It felt like I jammed three months worth of stuff into one 30 day period! Jesse and I rang the New Year in Paris and geared up for a busy and productive 2012. I’m really looking forward to seeing what exciting things come my way this year and I’ve decided to do a monthly update to keep track of everything that’s going on since sometimes I have a bad habit of forgetting.
New Apartment
Our old apartment building was undergoing massive renovations and after what felt like endless weeks being surrounded by non-stop hammering, banging, and screeching, my Parisian sanctuary had turned into a construction hellhole. On a whim, we looked at apartments online and and went to take a look, a sort of wishful thinking exercise to get us out of the house for a while. We completely fell in love with the second place we saw and the next thing I knew, we were signing a new lease, booking movers, and buying new furniture.
I am so happy with the new apartment which includes an office and a bright, open concept living space that has rebooted my productivity and creativity levels. It’s found in one of Paris’ oldest pedestrian passageways and is right in the heart of the city, between the second and third arrondissements.
Sandbox Global Summit – Portugal
A few days after moving, I packed my bags and headed off to Lisbon, Portugal for the first annual Sandbox Global Summit. Joined by 200 other boxers, our gathering felt more like a family reunion than a conference, a weekend of great conversations and fun. As a Global Ambassador for Sandbox, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with several different hubs, and let me just say that the love and friendship that was resonating from gathering a big chunk of the community together was deeply moving. You can read my full debrief here.
Summit Series Basecamp – United States
I was home for an entire two days of frantic unpacking and organizing before I was back on the road, headed to the next big highlight of the January conference circuit: Summit Series Basecamp. Billed as the “hipper Davos,” the gathering of 650 entrepreneurs took place in Lake Tahoe at the Squaw Valley Resort. If Sandbox is like a family reunion, Basecamp was like an infusion of infectious potential, three days of expanding your horizons and being challenged, inspired and motivated to keep dreaming big dreams. I just posted my summary of Basecamp here
Bits and Pieces
I posted about Digital Decay on the Mark.
I’ve officially become a contributor for The Next Web! I’m working on a few pieces right now including an interview with Insead eLabs Academic Director Soumitra Dutta that will be posted in February.
Coming Up
February is unfolding at the same pace!
Next Month, I’ll be traveling to Saudi Arabia to speak about ArchiTechs, presenting at TEDxESCP in Paris, and heading back to my old stomping grounds at The University of Western Ontario to speak about the impact of technology on business as well as my “unconventional career path” at the Richard Ivey School of Business.
