Real David Asarnow
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David Asarnow is an authority on Monetizing your business. effectively.
04/28/2026
I had the honor of speaking twice at Embark Rio over the past couple of days, and today I somehow carved out one free morning.
So when you’re in Rio, what do you do?
You hike. :)
I took on Pedra da Gávea, one of Rio’s most iconic climbs at nearly 3,000 feet and about 6 hours. It’s known for some of the best views in the city.
The forecast said the clouds would clear by 9 a.m.
They didn’t.
Instead, I got constant rain, cloud views, homemade hiking poles, slippery rocks, mud, and a pretty clear reminder:
The adventure is still worth it, even when the weather refuses to cooperate.
Would I have loved the postcard view?
Of course.
But honestly, pushing through the rain and mud made it unforgettable.
I made it back just in time for the Embark dinner beach party.
Not a bad day in Rio.
Most people never see the real power of AI because they hand it tasks instead of thinking with it. They ask once, take the first answer, and hope for a breakthrough. Leadership doesn’t work like that. Leadership challenges. Leadership iterates. Leadership demands clarity.
AI mirrors the quality of your thinking. Vague questions create vague results. But when you push it, when you ask deeper questions, when you challenge its assumptions, something shifts. Not in the tool, in you. Curiosity builds leverage. Safety destroys it.
If you want your team thinking at a higher level with AI, send me a message. I’ll show you how to use AI as a partner in thinking, not a shortcut.
Gratitude isn’t always big moments. It’s the small ones you almost overlook. The cold air. The stillness. The laughter halfway up the mountain.
This trek reminded me how full life feels when you stop trying to fill it. 🙏🏼
I’ve always said I have a fear of heights.
And yet… in Nepal I walked across suspension bridges hundreds of feet above the ground.
I’ve gone skydiving (twice). And after our 14-day Manaslu Circuit trek, my son decided to sign us up for paragliding in Nepal, because apparently, I needed one more test.
Somewhere between the takeoff and the moment we caught the wind, I realized something… Maybe it’s not heights I’ve been afraid of.
Maybe it’s the idea of letting go, the part of me that still believed the story that “I’m afraid.”
Sometimes the limits we think we have are just familiar lies we’ve told ourselves to feel safe.
When you stop repeating them, you finally give yourself permission to fly (literally in my case). 🪂
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