Obsidian Memo]đź“š Summer recap & Reading List 2025: Leadership, AI, Sustainability & Resilience
Summer is often when we see the world more clearly — here are the books that sharpened mine in 2025. What is yours?
![Obsidian Memo]đź“š Summer recap & Reading List 2025: Leadership, AI, Sustainability & Resilience](/content/images/size/w1200/2025/09/WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-14-at-15.15.55_e4fabdce-1.jpg)
Hi All,
I hope you had a wonderful summer. Mine was spent between Seoul, London, and the South of France — a season of conversations, contrasts and reflection. I reconnected with friends and colleagues from Wall Street, diplomacy, architecture, finance, sustainability, and academia (King’s College, Oxbridge, Yale, Stanford, and Sweden, where some have been teaching for over 20 years in political science and communications). I am not name dropping here - I wanted to convey the message on the significance of what is to follow. Our discussions often began with family realities — aging parents, childcare, balancing work and life — and, almost inevitably, shifted to AI.
What struck me most was the stark contrast between South Korea, the US and Europe. For 22 years I’ve been visiting my parents in Seoul, but this summer felt different: AI was no longer a niche topic, it was everywhere — in classrooms, YouTube, offices, even daily errands. The conversation had moved from “should we use AI?” to “how do we optimize prompts for accuracy and productivity, and which platform do you prefer?” The government is intent on making every citizen AI-enabled, offering free ChatGPT training to people of all ages. I joined my parents, both in their 70s, at one of these sessions. They walked away inspired, concerned, and newly empowered — finally able to access tools that once felt beyond their reach.
At the same time, I was hearing stories from the US and South Korea about young graduates struggling to find work, and even a top South Korean law firm deciding not to hire new analysts after seeing interns matched — or surpassed — by ChatGPT. These shifts made me reflect not only on technology, but also on resilience. I’ve been drawing inspiration from role models who scaled Everest, mentors across finance, government, the UN, technology, and spirituality, and from thinkers who dedicate their lives to clarity and enlightenment.
This summer, I leaned into books that stretched my perspective across leadership, AI, finance, psychology, sustainability, and narrative history. I’ve grouped my recommendations by theme so you can pick what’s most relevant to your journey — whether you’re a CEO, investor, policy-maker, or fellow student and seeker.
What did you read this summer? I’d love to hear your recommendations.
🌿 Leadership, Communication & Inclusive Cultures
| Book | Year | What it’s about | Why I loved it / Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonviolent Communication – Marshall Rosenberg | 1999 | A four-step framework (observe, feel, need, request) for empathetic dialogue. | Helped me approach conflict with compassion. For leaders, founders, policy-makers. |
| The Confidence Code – Katty Kay & Claire Shipman | 2014 | Research on how confidence shapes women’s opportunities. | Resonated with my own journey. For boards, CEOs, and equity-minded leaders. |
| The Authority Gap – Mary Ann Sieghart | 2021 | Why women’s authority is undervalued and how to close the gap. | A reminder bias is systemic. For investors and policy-makers. |
| The Courage to Be Disliked – Kishimi & Koga | 2013 | Adlerian psychology: past ≠destiny. | Encouraged self-reliance. For entrepreneurs and change-makers. |
| Say It Well – Terry Szuplat | 2024 | Obama’s speechwriter on authentic, persuasive communication. | Loved the mix of technique + empathy. For executives and politicians. |
| Empathy Economics – Owen Ullmann | 2022 | Janet Yellen’s story of empathetic leadership. | Proof that rigor + empathy can coexist. For policy-makers and allocators. |
🤖 AI, Technology & the Future
| Book | Year | What it’s about | Why I loved it / Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Thinking Machine – Stephen Witt | 2024 | Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and the GPU revolution. | Visionary founder story. For entrepreneurs, investors, tech leaders. |
| AI 2041 – Kai-Fu Lee & Chen Qiufan | 2021 | Ten speculative stories + essays on AI’s future. | Loved the blend of imagination + analysis. For policy-makers and students. |
| The AI-Driven Leader – Geoff Woods | 2024 | Using AI as a thought partner for strategy. | Inspired me to integrate AI into leadership. For CEOs and decision-makers. |
| The Technological Republic – Karp & Zamiska | 2023 | Re-aligning tech with civic purpose. | Provocative vision. For founders, policy-makers, academics. |
| The Singularity Is Nearer – Ray Kurzweil | 2024 | Human–AI integration through accelerating returns. | Expanded my imagination. For futurists and innovators. |
| How Things Are – Brockman & Matson (eds.) | 1995 | Essays by leading scientists on fundamentals. | Bite-sized wisdom. For curious generalists. |
| The Extinction of Experience – Christine Rosen | 2025 | How digital erodes human connection. | A wake-up call. For everyone in the digital age. |
đź’ˇ Personal Growth, Habits & Purpose
| Book | Year | What it’s about | Why I loved it / Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Personal MBA – Josh Kaufman | 2010 | Core MBA concepts distilled into 248 models. | Democratizes business knowledge. For entrepreneurs and self-learners. |
| The Almanack of Naval Ravikant – Eric Jorgenson | 2020 | Naval’s ideas on wealth, happiness, leverage. | Helped me focus on compounding habits. For investors, founders. |
| Be Your Future Self Now – Benjamin Hardy | 2022 | Align today’s actions with your future self. | Kept me accountable to long-term goals. For professionals at crossroads. |
| Grit – Angela Duckworth | 2016 | Perseverance + passion > talent. | Validated resilience as my edge. For entrepreneurs, students. |
| Hidden Potential – Adam Grant | 2023 | Potential is developed, not innate. | Growth is cultivated. For leaders, educators. |
| Same as Ever – Morgan Housel | 2023 | Human behavior patterns don’t change. | Grounded me beyond headlines. For investors, decision-makers. |
| Atomic Habits – James Clear | 2018 | How small habits compound into big change. | Transformed my routines. For anyone seeking practical change. |
| Zero to One – Peter Thiel | 2014 | Contrarian thinking to build breakthroughs. | Provocative and energizing. For entrepreneurs and innovators. |
| What’s Your Dream? – Simon Squibb | 2025 | Discovering and pursuing your dream. | Reminded me to stay purpose-driven. For early-stage entrepreneurs. |
| Becoming You – Suzy Welch | 2025 | Aligning career with passion + skills. | Great for reinvention. For mid-career professionals. |
| How Will You Measure Your Life? – Clayton Christensen | 2012 | Applying business theories to meaning. | Helped me redefine success. For leaders and professionals. |
đź’° Economics & Finance
| Book | Year | What it’s about | Why I loved it / Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|---|
| How Countries Go Broke – Ray Dalio | 2025 | Big Debt Cycles + navigating crises. | Clear macro framework. For investors, policy-makers. |
| King Dollar – Paul Blustein | 2025 | Why the U.S. dollar remains dominant. | Realistic perspective on currency power. For global investors, officials. |
🌍 Sustainability & Systems Thinking
| Book | Year | What it’s about | Why I loved it / Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net Positive – Paul Polman & Andrew Winston | 2021 | Companies prosper by giving more than they take. | Polman’s courage inspires. For CEOs, boards, investors. |
| The Overstory – Richard Powers | 2018 | Forests as protagonists in a Pulitzer novel. | Deepened my ecological empathy. For impact investors, nature lovers. |
| The Hidden Life of Trees – Peter Wohlleben | 2015 | How trees communicate + share resources. | Changed how I see networks. For sustainable investors, systems thinkers. |
