The Health Diaries

Investigative Reporter Rukmini Callimachi on New Motherhood and Quitting Coffee

‘I’m very much an all-or-nothing kind of person. It’s something that I’m going to have to work on a lot harder now that I have a very small baby in my life.’

There are many ways to live a healthy life. The Health Diaries is a weekly series about the habits that keep notable people living well.

Even if you haven’t heard Rukmini Callimachi’s name, you might recognize the New York Times’ foreign correspondent’s voice from the popular podcast, Caliphate. Callimachi is well known for her reporting on the Islamic state; after parts of Iraq and Syria are liberated from ISIS rule, Callimachi goes to those locations and spends weeks interviewing the people who live there. She speaks with people who have escaped ISIS rule, and sometimes even interviews members of the terrorist group themselves. Callimachi is also a four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and the winner of the George Polk Award for International Reporting.

Recently, Callimachi added a new sort of bravery to her life: She had a baby. He’s now six weeks old, so Callimachi caught up with Elemental during her maternity leave to talk about her routine when…