Shane Parrish on Clear Thinking, Emotional Mastery & Decision-Making That Matters

Founder of Farnam Street and Author of Clear Thinking, Shane Parrish has built a global reputation for helping leaders think clearly when it matters most. From his years in Canada’s intelligence community to writing Clear Thinking, Shane has spent decades studying how decisions really get made, and how to make better ones. In this episode of VTEX Live, host Mariano Gomide, Founder & Co-CEO of VTEX, sits down with Shane Parrish for a conversation on emotional mastery, decision-making, and leadership in uncertain times. Shane shares why emotional mastery matters more than ever, how slowing down can speed up success, and what great leaders do differently when making big decisions. He also explains why his book Clear Thinking went through three rewrites, how decision journals help teams, and why slowing down is really about getting the direction right. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by decisions or unsure when to slow down, this episode shows why clear thinking, not constant motion, is what drives real progress. YouTube Chapters 00:00 VTEX’s beginnings, from 70 people to a stage for Barack Obama 01:45 Why unifying Brazil’s tech industry mattered for global impact 03:10 Shane’s first impressions of Brazil and its energy 04:05 Emotional mastery and why it matters for better decisions 06:40 How emotions shape and sometimes sabotage our choices 08:24 The three rewrites that shaped Clear Thinking into a bestseller 10:15 What Shane learned from years in Canada’s intelligence community 11:05 Decision journals, delegation, and developing better teams 13:59 Expertise vs. coasting: Why doing the work matters 16:15 Speed vs. velocity, how slowing down can speed things up 18:10 Navigating volatility, interest rates, and global uncertainty 19:55 The mindset shift every leader needs for the future Resources: Shane Parrish LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/?originalSubdomain=ca) Farnam Street (FS) (https://fs.blog/about/) Clear Thinking (Book) (https://ia801209.us.archive.org/0/items/clear-thinking/ClearThinking.pdf) If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on: Apple: https://bit.ly/4fx2r8Q YouTube: https://bit.ly/3HrkHDE