Values aren’t what we say—they’re what we prove over time.

Too often, values are treated as slogans rather than lived experiences. True values show up in the decisions we make when no one is watching, in how we respond under pressure, and in what we refuse to compromise. My perspective on values is about alignment—ensuring that what I believe, say, and do are in sync.

My Core Values:

Be Wildly Courageous – Growth happens at the edge of discomfort. I believe in pushing boundaries, taking bold risks, and challenging the status quo.
Lead With Heart – Leadership isn’t just about strategy; it’s about care, integrity, and the impact we leave on others.
Trust Your Intuition – Data matters, but so does instinct. The best decisions are made at the intersection of knowledge and gut feeling.
Be Playfully Curious – Curiosity is the foundation of learning, creativity, and innovation. A sense of play leads to better ideas and deeper insights.

📌 Related reads: Certainty Ate My Intuition | Value Grows With Us | A Moment of Magic | The Power of Paradox

Leadership isn’t about control—it’s about coaching and creating the conditions for growth.

The best leaders don’t dictate outcomes—they coach people beyond their own perceived limits. Leadership is about designing an environment where people feel both safe enough to take risks and challenged enough to expand what they thought was possible. It’s about fostering trust, clarity, and accountability so that teams can unlock their highest potential.

The measure of a great leader isn’t what they personally achieve—it’s how many people they empower to thrive.

📌 Related reads: I Don’t Trust You | Brand is Culture | Angel of The Battlefield | Rush To Symptom | 27 Years | The Cost of Speed

Storytelling isn’t just a sequence of events—it’s the operating system of our minds.

Most people think of storytelling as a series of words or images that follow the arc of promise, progress, and payoff. While that’s true, storytelling runs much deeper—it’s the way we make sense of the world.

At its core, storytelling is about narrative intelligence—understanding the universal stories we all tell ourselves and designing experiences, products, and ideas that feel like they were uniquely made for the person experiencing them.

Whether you’re building a brand, leading a team, or crafting an experience, the key to relevance is mastering the underlying human narratives that drive connection and meaning.

📌 Related reads: Narrative Brain | You Are Enough|The Oracle’s Secret |

The future isn’t built by guesswork—it’s built with first principles thinking, human-centered design, and compassion.

Innovation isn’t about chasing trends; it’s about breaking things down to their fundamental truths and rebuilding from there. First-principles thinking allows us to strip away assumptions and solve problems from the ground up.

But great ideas don’t exist in a vacuum—they are deeply human. The best innovations come from human-centered design, where we don’t just optimize for efficiency, but for meaningful experiences that improve lives. And at the core of it all is compassion—not just the ability to see the world through another’s eyes, but the willingness to sit with them in their struggle, to truly feel what they feel. The best solutions don’t just fix problems; they acknowledge, understand, and honor the human experience.

📌 Related reads: Cut The Knot | A Bridge Collapsed | Everything was once a dream | Curiosity Over Credentials | The Telescope Wasn’t Always for The Stars

The people who shape us aren’t always in the room with us.

Mentorship isn’t just about direct guidance—it’s about learning from those who have walked paths we admire. Some mentors we know personally; others we learn from through their work, their words, and the legacies they leave behind. The people who inspire me have challenged my thinking, expanded my perspective, and pushed me to become better—not just in my work, but in how I move through the world.

Here, I share the thinkers, leaders, and creatives who have influenced me the most.

Seth Godin | Ed Catmull | Maya | Adam Savage | Angelou | Simon Sinek | James Dyson | Tony Fadell | Gillian Farrabee | Walt Disney | Harris III | John Muir | Johnny Ive