Wilson is  running for mayor for the first time, challenging incumbent Bruce Harrell in what’s shaping up to be one of the city’s most closely watched races in years. Even The New York Times has weighed in, calling it part of a generational shift in politics. (You can listen to our interview with Mayor Harrell here and get to know the man behind the mayor.)

We caught up with Wilson to get a sense of who she is beyond the race—the kid who asked big questions, the Oxford student who trusted her gut, and the mom thinking about playgrounds and public bathrooms.

You grew up in Binghamton, New York, with parents who were evolutionary biologists. What kind of kid were you, and what early memory or influence from that time still shapes how you see the world?

I was a kid who loved reading, spent a lot of time romping around outside, and put more pressure on myself to excel than my parents did. When trying to learn or accomplish something, I was very persistent and single-minded. I was a pretty serious kid, but with a sense of humor and an independent streak. I think being raised by scientists taught me to value reason over authority; I wasn’t afraid to correct adults or speak up when I thought something was wrong, and I’m sure that made me a little insufferable sometimes.

I remember when I was about seven years old riding in the car with my dad and asking what the purpose of life was. He said something like, “To have children and raise them into healthy adults,” presumably trying to answer my question accurately from an evolutionary point of view. Endless cycles of procreation struck me as depressingly futile, and my internal response was something like, “there must be more to life than that.” Maybe I’ve spent a lot of my own life searching for it. 

You left Oxford just before finishing your degree in physics and philosophy—a big decision at a young age. What did that choice teach you about identity and trusting your own direction?

The Stranger reported that my favorite movie is Orson Welles’s 1965 Chimes at Midnight—I think my husband told them that. It’s adapted mainly from Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays, and it’s a coming-of-age story that resonates with me because it’s about leaving childish things behind and assuming great responsibility. 

I know it sounds counterintuitive and maybe absurd, but that’s what the decision to leave university was for me. Of course, almost no one understood that, and it was a very difficult thing to do because I had to accept that I was going to leave many people in my life confused, angry, and disappointed. I had to take a leap of faith, trust my gut, and accept that there was this wide gulf between appearance and reality. It led to a lot of self-reflection over the years and I definitely got to know myself better as a result.

You’ve spent years organizing for renters, transit riders, and low-income residents. We all see inequality every day, but was there something you saw, heard, or experienced that made you want to take action?

I don’t think it was ever one thing. On a personal and emotional level, like a lot of people, when I see someone in a bad situation I want to help. But I know from experience that it’s easy to get lost in, and paralyzed by, another person’s suffering. I realized pretty early on that people-helping-people only goes so far. The forces driving inequality and other social problems are structural and systemic—and that’s where the big solutions lie too. That’s why I became an organizer. Organizing isn’t charity, it’s about building power.

You’ve been at the helm of major campaigns—co-founding the Transit Riders Union, helping design the JumpStart Seattle Payroll Expense Tax to fund housing, and steering efforts to broaden transit access for students and low-income residents. When you think about leadership, what does it mean to you on a human level, not just political?

Leadership is about looking and listening for what people need, and reflecting that back to them in a way that opens up the opportunity to address that need through collaboration and collective action. On a human level, that process should be both educational and empowering, and sometimes it can be transformative. 

Everyone involved learns more about how our society works, how democracy works, and how power flows. People discover capacities in themselves that they didn’t know they had, and ultimately—hopefully, if we win!—together they accomplish something that improves not just their own lives but the lives of many other people as well.

You’ve held hands-on jobs like barista, laborer, and boatyard work before becoming a full-time organizer. How did that work shape how you relate to people or stay grounded in what matters?

I love the camaraderie that develops among coworkers when you’re doing hands-on work together. Building and repairing things gives such a sense of competence and accomplishment, and I especially enjoyed working outside. But I also experienced some really difficult and unpleasant workplaces, and I worked alongside people who had far fewer options than I did. At the boatyard, they would hire Latino workers during the summer and then lay them off with no notice as soon as work slowed down. 

For a while I was renovating apartments in Eastlake, turning studios into very small one-bedrooms so the owner could raise the rents and sell the building at a profit. The boss was so cheap he wouldn’t buy us ladders, so when we did ceiling repairs we had to stand on overturned five-gallon buckets. It was so unsafe. 

The bakery I worked at was attached to a restaurant, and there was a guy in the kitchen working 80 hours a week without getting paid overtime. But he didn’t want to complain because he was undocumented and needed the money to send back to his family. Getting to know people in situations like that definitely stayed with me.

You and your husband are raising a young daughter in Seattle. How has parenthood changed the way you see the city and its future?

Parenthood has given me a new appreciation for our parks, playgrounds, and community centers, as well as kid-friendly restaurants, cafés, and breweries. Especially raising a kid in an apartment, it’s so important to have public spaces where little ones can run around. 

And public bathrooms! They’re more important to me than ever. 

Being a mom also makes me see our affordability crisis in new ways. My daughter is a future Seattle Public Schools student, and a major driver of our schools’ enrollment problems is the high cost of living in Seattle. So many working people have moved out of the city because they can’t afford to sink roots and grow a family here, and that affects school funding and ultimately the quality of the education we’re able to provide.

Campaigning and activism can be intense. What helps you keep your balance or find quiet when things get noisy?

Before I had my daughter, it was riding my bike. For me, that was such a great way to get around the city while also getting some exercise and taking a pause from constant work and communication. Now with a toddler, to be honest, there’s not much balance or quiet in my life. But spending time with her is at least a change of pace from campaigning. Sometimes I’m just focused on reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar or feeding her oatmeal.

Every organizer has a network—friends, mentors, collaborators. Who do you lean on when you need encouragement or perspective, and what makes those people important to you?

Back in 2017 and 2018, I was deeply involved in the “head tax” campaign, a high-drama fight that I wrote about here. That was really a trial by fire, and many of the people I went through it with are still close friends and colleagues to whom I turn when things get tough. I’ve learned a ton from fellow organizers, leaders, and collaborators over the years—sometimes by osmosis and observation, and sometimes because they give really good advice.

After two decades here, what part of Seattle feels like “home”—a place, ritual, or event that reminds you why you fell in love with this city?

I love being out on Elliott Bay. Our waterfront is so special, and there’s nothing like looking back at the Seattle skyline from the Bainbridge Island ferry or the West Seattle, or Vashon, water taxis on a beautiful day.

If we could strip away the title of “mayoral candidate” and just ask Katie Wilson the person: At the end of the day, what matters most to you?

To bring it full circle back to your first question, at some point in my life, it occurred to me that if a child asked me the same question I had asked my dad, I’d be stumped. What is the purpose of life—what matters most? Of course, you could say “love” or “family” or “making the world a better place,” and those are all fine answers. But what’s an answer that I could really stand by—and that would also give a seven-year-old something to chew on for the rest of her life? 

After some thought, here’s what I came up with: To participate as fully, as consciously, and as passionately as possible in the great unfolding of the universe. That’s what I want to do.

The post Getting to Know Katie Wilson appeared first on Seattle magazine.

With legal mandates such as HIPAA governing the handling of healthcare information, exchanging this data can be a complex process. Bellevue-based Edifecs focuses on healthcare data interoperability—the ability for multiple systems to share patient records—aiming to make the healthcare system more efficient for both patients and providers.

Founded in an Issaquah condo by Sunny Singh more than 25 years ago, the company launched on the platform of alleviating friction in the healthcare system by simplifying data exchange. Edifecs’ mission and primary offerings, which include cloud platforms and services for operations, data interchange, and interoperability, are rooted in making this exchange seamless across the entire healthcare ecosystem, from patients to providers to insurers. These systems save hospitals, doctors’ offices, and healthcare companies time and money by reducing administrative costs and providing easier access to patient files. They also help improve care, giving providers comprehensive data to make better-informed decisions. Edifecs serves nearly 300 million people in the U.S. healthcare market.

“How can we use all of that data together to tell a story, so it’s not just bits and pieces?” asks Katie Bunker, Edifecs’ vice-president of human resources. “We’re really doing a great job of simplifying the data interchange between the different payers and the providers.”

Earlier this year, the firm was acquired by Cotiviti, a Utah-based healthcare data analytics company, in a deal worth more than $3 billion. The acquisition will allow the company to offer a “continuum” of complementary services, “from the front of the house right through to the back garden,” explains Bunker.

“As an end-to-end digital data exchange leader, Edifecs has significantly advanced interoperability, enhancing collaboration between payers and providers for better care delivery,” said Emad Rizk, M.D., chairman, president, and CEO of Cotiviti at the time of the acquisition.

And, according to Bunker, Edifecs’ mission for holistic healthcare and wellbeing extends beyond what it offers to its clients. Since its inception, the company has grown to more than 1,000 employees, with half in the U.S. and half in India. Across that workforce, Edifecs takes a comprehensive approach to individuals’ wellness, offering an onsite Wellbeing Center and gym (employees have access to fitness and yoga classes, meditation, and nutritional counseling, daily tea service, communal bikes and kayaks), free biometric testing, smoking cessation programs, and other health-forward initiatives.

“We’re very, very focused on holistic well-being,” says Bunker. “I think we really do live our values.”

The post A Shot in the Arm for Data Delivery appeared first on Seattle magazine.

Pacific Science Center’s new exhibition, Spiders: From Fear to Fascination, aims to change that. Created by the Australian Museum, the show opened last week and invites visitors to step past their reflexive shudder and see spiders for what they are: essential, complex, and surprisingly beautiful.

The exhibit is fully immersive, with live and preserved spiders, large-scale models, interactive experiences, and video installations. You can trigger an augmented-reality floor where virtual spiders scuttle at your feet, or try out the male peacock spider’s elaborate courtship dance  yourself. Or, if you’re brave enough, you can get so close to living spiders that you feel the little hairs on your neck rise, and still find yourself wanting to know more.

This larger-than-life tarantula display is mesmerizing.

Photo by Sarah Stackhouse

“I am so excited for our guests to have an opportunity to observe the incredible collection of live spiders on exhibit,” says Hannah Held, Pacific Science Center’s Living Exhibits manager. “The specimens highlight the wide range of spiders and allow us to look closer into what makes them so special. It is a truly unique opportunity to observe the behaviors, habits, and instincts of these remarkable creatures.”

Displays with living spiders highlight species like the Carolina wolf spider, yellow garden spider, and desert blond tarantula—each accompanied by bilingual panels describing how they hunt and burrow. Another display shows real molted tarantula skins. You can see the fragile shells, complete with leg holes where the spider pulled itself free, growing slightly larger with each shed. And a fossilized Talbragaraneus jurassicus, one of the oldest spiders ever found, connects the exhibit to the ancient world.

Fuzzy and fierce, wolf spiders roam their habitat in search of prey, using their silk for safety lines, egg sacs, and shelter.

Photo by Rafael Minguet Delgado / Pexels

Orb weavers spin massive, silky traps for big bugs, but they’re harmless to humans. Look at this beauty!

Photo by Raynnier Gómez / Pexels

“For being such small critters, spiders have a huge reputation,” she says. “Most of us have been taught to fear spiders since childhood, and there are a lot of spider myths passed down through generations. Also, they’re fast, hairy, have eight legs, and at least six eyes. This exhibit provides a safe space to look closer. There is a whole spider world out there that we don’t get to see up close. When you aren’t being taken by surprise by an unexpected spider, you are able to be curious. When you take the fear out of the situation, spiders truly are fascinating.”

Visitors step onto an interactive floor projection where clusters of augmented-reality spiders scurry away with each movement, then slowly creep back once the coast is clear.

Photo by James Horan / Australian Museum

One of the most moving elements is a video showing a mother black lace-weaver spider feeding herself to her young. It’s an extraordinary act known as matriphagy. Another video comes from the Australian Bush Doctor program, where a Ngangkari healer describes using spider medicines in traditional healing, illustrating how spiders have long been part of both science and culture.

“It’s a strong exhibition and it hadn’t been shown in this part of the country before,” says Peggy Monahan, Pacific Science Center’s vice president of exhibits. “Seattle certainly has a lot of spiders, especially this time of year! This exhibit is a great opportunity for people to learn more about these creatures.”

The show also points to spiders’ growing scientific relevance. Researchers are studying spider venom and silk for their potential in medicine, sustainable textiles, and bioengineering. Some studies show orb-weaver silk has tensile strength comparable to (or in some tests greater than) steel of the same diameter.

“Spiders eat other kinds of bugs and are an important part of the ecosystem,” Monahan adds. “It helps us to know about them and recognize the role they play. That’s the way it is with science, isn’t it? There’s so much to learn about almost anything if you look closely enough.”

Visitors learn that spiders have been on Earth for hundreds of millions of years—long before the first dinosaurs appeared. And if you’ve ever heard one of those local legends about hobo spiders in Seattle, you might want to stop by before repeating it because the exhibit has a few surprises waiting on that front.

After walking through, you might find it harder to panic about the next eight-legged roommate that appears in your bathroom. Take a deep breath and try a catch-and-release. Spiders do plenty of good like, keeping other bugs in check, and like us, they’re just fascinating creatures trying to survive.

The exhibit runs through April 2026 at Pacific Science Center. General admission includes the spider show: adults $10, children $7 (special pricing through November 20).

The post The Secret Lives of Spiders appeared first on Seattle magazine.

Finding My Way focuses on Malala’s college years at Oxford University and the ways in which the young celebrity activist tried to live a normal life, despite having her own personal security detail and a pseudonym at school. She explores new friendships, develops crushes, finds a community that helps her feel connected to her cultural identity, and tries out new hobbies. Like any young person, she also struggles to stay on top of her studies. But it’s the public speaking tours that financially supported her family and community that caused her schoolwork to suffer. Under tremendous social and academic pressures, Malala’s life unraveled as the PTSD of her shooting was reawakened in her.

In advance of her national book tour and her upcoming visit to Seattle, Malala chatted with Seattle magazine about her college years, finding renewed purpose, and what motivates her now.

Yousafzai spending time with friends during her college years.

Photo courtesy of Malala Yousafzai

In college, you embraced doing things that were new to you and tried everything from joining the rowing club to eating McDonald’s for the first time. What were some of the things that you discovered that you love?

Dancing to Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow”, the TV show “Sex Education,” hashbrowns, the list goes on. I felt this freedom to try everything. I’d always been in all-girls schools, so I’d never even been around boys my age before. But what I loved the most was having friends. It had been really hard for me in high school, I was so lonely after we moved to the U.K. In college, I made a ton of friends, people who are still in my inner circle today. I went to college specifically with the intention of making friends and feeling less alone in the world. 

What do you appreciate or value most about your years at Oxford? What did you learn about yourself through the experiences of being a normal 20-year-old hanging out around other young adults?

It wasn’t so much learning something new about myself as being able to return to the person I always was—funny, mischievous, a bit of a troublemaker. When the world first heard my story, I was still in a coma in a hospital. I couldn’t speak for myself, so people portrayed me as a serious, shy girl, this sort of virtuous heroine. But that was not true! By the time I went to college, I had been through so much and saddled with so much responsibility as a child. I wanted to be around people my own age at Oxford. I’m really grateful I had that opportunity because it helped me feel like myself again.

At Oxford University, Yousafzai found friends who made her feel at home and the freedom to be herself.

Photo courtesy of Malala Yousafzai

When you were invited to your first Pakistani gathering at Oxford, you questioned whether it would feel safe. What makes your relationship to the Pakistani diaspora, and Pakistanis back home, so complicated?

I often hear from family and friends back home about things I’ve done or said that were misconstrued in Pakistani media, or conspiracy theories that people make up about me. This has been happening since I was a child, so I’m used to it. But I was fearful that the Pakistani students at Oxford had heard these rumors and lies, and that would affect their perception of me. Thankfully that feeling evaporated the first time I went to one of their house parties. They were so welcoming, and I felt immediately at home. It helped me reconnect with so many things I had lost—the language, food, music, sports that I grew up with. 

You write about your adjustment to life in the UK, as well as what your parents had to go through to adapt to a new country. Throughout your book, you also invoke the connection that you shared with your grandmother, who remained in Pakistan. Can you talk about cultural bereavement and what home means to you?

For the first few years, it was really difficult, especially for my mom. She cried all the time and desperately missed her friends. Out of the five of us, she was the only one who couldn’t speak English, so that contributed a lot to her isolation. Kids, of course, adjust more quickly. My youngest brother was only 6 or 7 when we came to the U.K. and he’s fully a British boy now. I’m somewhere in between. I will always love Pakistan, and miss my family and friends, the mountain landscapes where I grew up. But I feel at home in many places in the world now. It’s really a gift to be able to feel that all these places where I’ve lived and travelled, from Mingora to London, are a part of me.

Smoking marijuana one time with friends triggered your PTSD. Why was it important to you to write about your PTSD and to share these experiences so publicly with your audiences?

When I was experiencing my first panic attack, it was a friend who convinced me to seek help and see a therapist. Through my new book, I want to be that friend for other people, especially if they are struggling alone like I was. In the community where I grew up, there’s a lot of stigma around mental illness. I think this is true especially for South Asian girls and women. I want everyone to know that I’m not perfect, that we all experience low and frightening moments in life and it’s okay to seek help.

You built a school for girls in Pakistan with the award money you received from your Nobel Prize. That school continued to operate during the pandemic and has continued to grow. How has that project continued to inspire you?

There wasn’t a high school for girls in Shangla, the village where my parents grew up. My mom and her sisters never learned to read and write. It was really important to me that my little cousins had the opportunity to graduate high school and maybe even go to college. This year, I had the opportunity to see the school for the first time, and meet the first class of girls ever to graduate high school in this village. I work for girls’ education all over the world, but, if I did nothing else in life, I could die proud of this school and these girls in Pakistan.

Fame has provided you with a platform to amplify your activism and advocacy, but it’s also complicated and impacted your life and your family’s life. Your detractors and critics expect a lot from you. What would you like to say to them?

If someone is attacking me because they’re misinformed, I hope they read my book and discover my true thoughts and feelings. I put my whole heart into “Finding My Way,” so it is really a reflection of me. But there are other people who will attack me no matter what I do or say. I try to tune it out and focus on my work. The Taliban tried and failed to stop me from advocating for girls’ education; I’m certainly not going to let mean comments on the internet stop me now.

What do you hope readers will take away from your new book Finding My Way?

This book is my reintroduction—not a symbol or someone to be idolized, but as myself—a young woman still figuring things out. It’s my coming of age story, covering my journey from lonely teenager to reckless college student to a young woman in love. It’s honest, messy, funny—and I really hope it helps other people feel less alone.

Malala Yousafzai will be at The Moore Theatre on Monday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m. for an author talk and Q&A. 

The post Malala Yousafzai Returns to Herself appeared first on Seattle magazine.

Now, 52 years later, Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, is “The Big Boss” of the Bruce Lee Foundation and Bruce Lee Enterprises, which manage the legacy, intellectual property, and image of her iconic father. For her work, Shannon was recognized over the weekend by the Very Asian Foundation during its third annual Sunday Funday gala held in Bellevue.

Shannon was the executive producer of the 2008 television series The Legend of Bruce Lee and the 2009 documentary How Bruce Lee Changed the World. She also co-produced the Warrior series, based on her father’s journal entries, which debuted in 2019 and ran for three seasons. 

“Shannon is an amazing part of, I think, the culture—but also Asian American culture,” says Very Asian Foundation founder Michelle Li. “She’s such a creator. She has done so many amazing things. She’s such a boss lady. She’s really a very compelling entrepreneur.”

Michelle Li, founder of the Very Asian Foundation.

Photos by Truong Nguyen Photography/Very Asian Foundation

The luncheon drew more than 200 guests to the Eastside to support the Very Asian Foundation’s May Book Project and its Creators Grant Program. 

“I am a huge fan of the Very Asian Foundation due to its authenticity, humility, and impact in a world where many are clamoring to be the loudest,” says JoySauce founder and CEO—and Seattle magazine publisher—Jonathan Sposato. “Very Asian Foundation quietly and powerfully puts their head down to champion our community and never forgets the youth, the up-and-coming, the non-famous, or the marginalized. They have a lot of receipts, which is not at all a surprise given their incredible leadership by the always lead-by-example Michelle Li.”

The foundation also recognized this year’s winners of the Creators Grant Program, which promotes artists and storytellers who amplify underrepresented voices and perspectives of AA+PI communities.

This year’s recipients are Peerbagh CEO Upasna Kakroo; filmmaker, playwright, and organizer Diana Khong; therapist and activist Rameya Shanmugavelayutham; artist and metalsmith Kim Stahl; and musician Schoua Na Yang. Each received a $1,500 grant to pursue their work advocating for AA+PI communities.

Shannon acknowledges the challenges for storytellers of color and emphasizes the value of collaboration. “Bruce Lee is a global icon. Everyone knows the name Bruce Lee,” she says. “Everyone thinks it is easy and says, ‘Of course, we should do stuff about Bruce Lee.’ Most of the key decisionmakers in Hollywood and other places are older men, typically not people of color. They’ll say, ‘Yeah, that Bruce Lee guy—is he that kung fu guy that died 50 years ago? Why is he still relevant?’ There’s a lot of that. That’s not just in Hollywood. That’s true also in the commercial world.”

Shannon also says sexism and bias continue to confine the creative process in television and film. “I run into a lot of difficulty in people taking me seriously as a creator,” she says. “They see me as a rights holder. They want Bruce Lee. They don’t want me. It is hard for me to get projects made. People want to take what I have, but they don’t want to collaborate. And so, I am always looking for the people who will collaborate, which is hard to find. And as a woman, I am not listened to a lot. You have to collaborate with life. You have to keep going.”

Sposato echoes Shannon’s call for collaboration and diverse voices in media and storytelling. “AA+PIs are 8% of the population nationally, and in some metro markets as high as over 20%. Yet the number of speaking roles for Asian Americans in movies and TV is less than 3%. We must do better, and the Very Asian Foundation is helping us all fight the good fight.”

Sunday’s fundraiser capped a weekend of Bruce Lee–centered celebrations and fundraisers. Shannon was also the guest of honor at a dim sum brunch at Diamond Bay Restaurant in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, which raised more than $100,000 to install a bronze statue of Bruce Lee at Hing Hay Park.“Putting in a Bruce Lee statue would make it an attraction to bring people to the Chinatown-International District,” says Jerry Lee, who spearheaded the fundraising drive.

In addition, AA+PI filmmaker and Seattle Children’s Theatre trustee Mimi Gan announced that the theatre will premiere Young Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story this winter. The original production is written and will be directed by the multiracial artist Keiko Green.

The post Carrying the Legacy Forward appeared first on Seattle magazine.

When you first hear the term Shadow IT, it might sound vaguely ominous or even downright dangerous. And it can be. In simple terms, Shadow IT describes when an employee—or even an entire department within an organization—circumvents the IT team’s best practices and safety protocols to implement a change such as adding a device, software, or new accounts to their network.

It happens every day in networked organizations. Shadow IT is usually introduced by a well-meaning individual just trying to do their job. They decide that going through the official IT channels will slow things down, so they plug in an external device from home or download a free software program.

They might not realize it, but the consequences can be far-reaching, and sometimes even catastrophic for an organization. Enetics Networks receives most of its referrals from companies that had their operations compromised due to Shadow IT.

Why do Shadow IT networks exist?

There is often tension between the needs of individual employees or departments and the needs of the IT team. While employees look for ways to maintain or optimize their productivity, the IT team protects the network and ensures the organization continues to operate smoothly.

One of the most common reasons employees go rogue and set up their own IT solutions is that they think the IT department will take too long. According to a report by HP Wolf Security, nearly half (48 percent) of office workers surveyed said that they felt security measures were a waste of time. This mindset is a particular challenge with our future workforce; among office workers ages 18-24, that figure rose to 64 percent.

What’s the problem with Shadow IT?

For all industries, but especially those that are highly regulated, data security is a constant concern. When employees introduce new elements into the cybersecurity network that the IT team isn’t aware of, it can put the entire network at risk.

Remote access software is a good example of a Shadow IT vulnerability. It’s used routinely by employees who work offsite, but if the software and permissions aren’t maintained and monitored regularly, they might become conduits to a network breach. One of the most famous of this is the hack of a Florida city’s water treatment plant in February 2021. The attacker appeared to have used remote access software TeamViewer, which an employee had on their computer. Once inside the system, the attacker dramatically increased the levels of sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, set to be released into the city’s water supply. Luckily the attack was detected and reversed before that happened, but the incident offers a terrifying cautionary tale.

How can organizations minimize Shadow IT blind spots?

When businesses grow rapidly, employees often turn to the most expedient solution without checking with the IT team. For small and medium-sized organizations, this tends to be a common issue.

One thing you can do to ensure your employees are not compromising your cybersecurity—besides impressing on them the importance of following IT best practices—is to make that the IT team highly visible in your organization and responsive to requests. If your company outsources its IT functions, encourage employees to contact your IT consultants with any questions or concerns about new devices or software they’d like to use, or if the current network setup isn’t meeting their needs. This way, employees are less likely to become frustrated and try to solve problems on their own.

Regular employee surveys can provide insights into how well your current networking systems are functioning. If there is a high level of frustration in a particular area, it may require troubleshooting to find a more streamlined solution.

Here are some questions you might want to ask:

• Has there been a time when our security systems have posed a barrier to doing your job?
• How easy is it to collaborate with your colleagues on shared deliverables?
• Are the current project management tools meeting your needs?

And finally, while it may be an unpopular stance, here at Enetics Networks, we tend to discourage  our clients from having “bring your own devices” policies. We manage the software licenses for nearly all of our clients, and own and operate the network infrastructure and systems they use. This ensures that everything is up to date, and we can utilize Microsoft’s operating system approval mechanisms to prevent the addition of unauthorized devices and programs. Although not a fail-safe approach, it does reduce a common vulnerability many organizations unwittingly face.

Scott Ecker is the founder and owner of Enetics Networks, a leading IT consulting firm that provides secure, best-in-class, enterprise-level network solutions to businesses of all sizes.

The post Hiding in the Shadows appeared first on Seattle magazine.

The “No Kings” protests began earlier this year as a nationwide movement denouncing authoritarianism, fascism, and policies linked to President Donald Trump.

Seattleites of all ages, genders, races, orientations—and even some four-legged residents—showed up wearing colorful attire, carrying creative signs, and bringing plenty of satire. Before the march began, crowds erupted as Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal took the stage at Seattle Center, calling for the people to be the movement that saves the country.

From the pre-protest rally to the march through downtown, the crowds remained peaceful and upbeat—buzzing with hope and solidarity. A marching band drummed and trumpeted alongside resounding chants. The procession stretched a mile, with a sense of solidarity running through the crowd. Inflatable frog, chicken, and shark costumes, Statues of Liberty, 18th-century kings, and handmaids in red robes were spotted in the crowd. Rainbow pride and Palestinian flags flew proudly alongside American stars and stripes. There was a palpable sense of community and togetherness, and a determination to infuse the event with creativity and positivity. About 2,600 “No Kings” events were held across nearly every U.S. state, making Seattle’s march part of a much larger national turnout.

Saturday’s march demonstrated  a growing local movement grounded in unity and civic participation. Walking among the thousands, I felt proud of the city’s spirit. Now the question is, what comes next? How can we keep this past weekend’s energy alive and turn it into lasting change?

The post Scenes from Seattle’s ‘No Kings’ March appeared first on Seattle magazine.

With traffic expected to surge when the city hosts several matches, the Washington State Transportation Commission may temporarily hike tolls for the two-mile tunnel to defray additional costs associated with the international sporting event.

Earlier this week, commissioners heard that their staff are evaluating potential increases of 50 cents and $1 that would be imposed between June 1 and July 15, 2026, the period in which six World Cup contests are scheduled at Lumen Field. State lawmakers directed the commission to consider a temporary increase and use the money to cover added costs of managing traffic around the stadium and throughout the Puget Sound when fans flood the region in those six weeks.

Doing nothing is an option too, says Carl See, the commission deputy director. While commissioners need to keep in mind the impact of the influx of visitors, they also need to remember any increase “may have an impact on those who have no interest” in taking part in what will be a “monumental event” for the state, he says.

The Pacific Northwest will host 13 World Cup matches—six in Seattle and seven in Vancouver, B.C. Conversations have been under way for months on how to avert monumental backups at the U.S.–Canada border and assist fans moving between the host cities. About 750,000 people are expected to come to Washington state in the course of six weeks. In addition to matches, teams will be practicing at the University of Washington in Seattle and Gonzaga University in Spokane, with additional training locations and fan zones throughout the state.

State lawmakers earmarked roughly $24 million in the current transportation budget for World Cup-related expenses. Additional dollars were cribbed into the operating and capital budgets for security and field upgrades. With transportation, there’s $14 million for transit, including $5 million for expanding intercity bus service in the state, and another $8.25 million for operational improvements aimed at keeping people moving. There’s $2 million for maintenance in the vicinity of the tunnel. Those dollars will come out of the tunnel toll revenue account, and lawmakers assumed that sum could be covered from a temporary toll rate increase but didn’t mandate one.

Roughly 47,000 vehicles travel through the tunnel each day based on a July 2024 analysis. Tolls vary based on time of day, with higher rates in peak commute hours and lower rates on nights and weekends. They are collected in both directions as one exits the tunnel. Weekdays, the cost ranges from $1.25 to $1.85 per trip with a Good to Go pass. It is $1.25 on weekends. Drivers pay an extra 25 cents per trip with the Pay By Plate option, in which they register their license plate on a Good to Go account without a pass, and there is a $2 fee if paid by mail.

What will be studied are potential increases of 50 cents per trip and $1 per trip that would be imposed at all times, including on weekends. In December, staff will present the commission with projections of how much money might be generated from those assessments and how many drivers might choose to use local roads and Interstate 5 to avoid higher tolls.

See says he doesn’t want to “overpromise” what data will be delivered. If approved, this would be the first such temporary toll-rate hike, he says. Given the short six-week duration and uniqueness of the event, it will be hard to model for every possible factor with precision. If the commission decides to proceed with a one-time temporary toll rate increase, it would conduct a rate-setting process including gathering public input on potential rate options.

Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and donors as a 501(c)(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence.

The post Toll Talk: World Cup Could Bring Higher Tunnel Rates appeared first on Seattle magazine.

That’s what makes escape rooms so fun. They trick you into teamwork, reward trial and error, and make you think out loud, which is surprisingly vulnerable and silly. They make adults feel like kids again.

So when The Escape Game and Great Big Game Show opened at Westfield Southcenter, I wanted to see if they could recreate that spark. My husband, our CFO, and our social media manager came along for “research.”

“Ruins: Forbidden Treasure” strands players in a jungle temple, where every solved puzzle brings them closer to the hidden treasure.

Photo courtesy of The Escape Game

We started with “Ruins: Forbidden Treasure,” one of five themed rooms, where a plane crash strands you in a jungle temple. Inside, the space shifted from prop plane to stone-walled ruins as we tugged vines, rotated life-sized statue heads, and solved puzzles involving running water and lots of teamwork. There were three rooms to unlock in total and one good jump scare that got most of us. When we finally found the hidden treasure and unlocked the exit with seven minutes left, it felt earned.

Then we tried the Great Big Game Show, a live, host-led competition where two teams face off in 18 rotating mini-games. We spun a massive wheel, stacked foam blocks, and answered trivia questions as fast as we could. The host made it feel like a real game show with cheering and banter. Our social media manager, Emma, told me she wanted to quit her job and host the show instead.

“I was shocked by how much fun it was,” she says. “I was a little apprehensive about the escape room, but I was blown away by the props and the setup. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

The Escape Game and Great Big Game Show launched earlier this month in Tukwila and will expand downtown to Amazon’s re:Invent building near The Spheres later in November. The Escape Game, which started in Nashville, now operates more than 50 locations nationwide. The downtown site will also feature five rooms, including two Seattle exclusives: “The Depths” and “Timeliner: Train Through Time.” Each game lasts an hour, costs $44.99 per person, and can accommodate up to eight players for escape rooms and up to 14 for the game show. One catch: rooms aren’t private by default, so you might share the experience with strangers. That works fine for the game show, but for the escape rooms, I prefer doing those privately with my own crew.

Escape rooms began in Japan nearly two decades ago and have become a multibillion-dollar global business, with more than 2,000 in the U.S. Few cities took to them faster than Seattle, where gaming culture and rainy weekends make for ideal conditions. Locurio in Fremont offers outdoor puzzle hunts alongside its indoor challenges. There’s Hourglass Escapes near Olympic Sculpture Park, The Escape Artist in West Seattle, and a cluster up north—Escapology, KryptoScape, and Entangled in Lynnwood. Downtown, there’s Puzzle Break and 4 Dreams. Scroll through any of their social feeds and you’ll find teams of adults with arms around each other, smiling and proud after making their escapes.

After years of screens and multitasking, it feels good to focus on one thing. You’re locked in a room, solving puzzles, laughing, and shouting when you finally make it out. For an hour, you get to forget everything else and just play.

The post Locked In appeared first on Seattle magazine.

Also called Deepawali, the Hindu Festival of Lights in its simplest form celebrates the victory of light over dark, of good over evil. It’s a deeply important time for Hindus. “Diwali has always been one of the important festivals that was celebrated in our home and community,” says co-owner Aakanksha Sinha of Spice Waala. “It’s more about cleaning the house, removing any bad vibes, starting fresh, and, of course, eating a lot of festive food.” 

I’ve returned to India almost every year, spending months each visit exploring the colorful diversity of the subcontinent and celebrating Diwali—indulging in the feasts, flowers, and fireworks, as well as experiencing its inward side, reflecting on the shifting season and the power of finding light in the darker, colder days. 

The magic of the Festival of Lights isn’t just limited to India and Nepal. The South Asian diaspora keeps Diwali traditions alive around the world, including in the greater Seattle area, which more than 100,000 Indians call home. From pujas at temples to feasts at favorite Indian restaurants to full-flung cultural celebrations, Seattle is plentiful with ways to celebrate Diwali. Determined by the Hindu calendar, this year Diwali will fall between Oct. 18 and Oct. 22, with the main day taking place on Oct. 20.   

Citywide Celebrations

Seattle Asian Art Museum will celebrate Diwali on Oct. 11 with storytelling, cultural performances, and live music. This family-friendly affair is set to run from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. and in addition to the performances, it includes decorating a tea light holder with a heritage artist and a Nepalese food truck serving snacks including momos.

On Oct. 12, Utsav Diwali will unfold at Everett’s Angels of the Winds Arena with a colorful flurry of storytelling, music and dance, feasting, crafts, and a puja for peace. 

Seattle Center’s Diwali celebration is on Oct. 18 at the Armory Food and Event Hall. The event is free and open to everyone. Enjoy dance and music performances, including an Indian classical choir from the Swaranjali School of Music and Kathak dance by Anga Kala Kathak Academy, and take part in workshops like making traditional flower mandalas, cooking rotis, and astrology readings. “As a community, we celebrate Diwali at Seattle Center to share the richness of Indian culture with all of Seattle,” says Latha Sambamurti, festival producer. 

Feasts and Flavors

You’re also invited to taste the flavors of the occasion at South Asian eateries around town throughout October. The three Spice Waala locations will cook up some favorite festival foods, including samosas, chole, and puris during Diwali week. “Diwali always started with my paternal grandmother showing a ‘jum ka diya’ around the house at dusk the night before,” says Sinha. “This was a way to ward off any evil and to wish a long and healthy life for all family members. The next morning, we all dressed in new clothes, made calls and visits to family members to wish them. The evenings were when we lit diyas around the house and made rangoli. We prayed to Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha. It was a night full of delicious food, lighting crackers and of course playing cards with friends.” 

“I have continued this tradition in our home in Seattle and at Spice Waala,” says Sinha. “Every year on Diwali day, we always light a diya in each of our restaurants and decorate it with marigold garlands and rangoli. We want to make sure that people like us who are far away from home can get a feeling of the festivities here in Seattle.” 

Fremont’s Sangamam is celebrating Diwali from Oct. 17-22 with a weekday Diwali thali, along with a few special sweet treats including semiya payasam (a vermicelli sweet pudding) and mango rasmalai (cottage cheese dumplings soaked in a mango-flavored cream). “The Festival of Lights holds a very special place for us,” says the Sangamam team. “We celebrate with a festive ambiance filled with beautiful lights and a special feast menu. It’s our way of sharing the warmth, light, and sense of togetherness that Diwali represents with the Seattle community.” 

The post Celebrating Diwali in Seattle appeared first on Seattle magazine.