BY MIKE LEONARD
It was an evening that promised great things and delivered more. “All I can say is, that morning all the stars aligned for a perfect night,” says Jill Bolte Taylor. “It was a total blast.”
The Bloomington neuroanatomist and author was invited to New York City in mid-November to be honored at New York City’s Moves magazine’s 2014 Power Women fête. It was a classic Manhattan gala — “a really perfect balance between people who are using their lives to make an impact on the world and a New York City–style celebration,” with the magazine sending hair and makeup specialists to Bolte Taylor’s hotel before a photo shoot and then a limousine ride to the city’s posh India House Club.
Bolte Taylor wore an elegant red gown and was accompanied by her tuxedo-clad friend, Glenn Moulton. They mingled with guests — “the place was just packed with amazing people” — and posed for photos with celebrities, including actor Matt LeBlanc, before moving through a red carpet entrance to dinner, where speakers included Katie Holmes and Terrence Howard. She was seated next to Mistress of Ceremonies Arianna Huffington, and when video presentations kicked off the awards ceremonies, they started with Bolte Taylor, whose 1996 stroke and eight-year recovery resulted in the inspirational best-seller: My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey.
Bolte Taylor and Huffington connected immediately over dinner, discussing Huffington’s latest book, Thrive. “It’s about creating a new definition of success,” Bolte Taylor says. “She really emphasizes the value of sleep, and we talked about working together to help the public realize we are sleep-deprived. We’d be much healthier and maybe a little more interesting with a little more sleep in our lives.
“For me, of course, it always goes back to the brain. How do we create a healthy brain so we can lead healthy lives?”
