Year 1 Operating Notes
Year one of the NYU Stern Executive MBA reshaped how I think about discipline, endurance, and learning under pressure.
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Much of it happened quietly. Some moments felt too meaningful to narrate in real time. Others only made sense after repetition, fatigue, and distance. This page captures what remained once the motion slowed.
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Discipline, I learned, is not motivational. It is structural. It is showing up sore at two in the morning, gripping a kettlebell, and doing the work anyway. Not for visibility. For consistency. Discipline is earned, never preached.
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Running the program alongside year long CTO coursework at MIT kept me operating at the edge of theory and application. The combination sharpened my tolerance for complexity and strengthened my ability to connect systems rather than memorize frameworks.
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Traveling every other week between San Francisco and New York removed the illusion of perfect conditions. Delays, red eyes, and crowded cabins became the backdrop for studying, thinking, and solving problems anyway. Progress does not wait for ideal circumstances.
Learning in Sweden (Year 1)
Some of the most meaningful learning happened in rooms where no one was trying to be impressive.
During the Global Immersion Experience in Sweden, I watched classmates bring preparation, curiosity, and restraint into every discussion. Insight emerged not from dominance, but from listening closely and building on one another’s thinking.
It was a reminder that strong leadership is rarely loud. It is often the product of shared context, mutual respect, and the discipline to stay open longer than feels comfortable.
Those conversations continue to shape how I think about decision making in complex environments.
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​Sweden also sharpened how I think about decision architecture. I observed how clarity around roles, incentives, and downstream impact reduced friction in group problem solving. Fewer decisions were revisited, not because they were rushed, but because ownership was explicit and tradeoffs were understood. It reinforced my belief that good strategy is often less about brilliance and more about designing systems where decisions can move cleanly from intent to execution.
In our hearts forever
Losing Chia forced a pause I did not plan for. She loved treats, long walks, quiet cuddles, and sleeping on my shoulders as if that was where she belonged. Her presence was gentle and constant, and her absence was immediate and heavy.
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Grief has a way of stripping ambition down to its essentials. It reminded me that intensity does not shield us from loss and that kindness is not a trait to be optimized but a practice to be lived daily.
She continues to teach me about patience, presence, and care.
I know I will never fully embody the kindness she carried so effortlessly, but the attempt itself has reshaped how I show up as a leader and as a human.
Leadership is not only about forward motion. It is also about learning what deserves tenderness along the way.