We start this podcast series with an amazing guest - Henrik Pålsson.
It was from Henrik that I first heard the expression “Young at Heart.” Something he captures so well in the way he lives.
But if being “Young at Heart” were not enough, Henrik inspires us with something even deeper. Let me explain.
In The Moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maugham - one of my favorite novels, inspired by the life of the painter Gauguin - the narrator meets a man - Captain Brunot - who has bought a barren island in the Pacific.
Together with his wife, he slowly transforms it into a garden. They build a house, plant trees, raise their children there, and even have a piano shipped from France so the children can learn music.
At one point the narrator reflects something beautiful:
“I have often thought since that he was the only happy man I have ever known.
He had made his life a work of art. He was an artist in life.”
Although I read this book long ago, this short passage has stayed vividly in my mind. All of a sudden the message of the whole book, as I remember it, was not about the later famous Gauguin, but about the contrast with this man - Captain Brunot - who lived life as if it were art itself.
Henrik reminds me of that.
Today he is helping transform an island in the Philippines into a paradise through connectivity, energy solutions, and innovative business models.
The way Henrik lives his life - and uses his time - is an inspiration.
During the interview I also learned about difficult moments in his life, including the loss of his son at the age of two. Seeing Henrik today as such a joyful person, I would never have imagined the depth of sorrow he has carried.
We both loved this conversation. I am sure you will too.
It is shared here in its full, uncut version - because it is worth taking the time to connect the dots of a life well lived, and the hurdles we all may encounter along the way.
Thank you, Henrik, for being who you are - young at heart and making life itself a work of art.
Enjoy our conversation.
