Happy Holidays, Grateful for 2025, and Looking Ahead

Hello friends,

As the year comes to a close, I wanted to pause and say thank you.

This season always creates a little space to look back, not just at milestones, but at the people who made the year meaningful. I’ve been reminded again and again that work only matters because of the relationships behind it. This year brought a lot of transition and growth for me and my family.

I wrapped up an important chapter at Google and stepped more fully into consulting with Principal Consulting Group, working alongside thoughtful, generous leaders, including friends and partners at RealPage like Mark Flournoy, CPA and Melissa Chan, and PagerDuty like Ling Zhou, who care deeply about building things the right way. I’m also grateful for the PCG partners who continue to invest in building a firm focused on both high-quality work and the people doing it. Thank you to Aaron Einhorn, Ryan Volk, and Chris Strunk for your diligence and care here for both the team and clients.

I taught at Ohlone College and San José State University, which remains one of the most grounding and energizing parts of my work. Watching students connect theory to real life, ask better questions, and grow in confidence has been a gift.

This year I also recorded and released more than fifteen episodes of the Ambition, Aligned podcast, conversations that stretched me and reminded me how much wisdom exists when people are willing to speak honestly about their journeys. Thank you to everyone who joined as a guest, listened, or continued the dialogue.

I also really enjoyed partnering with Gaapsavvy on education-forward initiatives and am thankful to have met Angela Liu, an inspiring leader who is truly improving the industry through practice-forward studies and dialogue. And after many early mornings and late nights, I completed the first full draft of my book, The Ten Laws of Finance: A Real-World Education in Money, Business, and Freedom. That milestone only happened because of the many friends, students, and colleagues who read early drafts, gave thoughtful feedback, and challenged me to make it clearer and more useful. Thank you especially to my earliest readers, like Julia Shen, Daniel Lim, Clinton Sands, Leslie Tung, and Scott Eliab, for helping me orient on writing something that would be impactful.

Looking ahead to next year, I’m intentionally narrowing my focus around three priorities:

• Judgment- and Agency-Centered Education — This includes my teaching at San José State University and local colleges, corporate education and workshops, writing and refining my book, and creating long-form content and conversations that help people make better decisions and take ownership of their outcomes, using finance as a practical proving ground. I am also excited to be launching my course on Miles Masterclass through a new partnership focused on making this education accessible, practical, and well-produced.

• High-Stakes Advisory — Partnering with leaders on consequential decisions where trade-offs, risk, and long-term impact matter more than speed or optics. This work keeps my thinking grounded in reality and ensures the principles I teach are tested where the stakes are real.

• Leadership Formation & Stewardship — Building spaces that go beyond content and advice, including mentorship, small cohorts, regular office hours, and live meetups, where the next generation of leaders can develop judgment, character, and a sense of responsibility for how their decisions shape people, institutions, and the future.

As part of this focus, I’m also creating more space for thoughtful collaboration. If you’re working in, connected to, or interested in writing and publishing, education-forward initiatives, or mentorship-driven communities grounded in long-term thinking, I’d welcome the conversation. Feel free to reach out.

I’m also deeply grateful for my family.

Being able to spend meaningful time with my daughter this year, watching her fall in love with art, show up with determination on the BJJ mats, and maintain her unwavering devotion to stuffed animals, has been a daily reminder of what actually matters.

Also my wife, Michelle Coombs, PT, who continues to build and share her knowledge as an educator, launching her own educational YouTube channel for physical therapy, co-teaching children’s classes through her brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and regularly supporting me and all of my initiatives with patience and care. Watching her grow and serve others has been a gift to our family and to the people she teaches.

As a family, our giving continues to center on education. We’re especially committed to supporting local preschools, college education, and initiatives that invest in the next generation of thinkers and builders. If you’re ever looking for places to give, or want to support something education-focused, feel free to reach out.

Thank you for being part of this year in ways big and small, for the conversations, the trust, the encouragement, and the grace.

Wishing you and your family a peaceful, meaningful holiday season, and a strong start to the year ahead.

With gratitude,

Devon & The Coombs Family