Hello Everyone,
It’s been a great summer for me, and I hope the same is true for you. I was able to connect with a lot of old friends over the past few months, something I had not done for some time because frankly I had not made it a priority. What a mistake.
This month I met up with an old friend from high school, Mike D., whom I had not seen for decades and had a brilliant lunch. We shared our aspirations of leaving the world a better place, and he described that notion in mathematical terms: finding ways to increase the Global X. This idea has stuck with me since. I have always liked the Elizabeth Lesser quote, “Look for a way to lift someone up. If that’s all you do, it’s enough.” However, thinking about global flourishing in terms of increasing the Global X resonates higher with me, since I tend to think of things in quantitative terms.
Solving for some sort of Global X highlights the beauty that no matter what part you are playing in helping others, whether it’s a big or small role, in the end you are a purveyor of good, moving the same Universal needle as everyone who stands with you — those that understand that our purpose here is to learn and help one another. So I dedicate this quarter’s newsletter to friendship and increasing the Global X. This quarter’s interviews covering business and wellness are below.
Entrepreneurship: This quarter’s entrepreneurial interview is with Ben Rubin who is the cofounder of Change Collective, a mobile product that help users with behavior change. Prior to Change Collective, Ben helped launch the company Zeo, maker of one of the first commercial sleep-tracking devices. My five questions with Ben Rubin about launching a new product can be found here.
Health and Wellness: This quarter’s health and wellness interview is with Craig DeLarge who just concluded his tenure as Global Leader of Multichannel Marketing Strategy & Innovation for Merck to pursue opportunities in the digital mental health space. My five questions with Craig DeLarge about the future of digital mental health can be found here.
Life Experience: Continuing with the theme of friendship, I have two life experiences to share this quarter. First, my friend Jill was visiting Vermont and picked me up a Heady Topper so that I could complete the personal challenge of drinking the “best beer in America,” which I discussed a couple of quarter’s ago. That was so thoughtful, and Heady Topper lives up to its reputation.
The other life experience came while visiting my friend Nate in New Jersey, I stopped by New York to see the Statue of Liberty. It was great seeing Nate; even though we only spent a couple hours together reminiscing about our quick visit still makes me smile.
Contribution: There is no harm in being a lemming when it is for a good cause, so of course I got sucked into the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge craze thanks to another long time friend Joe.
I also contributed to Pat’s effort to raise money for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America and made a donation to the Midway Shelter for Abused Women and Children.
In the spirit of friendship, I wish you a great fall season with your friends and family. I look forward to checking in with you again around the holidays. As always, thanks for reading.
Warm regards,
Michael
