👗🤖 How ChatGPT Improved My Fashion Style. Or Did It?

My sense of style took a very real downturn during the pandemic.

Not because I suddenly stopped owning nice things (multiple closets, still standing).
 Not because I ran out of skincare (I could open a small apothecary).
 But because I felt… uninspired. A bit at a loss.

Then a friend told my husband and I how he used ChatGPT to upgrade his closet:
 📸 he photographed everything (including suits in deep retirement)
 🧠 asked for a diagnosis
 ✂️ got ideas like tailoring for a modern cut, changing buttons, what to store, what to give away
 …plus best colors, glasses, haircut — the whole “AI stylist” package.

I didn’t go full inventory mode (I’m not running a warehouse).
 But the seed was planted.

So I tested it in a more realistic way:
 🎥 YouTube — but with intent (I research, I don’t scroll)
 🎨 ChatGPT — for color analysis (20 seconds, bam… plus very obscure shades I can’t find anywhere)
 😬 Then I uploaded a few no-makeup, natural-light photos for hair/skin/makeup advice and learned:

• My “French girl hair” is… not a strategy
• My left profile wins (apparently Bezos has billions, I have eyebrow symmetry)
• I’m oval-faced (identity shift)
• I’m not (yet) a facelift candidate
• A dermatologist appointment was politely suggested (of course)

Then I went back to YouTube for body shape advice because… yes, there are limits to what I’m uploading.

The real punchline:
 AI is great at patterns.
 But it still needs your context, preferences, and critical thinking.

It’s a servant. Not a master. Even in fashion.

Full story in the newsletter — witty, practical, and mildly humiliating.
 👇 Link in comments.

#PersonalBrand #AI #ChatGPT #Style #SlowFashion

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

#privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare

Everyone is debating AI fluency.
 Or DEI.
 Or generational friction.

But the real productivity drains I see inside organizations are far less fashionable — and far more costly.

1️⃣ Lack of empowerment
 Rooms full of smart people waiting for permission.
 Circular meetings.
 Silence until things blow up.

2️⃣ Not connecting the dots
 Process over purpose.
 Templates over thinking.
 “I’m just doing my job.”

3️⃣ People completely tapped out
 Burned-out professionals don’t think long term.
 They survive short term.

And yet… we keep expecting technology to fix it.

AI will not solve fear.
 Dashboards will not create courage.
 Software will not connect dots.

If you care about performance, productivity, and valuation — this is where the real leverage is.

New newsletter out.
 It might make a few synchronized notebook openings slightly uncomfortable.

#Leadership #OrganizationalCulture #Productivity #ValueCreation

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

#privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare

Integrity is not sexy.
 It doesn’t trend.
 It doesn’t sparkle on a résumé or a dating profile.

And yet… it’s the one thing you really can’t afford to ignore.

In my latest newsletter, I argue that integrity is the most boring value with the highest ROI — whether you’re hiring, dating, choosing friends, clients, or even employers.

Because here’s the uncomfortable truth:
 You can hire brilliant.
 You can date charming.
 You can work with “impressive.”

But if you skip the integrity check, you may have just signed up for a slow-motion disaster. 💣

We all ignore the signals at first:
 • the “harmless” white lies
 • the chronic unreliability
 • the gossip framed as bonding
 • the small rule-bending that’s apparently no big deal

Until it is.

This newsletter is about patterns, not perfection.
About pressure-testing integrity before the cost shows up on your balance sheet — emotional, professional, or otherwise.

Fair warning:
 Integrity compounds slowly. Quietly. Almost boringly.
 But the absence of it? That compounds fast.

🧭 Integrity First: The Most Boring Value You Can’t Afford to Ignore
📬 New podcast out now.

If you’ve ever thought “something feels off, but I can’t quite put my finger on it” — this one’s for you.

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

#privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare

What car would the people in your life be? 🚗

Over the past few years, friendship has quietly moved to the top of my personal agenda.
 Pandemic effect? Age? Life doing what life does? Probably all of the above.

We all have circles.
 First circle: the people who truly have your back.
 Second, third… and some who shouldn’t even be on the map.

After a recent party, I realized a friend had moved from my first circle to my third.
 And suddenly, a very clear image came to mind: a car.

Once I started seeing people through that lens, I couldn’t unsee it.

• The Antique Italian Convertible: exhilarating… when it works. Mostly drama.
• The Volvo: deeply reliable, slightly boring, quietly invaluable.
• The Mini: fun and dependable — the gold standard.
• The Range Rover / G Wagon: entitlement on wheels.
• The Ferrari: access, elegance, unforgettable — but rarely parked.
• The Minivan: no longer a human, now a parent.
• The Nissan Leaf: morally superior and silently judging you.
• The Beat-Up Honda Civic: down on luck, still running, somehow.
• And yes… the White Van. No explanation needed.

The exercise isn’t about judging others (well… not only).
It’s about being honest with ourselves about who belongs in which circle, and what each relationship actually costs — and gives back.

I wrote the full piece as a lighthearted but very real reflection on friendship, boundaries, and energy.

And if you’re wondering:
 I’m personally a mix of Volvo and, hopefully, Mini Cooper.
Reliable when it matters. Fun when it counts.
Always trying to stay out of the white van category.

👉 Full newsletter in the comments.
 Curious: what car are you?

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

#privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare

💡 What if innovation started with people — not technology?

This week, Dubai quietly did something North America still struggles to do.

A Dhs12.8bn expansion of Dubai Silicon Oasis isn’t just another tech park story. It’s a lesson in how to build an innovation ecosystem that actually works — where housing, healthcare, education, transit, and advanced tech are designed together, from day one.

In my latest newsletter, I explore:
 • Why Dubai is putting people first and technology second (on purpose)
• What North America gets right — and what it keeps retrofitting too late
• Why integrated ecosystems may be the real competitive advantage in the global talent race

This isn’t about shiny buildings or buzzwords.
 It’s about systems thinking, long-term capital, and human outcomes.

📩 If you’re thinking about innovation, cities, talent, or capital allocation — this one’s for you.

#Innovation #FutureOfCities #KnowledgeEconomy #UAE #Leadership #CapitalAllocation #SystemsThinking

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

#privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare

Yes. Five. Minutes.

No leggings.
 No 45-minute commitments.
 No heavy weights.
 No “no pain, no gain” theatrics.

Just short bursts scattered through the day that actually… happen.

I don’t like working out.
 I like moving. Big difference.

This newsletter is about how I stopped fighting my personality, ignored fitness trends, and built a system that:
 – strengthens my body
 – doesn’t disgust me
 – and survives real life, winter, ugly sneakers, and motivation gaps

If exercise has ever felt like a lifestyle you had to join rather than something you could just do — this one’s for you.

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

#privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare

Last week I attended the 2026 Macroeconomic Outlook organized by 100 Women In Finance at Scotiabank—and walked away with one conviction:

The conversation was anchored by Rebekah Young, Laura Lau and Nan Chen, CFA, FRM 

Global growth is holding (~3.2% in 2025), markets are still up, AI momentum is real—and yet:

Job and wage cooling is unmistakable

The disconnect between markets and the real economy is widening

AI is shifting from hype to maintenance capital

Canada sits at a crossroads: invest—or hollow out

The mood? Uncomfortably optimistic.

No recession, but no margin for complacency.

In this week’s newsletter, I break down:

Why uncertainty is no longer a phase, but the backdrop

Why AI’s biggest winners may not be who you think

Why Canada’s next 24 months are critical

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

#privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare

We all know the data by now:
Screens are rewiring our brains, shrinking attention spans, and quietly eroding social skills and relationships.

Yet family dinners look like a row of people sitting next to each other…
scrolling.

Parents model presence—or absence.
Playgrounds are louder, attention is shorter, and boredom (which kids actually need) has disappeared.

And Silicon Valley’s solution?
👉 More apps to help us be on social media less.
I love the irony.

Here’s the thing: I love my phone.
Maps. Payments. Music. News. Connection.
But during the holidays, my average daily screen time was 19 minutes.

Not because of superhuman willpower.
Because of ground rules.

No doom-scrolling.
Paper over screens whenever possible.
Designing the environment instead of fighting it.
Are you designing your habits—or letting them design you?

#attentioneconomy  #digitalwellbeing  #leadership  #presence  #thinkingtime 

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

#privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare

Dinner party. Assigned seating.
Luxury objects being passed around.
Inventories compared.
Photos shown.
Colleagues' behaviors discussed—at length

If this had been women with handbags, the verdict would have been immediate: vain, shallow, boring 🙄

But it wasn’t. It was men. With watches ⌚

So suddenly:
 – it’s not vanity, it’s craftsmanship 🛠️
 – not gossip, but “knowing the ecosystem” 🌐
 – not posturing, but passion

Same behavior. Entirely different intellectual upgrade.

No outrage here. No gender war either.
Just a quiet observation on how effortlessly we reframe the same signals—depending on who’s sending them 🧠

Next time a dinner conversation strikes you as “impressive” or “trivial,” try one experiment: swap the gender.
The story usually rewrites itself ✨

 

#Leadership 

#Power 

#gender

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

#privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare

🎯 If you set only one career resolution for 2026, make it this.

Stop treating LinkedIn like a photo album
And start treating it like your own HBR 📖

Thought leadership isn’t about posting more.
It’s about thinking better — and making that thinking visible 🧠

Writing regularly has:

sharpened how I listen 👂

clarified how I think ✍️

elevated the conversations I have 💬

and, yes, quietly unlocked career opportunities 🚪

Not because I post pictures of where I go —
but because I share what I see, what it means, and why it matters.

I spoke about this in my latest podcast — why insightful communication may be the most underestimated career lever we have.

 #ThoughtLeadership #CareerDevelopment #Leadership #ProfessionalGrowth #executivepresence 

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

#privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare