2025 has seen the second edition of HTSI’s The Brains of Wellbeing & Beauty, a series of live talks with entrepreneurs, innovators and health practitioners who are leading the way in the $2tn wellness industry. In this year’s events, led by HTSI editor Jo Ellison and assistant editor Ellie Pithers, the focus has been on cracking the longevity code. This week, in films of the four conversations, we share the insights gleaned from Clinique La Prairie CEO Simone Gibertoni, Ōura ring chief product officer Holly Shelton, Merit beauty brand founder and chairman Katherine Power and Ross J Barr, London’s most in-demand acupuncturist.

There are, of course, no easy fixes but all offer fascinating takes on how we can change our health futures, from intelligent use of wearables and AI technology, to the importance of thinking holistically, “clean” beauty and why stress might not be such a bad thing after all. My favourite piece of advice comes from Barr, however, who is in favour of us clearing our diaries and ceasing to strive to optimise every waking hour: “In terms of wellness and longevity, generally the best thing you can do for your health is nothing.” Don’t forget, too, to take our longevity quiz and find out how healthy your habits really are.

For the novelist Megan Nolan, food and love have always been intertwined, as she writes in a moving personal essay about everything she has learnt from a decade of dinners and dating. “All I wanted, have ever wanted, was to be close to other people,” she writes. “Having no money made this difficult. I couldn’t spend the evening at a bar buying drinks, couldn’t go for chichi brunches. But I could learn to cook, and this was a way to draw people to me: a reason to give them for coming over.” She had her heart broken at 24, triggering a period chowing in the culinary shallows of Wetherspoons, and again at 34 (“I will never make dinner for a man again”), after which she goes full Miss Havisham with some uneaten kitsune udon. But where there’s food there’s hope and, despite all, maybe even love. It’s a beguiling read. You’ll want a second helping.

“Ever since Beyoncé brought two Irish dancers on the US leg of her Cowboy Carter tour Irish dancing has been having a pop culture moment,” writes Aoife Murray in her exploration of the current trend for Irish dancing shoes or ghillies. These traditional leather pumps that interlace around the ankle have been reworked across the SS25 catwalks, from Simone Rocha and Sinéad O’Dwyer to kitten heel versions at Chloé and 1930s “County Clare” shoes at Bode. Aoife first wore them as a young girl in Ireland: “My own dancing career began in primary school with vague dreams of a sparkly dress and a curly wig, and ended with an ill-fated parish hall performance: I fell off the stage mid-reel” – putting her in good company with Naomi Campbell who also famously toppled on the runway in a pair of ghillies in 1993, albeit towering platform versions designed by Vivienne Westwood. “They can be sporty, folkloric, boho or punk,” Murray concludes. Dance to your own tune… and enjoy the weekend!

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FOUR MORE STORIES TO READ THIS WEEK

The most fabulous shops for perfume lovers For the world’s most alluring fragrance stores, follow your nose 12 of the best road bikes for summer adventures Tarmac-ready rides fit for amateurs and athletes Ten chic things to do in August HTSI writers select the best eating, shopping and culture opportunities for the month ahead Can Lamborghini’s new Temerario supercar eclipse the Huracán? A first drive of the Italian marque’s new raging bull of a hybrid supercar

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