Today's Personal Growth Pulse
NYT launches ‘Ask the Therapist’ column to bring mental‑health advice to the masses
The New York Times introduced a weekly column called “Ask the Therapist,” written by psychotherapist and best‑selling author Lori Gottlieb. The feature invites readers to submit personal dilemmas, which Gottlieb answers with clinical insight and narrative flair. The newspaper aims to make professional mental‑health guidance accessible to a broad audience.
What The Devil Wears Prada Taught Me About Leadership
Richard Roppa Roberts revisits *The Devil Wears Prada* to extract leadership lessons for accounting firms. He argues that clear expectations, humane pressure, and protected rest are more critical than long hours or flashy tools. The piece warns that firms that prioritize employee well‑being and professional growth will outpace competitors as the industry undergoes AI‑driven change. Ultimately, empathy and excellence must coexist for sustainable success.
Marisa Renee Lee on Choosing Hope, Finding Humility, and Turning Life’s Darkest Seasons Into Sources of Strength
Marisa Renee Lee, a former Obama White House deputy director and CEO of social‑impact firm Beacon Advisors, has turned a series of personal tragedies—including her mother’s death, a cousin’s COVID loss, and her own long‑COVID diagnosis—into two best‑selling books on...
Buffett’s $100K Salary Shows Purpose Trumps Pay
Buffett takes $100,000 a year in salary. He doesn't ask the board if that's fair. He doesn't need to. "Money has no utility to me." Most CEOs optimize their comp package. He optimized his purpose decades ago. The salary was never the point.
NFL Veteran Joshua Dobbs Pursues Aviation Dreams in a Cirrus SR22
NFL quarterback Joshua Dobbs, entering his 10th season, has added a private pilot license to his résumé. The 31‑year‑old, who holds an aerospace engineering degree from Tennessee and previously interned at NASA, earned the license in a Cirrus SR22. He...
Honest Self‑assessment Fuels Growth; Digital Twins Accelerate Evolution
No one is exempt from this process. Having it go well depends on people's abilities to make frank assessments of strengths and weaknesses (most importantly weaknesses). While it's generally as difficult for managers to give this feedback as it is...
From $0 College Dropout to $50M Ecommerce, Embracing AI Mentorship
I dropped out of college with $0, zero grades, no rich parents, and no safety net at 17 Just a laptop + internet + pure desperation. 10 years later I’ve done over $50M in ecommerce revenue. Here’s why I just rebuilt...
Mastering 1:1 Meetings: Your Full Challenge Recap
The 5‑Day Mastering 1:1 Meetings Challenge from 16Personalities recapped each day’s focus, from defining meeting purpose to handling hard feedback and personality clashes. Day 1 distinguished two high‑impact 1:1 formats and a pre‑meeting question; Day 2 offered rapport‑building tactics for new managers;...
Burnout Shrinks Your Capacity, Rest Can't Refill It
The reason rest doesn’t fix burnout is that burnout isn’t just tiredness. Tiredness means your tank is empty. Burnout means the tank got smaller. So one quiet evening can pause the spending. But it can’t rebuild months of capacity loss.
Embrace Openness, Release Grasping, Start Fresh
Because I know you live for my guided meditations, here is a recent one: "Letting Go of All Contraction." "So if it's available to you, maintaining this openhearted love towards all that's arising, just come into openness to the experience...
Letting Go of All Contraction
Michael Taft leads a guided nondual meditation that asks participants to set the thinking mind aside and rest in effortless presence. The session moves through sensory openness, mantra chanting, emotional awareness, and heart‑opening, repeatedly urging listeners to relax and let...
Things I Wish Someone Told Me at 22
The author reflects on how, at 22, they let others dictate their identity, chasing social validation and mimicking dominant personalities. They warn that outsourcing self‑definition to influencers or louder peers erodes confidence and leads to a performance‑driven life. Authentic confidence,...
Scrolling Hours Add Up—Enough Time to Build Anything
The 2-4 hours you spend scrolling each day (or 730-1460 hours each year) is more than enough time to write a book, build a business, or get in shape. In the moment, it seems like nothing. That's why it's so...
Great Decisions Come when You Pause and Listen
Some of the best decisions happen after you slow down enough to hear yourself clearly.
Practice Method, Not Results. METHOD NOT RESULTS.
The post argues that meditation success hinges on adhering to disciplined methods rather than chasing specific outcomes. Citing Ken McLeod, the author warns that fixating on an "after picture"—tranquility, insight, or mystical powers—leads practitioners astray. By dissecting non‑dual, heart‑centered, and concentration...
Announcing: How to Do Stoic Therapy
Donald J. Robertson and Phil Yanov will host a live Substack conversation titled “How to Do Stoic Therapy” on May 15, 2026. The session, part of the *Conversations with Modern Stoicism* series, aims to translate Stoic philosophy into practical tools for managing emotions,...
Announcing: How to Do Stoic Therapy
Donald J. Robertson and Phil Yanov will host a Substack Live conversation titled “How to Do Stoic Therapy” on May 15, 2026 at 12 PM ET. The session, part of the “Conversations with Modern Stoicism” series, will explore how Stoic philosophy can be applied to...
Anxiety Drives Mental Loops, Habits, and Performance
New ep drops at now-o'clock. Today we talk about anxiety. What does anxiety have to do with mental loops, habits, performance, and unlearning? Join me this week with anxiety expert Dr. Jud Brewer (@dr.jud) . eagleman.com/podcast/153
From Survival to Thriving: Embrace a Life That Feels Good
For the woman who is done proving she can survive hard things. Now she wants to build a life that feels good. That shift is powerful. ✨ You belong here.
What Problem Are You Trying to Solve?
The Two Percent podcast episode with author David highlights that successful companies solve a defined problem, and the same principle applies to personal health. Michael stresses that before adding supplements, diets, or routines, you must first articulate the specific issue...
Find Your Own Ambition Before Mapping a Destination
It is incredibly easy to mistake someone else’s enthusiasm for your own desire. We get "should-ed" into futures that look great on paper but feel like a treadmill in real life. Most of us treat ambition like a destination. We look...
Play Streamlines Tools
Just counted the tabs open on my laptop. Omnisend. Slack. Clickup. Multiple Google Sheets I never close. Two custom GPTs that each know maybe a third of my businesses. None of them talks to each other. Neither does anyone use them. AI was...
How Journaling Clears Emotional Clutter in the Brain
The post explains how journaling acts as mental housekeeping, helping the brain sort, store, and release trapped thoughts. By externalizing emotions, journaling reduces cognitive load, lowers stress hormones, and improves focus. The author suggests a simple five‑minute daily practice, linking...
Consistent Effort Unlocks Access to Restricted Sites
People always ask how I get access to these places. When I started photographing earthmoving in 2017, getting into a local grading job felt harder than visiting the White House. So I kept calling. Kept showing up. Kept pushing. I admire any company...
Progress Comes From Trying, Mistakes Included
Try for what you want. 💚 Strive, work, plan, do, act, study, improve, keep going... By trying to get what you want, you will learn and grow along the way. If you have some mishaps or make some mistakes, that's ok. You...
When Observation Becomes Another Self
The article explores how the practice of observing thoughts—common in mindfulness and therapy—can unintentionally create a new ego identity. While observation offers a useful gap that prevents reactive behavior, the mind may start to own the act of observing, turning...
Athletes Are More Than Medals and Race Times
"(Athletes need to) understand that their value is not intrinsically placed on a medal or a time, that they're so much more than the person they are when they're competing." �-Missy Franklin
The Weight of Experience: When Past Knowledge Slows Present Clarity
Recent thought leadership highlights that accumulated experience, while valuable, can become cognitive weight that hampers swift decision‑making. The author argues that constant reference to past outcomes adds layers of comparison, slowing present‑day clarity. To counter this, the “Discipline: 14 Days...
Aspen Psychedelic Symposium Showcases Natural Medicine’s Healing Promise
The Aspen Psychedelic Resource Center, Healing Advocacy Fund and Aspen Public Radio are hosting the 2026 Aspen Psychedelic Symposium June 6‑7 at the Wheeler Opera House. The two‑day event brings together researchers, clinicians and spiritual practitioners to examine how psychedelic...
Refusing to Quit During Difficult Phases
The article explains that every meaningful goal eventually hits a difficult phase where excitement fades and progress slows. It argues that staying committed during these uncomfortable periods, rather than quitting, is essential for long‑term growth. The author stresses patience, consistency,...
Creating Order Inside a Distracted World
The post argues that modern life’s constant notifications, scrolling, and noise fragment attention and drain energy. It explains that creating order—through organized spaces, limited distractions, and deliberate routines—restores mental clarity and focus. By protecting dedicated periods of deep work, individuals...
Brooding and Low Heart‑Rate Variability Drive Bedtime Procrastination, Study Finds
Researchers Lena Mareen Grabo and Silja Bellingrath at the University of Duisburg‑Essen discovered that a tendency to brood and lower heart‑rate variability independently predict bedtime procrastination in a sample of 135 adults. The findings connect a specific mental habit and...
Mother’s Day 2026 Calls for Working Moms to Prioritize Emotional Wellbeing
Across news outlets, health experts and public figures are urging working mothers to protect their emotional wellbeing this Mother’s Day. The advice ranges from daily micro‑breaks and realistic expectations to coping with separation anxiety and rejecting the myth of ‘mom...
Study Finds 10 Everyday Phrases Dads Use That Harm Children’s Confidence
A recent study published by the Times of India identifies ten routine remarks fathers make that can undermine a child’s self‑esteem, emotional regulation, and willingness to ask questions. Researchers say the language habits are often unconscious but leave lasting psychological...
Times of India Links Bhagavad Gita’s Dhyana to Boosting Modern Attention Span
The Times of India published a feature showing how the Bhagavad Gita’s Dhyana Yoga provides a practical framework for regaining focus in an era where research shows most people can sustain attention for less than a minute. The piece argues...
Making Decisions Your Future Will Respect
The blog post argues that lasting personal and professional success hinges on making decisions that your future self will respect. It warns against short‑term thinking that offers immediate comfort but creates later regret, emphasizing that repeated small choices shape long‑term...
Purpose Drives Hiring, Projects, and Daily Values
Purpose becomes powerful when it shapes who we hire, the projects we take on, and the values we choose to live by every day. Video from Urban Land Institute (ULI) 2024 with CRE investor and creator, Lynn King-Tolliver
Break the Plateau by Challenging One Limiting Belief
I spent 5 years researching why high achievers plateau at work. It's rarely a skills problem. It's usually a belief problem. Here are the usual suspects: → "I need more preparation." (Meanwhile, less-qualified people raise their hand.) → "Never show weakness." (Meanwhile, you lose real connection...
The Experienced Mind Paradox: More Knowledge, Less Mental Space
The post explores the "Experienced Mind Paradox," where accumulated knowledge expands mental occupancy, making thinking feel heavier. While experience sharpens pattern recognition and decision speed, it also loads the mind with references, interpretations, and considerations. The author argues that this...
Success Speed Varies: It’s About Your Approach
If you feel like others become successful faster than you, you may just have different approaches. https://t.co/TK1GHI4OZT
Rejection Happens; Stay Grateful and Keep Moving Forward
For every idea someone says yes too, there are ideas that so many people pass on. When those moments happen, especially with something I really want, my heart drops, but it’s important to remain grateful… and just keep going.
True Founder Pride: Building a Self-Sustaining Business
The proudest thing a founder can say isn't "I built this." It's "I built this so well it doesn't need me anymore.”
Prep More Than You Speak: Reduce Speaking Anxiety
Fripp’s Tips: One of the best ways to handle the anticipation of speaking is to make sure you are mentally prepared beforehand. Understand that there is always a lot more preparation time than speaking time. #presentationskills #keynotespeaker #successmindset
Adopt an Archetype to Boost Self‑Control and Motivation
When we can’t access self-control and motivation, assuming the mindset of an archetype can have a substantial positive effect. Who are you picking? Huberman Lab podcast out now with Dr Kentaro Fujita, expert in the science of self-control and motivation....
Life's Brief—Pursue What Truly Enlivens You
Life will be over before you know it. Explore, learn, connect, lead, love, create. Pursue what enlivens you. It will not last long.
Make Every Day Feel Like Saturday, Not Just Retirement
The ultimate goal isn't retirement. It's building a life where: Monday and Saturday feel the same Because you love what you're doing either way
Your Body Would Veto Early Mornings and Overwork
A Monday morning question for you: If your body could vote on your daily schedule, what would it immediately veto?
Keep Coding Actively, Don’t Let AI Dull Your Skills
If you're not manually coding as much anymore, how do you stay sharp as an engineer? This post says we shouldn't passively consume AI output and atrophy our skills. Rather, actively engage and do things like reading diffs and debugging errors. https://t.co/KETBZiEjVO...
Embrace Imperfections: Honest Self‑Acceptance Beats Denial
In this week's episode of Office Hours, I explore why we avoid uncomfortable truths when feeling down, and why the better path towards fulfillment is honest self-acceptance—embracing your imperfections, and taking on the challenge to improve. https://t.co/TLFQve9coy
True Presence: The Privilege of Living in the Moment
Presence is a privilege. “If your mind is always elsewhere, you’re not really experiencing anything. Nothing is ever real.”
Freedom Begins When You Stop Seeking Everyone's Approval
One of the most significant turning points in my life came when I actively let go of my need to be liked by everyone.