I had the pleasure of hanging out IRL with Conspirators in Toronto.
One of the roles I try to inhabit is that of a good host.
That’s not just bringing people I love together for the book launch party, like I did last week.
That’s a nice hang, absolutely, but in different settings I’m striving for something a little more.
I want great people to know other great people.
I’m shamelessly putting myself in the “great person” category (if I’m not willing to do it, no one else will!), and I want to be in conversation with people who make me think and make me laugh.
Some of it — just a small part of it, I think — is that insight you’ve likely heard that “we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.”
So, spend time with people who elevate your standards and create magic through collaboration.
My words of the year for 2026 are “skipping hand-in-hand,” and I’m really chuffed by that vision of “hand-in-hand.”
Whose hand do I get to clasp in delight?
It doesn’t have to be a formal project. It’s really about the opportunity for a moment of light, a flash of something created between two different people.
I hosted a dinner recently in New York. Me and four others, because five is my favourite number for a deep, single-table conversation. Only two of the people knew each other, otherwise they were strangers to each other.
My two questions were:
What are you known for?
What are you up to?
“What are you known for?” isn’t so much about your public reputation, even though all of these people had a public reputation.
It’s more about how you’re known by the people who you care about and who care about you.
It’s an invitation to speak about your values and elemental parts, perhaps through your accomplishments. It’s a chance to speak about what’s your best.
“What are you up to?” has the hint of the conspiratorial to it.
It’s asking what adventure is beckoning, what’s the edge you’re stepping out to, who’s the person you’re becoming.
It’s asking you to skip the “business as usual” update and tell me what’s whispering to you from the future.
Five people. Three hours of conversation. Two questions that unlocked some magic.
Who would you invite to the table?
