Former Senior Portfolio Strategist and Head of China Research, Paul Podolsky (‘04-‘20) left Bridgewater after 16 years to pursue a lifelong passion for writing. Already deep into writing his second book, he returned to the firm to discuss his first novel, "Raising a Thief."

In a conversation hosted by Head of Corporate Engagement Robyn Shepherd, Paul shared both creative advice and gratitude to the former colleagues who read drafts of his work in progress. He discussed how, in describing his own struggles to raise his adopted daughter, he opened a door for vulnerable reader responses about the challenging journey to becoming the parent you aspire to be.

The Bridgewater alum also unpacked how he transformed his discipline as an investor into a creative regimen as an author, from maintaining a Substack for ideas, to reading between the lines of feedback, to honing the most important creative discipline: trusting your intuition. “You have to listen to yourself,” he told former Bridgewater colleagues. “And if you’re having trouble listening to yourself, you actually have to make a practice out of it.”