Peggy Van de Plassche

Apparently, this is now an unquestionable truth on social media. I am not so sure. Yes, North America is wildly obsessed with youth. Yes, making women feel too old, too tired, too outdated, too much or not enough is a very effective business model. And yes, insecurity is a wonderful way to keep women busy — and quiet. But then I look around. At my girlfriends. At women in Detroit. At a 75+ woman e...

Detroit? Yes, Detroit. 🎨🏙️ When I told people I was going on an art trip there, the reaction was often somewhere between surprise and confusion. After three days, my reaction was: "Why didn't I come sooner?" What I discovered was one of the most vibrant, authentic, and artist-friendly ecosystems I have experienced in North America. Huge studios. Extraordinary artists. Supportive pa...

Every year I forget that I am in fact a solar-powered human being. ☀️ Then Toronto summer arrives and suddenly: 🎾 tennis invitations multiply 🍷 patios reappear ✈️ travel plans emerge 🧠 motivation returns 💃 and everyone becomes suspiciously attractive and athletic overnight. This year however I decided to approach summer a little differently. Less “random social blur.” More intentional feeding...

I still buy magazines. A lot of them actually. Fashion magazines, art magazines, design magazines, business magazines… probably around 10/month. And no, this is not because I am trapped in 1997. There is just something deeply pleasant about ink, paper, beautiful photography, oversized ads for watches I cannot afford, and carrying a magazine in my bag instead of staring at my phone like a lab rat p...

🪦 The Death of Attention; Why We See Everything — Yet Feel Less and Less with Narendra Pachkhédé We live in a strange age: We see wars in real time. Poverty on every street corner. Thousands of opinions, images, crises and headlines every single day. And yet somehow… we feel less and less connected to the world around us. I recently sat down with writer, curator and public thinker Narendra Pachkh...

“Can you do it for less?”  “What if we remove… everything?”  “Exposure is also valuable, no?” 😅 After ~10 years as an independent advisor (and years before that on the corporate side), I’ve noticed a very consistent pattern: 👉 We hate paying fees.  👉 All fees.  👉 Even when paying them would actually make us more money. We’ll:  Pay cash to “save taxes” 💸   Negotiate artists down while claiming...

Let’s be honest:  Nutella, croissants, éclairs au chocolat… I’m very pro. Unfortunately, my body disagreed. I was prescribed meds for skin and sugar issues:  👉 worked great  👉 messed with my mood (even at microdoses) So I made the least exciting decision possible:  🥗 less sugar  💧 better habits  🚶‍♀️ more movement Did I enjoy it? No.  Did I miss chocolate? Intensely. But… it worked. I didn’t...

Imagine you’re in a meeting… 👀 Someone says your name…  once… twice… five times 😅 Locks eye contact like it’s a staring contest 👁️👁️ Pauses… for impact… 🎭 And delivers a perfectly polished pitch 🎤 You’re not listening anymore.  You’re thinking: “ah… they read the book.” 📚 And to be fair—it works.  Until it doesn’t. Because now it just feels… obvious 🤖 In this week’s newsletter, I unpack wher...

Not exactly a popular take. And yet—after two decades working alongside wealth creators, heirs, and power circles , I’ve come to a somewhat uncomfortable conclusion: 👉 Wealth solves many problems.  But it quietly creates others. Who is actually in your corner—and who is playing a role? What happens when success is always discounted… and failure quietly celebrated? What if your life isn’t entirely...

Talent? Yes.  Luck? Absolutely.  Timing? More than we’d like to admit. But after spending time with artists like Aline Setton, Luca Soldovieri, Melanie Authier, Vickie Vainionpää—alongside galleries like Olga Korper Gallery and institutions such as the Aga Khan Museum—I’ve started to notice something else. A pattern. Not a formula. Not a guarantee.  But a set of behaviours that show up again and a...

A question that sounds philosophical…  but is becoming very operational. We are watching, in real time: → Companies optimizing for “no employees”  → AI used as justification (not always proof) for layoffs  → Full-time jobs quietly replaced by part-time, no-benefit roles  → Entire workforces rebranded as “independent contractors” Efficient? Yes.  Sustainable? I’m not so sure. Because here’s the unc...

💰 Collecting Art Versus Decorating I had a small (and slightly uncomfortable) realization recently. I found myself hesitating to openly love certain artworks… simply because they were affordable and not endorsed by the “right” galleries. That pause told me everything. Somewhere along the way, I had started outsourcing my taste to the market. Here’s the truth most people don’t say out loud: 👉 The...

One comment from Timothée Chalamet → outrage, headlines, Oscar speculation. Meanwhile… Leaders in positions of real power say (and do) far worse—with far fewer consequences. Interesting, isn’t it? This isn’t about Chalamet. It’s about the expectations we place on young, successful artists: → Be talented → Be famous → Be insightful → Be flawless All at once. At 25. Or 30. Or 20. Most of them are ju...

I recently interviewed Robb Nelson , CEO and co-founder of Farm Lending Canada , and walked away thinking: why don’t we hear this version of entrepreneurship more often? Robb has built successful businesses for decades, but his philosophy is refreshingly different from the usual founder mythology. Less:  “move fast and break things” More:   collaborate, test relentlessly, invest your own capital f...

Most people are reacting to headlines.  Very few are understanding the system. 🌍 I recently joined a webinar hosted by FrenchFounders, brilliantly animated by Lucie Duvivier, with Olivier Bariety (Princeps Strategy). What struck me wasn’t just the situation in the Middle East. It was the confusion. Strong opinions. Weak analysis.  Noise… everywhere. Quick note 🧭  This reflects the analysis share...

I was talking with a friend about her daughter’s first job and the toxic colleague she’s already dealing with. Which led us to a strange realization. Work used to be… fun. People went for drinks together.  Bosses occasionally picked up the tab.  Birthdays, weddings, promotions were celebrated.  Colleagues became friends. Yes, there were brown-nosers and professional troublemakers.  But somehow the...

Uncomfortable thought? Good. For years, I thought my biggest professional obstacle was incompetence around me. Slower thinkers.  Insecure gatekeepers.  Political operators. You know the type. What I eventually realized — painfully — is that the real issue wasn’t just them. It was the emotional wound I was bringing into the room. When someone:  • Interrupted me  • Slowed momentum  • Questioned my f...

👗🤖 How ChatGPT Improved My Fashion Style. Or Did It? My sense of style took a very real downturn during the pandemic. Not because I suddenly stopped owning nice things (multiple closets, still standing).  Not because I ran out of skincare (I could open a small apothecary).  But because I felt… uninspired. A bit at a loss. Then a friend told my husband and I how he used ChatGPT to upgrade his clo...

Everyone is debating AI fluency.  Or DEI.  Or generational friction. But the real productivity drains I see inside organizations are far less fashionable — and far more costly. 1️⃣ Lack of empowerment  Rooms full of smart people waiting for permission.  Circular meetings.  Silence until things blow up. 2️⃣ Not connecting the dots  Process over purpose.  Templates over thinking.  “I’m just doing my...

Integrity is not sexy.  It doesn’t trend.  It doesn’t sparkle on a résumé or a dating profile. And yet… it’s the one thing you really can’t afford to ignore. In my latest newsletter, I argue that integrity is the most boring value with the highest ROI — whether you’re hiring, dating, choosing friends, clients, or even employers. Because here’s the uncomfortable truth:  You can hire brilliant.  You...

What car would the people in your life be? 🚗 Over the past few years, friendship has quietly moved to the top of my personal agenda.  Pandemic effect? Age? Life doing what life does? Probably all of the above. We all have circles.  First circle: the people who truly have your back.  Second, third… and some who shouldn’t even be on the map. After a recent party, I realized a friend had moved from...

💡 What if innovation started with people — not technology? This week, Dubai quietly did something North America still struggles to do. A Dhs12.8bn expansion of Dubai Silicon Oasis isn’t just another tech park story. It’s a lesson in how to build an innovation ecosystem that actually works — where housing, healthcare, education, transit, and advanced tech are designed together , from day one. In m...

Yes. Five. Minutes. No leggings.  No 45-minute commitments.  No heavy weights.  No “no pain, no gain” theatrics. Just short bursts scattered through the day that actually… happen. I don’t like working out.  I like moving . Big difference. This newsletter is about how I stopped fighting my personality, ignored fitness trends, and built a system that:  – strengthens my body  – doesn’t disgust me  –...

Last week I attended the 2026 Macroeconomic Outlook organized by 100 Women In Finance at Scotiabank —and walked away with one conviction:   The conversation was anchored by Rebekah Young , Laura Lau and Nan Chen, CFA, FRM     Global growth is holding (~3.2% in 2025), markets are still up, AI momentum is real—and yet: Job and wage cooling is unmistakable The disconnect between markets and the real...

We all know the data by now: Screens are rewiring our brains, shrinking attention spans, and quietly eroding social skills and relationships. Yet family dinners look like a row of people sitting next to each other… scrolling. Parents model presence—or absence. Playgrounds are louder, attention is shorter, and boredom (which kids actually need) has disappeared. And Silicon Valley’s solution? 👉 Mor...