How do we use our time well?
So many of us haven fallen asleep at the wheel of our own lives.
Me, included. Have, in the past. And, will again. Because I’m human, just like you. Fumbling and stumbling, trying to see more clearly, connect more deeply, and grow more alive through the joyful calamity of it all.
Thing is, we’re made no promises. Another hour, day, month, year, or decade. We just don’t know. It’s time to step back into the driver’s seat. To feel more alive, and less alone. Not someday, but now. That’s what Awake at the Wheel is about.
What you get as a FREE subscriber.
Weekly Wake-up Calls - every Sunday morning, you’ll get fresh wake-up call post like this one exploring a topic that is central to feeling more alive and less alone, often in an unconventional or novel way, along with a juicy journal and conversation prompt to help apply the insights, and share the experience with friends.
Big “think and feel” features articles, essays, and poems - You’ll get periodic longer-form features that take you much deeper into a story, idea, moment, or key element in living a life of meaning, purpose, passion, and play, like this 1,700-word piece on exercise and creativity. These deep-dives are often also loaded with valuable and eye-opening links, references and citations. Every once in a while, depending on the nature of the feature, these may be made available only to paid subscribers. And, after 2-months, with the exception of a handful of public pillar posts, ALL content will roll into the archives, which are paid.
Access to community & conversation - I’d originally paywalled the comment section in order to keep it safe. But, the longer I spend on Substack, the more I’ve come to see how beautifully and respectfully those in the community share and interact. So I’ve removed this limitation, everyone is free to join in the conversation. That said, I still do reserve the right to remove or block anyone who leads with disrespect, denigration or flagrant self-promotion.
Looking at this list, you may be thinking, “that is an abundant amount of value, and it sounds like a lot of work to create.” And, you’re right, it does take a lot of work, joyful work, but it still consumes a meaningful amount of my time and energy.
But. I’d really love to keep as much of my work as possible as accessible as I can to the greatest number of people. That’s how you scale impact, and build community. So, at least for now (this may change, if it’s not sustainable), when you become a free subscriber and reader, you get all of the above.
That said, I am asking for something in return…
Take a moment to share anything that strikes a chord. That’s how you can say thank you, and help me grow this amazing community of humans looking to feel more alive, and less alone.
Become a free subscriber now, then share any essay, feature or other offering that resonated!
What you get as a paid subscriber.
SPECIAL NOTE
As part of my Summer Reader Mega-Discount Drive, you can now become a paid subscriber at a 90% discount! That’s only $1/month or $10/year!
And you’ll lock in that rate for as long as you stay subscribed.
When you become a paid subscriber, in addition to all the above, you’ll get exclusive access to:
Mega-discounts (25-75%) off of upcoming educational workshops, events, and other immersive offerings that I generally lead a few times a year. These can range from the art of podcasting (I’ve been executive producer and host of one of the biggest podcasts in the world with 100-million downloads/views for a dozen years), writing, launching and marketing books (6 books with publishers, ranging from PRH and HarperCollins to Portfolio to Hay House), conscious entrepreneurship, exquisite attention, mindset makeovers for makers, career reimagining and more.
Periodic Awakened AMA sessions, with me, and a rotation fun guests, from iconic authors and makers to entrepreneurs and leaders in spirituality, business and whatever else feels exciting.
Video & voice notes - Here and there, you’ll get unedited nature (or silliness) inspired voice messages from the trail here in Boulder, Colorado (bears, rattlesnakes, and bobcats optional).
Access to the archives - While nearly all content is free upon publication, it also all automatically rolls into paid archives over time. You’ll be able to drop into and revisit everything, and return to what moved you.
A way to say thank you, to support this work - In a poll I conducted, 50% of people become paid subscribers simply to thank and/or support a creator whose work made a difference to them. If my work lands in a meaningful way in your heart, mind, and life, and you have the ability to support it, I’d be grateful for your kindness.
And, remember, the micro-hit you get from that fancy almond-oat-macadmia-milk latte is gone in minutes. As a full-access paid subscriber to Awake at the Wheeler, you’ll keep replenishing your “more alive, less alone” mug all day, every-day, and all month long.
Try it for a month. What’ve you got to lose?
About Me
I’m the dad of a daughter whose every move beats my heart (I generally don’t post photos, because that’s her life and story to tell). The husband of a woman who has blessed every breath I’ve taken for over 30 years. And, I’m a Maker, I live to love, and to create.
At various times, I’ve made my bones as a lawyer, multi-time founder, 6-time author, keynote speaker, yoga teacher, blogger, educator, podcaster, and executive producer.
For more than a dozen years, I’ve hosted one of the most popular podcasts in the word, Good Life Project®. I still can't fathom how it’s grown into what it’s become, but I’m grateful for the community, the impact, and my big-hearted and wise team.
They say, “don’t meet your heroes.” They lie.
I’ve spent time with everyone from Anne Lamott, Elizabeth Gilbert, Brené Brown, and James McBride to Peter Frampton, Macy Gray, Matthew McConaughey and others who’ve been knighted, won Nobels, Pulitzers, Oscars and Grammys, made world-changing scientific breakthroughs and led social change. Every one was, and is, my teacher. Every conversation, a gift.
Along an ambling professional path, I investigated insider-trading as an enforcement attorney for the SEC, fumbled my way through mega-deals at a big-firm in NYC, then “threw it all away” to make $12/hour as a personal trainer and learn the wellness industry from the ground-up. Soon after, I opened my own facility. Our ethos was “do the opposite of convention.” To everyone’s amazement (mine, included), we thrived. I eventually sold my interest, and took time to start following a creative impulse to write. And, break all the rules I’d learned as a lawyer.
A year later, in the shadow of 9-11, having self-published my first “alleged” book, I found myself deepening into Eastern thought and movement. Opened a yoga studio in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC, then spent the next 7 years breathing, moving, studying, and teaching thousands, training hundreds of teachers from around the world, and building community.
All of it, from my time taking depositions under the cover of secrecy in a windowless, cinderblock government box to bringing students out of Savasana after 90-minutes of sweaty collective effervescence, was a PhD in the human condition. In what makes us tick, or not. In how we see and believe and act, both when around others, and, more interestingly, when we think no one’s looking. In how we meet and make our worlds. And what inner and outer rules guide the pursuit.
This all led me back to writing, where, in 2008, I began my journey as an author in earnest, writing a series of award-winning and bestselling books. Among them — Career Renegade (Penguin Random House), Uncertainty (Portfolio), How to Live a Good Life (Hay House), and SPARKED (HarperCollins).
Then, there’s one more book that took four years, has a single copy in print, and will remain a mystery to all but one of two humans who hold my heart, and will for life.
All of which launched me into the world of public speaking, and along with our team, gathering community for a wonderful series of retreats, events, programs and even a five-year stint running an adult summer-camp that reconnected thousands of attendees to what it means to drop the facade, reconnect to meaning, play and joy, and come back to life.
In 2018, following a deep curiosity around the world of work, and how to make it better, I launched a research initiative that developed the Sparketype® Assessment, a simple, freely-available tool that identifies the essence of work that makes you come alive. As we head toward a million people having completed this assessment, generating approximately 50-million data-points, it’s grown into one of the largest-ever global studies on work-life fulfillment. Take it now, if you haven’t yet, it’s totally free and may reveal something powerful to you.
Somehow, this “long, strange trip” has led to features in The New York Times, Oprah Magazine, FastCompany, Shondaland, Success, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, SELF, Vogue, Yoga Journal, Allure, The Guardian, Inc., ELLE, Outside, yada yada yada. Why they cared, not entirely sure, but it’s been fun.
More than anything, I’m a dad, husband, friend, and Maker who just wants to spend my time loving who I love, helping others, and making things that move people.
I look forward to sharing, learning, and deepening the connection here at Awake @ the Wheel.
