KQED's Perspectives

In 2000, Lara Merriken was 32, recently divorced, and without a job when she decided to make energy bars by mixing cherries, dates, and almonds in her Cuisinart. Eventually, she perfected the recipe and launched her company: LÄRABAR. After just two years, the company was bringing in millions in revenue. In 2008, she sold to General Mills, but stayed on to help grow LÄRABAR into one of the biggest energy bar brands in the U.S. Plus, for our postscript "How You Built That", how two brothers from Guinea, West Africa founded a company that makes Ginjan, a spicy-sweet juice from their boyhood, which mixes pineapple and ginger.

For St. Patrick's Day, Richard Swerdlow celebrates everything Irish, including the immigrant story in America.

Two photos help define the lives of Tom Moriarty before and after a life-altering event.

Tiger had no degree or educational training. But he was one of the best teachers Bronwyn Harris’ students ever had.

The simple, basic bread of his ancestors reminds Andrew Lewis of what we really need in difficult times.

When BART elevators don’t work, Ellen Greenblatt’s wheelchair-bound friend Blaise has to forego his much-needed swim in a Berkeley pool.

When Carley Roney and David Liu got married, they had a seat-of-the-pants celebration on a sweltering Washington rooftop. They never planned to go into the wedding business, but soon saw an opportunity in the market for a fresh approach to wedding planning. In 1996, they founded The Knot, a website with an irreverent attitude about "the big day." The Knot weathered the dot.com bust, a stock market meltdown, and eventually grew into the lifestyle brand XO Group, valued at $500 million. PLUS for our postscript "How You Built That," how Michael Dixon's business, Mobile Vinyl Recorders, uses portable record lathes to cut vinyl at parties, weddings, and music festivals.

President Trump has imposed stiff penalties on imports of foreign steel. Longtime steel executive Joe Epstein has this Perspective on current conditions in the steel market and whether Trump’s tariff will work.

Mali Dandridge is plagued with uncertainty as she prepares for her freshman year at Brown.

J. Moe didn’t just buy a house. She bought a home with a heartbreaking story to tell.

Paul Staley argues that homelessness isn't a crisis: It's something much worse.

Brian Scudamore didn't dream of a life hauling away other people's trash. But when he needed to pay for college, he bought a $700 pickup truck, painted his phone number on the side, and started hauling. Now 1-800-GOT-JUNK? makes close to $300 million in annual revenue. PLUS for our postscript "How You Built That," an update on Bloomerent, an online service that helps couples save wedding costs by letting them share flower arrangements on the same weekend. (Original broadcast date: April 17, 2017)

Leslie Caccamese always prided herself for independence and autonomy. Then she fell in love.

Kevin Smokler has advice for how consumers can encourage more of the kind of movies they want to see.

Richard Friedlander takes on ‘no’s’ reputation as the dark side of its better twin, ‘yes’.