Hey Reader,

I've started this email seventeen different ways and delayed sending it for days.

Here's the short version: I recently gave the most important talk of my life. From what I hear from people who were there live, it might help you change your life in a really meaningful and important way. I hope you'll give it a watch:

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The slightly longer version:

Two weeks ago I shared the most vulnerable story of my life... in front of almost 500 people at Craft + Commerce, Kit's annual conference for creators and entrepreneurs.
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This story is dark, at least at first. But it's also true. And over the course of the thirty minutes I spent on stage, it went from dark to light. From deep in a well to looking out at a beautiful horizon. From fear of sharing my story to the most uplifting affirmations.

A few years ago, I was working as COO at Kit—deep in the world of creators, entrepreneurs, and builders—when something started to shift in me.

It wasn't a crisis, or at least it didn't feel like it at the time. It was more like a quiet recognition that something wasn't quite right. And it all hinged on one night when my wife sat me down and told me we couldn't keep going like this. She gave me three options:

1. Change your attitude
2. Quit your job
3. Get divorced

That might sound dramatic or threatening. It felt like permission to me. Permission to finally make the change a part of me knew I needed to make but was too scared to name for myself.
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I had been quietly living with the burden of a story that wasn't true anymore. It had served me in its own way, but I had outgrown it somewhere along the way. And I was suffering.

This story is deeply personal. But it's also universal. ​
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If I've learned anything from my thousands of hours coaching creators and entrepreneurs, it's that even the most high achieving people in our industry are walking around with stories, beliefs, and ideas that are holding them back.

Even if they're not true, they cause enough suffering to keep us from doing the work we're meant for, building the teams we've always wanted, and experiencing the love we've always longed for.

I spent hundreds of hours preparing for this 30-minute talk. From everything I've heard from people who were live in Boise or watched it on YouTube this week, it was worth it.
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People have said things like:

I'm not usually one to lean into quotes and testimonials like this, but this is the most important piece of work I've ever created. It's the story of my life. And I did it because I know it can help you live a better life and do the work you're capable of.

A friend told me to tell you to grab a box of tissues and then watch the talk here:

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👉 Watch the talk on YouTube​

There are three things I'd like you to do if you're moved by the talk:

1. Share it with someone who might benefit from the message. Perhaps someone that's living a story they've outgrown.
2. Read the accompanying poem. Consider printing it out and keeping it nearby as a reminder that your story matters.
3. If you're a coach or interested in becoming a coach, your work helps people rewrite their stories. I'm hosting a webinar on building a sustainable coaching practice tomorrow. Join me for it​

Thank you for honoring my story by listening. I hope you honor yours by sharing it with someone you need to hear it. And then writing a new one that leaves room for who you're made to be.

Much love and respect,