The American dream is in danger, Huffington Post Media Group president, chairman and editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington said in a keynote discussion at the NRA Show on Sunday, but the restaurant industry puts that dream within reach.
In a conversation with NRA CEO Dawn Sweeney, Huffington, who shared her own success story, said many Americans are struggling to put food on the table and keep everything together.
“We are going through a very difficult time in this country where the American dream is in danger,” Huffington said.
Equal opportunity for education is lacking, and the weight of student loan debt is leaving a growing number of young people in default, she said. Millennials are an increasingly stressed generation, suffering from epidemics of binge drinking, drug use and mental health issues.
“These are very fundamental problems, global problems. They are problems we need to address with a sense of urgency,” she said. “Inequality destabilizes a country.”
Sweeney noted that the restaurant industry remains one of the last remaining bridges to put the American dream in reach for many.
The more than $700 billion industry is the second-largest private-sector employer, representing about 14 million people, and in many cases serving as a ladder of opportunity, Sweeney said.
Huffington’s own story, which she tells in her recent book “Thrive,” is an example of the American dream achieved.
A Greek immigrant who studied economics at University of Cambridge and became an American citizen in 1990, Huffington has been named one of Forbes’ most powerful women. In 2011, The Huffington Post was acquired by AOL for a reported $315 million.
However, Huffington said success should not come at the expense of one’s health.
It’s a lesson Huffington learned about eight years ago, after collapsing from exhaustion, hitting her head as she fell. She woke to find herself in a pool of blood.
“And I said, ‘Is this what success looks like?’” she said.
Since then, Huffington has become an advocate for sleep, stress management and better health.
Huffington said the American workplace is one built on a culture of sleep deprivation.
“We still see people congratulating employees for working 24/7, which is the cognitive equivalent of coming to work drunk,” she said.
Seventy-five percent of healthcare costs are the result of diseases related to stress, she noted.
Getting enough sleep is key, she said. Huffington said she is now committed to getting a full eight hours of sleep 90 percent of the time.
She also advocated regularly partaking in stress-reducing activities like yoga, meditation or even amusements like fly fishing — which should be viewed by employers as performance enhancers rather than distractions.
The Huffington Post offices have nap rooms, and workers are encouraged to sleep if they need, “rather than having a third cinnamon bun.”
At first, staffers were reluctant to be seen slipping away from work to sleep.
“Now the nap rooms are perpetually full. Once I saw two people coming out of a nap room, and I thought to myself, whatever it takes to recharge you,” she said. “Just don’t tell HR.”
She also advocated the notion of “digital detox,” allowing workers to unplug and truly be off. At The Huffington Post, for example, workers are not expected to be on email when they’re off work or on vacation.
“It will make us healthier, more productive and more effective at what we’re doing,” she said.
Huffington also spoke of the need to focus on the good in the world. News organizations too often operate on the notion that “if it bleeds, it leads.”
Huffington Post has a new initiative to spotlight ingenuity, innovation and compassion, which she said will give a better picture of the world.
“Rather than copycat crimes, I want us to create copycat solutions,” she said.
The restaurant industry is full of stories of feeding those in need and supporting charitable efforts, she noted.
“There are so many amazing stories like that and we need to tell them and tell them again,” Huffington said.
Huffington urged the crowd to focus on the things for which they are grateful. Quoting the Persian poet Rumi, she said, “Live life as if it’s rigged in your favor.”
A handful of protesters, holding up signs and chanting, briefly interrupted the conversation between Sweeney and Huffington. Seeded throughout the audience, the protesters moved slowly to the exit, chanting, as others in the crowd booed. The interruption lasted only a few minutes.
Update: May 18, 2015 This story has been updated from an earlier version.
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].
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