High Magick X Systems | I see & remove blocks you don't know exist, but feel - without Zoom, phone calls or being in the same room | Change Mentor for Executives & Founders who want to live with more depth & die happy

Most of the decisions you regret weren’t “bad decisions”.

They were built on values you never defined properly.

It’s why you stay in roles, relationships and versions of you that look fine on paper but wrong in your body.

You didn't just end up there - you unknowingly decided your way into them.

Because each choice you make sits on top of values that collapse the moment people, money or pressure push back.

In The Obsidian Vault, we cut through all of it so your tough decisions feel simple to make:

We'll break down: 
- What’s really happening.
- What you’re actually loyal to and why it matters.
- What it will cost to keep things as they are.

That’s how you stop making decisions you regret and build a life you don't.

You'll see clearly, decide cleanly, and live closer to what you truly value with each choice you make.

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫
 -You’re smart, capable & deeply responsible, but privately exhausted
 -You’re dragging unfinished conversations, roles or relationships behind you
 -You’re standing in a life that looks fine on paper & wrong in your body
 -You’re value driven, but feel a constant gap between what you stand for vs what you tolerate.

More insights, healing or content won’t change that. This is the lever:

Language, structure and perspective that makes it harder to lie to yourself.

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐈 𝐚𝐦
I’ve walked parallel paths since I was 19, when I quit uni to build a 25 year career with the likes of Goldman Sachs, UBS, HSBC, Barclays and others.

I set up my first business alongside my first job, went on to build two jewellery brands, a business transformation consultancy, and a private practice working with 600+ founders and executives through High Magick.

All while navigating Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (c-PTSD)

Tough calls come with that territory, and often arrive all at once. But that wasn’t new to me.

Aged eight, I became a carer for my disabled aunt. It was violent and turbulent.

I had a front row seat to what happens when loved ones refuse to make obvious decisions, what it costs them, and me.

It taught me something most miss:

Your best decisions are made when you can be a bystander in your own life at the right moment - then move swiftly.

That’s tough for most people.

Master it, and you solve problems before they can even exist - just like I, and 600+ executives and founders have.

Through real-life (anonymised) examples from their sessions and my own life, I explain how.

When you need to stop making decisions you regret and build a life you don't, welcome.

https://theobsidianvault.substack.com/about

Sonal Bhaskaran

What being a carer in a violent home at 8 taught me about decision-making at 45:

Clarity requires separation.

The closer you are to a situation, the more deliberate that separation must be.

We view separatiom as ‘cold’.

I know many people have thought that of me with personal decisions I've made.

But it isn't.

It’s objective curiosity.

Curiosity creates understanding.

Understanding creates distance.

Without distance, most adults react and call it ‘intuition’. 

But if you can observe chaos without entering it, you control the next move.

That distance creates clarity.

Clarity gives you choice.

And when you have choice?

You gain the kind of personal power you've needed all along.

Writer @The Obsidian Vault | Letters for smart people who are tired of making decisions they regret - and want to build a life they don’t.

Marco Andre 🤖

Global Head of Employee Experience

Keynote Speaker & AI Executive │ Harvard, Google, P&G Alum │ Global Marketing & Gen AI @ Novartis │ Published Author - Imperfect Stories │ Dog Dad 🐶 │ Views are my own

Navigating AI as a business leader? You're not alone.

From diving into generative AI to coaching senior executives, I've transformed my AI curiosity into actionable leadership expertise. My journey has led to building a community of 26,000+ engaged followers and delivering impactful AI keynotes and trainings to 5,000+ leaders globally.

Drawing on 20+ years of senior leadership experience at global companies like Google, YouTube, Procter & Gamble, Novartis and Johnson & Johnson, my purpose is to help large organizations turn AI from a buzzword into a business accelerator.


-- Views and opinions expressed are my own and do not represent the views of my current or past employers --

Global Head of Marketing & Gen AI Excellence

I’m currently a Generative AI coach and advisor to senior executive leadership teams across Novartis.
Leading the design of marketing programs to empower Novartis teams to remain at the cutting edge of marketing trends and practices.

7 signs I've hit middle-age:


1. If I ever wake up in the morning and 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘴... I'm probably dead.

2. I rejoice when someone moves dinner from 8 pm to 6 pm. While pretending to be slightly mad about it.
   
3. I've replaced soccer, surfing and kickboxing (the cool stuff). For yoga, Pilates and what I cutely call "weights".

4. All of my newsfeed themes now ends in -𝗶𝘁𝘆: longevity, mobility, flexibility, immunity.

5. I write LinkedIn posts wearing two backpacks to 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 young and cool. I confess: I’m neither.

6. I now bring a jacket. Every time. Doesn’t matter where. Doesn’t matter why.

7. I used to pull a muscle now and then doing radical sports. Now I pull a muscle every week... while sleeping.

Marco Andre

Vice-President, AI Literacy @ Johnson & Johnson • Linkedin Top Voice • Marketing & AI Executive • TEDx & Keynote Speaker • Views are my own

"You're a VP now. You need to be serious.
All the time".


This thought crossed my mind recently.
But do I really? We're wired to default to that.

But 'gravity and levity don't need to be at odds’, as I read in a great book - 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺.

YES, it is possible to:

Smile and make smile, even if no one is looking.
Be childish in a grown-up mind and body.
Crack jokes while still being respectful.
Laugh in the face of misery.
Diffuse stress with humour.
Replace gravity with levity.

I know it’s hard, we’re conditioned to think otherwise.
So every day I fight for it, try to do it .

95% of times, the outcome is good.
5% of times it's bad in same way.

But even when it turns out bad.
It’s not that bad, anyway.
 
Because it makes me feel more human, more me.
And it might, it just might make someone else 
Feel a tiny wee bit more human too.

Even if ‘we’re not supposed to’.
Even for a goofy moment.
Even for a short laughter.
Even for a brief smile.
 
Marco Andre. Being goofy since 1981.
Still here.

‘How do you find the time to write on LinkedIn?’, a friend asked me recently. So I told him my secret:


I wake up at 4 AM every day, after exactly 12.7 hours of deep sleep in a sustainable bamboo bed I built myself.

I slide into a 2-hour fire-breathing meditation, compounded by 10 ice-cold plunges in which I break the time-space continuum to find inspiration to write.

I get into such a state of deep focus, that by lunch time I write 2 stories, 1 autobiography and 3 novels.

After slow-cooking a salmon I fished with my bare hands in a freezing river the day before, I have lunch while speed-reading 2 books simultaneously.

In the afternoon I have my daily check-in with my writing support team: my calligraphy instructor, 47 AI agents, storytelling coach, writing editor. And 2 friendly Oompa‑Loompas that cater to each of my writing needs.

I finish the day by transcribing my stories into ancient Japanese characters, using a 14th century Buddhist monk technique I learned in my yearly 5-month silent retreat.


Well… not really.

I spend my day like all of us, juggling life.
Doing meetings, emails. Travelling, working.
Trying to keep all plates spinning.

So when I have an idea, I jot it down.
And I pick it up ‘one day’ when I have time to develop it, at night or on weekends.

Sometimes I write 200 words in one night.
Other times it takes me a week to write 500.

As easy as some make it seem, no one is perfect. No one has it figured out.

So ‘how do I find the time to write’?

I don’t.

'I'm an introvert, I can't do what you do on stage'
Well, let me tell you a secret... 

I'm a big introvert too, the most INTJ one EVER!
8 things that helped me get up on that stage:

𝟭. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲.
Beyoncé becomes Sasha Fierce. 
I become… {name that will never disclosed here}.

𝟮. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿.
Breath-work. Push-ups. Weird power poses. 
Loud music and unsexy dance moves (in my case).

𝟯. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝘆, 𝘀𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱.
Yes, I rehearse out loud in the street. The more I prepare, the more I can focus on 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, not 𝘮𝘦.

𝟰. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩 𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻.
It taught me it’s not about being “always on”. It’s about knowing when to dial it up… and when to dial it down.

𝟱. 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿.
While you're there, just keep going. 
No one is out to get you. We are all rooting for you. 

𝟲. 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 
The best speakers I know… stumble. And laugh it off. 
That’s what makes them great.

𝟳. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿. 
Adrenaline and cortisol crashes are real. 
Take time for you. Nap approved. You earned it.

𝟴. 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘄𝗮𝘆. 
You don’t have to be the loudest in the room to be heard.
Neither in life, nor on stage.

There's no such thing as "being a natural".
It's hard work. A bit of luck. And more hard work.

So yes. You 𝘤𝘢𝘯 do it too. Just in your own way. 
And maybe, just maybe... 
I’ll see you on stage soon.

We spent most of our careers stuck to defaults.

Don’t believe me? Let’s do a game:

Fill in the blanks below with the first number or word that comes to mind:

We should be in the office __ days a week.

(Was it 5?)

A meeting should be at least __ minutes.

(Was it 30?)

Anything requiring a complex decision needs a __

(Was it “meeting”?)

Good meetings only happen __

(Was it “in-person?)

BONUS ONE: The best pets in the world are __
(It was “dogs” wasn’t it? I knew it!)

Now, we needed a global pandemic to bust the 5 days a week in the office myth.
What do we need to change other defaults?
Nothing. Just us.

Maybe a meeting default should be 15 minutes. 30 minutes is 1/14 of a work day!

Maybe a decision can be made working async. Have you computed the actual cost of your last 7 people meeting? 

Maybe good meetings can happen online too.  And in-person meetings can then more purposeful, intentional.

Maybe the best pets in the world are... NO WAY. This is NOT NEGOTIABLE.
Dogs all the way!

That's my default Monday message, folks.

I actively researched this topic for 16539 days.
Today, I'm revealing my 5 key findings.

On how to simplify life:

1. Sacrifice for what's worth it.
2. Fight for what I believe in.
3. Go where I am wanted.
4. Leave what feels toxic.
5. Rest when I need it.

Yes... it takes effort to make it simple.
I do screw up at times. But it’s worth a try.

Make it special. By making it simple.

Come and work with our team!
What's the catch?

None really.
Just if you want to navigate with us an incredible time, to bring AI Literacy & Adoption to everyone. 

So if you:
1. Are passionate about AI and its impact on health worldwide.

2. Have a strong scientific background, and the ability to distill complex AI developments into its impact in Drug Development.

3. Are willing to help us ensure that AI-related knowledge is curated and informs confident adoption across R&D.

Then check the job post below and please apply directly:
https://lnkd.in/dmU6W7i7 .

This is The Way 🚀

Open article: Director, R&D Data Science & Digital Health - AI Knowledge & Literacy Lead by careers.jnj.com

Director, R&D Data Science & Digital Health - AI Knowledge & Literacy Lead

I was getting it all wrong. 


Using AI is not about outsourcing thinking. Why would I outsource the part that gives me more purpose?

It's about partnering to build faster, to get a first draft ready. That's the draining part. An example:

You have a presentation to your leadership team.
You know what you want to say and key messages.
And now... BAM! You spend an average of 7.16 hours.
Building a Powerpoint, silently cursing at font formatting AND procrastinating.

When you arrive and get to present (for 20 minutes), you're so drained you just want to get it over with.

Whereas, you could have applied your brain power, time and energy on thinking through, discussing with others.

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨?" you might say. 

What was better? Typing numbers into a calculator to get them right - or using Excel to actually make sense of them?

Or even better, get an initial set of insights with AI so you can spend more time analyzing them, articulating and communicating with other humans.

I might still be wrong. It's Monday after all.
But for now I'm gonna say something I never said before.

This is The Way 🚀

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘈𝘐 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵, they said.


Oh yeah? Well, I think you should talk about anything you want.

People come to Linkedin to escape, read about different things, listen to different perspectives.

To write, read, comment, critique, sell, create.
Make people laugh, cry, and even cringe (guilty!).
To have a voice that can't be trolled, even if they try.

Maybe the problem with the world is that a few want to condition what many should talk about, think or do.

So yeah, talk about AI. Talk about your story
Your views, your opinions, your world.
Talk about 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘩𝘢𝘮'𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵.
𝘖𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘢𝘮'𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.

So you think I shouldn't talk about AI?


Just watch me.

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The Battle

Sonal Bhaskaran

Marco Andre 🤖

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The Battle

Sonal Bhaskaran

Marco Andre 🤖

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Sonal Bhaskaran's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreSonal Bhaskaran's LinkedIn Performance