What I do
Most of my work is solving problems for someone who wishes they didn't have them. I start by breaking the big, scary, ambiguous thing into a bunch of small components. Then I pressure-test my assumptions with the people who actually live with the problem. I plan the steps in detail, sometimes more than necessary, then execute from the plan and fold changes back into it. My ideas land in a handwritten journal or a messy notes app, because I've learned that creativity shows up when you least expect it. Execution means building the thing that removes the problem: sometimes a model, sometimes an AI agent, sometimes a whole new way of running a process.
Right now the problems are a bank's. I work on its internal consulting team, in AI strategy and solutions. The problems I solve outside work are on this site. They follow the same habits, pointed at my own questions and curiosities.
What I'm looking for
Growth, mostly. I want problems worth solving, in things I actually care about, and people worth solving them with. I want work I can own end to end: sitting with the people who have the problem, building the thing, and watching what they do with it. And I want to be slightly out of my depth, because that's where the growth is: a problem I haven't solved before, a room where I'm the least experienced person, a skill I'm still bad at. I look for that on purpose, at work and off it. I've found a good amount of it where I am, and I'll keep chasing it wherever it shows up. If you're working on something like that, I'd love to hear about it.
In my free time
I split it into five pillars.
Physical. Jiu-jitsu, lifting, and runs on the beach with Skye. I just started surfing, and I'm looking at a speargun so I can try spearfishing.
Mental. Reading, painting and long walks. A healthy body and a healthy mind are two sides of the same coin: your thoughts change how you feel, and how you feel changes what you do. So I keep a few hobbies whose only job is to clear my head.
Spiritual. Journaling and meditation. Writing my thoughts out is how I get to know myself. Meditating is how I clear my mind and feel part of where I am.
Community. We evolved in packs, then villages, then cities. We're not solitary animals, so a lot of my time goes to people: the beach with friends, movies with my family, dinners, dates, and the crew from jiu-jitsu.
Learning. Curiosity is what got humans this far, so I feed mine. Mostly that's research papers on health: sunlight and circadian rhythm, sauna and ice baths, sleep, nutrition built on whole foods, and the supplements that help me recover. And I keep picking up new things, surfing and painting lately, because trying something new is how you end up better than you were yesterday.
Currently, a good amount of my free time goes to Guard, a supplements company I'm starting with one of my best friends.
Things I value
- Feeding the innate curiosity that drives me
- Taking proper care of my mind, body, and soul
- Humility
- Being grateful for the little things, because we take a lot for granted
- Doing hard things, even when I don't feel like it
- Seeing the cup half full
- Learning to navigate being uncomfortable
- Meeting new people
- Seeking growth and new experiences by learning new things
- Going to new places and experiencing different cultures
- Talking to people who have different opinions and views from mine
- Respect is given, not earned, and easily lost
- Helping others
- Finding purpose in everything I do
- Being present in the moment