01
The Will of an Olympian: Strength Through Failure.
You learn more from failure than from success. I spent a big part of my life swimming, training up to four hours a day with the Olympics as my goal, until a sudden allergy forced me to stop overnight. Rather than lamenting it, I didn’t quit; I pivoted. I poured that same resilience into building software solutions for problems. After years of making apps, I launched a gamified social platform in Toronto at the height of COVID. I bootstrapped it to 7-figure profitability and scaled it to over half a million annual members. An obstacle isn't just in the way; it can show you the way. The only real failure is not getting back up when things get you down.
02
The Heart of a Human: Build For People, Not Users.
Nowadays, what can be easily lost is the courage to be vulnerable and stay human. I try to build things that actually matter in real life, not just capture attention and “shareholder value”. Currently I am developing an "offline social media" and researching social innovation at Keio in Japan. Don’t lose yourself chasing metrics that don’t feed the soul.
03
The Passion of an Inventor.
Refuse Default Constraints Being atypical isn’t a weakness; it’s leverage. Growing up in Canada, with its cultural mosaic, I learned that diversity is strength. As the youngest admit to the hyper-global INSEAD MBA, instead of feeling isolated, I leaned into my different perspective. Take ownership of your "lucky differences"; build upon them brick by brick. When you stop trying to conform to the norm, you can start creating something that actually matters.
