“You never quite know where a story will take you."

I have spent much of my life building things: racing yachts, the businesses around them, and later new ways of working with materials. Along the way, there were highs, setbacks and times when nothing went to plan.

Ocean racing gave me a particular appreciation for how unpredictable things can be. Sometimes the sea is rough and you hold on. Sometimes the wind drops to nothing, and you have to stay alert enough to catch every small gust that keeps the yacht moving. And out there, you depend on the people around you as much as on the yacht itself.

When I speak, I draw on those experiences. Not to offer a formula for success, but to share what happened, what I took from it and what I am still figuring out.

The subjects range from setbacks and working together under pressure to innovation, sustainability and the things we choose to pass on. Each comes from something I lived through.

Some stories are about things that worked. Others are about things that did not. Most are about what happened in between.

If something here sparks an idea for a conversation, I'd be glad to hear from you.