Natalie Audelo

Perhaps confidence isn’t something to be built; it's right under the surface when that heavy bulk of needing to be someone is lifted. Embracing being no one helped me feel authentic and confident, which, in my opinion, is way cooler than any expensive-looking sweater.

In 1985, Nike held a 24-hour shoe design contest. Nike was struggling. Their stock dropped 50%. They had to lay off people. Adidas, Converse, and Reebok were all selling more shoes. So in a panicked attempt to find creative talent, Nike held a shoe design contest. The winner was a corporate architect named Tinker Hatfield. “Two days after the compe... See more

The only things I allow myself to feel regret about are past food, clothing, and hair choices. Everything else, I think of as part of my path, my journey. All the steps we’ve taken have led us to where we are. For some reason, in this culture, we always want to win, be right, comfortable, and happy. There is, however, tremendous value in losing, in... See more

We’ve reached what Tocqueville described: downright egotism. It’s the ideological wall I find impossible to scale: I don’t know how to make you care about other people.

We’re all familiar with the question every college graduate hears on repeat as soon as they’re finished with school: “What do you plan to do next?” That question invariably means, “What are your job prospects?” Meanwhile, the admonition to “get a job!” is synonymous with “grow up!”

What a soulless way to conceive of existence. What a dull invitation... See more

I think our competitive aim is always been... This is going to sound like very basic but it’s true. It’s just we do what we say we’re going to do when we say we’re going to do it. We just try to practice extreme reliability. And it’s an accruing advantage because the more people know that you’ll do what you say you’re going to do, you’re going to t... See more

The cost of convenience is vitality. You can have a lot of things done for you in the modern world — and many of them are great time savers! — but the feeling of being alive comes from being fully engaged in the right task, not free from all tasks.

Sure, you can automate and delegate all sorts of things, but the more interesting question is, "What ... See more

Once you’ve finished at Harvard Business School or any other top academic institution, the vast majority of people you’ll interact with on a day-to-day basis may not be smarter than you. And if your attitude is that only smarter people have something to teach you, your learning opportunities will be very limited. But if you have a humble eagerness

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