The Wall Street Executive Who Had Everything—Except Peace | James “Jet” Davies
About this episode
James “Jet” Davies shares his journey from a successful finance career to finding peace and purpose after personal struggles.
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…
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