Good morning, friends!

Last week, we watched in disbelief as actor Will Smith got up from his seat and slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars.

Later that evening, Smith was awarded an Oscar for his performance in the film King Richard.

After the incident, Denzel Washington told Smith:

“At your highest moment, be careful. That's when the devil comes for you.”

It reminded me of a similar piece of advice that Donda West gave her son Kanye just as he was beginning to get a taste of success. As she smiled at her son, she reminded him that “the giant looks in the mirror and sees nothing.”

She explains, “Everybody else sees the giant,” adding that “it’s important you remember that you can stay on the ground and be in the air all at the same time.”

In other words, everyone else sees a giant except the giant himself. Why? Because if he got caught up staring at his own reflection in the mirror, his ego would consume him.

After studying so many successful people, I’ve learned that this is the one trap that’s hard to avoid for many of them. That’s because the hype often looks like a reward for years of hard work and sleepless nights. When you say the phrase, “I’ve made it,” you might be walking the plank to your own demise.

And it’s not just celebrities who are at risk.

When legendary investor Charlie Munger was young, he continuously kept struggling to overcome his own arrogance. But over the years, he’s learned a valuable lesson: No one is infallible, and you need to operate within the subject areas you know best.

“Humility means you know the edge of your own competence,” he says. “You are a disaster if you don’t know where the edge lies.”

He and Warren Buffett often joke that they’d rather deal with someone who has an IQ of 130 who thinks it’s a 125 than a guy with an IQ of 185 that thinks it’s a 200.

He adds, “That second guy will kill you!”

In a newsletter that attempts to study the habits and techniques of people who have achieved certain levels of success, I feel like we could all use this simple reminder: Don’t believe your own hype.

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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 Lewis Hamilton, the driver revolutionizing Formula 1. I’ve unlocked this edition for everyone, so you can read it below.

The Profile

The Profile Dossier: Lewis Hamilton, the Driver Revolutionizing Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton didn’t buy his way to Formula 1. He earned it. Unlike many of his peers, Hamilton came from humble beginnings and his racing career started with remote-control cars. He was only six years old when he won his first two trophies for remote-control car racing…

Read more

4 days ago · 2 likes · 1 comment · Polina Pompliano

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PROFILES.

— The Russians fleeing Russia [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The team that documented a city’s destruction
— Hollywood’s cancel-culture consultant
— The writer who turned salad into a sensation
— The crisis hotline getting an overhaul

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

The Russians fleeing Russia: More than a quarter of a million Russians have left their country since the invasion of Ukraine. People have fled Russia because they fear political persecution, conscription, and isolation; because they dread being locked in an unfamiliar new country that eerily resembles the old Soviet Union; and because staying in a country that is waging war feels immoral, like being inside a plane that’s dropping bombs on people. They have left because the Russia they have built and inhabited is disappearing—and the more people who leave, the faster it disappears. (The New Yorker)

“I don’t want to go. It feels like we’re being led to prison.”

The team that documented a city’s destruction: In this profile, we hear firsthand the story from the only international journalists left in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, who had been documenting its siege by Russian troops for more than two weeks. They were reporting inside a hospital when gunmen began stalking the corridors. Surgeons gave them white scrubs to wear as camouflage. (Associated Press; Note that there is graphic imagery in this article)

“I had seen so much death that I was filming almost without taking it in.”

Hollywood’s cancel-culture consultant: Lacey Leone McLaughlin is a consultant who has become the go-to person for bosses perplexed by the very demanding young people who now work for them. As one showrunner who was pitched her services for thousands of dollars a month put it, “She’s who you call when you need to play defense against a town that’s pretty quick to cancel people.” “Sometimes I come into situations where someone is at their last chance,” Leone McLaughlin says.

“Most people, by the time they get Lacey, they’re up to their waist.”

The writer who turned salad into a sensation: Emily Nunn’s newsletter, The Department of Salad, is the sixth-most-popular paid food newsletter on Substack. Here’s how she uses a newsletter about salads to discuss everything from ageism to politics to leafy greens.

“Everybody in the food business hates me. It’s because I have so much fun. And I don’t care anymore.”

COMPANIES TO WATCH.

The crisis hotline getting an overhaul: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is about to get a major reboot, casting it as the 911 for mental health. With an infusion of federal money, the upgraded Lifeline starting in July will have its own three-digit number, 988, and operators who will not only counsel callers but eventually be equipped to dispatch specially trained responders. That will reduce interventions by armed law enforcement and reliance on emergency rooms, advocates say. But there are growing concerns that the 24-hour hotline, already straining to meet demand, will not be able to deliver on the promises of the overhaul. (The New York Times)

“There are thousands of users — many of whom may be in suicidal crisis — who seek assistance and are unable to get the lifesaving help they deserve.”

✨ 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.

AUDIO TO HEAR.

Mark Zuckerberg on the value of being misunderstood: When Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that he was changing the name of the company to Meta and focusing on the metaverse, there was an immense amount of pushback. Zuckerberg says it was difficult at first to be fundamentally misunderstood, but over time, he’s learned to see criticism differently. “After going through a bunch of these cycles, I actually feel like I’ve trained myself to see it the opposite way, which is if I’m doing something that feels too well understood for too long, then I feel like I’m just being complacent,” he says. (Link available to premium members.)

Sidra and Waqas on building a shoe empire: Sidra Qasim and Waqas Ali have built Atoms, a sleek direct-to-consumer shoe startup. But their origin story is mind-blowing. They met as teens in a small town in Pakistan where they began recommending books to each other. Qasim says they became “thinking partners.” From there, they overcame impossible hurdles to get to the United States and ultimately launch Atoms. (Link available to premium members.) (For more, check out my interview with Sidra here.)

VIDEOS TO SEE.

Steve Harvey on learning hard financial lessons: In 2008, Steve Harvey found himself in a pickle. His accountant died, and his lawyer called him and said, “We have a problem.” The problem was that Harvey’s accountant had been cashing the checks, keeping the money, and not turning in his tax forms for seven years. As a result, Harvey spent the next seven years paying back $650,000 per month in back taxes. Here’s how he learned this very expensive lesson. (Link available to premium members.)

Anna Kendrick on finding humor in the mundane: Actress Anna Kendrick is known for her roles in “Pitch Perfect,” “Up in the Air,” and “Trolls.” In this interview, she explains why she enjoys roles where she plays the part of the underdog. “The best thing you can do with your insecurities is to turn them into something productive,” she says. Kendrick opens up about her upbringing, keeping her “weirdness” alive, and why ordinary stories can be made extraordinary with a little bit of wit and humor. (PS: It gets good when she starts answering the audience questions.) (Link available to premium members.)