Updated: 4th September 2022
Work
I currently split my work time roughly 50-50 between coaching and Polaris Ventures. I’ve found that these projects complement each other well in several ways, so I’m excited to continue with this setup.
Within coaching, my primary goals for this year are:
- to continue developing my skills and obtain the Professional Certified Coach credential by the end of the year, and
- to develop a deep understanding of how people learn by studying the literature from the learning sciences, educational psychology, neurobiology, and other relevant fields.
At Polaris Ventures, I’m taking care of all operational matters and building capacity wherever it’s needed. This role emerged out of my previous work as COO of the Effective Altruism Foundation (now Center on Long-Term Risk). I’m getting a sense of continuation and stability from this, as well as an opportunity to have an outsized impact.
Right now, my focus is on rebuilding the administrative aspects of my coaching practice after recently moving to Amsterdam. This includes understanding the Dutch legal and tax system, registering as an entrepreneur, and incorporating value-added tax in my accounting and billing, which I was previously exempt from. I don’t particularly enjoy this work, but I like the idea of having all of this sorted so that I can focus on more meaningful things again.
Life
I took some time off in July and August to reconnect with friends and family and spend time in nature. I also followed my intellectual curiosity and read a few books that weren’t immediately relevant to my work, including The Case Against Reality, The Secret of Our Success, and The Better Angels of Our Nature.
I vividly remember sitting in a café in a French town on the Mediterranean coast, sweating in the midday heat at close to 40 degrees Celsius and skipping the passages of “The Better Angels” where Pinker’s depiction of Medieval cruelty exceeded my tolerance. Nevertheless, the immediate sense of relief when remembering that I live in a relatively peaceful era filled me with gratitude.
