The story
Andy Clark is co-founder of ClarkMorgan, a training company that turns 25 in November 2026, and founder of Shine Training in Hong Kong.
During the 2009 financial crisis he was living in a very small apartment in Hong Kong while his company was shrinking. He went weeks without proper sleep, not knowing whether the business would survive. Years later, after buying ClarkMorgan back, he faced another dark time when the debt turned out to be far bigger than he expected.
“We will surf this wave too.”
The skill at work: Self-Regulation (Skill 8)
Self-Regulation is the skill of staying grounded when the storm is outside your control. Andy’s tools were simple: watch what goes into your mind, and choose who you spend time with.
He noticed what the news was doing to him
Andy watched the news a lot to keep up to date. Then he noticed it was “actually making me feel very negative”: it was always about layoffs and downsizing.
He changed the input
He stopped watching the news and started watching TED Talks and reading books, on the subway and whenever he had free time. The speakers were building new things, and none of them talked about the crisis. Soon he was asking, how could we bring in this new idea?
He chose his company carefully
A friend recommended a series of inspirational talks, and Andy listened to them again and again. His question for hard times: are you spending time with people who moan and complain, or with people who are doing something inspiring and have this surfing mentality?
He reframed the wave
His model for change is sink, swim or surf. Sometimes you are under the wave, sometimes you have to swim hard, and sometimes you get to surf it and enjoy it. His line for every new wave, from COVID to AI: “We will surf this wave too.”
He steps away to come back clearer
When a problem will not move, Andy takes a break, walks in nature, sleeps on it, and comes back with fresh eyes. There is always a way, he says, if you keep a clear goal in mind.
He came back to his values
About a year ago Andy was feeling low. A friend told him to do his values cards again. They came out collaboration, service and fun. Thirty minutes later, a message asked for drivers for a humanitarian aid convoy to Ukraine. He has since driven two.
Try this
For one week, notice what you feed your mind with: news, social media, people, conversations. Swap one thing that drains you for one thing that inspires you, and notice how you face your next wave.
More stories
Staying grounded in the jungle: Edwin Song’s story of Self-Regulation →
A Mind No Wall Could Hold: Zenaida Willison’s story of Self-Regulation →
A New Rock on My Back Every Day: Thomas De Brun’s story of Self-Regulation →
You Have My Sword: Andy Clark’s story of Coalition Building →
This article is our interpretation of Andy’s story, based on the conversation on The Adaptive Edge Podcast. The framework names are ours; the events and lessons are his own.