Playing the Second Half

For ten years, the little forest behind our house was simply there.We threw garden waste over the hawthorn. An old and rather sinister bird trap stood hidden among the trees. Parts of it were overgrown and forgotten.We bought it after a long process.Then we started clearing it.What began as weeks of cleaning, cutting and carrying slowly became something completely different - a place I began to know, care for and spend time in.Along the way there were chainsaws, ravens, a little Nordic mythology, Rachmaninoff - and eventually three hammocks among the trees.This is a story about a small forest. But perhaps also about what happens when we begin to pay attention to something that has been beside us all along.Playing the Second Half.Viva a vida!Music licensed through Soundstripe.Beethoven’s 5th GradeCode: RA0HH0FJZUQXVS4A, Lucky DuckCode: CYIIJQVAHTVFEIWRSergei Rachmaninoff — Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18II. Adagio sostenutoRecording: MusopenSource: Wikimedia CommonsRecording released into the public domain by Musopen.#PlayingTheSecondHalf #TheForest #Nature #LifeAfter60 #SecondHalfOfLife #Sweden #VivaAVida

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There are moments when you can see happiness in someone’s eyes. Moments when you can see sadness.

And there are moments when you simply don’t know.

This is a story about my daughter Maria, a memory from when she was little, and a day we recently spent together in Malmö.

A train journey. A beautiful city. A restaurant she had long wanted to visit. An unexpected first job interview in her new career.

And, at the end of the day, a photobooth.

A small story about parenthood, what we sometimes fail to see in the people we love, and those wonderful moments when happiness becomes impossible to miss.

Playing the Second Half.

Viva a vida!

PlaytimeMusic licensed through Soundstripe.Code: 4C8QJHXMITQ2HNI7

Lucky DuckMusic licensed through Soundstripe

Code: GKNSFUXZM6SFH7OMSunrise

Music Licensed through SoundstripeCode: CL2C3VG5DLFNV8HR

RadiantMusic Licensed through SoundstripeCode: PXWTOBJWE6Z94K3G

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Nine Saturdays. Nine stories. One unforgettable summer.I never imagined that Playing the Second Half - Summer 2026 would become something that, in many ways, changed me as a person.Nine very different lives.Stories of crisis, healing, reinvention, adventure, contentment, curiosity, community - and what it means to keep playing the many second halves of life.In this film, I look back at one moment from each conversation that meant something special to me.Some made me laugh. Some made me think. And some moved me deeply.I laughed a lot this summer. And yes, sometimes I cried after these conversations. But never out of sadness. Out of admiration.And perhaps one of the most beautiful things happened afterwards.Henning shared his conversation with his daughter, who was deeply moved by it. Marie-Louise shared hers with her mother, opening new conversations between them.That was when I began to understand that perhaps these conversations had become something more than I imagined when I started.Thank you, Pontus, Marie-Louise, Tina, Leonardo, Aminah, Steve, Henning, Ida and Andreas, for trusting me with your stories.Thank you for making this summer so special.And for changing my life.Viva a Vida!

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And here we are. Our Episode 9 with Andreas Granström and indeed a Grand Finale!

Crisis. Healing. Leadership - was the theme chosen by Andreas.

Crisis – Diagnosed with Bipolar Type I, Andreas had to fight through periods of depression and mania. It was so courageous and moving to hear him so openly describe his struggles.

Healing – Father of four, a loving father and an impressing work life and career.

What defines Andreas is not his diagnosis but the belief that we should never be prisoners of our existing thought behaviour. Learn more about that and his path to healing.

And finally, Leadership. Honestly, having worked with Executive Development myself, I thought I had seen all different sorts of perspectives about leadership. But what Andreas means and believes leadership is all about is the most powerful perspective I have ever witnessed.

Enjoy this conversation. Afterwards it took me a while, and I must admit I cried quite a bit of admiration.

This is the end of the Summer series…well, no way. Hope you, like Churchill, also think that:

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

Viva a vida!

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Wow!

Our Episode 8 takes us to the Azores for a fascinating conversation with Ida and The Adventure of the Spirit.

A conversation about what it means to keep becoming.

So many second halves in one remarkable life. Dutch team chess champion at the age of 12. Theatre, photography and filmmaking. Philosophy and high-tech. A break in Mongolia to ride horses across the open steppe. And eventually, the Azores.

From there, Ida is now exploring one of the biggest questions of our time through her PhD: Human Critical Thinking and Creativity and the Rise of the Artificial Superintelligence God.

What does it mean to be human in the age of AI? And how do we continue to think critically, creatively and deeply in a world increasingly shaped by intelligent machines?

What struck me most, however, was not Ida’s impressive journey or her remarkable intellect. It was her curiosity, her openness to life, and her willingness to keep choosing adventure over certainty.

I have rarely met someone so intellectually curious and so passionate about life. I have a feeling you too will fall in love with Ida during this conversation.

Enjoy Episode 8 of the Summer Series.

Nine Saturdays. Nine Stories. Nine Wonderful People.

Viva a vida!

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I met Henning only once, face to face.

He arrived at my summer house in his beautiful Aston Martin, together with Sana, a friend of my wife Annika. We had dinner, they stayed overnight, and during that short time, I simply felt that I wanted Henning to be part of the Summer Series.

And I was so right to trust that instinct.

What does it mean to keep learning throughout an entire life?

Henning chose the words Ancora imparo - “I am still learning” - as the theme of our conversation.

He spent 40 years with DHL, joining when the company was still largely unknown in Sweden and growing with it into the global organization it is today.

But this conversation is not mainly about his career.

It is about what comes next.

After losing several people close to him far too early, Henning decided to leave work while he still had the time and health to explore life in a different way.

Today, he is learning Italian, playing the saxophone with his daughter, restoring an old wooden sailing boat, caring for the island that has been part of his life since childhood - and, yes, enjoying his beautiful Aston Martin.

But perhaps the most important thing he is learning is something much simpler: how to be content. How to appreciate what is already here. And how to give something back.

This is a warm conversation about curiosity, friendship, family, retirement, and the preciousness of time.

Enjoy my conversation with Henning von Beetzen.

Viva a vida!

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I first met Steve Newman in New York when I was taking over his role at Ericsson. We spent a year working closely together, and I learned an enormous amount from him - not only about leadership, but about life.

Steve has lived on several continents, hitchhiked across America, served in the Peace Corps in Uganda, taught, travelled, and collected extraordinary stories. But after reading his beautiful memoir, Where the Lantern Hangs, I realized that the real thread running through his life is not only adventure. It is curiosity... and laughter.

Steve has this remarkable ability to find humor almost everywhere. Even life’s hardest moments become stories that make you smile and, somehow, also make you think.

This conversation is about finding home, about leaving and returning, about love, and about living with an open mind.

You will hear about memorable encounters - with Marilyn Monroe, Idi Amin, and an America I never knew existed. But above all, you will discover how Steve’s curiosity opened doors. Whether sharing a long beer straw in Uganda or meeting people from completely different walks of life, he shows how approaching every encounter with curiosity and an open mind can transform the way we experience the world.

Before someone turns Where the Lantern Hangs into a movie - which I sincerely hope happens one day - don’t miss reading Steve’s wonderful memoir. And until then, don’t miss this conversation either.

You will love Episode 6. Even if you know Steve, I think you’ll be surprised by the sheer number of adventures he has experienced. You’ll laugh as much as we did - and be reminded of what an extraordinary gift a well-lived life can be.

Summer 2026 is going by far too quickly!

Viva a vida!

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We often say about a great book, “I started reading it and simply couldn’t put it down.”

With Aminah’s book, Flickan som blev kvar – Att finna lugn och lycka efter trauma - or, translated into English, The Girl Left Behind – Finding Peace and Joy After Trauma - I had almost the opposite experience.

I had to stop reading several times.

Not because I wanted to stop reading. Quite the opposite. It is now among the best books I have ever read. I stopped because I needed to catch my breath. I needed to stop crying.

There are books that teach us something. And then there are books that change the way we look at life. For me, this was one of those books.

When Aminah was only ten years old, her father killed her mother. She was separated from her family, had a father in prison and was placed in a foster home, where she was later sexually abused by someone close to that family.

Most people would understand if that became the defining story of her life.

But it didn’t.

What defines Aminah today is not what happened to her, but what she has done with her life since.

She healed.

She found peace.

She found joy.

And today she dedicates her life to helping others find their own strength, as well as being a voice for children who experience trauma.

Her book, and her life story, are ultimately stories of resilience. They are about the triumph of life.

As Helen Keller - who, despite being both deaf and blind, became one of the most inspiring human beings of the twentieth century - once said:

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”

I have never met anyone who embodies those words more than Aminah.

After getting to know her, I found myself thinking differently about the title of her book. While the English translation is The Girl Left Behind, I almost think of it as The Girl Who Remained.

Because despite everything that happened, she somehow preserved something essential from the little girl she was before that terrible night. Not untouched by life, but still guided by the same kindness, curiosity, and capacity to love.

To me, that is the real miracle of her story.

I hope this conversation stays with you long after you’ve listened. And if, afterwards, you feel inspired to read Aminah’s remarkable book, I think we will have accomplished something truly worthwhile.

Viva a vida!

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A well-known neuroscientist from Karolinska in Stockholm - one of the world’s leading medical institutions - and a fun fact it is also home to the commitee that selects the Nobel Prize in Medicine - well this neurocientist said it was impossible to both play musical instruments and ride a bicycle at the same time and at different rhythms. He presumed that the pedaling cadence might be coupled to the musical tempo, as it happens with the legs motion in marching bands. Leonardo proved him wrong. Not only did he perform while cycling, he created an entire Cyclophonica – Bicycle Chamber Orchestra.Having invented more than 200 musical instruments, Leonardo is a musician, engineer, inventor... and the list goes on.Yet beyond all his talents, Leonardo is one of the kindest, funniest, most curious people - and one of the best listeners - I have ever met.I admire him deeply. So when I decided to create this Summer Series, he was one of the first people I reached out to. I wanted to reconnect with an old friend and learn more about the many chapters of his remarkable life.What followed was a wonderful conversation - interrupted for a few minutes by a monkey! And not a small one. Just one of many unexpected moments in this fascinating interview.Thank you, Leonardo, for sharing your life story so openly, including the Kafkaesque legal process you are currently facing. We are all cheering for justice to prevail and for this story to reach the happy and fair ending it deserves.Enjoy Episode 4 of the Summer Series. “Reinventing Myself” is a story of second halves, new paths, creativity, courage, and the joy of continually becoming.It was fantastic reconnecting with you Leonardo!Viva a vida!

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I was a little nervous before this conversation with Tina. We had never met before.I didn’t need to be.From the very first minutes, it felt like we had known each other for a long time. We had so much fun.Tina Tornell’s big life transition did not come after a dramatic event, but through the slow realization that, after twenty years in banking, she wanted something more meaningful. She left it all behind to devote her life to helping others understand themselves better.From Banking to Self-Awareness is the theme Tina chose for her life story.If you’re Swedish, you probably know Alfons Åberg. Tina’s childhood was a little like Alfons’. After her parents separated, she was raised by her father - something quite unusual at the time. As you’ll discover, that close relationship would later bring both love and conflict, making Tina’s life story so unique and deeply human.You’ll love Tina’s positive energy and passion for life.And if you’re watching the video podcast, you’ll also love her beautiful smile.Together, we explore the Enneagram - a fascinating framework describing nine personality patterns that can help us better understand ourselves and the people around us. Interestingly, ennea means nine.Maybe there is something special about that number.Enjoy Episode 3 of our summer series.9 Saturdays. 9 Stories. 9 Wonderful People.And yes... the more I meet these nine wonderful people and reflect on their journeys, the more I find myself thinking:Viva the summer of 2026! Viva la vida!

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