Good morning, friends!

Last week marked one year since I published my book, Hidden Genius.

I want to thank all of you who have read the book, left a review, or sent me an email about it. The readers of this newsletter have been so supportive from Day 1, and I don’t take it from granted.

Below is a short video highlighting the book-writing journey:

And here is the full article of my reflection on how publishing a book has changed me:

The honest truth about how I feel one year after publishing a book

Polina Pompliano · Jun 20

Today marks exactly one year since I published my book, Hidden Genius: The secret ways of thinking that power the world’s most successful people. So many cool things have happened thanks to this book: I saw it on the shelves at Barnes & Noble. The Rock

Read full story

As for what’s next?

I’m starting to think about writing a second one. (Am I crazy? Probably.) As always, you all will be the first to find out.

Have a wonderful weekend!

— Polina

PROFILES.

— America’s homeless veterans [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The world’s richest family remaking the Olympics
— The artist who created the hit of the summer
— The Olympic skier grappling with grief
— The ‘microschools’ surging in popularity

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

America’s homeless veterans: What a heart-shattering story. Los Angeles is considered the homeless veteran capital of the world. Nearly 4,000 veterans sleep on its streets every night. It goes back to 1888 when hundreds of acres of undeveloped L.A. real estate were donated to the U.S. government to house disabled soldiers. So what happened? In this seven-part investigation, we learn what happened to that land. It examines greed, neglect, death, and the rise and fall of the most progressive housing project in American history. (Long Lead)

“He gave a lot, a whole lot, and didn’t receive what he deserved.”

The world’s richest family remaking the Olympics: It seems like everything LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault touches turns to gold. This summer, as athletes and fans descend on the Paris Olympics, LVMH is spending a fortune making sure its brands are enmeshed in the Olympic Games. It's the grandest convergence of sports and luxury ever—but what can it tell us about the Arnault family's broader ambitions? (GQ)

“For the last five or six years, Mr. Arnault’s vision has been to diversify LVMH into categories where experiences matter: hospitality, restaurants, cafés, art galleries, culture—and, recently, sports.”

The artist who created the hit of the summer: Sabrina Carpenter’s song “Espresso” has become a global smash, and it’s unlocked a new level of stardom for the 25-year-old singer. Carpenter has spent more than a decade in the public eye, first in a starring role on a Disney series and later as a singer with a slew of sunny hits. Here’s how she mastered the art of genre-hop — folk-pop, alt-pop, electro-pop, and more. (Rolling Stone)

“I say Sabrina wasn’t built in a day.”

The Olympic skier grappling with grief: Four-time World Cup champion skier Lindsey Vonn is no stranger to navigating bumpy terrain: She has battled depression, overcome debilitating insomnia, and bounced back from a slew of knee injuries. But nothing could have prepared Vonn for her hardest hurdle yet. In August 2021, her mother, Linda Krohn Lund, was diagnosed with ALS, and she died exactly one year after being diagnosed. In this first-person essay, Vonn speaks about the overwhelming grief of losing a parent to ALS. (ELLE)

“Grief is something that you learn to live with, but it doesn’t go away.”

COMPANIES TO WATCH.

The ‘microschools’ surging in popularity: The ‘microschool’ is an increasingly popular type of super-small, largely unregulated private school, often serving fewer students than are enrolled in a single classroom at a traditional school. Since the pandemic disrupted schooling, many parents have rethought their children’s education, and are open to nontraditional options. And Republican state lawmakers and donors, who have long supported private-school choice, have increasingly directed money toward ‘microschools’ across the country, saying they give parents a chance to withdraw from school districts at a reasonable price — typically $5,000 to $10,000 per year. Here’s why more and more parents are turning to alternative options. (The New York Times; if you can’t access the article, try this link)

“We have groups who would like to impose upon all our public schools their values and beliefs.”

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