Bloomberg Businessweek Weekend – November 28, 2025

Episode Overview

In this special Thanksgiving weekend edition, hosts Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec step outside the usual Wall Street and policy focus to spotlight healthcare innovations from Boston Children’s Hospital—a powerhouse in pediatric medicine and medical research. The episode’s first half features in-depth conversations with clinicians pioneering advances in AI, brain imaging, and orthopedic surgery. The second half pivots to consumer trends, with candid insights from the CEO of Farm Girl Flowers, a breakdown of travel and leisure patterns with the CEO of Travel and Leisure, and discussion on the spirits industry’s shifting landscape. The hosts keep their signature inquisitive, engaging tone throughout, offering listeners a thoughtful yet lively mix of health, business, and cultural topics.

Spotlight: Boston Children’s Hospital – Innovation & Impact

Setting the Scene: The Human Side of Healthcare

[03:25] – [06:51]

Guest: Dr. Joan LaRovere, Interim Chief Medical Officer

• Boston Children’s is at the intersection of research, clinical care, and family support, balancing cutting-edge science with the need for comforting spaces for patients and staff.
• The hospital’s mission: Delivering the best clinical care, fostering scientific discovery, and serving a global, complex pediatric population.
• Notable quote:

  "We're going to help more children survive but also thrive. And that takes a real concerted effort. And you need the science here with clinical."
  — Dr. Joan LaRovere [06:51]

AI and Medical Advancements: Current Practice and Future Potential

[07:22] – [10:29]

• Boston Children’s has long been an AI leader, integrating platforms like Boston GPT and working with firms such as Databricks and DataRobot.
• Major focus: Rare disease/genetic disease diagnostics and therapy development, with AI unlocking new research potential.
• Optimism for the future:

  "Her best days are ahead of us and AI is unlocking that type of potential."
  — Dr. Joan LaRovere, on Dr. Wendy Chung’s work [08:49]

• Research at Boston Children’s bridges pediatric and adult care, with pediatric innovations increasingly informing adult treatments.

Healthcare Workforce and Vision

[10:50]

• Dr. LaRovere highlights the need for ongoing engagement, partnerships, and support to “push the envelope” and move pediatric medicine forward.

Deep Dives: Cutting-Edge Pediatric Medicine

Neurosurgical Oncology: Clinical Trials & the Realities of Pediatric Cancer

[14:04] – [20:17]

Guest: Dr. Lyssa Baird, Director of Neurosurgical Oncology

• Pediatric brain tumors are profoundly different from adult cancers, requiring distinct, age-appropriate therapies.
• Historic lack of funding for pediatric cancer research; heavy reliance on philanthropy to fuel innovation.
• Quote on research gaps:

  "Historically, we have had to extrapolate data and treatments from the adult world, and it just doesn't work."
  — Dr. Lyssa Baird [16:01]

• Advances in genetic understanding and precision treatments mean individualized care is becoming a reality.
• The hospital’s multidisciplinary approach integrates neurosurgeons, oncologists, geneticists, and therapists for holistic child and family support.

Imaging & Early Intervention: The Quest for Better Brain Development Outcomes

[20:55] – [31:30]

Guest: Dr. Ellen Grant, Director of Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging

• Dr. Grant leads a 70-person neuroimaging and computational science team focused on characterizing fetal/infant brain development.
• Early imaging can now start at 18 weeks gestation, with evidence-based shifts towards earlier interventions.
• Custom pediatric imaging devices are essential, due to differences in scale and physiology versus adults.
• Lack of commercial incentive delays equipment innovation; Dr. Grant seeks to bridge research into market via AI-driven startups.
• AI models are being developed to predict individual versus group outcomes, with a goal to empower parents through accessible, personalized data.
• Empathy and safety in medical chatbots is a priority:

  "There are ways to constrain chatbots to give you reasonable answers that are statistically sound."
  — Dr. Ellen Grant [31:04]

Orthopedic Innovation: Rethinking the ACL

[34:36] – [45:14]

Guest: Dr. Martha Murray, Orthopedic Surgeon-in-Chief

• Revisiting the myth that ACL tears affect women more than men: Recent research shows differences may be driven by greater playing time among female athletes, not biological differences alone.
• Dr. Murray’s engineering-meets-medicine background led her to fundamentally rethink ACL treatment, culminating in the FDA-approved “BEAR” (Bridge-Enhanced ACL Repair) technique, using a custom biological scaffold (“the sponge”) that enables natural ligament healing.
• Quote on discovery:

  "The tissue and the cells in the tissue were doing exactly what they were supposed to do in both tissues. But the difference was…in the ACL, the blood disperses through the fluid of the joint."
  — Dr. Martha Murray [38:05]

• Preventive care advice: Emphasizing cross-training and rest for adolescents; caution about the effects of screen-centric lifestyles on bone and joint health.
• Looking forward: Dr. Murray is developing injectable treatments for rotator cuff injuries, aiming for less invasive procedures.

Market Trends: Business, Travel & Consumer Health

Domestic Travel: The Evolution of the American Vacation Experience

[46:32] – [57:52]

Guest: Mike Brown, CEO, Travel and Leisure

• Thanksgiving travel hits record heights, with Americans seeking value and experience amid inflation.
• Timeshares have rebranded: Now dominated by trusted hospitality chains, promising greater transparency and higher retention (98%) rates among buyers.
• The company is pivoting away from ground-up builds towards conversions and leveraging lifestyle branding (e.g., Margaritaville, Eddie Bauer).
• Quote on shifting consumer desires:

  "We see an opportunity to customize your experience inside the resort and outside as opposed to over separating the financial demographics."
  — Mike Brown [52:05]

• No signs yet of economic stress or travel pullbacks, though leadership remains watchful for demand shifts.

Farm Girl Flowers: Realities of Building a Business in 2025

[61:03] – [71:36]

Guest: Christina Stembel, Founder & CEO

• Christina’s company, bootstrapped from her SF apartment, has grown to $35M+ in revenue and 30 staff, but she’s chosen slow, sustainable growth over hyper-scaling.
• Early focus on scale and glossy founder stories gave way to a focus on profitability and resilience, especially post-COVID:

  "All my ego…I finally realized it was my ego…all these people I wanted to be that are the girl bosses that made it. I'm like, they don't own their companies anymore."
  — Christina Stembel [63:26]

• Immigration and labor shortages stymie US flower farming; tariffs increase costs, with impacts passed on to consumers.
• Quote on workforce challenges:

  "We're telling people, go to college so you don't have to work a factory job…Nobody wants to work a factory job."
  — Christina Stembel [69:34]

• Christina has bought a farm (in Oregon/Washington) for vertical integration but expects only a modest share of total supply will ever be domestically grown.
• Consumer spending is bifurcated—those able to spend are still doing so, but many are being priced out. Christina describes her outlook as "bleak but hopeful."

Changing Spirits & Alcohol in the Era of GLP-1 and Cannabis

[72:07] – [82:31]

Guest: Ali Anderson, CEO, KraftCo.

• The spirits industry faces challenges: health-driven consumption declines, rise of GLP-1 drugs, and consumer shift to cannabis.
• Adaptability is key:

  "You see people making healthy choices when and where they can…choosing quality over quantity."
  — Ali Anderson [74:16]

• Not only are consumers downgrading to lower price points, but some are also trading up for unique or luxury experiences.
• KraftCo. leverages craft, innovation, and storytelling to appeal to consumers, showcasing products like bourbon finished in rum casks and elderflower-infused spirits.
• Shelf space is won by relationships, not just product quality.
• Cannabis is rapidly cannibalizing alcohol sales, with “Green Wednesday” emerging as a major cannabis sales day before Thanksgiving.

Notable Quotes by Segment

• On Medical Innovation:

  “We're always trying to push the envelope of what we can do.”
  — Dr. Joan LaRovere [10:50]

• On Pediatric Trials:

  "We have to support these kids through developmental stages…The family needs are different, the diseases require very specific therapies."
  — Dr. Lyssa Baird [15:11]

• On Early Brain Imaging:

  "The goal is to characterize the brain development very early on, so we tell at the very earliest point when to start to deviate…so we can get things back on track early as possible."
  — Dr. Ellen Grant [21:26]

• On Building a Business:

  "I finally figured out that everything I thought the business world was isn't…all these sales, all these glossy pictures…I'm barely scraping by eating ramen."
  — Christina Stembel [63:26]

• On Changing Alcohol Markets:

  “Craft is now evolving…to be what is that experience I can get, who are the people that make it, how transparent are they…”
  — Ali Anderson [79:24]

• On Consumer Outlook:

  "Bleak but hopeful."
  — Christina Stembel [71:12]

Key Timestamps

| Segment | Time | |------------------------------------------------------|-----------| | Opening & Boston Children’s Hospital intro | 01:45 | | Dr. Joan LaRovere on hospital innovations/AI | 03:25-11:24 | | Dr. Lyssa Baird on pediatric neuro-oncology | 14:04-20:17 | | Dr. Ellen Grant on neuroimaging, AI, venture funding | 20:55-31:30 | | Dr. Martha Murray on ACL innovation | 34:36-45:14 | | Mike Brown – Travel and Leisure, state of travel | 46:32-57:52 | | Christina Stembel – Farm Girl Flowers, small business | 61:03-71:36 | | Ali Anderson – Spirits industry, craft, cannabis | 72:07-82:31 |

Memorable Moments

• Carol and Tim marveling at Boston Children’s Hospital’s “magical spaces” and mission-driven staff [04:34–06:19]
• Dr. Martha Murray’s journey from aerospace engineering to pioneering knee surgery [36:43–37:44]
• Christina Stembel’s frank discussion of the myth versus reality of female entrepreneurship [63:26]
• “Green Wednesday”—the new cannabis holiday before Thanksgiving [83:17–83:34]
• Carol sampling bourbon live on-air with Ali Anderson—“It's been quite a week. I'm gonna…” [77:12]

Episode Takeaways

• In Health: Boston Children’s Hospital demonstrates how integrating AI, multidisciplinary care, and tailored tech equips pediatric medicine for the next generation.
• In Business: True resilience for small businesses means prioritizing sustainable growth over hype, especially as labor shortages and supply challenges persist.
• For Consumers: Americans are traveling in record numbers and still spending, but economic uncertainty looms, and the leisure, gifting, and spirits sectors face both headwinds and evolving tastes.
• Culturally: Health, value, and authentic experience are king—whether in the hospital ward, on vacation, sending flowers, or choosing your next drink.

This well-rounded episode delivers both depth and breadth, ideal for listeners who want unique cross-industry perspectives as we reflect on health, wellbeing, and the state of the American consumer.