“Just because it looks like we’re going in the wrong direction doesn’t mean that’s the direction we are going.” – U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, April 14, 2026 Now there’s a quote all leaders ought to keep in their back pocket for moments where institutionalized gaslighting is called for. You can’t make this kind of…
My next course, Learning From Mistakes, begins 9/25/25! If you have a few minutes… I’ve never told anyone this story. This memory from my childhood has returned to me, unbeckoned, and more often than I’d like. It’s usually accompanied by a surge of embarrassment. But recently, it came to me I think for a different reason:…
Self-sabotage is in the news these days and it raises the perennially asked but rarely well-answered question: “Why?” What follows will be deeply covered in my upcoming course The Art of Open Connection. Specifically, I’ll teach you how to see the track people are on and what they’re dead-ending, so you can help or steer clear,…
Let’s get the dull part out of the way: my next course, The Art of Open Connection begins Thursday April 17. You can sign up for this course or become a dojo member and get access to everything. It’ll be good. You’ll grow a lot. Blah blah blah. Now, the fun part: I’m excited to announce an innovation in…
Warning: This piece will likely challenge your existing views of reality…if you let it. In my September piece, Why Democracy Fails, I reminded you that the sharpest minds of ancient Greece didn’t like democracy. They correctly predicted that the persuasive, the charismatic, and the greedy would exploit the system and turn democracy toward autocracy. Sound familiar? It’s…
“Yes, sir, your insurance plan is no longer being offered,” the faceless voice said with a vague approximation of care, but no substance. Me: “Yes, I gathered that from the poorly written email I received just thirty days before it was supposed to renew.” “I understand you wanted to know why the plan was being…
What’s the difference between, “It feels like…” and “I feel…”? A lot, it turns out. “It feels like…” is one of those phrases that bothered me for years until I finally figured out why. The following may seem like nitpicking semantics, but stay with me and I’ll demonstrate how important this is. Never before in…
If you try to accomplish something big, you’ll need other people. This is one of the many reasons why relationships are so important. Sooner or later, you will hurt another person. It doesn’t matter how good a person you are, or how good your intentions were, we hurt others. That’s life. We’re wounded. We hurt,…
First, I’d like to announce my fall course: Zen & the Art of Meta which begins Thursday September 12 at 11:30-1:30 pm PT. We’re doing two, two-hour sessions per month now instead of four single-hour ones to allow for deeper explorations. Click the link and/or reply to this email to learn more. In the spirit of…
Greetings and Aloha! I’m excited to announce an innovative change in the direction of Clear and Open. For 21 years now, I’ve dedicated my practice to offering cutting edge business development and inner work guidance, techniques, and methodologies. What I’ve discovered, however, is that while my clients clearly enjoy learning about these new approaches, the…