Adri Falcon is one of the best coaches around. With Wave.ai, he combines coaching, technology and entrepreneurship. A very relevant guest to help us understand what coaching is and how tech can revolutionize this field! Discover the inspiring interview of a soothing guest.
What is your greatest pride?
I’m proud that I haven’t lost my essentials, that is to say that I have been able to continue, through the ups and downs that life brings, to move forward and to do so in a healthy way and with an intention that is always to propose something positive and not just in an egocentric way.
Is there anything essential that you would have done differently if you had realized it earlier?
I think it’s important to remember that life is short and that you shouldn’t get confused about what really matters in your life. Even if you don’t immediately see what it really means when you hear it, you have to keep it in the back of your mind, and keep trying to update it as you go along.
Is there a company that particularly inspires you at the moment?
Frankly, that’s too difficult a question. Because there are some absolutely amazing projects on so many levels. There are none and almost all of them.
What I find absolutely essential is that the notion of entrepreneurship and creativity are supported and pushed. And what is even more essential is that the people who enter this field, and this is why I also believe in professional coaching, do so by being very conscious of what they are doing and that they are driven by the right reasons. This world needs it.
We live in a world that is very challenged, whether it be on an ecological or economic level… The reference points will change, and it will be absolutely critical that we have thoughtful leaders. I think that everyone can be thoughtful. And to do that, you have to ask the right questions now about why you’re doing things, what your true intention is, what really drives you. And that’s what professional coaching is for, in particular. I’m an ultra positive and enthusiastic about the human race and its ability to overcome its difficulties. So any and all companies, as long as they ask themselves the right questions now.
Are there any encounters that have marked you?
There are a lot of people who have inspired me.
What is a leader? That’s the question. It’s not necessarily a leader of a company or an industry. There are also those I have not met but whom I meet indirectly through readings and videos. And then there are the life leaders who are totally unknown and yet are extraordinary because, on the scale of what they do on a daily basis, they bring a lot to others. So I couldn’t name anyone because there are too many of them. Leaders are inspiring people, and there are many who inspire me.
Are there any day-to-day tools that help you to be more productive?
My diary. I was talking about rhythm earlier. I have my reference points, everything is set. Your days are 24 hours long. It’s very important to sleep and to have periods of decompression. So in fact, I set everything down because if you want to get the most out of your day, it’s important to be structured during that day.
So my diary is absolutely key, it’s an anchor so that I can live professionally and personally what I want to live. I set myself a framework that allows me to have freedom within that framework. I will enter this framework by being fully present, by concentrating on my task and then following my pace. Obviously there are ups and downs in your day, in your life, in your daily life that make you readjust, but at least you do it consciously. I never undergo time.
Is there an app in your phone that you would recommend everyone to have?
That’s not very original. I use Notes to write positive thoughts for myself every morning. I also have a notebook, because I like the handwritten aspect in a digital world, I think it’s important to have some physical contact with a pen and paper.
Is there anyone in the world of tech, innovation or entrepreneurship that you would recommend to me to have at this microphone?
Firmin Zocchetto from Payfit. He’s an incredible person with an exceptional career path, and I think he has a lot to say. He has the maturity of someone who has come a long way and at the same time, we must not forget his age and what he has built.
Is there a piece of advice that you were given that proved to be very useful?
Yes, it’s a phrase that my father always repeated to me which was written by Confucius, which is: the important thing is not what happens to you, but what you want to do with it. And whatever happens, you can do something with it.
Is there any music at the moment that you would listen to over and over again?
Oh my, there’s a lot! I’m a big music fan. Listen, I’m going to say the album by Grand Corps Malade, Ben Mazué and Gaël Faye, which I really like. And there are some very, very beautiful and inspiring songs on it.
Can you tell us something about yourself that people would be surprised to know?
I am tattooed, but I only have one tattoo, which is a life mantra that I discovered through my introspective work, and which is one of my anchors. I keep this mantra to myself, but I got it tattooed, so I would never forget it.
Is there a habit you are trying to start or stop?
One habit I want to get back into is that I used to have a routine where I would get up every morning and start by doing yoga for ten minutes. I would do it every day, and it felt amazing. Then I would follow that up with five minutes of meditation. And actually, it’s a very powerful practice. But it’s hard to hold it sometimes. I held it for a very long time. It did me a lot of good. Now my rhythm has shifted a bit, and that’s why I want to take it up again.
Can you give us a book that has particularly marked you?
The one that comes to mind because I’ve just reread it isn’t always easy to read, but it’s called Surfer la vie by Joël de Rosnay, who is an incredible person. He is someone who has a lot of life experience, who brought surfing to France, who was a great surfing champion, but above all who also worked at MIT and who makes an analogy between surfing and life, with an approach which is both very light and at the same time very scientific.
If you had to give one piece of advice to someone who wants to follow the same path as you, what would it be?
Get to grips with things. You know why you’re going, you know where you want to go, but you can’t know everything in advance. So take the movement as it comes. And then, anyway, it’s not going to be one wave. Go back, do it again and again, but with the right intention, with the notion of pleasure, with the notion of desire, not for other reasons, and things will come. The most interesting thing about the notion of difficulty is what happens afterwards. And in fact, it’s the post-hardship rebound. It is incredibly powerful as long as you embrace this movement very simply.