And it’s already June! Time is flying by this year and I have what will probably be my busiest month of the year ahead, but I hope your weekend went well and you enjoy this week’s list!
Keynote speaker I heard from this week
I was in Sydney this week for a Treasury conference and got to hear a keynote by the impressive Holly Ransom. Holly is a very successful speaker, leadership coach, and much more. She has also interviewed some of the most famous people in the world, like Barack Obama, Richard Branson, Simon Sinek, Venus Williams, and many more. Her talk was fantastic and really put some things in perspective for me, like how important it is to be adaptable, and how managing our energy is key to being the best version of ourselves. After her session was over, she was hanging out and talking to people. A few years ago, I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to go up and talk to her, and even if I did, I wouldn’t have had anything special to ask her. But because of the projects I’ve been working on, I took the perfect opportunity to ask her some advice on interviewing people. She provided some really great feedback and actionable tips. And the most interesting part of the conversation was how she followed up and asked me clarifying questions about what I was asking before she answered me, that was a lesson in itself!
What I’m thinking about AI this week
I’ve been thinking a lot about AI this week, especially after hearing it buzzing everywhere at the conference and reading through some recent headlines and Reddit posts. Even though I’m a pretty active user and already use AI both in my personal and professional life, I’m starting to feel a real urgency to do more. We’ve all heard the quote “AI isn’t going to take your job, but someone who knows how to use AI will.” But a lot of what I see going around as advice for AI is either pretty technical, or advice for solopreneurs, or people who want to build apps or software. I don’t believe everyone needs to become a technical AI expert, or use it to code, or pay for expensive new tools. Like the quote says, people need to figure out how to integrate AI seamlessly into their existing work to save time and be more effective. I’m actively exploring new ways to do this, and I’m excited to share my learnings and experiments with you in the future.
Meeting a guest from my podcast in-person for the first time
Last year in episode 9, I had the pleasure of talking to Bella Liu 👑 on Before We Get There Podcast. Bella was a fantastic guest and it was amazing learning about her story and all the cool things she’s done, like working at over 50 jobs, building a property portfolio, and starting multiple businesses all at a young age. We made some time to meet up while I was down in Sydney and I even got to meet her newborn baby! It was really fun to catch up and talk about life and kids and everything else. If you want to learn more about her story, listen to the full episode here!
What I watched this weekend
On the plane yesterday I watched The Apprentice movie about the early days of Donald Trump’s career. It was a way better movie than I was hoping for. Sebastian Stan did an amazing job as Trump, not too over the top, but uncannily accurate. I liked that it wasn’t pushing a political narrative. Of course, it is a film, so some parts have to be dramatized, but the character arc in the movie from a young man collecting rent at his father’s properties to a powerhouse building some of the biggest projects in New York was very well written. Trump was likable for much of the movie. It’s easy to forget that until around 2012, Trump was a pretty popular celebrity. He made the rounds on late-night TV, had a successful reality show, threw first pitches and baseball games, and even made appearances in movies and WWE. There were a few lines that were obviously meant to reasonate with what Trump has done as president, but for the most part I felt it was unbiased and really well done.
What I read this week
This week I read Counterculture: A Story of America’s Bohemia from San Francisco to Hip-Hop by Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter. As someone who’s always been fascinated by creatives, artists, and those who dare to forge their own path, this book offered a pretty wild perspective. Their core argument is that the counterculture, despite its intentions, often ends up feeding the very consumerist system it seeks to rebel against. It’s a fascinating, sometimes uncomfortable, thought that the pursuit of individuality can inadvertently strengthen the very “system” we might want to push past the boundaries of. This book definitely makes you question what true rebellion looks like and whether genuine change comes from trying to dismantle the whole thing, or from more incremental, perhaps less glamorous, efforts within the existing frameworks. A great read if you’re like me and often find yourself looking for what’s “outside the norm.”
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!