Interviewing Joe De Sena for the podcast led to each of us inspiring each other, which led to friendship, which led to him inviting me to his Vermont farm, which is where I am. Joe founded The Spartan Race, an obstacle course that grew a movement. This picture illustrates the community. Several people I told I was coming up here knew about this farm and said, “You’re doing the Death[…] Keep reading →

People keep asking what motivates me, why I act differently than most. I recorded this video describing three threads starting from my childhood leading to my actions today. I recorded in the treehouse my stepfather built for the grandchildren. Notes Below are the notes I practiced from. I didn’t try to follow them perfectly. How people describe me now I try to explain but they never get it so had[…] Keep reading →

Erin and Michelle host the Style Your Life podcast. They wanted to learn and share with their audience about habits, which are the foundation of a lifestyle. They can be if you choose. They led a conversation around habits and how to keep from quitting them. I talk and write a lot about habits and sidchas here. This conversation is a friendly, non-intense entry point. Few things improve a life[…] Keep reading →

Context Before starting the Leadership and the Environment podcast, I gave a series of talks on environmental action at NYU—my first foray into applying leadership to the environment. By then I had experimented enough an practicing stewardship to have experienced the joy that it brought. I felt compelled to share my results and how to act on them. Every would-be leader of any renown I’d heard speak on the environment[…] Keep reading →

Following three previous posts here Why are we so blind to sexism that hurts men and boys? Philadelphia and Starbucks: How blind are we to sexism hurting men? More missing sexism when it hurts men and countless incidents in life, here is yet another story with blatant sexism largely unremarked on. To be sure, some remark on it, but far from how much they recognize the racism. The New York[…] Keep reading →

I can’t describe the unexpected fun and growth coming from my conversations with Rob. When I learned of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s friendship with Antonin Scalia, I couldn’t get it. How could one tolerate someone who worked to make the world the opposite of what they wanted, especially with the stakes so high? Reading John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty, I intellectually understood his point that you have to share your ideas[…] Keep reading →

I recently shared this experience with someone who described the feeling of suffering after beating their personal best for rowing a 2k: Your story reminds me of finishing my first running marathon. In the area where runners could get their bags and put on warm clothes, some happy-go-lucky guy, despite also having just finished, jauntily walks in saying spritely, “You did it! It hurts now, but the pain will pass[…] Keep reading →