Andy's Weekly Favorite Things

I am curating some of my favorite things from the previous week to share with our paid members, the "Roomies." and here is a repository of past week's favorites in case you missed some of the goodness.

BOOKS

• PEAK - Secrets From The New Science Of Expertise - How are the best in the world the best? What do they do that others don't? What can we learn from their past and current practice that we can implement in our own lives to become better at what we do? These are some of the questions that I really explored in the reading of this book. At times it was discouraging to see how much harder others were working than I was, but it was also encouraging when they broke down how much opportunity there still is to pursue expertise in our lives.
• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert - No matter where you are in your career, this book is a wonderful quick read that will unlock a new perspective on creativity as a way of life. More than a book, it feels like a conversation with the author about the ups and the downs of that lifestyle. But that transparency makes the truths found in her words that much more believable and inspiring. I was given this book on my birthday by Caroline Baniewicz, who is making her own Big Magic in NYC.

PODCASTS

• My favorite podcast is called  Hidden Forces and the host Demetri Kofinas is truly one of the most curious people I've ever met. In an episode entitled "Is America Undergoing a Narrative Reset or Realignment" he interviews Saagar Enjeti and Marshall Kolsoff and the conversation is a wide-ranging discussion on culture, politics, and the future of institutions in the modern age. The three of them really dig into each other's stories and the roots of their beliefs about what is actually happening in our world today. It is a conversation that definitely requires an open mind and genuine curiosity to really enjoy the status quo challenging ideas they toss out.
• My favorite podcast is Hidden Forces and my favorite geopolitical strategist is Peter Zeihan. Therefore, this episode was all kinds of epic. The wide-ranging discussion was incredibly helpful in shaping my understanding of exactly what all is at stake right now and how the chess pieces may be moving in the next 6-8 months. It would be tough to think of a person who wouldn't benefit from this conversation.

VIDEOS

• My friends Greg Isenberg and Sahil Bloom have a new interview show called The Room Where It Happened. Last week they interviewed Scott Belsky and he shared what he thinks is an idea for a multi-billion dollar company. The more I thought about this idea, the more I realized how inline it is with what we were trying to build with Basket not too long ago. Then I thought about the web3 components that could bring this idea to market and actually give each of us ownership over our data and our relationships with brands and companies we choose to engage with. The old saying about Web 2.0 companies like Facebook and Instagram is, "if you're not paying for the product, you are the product" could be flipped on its head.
• Trevor Moawad was one of the most influential sports psychologists in the world and Quarterback Russell Wilson's best friend. Sadly he passed away last fall from cancer at 48 years old.  He was famous for teaching Neutral Thinking - that no matter how high the highs or how low the lows, keep your mind neutral.  Shortly after his passing, Russell Wilson was asked about Trevor and this 8-minute video is one of the best tributes to a friend I've ever seen.

TWEETS

OPPORTUNITIES

On Necker Island at the ULTRAMARINE Ocean Action Summit in February, I had the chance to spend a week with some of the most passionate and curious entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers. They challenged my understanding of what was possible in "Climate Tech" and showed me outlines of a sustainable business model that creates for-profit motivation to do work previously left to non-profits and foundations. Mobilizing innovation with economic incentives AND giving our oceans a chance to restore themselves?  That is a big opportunity.

MEMBER COMMENTS

• Greg M: A while back I realized that if I want to be the most creative person in the room, I need to be the most curious. When I ask good questions that come from a sincere desire to understand, then I'm going to be able to see dots that others don't see. And if I keep asking questions about those dots (truly trying to understand how I can help someone), then I can connect those dots in ways that others won't. (https://www.makeroom.fm/curiosity-within-constraints/)

CONVERSATIONS

• Make Room Meet-Up #1 - The conversation ranged from catching up on things personally to sharing curiosities about macro and micro trends we were seeing from our various points of view, specifically, there was a lot of curiosity about the 2022 and 2024 election cycles and what is and will happen in the markets over the next six months to affect those outcomes.