Over the Christmas break, I found myself in London, surrounded by family. It was a rare gathering—my daughter flying in from New York, my son already in London, my sister, my brother and his family, and even my niece with her newborn.

After a devastating family tragedy, I was forced to reexamine everything I thought I knew about success and happiness. In this conversation, I share the six surprising catalysts that helped me transform my life—from the timeless wisdom of Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich to Brené Brown’s groundbreaking TED Talk on vulnerability.