I feel like Cyclops from X-Men without his visor on. All this potent energy spraying in every direction with no ability to concentrate it into a single beam of light.
I’ve been writing for ten years - 84 newsletters here, 154 pieces on Medium before that, short stories, a novel. I’ve written about everything that even remotely interests me, which has let me try on different voices and styles, but has also left me scattered as hell.
So here’s what’s changing: I’m going pro in 2026. I’m writing a non-fiction book this year, and this newsletter is gaining a spine.
The spine is this: Personal development IS professional development.
Not “supports” it. Not “helps with” it. IS it.
I’ve read thousands of business books. Most of them I abandon about a third of the way through because I get the main point and then I feel so ignored as a human being that I can’t stay interested. They’ll tell you how to optimize your calendar or leverage AI or restructure your org chart, but they won’t talk about the fact that you’re terrified of conflict or addicted to being liked or running from something you haven’t named yet.
But here’s what I’ve learned from coaching CEOs and founders: The breakthroughs don’t come from better systems. They come from becoming a different person. The executive who learns to regulate his emotions doesn’t just have better meetings - he builds a different culture. The founder who deals with her need for external validation doesn’t just feel better - she makes better strategic decisions.
You want to be more effective at work? Get more self-aware. Learn to sit with discomfort. Practice asking for help. Develop emotional regulation. These aren’t “soft skills” that make you a better person who also happens to work. These ARE the skills that make you better at your job.
Most of us spend a third of our lives at work. If you’re miserable or mediocre at work, that’s 33% of your life you’re not getting back. And the thing that’s going to change that isn’t another certification or framework (and definitely not AI) - it’s doing the internal work that changes who you are when you show up.
So that’s what this newsletter is about now. Mindfulness, recovery principles, design thinking, emotional intelligence, commitment, mastery - all of it aimed at one question: How do you become the kind of person who does great work and doesn’t hate their life?
That’s going pro.
PS
This weekend I’m leading the Designing 2026 retreat just outside of Nashville and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve had several people ask if I’m going to do another retreat later this year and the answer is “I’m not sure”. We’ll see how this one goes. But if you want to be notified of the next retreat before I announce publicly, just reply to this email and I’ll add you to the list.