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EW: Being a mother is tough, and youwere a single mom. How did youbalance your career and maintain asense of self?MM: I kept in good health. And I’moptimistic, but even with all myoptimism I never would have said tomyself, “When I get to 70, I’m reallygoing to take off.” I would havesounded like a crazy lady.EW: We are good role models—livingproof that you can continue to do allsorts of exciting things after 70.Speaking of exciting, your son Elon[who is also the founder and CEO ofSpace X] had an amazing experiencethis winter with his rocket test launch.MM: Of the charts.EW: It was unbelievable! You must besuper proud. Did Elon show signs ofbeing an inventor when he was little?MM: He was always curious; all mykids were always exploring things.I’m very proud of all of them.EW: Was Elon doing things liketaking apart the toaster? Did youencourage that?MM: I’ve always encouraged theircuriosity. But if they picked apart thetoaster, they knew they had to put itback together again.EW: Now he’s planning a flight toMars. Do you want to be on board that spaceship?MM: I don’t know if I want to spend three months in a rocket.In the beginning, it will just be engineers, who will go irst toset up a city. As a nutritionist, I could probably help by sendingfood. It would have to be compacted.EW: Speaking of lying, I’m fascinated that growing up inSouth Africa you lew around in a prop plane with your familysearching for the Lost City.MM: I had adventurous parents. We would go across theKalahari Desert every July with three weeks’ supply of water,gas, and food. I don’t know how my mom did it because shehad ive little kids. We never found the Lost City, but wecame across caves, rivers, and Bushmen, who had never seenwhite people. And we saw lots of animals. Lions would comeup to our camp.EW: Do you think these adventures impacted you positivelyand that was something you passed on to your kids?``````MM: They’re all adventurous; maybe it’sin their genes. I’ve lived in eight citiesand three countries. I love exploringnew cultures. Did you know that inChina they don’t consider olderwomen to be relevant, so I was lownto Shanghai to talk about beingrelevant, fashionable, and contributingto society. And I gave a talk inStockholm about healthy eating lastyear. That’s where I met you.EW: I remember. Any hobbies?MM: I spend a lot of time onInstagram. I love spending time withmy 10 grandkids and hearing aboutwhat they’re doing; they’re so excited.How many grandkids do you have?EW: Nine. We could have a pokergame. I’ll have to add one to the teamso that we’re equal. You were named aface of CoverGirl at 69, and it wasdescribed as a history-making moment.Is that your greatest achievement?MM: My three kids are my greatestachievement. I never dreamed ofbeing a CoverGirl, but here I am!It’s so amazing. The response hasbeen so positive. People post #Goalsand #GOAT. Do you know whatGOAT means?EW: No, what does it mean?MM: Greatest of All Time.EW: That’s so wonderful. It really rearms the importance ofappreciating and encouraging women of all ages.MM: Another hashtag they write is #OG. I had to ask mygranddaughter what it meant; it’s Original Gangster. I laughedso much.EW: Oh, my God, I love this. OG. For me, and I think it’s thesame for you, being optimistic, always looking out instead ofin, and trying to improve the world in some way are the keysto success and change, and something we’ve passed on to ourchildren. I’ve been trying to do that in education for decades.You’ve been trying to do that with nutrition forever.My daughter Susan is trying to improve the world withYouTube. And Elon is doing it with the electric car industry.Every time I get into my Tesla I think of Elon. ■``````Esther Wojcicki is a journalist, educator, and the founder of thePalo Alto High School Media Arts Center``````On Musk: Dress, Carolina Herrera. Shoes, Manolo Blahnik. Earrings, David Yurman.All prices upon request. See Where to Buy for details.``````“I don’t know if I want to spendthree months in a rocket. As anutritionist, I could probablyhelp by sending food. It wouldhave to be compacted.”BazaarBEAUTY