Erwin Benedict Valencia

Three years ago, I started talking to AI.🤖

Not because I thought it had all the answers.

But because I was curious.

Curious whether it could help me think more clearly.
Write more effectively.
Learn more quickly.
Become more intentional.

What started as an experiment became a practice.

Thousands of conversations later, I’ve come to an unexpected conclusion:

AI hasn’t made me less human.
It’s made me appreciate being human even more.

Writing this latest was a reflection on my own journey with over the past three years.

The lessons weren’t really about technology.

They were about curiosity.
Creativity.
Connection.
And the questions we choose to ask.

AI has helped me become a better thinker, a better communicator, and in some ways, a better student.

But the things I value most remain unchanged:

Meaningful relationships.
Shared experiences.
Community.
Purpose.
GRATITUDE.

The future isn’t human versus AI.

It’s humans learning how to use AI to become more of who they already are.

Curious to hear from others:
How has AI changed the way you think, work, or live?

Link in bio to the full reflection.

This blurry screenshot is a pretty accurate representation of what the last 5 years of my PhD journey have felt like.

Unclear. Uncertain. Occasionally unsupported.

And yet, still moving forward.

What started as curiosity evolved into one of the most mentally and emotionally challenging projects I’ve ever undertaken.

During these past few years, I’ve tried to balance doctoral research with life happening at full speed:
• Working in elite sport
• Taking a real sabbatical
• Helping launch a social wellness club
• Stepping into a new and demanding leadership role
• Constant travel, constant motion, constant adaptation

There were many moments when finishing felt very far away.
Moments of anxiety. Moments of self-doubt. Moments where quitting would have been the easier option.

Now, with roughly a year left, the pressure is real.

My dissertation focuses on gratitude as a high-performance tool in sport. Ironically, gratitude has often been the very thing that’s helped me continue when motivation wasn’t enough.

At the beginning of this year, I made a decision:
This would no longer be the thing I “eventually” finished.

It would become one of my primary focuses.

Because some goals don’t require more talent.
They require a longer commitment than you originally expected.

For anyone considering a PhD, here’s my advice:
Don’t start with the question, “Can I do it?”
Start with the question, “Why do I want to do it?”

And keep asking until you reach an answer strong enough to carry you through years of uncertainty.

The struggle is real.
Your reason has to be even more real.

Back to work.

Drop a “🙋🏻‍♂️” below if you resonate.

Lately, I’ve found a renewed passion for my faith.

Maybe it’s seeing a new generation rediscover spirituality. (Lezzz Go !)

Maybe it’s the idea of a sports-loving, Nike-wearing Chicago-born Pope in the Vatican.

Or maybe it’s because I’m once again in a new city, a new role, and a new season of life—looking for a sanctuary in the middle of it all.

The older I get, the less interested I become in having all the answers.

I’m more interested in finding spaces that help me ask better questions.

A quiet church.
A rain-soaked stadium.
An empty locker room.
A window seat at 30,000 feet.

Different places.
Same pursuit.

Whether in faith, sport, leadership, or life, I’ve learned that growth rarely happens in the noise.

It happens in the pause.

Pause.

Pray.

Listen.

Serve.

Prepare.

Trust.

Repeat.

Happy Sunday.🙏🏽

(Sending special love to my spirit sisters & .gureviciute looking forward to seeing you in Tallinn for .events MVU!)💜

THE ARE GOING TO THE FINALS.🏆

I used to meditate on the seats just above the floor prior to every game at 🧘🏻‍♂️ visualizing a celebration like no other, sending nothing but loving energy to this building that has seen so much history— both joyful AND painful.

My tenure in New York was both the most rewarding and most challenging times of my life— but it made grow into the clinician, leader, mentor, human that I am today. Yet this story isn’t unique to me…it’s the story of every New Yorker that loves sport, loves basketball, loves the city for which this team symbolizes.🗽

Honored to understand what 🟠🔵 skies truly means, and humbled to have simply been a servant to a fan base that is truly unmatched in all of basketball.🏀

These are the rare times I’m feeling 🫣 BUT HOW CAN I NOT!? LET’S GO KNICKS!

Not the PINK WALL, but it’ll do, FOR NOW.🩷

Missing my fav LA couple on this hot minute in Angel City. We’re gonna need to run this back next time around, FAM! 📸

Next stop, 🇲🇽!