The Art of The Impossible

Welcome to?The?Art?of?The?Impossible, a weekly newsletter where I unearth five pieces?of?content which I hope will both inspire?and?embolden you.

PODCAST

This week's guest on the podcast is David Senra, ex-founder and host of?Founders podcast?– one of my favourite podcasts where each week, David devours a biography of a founder and shares his favourite lessons with the world, whether it’s Charlie Munger, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Kobe Bryant, The Wright Brothers, Lucille Ball, Jay Z, Enzo Ferrari and many more!

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts from.

In this conversation, we discuss some key themes between the founders and innovators whose stories David has shared in the almost 300 episodes now from a self-styled delusion which helps them to ignore the naysayers and dream the impossible to the obsession which comes with a laser focus on what matters.

There are lots of great stories and anecdotes as you can imagine from David but there are also some great lessons that he has learned about success on his personal journey and why he wants to build something he’s younger self would be proud of.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts from.

QUOTE

INTERVIEW

I thoroughly enjoyed learning Tracy Young's story on The Social Radars, hosted by Jessica Livingston (co-founder, Y Combinator) and Carolynn Levy (Partner, Y Combinator). Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts from.

Tracy's story is quite remarkable - one of the most successful startup founders ever, Y Combinator funded her company, PlanGrid in the winter of 2012. PlanGrid revolutionized the construction industry by getting blueprints off paper and onto tablets. In this interview, you will hear how she came up with the idea whilst she was a construction engineer, the impact of sadly losing her friend and co-founder to cancer within just a few weeks of starting at Y Combinator, and how the company sold for almost a BILLION dollars in 2018 (although the press barely covered it...).

Tracy is great and her story is hugely inspiring.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts from.

BOOK

Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results by Shane Parrish

I am a long-term fan of Shane and his writing and podcast on Farnam Street so I was delighted to hear that he had a new book coming out later this year.

Described as, "A roadmap for thinking clearly in any situation...

We all aspire to see the world clearly. And yet all too often, when the pressure is on, we give in to our most irrational impulses - making intuitive decisions that take us ever-further from our goals.

In?Clear Thinking, Shane Parrish - 'the former spy who helps Wall Street mavens think smarter' (New York Times) - explains how to think clearly in any situation. He shows that the path to clear thinking lies not in the most high-stakes decisions, but in the most ordinary moments - from how we start our mornings to how we approach our daily conversations. And he uses stories, mental models, and psychological insights to offers a transformative method for seeing through our biases and understanding what's really happening - however day-to-day or high stakes the situation.

The result is a must-have manual for optimizing decision-making, gaining competitive advantage, and living intentionally. It will clear your head and transform your life."

Pre-order the book here.

FILM

There are so many great biographical documentaries out at the moment and Apple seems to be producing a lot of them. This week's recommendation is STILL featuring Michael J Fox.

The film, which will incorporate documentary, archival and scripted elements, will recount Fox’s extraordinary story in his own words — the improbable tale of an small kid from a Canadian army base who rose to the dizzy heights of stardom in 1980s Hollywood. The account of Fox’s public life, full of nostalgic thrills and cinematic gloss, will unspool alongside his never-before-seen private journey, including the years that followed his diagnosis, at age 29, with Parkinson’s disease. Intimate and honest, and with unprecedented access to Fox and his family, the film will chronicle Fox’s personal and professional triumphs and travails and will explore what happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease. It looks like a must-watch!

Out May 12th on Apple TV.

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Thank you for reading?the?newsletter?and?for listening to?the?podcast?this week.?And?If you enjoy them, please do share with your network - my goal is to have these stories reach as many as possible so that others can be inspired too.

Have a lovely Sunday.

Until next time...

Danielle