About Me

Hey there. I'm James Golebie [goal-ah-bee]. Analyst, designer, INTJ.

This website is my personal blog, portfolio, and general home for some of my creative output. I've found that many people I admired maintained sites like this. Learn more about my inspiration and goals in creating this site here.

I grew up in the South Hills of Pittsburgh and graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School. Even as a child, I was fascinated by technology and entrepreneurship. I constantly sought out the latest gadgets and looked for new problems to solve.

In elementary school, I set up a refreshments stand on the local golf course. In middle school, I started a neighborhood yard work business that allowed me to earn money year-round. In high school, I spent weekends caddying at a country club before landing my first hourly job as a groundskeeper at a local driving range and mini golf course.

After high school, I attended Xavier University in Cincinnati, graduating with a degree in Business Administration focused on Marketing and Economics. Although I never enjoyed the structure of the traditional school system, I have an intense curiosity and love for constant learning and research.

I also care deeply about others and am patient and long-term focused. I enjoy lifelong pursuits like running, cycling, skiing, golfing, and cooking that allow me to continually improve and master new skills.

I'm also a huge sports fan who loves witnessing top performers compete at the highest levels. If it's the playoffs, championships, or any high stakes "for all the marbles" competition, no matter the sport I'm interested.

Great design in all aspects of life, from graphic design to architecture, is incredibly important to me. I find joy in bringing thoughtfulness and planning to everything I do and produce. Although I can be a perfectionist, I have worked to embrace "good enough" and I value creation over consumption.

Professionally, I am a product portfolio manager which allows me to leverage my analytical and technical skills. Personally, I love analyzing data to inform practical and fun decisions alike. I'm the guy making Excel spreadsheets to compare models before I buy a new TV, and creating forecasting models to help set my fantasy football lineup. I do it for the love of the game.

Here is a collection of people and things that have inspired me and shaped my thinking:

Blogs

• Sam Altman
• Paul Graham
• Derek Sivers
• Andy Matuschak
• Alex Guzey
• Ben Kuhn
• Neal Agarwal
• Tynan
• Dynomight

Podcasts

• The Tim Ferriss Show
• How I Built This
• 99% Invisible
• Freakonomics
• The Moth

Quotes

People

• Richard Feynman
• Steve Prefontaine
• Marcus Aurelius
• Steve Jobs
• Elon Musk
• Satoshi Nakamoto
• Tim Ferriss
• Naval Ravikant
• Alan Turing
• Michael Jordan
• Charles Darwin
• Bill Watterson
• Nikola Tesla
• Kanye West
• Leonardo da Vinci
• J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
• Jean-Michel Basquiat
• Paul Graham
• Vitalik Buterin
• Eliud Kipchoge

Thanks to those who leave the breadcrumbs in the forest. Who knows where I'd be without them.