Good morning, friends!

I was recently talking to my friend Julia La Roche, and she asked me if I had ever heard of United Therapeutics founder Martine Rothblatt. I hadn’t.

So I went home, typed in the name, and went down a deep rabbit hole researching one of the most interesting people I’ve come across.

Rothblatt has led an extraordinary life. She is many things — a lawyer, a serial entrepreneur, an advocate for transgender rights, and a futurist aiming to clone the human consciousness.

If you haven’t previously heard about her, I encourage you to read the Profile Dossier I put together or watch the TEDx interview below.

One of my biggest takeaways from Rothblatt is that she knows so much about so many different fields in large part because she’s a ferocious reader. She reads 10 to 15 books at a time (could be a few sentences from one to a single page from another to three chapters from another) and relies solely on serendipity to guide her.

By cross-referencing and combining the books, she boosts her creativity because it allows her mind to make new connections. Research shows that if you focus on two subjects for a period of time, you will naturally begin to see relationships between them that will trigger new ideas.

And of course, exposing yourself to a wide range of reading material has the power to improve your content diet and spark fresh ideas. “When you discover something, what’s happening is that gazillions of neurons are lighting up in your brain, and it’s lighting up the pleasure centers too, so I really believe that there’s nothing more exciting than having a realization about something, coming to an inspiration about something, which is why books and reading are so magical,” she says.

(Tweet me a photo of your book stack because I’m always on the hunt for more.)

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: On Wednesday, August 31 at 1 p.m. EST, Jacob Goldstein, the former host of popular podcast Planet Money, will participate in an hour-long, live "Ask Me Anything" with premium readers (that's you!) who are part of The Profile's members-only Telegram chat. Goldstein now hosts a podcast called ‘What’s Your Problem,’ in which he gives listeners the inside scoop on how innovators are facing their business problems head-on. He’ll answer your questions live, and we’ll discuss everything from entrepreneurship to audience-building to storytelling, and more. Become a premium member, and join us on August 31.

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PROFILES.

— The Howard Stern of business [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The founder people love to hate
— Baseball’s only mud supplier
— The TV veteran who turned into a movie star
— The bookseller who transformed Oxford, Mississippi

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

The Howard Stern of business: Scott Galloway is a provocateur. He has been described as "the Howard Stern of business" to "an open wound" to "a buffoon who likes attention.” What I took away from this profile of Galloway is just how prolific he is. In addition to his main podcast, his company Prof G Media produces a weekly newsletter, four podcast episodes a week, YouTube videos, a column for New York magazine and a book every 18 months or so. He also makes more than $5 million a year from speaking gigs. Meet Prof G himself. (The New York Times)

“I am financially much more secure than I ever thought I would be.”

The founder people love to hate: It’s been two years since Audrey Gelman left The Wing, the all-female, WeWork-backed, pop feminist self-described coven of a coworking space that she cofounded in 2016. Gelman resigned in June 2020 as the pandemic set in, keeping all 12,000 of the company’s members at home and their annual fees—up to $3,000 per person—suspended. The Wing shuttered the 11 locations it had opened and laid off all but 84 of its nearly 500 employees. So what is Gelman up to now? One thing’s for sure — the former power CEO isn’t done yet. (Vanity Fair)

“I can’t explain it. I guess I am just not for everyone.”

Baseball’s only mud supplier: Major League Baseball — a multi-billion-dollar enterprise applying science and analytics to nearly every aspect of the game — ultimately depends on some geographically specific muck collected by a retiree with a gray ponytail, blurry arm tattoos and a flat-edged shovel. That man is Jim Bintliff, the owner of Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud. Bintliff collects the Delaware River mud that is smeared on Major League baseballs to make them less slippery. But that tradition is now in jeopardy. (The New York Times)

“If they stopped ordering, I’d be more upset by the end of the tradition, not my bottom line.”

The TV veteran who turned into a movie star: Keke Palmer, 28, is a consummate entertainment veteran. This year marks her 20th year in show business. She was recruited for the 2003 “American Idol” spinoff “American Juniors” — Palmer, cast as an alternate, never made it to air. She went on to a career as a child actor on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. Since then she has done every kind of entertainment job you can imagine: appearing in “Hustlers” and Ryan Murphy’s camp horror series “Scream Queens”; a stint as a co-host on ABC’s “Good Morning America”; starring on Broadway in “Cinderella;” and recording her own pop/R.&B. albums. Despite her success in adulthood, to some viewers, she is frozen as a child star. Palmer’s leading role in Jordan Peele’s “Nope,” seems poised to shift her story. (The New York Times)

“She’s able to capture joy in a really natural way.”

COMPANIES TO WATCH.

The bookseller who transformed Oxford, Mississippi: Richard and Lisa Howorth run one of the most beloved and influential bookstores in the country. Square Books has become as well known for nurturing writers as it is for selling their work. It has also become a small empire, consisting of four stores with some 50,000 books on five floors of three different buildings, all in the town of Oxford, Mississippi. Even when Square Books is functioning more or less like a conventional bookstore, its business model is unusually creative. (The New Yorker)

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AUDIO TO HEAR.

Marshall Goldsmith on finding comfort in being wrong: In this podcast episode, executive coach Marshall Goldsmith offers his insights on why individual high-achievers often struggle with leading others. “When I was interviewed in the Harvard Business Review, I was asked what the No. 1 problem of all the successful people I’ve coached was. My response? ‘Winning too much’,” says Goldsmith. “When you are in school, you take test after test to prove you are smart over and over. It’s difficult to stop. But a good leader has to learn to quit being smart and right all the time. It’s not a contest.” (Link available to premium members.)

Balaji Srinivasan on the promise of transhumanism: While sci-fi movies haven’t always provided the most accurate prediction of the future, there are those who believe some of its principles hold merit. Transhumanism is one example. Whether it’s using tech to optimize your body or your finances, investor Balaji Srinivasan outlines why embracing the movement is in humanity’s best interests. “The problem is people think transhumanism is where you become edited, misshapen monsters—which is why I like to use the term optimalism,” he says. “If you ask me about foreseeable futures, transhumanism is an all-weather thing. People will want to get better and I think science is really starting to catch up.” (Link available to premium members.)

VIDEOS TO SEE.

Bernard Arnault on building the LVMH portfolio: How did LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault become the mastermind behind one of the world's largest luxury groups? His aggressive acquisition strategy had never been seen in the world of luxury fashion, and though it worked, it didn't come without backlash. "I was very much criticized for it," he says. "I remember people telling me, 'It does not make sense to put together so many brands.'" Here's how Arnault has stayed ahead of the game time and time again. (Link available to premium members.)

Danny Meyer on creating a winning work culture: While it may have started as a nondescript hot dog cart, Shake Shack is one of few fast food chains that have ballooned into being traded on the NYSE. He attributes his multi-decade success to several factors, but founder Danny Meyer constantly harps on the importance of creating a thriving work culture. In this episode, he shares his tips on how employers can pull it off. (Link available to premium members.)

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