You Can Just Do Things

Cate Hall has been a Supreme Court lawyer, number one ranked female poker player, drug addict, startup founder, and CEO of one of the world’s largest foundations. In that order. How does that happen? Almost every person, successful or unsuccessful, uses the same life strategy: pick your battles and try to win them. However, we all know a small number of extremely successful people who never stop moving, never stop doing cringey things, never stop racking up public losses, and still seem to come out ahead of the rest of us. Cate Hall is one of those annoying people who keeps being successful after blowing up her life repeatedly. She quit corporate law just before making partner to play poker, and became the world’s #1 female player. Then, a drug addiction nearly destroyed her, leaving her broke and brain-damaged. Two years after rehab, she was the co-CEO of a pandemic medicine company, and now she runs one of the world’s largest philanthropic foundations. You Can Just Do Things unlocks the high-agency mindset that has powered Hall to the top of many ladders, despite the occasional crash-and-burn. Writing with her husband and author Sasha Chapin, Hall draws on many victories and many more disasters to show how progress is made not by endless planning but by taking the first step now, pushing forward, and learning as you go. Small steps lead to extraordinary breakthroughs, and doing something embarrassing is always better than doing nothing at all. Most people fear rejection, mistakes, and setbacks, but Hall encourages you to embrace these challenges as vital lessons on the path to success. You don’t need external validation or permission to shape your destiny—your momentum begins the moment you decide to act. This book challenges you to break free from the safe lane of mediocrity. You Can Just Do Things is a call to courage, grit, and relentless forward motion. The only thing standing between you and your potential is the choice to begin.