With the Second Brain Summit just a month away, the excitement is building...
And I'm especially looking forward to hearing from Rachel Woods, who’s bringing her expertise in AI and creativity to the stage.
In her keynote, “Automating Creativity: Using Process and Repeatability to Unlock AI’s Potential,” Rachel will explore how AI can help us scale our creativity in ways we’ve never imagined.
She’ll dive into the practical ways you can embed process and repeatability into your work, making AI a true ally in your creative endeavors.
And that’s not all—Rachel will also lead a hands-on workshop titled “AI Mastery: How to use the MASTER Method for Prompting,” where you’ll get to learn and practice the techniques that can make AI an integral part of your knowledge work.
To hear from Rachel and many more of your favorite teachers and creators in person, join us on October 3-4 in LA.
Transform Your Workflow: One Experiment at a Time
One of the most powerful mindsets for growth is that of iterative improvement—constantly testing, learning, and adapting.
This approach transforms your work life into a laboratory where every adjustment is an opportunity to better understand yourself, your work style, and your preferences.
Example: Let's say you keep getting distracted throughout your workday by incoming emails. You can't resist checking your inbox which takes you away from the tasks at hand. An experiment you could run is to remove your email app from your view and set two alarms per day for when you'll be checking your email. Try this for a week and see how your work experience changes.
Here are some key strategies to make the most of this experimental approach:
- Run one experiment at a time: Keep your experiments manageable to clearly see the impact of that adjustment and avoid overwhelming yourself with too many variables.
- Make it fun: Experimentation should be enjoyable, so try something counter-intuitive or the opposite of what you’d usually do. Approach these changes with curiosity and a playful mindset—how can you tweak your routine in a way that makes work more enjoyable?
- Set a concrete timeframe: Give your experiment a defined period, such as 7 days. This provides a clear window to evaluate the results without the commitment feeling too daunting.
- Acknowledge the learning: Remember, there’s no such thing as failure in this process—only learning. Every experiment, whether it works as expected or not, gives you valuable insights that can guide your next steps.
Your turn: What's an experiment you can start right now? Reply to this email and share it with me.
3-Step Public Speaking Formula for Anyone
I sat down with my public speaking coach, Michael Gendler, to explore his unique and intuitive approach to mastering public speaking and effective communication.
Michael reveals his powerful 3-step formula designed to help you speak spontaneously and with confidence, whether you’re on stage or in everyday conversations.
Along the way, we dive into practical tips that can immediately improve your communication skills, plus some profound life lessons that extend beyond just speaking.
Your Nervous System Shapes Your World. Learn How to Master It
"We don't actually experience the world—instead we filter reality through the state of our nervous system."
As a self-development nerd, this sentence from my friend Jonny Miller had me perk up. I learned that the nervous system is essentially our body's command center. It influences how we handle stress, how resilient we are in challenging situations, and even how we interact with others.
I don't know about you, but I was never taught how our nervous system actually works... let alone that I could learn to consciously control it.
I experienced the power of such training last year when Jonny was in California and generously offered to do a breathwork session for my wife Lauren and me. In about 90 minutes he led us through one of the most profound and fastest-acting experiences I've had, giving me an incredible sense of clarity and groundedness for the whole rest of the week.
Jonny is about to run the next cohort of Nervous System Mastery – a five-week boot camp that will equip you with evidence-backed protocols to cultivate greater calm and agency over your internal state.
You will learn how to rewire maladaptive stress responses, increase your capacity for focus, and improve the quality of your sleep.
Exclusive for our newsletter subscribers – you can use the code FORTE to save $250! Enrollment closes Sep. 27th and the cohort kicks off on Oct. 7th.
If you'd like an intro to how your nervous system influences your life, check out this excellent video on Jonny's brand-new YouTube channel.
Thank you to Jonny Miller for sponsoring this newsletter.
Behind-the-Scenes: Getting Started with Personalized Email Marketing
Our team just concluded a big overhaul of our email marketing system, based on Brennan Dunn's approach to personalized emails.
We wanted to get to know our subscribers better so we could send them emails that are more relevant, addressing their unique pain points and goals.
Instead of treating everyone the same, we now personalize our emails to the subscribers' preferences.
If you're running a business and want to know what this looks like, check out the case study Brennan's team just published based on our project.
