Heart of the Matter: On My Mind

Dear Diary

I do a lot of interviews, but rarely one that covers my entire life and career. All that, and more, was on the table in my conversation with Steven Bartlett on The Diary Of A CEO podcast. We talked about the influence of my mother, how I got to Cambridge (which wouldn’t have happened without her), moving to New York, overcoming the fear of failure, starting three companies after the age of 55, my wake-up call after burnout, what happens after we die, and why behavior change — prioritizing the five key daily behaviors of sleep, food, movement, stress management and connection — can be a miracle drug for chronic diseases. It really did feel like we’d gone through my entire diary. You can listen to the episode here.

The Heart of the Matter with Health

I had a great time speaking at the Texas Heart Institute’s Cardiometabolic Syndrome Conference in Houston with their CEO Dr. Joseph Rogers. Cardiometabolic syndrome is a complex combination of conditions, including heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, that occurs when insulin and blood sugar aren’t properly regulated. Even though we know a lot about the role that risk factors, like obesity, hypertension and insulin resistance, play in the condition, rates of cardiometabolic syndrome continue to skyrocket. So the purpose of the conference was to look beyond current healthcare treatment to what could help change those trend lines. The topic of my panel with Dr. Rogers was the role of behavior change on health outcomes in the age of AI.

We talked about the fact that our health outcomes are shaped by our behaviors more than our genes or even medical care. Of course, medical care is critical. But behaviors are an incredible tool both for the prevention of chronic diseases, like heart disease, and for optimizing treatment. When we recognize the power of behaviors, it’s easy to see that our health is also about what happens between doctor visits. As Dr. Rogers said, “we see someone every three months, or every six months, or maybe once a year — but what I think is so important to this conversation is, how do you fill in those gaps in time with support?”

What I loved about the conference is that so many prominent doctors and scientists are convinced about the power of behavior change and want to bring it to their patients. We closed our talk with an announcement to do just that, in the form of a partnership with the Texas Heart Institute on a video series, available this fall, featuring physicians speaking about how people can improve their health by making small improvements in five key daily behaviors: sleep, food, movement, stress management and connection. Reversing the trend lines on chronic diseases has to include bringing behavior change into the healthcare system — and doing that requires a cultural change in which we recognize the truth that behavior change isn’t warm and fuzzy, but based on hard-core medical science. It was inspiring talking to so many pioneering doctors who want to be part of this urgently needed change.

To watch my conversation with Dr. Rogers, you can go here.

Humanity in the Age of AI

“In a world where artificial intelligence will be smarter and more efficient than humans and capable of impacting 60% of jobs in developed economies, how should society educate the minds of future generations to help humans thrive? How should adults in today’s workforce prepare, given the change has already begun?” That’s the topic of “Humanity in the Age of AI,” a fascinating case study from Jennifer Aaker and Sophie Hamilton at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business (Jennifer is also on Thrive Global ’s Scientific Board). These are urgent questions. Like all technology, AI is a tool and it will be what we make of it. As Aaker and Hamilton argue, our essential human qualities have atrophied in our modern world. If AI is just about making us more productive, that trend will continue. Instead, the authors show how we can harness AI to make us more conscious, emotionally intelligent, moral, spiritual and creative. If we can do that, we can “unleash more fulfilled and sustainable lives by integrating meaning and purpose into a dopamine-charged culture.” Thankfully, you don’t have to be a Stanford University Graduate School of Business student to read it, which you can do here.

BEFORE YOU GO

Book of the Month

It Takes You to Tango: Leverage the Science of Loneliness to Master the Art of Connection, by Dr. Amit Sood. Dr. Sood is the founder of the Global Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing, a former professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, and, I’m delighted to say, a member of Thrive’s Scientific Advisory Board. His work informs much of what we do at Thrive around stress management, and I’m thrilled that more people will be able to learn from it. One of the things I love most about Amit Sood, MD is how succinct and impactful his wisdom is. That’s true when you’re talking to him, and he’s the same way on the page. Here are some of my favorite insights from the book:

• All our lives, we look out for someone to support, inspire and cherish us, not realizing that we are looking for ourselves.
• Our brain is remarkably good at believing in those who don’t believe in us.
• Seeing the good in the bad isn’t denying the bad. It is denying the bad from taking over your mind.
• Because of the way the human brain operates, the pursuit of compassion will make us happier than the pursuit of happiness.
• Smile with your eyes and say hello. There is one in two chances that the person in front of you feels vulnerable and lonely.
• Greater joy is in overcoming — not in never struggling.
• Just as your heart serves itself before nourishing the body, you must take care of yourself first to continue serving the world.
• Every parent who worries about being a good parent is already one.

You can get a copy of the book here.

Photo of the Month

Lightning never strikes twice. Until it does.

Words Around the World

Words and concepts from around the world that teach us how to thrive

“Lagom,” a Swedish term meaning “not too much, not too little.” As explained in The Washington Post by Anne Roderique-Jones , “Lagom is an overarching mindset that applies to balancing all aspects of life, and it is ideal for travel.” On a vacation, this might mean striking a balance between overlapping or competing goals of a trip so you can get the most out of it. A few of Roderique-Jones’ tips include leaving room for spontaneity and exercising, but also resting and pausing for “fika,” another Swedish term meaning taking a break to recharge. As Helen Russell, author of The Atlas of Happiness: The Global Secrets of How to Be Happy, put it, ask yourself “WWASD” — What Would a Swede Do? So even if your Labor Day travels don’t include Sweden, you can include a bit of Sweden wherever you are.

Best,

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