From running track and designing sustainable buildings as an engineer in Canada to pursuing an MBA and pitching a decarbonization venture in Switzerland, this is the story of Somerset Jarvis.
In this episode, John and Konsti sit down with Somerset to explore how sports shaped her approach to business, why she believes positivity is practical (not naïve), and how she’s tackling the challenge of decarbonising infrastructure. They discuss leadership in moments of setback, the role of community in building confidence, and why bringing your A-game every day matters more than you think.
Key Takeaways and Highlights
Bring Your A-Game: Somerset credits her family with teaching her to show up fully: “You never know what opportunities the day has in store for you. Always bring your A-game.”
Managing Energy, Not Time: Inspired by IMD’s leadership classes and Professor Katharina Lange, she reframes recovery: “You don’t need to manage your time, you need to manage your energy.” Short resets, like journaling or connecting with breath, help her sustain high performance.
Sports and Resilience: Running and tennis taught her that setbacks are inevitable, but resilience is a choice: “It’s not whether you’ll get knocked down, but how quickly you come back.”
Leadership Beyond Ego: As captain of her university track team, she learned more in the years she couldn’t compete: “Leadership isn’t about winning medals. It’s about motivating the team, even when you’re not the one on the line.”
Community and Belonging: A highlight of her MBA year was finishing a 10K run at MBAT with classmates running beside her: “It showed me you can do anything with an amazing support network.”
Making a Ripple: From a waste-free challenge in university to pursuing systemic change in infrastructure, Somerset believes small actions add up: “If I can inspire even one person to change, that’s worth it.”
What We Learned
Konsti: Positivity and energy aren’t superficial; they shape trust, leadership, and opportunity.
John: Managing energy can matter more than managing time.
Somerset: The magic happens when you create trust and connection, similar to what happened during the show. This encourages people to share more than they planned.
Enjoy the show!
Bonus
A week after the recording, we learned that Somerset won IMD’s Venture Award for her brilliant startup idea! Well done Somerset. Listen to the show to hear all about it.
