I’m well-traveled. Over the years, I’ve lived in some of the most culturally-forward cities around the world, including Berlin, Madrid, New York City, and Nashville. Of course, traveling opens one’s eyes to new people, new tastes, and new experiences, but it also it trains you to communicate creatively and effectively. I’ve never been so intentional about tonality until I was on a date with a French girl who spoke good, but not great English. As Henry Miller puts it, “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of thinking about things.”

I write and perform music. Music is, after all, a language in itself (and perhaps the most transcendent language!), but I do believe that the more one is tuned in to the rhythm, cadence, and emotion of music, the more masterful one can be in all forms of expression.

I won the Grammar Award in 6th grade. And yes, it did destroy my middle school dating prospects.

I speak German. You haven’t truly examined the depths of Germanic language (English is a Germanic language) until you make a stab at German. It’s complicated and it’s difficult, but it trains your brain to think very specifically about the relationships between verbs, articles, adjectives, and prepositions, while navigating complex sentence structures. It’s kind of like doing Soduku — but you just finished a liter of beer and you’re on your second pretzel.

I will fight you on comma placement. It’s amazing how much trouble a poorly placed comma can cause.

I studied “European Intellectual History” at Brown University. Believe it or not, the founder of Uber actually named European Intellectual History his most inspiring college course in this interview. At its core, it was an examination of political, cultural, and artistic ideologies from the French Revolution to the present day. Among other things, it showed me how different generations are sold on various “-isms” (from Fascism and Marxism, to Scientific Positivism and Postmodernism), and how certain narratives inspire faith and active participation in the institutions of the day. I would venture to say that marketing is not so different; its goal is to create faith and participation in certain commercial or financial markets. What’s more, if you can understand “why people choose to believe certain truths or narratives” at a foundational level, you can certainly understand “why people choose to give their money to certain businesses or ideas”.

I’m a big fan of the band Phish. Love them or hate them, they have a very unique brand and have been incredibly successful with that brand — however weird or eccentric it is. I am always impressed by their ability to combine beauty, humor, excitement, technicality, and fraternity through every performance. There’s a lot to learn in that offering, from both an artistic and professional standpoint.

I know a good thesaurus from a bad thesaurus. Wordhippo.com is the best on the market. You can thank me later.