Thrive Global: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
Sheel Tyle: If I’m on the west coast, I open the Robinhood app and check my stocks. If in Texas or the East Coast and the market hasn’t opened yet, then I read the NY Times alerts on my phone.
TG: What gives you energy?
ST: Swimming laps in a cold pool. After I get out of the water, I feel simultaneously exhausted and totally alive.
TG: What’s your secret life hack?
ST: Schedule less meetings. It will give you more space to think, read, and focus on time sensitive things.
TG: Name a book that changed your life.
ST: Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. The story of Paul Farmer: a story of resilience, hard work, frugal innovation, and finding opportunity in tough environments.
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?
ST: It sleeps right next to me, even though I know it shouldn’t.
TG: How do you deal with email?
ST: If important, I reply right away. If not, I don’t and therefore often forget about them. It is not perfect but it is the only solution I’ve found, otherwise I would spend all day just sending emails.
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
ST: Read an Economist article or call my Mom!
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
ST: When I was fundraising for Amplo’s first fund, I visited 10+ countries across 6 continents all in a 90 day window. I enjoyed meeting the prospective investors and hearing their stories, but the travel and time zone adjustments were brutal.
TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome it?
ST: I fail all the time, as do the companies I work with. But I constantly remind myself that if it was easy, everyone would do it.
TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace.
ST: “If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito”