• Change from 2024: 2.55%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $220,563
• Change from 2024: 5.37%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $208,749
• Change from 2024: 7.54%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $261,914
• Change from 2024: 1.78%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $248,435
• Change from 2024: 7.80%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $256,672
• Change from 2024: 2.97%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $208,333
• Change from 2024: 3.77%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $197,933
• Change from 2024: 2.76%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $200,678
• Change from 2024: 2.51%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $204,922
• Change from 2024: 1.78%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $231,046
• Change from 2024: 5.75%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $286,790
• Change from 2024: 15.48%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $241,696
• Change from 2024: 2.76%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $277,888
• Change from 2024: 7.95%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $195,354
• Change from 2024: 3.16%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $225,555
• Change from 2024: 0.22%

• Income needed for a four-person family, 2025: $209,914
• Change from 2024: 3.19%

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In blue zones, communities known for having the highest life expectancies in the world, longevity researcher Dan Buettner says breakfast is a top priority. Based on his time and research in places like Okinawa, Japan and Sardinia, Italy, Buettner suggests that first meal of the day may be crucial to living a long, healthy life.

“We have a saying, ‘Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper,’” Buettner, who coined the term “blue zones,” told CNBC Make It last year.

“In blue zones, they are eating the biggest meal of the day for breakfast and then eating smaller meals as the day progresses, oftentimes eating an early dinner and then not eating until breakfast the next day.“

But the breakfasts eaten by residents in blue zones aren’t at all like what Americans typically eat to start the day, he notes.

“People should avoid most of what is marketed to us in America as breakfast foods such as pop tarts, sugar laden cereals, yogurts and granola,” Buettner says.

“Instead, people should take a page out of the blue zones and eat a hearty, healthy breakfast.”

Buettner suggests going for these foods in the morning to mirror the way the world’s longest-lived people eat:

• Beans
• Vegetables
• Rice
• Fruits
• Miso
• Oats

“I often start my day with a minestrone stew full of vegetables and beans,” Buettner says.

“I challenge everyone reading this to try eating minestrone stew or rice and beans as their breakfast for a week and see how they feel.”

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As a child, I was often curious about my father’s absence. My mother navigated those awkward questions with grace, never speaking negatively of him, even on Father’s Day. She’d soften the truth without burdening me with the complexities of his situation: “He loves you, even if you can’t see him.”

Her words resonated deeply, illuminating feelings I didn’t fully comprehend until I became a father myself. Now, as a therapist and the author of “Present: The Crisis of American Fatherhood and the Power of Showing Up,” I’ve dedicated over a decade to supporting fathers who want to reconnect with their kids.

Many of these dads are often misunderstood. They face barriers like divorce, incarceration, substance use, unemployment and mental health challenges. A common narrative paints them as uncaring simply because they aren’t physically present.

So let’s pause and challenge this assumption. One phrase I hate hearing on Father’s Day is, “You should step it up.” (A similar one is, “Why aren’t you more present?”) Instead, we should acknowledge these fathers. A simple gesture can go a long way: “You are important, and we celebrate you today. Support is here if you ask for it.”

Here are a few things I’ve learned over the last decade in working with dads.

It’s tempting to join the chorus of voices that equate physical absence with emotional unavailability or lack of interest. Yet, if we take a moment to reflect on that first time we held our children, we realize that no father dreams of being apart from their child, especially on special days like Father’s Day.

For many dads, the day is a painful reminder of their absence, and acknowledging them can provide a much-needed lifeline. As a therapist, it would be remiss of me not to say that it is okay to go to therapy as a man.

Just like athletes rely on coaches and teammates, parents need their own support systems.

Do you have someone to call when you’re feeling under the weather? If not, consider finding a trusted doctor. Do you have a friend you can lean on when you’re feeling down? If not, think about reaching out someone you’ve always felt comfortable talking to.

Every parent, especially fathers facing challenges, benefits from a supportive community. Parenting isn’t something we can do effectively in isolation.

For many, this involves grappling with past choices, regrets and the journey toward reconciliation.

Instead of labeling themselves as “bad fathers,” many dads might shift their narrative to: “I am an imperfect father who tries my best.” This re-translation of self-perception is crucial for healing. They might acknowledge, “I’ve made mistakes, but I’m working on making things right.”

When you confront your past, you can set the stage for growth and connection.

Recent studies, including a working paper from economists at the University of California, Merced, the U.S. Census Bureau and the University of Maryland, reveal the profound effects parental separation has on children, particularly due to divorce.

Factors such as lost financial resources, changes in neighborhood quality and reduced parental involvement account for a significant portion of the negative outcomes children face. Despite the challenges, one truth remains: Separated or struggling parents, whether mothers or fathers, always want the best for their children.

Two narratives can coexist — one of struggle and one of care. Dads may be distant for various reasons, but that doesn’t mean they don’t love and want to support their children. Recognizing the duality in these stories enables us to approach Father’s Day with empathy and understanding.

Let’s rewrite the narrative surrounding fathers, especially those who are struggling or absent. Let’s offer recognition and support. A simple acknowledgment can remind these fathers that their roles matter and that they are not alone in their journey.

By understanding that all fathers, regardless of their struggles, want to do their best for their children, we can help create an environment where all dads feel valued and supported.

Such acknowledgment transforms Father’s Day into a celebration not just of fathers, but of the unbreakable bond of love and dedication they strive to uphold even in their weakest moments.

Charles C. Daniels Jr., PhD, is the co-founder and CEO of Fathers’ UpLift, a nonprofit that provides mental health counseling to help fathers overcome barriers that prevent them from being in their children’s lives. He is a visiting scholar at Yale University and the author of ”Present: The Crisis of American Fatherhood and the Power of Showing Up.” Charles graduated from Bethune-Cookman University and holds a PhD in clinical social work from the Simmons University School of Social Work.

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Millennials and Gen Z workers now make up more than half of the labor force, and they’re re-writing the rules of the office.

Some of the biggest things on the corporate chopping block? Strict hours, stuffy dress codes and restrictive vacation policies. At least that’s the case for the small team at LA-based Socialista Queen, a social media marketing agency.

In May, 29-year-old Liat Aharon, the agency’s founder and CEO, posted a video about some of the office rules she has for her staff of four, some of which her peers say are considered “controversial” for a traditional work setting.

Among her company policies: Team members are permitted to start their workday whenever they want, whether it’s 6 a.m. or 10 a.m., as long as they complete an eight-hour workday.

Team members work a hybrid schedule and from an office Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, unless they’re on a photo shoot, during which they can work remotely.

Each person gets about 10 vacation days accrued throughout the year, but they’re also encouraged to take more unpaid days as needed like for a big trip, as long as they give enough notice.

Aharon tells CNBC Make It she publicized her office rules after seeing another creator post their own video as a Gen Z manager, “and it made me laugh, because I had no idea these things were controversial.”

“I love to live a good life,” Aharon says. “I think making life in the office fun should always be a priority.”

She says her policies are inspired by the flexibility she wishes she had throughout the jobs of her early 20s as a restaurant worker, phone salesperson and other gigs, plus hearing from friends who say they’re “miserable” in their jobs.

“I just don’t get the point, because it’s so easy, in my opinion, to make an environment fun if you have the right people,” Aharon says, adding that “hiring the right people is huge in these kind of situations.”

The CEO doesn’t typically look for an education requirement for her hires. “The first time I was hiring I even wrote, ‘I don’t care about your resumes,’” Aharon says. “I want to make sure that you know how to edit a video and have a good attitude. I don’t care if you’ve graduated college to be in social media management, personally.”

She conducts candidate interviews herself and asks situational questions, like how they’d handle a project with a client, to get a feel for their decision-making process and how they communicate.

Not everything Aharon does is so zillennial-coded. She says the best thing a candidate can do to set themselves apart is to follow-up with a thank-you email soon after meeting.

“If you follow up after three or four days, it shows me one thing, but if you follow up after an hour or in the same day, I’m like, ‘OK, this person really wants this,’” she says.

Aharon says some of her peers call her management style “lenient,” though she doesn’t see it that way.

“I also do have boundaries that none [of my staff] have ever stepped over,” like not abusing the time-off policy and making sure flexibility never results in missed deadlines, she adds. “I’ve just discussed with them that these are the fun rules until anyone makes me have to change that, which is how I think life should be, where you give people the benefit of the doubt unless proven otherwise.”

Aharon says her flexible company policies have never led to issues their roughly dozen clients including a jewelry business, moving company and orthodontist office.

Ultimately, “I think the office should be a safe place where people have a good time, because you never know what people are going home to,” Aharon says.

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