On Monday, the oldest American, Goldie Michelson of Boston, celebrated her 114th birthday.

Every centenarian these days is asked what their secret is. Michelson said she walked whenever she could.

Other centenarians have sworn by bacon, coffee with a slosh of whiskey, bowling, or eating three raw eggs a day and staying single.

But chances are good none of these is a magic potion (sorry, bacon-lovers).

When it comes to living that long, most of the credit probably is due to having exceptionally good genes. The rest is likely tied to having lived healthier lives.

But that doesn't mean science can't help us live longer. We just need to focus our energy on the right target, according to Eileen Crimmins, who studies longevity at the University of Southern California.

Of the hopes many people have of living to be 150 years old, she says, "I think that's all pretty much nonsense." But that's because she has a much more interesting goal in mind — and it's one you and I could actually benefit from.

Studying centenarians tends to show that "the older you get, the healthier you've been." So exercise can probably help, but the quirkier habits we love to read about, not so much. It's more important to focus on building health and catching problems before they become hard to control.

In the US, that's tricky because Americans under the age of 75 are generally less healthy than people in similar countries. We're better than our peers at treating things like cancer. But health problems we're surprisingly bad at tackling, like heart disease, lung disease, drug problems, sexually transmitted infections, and obesity sicken and kill people early in life.

"We're trying to get people healthy up to the age of 75 or 80," Crimmins said. She calls this idea extension of quality of life within a given lifespan — basically, you may not live any longer, but you'll be healthier for more of the years you're alive.

"I'm not worried much about what happens after age 100," Crimmins said. "I don't believe many people will make it beyond 100, and most people who do are relatively healthy for that age."

SEE ALSO: The 2 exercises that will keep you fit for life

SEE ALSO: 3 simple tests can predict who will die earlier

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NOW WATCH: These are the 3 oldest people to ever compete in the Olympics

Your parents may have been onto something when they stuck you in middle school cotillion class.

It turns out, the wealthiest, most successful people use simple etiquette habits to get ahead.

A five-minute phone call, for instance, could result in huge payoffs.  

"You have to know how to act and how to do certain things when you're around people," writes Thomas C. Corley in his book "Change Your Habits, Change Your Life." "Self-made millionaires have mastered certain rules of etiquette that help them in social settings."

Corley would know — he spent five years researching the daily habits of 177 self-made millionaires and segmenting out what he calls "rich habits" and "poverty habits."

What are the basic etiquette rules you should start with?

1. Send thank you cards. Don't send an email or Facebook message, Corley emphasizes, but a physical, handwritten card.

2. Bring your manners to the dinner table. "Believe it or not, most people don't know how to eat," Corley writes. But, "In the adult world of the high achievers, you need to know how to eat in social settings."

3. Introduce yourself properly. This means giving a proper handshake, smiling, making eye contact, and asking plenty of questions about the other person, Corley says.

At the end of the day, "relationship are critical to financial success," he emphasizes— and building relationships all begins with proper etiquette.

SEE ALSO: 5 simple etiquette habits that help the rich get ahead, according to a man who spent 5 years studying millionaires

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NOW WATCH: This all-black superyacht is the dream of billionaires around the world

Between staying in touch with friends and family, trying to be a superstar at work, and keeping up with household chores, life can get pretty complicated. 

But a recent Quora threat called "How can I make my life simpler?" suggested that life doesn't always have to be as complicated as we make it.

Several users provided helpful suggestions on ways to streamline our day-to-day lives. Here are nine of our favorite ideas for how you can make every day a little bit simpler.

SEE ALSO: 15 things every 20-something should do to stand out at their first job

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Just say no.

While it might not be easy, saying no to anything that adds clutter to your life leaves room for what's most important to you.

"You need to say no to everything that doesn't matter," says Oliver Emberton. "Practice saying no to everything by default, and making rare, precious exceptions."

Once you start, your priorities will become clearer.

Move abroad.

Quora user Mark Pan suggests moving to another country for a couple of years. The transition will force you to let go of big complications such as an unfulfilling job or a messy relationship, as well as force you to pare down your belongings.

"Once you come back, you'll have much less baggage, both tangible and intangible, and be able to start fresh in many aspects," he says.

Make up your mind.

Shrugging off decisions with a flip "I don't know" will only make choosing harder in the long run.

Radhika Devidas explains: "This 'I don't know' feeling that you get from time to time only means that you have to ponder some more to arrive at something solid. When you leave things at this stage, they tend to become huge and often cancerous when they catch your attention the second time."

According to Jonathan and Drew Scott, stars of the HGTV show "Property Brothers," you'll want to be careful how you renovate or remodel your home.

"Just as there are features you want in a house, and that also increase the value of the space, there are changes you should not make to a house," they write in their book, "Dream Home: The Property Brothers' Ultimate Guide to Finding & Fixing Your Perfect House." "These are features that can bite you back when it's time to sell."

Here are six renovation "no-nos," according to the Property Brothers:

SEE ALSO: 2 inexpensive tricks that could help your home sell for more money, from HGTV stars the 'Property Brothers'

DON'T MISS: The secret to selling your house for more money

1. Don't sacrifice limited bedrooms for storage

If you're considering converting your tiny third bedroom into a walk-in closet, take a moment to reconsider.

"In family-friendly neighborhoods, a house with three small bedrooms is still more valuable than a house with two bedrooms and a big closet," they write.

But if your home has four medium-size bedrooms with no master bedroom, then converting one of the rooms to expand another is a safer move, according to the Property Brothers.

2. Don't get rid of the only bathtub

Families with kids will — more likely than not — want to look for a house with a bathtub, the brothers warn.

"You don't have to have a bathtub in the master, unless the house is in a retirement community, but do keep a tub in the shared or family bedroom," they write.

3. Don't spend a fortune building a custom home theater

The idea of a movie room or home theater might be loved by buyers, but not everyone will be willing to pay for it, the brothers caution. It's also hard to keep up with the newest, best, or flattest televisions when technology is always changing.

"All the gear you spent a fortune on easily becomes dated," they write.

Just could not stop staring.

That's our verdict after spending a weekend with the Ferrari California T hardtop convertible. This glossy "Rosso California" red model starts at about $199,000 — a low base for a vehicle of this caliber.

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Palo Alto, in the heart of Silicon Valley, is turning into a place affordable for only "Joe Millionaires" and not the average Joe, warned former planning commissioner Kate Downing.

In her resignation letter, the former Palo Alto planning commissioner described how the city known for being an epicenter of the tech boom continues to do nothing to stop the bombastic rise in rent prices, which have creeped so high that Downing warns that not even a software engineer can afford them now:

"We rent our current home with another couple for $6200 a month; if we wanted to buy the same home and share it with children and not roommates, it would cost $2.7M and our monthly payment would be $12,177 a month in mortgage, taxes, and insurance. That's $146,127 per year — an entire professional's income before taxes. This is unaffordable even for an attorney and a software engineer."

Part of that is because of the rise of the tech industry in a city that has incubated the early life of companies like Google and Facebook and is now covered in Palantir offices. In the last five years alone, the median home value of the town has doubled from $1.2 million to over $2.5 million, according to Zillow.

In her open letter, Downing in part blames the city council for not listening to the planning commission's recommendations.

Small steps, including adding two floors of housing instead of one in mixed-use developments, legalizing duplexes, and allowing areas like shopping centers to build housing on top of shops and offices, could have help curb the meteoric rise.

Rather, Downing says, the city council "ignored the majority of residents" who listed housing as their No. 1 concern.

As a result, professionals like Downing are being forced out of their homes when they can no longer afford them. If the city doesn't reverse course, then she cautions that those people who once made Palo Alto famous wouldn't be able to live there today:

"I struggle to think what Palo Alto will become and what it will represent when young families have no hope of ever putting down roots here, and meanwhile the community is engulfed with middle-aged jet-setting executives and investors who are hardly the sort to be personally volunteering for neighborhood block parties, earthquake preparedness responsibilities, or neighborhood watch. If things keep going as they are, yes, Palo Alto's streets will look just as they did decades ago, but its inhabitants, spirit, and sense of community will be unrecognizable. A once thriving city will turn into a hollowed out museum. We should take care to remember that Palo Alto is famous the world over for its residents' accomplishments, but none of those people would be able to live in Palo Alto were they starting out today."

You can read the entire letter on Medium.

SEE ALSO: Lawsuit claims startup founders used company money to pay for strip club, groceries, and rent

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NOW WATCH: The outrageous homes that make this Silicon Valley town the most expensive zip code in America

Even seasoned diners can sometimes use a good refresher on the do's and don'ts of high-end restaurants.

A recent Quora thread asked for the rookie mistakes people can make at fancy restaurants. The responses are a good guide to how to get the most out of your experience.

We picked the 12 best rules to live by:

Don't fall for the 'decoy effect'

"Restaurants that incorporate the decoy effect in their wine list will include one or two top quality and very expensive wines, in order to shift the customer's view of a reasonable choice to a higher pricing level than would happen if the decoy was not in place.

"Seasoned diners at high-end restaurants scan the wine list descriptions for their favourite wines with little regard for price, so they are less likely to fall for the decoy effect." — Peter Baskerville (started and managed three restaurants in Australia)

Order from the chef, not from yourself

One mistake people make: "They order from themselves rather than from the chef. I'm not referring to substitutions and such, I mean ordering the boring chicken breast which is only there to appease boring folk.

"People should order what the place is known for, in the manner and progression the restaurant recommends. If at a steakhouse, get a steak — better yet get the cut of steak they are known for." — Jason Ezratty (former culinary consultant and restaurant owner)

Get the full experience

"Spend the requisite amount of time and money to get the full experience from the place. Don't skip wine/beverage and a first course just to save. If affordability is an issue, better to save up longer than half-ass it." — Jason Ezratty

With one-bedroom flats in London costing as much as £1 million, buying property in the British capital can seem impossible.

To save money on his own London home, Alex Prindiville, CEO of the luxury car company Prindiville Motors, commissioned a team of manufacturers to design a two-bedroom houseboat moored at St. Katherine's Docks, where he lives with his family, for £300,000.

Based on his own home, the entrepreneur launched Prindiville Marine in April 2016, designing custom houseboats — which he calls "floating apartments" — for clients looking for more affordable property.

Developed by a team of 15 manufacturers based in Sheffield, boats start at £300,000 each and come fully furnished, with a supply of gas, electricity, and water. They can also be fitted with propulsion units so proprietors can go on cruises.

So far, the company has designed and sold four boats, making at least £1.2 million. It aims to build a total of 15 boats by the end of its first year.

Take a tour of Prindiville's houseboat to see what it's like inside:

Welcome to Alex Prindiville's home: a boat moored at St. Katherine's Docks in east London. The boat is accessible via the back, where there is a small outdoor section with seating for up to six people. This area is ideal for al fresco dining during the summer, Prindiville said.

After walking down a set of stairs, you get to the kitchen, which is fully equipped with a dishwasher, oven, gas hob, and other amenities.

Throughout the houseboat, the decor subtly adheres to a sailing theme. In the living room, there's a large L-shape sofa, wide-screen TV, skylight, and 13-inch porthole windows, positioned just above water level so that you can see ducks bobbing past, Prindiville said.

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Arianna Huffington is best known as the cofounder and editor in chief of The Huffington Post.

But these days, she's increasingly recognized for being a sleep evangelist.

In her book "The Sleep Revolution," Huffington discusses the importance of good sleep in the definition of a successful life.

Huffington's obsession with sleep — triggered by an incident in which she collapsed in her home office and "found herself in a pool of blood" — led her to develop a strict evening routine.

Huffington treats her nightly habit as a "sacrosanct ritual," according to an article she wrote for Motto.

She starts off by "escorting" her electronic devices out of her room, followed by a hot bath with Epsom salts. She then changes into clothes that are specifically designated for sleep.

Sometimes she drinks chamomile or lavender tea to help her sleep, and she writes down the things that she is grateful for that day, according to her book.

Huffington doesn't set an alarm and wakes up naturally after about eight hours of sleep. In the morning, she meditates for 30 minutes, gets on her exercise bike for another 30, and spends at least 10 minutes doing yoga. During the day, she tries to cut off her caffeine intake by 2 p.m., according to an interview on the lifestyle website The Early Hour.

After experimenting with Jack Dorsey's brutal morning routine, I was excited to try something that wouldn't leave me reaching for a third cup of coffee at 3 p.m.

I also often feel guilty when I prioritize sleep over work, my social life, or whatever else I feel I should be doing instead. If I could commit to sleeping eight hours in the name of work, I'm all in.

SEE ALSO: I followed Jack Dorsey's morning routine for a week and was surprised by the difference it made in my day

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The experiment

Wanting to get the most of the experiment, I decided to adopt Huffington's morning routine as well as her evening one. That included cutting out caffeine after 2 p.m.

I prepared by cleaning my tiny bathtub and purchasing two essentials — bath salts and herbal tea.

I decided to start my experiment on Sunday night. At 8:30 p.m., I posted the picture of my coconut-pomegranate bath salts on Instagram and put my phone on the dresser in front of my bed.

Huffington sleeps without electronics in her room, but in my tiny studio apartment, that would mean leaving them outside or in the bathroom. I settled for putting them out of reach from my bed.

I suddenly remembered that my phone was low on battery. When I went to plug it in, I saw that saw someone had commented on my photo and had to fight the urge to check it.

I made myself a cup of chai tea to drink in the bath, and after the first sip realized that I was drinking caffeine. Oops. But it was relaxing! And it tasted so good!

I felt like I was in the bath for 15 minutes, but it was probably more like five.

After the bath, I picked up my copy of Huffington's "The Sleep Revolution" and started reading. By 9:20 p.m., I started getting sleepy, so I started filling out my gratitude journal in a yellow notebook I'd purchased specifically for this experiment.

By 9:30 p.m., I was out.

Monday

Morning: To my surprise, I rose at 5:20 a.m. without an alarm, and I felt refreshed and ready to get up.

After following Dorsey's routine of meditating for 30 minutes each morning, my instinct was to reach for my phone to use my guided meditation app. I opted for a "Breath Connection" 20-minute meditation. It felt easy and familiar.

Given the lack of an exercise bike in my apartment, I opted to go for an early-morning jog — 6 a.m. runs can be difficult, but I never regret them, especially when I get a beautiful view of the East River.

Yoga was the next part of the routine. I started a 15-minute morning yoga sequence from Greatist and immediately made a mental note to incorporate more stretching into my workout. I had never felt so much pain during downward dog.

By 7:30 a.m., I had showered and was enjoying my coffee and breakfast while reading the news. This is one part of my personal routine that I don't like to give up. Mornings and evenings are when I make time to read longform pieces and op-ed analyses of what's happening in the world. It gets my brain going!

I left the house at 8:20 a.m. and was at work by 9 a.m.

Workday: I didn't take many notes about my productivity during the day, which I can only assume meant that I was super productive. Eight hours of sleep does wonders for the brain, after all.

I did note that I had coffee at 3 p.m., which broke Huffington's no-caffeine-after-2 p.m. rule. But it was more than six hours before my anticipated bedtime (9:30 or 10 p.m.), so I figured I was OK.

Evening: I went to the gym for an hour after work not because I wanted to torture myself again, but because I am training for the Tough Mudder race. Some of the moves require weight equipment that I don't have at home.

I came back exhausted, took a quick cold shower, then reheated and ate yesterday's dinner.

I was tempted to skip the bath because I had taken a shower, but my husband encouraged me to stick to the routine.

So I made myself a cup of tea and drew a hot bath with salts. After five minutes, I was very hot and sleepy.

I put on my sleeping tank-top and shorts, read more of "The Sleep Revolution," and jotted down what I was grateful for that day. I was asleep by 9:30 p.m.

Tuesday

Morning: I woke up, but something told me it wasn't quite 5 a.m. yet. I checked my phone, and it was 4:40 a.m. I went back to sleep.

My alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. I was about to hit the snooze button until my phone fell off the dresser and shut off, causing a brief panic before it came on again.

By then I was awake and definitely did not want to go back to bed. I went to check Facebook and found a storm of unread messages, mostly gossip from my grad school classmates. I reminded myself to meditate and told myself off for checking social media first thing in the morning.

My 30-minute workout consisted of sprints, squat jumps, and pull-ups. It took about 30 minutes to get to the closest outdoor gym, so my workout ended up lasting an hour and a half. When I got home, I dutifully did my 10 minutes of yoga before getting ready for work.

Workday: Work was productive. I definitely found it easier to concentrate than when I did Dorsey's morning routine. The only discomfort was the soreness from my workout. I guess that's why there is a "Tough" before "Mudder." I think that the next day might be a yoga day.

Evening: Doing my workout in the morning meant that I could go home and cook dinner straight away, but I was feeling lazy that night, so it ended up being a meal of refried beans and turkey bacon on tortillas with a side of greens.

My husband and I ate dinner and talked at our tiny table without our laptops, which I realized we hadn't done in a long time. That sounds bad, and the scary thing is that I didn't even notice we were doing it.

At 8:30 p.m., I escorted my electronics to the dining table, away from the bed. As the bath filled, I made myself some of the vanilla chamomile tea.

I got very sweaty in the bath, and drinking hot tea probably made it worse. I think I took a five-minute bath before I turned on the shower to cool down. I felt good.

In bed, I read more of "The Sleep Revolution." I started dozing at 9:20, and it was time for gratitude journaling. It's nice to end the day on a positive note, though I did struggle to be specific and different each day.

My favorite moments of the day tended to center on eating good food, feeling exercise endorphins, spending time with my husband, and working toward my childhood dream of becoming a journalist in New York City.

I realized that being grateful for the same things each day isn't bad — it makes you appreciate what you might otherwise take for granted.

Since the 1930s, flight attendant uniforms have varied widely in their style, challenging the designers who create them to stay current with the times, while also developing a distinct look that represents the particular airline.

The SFO Museum at San Francisco International Airport is currently honoring both the designers who have pushed the envelope and the attendants who have worn their looks. The exhibition "Fashion In Flight: A History of Airline Uniform Design" is on display from now until January 2017 and features 70 female airline uniform ensembles from 20 different airline carriers.

Take a look back, from the 1940s onward, at some of the finest stewardess get-ups designed by big names like Valentino and Vivienne Westwood.

SEE ALSO: This guy's stash of airline memorabilia shows how much flight-attendant uniforms have changed since the 1950s

Transcontinental & Western Air hostess uniform by Howard Greer, 1944

Greer was a Hollywood fashion designer whose flight attendant design included the "blou-slip," an undergarment that helped the two-piece stay tucked in.

Trans World Airlines hostess uniform by Oleg Cassini, 1955. Cassini was known for being the official designer for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

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NOW WATCH: No one wants to buy this bizarre house in a wealthy San Francisco suburb

When Maas Architects' principal, Wim Maas, wanted to design his own mansion in the Dutch city of Diepenheim, he faced pushback from the town's housing authorities.

In an effort to preserve the landscape and views of the nearby wooded areas and river, the height of houses is regulated in the area. 

His solution? Build it partially underground, and make sure it blends into the hills.

Construction of the home, called the "Farmhouse," started in early spring, and is estimated to be complete by this October, Frank Vijftigschild, an architect working on the project, tells Business Insider.

Take an exclusive look at the renderings.

SEE ALSO: 12 of the most beautiful public spaces in the world, according to urban designers

The Farmhouse is located in the outskirts of Diepenheim, the Netherlands.

The secluded, 2,700-square-foot mansion appears to blend right into the surrounding vegetation. The house is allowed a maximum height of 13 feet from the ground level.

Inspired by the forest nearby, Maas Architects used native oak for the facade. The vision behind the home was to integrate it into the landscape, Vijftigschild says. From the front, there's a view of the De Zandvang River.

“DMM.Planets Art by teamLab” is an interactive art installation exhibition created by DMM and teamLab. This exhibition features art meeting the latest technology, and it is completely mesmerizing.

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When the new Trump International Hotel opens in Washington, DC's historic Old Post Office Pavilion on September 12, no lavish detail will be spared. 

According to Travel Weekly, the hotel will have a glassy nine-story atrium, dubbed "The Cortile," with a bar called OPO Bar & Lounge where guests can watch daily champagne saberings.

Also on offer in the atrium: ounce-size samplings of rare wines served on a silver spoon.

Though we're not sure what benefits a silver spoon would bring to the taste of a fine wine, it's sure to add a touch of elegance to an already swanky spot. Guests at the lobby bar can also order wines from the Trump Winery in Charlottesville, as well as other drinks.

"Beers are popular in Washington, and we will have local beers as well interesting ones like Belgium Trappist beer served in a goblet you can take home," food and beverage director Daniel Mahdavian told Travel Weekly.

As for food, the menu will include a breakfast service with baked goods, as well as an afternoon tea service.

The hotel will also have its own BLT Prime steakhouse.

SEE ALSO: 19 photos that show how much flight attendant uniforms have changed since the glory days of aviation

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NOW WATCH: What it's like to go 'glamping' for $2,500 a night on top of a luxury hotel in NYC

Like most girls her age, 13-year-old Kaylee Halko loves singing along to her favorite tunes in the bathroom. It has the best lighting in the house, which is important for Halko's purposes.

Because unlike her peers, when Halko records her concert in the commode and uploads it to Musical.ly, a fast-rising social video network, millions of fans tune in to watch.

If you haven't heard of Musical.ly yet, it's probably because you're older than 16 or don't live with a teen. The app took off in 2015 and today, 50% of teens in the US have downloaded it, according to Alex Hoffman, president of Musical.ly North America.

The app allows people to upload 15-second videos of them dancing, performing comedy skits, or lip-syncing to today's top hits, and it's given rise to the next generation of social media stars. While most middle schoolers are worrying about zits and exams, overnight celebrities like Halko are learning to juggle international stardom with real life.

Halko has never been your typical American girl. Halko has a rare and fatal disease called progeria, which makes her body age up to 10 times faster than normal children. She stands less than four feet tall, with a smooth head and radiant blue eyes. Her voice sounds like tiny jingle bells.

Typically, people born with progeria show no signs until the age of two, when they start to exhibit growth failure, loss of body fat and hair, aged-looking skin, and stiffness in the joints. On average, they die at 14, often of a heart attack or stroke.

There are 135 known children in the world currently living with progeria. But only one is a rising social media star.

Growing up in suburban Ohio with three older brothers, Halko became the confident, fearless one in the clan. She always insisted on taking the bus to school. She took dance classes in jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, and musical theater, and continues to enter dance competitions.

When she was 8, she appeared on ABC's "20/20" and explained to Barbara Walters what the biggest difference between them was: "I have a bald head and you have hair," she said.

Around the same time as her national news debut, Halko became a victim of bullying in her elementary school. A couple students created Instagram hate pages targeting her disease.

"It pretty much said, 'We need to kill all kids with progeria,' and, 'I want to see all these f-----g kids die,'" Halko's father, Tim, told a local news station.

When they complained to the administration, the school forced the students to delete the pages. They popped back up a day later. Eventually, Halko transferred to another school.

A year ago, when Halko's cousin showed her what Musical.ly was, she downloaded the app and didn't think much of it. Halko started spending 15 minutes a day creating lip-syncing videos that show her bopping along to her favorite hip-hop and dance tunes, serenading the camera in her bathroom.

Halko has since racked up over three million followers and a dozen fan pages on Musical.ly. She almost always cracks the top 25 leaderboard, a list of the most liked users on the app that's updated daily. And on any post, there are thousands of comments complimenting her eyes, her taste in music, and her spirit.

For every bully that calls her a name, a flock of fans bury the comment with positive replies.

"I definitely feel [supported] because I've gotten a lot of nice comments and stuff," Halko tells Business Insider. "They are definitely nice, so that makes me feel good."

She says she will often respond to direct messages from fans and doesn't mind posing for selfies in public. On a trip to South Carolina, she was ambushed for photos on the beach, in the store, and at a café. Fans often ask to take photos with her, but are too starstruck to strike up a conversation. Halko is happy to chat, and doesn't mind their nervousness.

Just don't expect her to talk about progeria on Musical.ly. Halko doesn't make her disease part of the conversation, because that's not why she's on the app. She's here to have fun.

"Like, I don't want followers to follow me just because I have progeria," Halko says. "I want them to follow me because they like me."

That they do.

SEE ALSO: Teens are becoming overnight celebrities on this lip-syncing app you've never heard of

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NOW WATCH: 16-year-old Beyoncé basically predicted her own future

Arianna Huffington announced on Thursday she was leaving The Huffington Post, the news organization she cofounded 11 years ago, to focus on a new startup called Thrive Global.

Thrive Global describes itself in the press release announcing Huffington's move as a "corporate and consumer well-being and productivity platform."

To find out what a "corporate and consumer well-being and productivity platform" actually does (and how it will make money), we got our hands on Thrive Global's investor deck (scroll down to see it in full below) and hopped on the phone with the company's president, Abby Levy.

As the deck shows, Thrive Global will have two tiers — corporate and global — and it plans to do everything from commerce to events to dominating the wellness space.

Pillows, trackers, and events

Thrive Global will begin its efforts on the consumer front in fall of this year. Through her books "Thrive" and "The Sleep Revolution," plus her social-media and mainstream-media appearances, Huffington has long been using her personal brand to promote conversations around wellness topics.

Now Thrive wants to move Huffington's wellness brand beyond books into other Thrive-related products — think pillows, candles, and food supplements.

Levy said Thrive will also offer "curated commerce."

She explained: "There are so many choices out there and the pace of innovation is so fast, health and wellness consumers are looking for someone to help them vet which products and services and technologies are real and which aren't."

Elsewhere, there will be a "hub," consisting of a website and apps that will help people learn about wellness and track their own progress. The hub will be monetized much like other media ventures, through brand partnerships, advertising, and subscriptions.

Offline, Thrive has a bunch of live events planned and the company has already signed partnerships with basketball players including Kobe Bryant and Andre Iguodala, and football coach Pete Carroll. Consumers can also pay to go on Thrive retreats.

Levy explained that most other players in the wellness space focus on just one element of the topic — like nutrition, or meditation, or fitness — but Thrive intends to offer a "science-based integrated view of the whole human," with opportunities to have a "deeply human connection with our brand."

Thrive will be a 'human-talent consultancy' for corporations

Over on the corporate side, Levy describes Thrive's ambition to be a "human-talent consultancy" — essentially a management consultancy that helps workforces get fitter and healthier.

"Arianna has an amazing ability to connect with people. It's an important differentiator of our approach in engaging corporations in this journey. We are doing the best to replicate that in our platform and channel her energy and spirit," Levy said.

Already, Thrive has trained "several dozen trainers" to go into companies and run workshops — ranging from a few hours to weekend retreats — to help them tackle some of the challenges that commonly face employees, such as stress, burnout, depression, and other chronic health issues that are brought on by work.

Thrive's trainers — which can include Huffington herself if a company requests it, plus partners like the ALTUS sports-medicine and training institute and The David Lynch Foundation — will also go on to train employees so they can train their coworkers in helping to deal with these types of issues.

Levy said: "It creates deep personal bonds and deep conversations. These aren't the type of issues people talk about [but in these sessions] people talk about their personal struggles or challenges with technology — these are the kinds of things that need to be encouraged and brought to life."

Thrive says in its press release that stress and burnout cost businesses $300 billion in the US alone. Levy said there is a clear return on investment (ROI) for companies spending money to tackle these kinds of problems. Those returns include increases in productivity, decreases in absenteeism, and the ability to attract and retain talent.

Corporates will pay consultancy or subscription fees for access to Thrive's trainers or online services.

But Levy said the company wants to appeal to smaller businesses and startups too. It is also donating some of its services to nonprofits.

"We've had one of our [startup] partners say to us: 'Everyone here does three jobs'. There has been this hero mentality and sometimes in that culture companies want to change that so they can do right by their employees and keep people there for longer."

Inside Thrive, the business

Thrive has raised a $7 million Series A round of funding at a $33 million post-funding valuation, a source told Business Insider.

The round was led by Lerer Hippeau Ventures and also included investment from a number of other high-profile names including Alibaba founder Jack Ma's venture fund Blue Pool Capital, Greycroft Partners, Bridgewater founder and CEO Ray Dalio, and tech entrepreneur Sean Parker, among others.

Levy said: "We are thrilled by the support of our Series A investors. We all share a common purpose ... we wanted like-minded partners with us who also felt the amount we were raising gives us enough running room to pick up the efforts Arianna kicked off."

For that reason, and the fact that the company is launching a number of products in 2017, Levy doesn't expect Thrive to be back in the market for Series B financing in 2017.

Levy said she expects that in a year's time, Thrive's office, which is based in the same building that The Huffington Post launched in back in 2005 — 100 Crosby Street in the Soho district of New York City — is likely to expand from the seven staff it has currently to around 50. However, she hastens to add that the company will be responsible to assess the opportunity and only scale appropriately.

She added: "This is a big platform we are building that has the opportunity for a global impact on millions of people. The momentum we have accelerating into it is really exciting. The issue of tackling the global economic expense and human expense to productivity is an important challenge that we feel everyone should be invested in."

Scroll down to take a look at Thrive's pitch to investors.

SEE ALSO: Arianna Huffington is leaving The Huffington Post

This is the 19-page Thrive Global investor deck.

Whether attending a dinner party for business or pleasure, there are certain things you just shouldn't do. 

You may also find yourself in a sticky situation where you're not sure what to do.

Author and longtime butler Charles MacPherson answers all in his book, "The Pocket Butler: A Compact Guide to Modern Manners, Business Etiquette and Everyday Entertaining."

Here are 10 pearls of wisdom from his 26 years of experience. 

Brittany Fowler wrote an earlier version of this post. 

SEE ALSO: 8 essential etiquette rules every guy should follow at the barbershop

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's lifestyle page on Facebook!

1. Never wear your napkin as a bib.

Unless you're at the beach with friends casually chowing down on buttery lobster, don't tuck your napkin into your collar. Instead, place it across your lap and use when necessary.

2. Never use the table as an elbow rest.

We know it's tempting, but avoid putting your elbows on the table. "Keep them tucked into your body, especially when lifting food into your mouth," MacPherson advises. 

3. Never overreact if you spill something on yourself (or someone else).

We all have embarrassing moments, but there's no reason to make a big deal out of it. Clean up the mess in a quick and quiet manner. If there are servers, ask for additional napkins. If you spill on another guest, don't wipe them off yourself. Instead, offer your napkin and apologize. 

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