The Profile

Known as the "lord of luxury" and "the Pope of fashion," LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault is the world's richest man with a recent net worth of $199 billion. In this deep dive, Polina analyzes his life and career and breaks down what we can learn from Arnault's massively successful creative empire. --- Stay up to date by signing up for The Profile, our weekly newsletter that brings you the best profiles of successful people and companies. Sign up here: https://readtheprofile.com

Jeff Immelt succeeded Jack Welch as the CEO of General Electric, a great American company. When Immelt took over in 2001, he didn't know that he would have a long, turbulent road ahead. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks would be the first of many crises that Immelt had to grapple with in his time as CEO. He was at the helm of the company through the bursting of the dot com bubble, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the fall of Enron, and the 2008-09 financial crisis. Shareholders blamed Immelt for his inability to turn the company around and for allowing GE to lose $150 billion of market value under his watch. In this conversation, Immelt shares what he's learned about leading in crisis, how he's taken responsibility for the consequences of his decisions, and why he believes the next generation of founders and CEOs need to be masters of chaos. --- Stay up to date by singing up for The Profile, our weekly newsletter that brings you the best profiles of successful people and companies. Sign up here: https://readtheprofile.com

Dubbed “The Queen of Pain,” Amelia Boone is a corporate attorney at Apple by day and an obstacle endurance racer by night. She signed up for her first Tough Mudder race at age 28 when she realized she couldn’t do a single pull-up.  Since that day, she became obsessed with getting stronger and went on to become a 4-time world champion and one of the most decorated obstacle racers in history — all while working full-time at Apple. Here's how Boone learned to conquer the mental aspect of racing, how she confronted a years-long challenge with an eating disorder, and why she believes that your profession doesn't have to be your passion.  --- Stay up to date by singing up for The Profile, our weekly newsletter that brings you the best profiles of successful people and companies. Sign up here: https://readtheprofile.com

Chris C. Miller, a company commander with the 5th Special Forces Group, helped direct the first, covert invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. A number of Green Berets from the 5th Group were sent to invade Afghanistan and defeat the Taliban — some of them on horseback — in a secret and dangerous mission, which was portrayed in the film '12 Strong.' In this conversation, Miller explains what training for the Afghanistan mission entailed, how he used his experiences in the field to transition from a tactical position into a strategic one, the challenges of his role as the acting secretary of defense, and the leadership lessons he's learned along the way. TIME STAMPS: 00:00 - September 11, 2001 05:36 - The military's reaction 13:28 - The invasion of Afghanistan 21:08 - Mental training for times of uncertainty 27:09 - What makes a great team 32:51 - Coming home from the Afghanistan mission 35:01 - Conventional tactics versus unconventional warfare 41:09 - Planning his military career 42:46 - Transition from a tactical position into a strategic one 46:21 - Becoming the Acting Secretary of Defense 54:18 - Miller's response to the storming of the Capitol 58:19 - How to develop independent thought 1:04:15 - Balancing his personal relationships with his professional aspirations 1:08:18 - The mental toll of going to war 01:03:31 - Miller's next act -- Stay up to date by singing up for The Profile, our weekly newsletter that brings you the best profiles of successful people and companies. Sign up here: https://readtheprofile.com

Ana Lorena Fabrega, an educator focused on independent thinking and mental models, discusses the limitations of traditional schooling and the need for alternative methods to promote curiosity and independent thought. She reflects on her experience of constantly moving to different countries and attending multiple schools. The podcast also explores the evolving role of teachers, the mismatch between traditional schooling and effective learning, creating safe spaces for open discussions, the role of games in learning, and the future of education.

Rickey Gates is a writer and adventurer who traversed the width of America in 2017 — from South Carolina to San Francisco. He ran a total of 3,700 miles through trails, roads, rivers, and snowy mountains. His journey painted a portrait of America, one that captures the spirit of the country and makes us realize we're not as divided as we think.  -- Stay up to date by singing up for The Profile, our weekly newsletter that brings you the best profiles of successful people and companies. Sign up here: https://readtheprofile.com

Lauren Johnson is a mental performance coach who most recently worked with the New York Yankees, where she helped develop strategies for athletes and sports professionals to help them cultivate mental resilience. In this conversation, Lauren and I deconstruct the strategies and tactics of 7 mentally tough people and how they learned to perform under pressure. -- Stay up to date by singing up for The Profile, our weekly newsletter that brings you the best profiles of successful people and companies. Sign up here: https://readtheprofile.com

It's been four years of The Profile. That means that since February of 2017, you've received 208 Sunday emails, 50 Profile Dossiers, and thousands of longform profiles. Every Sunday, we come together to study the most curious, innovative, and successful people in the world. Want to join the club? Sign up here: https://readtheprofile.com

James Clear, the author of New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits, has been writing on his website JamesClear.com since 2012. In this interview, Clear explains his writing and idea-generating process and offers practical strategies to help us form better habits in the new year. -- Stay up to date by singing up for The Profile, our weekly newsletter that brings you the best profiles of successful people and companies. Sign up here: https://readtheprofile.com

Even though Square transformed the world of payments, it was anything but a smooth ride. Co-founder Jim McKelvey woke up one day to discover that Amazon had copied their hardware, undercut them on price by 30%, and was offering live customer support. The bitter battle between Square and Amazon lasted more than a year. But McKelvey and Dorsey ultimately did the impossible: Through persistence, determination, and constant innovation, they had defeated the most terrifying company on the planet. -- Stay up to date by singing up for The Profile, our weekly newsletter that brings you the best profiles of successful people and companies. Sign up here: https://readtheprofile.com