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No. 306 | November 7, 2025
Welcome to this week’s Friday Five—a short dose of insights, inspiration, and favorites to help you start the weekend with clarity and focus.
Music of the Week
Jean-Philip Grobler is a South African singer and musician who’s the frontman of the band St. Lucia.
Grobler started making music at the age of 12, taking inspiration from Boyz II Men, Michael Jackson, Sting, and Phil Collins.
He later drew inspiration from the 80s—artists like Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon, and Lionel Richie.
His music blends electronic, synthpop, new wave, and electropop—it’s glorious.
If you’re new to St. Lucia, start with their new album Fata Morgana: Dusk.
Quotes of the Week
The real power we have—it’s something I’ve been reflecting on lately. True strength comes from within, not from control or status. These quotes capture that mindset.
“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.” – Lao Tzu
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker
“Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.” – Roy T. Bennett
Article of the Week
With an extra week in October, I managed to read a little more than usual—and it turned into one of my favorite reading months yet.
I started October with Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike. It’s one of the best business biographies out there.
Next was Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose. Zappos founder Tony Hsieh argues happiness is what we’re all after.
The third book was Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX. The book offers an important lesson: never give up.
Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul was the fourth book I read. It offers a reminder to never sacrifice your values, no matter how dark it gets.
Last, I read Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald’s. The book proves that building a company can happen at any point in your life.
For more on my October reading list, the books I read, and the lessons learned, check out my blog post below:
📝 October Reading List: 5 Best Books I Read in October 2025
Book of the Week
In Sam Walton: Made In America, he tells the story of Wal-Mart in his own words. The book is raw in the best way.
Walton comes across as modest yet quietly confident—relentlessly ambitious and never one to take “no” for an answer.
The book ends with practical life and business advice from Walton himself:
- Competition: Walton loved competing—it’s the heart of business.
- Partnership: Teamwork played a role in Wal-Mart’s success. Teams, not individuals, create outsized returns.
- Money: Walton sacrificed everything to make Wal-Mart what it is. He questions that sacrifice.
- Celebrity: Being famous never mattered to Walton. He drove a truck because of its utility—he needed to haul around his quail hunting dogs.
- Family: He and his wife Helen instilled values he hoped would last multiple generations—hard work, honesty, neighborliness, and frugality.
For more on Sam Walton, the building of Wal-Mart, and life lessons, check out the book below:
Podcast of the Week
Barry Diller is one of America’s most successful businessmen.
At 83, he decided it was time to tell his life story in a new book.
The Knowledge Project episode is an exploration of the book—the rules he’s lived by: trust first, confront directly, and make a decision.
Diller explains why success teaches you nothing, why everyone needs failure, and why to choose instincts over algorithms all day, every day.
For more on Diller, his career, and the businesses he’s built, check out the podcast below:
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