Last year, a friend placed a slim book on my desk. The cover was simple. The title: "The Art of Gathering" by Priya Parker.

"I know you host gatherings often," he said. "Read this. It will change the way you invite people."

I read it in two days. But one sentence remains underlined to this day:

"Every gathering must begin with a clear decision: what are we gathering for? If you can't answer that, don't hold the gathering."

It dawned on me: I had attended dozens—perhaps hundreds—of gatherings without ever asking "What for?" Meet-ups that yielded nothing. Meetings that could have been emails. Reunions that felt awkward because no one knew why we were still meeting.

That book changed how I view relationships. Not just in the boardroom, but in the living room. At the coffee table. At birthday parties.

At Essence, books like this help shape my character. Not through advice, but through the right questions.

At The BOND, I learned that intimacy doesn’t just happen. It’s crafted—not through manipulation, but through intention. With the courage to ask: “What are we building here?”

And at The BLUEPRINT, these notes serve as the foundation. Before building a business together, we need to read together. To find a common language. To align our maps.

"Marginalia" isn't a book review. It is a trail of the pages I’ve discovered—and the questions I’ve left behind for you.