Newsletter - Week of March 24, 2025

This week's line-up:

1. Markets & Investing
2. Leadership
3. Conscious Living - Why I Run: A Journey Back to Myself (ft. Audio version)/ Eckhart Tolle's 'New Earth'
4. AI - AI Foundational Series: "Where Do We Even Begin?" Part 2: Machine Learning vs. Deep Learning vs. AGI.
5. My Favorites
6. Quote of the week

Hi All,

Thank you so so much for your kind words and support—it truly means a lot. You have no idea how each one of you made my world!

Starting next week, I’ll be sending these every Sunday evening—a little soul fuel to help you begin the week with more clarity and connection.

Last week, I fell off the rhythm a bit because… I moved! Between packing, logistics, and facing a decade’s worth of boxes from my NYC chapter, it felt like slaying a long-overdue dragon. A big release, and a new beginning.

Thanks for being here. More soon.

With love,
EJ

📈Markets & Investing

🏈Bottomline: This podcast episode features Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, discussing his views on the global economy, the impact of AI and robotics, and the future of nations. Dalio outlines five major forces shaping the health and wealth of nations: debt cycles, political order/disorder cycles, international world order shifts, climate change, and technological innovation. He expresses optimism about technological advancements but warns of significant headwinds, including geopolitical conflicts, climate change, and demographic shifts. He discusses the potential for AI-driven job displacement and the need for a new social contract. Dalio also shares his perspectives on gold versus Bitcoin as stores of value, and the US-China relationship. He concludes by outlining a three-part solution to address the growing US national debt.

Highlights

• 🌍 Five Forces Shaping Nations: Dalio identifies debt cycles, political stability, global power dynamics, climate change, and technological innovation as key forces influencing national prosperity.
• 🤖 AI's Double-Edged Sword: AI and robotics will boost productivity but also cause significant job displacement, requiring a new social contract to manage wealth distribution.
• 💰 Debt Cycle Concerns: Dalio warns of the US national debt's unsustainable trajectory and the potential for economic downturn, suggesting a three-part solution involving spending cuts, tax revenue increases, and interest rate adjustments.
• 🟡 Gold vs Bitcoin: Dalio prefers gold over Bitcoin as a store of value due to its verifiable scarcity, lack of governmental control, and relative price predictability.
• 🇨🇳 US-China Rivalry: Dalio views the US-China relationship as a complex, ongoing competition involving both overt and covert actions, emphasizing the need for strategic thinking.

Women's Wealth Accumulation Is All About Taking Risks!

"Death and Divorce - when people become financially literate."

If you have a daughter, sister, friends/colleagues you want to pass this along - please do!

🔑 Key Takeaways:

1. Financial literacy is power – Most women gain it through divorce or death. Don’t wait. Learn early and build your foundation through education, confidence, and asking the right questions.
2. Start young: the earlier, the better (power of compounds) – A 30-year-old needs ~$35K to hit $1M by 65. A 50-year-old? ~$239K. That’s the compounding difference. But even if you're starting late, you can catch up—just know it may require higher risk-taking and intentional moves.
3. Be more than a saver—become an investor – Women often default to saving, but wealth creation comes from investing. Invest in what you know and diversify smartly.
4. Smart risk = freedom – Risk doesn’t mean recklessness. It means building a thoughtful, well-diversified portfolio and making bold, informed decisions that expand your future options.
5. Build a holistic financial strategy – Your portfolio isn’t just stocks. Align retirement, estate plans, assets, liabilities, and goals to pull the right levers at the right time.
6. Money Buddy System works – Treat financial check-ins like health checkups. Have an accountability partner to regularly review your finances, track goals, and stay invested in your future.
7. Take risks in your career too – Every leadership leap is scary at first. Say yes before you’re ready—then grow into the role. (Note - studies show, for men, promotions come from promise for women, from performance).
8. Hone your expertise—be irreplaceable – Go deep in one subject. Become the go-to expert. Subject matter mastery builds credibility, confidence, and career resilience.
9. Money = Power = Impact – Wealth gives you the freedom to shape your life, influence systems, and uplift others. Claiming your financial power is a form of leadership.
10. Be in your power—visualize it – Don’t shrink in big moments. Visualize the meeting, the success, the version of you who walks in calmly and owns the room. Miracles happen when you're aligned.

🐞Leadership

How Leaders Lead with David NovakInside the Mind of Jamie Dimon, JP Morgan CEO (my favorite interview of Jamie D.’s - most candid and honest on his leadership and journey - perhaps b/c the interview was done by his long-time friend. 😄

• Worth a Read/Watch/Listen (Bookmark this as it will be updated regulalarly): Hand-curated collection of interviews by leaders in finance & tech: https://decorous-cuckoo-2c8.notion.site/Worth-a-Read-Watch-Listen-1aa8daa28f00808a8d6ace7d06ff9e07

🧘🏽 Conscious Living

🏃Why I Run: A Journey Back to Myself (ft. Audio memo)

“A raw and honest reflection on how running became my mirror, meditation, and method for healing—across countries, careers, and the quiet reckoning of learning to trust myself again. It started as a 'Couch to 5km' during the pandemic and now after a half-marathon, running became a meditation and healing mechanism.”

Why I Run: A Journey Back to Myself

“A raw and honest reflection on how running became my mirror, meditation, and method for healing—across countries, careers, and the quiet reckoning of learning to trust myself again.”

Obsidian OdysseyEJ Elena Shin

📖 Rediscovering A New Earth: Beyond Intelligence, Into Consciousness in the Age of AI

I first discovered Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth in 2016, but like all timeless truths, it recently resurfaced in my life—this time with deeper resonance. In a world driven by intellect, acceleration, and identity, this book invites us to pause and ask the most important question of all: "Who am I?"

From an evolutionary perspective, humanity is at a crossroads, and our 'consciousness' is awakening and elevating to the next level. As we stand on the brink of an AI-powered future, this question becomes more urgent than ever. Elon Musk predicts that in just 10 years, artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence, with driverless cars as the norm and billions of humanoid robots living among us. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has said that within a few years, one person will have access to a superintelligence equivalent to the collective cognitive power of all humanity today.

That vision may sound exciting—or unsettling. But one thing is clear: our labor may no longer be required, and the traditional idea of “work for a living” is heading toward a profound transformation. As social beings who define ourselves by purpose, status, and contribution, we are being asked to reflect more deeply:
What does it mean to be human in a world where machines can outthink us?
What is consciousness, and how might it be the one thing that still separates us from AI?

Some tech leaders predict people will retreat into virtual realities, choosing their digital avatars over their real selves. But before we make that judgment or follow that trend, I invite you into a different space—the world of awareness and consciousness.

From a practical perspective, building the muscle of awareness—not just intelligence—helps you notice the voice in your head (ego), question the labels you cling to (title, status, productivity), and respond to life’s challenges with presence rather than reactivity. Whether you're shaping policy, raising a child, or leading in finance, clarity of consciousness leads to clarity in decisions.

💡Key Message: “Awareness is the greatest agent for change.”

Here is the book summary from the prior:

Growth | New Earth - Eckart Tolle (2005)

🐵 I. One-sentence summary: A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle is a guide to spiritual awakening and personal transformation, emphasizing the importance of living in the present moment and letting go of the egoic mind. This is one of the books that I have been gifting to close friends and acquaintances

Obsidian OdysseyEJ Elena Shin

👽 AI

🦅AI Foundational Series: "Where Do We Even Begin?" 

Do you feel like you are behind the AI curve? Here is a quick cheatsheet for you. A 10-Issue Foundational Series on Artificial Intelligence. Issue 2: Machine Learning vs. Deep Learning vs. AGI.

AI Foundational Series - Part 2] Machine Learning vs. Deep Learning vs. AGI

Understanding How AI Learns—And What It Means for Humanity

Obsidian OdysseyEJ Elena Shin

😍 My Favorites

• 🌾Feeling overwhelmed and stressed with many endless tasks? My therapist told me to use this and it helped me so sharing this simple NAVY seal breathing exercise that anyone can use. Our body feels safe immediately and helps us get out of that panic survival mode.
  • Box breathing: 4 (breathe in) - 4 or 6 (hold) - 4 (breathe out). Repeat 10x.

• 🦺 Are you a writing thinker or a verbal thinker? Don’t judge me, but there was a time in my life when I wondered why human beings have to use language to communicate. I dreamed of a world where we could exchange information instantly through telepathy! Sam Altman shares how he clarifies his thinking: 11 minutes of journaling, along with his tips on finding the right pen and notepad after much trial and error. What’s your favorite way to process your thoughts?

• 🎙️Here are my top 14 favorite podcasts. What are yours? Drop your recs, and I’ll feature them (with your name!) in the next edition!

Lately, I’m obsessed with the Founders Podcast—diving deep into the lives of great thinkers and leaders. I love learning how they got to where they are and the obstacles they had to overcome.

👍 Quote of the week

Thanks so much for reading! 💌
If this resonated, feel free to subscribe, share with a friend, or drop me your thoughts & feedback — I’d love to hear from you. 😊

🌿Wishing you a grounded, inspired week ahead!
💫You can catch up on previous letters here.