Good morning, friends!

We visited Vermont for the first time this weekend and made our way to the local bookstore. There’s something soothing about being surrounded by books, and it always reminds me of the quote by author Matt Haig:

“Books can save your life. People don’t just read books for escape. We read to find new paths for ourselves. We think we are in this one-room house. Books help us realize we are in a mansion. Reading is a way to find the lost parts of us. To know what’s there. What you have. To work out how far you can dream.”

Like Haig, I've always believed that wandering through bookstores and libraries can be therapeutic for the mind. I bought Aristotle’s Way: How Ancient Wisdom Can Change Your Life by Edith Hall. I’m really excited to dig into it, and I’ll report back with what I’ve learned.

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THE PROFILE DOSSIER: On Wednesday, premium members received The Profile Dossier, a comprehensive deep-dive on a prominent individual. It featured Laurie Santos, the happiness scientist. Become a premium member and read it below.

The Profile

The Profile Dossier: Laurie Santos, the Happiness Scientist

Laurie Santos teaches the most popular course at Yale University. It’s called “PSYC 157: Psychology and the Good Life,” a course on science-based strategies to lead happier and more fulfilled lives. Santos began teaching the class in 2018, and it’s only skyrocketed in popularity…

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4 days ago · 2 likes · Polina Pompliano

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PROFILES.

— The legendary sportswriter who left it all behind [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]— The NASA engineer behind the James Webb Telescope
— The men battling over Elon Musk
— The celebrity divorce lawyer
— The man reviewing historical sandwiches on TikTok
— The secretive education startup behind America’s universities
— The best-seller machine

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

The legendary sportswriter who left it all behind: Gary Smith was an acclaimed sportswriter and winner of a record four National Magazine Awards. He had profiled legendary athletes including Mike Tyson, Allen Iverson, and Tiger Woods. And then … he retired. What is he doing now? Today, the most decorated sportswriter of his generation spends time teaching students at Title 1 schools mindfulness as a tool to be attentive and calm their nerves. His years of reading, writing, and exploring were in the service of a goal: “To learn how to play this game most wisely, with the least amount of suffering and the most amount of enjoyment.” This is a must-read. (Sports Illustrated)

“I just want to be learning and following a thread that feels like it’s alive and growing.”

The NASA engineer behind the James Webb Telescope: Even on a team of 10,000 people working on a $10 billion project, one person can make a difference. And it’s not always the person you expect. You probably don’t know his name, but nobody on this planet had a bigger hand in the James Webb Telescope finally launching than Greg Robinson. He worked such wonders that his boss calls him “the most effective leader of a mission I have ever seen in the history of NASA.” (The Wall Street Journal; this is a complimentary link, but reply to this article if you still can’t access the story)

“There’s a huge distance between success and failure, and only a few actions that move you from one to the other.”

The men battling over Elon Musk: Before Elon Musk’s billion-dollar battle over Twitter, another fight broke out over how his charitable giving should be managed. Ex-professional gambler Igor Kurganov became a top Musk adviser on giving his fortune away. Jared Birchall, his wealth manager and key player in financing the bid for Twitter, wanted him out. (The Wall Street Journal; this is a complimentary link, but reply to this article if you still can’t access the story)

“Elon, you can’t.”

The celebrity divorce lawyer: Laura Wasser is one of the highest-profile divorce lawyers in the country. She has represented some of the biggest celebrities of the past generation: Britney Spears during her split with Kevin Federline, Angelina Jolie during her divorce from Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp during his divorce from Amber Heard, and Kim Kardashian during her divorce from Kanye West, among them. As managing partner at her firm, she is currently overseeing about a hundred cases. Take a look inside the messy world of divorce law. (The New Yorker)

“I think people are much more accepting of the idea of divorce and a next chapter.”

The man reviewing historical sandwiches on TikTok: In 2021, Barry Enderwick, a marketing executive, came upon a recipe book from the turn of the 20th century. Some of the recipes were straightforward; others were downright bizarre by modern sensibilities. Intrigued, Enderwick decided to find out what they were like for himself—and to tell people on social media about it. Here’s how his videos turned him into a TikTok sensation. (Gastro Obscura)

“The first one I ever did was the oyster sandwich.”

COMPANIES TO WATCH.

The secretive education startup behind America’s universities: American universities are searching for ways to generate more revenue. As a result, hundreds of schools—including Vanderbilt, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—are teaming up with for-profit companies to provide online programs. A company called 2U Inc, is leading the charge and aggressively popularizing this model for schools all over the country. (The Wall Street Journal)

“I began to think I was taking part in something that was taking advantage of people who had fallen prey to flashy marketing and false promises.”

The best-seller machine: Early last year, the publishing industry began to notice that the books readers were gushing about on TikTok — the social media platform that traffics in short videos — were showing up on best-seller lists. Publishers were surprised, authors were surprised, even the readers making those TikTok videos were surprised. A year later, the hashtag #BookTok has become a sustained and powerful force in the world of books, helping to create some of the biggest sellers on the market. (The New York Times)

“It’s this grassroots explosion of people creating the videos and then organically, by word of mouth, it grows from there.”

✨ This installment of The Profile is free for everyone. If you would like to get full access to all of the recommendations, including today’s audio and video sections, sign up below.

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AUDIO TO HEAR.

Kunal Shah on the fear of failure: Millions of business ideas never see the light of day due to a simple reason: fear of ridicule. However, some people are able to silence the negative thoughts more quickly than others, and venture capitalist Kunal Shah offers his insight on why. “I think a lot of people who have been bullied and shamed early in life develop an unusual superpower not to give a damn about being mocked anymore,” explains the founder of India’s second-fastest-growing unicorn startup. “Shame is an effective tool to make kids better. The only problem is that it remains a long-term bug that makes them constantly think about other people’s points of view and how they can’t risk their social status.” (Link available to premium members.)

Maya Cheung on the difficulty of speaking out: Between walking away from the well-paying job she got right out of college and setting herself against a company backed by senators, Theranos whistleblower Maya Cheung explains how advocating for the truth isn’t as simple as you might think. “The idea of knowing what I knew and having not done anything while knowing that there was something that I could have done about it—that's the real prison, right,” she says. “To sit with yourself and realize that you didn't push it forward…for me, that was a much worse reality.” (Link available to premium members.)

VIDEOS TO SEE.

Martine Rothblatt on the quest to live forever: Martine Rothblatt founded SiriusXM Satellite Radio in 1990 but left soon after the company's 1993 IPO. Rothblatt moved into biotech after her daughter was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension, a disease that was deadly at the time. So she founded United Therapeutics in 1996; it sells five FDA-approved drugs to help people with the disease. Rothblatt was born male and transitioned in 1994 when Rothblatt was 40 years old. She and her wife, whom she calls the love of her life, Bina have been married for more than 30 years. This is a must-watch. (Link available to premium members.)

Kobe Bryant on the qualities he looked for in a partner: Whether it's in business or in life, Kobe Bryant believed in surrounding yourself with people who are relentless about self-improvement. He looked for two characteristics when evaluating people. "The most important thing is curiosity first. I want curious people — people who ask questions, people who want to figure things out, and people who figure out news ways to do things," he says. "Then, you need to have the determination to see that curiosity through." (Link available to premium members.)

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