And from how he’s translated Maslow’s hierarchy of needs into a hierarchy of hospitality, to his deep understanding of Joseph Campbell’s revolutionary approach to storytelling, I knew his knowledge would be invaluable.

Whether it was the pace of growth of a “unicorn,” cultural trends of millennials, or how to size up the needs of Silicon Valley investors, Brian taught me as much as I taught him.

Show me the typical question that emerges from a meeting of any company’s leaders, and I’ll show you the culture of that organization.

He instinctively knew that we don’t just have our stories, we embody them. We are our stories.

It was from him I learned: Let your energy impact the people you’re talking to, as opposed to the other way around.