Karen Rose Tank '79 & Anthony Tsai '96 & Hubert Tsai '96
Healthy Habits
Karen Rose Tank '79
Karen Rose Tank's career had always been focused on food, from promoting alternative farming practices at Cornell Cooperative Extension to working as a food, land, and agricultural policy economist at Rutgers University. But at age thirty-nine, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes—and her relationship with food changed forever. Tank had long struggled with weight and body image issues; now she had to reevaluate her eating and exercise habits to manage her diabetes. "I learned a lot in the process," says Tank, "and eventually I wanted to share it with people who are struggling with the same things."
Tank went back to school for a certification from SUNY Purchase's Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Fifteen years after her diagnosis, she owns Rose Health Coaching, a Princeton, New Jersey, business that primarily helps clients stabilize their blood sugar and control their diabetes. Tank notes that doctors often tell newly diagnosed patients that they must lose weight to manage their disease—a challenge that tends to inspire panic. Her coaching program incorporates guidance about food and nutrition along with behavior modification strategies to help clients focus on healthy living rather than just weight loss. At each session, Tank helps the client map out an action plan that includes diet and exercise goals for the week. "When people eliminate their dependence on carbohydrates and sugar," says Tank, "they begin craving interesting things like cabbage and kale."
— Katie Dreier '12
Close Shave
Anthony Tsai '96 & Hubert Tsai '96
Working as Wall Street equity traders for more than a decade, Anthony and Hubert Tsai were no strangers to luxury. They drove expensive cars, dressed in designer suits, and dined at posh restaurants. But in the midst of enjoying the finer things in life, the identical twins found that one part of their daily routine—shaving— didn't quite meet their standards.
So in 2010, after four years of research and development, the pair launched TwinLuxe, a California-based line of men's luxury shaving and skin care products. Their two-piece shave sets, created in collaboration with the designer of the Rolls Royce Phantom, include either a chrome, black stainless steel, or white ceramic razor and a brush made from silvertip badger hair. Intended for the "affluent modern man," the sets sell for $800 to $1,600. "It's all about the experience and how you feel when you use our products," says Anthony, a former chemistry major and the company's president. "Twin-Luxe brings the modern spa and barbershop experience into your own bathroom."
The company's skin care products are similarly high-end; one set, which includes shaving cream, facial balm, and "booster serum," is priced at $174 and has been featured in gift bags at NBA All-Star games, the Michael Jordan Celebrity Golf Invitational, and the 2011 Grammy Awards. "We've been working as a pair ever since we graduated from Cornell and entered Wall Street," says Hubert, a former biology major and the company's CEO. "We think alike and we're all about perfection. When you have two minds working together, that's a lot better than working by yourself."
— Nicholas St. Fleur '13