Genevieve's dad told her to take risks. When he got sick, she took her biggest one yet.
When life hands you challenges, make granola.
When Genevieve Lee's father had a heart attack, it made her question everything — even the food they ate together.
All images by SheMeansBusiness/Facebook, used with permission.
Before his heart attack and triple bypass surgery, Genevieve's family never thought too much about what they ate. While her mother is a good cook, their meals were supplemented with highly processed food and loaded with extra sugar, salt, and preservatives. Delicious, but not the best idea for a diabetic recovering from major heart surgery.
With her dad on two months of bed rest, Genevieve took a leave of absence from her film editing job to care for him, immersing herself in learning to cook whole-food versions of his favorite meals. One of the biggest challenges was finding a nutrient-rich, low-sugar replacement for the cereal he liked to snack on throughout the day.
She decided on homemade granola. It was an instant hit.
Helping her father change his diet changed her life. And her career path.
Once Genevieve started making healthy food, she couldn't stop. Soon her friends were receiving gifts of homemade granola during the holidays. Her dad saw her enthusiasm and encouraged her to take the next logical step: If you like it so much, why not sell it?
"My initial challenge is that I wasn't a risk-taker. Leaving a comfortable job with decent pay was really daunting. After giving much thought and talking to my dad, he gave me this advice: He said, 'Don't worry so much. Just do it. Things will sort of work out.'"
— Genevieve Lee
With just $500 in seed money, Genevieve started small. She sold her granola at farmers markets, then online. Her family helped every step of the way, even spending afternoons portioning and labeling packages.
Now, four years in, The Edible Company has a mail-order program, a Singapore storefront, and a strong social media presence — even if teaching people what granola is can sometimes be a challenge.
"People have a very sweet and savory tooth here, and most healthier options of anything is neither of that. So the first buy in is always our popular Coconut Gula Melaka flavor. It's connectable, sweeter, and has the essence of a Southeast Asian flavor. All of our products are gently sweetened, but I still get people who asked me to make it sweeter. I'm standing my ground."
— Genevieve Lee
In a 2014 interview, Genevieve acknowledged that her company would have failed immediately had she started it 10 years ago. Products like granola and muesli are now becoming mainstream in Singapore — and social media has played a big part in that.
There are 3.5 million active Facebook users in Singapore, and mentions from famous, popular users can make a big difference for a small business like Genevieve's.
"Now, social media makes all the difference. If a friend who has 24,000 followers posts a photo of my granola, I'll get 20 to 30 new followers and lots of people asking where to buy it within a few hours," she told an interviewer last year.
Many entrepreneurs sacrifice their personal relationships when they start their businesses. Genevieve has worked hard to be the exception.
She makes a point of carving out time in her schedule to spend with family, and she never works on Sundays. It's a refreshingly healthy approach. More than a decade after the health scare that started it all, Genevieve's father — and the business he convinced her to start — are doing well. And her family has never been stronger — even as they prepare to get a little larger next month when Genevieve and her husband welcome their first child.
Being an entrepreneur and a new mom will be a huge challenge, but Genevieve is ready for whatever happens.
"Running a business alone is one tough journey. Every thing and every day is a challenge. What keeps me going is that I refuse to give up on this dream until I have exhausted all possible options. I don't want to live my life with regrets."
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An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
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Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."