When I first cracked open the Blind Side, I never imagined that I was embarking on this great lesson in football and Michael Oher’s reinvention from a lost, inner city teenager to a potential NFL star. Wow was all I could think after peeling through the book, and I can’t wait to see the move coming out this November! I may even read a newer version of the book coming out on October 12.
Michael Oher’s story at the surface is interesting but not particularly surprising in the sense that you already know from the back of the book cover that a wealthy Caucasian family helps a ...read more
One of my career fantasies is to be a speechwriter, so I am posting my favorite excerpt from a speech. Full disclosure is that even though I write speeches, it’s something I would love to do more often. Looking back at the quote, it makes me think that I have always been into the idea of entrepreneurialism and reinvention.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; ...read more
Last week, JPMorgan Chase led a rally on Wall Street after a surprising, better than expected announcement of $2.7 billion profit. As the workings of the financial industry shake out, the head of JPMorgan Chase, CEO Jamie Dimon, is towering over his peers with his bank as one of the few standing survivors and a board meeting including a special guest, the White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel.
But his rise to the apex of the banking world wasn’t always clear or straightforward, and I’ll never forget the image from Sandy Weill’s biography, Tearing Down the Walls, when it ...read more
A few weeks ago, I heard Geoff Colvin talk about his book, Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else
, at the Harvard Club. I was already in the middle of reading the book when I got the invitation to go, so I went ahead and attended. Plus, if talent really is overrated, who wouldn’t want to learn more about the secret recipe for success? I read the book, because it peaked my interest. Now that I’m done with the book, I’m going to try to spread around ...read more
My pieces on Carrie’s come back in the Sex & the City 
“Runway of Life” entry and Vivian’s career change in the worst economic downturn both spurred a lot of positive karma.
Today, we have Jennifer Berson’s reinvention. She went from pursuing a career in the legal field to launching her own beauty & lifestyle PR boutique agency. The part of her story that fascinates me most is the stunning speed of her career change straight from lawyer to PR fashion boutique agency CEO. She did her homework for about a year, ...read more
I’m launching a “Beauty & Brains Unite” mini-series, starting with Desi Duncker’s road to reinvention after 
joining the throes of unemployed, Ivy-league educated professionals. The “Beauty & Brains Unite” mini-series will capture the stories of reinvention where the forces of intelligence and aesthetics fuse.
Desi has one of those straight A track records, starting with undergrad at Harvard, business school at the Tuck School at Dartmouth and an investment banking position at one of the most prestigious firms in the industry, Goldman Sachs. But like many professionals with a sterling resume, the economic crisis threw ...read more
Vivian Chen has an incredible inspirational story for anyone looking to take the bull by the horns in this economic downturn. I was lucky to be a part of the story and wrote “How a Banker Reinvented Herself” for Recessionwire. The story of Recessionwire is also really cool. Two former Condé Nast Portfolio editors and a freelance writer friend, “decided to turn misfortune into opportunity. Inspired to capture the stories and improve the lives of urban professionals who, like them, were getting effed by the economy, they founded a website in early 2009.”
This blog will be filled with many highs and lows of the stories that surround us. Great friendships help us get out of those lows, and below is an email that my dear friend Roland wrote to cheer me up during a really challenging moment a couple of years ago. I wanted to relaunch my site with his email since it captures the essence and spirit that I’m hoping the site will convey. Roland’s pick me up when I was in Latin America is about perseverance, inspiration, hope, humor and appreciation for great friends who help you out of the lows and are cheering you on during ...read more
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