One down! 5 to go! 😂 (just kidding-sort of).

Hi friends, Just sharing an update from recent travels in Sri Lanka and my hometown, Colombo. I was there for a contemporary art festival (www.colomboscope.lk), where I exhibited my work. I was also invited to take part in a group exhibition at a local gallery. Both were well received, and the festival was a major networking event. But it went much further, deepening connections and friendships locally and regionally. One of the Super Whos I was meant to reach out to as part of Q4’s 10-Week Challenge is now my friend. While I’m still starstruck, I think we’re both benefiting from the relationship, which is pretty cool. This is her website; she’s an artist: https://sehershah.net/ During the festival, I also decided to host a charity art sale to support Cyclone Ditwah relief. For those of you interested in art market pricing, I’ve attached a pdf with a price list from my time working with a gallery in Colombo. Happy to chat further about it and share more, as it’s likely unfamiliar territory. I managed to raise $3,748.55 from seven artworks over five days. The sale was 50% off, and all proceeds went to charity. It was a good sale and an interesting test to see which collectors were willing to purchase. One of the main takeaways is that I’m ready to take on a more empowered leadership role to build a robust and resilient arts infrastructure in Sri Lanka. This would involve reaching out to friends and their families who run business empires there and asking them to contribute towards this larger goal. I will also be approaching my family (we have a family business there, too). I’m well placed to be in this position as an art advisor because people know and trust me personally and professionally. That’s the hometown network. Another identity shift is that I feel ready to pursue academic study at a university again. It’s been 12 years since I graduated from college, and I never felt ready. But now many things have fallen into place, which is quite exciting.

As I mentioned on the call and in a post a few days ago, I sent out a text to the clients that attended my client appreciation dinner. When I read it, I felt a bit uncomfortable because I see positive feedback about myself. I'm posting it here to force myself to recognize the value I bring to clients and to step out of my comfort zone and let this positive message affirm my value. Hi Michael, You were reading my mind! I have been planning to reach out to you... We enjoyed the evening immensely, thank you. The food, service & atmosphere were lovely. I had a delightful time visiting with your wife... I don't think we've really had a chance to do so in the past--she's very easy to talk to! In terms of the presentation... I really liked how you alternated between dinner courses and slideshow. It kept the evening flowing, gave us a chance to eat leisurely, and removed the distraction that passing dishes usually does. The presentation was a great balance of information and brevity. Very effective. If you were looking for additional content, I would suggest: - Go over the Allianz Tax Summary pages briefly: The income tax brackets, the cap gains tax brackets, the RMD table, and the Medicare table... make the point that managing taxable income AFTER retirement has a huge impact, so tax strategies matter as much as investment strategies. And yes, you can help with that. - Offer more insight to remove the mystery of ATS. I know you've been burned when you shared too much of your strategy, so go with less data and more of your relationship with your clients. 1) Time segments matter for each stage of life: Leading up to retirement / reaching retirement / medicare vs medical insurance / social security start date strategies / legacies & trusts / long-term care. Everyone has different needs at different stages. So how can you build a flexible plan? 2) Time segments ALSO matter for keeping the nest egg growing through market trends. The strategy is NOT unique enough to sell itself. However, you have an advantage over traditional financial advisors. We're all coming to your for our taxes, so point that out. YOU are the key here. YOU are a guru at blending the financial concerns with the tax implications to plan a long-term strategy. Don't underestimate your dual role. The ATS is a solid tool that you've used for many clients, but in the end, it's YOU that we are trusting. This is a strategy that you rely upon, so it's part of the package.

We’ve been in “Go for No!” mode all month, stretching ourselves to get out there, risk rejection, and build resilience. But of course: The purpose of going for no... is to get to yes. And yesterday, we scored one. Our impossible Q1 goal? Raise €2 million for our MedTech startup. We’ve had plenty of interest. Dozens of investors love what we’re building, but they’ve all been waiting for someone else to go first: “Come back when there’s traction.” “Let us know when others are in.” “You’re clearly onto something, but we don’t want to lead.” Yesterday we met with a professor of interventional cardiology, a respected key opinion leader in our field. After speaking with us, he pulled out his wallet and invested on the spot. Was it €2 million? No. But it was the signal everyone’s been waiting for. And we have a Dutch saying that fits perfectly: “Als één schaap over de dam is, volgen er meer.” (“Once one sheep crosses the dam, more will follow.”) This was our first sheep. The momentum has started. And now we get to go back to every other investor with a new line: “You're not first anymore.” If you’re still chasing your no’s, keep going. They might just be lining you up for your yes. Finish the week strong. 🚀

Most leadership breakdowns right now have nothing to do with strategy. They happen because we optimized systems…but ignored nervous systems. AI didn’t create this problem. It exposed it. I shared some of this perspective and parts of the journey behind my work in a recent Voyage Denver feature article. It touches on how human-centered leadership, clarity, and AI come together in a way that actually works for people, not just processes. If you want more context on how I’m thinking about leadership in an AI-accelerated world and why clarity is becoming the real advantage, I invite you to explore the article here: 👉 https://voyagedenver.com/interview/community-highlights-meet-eric-goodman-ph-d-of-convergence-collective-innovate-ai-systems-and-i3-empowerment-solutions/ For those interested, the article also includes an invitation to AI Nation, where we share complimentary AI tools, training, and conversations focused on keeping the human at the center as things accelerate. And for leaders who want to go a step further, I’m also hosting a short AI Clarity Challenge inside AI Nation, designed to reduce overwhelm and help people apply AI in a way that supports human judgment and leadership. Sharing in case this perspective is useful.