As told to Sarah E. Needleman Follow

Leigh-Ann Russell and an avatar representing her digital twin. Courtesy of BNY

May 23, 2026, 2:41 PM IST

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Leigh-Ann Russell, chief information officer and global head of engineering at BNY. She's based in New York City. This story has been edited for length and clarity.

After joining BNY in September 2024, I decided to take up journaling to reflect on my leadership journey. But I found it challenging because I sometimes forgot to bring my journal when I traveled. Once you stop doing it, it's hard to pick it up again.

I realized I'd be better off with a digital journal. At first, I tried vibe coding one, but it was too complicated for what I needed. I then settled on creating a digital twin of myself using ChatGPT's Projects feature, which was much easier.

It only took about 15 minutes. I spent most of that time at the start, just thinking through what I wanted to accomplish. Then I just said, "I want to build a digital twin. I want you to prompt me every day with these eight things on leadership and these eight things on health." That's all.