Our mission is to learn from the best.

There are a lot of good people doing great things. We are here to explore what they have in common. Our interviews will go beyond career success. We’ll talk to leaders, athletes and coaches across industries about how they were raised; their hobbies, habits and traditions; what they do to stay motivated and balanced; and who they are as parents, leaders or colleagues.

Common Threads is a new publication about the people who we aspire to, the people we want by our side when things are hard, and who push us to be better. The husbands, wives, colleagues, leaders and friends who inspire us as much with their compassion, vulnerability or empathy as with their confidence, brains and ambition. Who leave their mark through their actions.

Common Threads is not about finding perfection. It’s about finding what’s common in the people who have succeeded by breaking down barriers, who are vulnerable enough to understand and learn from mistakes, and who choose to do it with integrity. They’ve been with us in school, on our sports teams, at work – we know who they are. They don’t fit one mold.

Common Threads isn’t interested in breaking news, nor is it about journalistic excellence. It’s a work in progress started by David Swain. It will be raw, and often long-form. We hope you can skip ahead to content you find helpful for whatever you’re going through in life.

Common Threads is idealistic in aspirations and pragmatic about how to get there. We will explore the harder questions about progress without forgetting the tradeoffs it brings.