Blog Archives

Dancing with the Storm

storm mindset tennis performance

I was watching the new Rafael Nadal documentary on Netflix when something his Uncle Toni said stopped me:

That line followed me onto the court.

Because despite all the matches I’ve played, despite knowing—intellectually—that it’s “just a match,” I still felt the familiar surge: the tightening chest,

Read more ›



From Inversion to Aspiration: Choosing Vitality Over Comfort

Charlie Munger Inversion to Aspiration

Last week, my reflections were guided by Charlie Munger’s favorite mental model: inversion.

Rather than asking how to design a good life, the question was simpler and sterner: What does a bad life look like—and how might we avoid it?

Read more ›



How I Won a Tennis Tournament by Doing Less, Not More

challenges winning tennis doubles

I recently won my first doubles tennis tournament in a few years. This was the most satisfying because we won four matches on three surfaces, with one of the battles being quite challenging, requiring a come-from-behind victory.

Gary Carmell won his first Doubles title April 2026

It took longer than I expected—and probably longer than I wanted—but in retrospect,

Read more ›



Playing in Our Own Plays

Playing in Our Own Plays

Barcelona, the zoo, clay courts, and the art of living awake

We were in Barcelona—intentionally and accidentally at the same time.

Heather and I arrived after spending the prior week at the Rolex Monte‑Carlo Open,

Read more ›



Trade-Offs in Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo Heather and Gary Carmell

Sometimes the Place Trumps the Play
On Trade‑Offs, Tennis, and the Economics of Time

Thomas Sowell famously defined economics not as money, markets, or math, but as the allocation of scarce resources that have alternative uses.

Read more ›



Beyond the Baseline

Gary & Heather Carmell BNP Paribas Open 2026

Heather and I had the great pleasure of seeing some incredible tennis at Indian Wells We saw 12 matches, including the best match of all, Djokovic versus Draper, which had what the announcers categorized as one of the best points they have ever seen It was an epic 26 shot rally with incredible,

Read more ›



From Tennis Courts to Ticker Tapes: A Micro Story Inside the AI Software Selloff

SaaSpocalypse

The last few weeks have been brutal for software stocks. Words like carnage, panic, and even “SaaSpocalypse” have crept into investor vocabulary as shares of companies long viewed as durable compounders—Salesforce,

Read more ›



The Power of Momentum

The Power of Momentum
Five Years, One Heart, and the Quiet Power of Momentum

February 9th marked the fifth anniversary of my heart surgery to repair a damaged mitral valve. It’s a date I don’t celebrate with fanfare, but I do honor it with reflection.

Read more ›



Be Free in Your Head: What Roger Federer Taught Me During the Australian Open

Be Free Roger Federer

While watching the Australian Open, a commercial featuring Roger Federer flashed across the screen. In it, he said something that stopped me mid‑scroll:

“Be free in your head, be free in your shots, go for it.
The brave will be rewarded here.”

It was classic Federer — elegant,

Read more ›



Lessons from NMHC and Melbourne

Lessons from NMHC and Melbourne
Five‑Set Tennis, Five‑Set Markets: Lessons from NMHC and Melbourne

For more than 25 years, the National Multi-Housing Council meeting has been one of my annual rituals—a place to take the pulse of the apartment market by listening to smart people, absorbing the mood of owners,

Read more ›



Categories

Free Insights