The Wall Street Executive Who Had Everything—Except Peace | James “Jet” Davies

James “Jet” Davies spent more than two decades inside high finance, eventually becoming CEO of Deutsche Bank’s broker-dealer for the Americas. But behind the titles, money, and success was a life that was beginning to unravel.

James joins Ken to trace the entire path—from growing up in London and attending an elite all-boys school, where he experienced emotional and sexual abuse, to studying law at Bristol after being rejected by Oxford, entering one of London’s top law firms, and eventually making the leap to Deutsche Bank.

He takes Ken inside the brutal culture of London trading floors, the explosion of derivatives, the 2008 financial crisis, and the strange reality of climbing higher while questioning whether any of it was making him happier.

Then, in 2019, James crashed. He opens up about self-harm, therapy, his marriage reaching a breaking point, and the process of separating his identity from money and status. When Deutsche Bank ultimately chose not to extend his contract in 2024, the career he had spent nearly 25 years building was suddenly over.

Instead of going back, James and his partners bought an 85-acre campus in the Berkshires and transformed it into The Time—a retreat space built around nature, connection, and creating the kind of reset James once desperately needed himself.

It’s a conversation about ambition, trauma, money, rejection, burnout, and what happens when achieving everything you thought you wanted still isn’t enough. 

Thank you to our sponsors

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Ken’s book now available here: https://www.theothersideofhard.com/

Chapters

(00:00) Meet James Jet Davies

(00:30) Strava Rivalry Origins

(01:39) Marathon Times Talk

(02:14) London Roots and Schooling

(03:09) Inside Elite Boys School

(06:02) Abuse and Trauma Unpacked

(07:52) Therapy and Healing Stages

(10:10) How Predators Gain Access

(12:28) Roka Eyewear Sponsor

(14:08) Warning Signs at Boarding

(15:42) Strict Discipline and Bullying

(17:04) Single Gender School Effects

(18:59) American Schools and Parenting

(22:21) Secondary School Shift

(27:49) Competition Winners and Losers

(28:56) Sports and the Jet Nickname

(30:06) Parents Expectations and Success

(31:21) Finding Your Own Path

(32:35) Loving Work Now

(33:09) Parents Pushing Kids Away

(34:17) Trauma Surgeon Passion

(35:57) Skincare Ad Break

(36:58) Oxford Rejection Story

(39:57) Brutal Oxford Interviews

(43:34) Setbacks Build Resilience

(45:37) Bristol And Posh Crowd

(46:08) Law Firm Pipeline

(47:45) Derivatives And Leverage

(49:35) Market Manipulation Rant

(52:37) Deutsche Bank Jump

(57:54) Legal Dept Vs Traders

(59:02) Breaking Into Trading Desk

(01:00:16) UK Trading Floor Vicious

(01:00:53) Trading Floor Hazing

(01:02:51) London Finance Wild West

(01:04:50) Back to Legal and Redemption

(01:06:43) Structured Finance Explained

(01:07:45) Crisis Unwinding and Promotions

(01:10:46) Post Crisis Pay and Talent Shift

(01:14:09) New York Move and Culture Shock

(01:17:13) American Optimism vs UK Cynicism

(01:23:46) 2019 Leadership Pressure Cooker

(01:26:43) Mental Health Crash in Finance

(01:29:53) Self Harm Confession

(01:31:23) Therapist And SSRIs

(01:32:50) Couples Session Breakthrough

(01:33:55) COVID Reset And Career Shift

(01:36:51) Leaving Deutsche Bank

(01:40:31) Buying Berkshire Retreat Campus

(01:45:04) Running Thyme Retreats

(01:46:26) Hospitality Lessons And Rules

(01:49:13) Upcoming Running Retreat Promo

(01:53:48) Life After Finance Mindset

(01:58:30) Wrap Up And Subscribe

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