Trajectori

Hej hej, I'm Eric Grosse, and this
is the Trajectori podcast, where you

hear engaging stories about the life
trajectories of impactful people,

learn what makes them tick, and apply
their insights to be your best self.

At Trajectori, we aspire to an
elevated life by sharing pathways to

greatness to help you find your own.

This is episode one, numero uno, where
I profile Sami Inkinen, successful

entrepreneur and world-class athlete.

So let's hit it

Hey again, everyone.

It's Eric, and welcome to Trajectori.

Since this is my first Trajectori
podcast, let me share with you a

little bit of what you can expect.

Well, first and foremost, I
wanna entertain you with the life

trajectories of some remarkable people.

Believe me, their stories
really are amazing and very

entertaining in their own right.

Next, we'll ladder up and broaden our
view by looking at some common steps

impactful people typically make that
put them on such a dynamic Trajectori.

And then finally, I'll close with specific
action items to inspire you to put aside

your inhibitions, look in the mirror,
apply these takeaways to yourself, and

use Trajectori as a guide to help you make
more of a difference in your own world

But real quick, before we dive in, if
you're enjoying Trajectori, please do

me a favor and hit follow or subscribe
wherever you're listening, and also

follow us on social by clicking
on the links in the show notes.

It's the easiest way to make sure each
new profile lands in your feed the moment

it drops, and really helps a new show
like Trajectori find its people, like

you, I hope Okay, so let's jump right in
so I can give you a quick 101 on Sami.

He's pretty unique.

This is a guy who has co-founded
two multi-billion dollar companies,

Trulia, which is now part of the real
estate empire, Zillow, and Virta,

a company on a mission to reverse
Type 2 diabetes in a billion people.

This is a guy who has also reached the
pinnacle of athletic success in the

grueling sport of triathlons, and I'm not
talking about weekend warrior sprints or

Olympic triathlons, but rather Ironmans,
a two point four mile swim, a hundred

and twelve miles on the bike, and a full
marathon, twenty-six point two miles.

And if that's not enough, Sami has
also successfully undertaken some

pretty serious adventures, like rowing
from California to Hawaii across

the Pacific Ocean in a twenty-foot
rowboat unsupported with his wife.

No, I'm not making this up.

This is a guy who's not boastful, nor a
guy with a silver spoon in his mouth who

has accomplished great things, but with
a big head start and a lot of support.

No, Sami would really be the last
guy, the last guy to tell you

about what he's accomplished.

Sami is a classic American success
story who came to the US as an

immigrant, as a young adult from
Finland, where he grew up on a farm a

couple miles from the Russian border.

I'm gonna tell you Sami's story,
but with the goal of not only

making it interesting, which it
is, but also insightful and useful.

My approach with Trajectori is a
bit unique in that I pull from a

couple different genres to create a
special listening experience for you.

First, I'll take elements of a
well-researched and crafted biography,

but adapt it to a podcast format.

And then when sharing these exciting
stories, I'll also weave in frameworks

and themes that are more practical in
nature and typically associated with

personal growth books or life coaches.

So the Trajectori approach is to take
portions of a great biography, mash

it up with an insightful self-help
book, sprinkle in a healthy dose

of community features, and presto,
you have the basics of Trajectori.

With Trajectori, I'm not trying to create
an audiobook version of a full-length

biography as I try to be selective about
what parts of my subject's backgrounds

I share, which are the bits that
relate to a core set of attributes or

steps that give my subjects a solid
foundation to achieve great things.

So let me briefly introduce
the steps I'm referring to.

There are five, and they build on one
another, and I remember them through

the acronym VOIAP, or V-O-I-A-P,
where V stands for vitality, O

for obsession, I for insight,
A for aura, and P for platform.

The first three steps, vitality,
obsession, and insight, are centered

more on my subject's unique character
and skills, while steps four and

five, aura and platform, reflect
more on how they impact others.

I bet many of you are dialing in on the
meaning and importance of these steps,

and maybe even some of you are intuiting
why they're in the order they're in.

Stay tuned as I'll dig into these
steps in much more depth later in

this episode and in future podcasts,
and I'll finish my profile on Sami

by sharing specific actions that
he takes to be a difference maker.

That way, you can adopt the actions
that fit well with your life

and ramp up your own Trajectori.

Let's see where this podcast takes us.

But I may also ask some questions
that I'm hoping will inspire you to

reach out to me with some of your own
experiences that relate to Sami's journey.

I'd love nothing more, really nothing
more, than for Trajectori to be an

interactive and community-driven
effort right from the start.

I can't wait to hear from you Before
sharing more about Sami, I'd like

to pass along a little bit about
my own background and why I'm

so keen to take this podcast on.

I was born in New York City and
grew up in Vermont, where I was a

passionate ski racer that was good
enough to have some success nationally

and internationally, but not good
enough to make the US ski team.

I eventually ended up racing for
Williams College in the Berkshire

Mountains of Northwestern Massachusetts.

Go Ephs!

And I received a classic liberal arts
education before returning to New York

in the early '90s to work for Morgan
Stanley in their M&A department.

After a couple years of grinding away
in Manhattan and learning a ton about

finance, I left Morgan Stanley for Boston
to attend the Harvard Business School.

And while at HBS in the early to mid
'90s, I, along with many others, could

see the world about to be transformed
by technology and the internet.

And it didn't take a rocket scientist
to see that the world at that time

would be upended by network computing,
and the emergence of the internet

would be a defining feature of my
generation So I decided I had to get

to the West Coast, to California, to
the Bay Area more specifically, to

immerse myself in all things tech.

And thanks to an old friend and some good
fortune, I was introduced to Bill Gurley.

Bill was the lead internet analyst
at a boutique investment bank called

Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Technology
Group, which was headed by Frank

Quattrone, the legendary investment
banker who for many years ran

the tech group at Morgan Stanley.

Well, Frank left Morgan Stanley
in '96 and started DMG with two

of his senior colleagues, and many
Morgan Stanley bankers followed.

As an ex Morgan Stanley banker myself, I
had the opportunity to work for Bill as

an internet analyst, which was exactly
the kind of job I wanted, which was

to have a ringside seat and research
and write about the emergence of the

internet Was I fortunate because the
entire internet sector was exploding.

Bill was right in the middle of
it, and I was helping out Bill.

So one highlight from that time was
winning the mandate to take Amazon

public in nineteen ninety-seven.

Bill, as some of you may know, left
banking for the world of venture capital

and became one of the most influential
VCs of the last thirty years at Benchmark

Capital, leading investments in market
leaders Uber, Zillow, OpenTable,

and Grubhub, just to name a few.

He's no longer an active partner at
Benchmark, but he's staying busy.

He's even written a book called Running
Down a Dream that helps readers avoid

career regret by, among other things,
focusing on what truly interests them

and surrounding oneself with people
who really share your passions.

It's a great read that I highly
recommend Anyway, the mid to late

'90s was a heady time in the Bay Area,
with many new tech companies starting

up that are now household names.

And being around all these amazing
companies and people inspired me

to become an entrepreneur myself.

So I left the finance world and soon
after co-founded my first company, the

discount online travel company Hotwire.

And after several years of growing and
scaling the business, we sold Hotwire

to Barry Diller's Interactive Corp.

And a year later, Barry spun off his
travel brands to create a new public

company, Expedia Inc. I was the one
co-founder at Hotwire that stayed and

eventually ran the business for several
years before becoming president of

the core Expedia brand during a pretty
challenging time, which was the financial

crisis of 2008 and its aftermath.

And after leaving Expedia a few years
later, I remained active in the Bay Area

tech scene, where among other things, I
co-founded with some good friends, the

vintage online home platform, Chairish.

And I also served as president of
Suki, a super ambitious AI startup

with a mission that I absolutely love,
which is to reduce dramatically the

administrative burden of doctors.

I also stayed connected
to my roots in travel.

Until recently, I was the CEO of
Inspirato, a publicly traded luxury

travel membership company that manages a
portfolio of rather fabulous residences

around the world on behalf of its members

I'm excited to leverage my own experiences
to help you gain a deeper understanding

of the journeys of my Trajectori subjects.

Maybe it's because of my deep love
for history, instilled in me while at

Williams, that I instinctively look
for digestible themes, historical

patterns if you like, in the chaos
that surrounds us, and apply a similar

thematic approach to the people I profile.

You see, the Trajectori podcast is
all about making the amazing stories

of amazing people useful to you.

And in a way, pulling together a
Trajectori profile is another take

on what I've enjoyed doing for much
of my life, from studying and writing

history in college, to developing
investment recommendations on Wall

Street, to building new approaches to
disrupt an industry as an entrepreneur.

Now, with Trajectori, I'm no longer
looking at history or business

or tech or financial markets.

I'm looking at the core of what it
takes to make it all happen, people,

really successful people, where I
tell their stories and common traits

that game changers all possess to
varying degrees so that we may develop

these traits in our own lives too.

Another inspiration behind this podcast
is my belief, my really strong belief

actually, that the best way to learn
and internalize what it takes to

achieve greatness in any endeavor is to
observe and study the best practitioners

themselves because all of my subjects
are unique and bring different

approaches to making a difference.

Besides, if I just droned on about success
frameworks in the abstract sense without

real-life examples, this podcast would
not only be incredibly boring, but also

a lot less insightful and usable because
so much context and nuance would be lost.

When I was at HBS, I loved the
case method of instruction without

traditional textbooks, where the
core skills of marketing, finance,

and operations are taught by example
through a prism of a particular

company at a particular point in time.

Perhaps I'm a business nerd, but I
found many of my HBS cases really

fun to read and debate with others.

I'm very keen to apply this
examples-based, context-rich approach

to my Trajectori podcast, where I
substitute cases about businesses to

profiles about people When I was a
student at Williams, I remember debating

whether history was driven by people
or a broader set of circumstances.

There's never really a clear answer
to that kind of question, but I've

always subscribed to the belief that
people are big drivers of history.

I'm massively interested in how people
can be change agents, innovators,

movement leaders, disruptors, and
perhaps my curiosity is due in part to

those I've directly seen in the arena,
as Teddy Roosevelt famously said.

Speaking of TR, I should also mention that
my curiosity about impactful people also

extends beyond the present to the past.

On my bookshelf are many
incredibly well-written memoirs

and biographies of people who
have made an impact in their time.

And as I look at my bookshelf, I sometimes
wonder who of today's leaders and success

stories will become tomorrow's legends?

Okay, so with that as a backdrop, let's
take a closer look at Sami Inkinen.

Co-founding two big-time businesses,
Trulia and Virta, puts Sami in pretty

rarefied air, but there's more, much more.

Sami has placed second in his highly
competitive age group at the Kona Ironman

Triathlon, which is the annual Super Bowl
of triathlons that the most competitive

triathletes in the world aspire to simply
qualify for, let alone step on the podium.

Then there's the rather small
matter of undertaking the occasional

adventure, like rowing from Monterey
to Honolulu with his wife, Meredith.

These accomplishments may seem
superhuman, but Sami remains

refreshingly low-key and humble, which
is a pretty rare trait in today's

chest-thumping and hyper-connected world.

To understand how Sami has made a
significant impact in business and

athletics, simultaneously I might add,
I'll first help you get to know Sami by

going back to his roots in rural Finland
and his transition to Helsinki University,

where he studied physics before migrating
to technology, before coming to the US

to attend Stanford's Graduate School
of Business, which eventually led

to the founding of Trulia, followed
by Virta I'll also describe Sami's

athletic journey, which provides further
insight into how Sami approaches life.

There's also Sami's special
relationship with Meredith.

I mean, how many marriages would survive
a multi-month husband and wife trip on

the open ocean in a 20-foot rowboat packed
with nothing but food and survival gear?

Definitely not mine.

And while Sami's history and
accomplishments certainly are

fascinating, my rationale in providing
you with all this, besides entertaining

you, of course, is to help you
understand what makes Sami Sami.

And like all of us, Sami is in part a
product of where and how he grew up.

So here we go.

Sami Inkinen was born on
December 28th, 1975, in the small

town of Ruokolahti, Finland.

Finland as a country has only five
and a half million people, a third

of which live in the capital of
Helsinki and the surrounding area.

Some of you may know Finland as a kind
of utopian Scandinavian paradise that

always seems to show up at the top
of the UN's happiest country reports.

And many factors are considered to
achieve a happiness ranking, including

GDP per capita, social support,
healthy life expectancy, perception

of corruption, Criteria that Finland
scores pretty highly on, which does

fly in the face of some, uh, shall
we say, quality of life headwinds.

Namely that Finland for much of the
year is a very, very cold and dark

place, with a third of the country
lying above the Arctic Circle.

There have been other challenges, too,
including violent conflict, mainly due

to geopolitics, as Finland is sandwiched
between two historic imperial powers,

Sweden and Russia In fact, the first
half of the 20th century was especially

violent, involving independence from
Russia, civil war, and World War II.

But before we jump into the carnage of
the early to mid-20th century, let's first

provide a broader historical context.

The land that is now Finland wasn't
settled by humans till around ten thousand

years ago when the great glaciers of
the north retreated after the last

ice age and made the land somewhat,
somewhat inhabitable for people.

The first inhabitants were, interestingly,
the Sami people, Sami's namesake, who were

nomads and reindeer herders originally
from the Ural Mountains of Russia.

The Sami followed their flocks
into Scandinavia, including

what is now northern Finland.

Scandinavia as a whole eventually
converted to Christianity during the

Middle Ages, and what is now Finland
was controlled by Sweden from the

twelfth to the nineteenth centuries,
with a few intermittent periods

where Russia took control before
Sweden reasserted its authority.

Russia, however, did take control
of Finnish territory following its

victory over Sweden in the Finnish
war of 1808, which was part of the

broader Napoleonic Wars of the time.

Finland had bouts of independence
movements, but Russia proved too strong.

Too strong, that is, until the chaos
of the Russian Revolution of 1917.

And while Russia fought a brutal
civil war, Finland declared

independence in December of 1917.

And interestingly, Lenin and the other
early leaders of the new Soviet regime

initially supported Finnish independence,
believing that self-determination

would inspire workers to overthrow
the yoke of capitalism and eagerly

join Soviet Russia at a later date.

And interestingly, as Lenin predicted,
Finnish independence did lead to

revolution in Finland, which led
to a lot of bloodshed, as Finland

couldn't politically reconcile the
socialist workers in the industrial

centers of the South with the more
conservative northerners who were

largely landowners and merchants
who staunchly opposed socialism.

A brief but awful, awful civil war
ensued, and like the Russian Civil War,

the socialists became known as the Reds,
while the conservatives were the Whites.

But unlike in Russia, the Whites prevailed
in Finland, but at a cost of almost 40,000

during the year-long conflict of 1918.

For a country of only 30 million people
at the time, 40,000 is a pretty dreadful

number, making the Finnish Civil War
the deadliest civil conflict of the 20th

century on a percentage of population
basis until the Rwandan cataclysm of 1994.

One especially awful element of
the civil war was the number of

atrocities committed, with more
combatants dying from execution

and in prison camps than in battle.

These atrocities, known as terrors,
were committed by both sides, which

led to pretty deep and lasting scars.

15,000 orphans needed to be
cared for, a really, really heavy

responsibility for such a small country.

The Germans, who supported the victorious
Finnish White faction, tried to install

a monarchy loyal to Berlin, but that plan
was pretty short-lived due to Germany's

defeat in World War I. A fragile republic
came into existence, relying on food from

the United States and other countries
for survival, and the Finnish Republic

muddled along until the outbreak of World
War II, when it found itself in a frantic

battle for survival against the Soviet
Union, who invaded Finland in 1939 in

an offensive known as the Winter War.

Finland was greatly outnumbered and
still divided due to the scars of the

Civil War, but the Soviet bombing of
Helsinki really unified the country,

and the Finns fought valiantly.

But the Soviet war machine's superior
size led to the Finns conceding

almost 10% of its territory to Russia.

Finland initially turned to Great
Britain and Sweden for support

against the Soviets, but the
political climate was not favorable

at the beginning of World War II.

With England and Sweden focused on
repelling German, not Soviet aggression.

Finland then turned to Nazi Germany to
repel the Soviets, which strategically

fit with the German strategy to rip up
the non-aggression pact it signed with

Russia in nineteen thirty-nine and invade
the Soviet Union in nineteen forty-one.

This led to a Finnish-German alliance
that lasted for most of World War II

and brought about yet another conflict
between the Finns and the Soviets, the

Continuation War, which lasted from
nineteen forty-one to nineteen forty-four,

where Finland tried to retake territory
it lost during the previous Winter War.

However, Germany's weakened position
towards the end of World War II put

Finland once again in an unenviable
position against the Soviet Union.

But the Soviets placed most of their
resources into the race to reach

Berlin before the US and the UK.

And as a result, the Finns fought the
Soviets to a stalemate, which eventually

led to a Finnish-Russian ceasefire in
September of nineteen forty-four, with

the resulting armistice establishing the
Finnish-Russian border similar to the

Winter War settlement of nineteen forty.

One stipulation of the Finnish-Soviet
agreement was for the Finns to repel the

German army from its territory, which
started yet another conflict, this one

called the Lapland War, between the
Germans and the Finns, which eventually

resulted in the Germans adopting a
scorched earth strategy as they retreated

from Lapland in northern Finland,
resulting in a hundred thousand Finns

losing their homes and bringing even
more misery to Finland's population.

So lots to digest with definitely some
similarities between Russia's repeated

aggression against Finland and the
Crimean and broader Ukrainian invasions

of twenty fourteen and twenty twenty two.

To say the Finnish people had to overcome
adversity is a gross understatement.

So how does this reconcile with
the UN study that puts Finland

at the top of the UN survey's
happiest countries in the world?

Well, first, a lasting peace after
years and years of conflict is more

appreciated and not taken for granted
as in many other parts of the world.

Finland actively defends itself with
a mandatory military conscription

requirement for young men, for example.

Second, Finland looks after its
own with education, health care and

retirement all overseen by the state
at an impressive level, which reduces

stress in areas that citizens in
other countries worry about a lot.

And third, there's not a lot
of income inequality in Finland

compared to other countries like
the US, which can breed resentment.

These factors all play a
supporting role in establishing

a pretty contented society.

That said, I did discover another
element to Finnish culture that does

play a role in a broader interpretation
of happiness, which is the Finnish

concept of sisu, which is difficult
to translate into English or really

any other language for that matter.

Sisu is an amalgamation of stoic
determination, tenacity of purpose,

grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness.

Some words in English reflect
some elements of sisu, like

tenacity or grit, but lack the
concept of stoicism or bravery.

In the face of extreme adversity,
sisu is very much your friend.

Sisu is part of what makes
Finland a special place.

It also, as we will discover, is a
great word to describe Sami Inkinen.

Speaking of Sami, let's get back to him.

In late December of 1975, during one
of the coldest Finnish winters on

record, in the small and very rural
town of Ruokolahti, which is very

close to the Russian border, Sami
was born to Leila and Osmo Inkinen.

Father Osmo was an electrician,
while his mom, Leila, ran a

cafeteria at the local paper mill.

Neither Osmo or Leila finished high
school, but they provided Sami and his

siblings with the basics: food, clothing,
shelter, but not much more Sami lived

on what was essentially a small working
farm with chickens and other livestock,

as well as potato fields and vegetable
gardens that the family cultivated to eat.

Everyone in the family was expected
to pitch in, and Sami did, even

when he was very, very young.

Work ethic, self-reliance, independence,
these traits were all instilled very

early on in Sami, and that continued
when school started, as Sami was expected

to get to school about ten kilometers
away on his own, which he found

easier, much easier on cross-country
skis when there's snow, which is for

most of the school here in Finland.

So Sami became pretty fit at an
early age, which started a lifelong

love of sports and the outdoors.

He became especially adept at the
sport of biathlon, where Nordic skiers

race with a rifle along a course
before stopping at a designated stop,

dropping to a prone position and
shooting at targets before sprinting

to the next target, which is a pretty
quintessentially Finnish sport for sure.

School was an area where Sami excelled,
especially math and science, and he also

developed an early interest in computers.

Sami was always a strong student, but
as he got older and his coursework got

more demanding, he did even better.

His grades and command of his
subjects were literally described

as perfect in his report cards.

Sami, however, wasn't challenged to
earn these top marks and never really

did any homework, which was pretty
fortuitous given how long it took him

to get to school, as well as the time it
took to perform chores around the farm.

Sami isn't one to really ruminate
on how or why math and science came

so easily to him, but it just did.

And when Sami was fifteen, it
became pretty obvious that he needed

greater challenges beyond what
his local school could provide.

So he left home to live with his
grandparents so that he could attend

a regional high school that could
support his academic potential.

Sami's fitness also continued to develop
as he started weightlifting at that time

and either biked or skied to his new
school from his grandparents' place.

And although school came easily for
Sami, other parts of his life were, were

hard, starting with his father's health.

When Sami was eighteen, his father, Osmo,
suffered a pretty debilitating stroke.

And although Osmo lived for many more
years, passing away only in twenty

twenty-one, he was severely impaired
and never really the same again.

Losing one's father at an early age,
which Sami essentially did, is painful,

and it's scary, as a natural source of
mentorship and guidance is taken away

right during a time in life, young
adulthood, when it's very much needed.

There's a feeling of being released
into the world unattended without

someone ahead of you with a
flashlight pointing the way a bit.

I certainly felt that way when
I lost my father at twenty.

I wasn't self-aware enough at the
time to understand why I felt the

way I did, but I was unsettled, and
I channeled that anxiousness into

everything I did, especially my studies.

Sami's response was similar: work
hard and search out the toughest

challenge, which, combined with
his formidable intellect, really

accelerated his academic Trajectori.

Sami's academic star was shining bright,
and he was eventually accepted to

study physics at Helsinki University,
which is a world-class institution,

and physics is the most difficult
department to gain admittance.

When arriving in Helsinki in the fall of
'94, Sami joined a peer group that really

was the best of the best in Finland.

Expectations were high, as well
as an assumption that certain

paths in life would be taken.

At the time, an entrepreneurial
career in tech was not encouraged.

Actually, it was even frowned upon, and
this was the case for a bunch of reasons.

First, tech startups were not well
understood in Finland in the mid-'90s.

And second, there was and still is a
conservative cultural pressure for the

educational elite if they chose to leave
academia to work for established companies

in finance or consulting or engineering.

Third, there was a negative cultural
view towards entrepreneurship.

It was something that
established Finns just didn't do.

Rather, entrepreneurs, according to
many old school Finns, were hucksters

or hustlers who would start an auto
repair garage or a cleaning service or

some kind of small business that while
performing a needed service, wasn't

something that was particularly looked up
to by established proper Finnish society.

I'm not condoning this view.

I'm just sharing what the
cultural optics were at the time.

And for Sami and a few of his peers
at the university, the tech startup

scene was exploding in the US and
elsewhere, and it was full of mystique.

The free-spiritedness, the
scrappiness, the act first and

ask forgiveness later mentality.

One classmate Sami met at university
was Juha Huttunen, who like Sami

dreamed of starting a tech company.

Juha and Sami were two young guys entering
the prime of life, and they had a lot

in common, including a love of sports.

They were gym rats.

Sami was becoming a notable
bodybuilder, while Juha gravitated

more towards karate and kickboxing.

Together, they made quite a pair, and
they pushed one another everywhere,

in the gym, the classroom, and what
eventually became their career choices.

Sami and Juha's friendship went on
brief hiatus, however, as Sami had

to take a year off from university
to complete his one-year Finnish

military service obligation.

And as a younger member of his class,
it wasn't unusual for someone of

Sami's age to transition straight to
university for a year before stepping

away to fulfill his military obligation.

Like Israel, Singapore, and South Korea,
military service in Finland is required

for all young men and optional for women.

Although there is the option to serve in
civilian roles as a substitute for the

military, only twenty percent opt for the
civilian route, making Finland amongst the

countries with the highest conscription
rates on a percentage basis in the world.

In Finland, conscription begins for
everyone with the eight-week basic

training course, followed by deployments
as short as four months for roles

requiring no special training to ten
months for specialized positions or for

those selected to be reserve officers.

The selection process to become an officer
is varied, involving tests of physical

endurance and strength, marksmanship,
intellect, as well as leadership

assessments, both from peers as well
as officers who completed the program.

Every year, about twenty-seven thousand
Finns are conscripted for military

duty, of which about sixteen hundred
are selected for officer school.

Sami's fitness and biathlon experience
quickly set him apart, which, combined

with his academic credentials, made
him a pretty strong officer candidate.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Sami was
selected, and he was placed along

with two hundred others in an officer
program for the light infantry, which in

turn was divided into two specialties:
guerrilla warfare and reconnaissance.

Both specialties were, as their names
suggested, with guerrilla warfare all

about causing chaos behind enemy lines
and in unconventional situations, while

reconnaissance primarily revolved around
enemy observation, communications,

avoiding detection, and how to
reach safety by any means necessary

if one's position is compromised.

After he was selected for reconnaissance
officer school following basic training,

Sami was sent to the small town of
Hamina in the southeastern part of

Finland for additional training, where
he met his fellow officers in training,

including Harri Huttunen, no relation to
Juha, who shared the cot above Sami's.

Although Sami remained quiet and
reserved through training, even

by Finnish standards, he and Harri
became fast friends over the course

of their training at Hamina, and their
friendship continues to this day.

And while Sami eventually returned
to university following completion

of his service, Harri stayed in
the Finnish military for three

decades, with deployments across
the Middle East, Europe, and Asia.

And Sami noticed Harri's commitment to
the military, and he was inspired by it,

not because he necessarily shared the
same dreams of a military career, but he

respected Harri's dedication to soldiering
year after year, decade after decade.

In a way, Sami's commitment to
his entrepreneurial ventures is

similar and perhaps modeled after
what he saw in Harri and he also

experienced it in the military, where
commitment to the cause is celebrated.

When Sami returned to university after his
year of military service, he reconnected

with Juha, the other Huttunen, and they
picked right back up where they left

off with their entrepreneurial dreams.

And although Sami briefly interned
at Nokia, he didn't find his work or

the environment especially appealing.

And he also spent some time at a nuclear
power plant where he helped with a

variety of pretty important tasks,
including the handling of radioactive

materials, maintaining the integrity of
the reactor, and monitoring the plant's

impact on the surrounding environment.

All pretty critical tasks.

But as, as vital as these responsibilities
were, they didn't really grab Sami either,

who discovered, as many of us do during
our first work experiences, that the

work he was doing wasn't really for him.

And at this point in the late
nineties, the first internet bubble

was really growing and growing, and
Sami and Juha discovered and observed

that some of their classmates were
jumping into the tech startup scene.

But rather than join someone else's
startup, Sami and Juha were determined to

start their own company, which they did in
the middle of two thousand, right around

when they graduated from university.

Their company was called Matchem,
which developed an SMS or text-based

TV to mobile entertainment product,
where a participating program could

urge its audience to text a phrase
to a certain number to provide

feedback or to enter a contest.

Results would then be
shown on the program.

Juha and Sami rolled up their sleeves and
got their hands dirty, with Sami making

tons of sales trips to Hong Kong and other
parts of Asia and staying in low-budget

fleabag hotels rather than the expensive
Western hotels he would have stayed in

had he worked for Nokia or McKinsey.

After a modest success in growing the
company to around 20 people, Sami and

Juha eventually sold Matchem, which put
Sami in a bit of an interlude, which he's

not so good at, as he's a restless guy
when not actively engaged in something.

Sami immediately got a job at
McKinsey, but he couldn't really

let go of his startup experience
and entrepreneurial dreams.

Eventually, he realized a couple things.

He didn't especially enjoy
being a consultant, even at a

prestigious company like McKinsey.

And if he was ever serious about becoming
a really, really big-time entrepreneur,

Finland wasn't a great place to be
with so little access to capital, a

small domestic market, and a business
and a tech culture much more skewed

to the big company side of things.

The action was really happening
in the US, especially on the West

Coast, in the Bay Area of Northern
California, and the epicenter of it

all seemed to be Stanford University.

And given Sami's stellar academic
credentials and experience, both in

startup and consulting environments,
not to mention his unique rural

upbringing, he knew he'd have a
pretty compelling application.

Plus, gaining admittance to Stanford's
Graduate School of Business would

provide him with a visa to the US that
got him right into the thick of things.

Stanford, back then as well as
today, is an entrepreneurial hotbed

full of talented people from all
over, eager to make their mark.

And besides, at that time in the
early two thousands, international

tech entrepreneurs didn't really
have as many entrees into the

American tech scene as exists today.

Y Combinator and other accelerators either
didn't exist or were in their nascent

stages, and securing work visas could
be time-consuming and pretty uncertain.

For internationals, Stanford was the
golden ticket, attracting the best

and the brightest As a quick aside,
it bears mentioning that the American

academic community has a long, long
track record of attracting talented

international students, many of whom
choose to stay in the US after their

studies conclude, start innovative
companies that grow to become economic

powerhouses, which helps make the broader
American economy the envy of the world.

Here's an interesting statistic.

Over fifty percent of tech startups
worth over a billion dollars, the

unicorns, have at least one immigrant
founder, and two-thirds of the current

crop of most promising AI companies
have at least one immigrant founder.

So this trend is becoming
even more pronounced.

Tech is driving the US economy
and immigrants are driving tech.

And I really don't wanna get sucked up
into today's heated political debates

when it comes to the American university
system, but I will state what is obvious

to me at least, is that the more difficult
or unfriendly we make things for foreign

students, especially graduate students,
the more likely the most motivated

and talented minds will go elsewhere.

With American students, universities,
and the broader US economy losing

out as a result Anyway, back to Sami.

In 2002, Sami decided to apply
to Stanford's Business School.

He was accepted, and he
pretty quickly decided to go.

Well, why?

Well, because Sami realized that
if he were ever to leave Finland,

this would be the time when
he was still relatively young.

Plus, Sami would be going to the
one place where tech entrepreneurs

with big dreams dreamed of going.

Aspiring filmmakers, Hollywood.

Theater or finance, New York or London.

For techies, the 50-mile peninsula
between San Francisco and San Jose was

the destination, with Palo Alto, home of
Stanford University, the center of it all.

So in the fall of two thousand and
three, Sami arrived on Stanford's campus,

and he immediately made an impression.

His Finnish accent made him a bit of
a curiosity, and Sami's athletic good

looks and bearing also didn't hurt.

In class, there was a heightened
quantitative rigor to Sami's approach to

problems instilled in him by his physicist
training, and that also attracted

notice and respect, especially when
delivered with his Scandinavian accent.

The fall flew by as Sami immersed himself
in his classes, and he got to know

his classmates, with his first break
coming over Thanksgiving, the uniquely

American holiday that took all the
American students home to their families.

But for international students
like Sami, the Thanksgiving break

wasn't long enough to warrant an
expensive overseas trip back home.

So around eight internationals decided
on a lark to rent a couple of cars and

caravan down Highway I-5 to the coast of
Mexico, just south and west of Tijuana,

for a little sun, surf, and relaxation.

On a budget, of course, and Sami
eagerly joined the road trip and

met another trained physicist, an
Englishman from Oxford named Peter Flint.

Sami and Peter quickly discovered they
had more in common than their European

roots and a shared background in
physics, as they both spent time starting

companies before coming to Stanford.

Before they knew it, they were riffing
on startup ideas and establishing

a real rapport and friendship.

As Pete and Sami got to know one
another, they discovered each had

their own way of approaching things.

Sami was relentlessly methodical
and process-driven while still

keeping the big picture in mind.

While Pete found himself gravitating more
towards a creative style of thinking,

although their shared roots as physicists
gave them a natural first principles

approach to thinking through issues.

As the first year ended, Sami traveled
north to Seattle for an internship

at Microsoft while Pete worked hard
on creating a business plan for a

consumer-focused real estate marketplace.

During the first wave of tech in the
mid to late '90s, consumer online

marketplaces were being created in many
industries and categories from travel

to dating to insurance to cars, but
a truly consumer-friendly real estate

platform at scale hadn't yet been created.

Vibrant online marketplaces need a
number of ingredients to be successful,

with one key ingredient being access
to relevant data and inventory, which

in the case of real estate, was pretty
zealously guarded by real estate

agents who liked their position of
having more information available to

them on properties than their clients.

Pete was increasingly passionate about
creating a real estate marketplace

where consumers would be on a more
equal footing with real estate agents

and other players in the ecosystem.

When thinking about who he would like to
start a company with, Pete immediately

started thinking about Sami, his fellow
European physicist with a similar

passion for tech and entrepreneurship.

Sami and Pete talked about the idea
frequently over the course of their

second year and took classes that
would help them, such as business

formation, where each week would touch
on a different aspect of starting a

company, product, marketing, sales, HR.

Another class that proved helpful was an
interpersonal dynamics class known around

campus as touchy-feely, where students
would learn to embrace storytelling and

the more emotive aspects of developing
relationships and building businesses.

By the spring, the pair were increasingly
committed to their online venture.

But the decision to commit,
for Sami at least, wasn't easy.

For starters, there was the question
of money, or lack of it, to start

the company that would become Trulia.

To make matters more difficult, Sami
also had to think of the hundred thousand

dollars in student loans he took out
to finance his Stanford education,

and the fact that he had a prestigious
and well-paying offer to return to

McKinsey with a ten thousand dollar
signing bonus that Sami had already

accepted and even cashed the check.

But increasingly, his
heart was set on Trulia.

Many of Sami's friends and professors
advised him, strongly in many cases,

to work for McKinsey for a year
or two, get a green card, and then

go on to become an entrepreneur.

But in spite of the long odds, and in
spite of the debt, and in spite of the

attractive options that existed, Pete
and Sami decided to go for it and fully

commit like Harri Huttunen did with the
Finnish military, and burn the boats on

all the other alternatives as inspired
by Alexander the Great and Hernán Cortés.

Well, graduation came and went,
and Pete and Sami continued

to work feverishly on Trulia.

Funding was tight to nonexistent,
with the pair staying somewhat afloat

through small initial investments
from seed investors like Ron Conway

and entrepreneurs like Kevin Hartz.

And while Pete and Sami made a lot of
progress, a true breakthrough didn't

come until an API release by Google for
their new product, Google Maps, which

enabled for the first time real-time
interactive geography to be incorporated

into a myriad of online use cases.

And the Trulia team developed a
pretty groundbreaking user interface

powered by Google Maps that allowed
agents and prospective home buyers

to see, for the first time, a visual
representation of homes for sale

in a given geography in map form.

Compared to the status quo at the
time, which was a printout of listed

properties on a static database,
an interactive map was a visual

breakthrough and a game-changer.

Market reception was giddy, and
at that point, Pete and Sami

knew they were onto something.

And Trulia gained traction from
both a supply and demand standpoint.

And Trulia also attracted funding from
leading VCs Accel, Sequoia, and others.

As Trulia expanded, Pete and Sami
gravitated to different areas of

the company, with Pete focusing
more on product and marketing, while

Sami handled sales and operations.

As they built out their team, they were
also determined to set the tone with a

strong company culture, with a set of
core values that would help the company

be successful commercially, also act as
an attractive recruiting differentiator,

and to become a place where Pete and Sami
would be excited to work at themselves.

Eventually, they came up with a
set of attributes summarized in the

acronym BOFFI, or B-O-F-F-I, where
B stands for best idea wins, O for

output, not input, F for frequent
impact, F for fun, and I, integrity.

I have to admit that I smiled when
these core values were shared with

me, as I have a firsthand appreciation
for how impactful and easy to

remember a set of core values can be.

Even now, twenty-five years later, I
can still recall like it was yesterday

the core values of my first startup,
Hotwire, which were people, results,

ownership, best practices, and integrity.

PROBI for short.

Core values are transformative,
especially when embraced and truly

lived by their founders and early teams.

Sami and Pete lived Trulia's core
values, and they demonstrated

them regularly by example.

One example in particular that
Sami lived and continues to live

is the concept of output, not
input, meaning that productivity

and end results are what counts.

Not, for example, a typical act
of showing company commitment by

just staying late at the office.

At this point, Sami was increasingly
committed to triathlons, which we'll

get into shortly, and he created
boundaries to ensure that he'd be super

productive at Trulia while still having
time to train outside the office.

Sami's team eventually understood
not to schedule meetings with Sami

before nine o'clock, and not to
expect Sami to stay out late at night

throwing back beers with the crew.

Sami emphasized that these boundaries
didn't reflect his lack of commitment

to Trulia and the team, but rather what
he needed to be fully present and to

be his best self at work and in life.

And Sami was at his best self at work.

He was remarkably productive and
attentive to the needs of others, and

the boundaries he set were a big part of
what made his impact at work possible.

Sami, to his team, was like Superman,
and it was inspirational in that

Sami's colleagues began to take
Sami's example and apply it in

their own way to their own lives.

Young parents, for example, found
in Sami a role model for being

amazing parents and professionals.

Here, right in front of them, was a
guy demonstrating that it was possible

to be successful in multiple areas
of life when each one of these areas

required a pretty significant commitment.

In addition to Sami's prioritization
and boundary-setting abilities, there

was also a quiet, non-arrogant, sincere
ambitiousness and inner confidence

in Sami that inspired everyone
he worked with to just bring it.

It being focus, intensity,
and maximum effort.

A palpable energy began to build
across Trulia, making the most

ambitious goals really seem possible.

And Sami's analytic approach and
reliance on data was also influential

with everyone that he worked with.

Sami applied data to everything, even in
areas that typically are passed off as

touchy-feely and not really quantifiable.

Sami, for example, took the lead in
creating detailed surveys to measure

how Trulia was living up to its core
values and where it could improve.

Yes, this practice is pretty well
established and mainstream today, but

twenty years ago, not so much, especially
at a startup with limited resources.

Another example is Sami's obsession
with compiling relevant and helpful

data to optimize his athletic training.

Fitness apps like Strava and wearables
like Oura are pretty mainstream today,

but twenty years ago, definitely
not, especially since smartphones,

smartwatches, and smart rings
hadn't even yet come into existence.

Instead, Sami was compiling and
interpreting his data manually on

an old-fashioned Excel spreadsheet.

Okay, now that I've brought up triathlons
and Sami's commitment to his training,

let's dive into that some more.

Sami was introduced to triathlons
by several Stanford classmates who

thought the sport would be a great
fit given Sami's overall fitness,

toughness, and analytic mindset.

Even when he was just getting started,
Sami incorporated his love for

data into his triathlon training.

As his Excel spreadsheets expanded
to include workout data points

on overall attitude, heart rate,
weight, calorie and caffeine intake,

rest statistics, and the like.

And to keep himself motivated, Sami
also began using the spreadsheet as a

kind of diary, recording his thoughts
on a wide range of topics, including

what he was grateful for each day.

Sami progressed as a triathlete, dropping
his times as he learned the finer points

of swimming, cycling, and running.

Ever curious and eager to further improve
his performance, Sami looked around

for a coach and eventually found Matt
Dixon, a world-class triathlete in his

own right who gravitated from racing and
competing to coaching, eventually starting

a training and coaching company called
Purple Patch based in San Francisco.

Matt saw in Sami the traits of his
most successful athletes: dedication,

focus, adaptability, and resilience.

The plot thickened, however, when Sami
explained to Matt that while he wanted

to reach the top levels of the sport, he
wouldn't be able to commit the twenty-five

to thirty-five hours a week typical of
pros training for long-distance events.

Instead, Sami could, with careful
planning, commit ten to twelve

hours of weekly training given his
responsibilities at Trulia but would bring

his A-game to those ten to twelve hours.

Sami and Matt took scheduling seriously,
not just with his athletic training,

but with his overall schedule.

So each Sunday they take a look
at the week ahead and accommodate

for the non-negotiables that were
important that week for Trulia.

Some weeks could be heavy, product
releases, board meetings, and those

realities would be factored into the
athletic training Sami would commit

to for that particular week And once
Matt and Sami backed into the weekly

training schedule, they would then
map out a specific schedule with

specific bike, run, and swim workouts
scattered throughout the week.

So here's a weekly example.

Monday, rest or a thirty-minute easy swim.

Tuesday, bike intervals on a
trainer for sixty to ninety minutes.

Wednesday, run intervals on trails
for sixty to seventy minutes.

Thursday, repeat bike intervals on the
trainer for sixty to ninety minutes.

And Friday, rest day with a twenty to
fifty-minute easy swim or a similar run.

Saturday, a long four
to five-hour bike ride.

And Sunday, a long eighty to ninety-minute
run along with a swim if time permitting.

Implicit in a weekly workout
like this are a couple things.

One is ruthless time management
to remove distractions.

Two, intensity is embraced, not avoided.

Otherwise, improvement just won't come.

And three, high levels of high
intensity exercise doesn't come

right away, but builds up over time.

Four, exercise is an energy
creator, not a taker.

Five, data is critical when
setting goals, creating a training

schedule, and monitoring progress.

And six, recovery is critical.

Rest and recovery are worth double
clicking on for a little bit.

Rest can mean an intentional long,
slow run or a bike ride, which

is the type of activity most of
us engage in when we exercise.

But with someone obsessed with
optimizing performance like Sami,

recovery exercises are intentional
and intermingled with high intensity

workouts that most of us just don't do.

Rest, however, goes
beyond recovery exercises.

Sleep is critically important.

Seven to nine hours minimum per night
because true, deep, restful sleep helps

build strength and endurance in subsequent
workouts, as well as help the mind lock

in whatever technique or strategy is being
developed by an athlete during training.

Sleep actually is becoming an
increasingly important secret

sauce of high level athletes.

Roger Federer, as an example, often
incorporated eleven to twelve hours of

sleep per twenty-four hour period, ten
hours of nightly sleep supplemented

with a two hour nap to help with muscle
regeneration and building mental sharpness

When we have an uninterrupted, healthy
night of sleep, a lot is going on.

Yes, our minds and bodies
reinforce learnings and insights

based on previous workouts.

A good night's sleep, however, is not
just one big rest, but rather four to

five sleep cycles per night, where each
cycle lasts from one and a half to two

hours and is divided into four segments.

The first three segments are part of
a category called NREM, or Non-rapid

Eye Movement, N-R-E-M, where NREM one
is a light sleep at the beginning of

the night where we're semi-conscious.

NREM two is next, a deeper and more
relaxed sleep state, which leads to NREM

three, which is also known as deep sleep
and is an important time when your body

repairs tissues and strengthens key parts
of our bodies, like your immune system.

The fourth stage, REM four, or rapid
eye movement, is when your body

shuts down all functions except for
heart, lungs, and eyes, which can

dart around behind closed eyelids,
hence the name rapid eye movement.

What's especially interesting about REM
four is that brain activity is actually

similar to when we're conscious, even
though our bodies are largely shut down.

REM four and deep sleep are when
we have our most vivid dreams

and when studies also show the
strongest associations with memory,

creativity, and insightful thoughts.

Basically, when we connect the dots across
our experiences and think of new ideas.

We live in an age where
sleep cycles can be tracked.

Apple Watch, Oura, and other wearable
devices make detailed sleep data

collection pretty easy these days.

Sleep, when combined with
exercise, is when our bodies

regenerate and become stronger.

And increasingly robust exercise, as
long as it's not done before bedtime at

night, can make restful or regenerative
sleep more possible because the body,

when exercising, releases stress and
increases melatonin production, which is

a hormone that tells our body to rest.

Sami, ever the scientist, soaked
up all this information on athletic

performance, recovery, and sleep.

He then applied his learnings to the
data he was collecting on his body

functions, and together with Matt,
put together a workout schedule to

put the highest priority on improving
performance, which involves rest.

With a lot of discipline and
Matt's guidance, Sami improved.

Like, really improved.

He qualified for the annual Kona Ironman
Triathlon, which is the world's most

elite triathlon, held each October
in Kona, Hawaii, by invitation only.

An Ironman-length triathlon is
brutal: a two-point-four mile swim,

a hundred and twelve mile bike
ride, followed by a full marathon.

The Kona Ironman is especially difficult
because of the double challenge of high

temperatures and humidity, which means
sweat, a lot of it, to cool the body.

At Kona, it's not uncommon for athletes to
sweat up to two and a half liters an hour.

High winds and strong ocean currents
and a difficult bike ride through lava

fields also don't make things any easier.

Not to mention the pressure of
competing against the crème de la

crème, the top dogs, the best of
the best in the triathlon world.

Sami didn't just qualify for Kona, he
finished it in under nine hours, good

for second in his 35 to 39 age group,
which is one of Kona's most highly

represented and competitive age brackets.

And if that's not enough, Sami has
also been an age group world champion

in the half Ironman, which is a paltry
1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, and

a 13.1-mile run So how did Sami put
together these kinds of performances

with such a limited training schedule?

Well, training with someone experienced
like Matt Dixon certainly helped,

as well as thinking differently
by placing a strong emphasis on

recovery and training intensity.

More specifically, here's where Sami
zigged while most others zagged.

He trained ten to 12 hours a week instead
of twice or even three times that amount.

He focused on single day training
sessions versus the two-a-days

typical of dedicated amateurs or pros.

And he concentrated on a single individual
event per day with alternate days

for swimming, cycling, and running.

He dialed back or tapered only modestly
before a big race versus the typical

big pre-race taper of a traditional pro.

And he limited training runs to a
maximum of eighty minutes instead

of the conventional wisdom of
two to three-hour training runs.

In a nutshell, when it comes to preparing
for success, Sami relies on the old

adage of quality, not quantity, which
really rings true in many areas of

life when we stop and think about it.

Sami has thought about it and has
written about it in a blog of his where

he pointed out the following, which I
think is insightful enough to quote.

I should mention that Sami is talking
in a business context, but it's a big

part of his athletic philosophy as well.

So just try to imagine a, a Finnish
accent for the next little bit.

Here's the quote Many hours of work is
often associated with great performance

when in fact efficiency, impact, and
unconventional wisdom are the things

that really propel individuals, teams,
and companies to greater performance.

And all too often, the person who gets the
promotion is the one who spends the most

hours in the office, rather than the one
who comes up with the real breakthrough

idea or executes it super efficiently.

Not very different from the mile-counting
triathletes who follow the conventional

wisdom but finish at the bottom
of the race results despite the

most hours in their training logs.

Sami says it well, "Hours for the sake of
hours won't get the job done. Instead, you

need real intense commitment, intentional
effort supported by a plan, and an open

mind for feedback." As I spent more time
with Matt Dixon as part of my research,

I could more easily understand why Sami
is so committed to working with him.

At Matt's invitation, I attended
a few of his training classes, and

even better, as an added bonus, I
attended his sessions in person in

San Francisco, where we both live and
where his fitness studio is located.

While many of Matt's clients are outside
the Bay Area and work with his company,

Purple Patch, virtually, I worked
out with Matt on location where he

was right in front of me, and he gave
instructions and lots of encouragement.

The cycling sessions I completed
with Matt were an hour, but you'd

think I was there all morning if you
looked at all the sweat on the floor

underneath my bike after each workout.

The workouts are intentional and
intense, with reams of athletic

performance data tracked either
on wearables worn by clients or on

the Purple Patch equipment itself.

The music was pumping, and Matt's
clients were highly motivated and

came to the sessions ready to work.

The combination of Matt's coaching,
personalized guidance, high-caliber

clients, and meticulous tracking inspired
me to put in a level of effort that went

far, far beyond what I typically do on
my own or in other classroom sessions.

And interestingly, while I left
Matt's studio physically exhausted,

I was also razor sharp and alert
mentally, ready for a productive day.

Experts at the Harvard Medical School
and other leading institutions highlight

the benefits of aerobic exercise
on cognitive functions, as well as

establishing better sleeping patterns.

Other studies show that acute exercise,
especially outdoors, improves the

function of the brain's dorsolateral
prefrontal cortex, a region closely

associated with executive function,
which essentially acts as an air traffic

controller inside our mind and takes
our incoming thoughts and emotions and

turns them into a productive action plan.

Exercise, while obviously burning
calories and using energy, also acts as

a source of vitality as intense workouts
deliver more oxygen and nutrients

to your body's cells, which in turn
creates mitochondria, a substructure

within living cells that through
exercise naturally generates energy.

And if that's not enough of an energy
boost, energy also releases endorphins,

a hormone that when released into
the bloodstream, improves mood and

focus while also reducing stress.

And finally, as mentioned previously,
regular exercise often makes it easier

for the body to naturally embrace a
rhythm of sleep and rest, which is also

an important generator of vitality.

In short, exercise, especially
intense exercise, is an energy

source Let me take a quick pause.

Since you've made it this far
into Sami's story, I'm hoping and

guessing that you're enjoying it.

And if you are, do me a favor and please
hit follow or subscribe on whatever

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It's a small thing, but it's generally how
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Please also follow me on social as well.

Links can be found in the show notes.

All right, let's get back to Sami
Even though Sami was fully engaged

with his triathlons, in early twenty
twelve he was in a transition phase

from a professional standpoint as
he left his role as president of

Trulia and feeling a bit uprooted.

This is understandable as Sami co-founded
Trulia and was a big part of the company's

leadership team for many years before
departing a few months before Trulia

went public in the fall of twenty twelve.

Sami was in flux, searching for
something exciting to do, like

triathlons, but perhaps more remote
as a way of breaking free from the

urban, suburban work environment that
he was immersed in for so many years.

And during this time, Sami also read
a great deal, including a bestseller

called Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand,
which chronicled the amazing story

of Louis Zamperini, a Navy airman who
crashed over the Pacific Ocean, spent

six weeks surviving on a raft with
just a little bit of food and rainwater

before landing on a remote Pacific
island where he was captured by the

Japanese and subjected to a hellish
POW camp for over two and a half years.

Being on a small raft in the open
ocean fascinated Sami, who started

to explore open water rowing.

There were, however, some, uh,
complications, to put it mildly.

Namely, Sami had a fear of open water
and had never rowed before, much less

overnighted on a boat of any kind.

But, uh, through his research, Sami
discovered that open water rowing is

much safer if you do it with somebody.

So he increasingly spoke of the idea
with his wife, Meredith, which personally

I get a big chuckle out of, because if
I was considering an ocean crossing on

a rowboat and looking for a compadre
and asked my wife, Stephanie, she would

just throw up her hands and just laugh.

Well, laugh is exactly what
Meredith did at first, but she

eventually realized that Sami was
increasingly serious about the idea.

And because she was an accomplished
endurance athlete in her own right,

she could consider the idea to the
extent anyone can consider the idea

of crossing the Pacific in a rowboat.

Together, they learned how to reduce
the risk of an unsupported ocean

crossing through studying weather
patterns, developing training regimens,

and completing an open water training
program sponsored by the Coast Guard.

The more planning and training they
did, the more serious they got.

Eventually, they even secured a vessel,
a twenty-foot, two-person carbon fiber

rowboat specifically designed for
ocean crossing, with a sleeping pod

and storage and an enclosed compartment
in the bow of the boat, with two

rowing stations in the midsection
and additional storage in the stern.

Unloaded, the vessel was only fourteen
hundred pounds, but weighed over double

that when chocked full of food and gear.

The boat could store life rafts,
solar panels, water desalination

equipment, survival gear, first aid
kit, communication equipment, and a

sophisticated automated guidance system,
a stereo, five sets of extra oars and

bailing buckets, and a million calories
worth of food, and radar reflectors

to ensure that Sami and Meredith could
be conveniently spotted by passing oil

tankers and cargo ships that weren't
expecting a twenty-foot rowboat in

the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Sami realized that such an audacious trip
would likely attract some attention, so

he and Meredith decided to incorporate
an awareness program of something both

are very passionate about, namely the
dangers of sugar in the vast majority of

Western, and especially American, diets.

What you eat for a Pacific rowing
adventure is obviously critical,

so the couple devised a meal plan
that removed almost all sugars

and processed carbohydrates.

That is, no energy bars or sports drinks.

Instead, Sami and Meredith developed
a high-protein, high-fat diet that

included a lot of salmon, beef, dried
veggies, coconut butter, nuts and

fruits, and sugar-free dark chocolate.

In short, real food, but food that could
be also tightly packed and not spoil for

several months without refrigeration.

To reach California from Hawaii,
Sami would be consuming about

nine thousand calories a day, with
Meredith clocking in at five thousand.

So as Meredith and Sami planned their
Pacific adventure, they needed to get

pretty real with one another as they would
be relying on one another for survival,

not just a successful ocean crossing.

Married life can be stressful
enough, and an adventure like this

could easily throw a couple off
the deep end, no pun intended.

And Sami and Meredith promised one
another that each of them independently,

for their own reasons, was committing
to the adventure and would not blame

the other when adversity struck.

Sami and Meredith also developed a
rowing plan and divided responsibilities

in a way that ensured that roles could
be clearly defined and complement

how they worked best together.

After months of planning and
training, at six AM on June 17th,

2014, Sami and Meredith departed
Monterey, California for Honolulu.

The first days and weeks were,
simply put, absolutely brutal.

A blustery storm whipped the seas off the
coast of California into a frenzy, with

15 to 20-knot winds gusting to 30 or even
35, amplified by huge waves that resembled

moving walls coming right for the rowboat.

Sami and Meredith were rocked about,
and Meredith was tossed overboard

not once, but twice, and pulled
back on board by Sami, and the boat

itself almost capsized a couple
times during especially large swells.

Not a very auspicious start, but only
once did the pair question their sanity,

with Sami asking Meredith during a
particularly rough stretch, "Are we

really doing this?" And Meredith was
locked in and coolly responded that

they wouldn't be getting off the boat
until they reached the shores of Oahu.

Thankfully, after many days of rough,
rough seas, the weather shifted and became

more calm, allowing Sami and Meredith
to set a better course for Hawaii.

The couple was able to enter into a
more steady routine, averaging twelve to

fourteen hours of rowing each day, with
peak days of twenty-one hours, alternating

between rowing as a pair and individually
for short periods while the other slept.

Although the weather was calmer, the
lingering effects of the rough sea

from the first couple weeks of the
trip made everything pretty damp,

especially the sleeping and the storage
compartment, and the water and the

moisture did wreak havoc with some of the
electronics, which became increasingly

glitchy as the trip progressed.

Of particular concern was the automated
piloting system, which was tied to

a GPS which wasn't working properly
and required time-consuming and

fatiguing manual navigation instead.

And when Sami finally was successful
getting the piloting system to work

several weeks into the journey,
Meredith just cried with happiness.

In addition to the rhythm of physical
rowing, Sami and Meredith also found the

right personal rhythm of being together
in such close quarters: when to talk,

when to encourage one another, when
to listen to music or audiobooks, and

when to just rest and have some quiet
personal time to reflect on the journey.

Both Sami and Meredith were taken by the
beauty of the open Pacific, with the night

sky full of bright stars, so expansive it
became hard to tell where the sky ended

and the water began as the stars reflected
off of the dark night sea, completely

uncorrupted by human light pollution.

Sunrises could also be stunningly
beautiful, with streaks of red

and gold illuminating slowly into
drifting clouds on the horizon.

Curious and playful sea turtles
also added to the magic of the trip.

Finally, their adventure was
becoming something along the

lines of what they dreamed about.

The days passed, and then weeks, and then
after almost six weeks, land appeared.

Hawaii.

On August second, after
forty-five grueling days at sea,

the couple landed at Honolulu.

And even though they set the world record
for a pair rowing across the Pacific,

Meredith and Sami arrived modestly,
without fanfare, mainly because they

told well-wishers to stay away, as they
knew they would be completely wrecked

and would need some time to recover.

Hot baths and massages were greatly
appreciated, but interestingly,

neither Sami or Meredith had any food
cravings because their blood sugar

levels were so stable, given their
diet when laboring across the Pacific.

Sami and Meredith's Pacific
rowing experience was

enlightening on many levels.

For Sami, the experience got him
thinking more deeply about the

food people eat and what can happen
with too much processed sugar.

There's a lot of circumstantial and
clinical evidence to suggest that

processed sugars are the principal
reasons why Type 2 diabetes and

obesity rates have skyrocketed over
a relatively short period of time.

Type 2 diabetes went from two point
five percent of the American population

in nineteen eighty to over seven
percent by two thousand and five,

and is now a whopping twelve percent.

Obesity rates have gone through a
similar transformation, from fifteen

percent in nineteen eighty to thirty-four
percent in two thousand and five, and

now rest today at forty-two percent.

Ouch.

Perhaps not coincidentally, sugar
consumption from 1980 to the early

2000s also spiked considerably, with
Americans now consuming over 90 pounds of

extra sugar annually beyond what they'd
normally be consuming when eating fruits,

vegetables, and other natural foods.

Interestingly, the percentage of Americans
with diabetes was relatively stable

before 1980 and only spiked the last
time there was a huge surge in sugar

consumption in the early 20th century.

In the 1920s, a study in New York
City reported a 15X increase in

diabetes deaths compared to the
Civil War era and a quadrupling of

deaths in only 20 years from 1900.

It was during this time when sugar
consumption in America really spiked,

driven in large part by the creation
and growth of the modern processed

food industry that we now know today,
led by candy companies like Mars and

Hershey's and soft drinks like Coca-Cola.

Interestingly, the same studies
compared the high levels of diabetes

in America, which consumes massive
amounts of sugar, with the relatively

low diabetes levels in other countries
like Japan, where diets have low levels

of added sugar The science behind the
impact of processed sugar on diabetes

and obesity is also pretty convincing.

Let's start by looking at what refined
sugar actually is, which is a molecule

of the carbohydrate glucose, think bread
or potatoes, combined with a molecule

of the carbohydrate fructose, think
sweeter foods like grapes and mangoes.

Eating natural foods like breads,
potatoes, grapes, and mangoes are

fine in moderation because of all the
other nutrients these foods provide.

But refined sugar, a double shot of
pure glucose and pure fructose, can

overwhelm our bodies in ways that are
just not healthy and can be instrumental

in developing obesity and diabetes.

For obesity, refined sugars don't come
with the other nutrients our bodies

need, proteins, vitamins, minerals,
which means a couple things can happen.

First, refined sugar replaces other
nutrients that our bodies need in our

diet, and two, refined sugars when
consumed at levels above what our bodies

need is why we put on weight sometimes.

Now, listen up because here's where
the plot thickens around processed

sugar, the mix of glucose and fructose.

The liver is the organ in our
body that breaks down fructose,

the sweet carbohydrate.

Meanwhile, metabolizing glucose,
the starchy carbohydrate, is

done by every cell in our body.

Breaking down processed sugar actually
pushes the liver into overdrive compared

to processing fructose just on its
own, as it has to work much harder to

digest fructose when it is combined with
glucose, which is what refined sugar is.

Liquid forms of sugar, like soft drinks,
are especially challenging because it hits

the liver very soon after it's consumed.

And when the liver gets an influx of
refined sugar that is more than it can

handle, it can only process so much and
then converts the rest of it to fat, And

when the liver gets an influx of refined
sugar that is more than it can handle,

it can only process so much and then
converts the rest of it to fat, which

contributes to obesity While refined
sugar is tough for the liver, it can

also accelerate the onset of diabetes.

Remember, refined sugars are fifty percent
fructose, which is handled by the liver,

and fifty percent glucose, which is
handled by all the cells of our bodies.

If too much glucose is introduced into
our body, our collective cells can't

metabolize it all, which means that the
sugar levels in our bloodstream rise

because they have nowhere else to go.

Another organ steps in, the pancreas,
which regulates blood sugar in our bodies

by releasing a hormone, insulin, into
the bloodstream, which helps cells in

our bodies absorb glucose for energy.

The problem is when there's too much
glucose in our bodies, our pancreas is

forced into double duty, cranking out
as much insulin into the bloodstream

as it can, which at high levels
over time can actually diminish our

cells' ability to absorb glucose.

And when that happens, too much
glucose remains in our bloodstream,

which causes blood sugar levels
to elevate to unhealthy levels.

And then boom, we've got diabetes.

But wait, there's some more bad news,
which is that chronically elevated

insulin levels also contribute to high
blood pressure, lower levels of good

cholesterol, and higher levels of a
type of fat cell in our blood called

triglyceride, which is eventually stored
by our body's fat cells and releases

when needed for energy in between meals.

High blood pressure, low good
cholesterol, and high triglycerides

is in itself a pretty toxic mix
that leads to heart disease.

Yikes So in summary, too much refined
sugars tilts the liver and pancreas,

as well as increases the risk of
diabetes, obesity, and heart attacks.

Not a very good combination.

So as a hyper-successful endurance athlete
used to treating his body as a machine,

Sami intuitively understood all this.

And as a world-class data nerd, Sami
also looked at the macro data available

on diabetes and obesity, as well as his
own personal data profile and experience.

The question Sami asked himself
is what to do about it beyond

further refining his own diet.

Because if obesity and diabetes
skyrocketed over such a short period,

Sami asked himself, well, wouldn't
it, in theory, at least be possible

to reverse those same trends?

And furthermore, if those suffering
obesity and diabetes could better

understand their plight, have access to
programs that changed how they ate and

lived, and had the necessary tools to
measure their progress, couldn't obesity

and diabetes be reduced as much as they
skyrocketed over the last several decades?

This kind of thinking is what led
to the creation of Virta, Sami's

next and current startup, which he
co-founded with two physicians, Dr.

Stephen Phinney and Dr. Jeff Volek.

Virta has big ambitions, which, if
achieved, will significantly help a

lot of people live healthier lives.

"We're on a mission to reverse
metabolic disease in a billion

people," is Virta's mission statement.

The original mission statement called
for a hundred million, but Sami and the

team upped it recently to a cool one
billion, which underscores the immensity

of Type 2 diabetes, and obesity challenges
that are faced on a worldwide basis.

Since obesity is a main contributor
to Type 2 diabetes, addressing

one can mean addressing the other,
or killing two chronic diseases

with one proverbial stone.

The answer isn't what most people think,
eat less and exercise more, but rather

to fundamentally change the model of
what kind of care, guidance, and data is

delivered to patients in an outpatient
setting outside a hospital environment.

In short, the Virta platform for
patients involves the following.

A detailed dietary and lifestyle guide
customized for each patient, a program to

collect and transmit certain body related
data points, a customized mobile app, and

a broader technology program and platform
for efficient communication, monitoring

progress, and measuring results.

And lastly, a dedicated team of
professionals to work with patients

to help with adhering to the program.

The results are pretty impressive, with
twelve million patients now using Virta,

with patients on average dropping over
thirty pounds and reducing sixty percent

of their diabetes medications, all while
delivering a significant improvement in

how blood sugar is managed in the body.

As co-founder and CEO of Virta,
Sami's life is busier than ever,

and he continues to compete in
triathlons at an elite level.

And unlike his time at Trulia,
Sami is now a parent, along with

Meredith, of two young daughters.

Given his busy life, time management is
more important than ever, and one reason

Sami can make it all work is his special
relationship with his wife, Meredith.

Sami loves his family deeply and is there
for them, but in a different way than your

typical garden variety helicopter parent
that seems to be the norm these days.

You see, with his daughters, Sami is
not physically present like a modern

helicopter parent, but he makes the
moments count when he is with his kids,

like when playing card games around
the house or taking them to gymnastics

or other activities when he's around
With Meredith, he has a partner who is

pretty independent in her own right.

So Sami's dedication to Virta
and triathlons works for her and

their marriage because she knows
what she's getting, which is

Sami's best when he is with her.

That said, even when operating at
maximum efficiency, there are costs

involved, and Meredith and Sami
talk openly about the trade-offs

inherent in their busy lives and are
comfortable with what they're giving up.

What is interesting is how Meredith
has seen Sami's productivity levels

improve even more over time and how
much more efficiently Sami operates at

Virta compared to when he was at Trulia.

Yes, active practice of ruthless
prioritization and other productivity

hacks are key, but so is experience,
and Sami has more of that now.

By Meredith's estimation, Sami
puts in two-thirds of the hours

at Virta compared to Trulia with
the same or even greater impact.

Interestingly, this kind of athletic,
holistic approach to living is becoming

increasingly fashionable in leadership
and CEO circles, with luminaries like

Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase,
advising leaders, especially young

leaders, to train and prepare for life
like an Olympic athlete, where the

higher you rise, the more your health
and conditioning matter, because being

a CEO is a full-time, all-consuming gig.

Jamie looks to elite athletes like Steph
Curry, Serena Williams, and Tom Brady as

examples of how to be decisive, adaptable,
forward-thinking, and to deliver when it

counts, all traits that are needed to be a
successful CEO, not just a great athlete.

And more specifically, Jamie, along with
other notable leaders like Bob Iger,

prioritize a number of things to have
maximum impact as a leader that Sami would

be sure to understand and agree with.

Jamie and Bob break it
down to three things.

One, strong fitness, to handle the
hours and stress and volatility

that comes with being CEO.

Two, clear-headedness, by relentlessly
prioritizing and removing mental

clutter by adhering to daily practices
that keep the mind focused and sharp.

And three, recovery, or ensuring
that sleep, rest, and general

time off the grid ensures the mind
can be sharp, creative, and make

connections across all areas of life.

Sound familiar?

Sami's approach to work and life
fit in nicely with the think like

an athlete mantra espoused by
Jamie Dimon, Bob Iger, and others.

Okay, let's take a process check here
because I've shared a lot of information

about Sami, where he grew up, what he's
passionate about, and how he established

himself in the tech and triathlon
scenes in a way that allowed him to

pursue a very successful career in both
business and athletics simultaneously.

This is also a good time to quickly remind
you to please hit follow or subscribe on

whatever podcast platform you're listening
on, as well as to follow me on social by

clicking on the links in the show notes.

That way, you can be the first to know
when new episodes are released, plus

help Trajectori grow our community.

So getting back to Sami, now that
we've shared quite a bit of his life

story, we can now step back and look
at his Trajectori from a higher level.

As I've mentioned previously, I
believe that the personal attributes

and path that Sami has developed to
make an impact are somewhat universal,

even if his experiences are unique.

By universal, I mean there's a progression
of five steps that high-impact people like

Sami go through in one way or another.

So let's go through these steps one
at a time, 'cause I really believe

that the best way to truly learn and
incorporate the five steps is through

examples, and providing examples is a
key part of what Trajectori is all about.

So here are the five The
first step is vitality.

Vitality is a deeply human energy and is
the bedrock of a great life Trajectori.

Vitality is not just the source of
individual progress and accomplishment.

It can also be contagious,
spread to others, and inspire

a broader team to do more.

Vitality is the base ingredient for
impact, as any kind of achievement

requires a ton of energy, which
has to come from somewhere.

Vitality can come from a
deep passion for something.

Michael Jordan loves to hoop.

Pablo Picasso loves to paint.

Personally, I'm fascinated by how people
develop a deep, sincere, honest to

goodness, no BS passion for something.

It can't be faked, and if it's faked,
it usually means there's a ceiling

on how much vitality a person can
bring to something, which by extension

means there's a limit on what kind
of Trajectori someone can aspire to.

There's no doubt that Sami
has a ton of vitality.

He brings a deep passion to the
missions of both the companies that

he's co-founded, and that sincere
enthusiasm creates the energy that

brings perseverance, which allows Sami
to plow through the tough days where

a dogged determination is crucial.

Ask any successful entrepreneur,
and they'll tell you a deep passion

for the mission is essential.

Financial rewards are nice,
but passion is what counts.

But Sami just doesn't rely on passion.

He's also found through athletics
an energy source that builds, grows,

and expands with every cycle of
vigorous exercise and recovery.

He's on a continuously rising athletic
achievement platform that not only has

fueled his triathlons to his success,
but has also given him additional energy

to be Superman at Trulia and Virta.

And that energy has inspired many
of the people that work for him

to achieve great things and to
be superhuman in their own lives.

When speaking with colleagues at
Trulia, they were very clear that much

of their successes inside and outside
of work were due to the example,

the energetic example that Sami set.

But I think there's
more to Sami's vitality.

There's more beyond a deep passion for
mission and a lot of athletic endorphins.

There's also something deeper, rooted in
his upbringing in Finland, that also seems

to be part of Sami's unique vitality.

There's a quiet, stubborn, not
to be denied, I'll show you, that

perhaps can be explained when one
is born in a small town, in a small

country that has been through a lot.

When one's father has a
stroke early in life and one

realizes, dang, it's up to me.

I'm on my own if I want
to achieve my dreams.

There's a motivation, a
chip-on-the-shoulder mindset

that comes when independence is
forced on someone at a young age.

I remember feeling that way when
I suddenly lost my dad, and all

I can say is, hats off, Sami.

Hats off The second core talent is
obsession, which is the ability to

apply vitality to mastering something
specific, important, and achievable

to get on a desired Trajectori.

By specific, I mean being able to
break down a core skill to a series

of basic elements that can be mastered
with a lot of energy, focus, and

having an open mind for feedback
from a coach or a teacher, whomever.

Think footwork or body position,
grip, fluidity, timing, coordination,

and follow-through when mastering
a forehand in tennis, for example.

And by important, I mean that the base
elements being learned are super relevant

to a broader skill that's being developed.

An expansive understanding of
structure, phrasing, vocabulary,

and grammar are important for
being a good writer, for example.

And by achievable, I mean that the
goal-setting process is critical, where

a desired result is ambitious yet doable.

The great ones set goals that
act as breadcrumbs along an

upward Trajectori of improvement.

Get a little better every day,
which is one way to describe the

Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, or
the art of continuous improvement.

Amazon's Jeff Bezos and other business
leaders are big proponents of Kaizen,

both for themselves and their companies.

An obsession is basically the ability
to apply the focus and discipline

towards learning something like Kaizen.

In this sense, obsession is a positive
trait without any of the negative

associations that the word might have.

With obsession, there's no doubt that
Sami brings the scientist's curiosity

and attention to detail to his tasks,
along with an athlete's discipline

to jump in and do the work needed
to get really good at something.

Pete, Sami's co-founder at Trulia,
mentioned Sami's obsessive ability to take

a first principles approach to get to the
heart of something, learn from an inquiry,

translate the learnings into an action
plan, set goals, achieve them, set new

goals, regardless of the circumstances.

First principles thinking means being
obsessed with asking questions with a

truly open mind, like, "Why is this true?"
Or, "What if I thought the opposite?"

There's an inherent obsessive curiosity
that Sami brings to first principles

thinking, where each question opens up new
pathways, but not wasteful distraction.

Speaking of distractions, Matt, Sami's
triathlon coach, points to Sami's ability

to remove distractions and ruthlessly
prioritize, which gives him the head

and the body space to focus or obsess
on improvement in a specific area.

Ruthless prioritization also
provides the necessary time

for learning and development.

Often it means Sami says no to
many things that can distract

him and take him off track.

But Sami has the fortitude to
decline those distractions in a way

that doesn't generate any ill will.

Finally, Sami believes he focuses more
intently and clearly through a burn the

boats mentality that once a decision is
made to eliminate other alternatives and

focus fully on the objective at hand.

The saying is based on the approach
that Hernán Cortés took when landing

in the Americas from Spain in fifteen
nineteen to motivate his soldiers to

conquer what is now Mexico or die trying.

Cortés may have taken his cue from
Alexander the Great, who legend has it,

ordered the destruction of his fleet to
commit his men to invasion after sailing

to Persia in three thirty-four BC.
Sami's burn the boats commitment to his

professional and athletic endeavors may
have a similarly hard edge, but that's

part of the reason why it's successful.

Many people are satisfied with how
they master important skills through

years of obsessive work and hard focus
supported by vast reservoirs of vitality.

That said, trajectories can continue
to curve even further upwards, pushing

beyond simply mastering skills and to
go further by achieving the next step,

which is insight Insight is a concept
where one goes from expert to innovator,

where patterns emerge that push someone to
take a sport or a business or a creative

pursuit in a new and exciting direction.

A great innovator like Warren Buffett,
for example, isn't just a talented

practitioner with a solid understanding
of finance, accounting, business

strategy, and industry dynamics.

He also sees and understands
things and anticipates things and

sees patterns in ways that others
can't because of his prodigious

memory and decades of experience.

In the case of Sami, he took the step
from being a strong triathlete to an elite

triathlete, not by simply copying the
training programs of other competitors.

Instead, he had the insight based on
years of experience as a triathlete

and his own unique approach to data
and experimentation to create his own

training and nutritional approach with
the help of his coach, Matt Dixon, based

on a new wrinkle on the relationship
between intensity and recovery.

Sami's program was insightful,
and it worked for him and the

life that he wanted to live.

And Sami's insightfulness with triathlons
didn't stop with his training program.

He also took a fresh perspective on
how he actually competed in races, with

insights supported by data, evidence,
experience, and the right set of advisors.

For example, for the Kona Ironman, Sami
realized that his athletic strengths

and body type weren't ideally suited
to the hot and humid conditions of

the race, particularly uphill runs on
sun-drenched volcanic fields, where

twiggy competitors would be better
able to release more heat more easily.

So Sami adopted a strategy where
he backed off on his pace on the

particularly hot sections of the running
course involving hills, even walking

certain sections of the marathon that
were steep with no sun protection, and

making up for it later by pushing harder
during cooler sections of the course

that played more to his strengths.

Experience and data positioned Sami to
identify selective pacing as an insightful

new strategy, and his unique approach
proved critical for many of his successes

Now, of the select few who develop real
and meaningful insight, there are some

who venture further on their Trajectori,
developing a unique spirit or aura

that makes them magnetic to others.

To continue my previous example,
Warren Buffett's folksy, plain-speaking

demeanor and simple tastes have given
him a persona which, when combined

with his absolute mastery of himself
as an investor, gives him an aura that

the business world and the broader
world just can't get enough of.

Similarly, Steph Curry's diminutive
stature, well, at least by basketball

standards, and joyous way in which he
plays basketball, when combined with his

absolute mastery as a shooter, off-ball
mover, driver, and general offensive

threat, gives him an aura so powerful
that many basketball fans just can't take

their eyes off him when he's on the court.

Similarly, Sami has developed a kind
of Superman aura at work because of his

Midas touch as a business co-founder,
his athletic successes as a triathlete,

and his you-gotta-be-kidding-me
type of adventures, like his

California-Hawaii rowing extravaganza.

His Scandinavian accent and Nordic looks
also certainly help, as well as his

reserved and generally humble demeanor.

Put it all together, and you have a
person that others just can't help

but being drawn towards Of the select
few that develop aura, a magnetic

charisma, some are able to push even
further and create a broader platform

where their aura extends beyond them.

A platform step five isn't achieved very
often, but Berkshire Hathaway can be

considered a platform for Warren Buffett.

Platforms like companies or brands
can be a one-of-a-kind platform

for a particular person, but so can
creative pursuits like music or film.

The Beatles Library is a powerful
platform for continued relevance

for John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

In the cinematic world, even though he
passed away recently, Robert Redford's

expansive output as an actor and director
gave him a powerful platform, and that's

not even including the Sundance Institute,
which among other things runs the annual

Sundance Film Festival, an important
venue for talented filmmakers to gain

recognition and develop their careers.

Leaders who develop platforms are
usually further along in their life

than Sami, who recently turned fifty.

That said, with Virta, Sami is building
a platform in an area that he is

passionate about, which is giving
millions of Type 2 diabetes sufferers

a new approach to live a longer,
better life without drugs and without

faddish dietary plans and restrictions.

In a way, Virta embraces a lifestyle
that encapsulate what Sami's all about:

discipline and healthiness, to be a
data nerd, and to be coachable when

relying on a network of supportive
advisors to build a healthy life.

When considering the five steps, vitality,
obsession, insight, aura, and platform,

order is important, where one step
can lead to the next step and so on.

Vitality is the baseline ingredient
which powers the ability to dial in and

obsess about developing skills, which
over time creates an opportunity for

innovative insight, which creates an
aura which acts as a powerful charisma

enhancer, which makes a transcendent
platform possible Each step involves

mastering the ones preceding it.

Since I've already talked about Steph
Curry, I'll put him through my five-step

framework briefly, working backwards.

So Steph's platform, the Curry Brand,
which was originally bankrolled by Under

Armour and now Li Ning, really wouldn't
be possible without his charismatic aura.

On and off the court, Steph has inspired
his teammates and so many fans of

basketball, which wouldn't be possible
without the insights unique to Steph

that allowed him to fundamentally
change how basketball is played.

His signature three-point range creates
scoring opportunities with greater floor

spacing, which he also takes advantage
of through his lightning-quick drives

and passes, all of which wouldn't be
possible without complete mastery of

shooting, off-ball movement, finishing
drives with either hand, all developed

by obsessive work and attention to
detail, which wouldn't be possible in

turn without the tremendous vitality
that resides within Steph, his

baby-faced assassin competitiveness
combined with a deep love for the

game that goes back to his childhood.

Let's now go through the
five steps with Sami.

Sami's platform, Virta, has the potential
to create meaningful, positive change

for millions of diabetes and obesity
sufferers, which wouldn't be possible

without a reserved, low-key, quiet Finn
aura that Sami has developed through

ambitious successes in tech, athletics,
and adventuring, which wouldn't be

possible without the innovative insights
that Sami has brought to healthcare

and real estate tech, along with
triathlons, by adopting first principles

approaches to addressing challenges,
having creative uses for data, as well

as finding synergistic common themes
across all his pursuits, Which wouldn't

be possible without taking an obsessive,
won't-be-denied, day-by-day approach

to developing the skill sets necessary
for success across all his disparate

endeavors and having the ability to
prioritize what's truly mission-critical

to achieve a desired result and to block
everything else out, which wouldn't be

possible without a tremendous amount of
vitality that comes from a ridiculously

high level of fitness fueled by a lot
of sweat-induced endorphins, a passion

for ambitious goals that connect on a
deep and personal level, and some good

old-fashioned underdog chip-on-shoulder
I'll-show-you stubbornness fueled by his

own personal circumstances and the Finnish
culture of sisu: stoic determination,

tenacity of purpose, grit, and bravery.

In short, there are no shortcuts.

There's no elevator to step five.

You just gotta put in the work and go step
by step As we wrap up our profile on Sami

and the Trajectori of his life so far,
I'm struck by how many events in Sami's

life have led to exciting new chapters.

Early academic promise led to the
physics department at the University

of Helsinki, which led to the Stanford
Graduate School of Business, which

led to Trulia, which led to Virta.

Or an early passion for athletics and
the outdoors that led to biathlon,

weightlifting, and even triathlons,
where advancing years brought about

not a decline in athletic performance
and achievement, which is what happens

to most of us, but rather a continuous
improvement well into middle age

Or an adventurous spirit and underdog
stubbornness that Sami can just do it and

press forward in ways that most of his
contemporaries just won't contemplate.

Most kids don't leave home to
attend high school, but Sami did.

Most young Finns don't leave
their homeland to pursue their

dreams in a foreign country on
a new continent, but Sami did.

Most husbands don't ask their
wives to join them on a three

thousand mile rowing adventure
across the Pacific, but Sami did.

And most successful entrepreneurs
don't start up another company soon

after leaving their first startup,
but Sami did There are certainly

examples of people finding stepping
stones that lead to a long, successful

Trajectori in one area of their life.

But Sami is pretty unique in that he
finds multiple stepping stones that lead

to multiple trajectories, and he's able
to navigate many trajectories at once.

Savage prioritization, as Sami's triathlon
coach Matt Dixon likes to say, is

certainly one important factor, but so
are the priorities that Sami establishes

to begin with, namely picking things
that he deeply connects with and cares

about and pursues for their own sake.

There's also a remarkable independence
that has freed Sami to go to places and

to do things that most others won't or
can't do, perhaps because they're tethered

to family, friends, or home country.

And finally, there's a deep-seated,
relentless underdog stubbornness

that is core to Sami, where, like the
Terminator, he just doesn't stop, which

I believe is rooted in Sami's early
years and his home country of Finland.

Although there are certainly those
who believe that Finland has lost

some of its sisu over the last
few generations as hardships have

given away to widespread comfort.

These four Sami cornerstones, a quiet,
passionate nature, an independent

spirit, savage prioritization, and
a unique personification of the

Finnish sisu, don't describe Sami
completely, but they are a good start.

And these cornerstones are foundational to
giving Sami the vitality to tackle great

things in life, the obsessive ability to
dive deep into something and to really

master it, and the curiosity and the
fortitude to develop insight to innovate.

Over the years, the diversity of Sami's
interests, ambitions, and successes

But it also inspires them to give all
they've got in their own endeavors.

And through Virta, Sami is creating
a platform for change and impact

in healthcare that can change
millions of lives for the better.

Okay, we've got to wrap on Sami, and
as we start to bring our episode to a

close, let's ask ourselves a question.

What can we take from Sami's Trajectori
that might help us in our own journeys?

Well, here are some specific actions
you can take to be like Sami So

one, pick pursuits you really
care about for greater vitality.

Sami has a deep passion for exercise,
health, data, and has found ways to

pursue those passions in a way that has
led to a deeply meaningful career, not to

mention a very financially successful one.

That passion, that connection
with what he does, is what powers

Sami through the tough days and
failures that are a regular reality.

So find your passion and build a career
around it that brings meaning for you

Two, high intensity workouts
for greater vitality.

Yes, many of us work out.

Some of us may even work out pretty
hard, but trust me, the vast majority

of us do not bring the intensity
to our workouts that Sami does.

I've been smoked by Sami on early
morning workout runs, and I've trained

more recently with Matt, Sami's coach.

High intensity not only allows for more
efficient workouts in less time, it also

acts as a kind of cleansing agent for
the body, like jumping into cold water.

It sucks at first, but boy, do
you feel amazing when you get out.

The one additional thing I can say
about high intensity workouts is

that they are much harder to do solo.

Working out with a trainer will push you
and your sessions will also be safer.

Working out with others also unleashes
your pride and competitive spirit.

Both are strong motivators that
are harder to tap into on your own.

And if you have interest in adopting some
of Sami's specific training techniques,

I'll share a link to Purple Patch in the
show notes, which is Matt Dixon's company.

Believe me, with Purple Patch, you'll get
all the intensity that you can handle.

Three, a better diet for greater vitality.

This idea is not particularly new.

In fact, the best phrase about
the relationship between diet and

wellbeing, you are what you eat,
goes back a couple hundred years

to a French food writer and critic.

But here's the reality.

In many parts of the world,
and the US specifically, our

diet has just gone downhill.

And Sami is a counterpoint to this
culinary downward spiral, and his approach

to food and nutrition is a big driver
behind his really unmatched vitality.

And while there's a lot of fine
print on the specifics on how he

does it, there's one headline you
can run with now, which is just avoid

sugar Four, savage prioritization
to obsess about what you care about.

Sami prioritizes his life relentlessly in
a way that allows him to be simultaneously

successful in multiple areas.

He focuses on the essentials,
and he's very disciplined

about cutting other stuff out.

Making trade-offs means that you can
also be Superman in the areas that matter

to you Five, apply skills from one part
of your life to another for insight.

For Sami, he's a master with data.

He's a data Yoda, and he applies that
skill across every endeavor he seriously

pursues, which has allowed him to set
better goals, monitor progress, and

innovate by coming up with new approaches.

Gathering and using data in new ways
has allowed Sami to be ahead of his

time in several unrelated areas, from
Ironmans to building company culture.

So look to apply your skills and
talents you've developed from

one part of your life to another.

What you discover may really surprise
and delight you Six, carry success with

a reserved grace, which builds aura.

Sami is by nature more on the quiet
and reserved side, and he hasn't

let success change who he is.

He's the kind of guy who picks his spots,
who doesn't say much in group meetings or

public settings when he's not the speaker.

But he's really timely and succinct
when he does share his views.

That's aura, and that's
worthy of emulating.

Seven, tap into your
heritage for vitality.

I shared a pretty detailed background
on Finland because I believe it captures

a good chunk of what makes Sami Sami.

Finland is not just a cold, dark place.

It's also endured a lot, which means
its citizens can personify sisu, the

uniquely Finnish word that encapsulates
toughness, stoicism, bravery,

grit, resilience, and hardiness.

Understanding Sami means understanding
sisu, and understanding sisu

means understanding Finland.

Sisu gives Sami that extra fuel,
a special oomph when he needs it.

And similarly, what is it
about your background that you

can use as a driving force?

Are there tough memories that give
you a chip-on-shoulder mentality?

Or conversely, are there inspiring
aspects of where you come from that

make you proud and want to do your best?

Whatever it is, find it and leverage it.

Okay, we're done with our profile, but
not yet done with our inaugural podcast.

Why not?

Because I want to hear from you.

There's so much that we've covered
together that I can't help but think that

out there amongst you, there are some
kernels of insight or at the very least

some hilarious stories that you have that
may relate to the saga of Sami Inkinen.

In the spirit of starting a conversation
with you and unlocking some community

wisdom, let me ask you a question that I
hope will inspire some original, witty,

funny, or thought-provoking answers.

All you have to do is email your
response to me at hello@trajectori.fm.

That's trajectori with an I at the end,
not a Y, and dotfm instead of dotcom.

Alternatively, you can also click
through our social links in the show

notes and respond in the comments.

So without further ado, drum roll, please.

Here is a question for
you that relates to Sami.

What is the craziest thing you have
done with your spouse, partner,

girlfriend, boyfriend, whatever,
and what did you learn from it?

Email me your response or respond through
the social links in the show notes.

I really can't wait to hear from you.

Give me your best shot

I'll close with a final request, which is
to hit follow or subscribe on your podcast

player, as well as follow me on social by
clicking on the links in the show notes.

If you like what you've heard,
you can help us spread the word.

The world needs more uplifting stories,
along with helpful guidance and

motivation to lift us up and to help
us embrace life and be our best selves.

There's a lot of stuff in our world
today that just doesn't do that,

but together we can part some of
the clouds and spread some sunshine.

And speaking of sunshine, looking ahead,
I'm fired up by what we have on deck.

We have a bunch of new profiles
in the works that I'll bet

you'll be excited about.

So thanks for listening and for
supporting the Trajectori community.

Salut.