Julia is a senior health reporter on Business Insider's health team, with expertise in psychology, relationships, parenting, and skin health.
Her popular stories include an exploration of a dangerous Gen Z hookup trend, the costs of raising kids without grandparents there to help, and how therapy-speak texts ruin friendships. She's also published interviews with famed sex therapist Esther Perel and climbers Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell.
In 2023, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cited her story on the US sunscreen regulations in a TikTok advocating for looser FDA restrictions. Julia's work has also appeared on the New York Post, NPR's On Point, the podcast No Such Things, and the radio program The Jimmy Malone Show.
Prior to that, Julia was an education and personal development editor on the BI Reviews team and a sex and relationships editor at Cosmopolitan and BuzzFeed, respectively.
You can say hi to Julia at jpugachevsky@businessinsider.com or shoot her a DM on Twitter or Instagram (she is @jaypugz on both, but email really is the best way to reach her!)
Christopher Kaufman, 60, lost 50 pounds in two years with the Blue Zones diet and moving more regularly.
Natalie Bushaw said strength training and treating her perimenopause helped her get fit in her 50s.
Dr. Suchismita "Tia" Paul said younger patients often neglect some steps in their skincare routines, leading to signs of aging in their 30s and 40s.
Timing Big Decisions
Economic uncertainty usually results in lower birth rates. With tariffs and fears of a recession, it might be good to wait on kids, if you can.
Dr. Suchismita "Tia" Paul sticks to a simple daytime and nighttime skincare routine to hydrate skin and reduce irritation.
Kris Jenner's face lift by Dr. Steven Levine has the world talking, and Kylie Jenner revealed exactly how Dr. Garth Fisher modified her breasts.
Jonathan Jacobs started a men's walking group in 2025. He said it's his way to fight the male loneliness epidemic.
Even though rectal bleeding is alarming, doctors say patients are ashamed to mention it, delaying colon cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Ab etching is a form of liposuction that targets the abdominal region to make muscles more pronounced. Not everyone is a good candidate for it.
Billy Joel was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a form of fluid buildup in the brain that causes vision, hearing, and balance issues.
Tech
2025-05-18T08:03:02Z
Tech lovers are trading in their smartphones for dumb phones and embracing 'appstinence'
Co-founder breakups can be brutal. A startup executive psychologist shared the red flags to look out for before going into business together.
Tariffs mean higher prices for beauty and skincare products. Luckily, more than half your skincare routine can come from the drugstore.
Breeze Hunter thought she had a lingering cold. When her symptoms got worse, she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer: acute myeloid leukemia.
Dr. Casey Means left healthcare frustrated by doctors playing middlemen with people's health. She's now Trump's surgeon general nominee.
A mom experienced bone fractures after giving birth to her second child. She was diagnosed with a rare form of osteoporosis linked to pregnancy.
Naiké Vorbe experienced abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea. She learned at 31 that she had stage 3 colon cancer.
Michelle Kloese, 42, lost weight and kept it off through simple habits: walking, water-intake logging, and meal swaps.
Vadim Fedotov, the CEO of supplement company Bioniq, used visualization when playing college basketball. He said it also helped him start his company.
Fillers keep rising in popularity. Some are riskier than others and can be costly to dissolve.