What do you do when the world starts changing faster than your ability to make sense of it? Do you hold tighter to what you know… or do you learn how to evolve, let go, and redefine who you are? In this episode, I sit down with legendary investor and True Ventures partner Tony Conrad, a man who has helped shape some of the most influential companies of the past two decades — and who is now in the most reflective stage of his life and career. We talk about the quiet side of leadership, the inner work required to stay relevant, why the AI revolution is forcing everyone to rethink their value, and how a surreal moment in a deportation jail in India woke him up to the fragility of everything we take for granted. Timestamps: 00:00 — Who is Tony Conrad? Identity beyond job titles 02:00 — Building True Ventures & the early days nobody saw 05:00 — The J-curve years: failure, doubt, and patience 08:00 — AI: the biggest shift of Tony’s lifetime 10:00 — How True Ventures stays mentally fit as a team 12:00 — Culture > ego: why they avoid the Midas List 14:00 — Travel, awareness & seeing the world clearly again 17:00 — The India deportation jail story 20:00 — Japan, America & the truth about cultural contrast 22:00 — Why Tony stayed in San Francisco through every cycle 25:00 — Reinventing his role: from “points on the board” to empowering others 27:00 — Being public vs staying private: how the VC world has changed 30:00 — The ancient teachers question & who Tony would speak to 33:00 — Shackleton, survival & the greatest leadership example he knows **** Get your copy of Personal Socrates: Better Questions, Better Life   Connect with Marc >>> Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | * A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas. 🧠  x 🥵 = 😃 * Special props 👇 Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.