Archive • Weekly Wisdom • Buttondown

Day Thirty: That's all folks.

The last 30 days of writing have reminded me of something simple but powerful: when you speak from the heart people lean in. I didn’t set out to inspire...

Day TwentyNine: Your best life.

Your best life isn’t out there somewhere, waiting to be discovered. It’s not hidden in a dream job, a perfect partner, or a five-year plan. It’s right here,...

Day TwentyEight: What it really takes.

Confidence doesn’t come first. Risk does. We wait around, hoping to feel ready, to feel sure, to feel confident enough. But, that moment rarely shows up on...

Day TwentySeven: An inside job.

Don’t be surprised if the breakthrough feels a lot like wandering. Like losing your bearings. Like standing in unfamiliar territory with nothing left to...

Day TwentySix: Break down or through?

We spend most of our lives trying to hold it together. We grip tightly to control, image, and certainty like they’re life rafts. Because in some ways, they...

Day TwentyFive: Who the?

People matter most. More than metrics. More than profit. More than the shiny vision deck or the strategic plan. At the end of the day, what we’re building,...

Day TwentyFour: Soul-full work.

Work is good for the soul. Not just for what it produces, but for what it reveals. It’s easy to think of work as a means to an end. Something we do to earn,...

Day TwentyThree: Your best days.

It’s easy to believe that the best parts of life are behind you. Especially, when you’re tired, when things haven’t gone according to plan, or when you’ve...

Day TwentyTwo: What it's really about.

Here’s the hard truth: it’s not about you. And, I don’t say that to diminish what you’re feeling. Nope, amigo. I say it to set you free. People carry so much...

Day TwentyOne: A fair fight.

Some fights aren’t loud. They don’t look like yelling or swinging or standing on a stage. Some fights are quiet. Hidden. Internal. Like fighting to believe...

Day Twenty: Size 13s.

I don’t have a clue what it’s like to be you. I don’t know what you’re carrying, what you’ve been through, or how heavy it’s been lately. But I know this,...

Day Nineteen: A little distance, please.

Setting boundaries isn’t about being cold or distant or difficult. It’s about being clear. It’s about telling the truth, first to ourselves, then to the...

Day Eighteen: Becoming a good friend.

It’s easy to talk about the kind of friends we want.Much harder to talk about the kind we’re becoming. We want people who are loyal. Who stick around when...

Day Seventeen: The unholy holy.

People will let you down. It’s not a matter of if, it’s when. And you’ll let them down, too. Not because you're heartless. Not because they’re careless. But,...

Day Sixteen: Leading from the center.

Leadership isn’t just strategy, it’s soul. Anyone can learn frameworks, build a playbook, stack wins. But, real leadership, the kind that endures, the kind...

Day Fifteen: Only good will come.

Let’s be honest, sometimes it doesn’t feel like anything is working. Our plans fall apart, the people disappear, the ground moves beneath us, and we’re left...

Day Fourteen: Falling.

We fall in love.And we fall into depression. Same language. Fall. As if there’s no choice in the matter. As if gravity has its own way with us. Here’s the...

Day Thirteen: Folks in the rearview.

Some friendships aren’t meant to last forever. That doesn’t mean they weren’t good, or right, or necessary. It just means we’ve outgrown them. Growth changes...

Day Twelve: Inner work.

We all want results. Growth. Peace. Purpose. Love. But here’s the truth: none of it lasts if we’re not willing to do the inner work. I’m talking about the...

Day Eleven: Managing the World.

Most of us are tired. Frustrated. Stuck.And we don’t always know why. But, if we’re honest, we can trace it back to a familiar loop: Fix. Judge. Compare. We...

Day Ten: A divine spark.

I reckon old Count Lev Tolstoy, the Russian author and aristocrat, was onto something when he wrote these words over a century ago: “People usually think...

Day Nine: Your personal soundtrack.

Thinking for yourself is a lost art. Most people don’t do it. They just mirror whoever’s loudest. Or, chase whatever sounds certain. But clarity doesn’t come...

Day Eight: Knowing.

There’s a version of you that already knows. Already knows how to walk through the season you’re in. Already knows how to let go without guilt.How to hold...

Day Seven: A holy ache.

Not every story ends the way we hoped. But every soul carries the spark of redemption. As long as we’re breathing, reinventing ourselves is possible. For...

Day Six: Change.

Almost half the people who reach out to me for coaching aren’t looking to get slightly better.They’re desperate for change.They’ve hit a wall.Something’s...

Day Five: This little light of mine.

There are no perfect people.We’re 0 for 107 billion on that one. Every single person you’ve ever met, even the ones who look like they have it all together,...

Day Four: Mirror-Moments.

“The kinder and more thoughtful a person is, the more kindness he can find in others.” Tolstoy nailed it. It’s not just true of kindness. It’s true of love....

Day Three: Adventurous.

My word for the year is explore. I chose it because I’ve tipped into the second half of life. And, what’s being asked of me now feels different. Less about...

We’re all looking for home. Not a house. Not a someday place. But that deep-down sense that we’re safe enough to exhale. To stop performing. To be seen....

Hola mi amigo. I wanted to take the next 30 days or so and write a little inspo thought each day. For starters, there’s this epidemic of loneliness at play...

10 (leadership) questions.

There’s a strange thing that happens with our strengths over time: we stop noticing them. They become so baked into how we work, lead, and relate that we...

The Myth of Arrival.

We’ve all done it. Looked ahead to the next milestone and thought, “That. That’s when I’ll feel it. Peace. Confidence. Fulfillment. And, maybe even joy.” We...

A Culture of Fear.

Most people are driven by fear and don’t even know it. Fear of not being enough, fear of losing control, fear of being exposed, fear of failure wrapped in...

Fear’s a real head trip for me at times. It messes with me for a day or two. It doesn’t always come out swinging. Most of the time, it shows up dressed like...

You're gonna win (in life) if...

Here’s a short and punchy list of what I’ve witnessed, coached and experienced in the 47+ years I’ve been orbiting this spinning ball of dirt we call home:...

You don’t need permission to be free. That might sound obvious. But most people I know are still waiting for something, some external sign, some life-...

Audit Your Peeps.

I don’t know who first said it, but I’ve heard it dozens of times in conferences, workshops and podcasts over the years: Tending. Mending. Ending.Some...

Stress is feedback.

Stress isn’t just a feeling. It’s a signal. It’s our body and mind trying to get our attention. The problem? Most of us don’t listen until we’re already...

Work Hard. Play Hard.

We say these four words like it’s some kinda motto, like it’s just part of the grind. A way to survive the week. Push hard, get the job done. Then cash in...

The Math of Meaningful Work.

Find your bliss. Chase your passion. Yadayadayada. Total bullshit. It’s insane to chase what looks exciting without the skill to back it up. Or to settle for...

Clarity = Impact.

At my core, I know that clarity leads to freedom, freedom leads to service, and service leads to meaning. This isn’t just a philosophy. It’s a practice. It’s...

Building Effective Teams.

Matt Stover (I think) once said, “If we take ‘team’ out of ‘teamwork,’ then it’s just work, and who wants that?” Exactly. Because work without connection,...

I really like you.

February 27, 2025

Likability is a secret weapon. I’ve watched it help average performers get ahead. I’ve seen it keep underperformers in the game far longer than their results...

Nature, nurture and healthy boundaries.

February 22, 2025

Life is a journey, a series of choices, that either move us closer to who we want to be or push us further away from who we’re meant to be. Every day, we...

Who You Work With Matters

February 19, 2025

People don’t quit jobs. They quit bosses who don’t see them.They quit cultures that drain them.They quit work that makes them feel small. A 2022 survey of...

The Work That Actually Matters.

February 15, 2025

Most people are waiting. Waiting for permission. Waiting for confidence. Waiting for someone else to say, “It’s your turn.” They linger on the sidelines,...

Everything you need.

February 8, 2025

"When we devote all of our actions to a spiritual goal, everything that we do becomes a prayer."— Muhammad Ali Rob Bell, Oprah's buddy, reintroduced the idea...

Kindness and truth.

February 3, 2025

We love collecting ideas. Stacking up insights. Feeling smart because we understand something. We read the books, listen to the podcasts, absorb the advice....

The Cost of a New Life.

January 27, 2025

Everything comes at a cost—especially change. As 2024 rolled into 2025, that truth hit me hard. I’ve left more behind than I ever imagined. And if there’s...

Perseverance or Resilience?

January 19, 2025

Perseverance and resilience are often used interchangeably, but they play very different roles in how we deal with what life throws our way. Let me explain....