Playin' it cool

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today: All about the elusive ube yam; Executives are burning out at an alarming rate; and we’re getting more information about the Rolling Stones new album…

But first our weekly poll!

Ube (pronounced “oo-beh”) is a yam primarily grown in the Philippines, that’s exploded in popularity in recent years as consumers across the world have taken a liking to exotic, colourful foods.

What’s driven the interest in ube’s this past year has been the shortage of matcha, the previously hottest trending colourful exotic tea.

While matcha’s popularity rose, its production in Japan actually declined, making it increasingly difficult for food distributors and cafes to get their hands on the product. That’s roughly around the same time ube-flavoured lattes began showing up in cafes in various parts of the Western world.

The yam has an earthy aroma and its flavour has been described as vanilla, white chocolate, and pistachio, with a nutty texture. In other words, it’s simply a perfect ingredient for a latte. Its almost-magical purple hue certainly helps, too, particularly when it comes to trending on social media.

The problem with ube is that it’s even more elusive than matcha. It’s mostly grown by remote Filipino farmers, and a sophisticated supply chain hasn’t developed.

“There’s a missing link between the farmers and the market,” said Rhea Topacio, founder of Pamana World, an Amsterdam-based seller of ube-flavoured products like ice cream and syrup.

“They say there is a shortage of ube, but as far as some of my friends know, there is a lot of ube in the marketplace,” added the business owner who’s come to be known as the “Queen of Ube.”

Development Dimensions International’s Global Leadership Forecast 2025 report included a survey of 10,796 first-level, mid-level, senior-level and C-suite leaders, and found a whopping 71% of them were experiencing high levels of burnout.

A separate survey of 1,400 randomly-selected U.S. employees conducted by Ipsos found 55% of employees were also experiencing burnout.

The results show that executives are probably feeling it much more than most people realize, partly due to unique challenges associated with leading teams and companies, but also due to the fact that executives often hide their stress.

90% of employees who quit in 2024 cited their boss as the reason, and as an executive rises in the ranks, the number of people who report to them—directly or indirectly—rises, along with their paycheque.

“The higher you go, the more you have to hide your weaknesses. That’s what people believe,” says Michel Koopman, founder and CEO of leadership development firm CxO Coaching. “There’s this belief that, when I’m at the top, I cannot be vulnerable. Well, that’s a misconception.”

If you’re a burned out executive, Christy Rutherford, a Harvard University-trained global executive advisor and author of the book 90 Days to Burnout Recovery, has some pointers that can help.

LHS 3844b is an exoplanet discovered by NASA in 2019. It’s 50 lightyears away, and is often referred to as a “super Earth,” given its rocky composition and the fact that it’s about 30% bigger than our home.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) just viewed the surface of this planet, making it the first time a telescope has actually captured a first-hand image of a planet outside of our solar system.

It did so by analyzing heat coming off the surface, allowing the telescope to visualize its appearance, which JWST determined to be an airless, rocky, barren wasteland that resembles Mercury more than Earth.

Astronomers typically analyze the atmosphere of exoplanets using technology that allows them to identify their elemental makeup, colour, and other variables to extrapolate an appearance.

The analysis of a planet’s actual surface could be the future method of choice by which astronomers attempt to identify Earth-like planets in the distant recesses of outer space.

It only took one day.

Just yesterday Stake suggested a release date was on the horizon for the Rolling Stones’ next album. And now we have it.

Foreign Tongues will officially be released worldwide on July 10, just under three years after Hackney Diamonds. It will mark the fastest release of any two Rolling Stones albums since 1983’s Undercover was followed up by 1986’s Dirty Work.

In other words, the Stones are back in business, over 62 years into their illustrious genre-defining career.

The full track list is yet to be revealed, but the band immediately put out two singles while announcing the album’s release date, featuring In the Stars and the previously-released “Cockroaches” song, Rough and Twisted.

The band also announced the record will feature guest appearances from Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood, Robert Smith of the Cure, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, along with some parts recorded during late drummer Charlie Watts’ final session.

The whole album was recorded in less than a month, according to the band’s press release.

"It was a very intense few weeks recording Foreign Tongues," Mick Jagger said. "We had 14 great tracks and we went as fast as we could. I like the room there as it’s not too big so you can feel the passion in the room from everyone.”

Quizmaster’s choice

It’s Friday and you know what that means! Time for trivia à la carte. It’s a little of this, a little of that, and a whole lotta fun.

Go on, give today’s trivia a try.