Talks, books, and people that shaped how I think.
| Name | Work | Link | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Les Brown | You Gotta Be Hungry | YouTube | My first real exposure to self-improvement. His audiobook Power of Purpose changed the direction of my life in college. |
| Jordan Peterson | Maps of Meaning | YouTube | Lectures and books that reframed psychology for me, revealing meaning behind stories—from the Bible to Disney. |
| David Goggins | Can’t Hurt Me | Amazon | Made me test my limits physically and mentally; pushed me to complete my first triathlon. |
| Ryan Holiday | The Obstacle Is The Way | Amazon | Introduced Stoic principles that still anchor my mindset and discipline. |
| Name | Work | Link | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Maples | Dare to Do Legendary Things | YouTube | Sparked my interest in VC and shaped how I think about startups and markets. |
| Nassim Taleb | Fooled by Randomness / Antifragile | Fooled by Randomness / Antifragile | Changed how I think about risk, probability, and thriving through volatility. |
| Dennis Hong | Cognitive Referents | YouTube | Helped shape how I evaluate consumer tech businesses. |
| Naval Ravikant | How to Get Rich Without Getting Lucky | Twitter / Podcast | Principles on leverage, learning, and compounding that stuck with me. |
| Brad Gerstner | Invest Like the Best | Spotify | Framed my perspective on crossover investing and essentialism. |
| Name | Work | Link | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Lewis | Leadership & Accountability | YouTube | As a former linebacker, he set the standard for leading with conviction and owning the moment. |
| Kobe Bryant | Job’s Not Finished | YouTube | The first jersey I owned; relentless pursuit of mastery. |
| Tom Brady | The Underdog | YouTube | Overlooked and outworked his way from sixth-round pick to the GOAT. |