From Daily Thoughts to Strategy: Welcome to the CSO Chronicle

I was at Costco this week and noticed the Halloween decorations were already out: skeletons, fog machines, giant inflatable pumpkins. It caught me off guard for a second, and then it gave me a moment to pause and reflect. Fall is coming. And with it, the whole back-to-back stretch of holidays many of us look forward to: Halloween, Thanksgiving, the December holidays, New Year's. It also put things in perspective: there are only about five months left in the year. Five months.

I've been going through a transition for a year now. It's not the brief kind that lasts weeks or months, but one that deeply embeds itself in your body, influences how you face each day, and compels you to confront what is within your control and what isn't. I'm switching jobs, and honestly, this is one of the most challenging transitions I've faced. It's chaotic and probably will stay that way until the end of the year. I've accepted that reality. That acceptance wasn't born

It's that time of year again, commencement season. There's something genuinely moving about watching graduates step off the stage and into whatever comes next. The speeches that accompany these moments can range from forgettable to truly inspiring, and I make a point of seeking out the best ones each year. While I don't get to all of them, three stood out for me this season: Eric Church, Fareed Zakaria, and Tom Brady. What surprised me most is how, taken together, they paint

I hope you all have had a great first four months of 2026 so far. We are at the start of another month, and honestly, I am excited for what's to come, especially the weather, and everything else ahead. I have been thinking a lot about hope these days. I know it can be a difficult word for some. Maybe it even causes you to pause and ask yourself, "What is hope, really?" And that is a fair question, one worth sitting with. Being a CSO, a Chief Self Officer, is truly about havin

We just closed out the first quarter of 2026. Ninety days gone. And if you're anything like most people, you looked up and thought: wait, already? That's the thing about time, it just moves. The question is whether you moved with intention, or whether you got swept along. In my daily thoughts this quarter, I've been dropping reflective questions to keep you thinking. Today I want to slow down and really expand on that because 90 days is a significant milestone, and it deserve

February had me glued to my TV in the best way possible. The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy were something special, and I found myself watching with more than just entertainment in mind. I was watching people show up for themselves at the highest level possible. I was watching people live out what I truly believe that when you commit to being your own Chief Self Officer, anything is possible. Let me tell you about the two moments I could not stop thinking about. Riku Mi