19-02-2025
Want to Pack Like a Boss? Seven CEOs Share Their Travel Secrets
Welcome to the CEO Diet, a monthly series in Bloomberg Businessweek, where executives from around the world tell us how they manage their time in and out of the office. In recent months, we've touched on their preferred breakfast, exercise routine, drink order, and weekend activity. Now, we're talking about their best tips for packing a bag—big or, preferably, small. You'll see a predilection for functionality, from clothes to snacks, and the universal importance of a travel pillow.
Before she became CEO of the famed holistic wellness brand Naturopathica, Cathy O'Brien worked at Arista records with stars like Notorious BIG and Usher, then in beauty at Estée Lauder and Jo Malone. Her diverse background informs her specific packing routine, starting with clothes: 'Veronica Beard Beverly jeans (they're form-fitting and flattering for girls with long legs); gray Adidas sneakers; a white dress; tall black Louboutin boots; a white and a black Nili Lotan button-down; a pair of black Eberjey pajamas; Bombas slippers; diamond studs.' Her supplementary essentials cover health and the random opportunity to socialize. She brings 'vitamins and my anti-estrogen pill, for the breast cancer thing (I was diagnosed in 2023 and completed radiation last May). A travel backgammon set and deck of cards—always fun for the plane or to do over drinks with a friend or colleague.'
