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Page 1: August 27, 2026

Mexico City

“I love it when shit that go around, come around.” — my mom

Before I got a dog, I used to judge people who pulled their dogs along while they were trying to smell something. Why get a dog if you’re not gonna let them stop and smell stuff? It seemed so impatient to me...

Cut to: a few years later, and now I’m the jerk pulling their dog along because they wanna stop and smell every goddamn thing (especially when I’m in a hurry). Hahahaha

I think about stuff like that because I’m now at the age where pretty much everything I’ve done to other people — or judged other people for doing — has been done to me.

I’ve been stolen from, broken up with in crappy ways, lied to. I’ve been left on “read.” And I don’t know if you believe in karma or not, but it’s kinda hard for me to deny that much of what I’ve experienced feels like life is giving my me a taste of my own medicine.

I’ve left relationships in less than impressive ways in the past. I’ve lied. I’ve cheated. I’ve even stolen before... I mean, I haven’t always been a meditation teacher (cont’d)

There were periods of my life when I made some pretty short-sighted choices. But the older I get, the more obvious it becomes that every one of my choices, good, bad, or indifferent, comes back around.

Which is why these days, whenever I’m faced with a decision where the right thing isn’t immediately obvious, I ask myself one very simple question: Would I want someone to do THIS to me?

If the answer is yes, I proceed. If the answer is no, I make a different choice.

Because I know that somehow, some way, it’s gonna come back around. And I’ve seen It happen for the good stuff, too.

I’ve been blessed beyond measure in my life. People have helped me when they didn’t have to. Given me opportunities. Forgiven me. Taken chances on me. Shown up for me.

And I obviously can’t prove that any of it happened because of good things I’ve done in the past. But I like to believe there’s a connection.

My dad used to tell my brothers and me all the time: “You can’t get away with anything. All you can do is increase the lag time. But eventually, you’re gonna get caught.” (cont’d)

Page 3: Looking back, that was some good advice...

So whether you believe in karma, God, the universe, cause and effect, or none of the above, I think it’s worth considering:

Everything (good or bad) will find its way back to you, and probably when you least expect it.

Which is why I strongly recommend asking Would I want someone to do what I’m thinking of doing, back to me? If the answer is yes, then go for it!

With love,

Light

Photo 1: Chuchu, my teacher of patience

Photo 2: A childhood photo of my brothers and I in Alabama

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Page 1: “The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things.” - Rilke

August 20, 2026

Mexico City

So the other day, I saw someone wearing a pair of white jeans.

And it immediately reminded me of my spiritual teacher back when I lived in LA.

When I first started studying with him, he used to wear white jeans with desert boots and pastel button-down shirts.

I thought it looked very elegant for a meditation teacher.

It gave “relatable” without screaming spiritual guru.

So naturally, I started emulating him. My look became white jeans with a blue denim shirt. I also wore beads like him.

I gestured with my hands the way he gestured with his while teaching. I chuckled the way he chuckled. I even borrowed many of the same jokes that made me laugh. What do they say?

Em Imitation is a form of flattery.

Anyway, about a year later, my teacher happened to be in LA giving a talk. I couldn’t make it, but I encouraged my students to go see him. (cont’d)

Page 2: A week later, one of them told me she had noticed his white jeans, and walked up to him after his talk, and said, “Hey, did you get your white jeans look from Light?”

Andget this: without missing a beat, he smiled and said, “Yes, I did.” Hahahahahaha

Of course, the truth was exactly the opposite - I got the white jeans look from him!

When my student told me what he’d said, I couldn’t help but be impressed that he hadn’t corrected her. His ego didn’t need her to know that it was me who had borrowed the look from him. And then I caught myself thinking...

I don’t know if my ego would’ve let someone else take the credit for a trend I’d started. I could see myself interrupting her with, "Well, actually..." smh

But that’s what I always admired about my teacher. He had this beautiful way of validating other people’s experience and allowing them to feel seen.

To him, getting credit for an inconsequential fashion choice wasn’t nearly as important as allowing a student to admire her teacher. (cont’d)

Page 3: That little exchange taught me something about what it truly means to be a teacher. There’s what you say on stage. And then there’s how you show up in those little in-between moments, when you’re not “on.” And I now know that what you do in those moments says more about your “teachings” than anything you can say on stage.

I also realized that day that I still had a long way to go as a teacher. Because if I’m being honest, I don’t think I would’ve been that gracious.

Although I’ve never shared this story with him, it remains one of the most powerful secondhand lessons he ever taught me. The ol’ white jeans lesson. Ha.

With Love,

Light

Photo 1: Teaching in Lisbon in 2013 with white jeans

Photo 2: Standing with a friend, both of us wearing white jeans

Photo 3: Wearing white jeans while on a break from teaching in Vancouver

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August 13, 2026

Mexico City

I’m finding that the older I get, the more I look forward to the simple things in life:

Meditating for 20 minutes to start my day.

Walking Chuchu in the morning. Taking a shower. Making breakfast and coffee. Sitting in the sun. Creating content. Making lunch. Picking Chuchu up from her sitter. Enjoying a hot cup of green tea. Strolling around my neighborhood.

Practicing my Spanish. People watching at the local park.

And it hit me the other day that one of the reasons I enjoy these moments so much is because I’ve made little rituals out of then them.

When I meditate, I always wrap my Indian shawl around my shoulders to keep me myself warm, and I sit in the same place (which is in my bed).

That’s what I mean by “ritual.” Nothing fancy.

We always end Chuchu’s morning walks with her favorite treat. She loves her that ritual.

When I make my coffee, I have my little process of scooping out the fragrant grounds, gently pressing them into the filter thingy, and adding the water to the espresso machine. (cont’d)

On my way home from people watching, I’ll stop

by the monkey bars and practice my muscle-ups. Sometimes I can get a few, sometimes not.

It’s all rituals.

And I’m realizing that rituals are portals into the present moment.

Whenever I find myself rushing through something, I’ll notice later that there was very little presence because I was too focused on what was next.

And ironically, whenever I’ve made stupid mistakes or had silly accidents, it was almost always because I was ruhing rushing.

In an effort to force myself to slow down, back in 2024, I decided to take a cold shower every morning for an entire year, no matter what.

And that ritual turned something I’d done thousands of times into what felt like an event.

Some mornings, I’d stand there naked under the showerhead for a full minute before turning it on, negotiating with myself: (cont’d)

“No one will ever know if I skip today.”

“I’ve done it enough days.”

“Who am I trying to impress with this silly experiment?” Etc.

Inevitably, I would just get on with it.

I also tried every possible variation to make it less shocking.

I’d turn the water on first and ease myself in. For a long stretch, I stood directly under the showerhead and just shocked myself with the cold. Then I’d start warm and finish cold. Or I’d start cold and finish warm.

But In the end, nothing made it easier.

But one thing I noticed after every single cold shower Is I had a big grin on my face.

Partly because it was over. But mostly because I’d followed through on my ritual for one more day.

And I think that’s one of the telltale signs that something has become a ritual. There’s a deep sense of satisfaction you feel afterward.

(cont’d)

And that feeling carries over into whatever comes next...

I’d even say the more rituals we bring into our days, the more fulfillment we can experience in our lives.

Ha, what’s funny is I haven’t taken many cold showers since that year. But the few times I’ve had to for whatever reason, it’s no longer a big deal. It’s no longer even conversation-worthy.

I’ll bet you already have rituals built into your days.

Maybe you like to listen to your favorite podcast on your commute. Or you read the news each morning. Maybe you’re a bath taker and you love your Epsom salts and foam?

Curious, what would you say that some of your favorite rituals are?

And have you noticed that when you’re engaged in them, you tend to be more present?

With love,

Light

Photo 1: I recorded myself taking my first voluntary cold shower. As you can see it looks kinda intense. As the experiment went on, my reaction was less and less intense

Photo 2: Chuchu, so you can put a face to a name

Photo 3: One of my favorite sunny spots in my neighborhood

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August 6, 2026

Mexico City

Welcome to the Presence Letter!

You know, long before social media, back when I lived in NYC, a small circle of my friends and I used to regularly mail each other handwritten letters.

It didn’t matter if you lived far away or just a few blocks down the street. I’d find myself heading to the post office about every other day to mail someone a letter. My favorite stamps to use were my Malcolm X stamps, which felt fitting, seeing as how I lived in Harlem.

The friend I exchanged the most letters with was Mfon, a Nigerian-born photographer, artist, and sartorialist.

I met Mfon on President’s Day in 1997 at B. Smith’s restaurant, where we both worked. It was my first time waiting tables, and Mfon, who’d been there longer, was tasked with showing me the ropes.

Little did I know, she and I would become extremely close friends and regular pen pals. Artistically, we would become each other’s muse. We’d mail letters to one another multiple times a month. Plus, we’d buy old- school Land cameras and photograph one another, and go to Latent Images in Chelsea to print the photos by hand in their darkroom.

We’d take long walks around our Harlem neighborhood, flirt, gossip, tell jokes and laugh, play board games, and make food. It was a fun and seemingly innocent time.

Each day was full of surprises. (cont’d)

Neither of us had any way of knowing that Mfon would be diagnosed with stage four breast cancer and pass away in 2001. And I’d move to LA a year later...

When prepping for my move, I collected all of her letters I could find, which were over a hundred. Many were composed on the back of her photographs, a sheet of wrapping paper, or whatever happened to be around.

They were these beautiful little works of art, which were among my most prized possessions. They still remind me fondly of those quirky New York days. Full of slow moments. And lots of tea, and creativity :)

When I went nomadic in 2018, I claimed to have gotten rid of “everything.” Well, almost everything...

I held onto Mfon’s letters, storing them away in my brother’s basement in Alabama, because I always planned to do something with them “one day.”

I became even more inspired after the woman I hired to transcribe and digitize Mfon’s letters (back in 2003) told me she was profoundly moved by Mfon’s spirit, even though she’d never met her.

Many, many years have passed since then, and I still hadn’t done anything with the letters... until now.

My experience with Mfon is ultimately what inspired both the creation and especially the format of these “Presence” Letters. (cont’d)

Because back then, receiving one of Mfon’s letters would literally be the highlight of my day, bringing me right into the moment.

I’d pour myself some tea and make a whole ritual out of opening and reading them.

I’d notice the placement of the licked-on stamps -

the choice of envelope. Oftentimes there was some profound quote written on the seal of the envelope. I’d take notice of the paper she chose. And cherish whatever other surprises awaited me inside.

And a part of me hopes that receiving these weekly Presence Letters will have a similar effect on you...

I hope they inspire a small moment of quiet reflection and help you connect with that more creative and reflective part of yourself. I hope they inspire you to cherish the rituals in your life. Or to create some.

And I want to thank you for being a part of this journey with me. I’m looking forward to sharing more with you in the weeks and months to come.

With love,

Light

P.S. I’ll include some images of Mfon’s letters below, along with a few photos of her, so you can put a face and personality to her name (pronounced “Mm-fun”).

Letter 1 from Mfon

Letter 2 from Mfon

Letter 3 from Mfon

Photo 1: Mfon at the 135th train station in New York City

Photo 2: Mfon at a boardgame night at my apt in New York

Photo 3: Mfon and I outside of B. Smith’s restaurant where we met

Y’all, I got an email in April 2026, asking if I’d be interested in interviewing Wallo Peeples (aka Wallo267).

If you don’t know Wallo, he’s one half of the hugely popular Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast with Gillie Da Kid.

They’ve both been interviewed by just about everyone in hip-hop culture. And I’d been casually following his work for a while.

While Gillie is probably the more recognizable name (especially due to his “Blow the Whistle!” Philadelphia Eagles dance that went viral during their recent Super Bowl-winning season), Wallo’s story is the one that really fascinated me…

Because Wallo went to prison at 17 years old for a crime he fully admits to committing.

“I was a knucklehead when I was young,” he’s said many times before.

And when he was released from prison twenty years later at 37 years old, he often described that first day out as the scariest moment of his life.

Why?

Because he had boldly declared that he was going to flip the one thousand dollars that his grandmother gifted him upon his release into a hundred million dollars.

But… he didn’t know exactly how he was going to do it.

And he’d talked so much shit leading up to that moment. So it was now time for him to put his money where he mouth had been.

(By the way, he’d been posting from his burner phone in prison for years before his release — so one plan was to leverage his substantial following).

And sure enough, he tapped into the entrepreneurial skills he honed and refined in prison, which put him on track toward the massive success he’s experienced today.

Knowing all of this, I jumped at the opportunity to interview him.

But what surprised me was how nervous I was leading up to the interview.

I couldn’t really explain it.

I think because he’d been interviewed so many times, on platforms much bigger than mine (Shanon Sharpe, Good Morning America, Breakfast Club, you name it).

And I wanted my interview to bring something different.

So I decided to be extra prepared for this one.

I watched Wallo’s old TEDx Talks. I read his books. I studied interview after interview.

Like most popular guests, he has his stock talking points. So I wanted to come up with unique questions that would break him out of that.

That was the challenge…

And then, on the day we were supposed to record, I logged on, but there was no Wallo.

I waited 5 minutes. Then 10.

Turns out, there was a scheduling mix-up. A part of me was relieved, because I wanted to do even more research before our conversation.

Wallo’s team graciously reached out — apparently, he got the times mixed up, and the interview got pushed back by a month.

I couldn’t be upset, because it’s happen to me as well.

Anyway, when the interview finally happened, Wallo logged on from his Miami Beach condo.

He’d just come back in from a run, and he was relaxing in his sunny, white-washed, ocean-facing living room, sitting on what appeared to be a white leather mid-century modern sofa in front of the floor to ceiling windows.

I suspect from the view of the horizon that his place is somewhere pretty high up.

Oh, and someone was off to the side serving him orange juice and water during the interview. And Wallo had his latest book, Yes to You, No to Them, propped up on the table in front of him.

To be honest, I expected more production value from someone who’s constantly interviewing and being interviewed online. But he was using the landscape orientation of his iPhone for our interview.

Regardless, I found Wallo warm, yet candid about his vast life experiences.

It was the kind of candor that I strive for as well. And it gave me permission to be even more forthright than usual with my off-the-cuff questions.

My attempts to break him out of his stock talking points were falling short, as he negated my false assumptions a few times to set the record straight.

But his sincerity and candor saved those moments, and added a bit of welcomed spice to the interview.

Wallo shared some classic stories that I’ve heard him tell many times in my research, plus some interesting in-between-moments stories, such as how he can be such a prolific poster without spending a lot of time online.

One of my favorite stories was hearing how Anthony Bourdain became his virtual mentor while Wallo was still in prison.

He watched No Reservations obsessively, which changed the way he looked at the world, and of the idea of marketing.

Everything in life has been marketed to you, he noted. From the food you eat, to the way you dress, to the place you live. It’s all marketing.

I asked him why certain people have a harder time with marketing sometimes—myself included.

His simple answer made me chuckle: “You’ve got to have a fuck-it button.”

Most people, he said, are held back by the opinion of a handful of others. I quietly nodded in agreement.

I was also fascinated by Wallo’s prison experience because, as you may remember, my dad and brother had to do a little time a few years ago for wire fraud.

So I was excited to compare their experiences with his.

But Wallo was pretty optimistic about his two decades in prison—almost surprisingly so.

I asked him if he believes everything in his life happened the way it was supposed to... including his going to prison. And if he’d choose it again, knowing how it all turned out.

Can you guess his answer by the title of this letter?

Then I asked him about relationships, and his stance on red pill theory when it comes to modern dating. Again, his response was unexpected.

There were many other moments that surprised me during our conversation.

And ever since our interview, I’ve tried my best to dust off and my fuck-it button and keep it activated for as long as possible — even negating my introverted tendencies.

Now, when I feel that cringe right before posting something, I try to remember to turn it on and post away.

How about you? Is your f-it button serving you well?

I think you’re going to enjoy this conversation. If you get a chance to watch or listen to it, please leave a comment letting me know what you thought, and which of Wallo’s points resonated with you the most.

Much love,

We get requests and pitches all the time, but I’ve been rejecting all of them, to stay focused on my solo podcast episodes.

And then we got an email the other week asking if I’d be interested in interviewing Peter Russell.

Peter Russell? The Peter Russell??

Funny side note—Peter was on my short list of potential guests to interview when I started my podcast in 2020.

I’ve been following his work for decades, starting with his pivotal book, The TM Technique, which inspired me to want to go deeper in meditation.

And lo and behold, he has a new book out called How to Meditate Without Even Trying.

For those of you who’ve been following my work closely, you know I have a book called Bliss More: How to Succeed in Meditation Without Really Trying.

So it felt like a full-circle moment… followed by a full-bodied “yes.”

Of course I’ll interview Peter Russell.

I never intended to stop doing interviews altogether—I just wanted to save them for special occasions.

And this felt like one.

Normally my new episodes drop on Mondays, but I’ve decided to release them here on Substack first.

In our fascinating conversation, I learned that Peter’s first book was actually banned by the TM organization when it came out.

He explains why in the episode.

And there was another moment that really stood out.

Impressed by his accessibility, I asked Peter if he was a naturally gifted writer.

He said no—he had never written anything substantial before that first book.

Instead, he credits its success to his background as a mathematician.

A mathematician? I asked. How does that work?

He said mathematicians think logically. And he simply wanted to make practical sense of how meditation works.

And in many ways, that’s what he’s been doing ever since.

Now, 14 books later, his latest is How to Meditate Without Even Trying.

I couldn’t be more excited to bring you this conversation on all things meditation.

I hope you enjoy it.

Usually I just smile and repeat whatever point they’re now grateful I mentioned.

But inside, I know I told them. Because about 95% of my trainings are exactly the same.

What changes — sometimes dramatically — is our memory of what we experienced, based on where we were in life and what we were going through at the time.

I’m guilty of having a selective memory too.

And because of that, I’ve stopped telling people in my personal life that they didn’t say or do something I could’ve sworn didn’t happen.

It’s much more accurate to say: I don’t remember you saying X or doing Y.

This phrasing accomplishes a couple of things.

First, it doesn’t invalidate the other person’s experience. Maybe they really do remember saying or doing the thing — and in their mind, that’s as good as having done it.

Second, it quietly acknowledges how fragile our memory actually is, which science has confirmed again and again.

The classic basketball experiment illustrates this perfectly. Viewers were asked to watch this video about selective attention:

And they were instructed to count how many times a basketball was passed between players.

But there’s an unexpected twist at the end.

I don’t want to give it away, so I advise watching the video (it’s less than 90 seconds).

Did you get the number right?

Knowing that most of us have selective attention should make us a little more humble when someone remembers things differently than we do.

Maybe they’re right?

And it raises a question worth sitting with regularly, especially when we’re upset, angry, or offended:

What am I focusing on right now? What actually happened? Or, what I want to believe happened?

Because if you’re looking for evidence that someone disrespected you, you’ll find plenty.

If you’re scanning for reasons to justify an insecurity or a frustration, you’ll find those too.

But just like the above selective attention experiment, there could be something else there too…

Obvious reasons to feel grateful in spite of the perceived offense.

And sometimes, all it takes to get unstuck is noticing the gratitude as well.

.

Why not just call it “The Week You Transform?”

A year sounds way too long…

I laughed—because he’s right. A year does sound long.

But here’s why I’m a horrible marketer...

I can’t lie to you.

I know that a week of meditation isn’t going to change your life.

I know a week of going to the gym won’t move the needle.

And 7 measly days of making gratitude lists won’t magically switch on your manifestation powers…

Now don’t get me wrong—those are all great starts.

But my big promise to my readers is transformation.

And I don’t take my promises lightly.

After 25 years of working with thousands of change seekers, here’s what I’ve witnessed...

Transformation is the compounding effect of thousands upon thousands of micro-actions repeated consistently, over an extended period of time.

One week is nothing when it comes to change.

Even with my recent calorie-tracking challenge, I’ve had to make dozens of micro-choices every day for months.

And I’m just getting started!

The benefit of giving yourself a year as opposed to a week is after 52 weeks worth of micro-actions, you’ll look up one day and realize:

“Oh my God. My life, my habits, my priorities, even the way I feel about myself—it’s all changed. For the better.”

The problem is, most people’s impatience actually slows their results down.

They fall for the “overnight success” hype—the extreme declarations.

The quick fixes. The burn the boats mentality...

And what we mostly get on the other side of that approach is burnout, frustration, and relapse.

Because that approach is quietly rooted in scarcity: “If I don’t change now, my life is over.”

Not true.

When you dedicate yourself to a year (or more) of micro-actions, your new and improved life is just beginning.

This is what I call the Tortoise approach.

It’s slow. But it’s steady.

And therefore, you gradually weave those changes into your lifestyle without even noticing it.

I’m not stupid.

I get that “Sprint Your Way to Change” would probably sell a lot more books.

But honestly, I don’t want to attract or work with people who are still hoping for the quick fix.

It’s exhausting trying to manage their unrealistic expectations.

So, if you’re done with the unsustainable “hare” approach to change, and you’re finally ready for The Tortoise approach,

You are who I wrote this book for.

And I can’t wait to hear the story about that day when you look up 12 months or so from now, and realize just how much your life has truly changed for the better.

With Love,

It sounds crazy, but I was inspired by my friend Max Lugavere to start taking my diet more seriously by tracking my macros.

That means, I started measuring how many grams of protein, carbs, and fat I was consuming with every meal and snack.

The thought of being so meticulous intimidated me forever. Event though I had a food scale (still in the box) in the back of my pantry, that I impulse purchased on Amazon one day, probably after seeing some motivational food post on social media.

By the time it arrived, I decided that I didn’t want to be one of “those” people—super rigid, weighing lettuce leaves, pulling out calculators in restaurants.

But another friend inspired me to get honest about why I was stuck with my health goals.

I mean, I felt like I was doing everything right… working out a few times a week, walking 12,000 steps a day, not drinking, sleeping well, low stress.

Yet… my body wasn’t changing all that much.

So I finally bit the bullet and started tracking literally EVERY bite of food and sauce and beverage I put in my mouth. No exceptions. No rounding down.

Then, I got a DEXA scan at my gym, which showed that I had 20% body fat.

That’s technically “normal” for my age (early 50’s), height (6’2), and weight (220)… but near the top end of normal.

The scan also showed I had solid muscle, which was good news.

So I set a new goal: drop down to 12–13% body fat.

That’s where you start to have visible abs without flexing. Hey, why not?

I ran the numbers using ChatGPT, and they seemed very doable.

To achieve my goal in 3 months, I had a target daily calorie cap of no more than 2,300 calories per day.

And a protein goal of 180 grams a day to preserve my muscle.

Once I locked that in, I pulled the food scale out, picked up some protein powder, and went down the YouTube and TikTok rabbit holes of low-cal, high protein recipes.

Turns out, tracking wasn’t that bad once I got intentional and regular with it.

In fact, it was quite the fun and eye-opening experiment!

I discovered that 2,300 is plenty of space to fit in 3 decent-sized healthy meals, and that I was already eating 95% clean.

But here’s what I realized had been getting in my way for years!

Olive oil. Butter. And nuts.

Don’t get me wrong. Those are all “healthy” fats, but they’re shockingly more calorie-dense than I realized.

A few tablespoons of oil could turn an otherwise 500-calorie meal into a 1,000-calorie bomb!

No wonder I wasn’t seeing results!!

So I immediately cut back the fats, started cooking the majority of my meals at home, and kept strict account of my numbers.

Thirty days later I went back for another DEXA scan.

And to my delight, my body fat had plummeted from 20% to 15%.

But my lean muscle percentage actually went UP—even though I haven’t changed my workouts at all.

The only difference had been my diet. Can you imagine?

All that time, my love for olive oil and butter had been sabotaging the results I so desperately wanted, and thought I deserved with the lifestyle I adhered to.

I’m still in the thick of the experiment, but it’s wild how much of a game-changer those couple of tweaks have been.

In addition to that, I discovered that you can eat pretty much whatever you want, as long as you use protein-rich, or low-fat, or sugar-free ingredients.

So that burger is made from 95/5 ground beef (95% meat, 5% fat). The cheese is lite cheese. The ketchup is sugar free. And the “fries” are baked in my air fryer without any oil. So the entire meal is only around 500 calories with a whopping 50g of protein!

The waffles I eat are made from protein pancake mix, with sugar-free syrup. And I can easily walk away from that meal having clocked another 40g of protein, for only 400 calories.

Pasta, same thing. Use lite cheese, or cottage cheese for your alfredo sauce, and no olive oil, and your 1200 calorie pasta dish turns into a 500 calorie delight…

Not because it tastes better or worse (honestly, you can’t tell the difference). But because it loves you back, instead of forcing you to trade a temporary fatty taste for your longterm health goals.

We always hear “you can’t out-train a bad diet,” and it turns out that’s 100% true.

My only regret is I wish I’d taken the time to track my calories a lot earlier.

Again, it’s not forever.

It started as a 3-month commitment. But I’ve continued it because I enjoy it so thoroughly.

Eventually, I’ll switch into maintenance mode, which will include a lot more calories per day.

And in case you’re feeling like you’re not outrunning your diet, my advice: start tracking.

You can even just describe what you ate into AI, and it will give you a general idea of how many calories you just consumed.

And at least you’ll have a point of reference for where you are.

Who knows, you may just need one or two tweaks to increase your stride.

In the meantime, if you have any favorite low-calorie, high-protein recipes to share, please share below.

With love,

I came across this article recently about how any amount of alcohol can increase your risk of dementia:

Headlines like that tempt a lot of people to quit drinking.

But let’s be honest: the hesitation to quit is also real...

Few people want to face the social fallout, the weird stares when you pass on a drink, or the awkwardness around dating, networking, and meeting new friends.

I’m not here to convince anyone to stop who isn’t interested to give up drinking—but if you’re on the fence about it, I think you’ll find my story useful:

I gave up alcohol more than 20 years ago—not because I had a problem, but because I was curious about what adult life might feel like without the alcohol-induced buzz.

At first, my deepest fears came true...

I became less relatable to my drinking friends. Invitations stopped. And some close friendships faded.

But something unexpected happened at the same time...

I started attracting an entirely different circle of people: Non-drinkers. New friends from exercise groups and daytime activities—the healthy and aware crowd.

Even with dating apps, I found myself organically matching with non-drinker after non-drinker, even without listing that preference on my profile.

Turns out, as I switched to a non-drinking frequency, I was attracting others who were living at that same frequency.

As spiritual folks, we’ve suspected that that’s how frequency works. But in my experience, it doesn’t happen until we take the leap.

That means both feet are in the air, and we’re all in.

Now, when I connect with someone new, and discover that they rarely drink, it no longer surprises me. Of course they don’t.

The depth of connection no longer surprises me either. It’s natural to go much deeper when both parties are present to the moment.

Again, I’m not trying to persuade you one way or the other.

But if you ever decide to explore what life could be like without alcohol, just know that there’s a entire world of grounded, aware, and connected people awaiting you on the other side of that decision.

Yes, you’ll be unrelatable for a little while—but only to drinkers. To the rest of us, you’ll come off as much more interesting and unique.

If you’d like some guidance on navigating the transition, my new book The Year You Transform opens with a 7-day alcohol-free challenge, which I find to be the basis for all transformation.

The less you diminish your awareness, the more tapped into your intuition you become.

And your intuition is what will give you the best information around who to connect with, who to do business with, and where to go next.

Cheers to your transformation,

I’m done with book publishers.

(For now.)

I decided to self-publish my newest book, The Year You Transform.

After working with publishers on my previous three books, I realized the process just didn’t feel necessary this time around.

Submitting a proposal, waiting to see if someone bites, signing contracts between agents and publishers, losing control of the distribution, writing on their schedule, being told what the title and cover will be, waiting a year after turning in the manuscript for the release… and then getting little to no marketing support because your book is just one of dozens they’re pushing at the same time...

That may sound anti-publisher, but it’s not.

I’m grateful for my publishers and agent, and I've had mostly positive experiences. And without those experiences, I wouldn't have learned how to write books that fit within the publishing industry.

But if you’re a true creative, you eventually want to graduate from any sort of cookie-cutter processes in your personal and professional life, and create something that’s 100% you.

And the truth is, all the tools now exist for anyone with an idea and the willingness to finish a manuscript to publish within a few weeks of completion.

Distribution used to be the publishers’ big advantage. But as you well know, most people aren’t discovering books in a Barnes & Noble aisle anymore.

So the question is no longer, Should I work with a publisher or not? The better question is: Do I still need a publisher to make great work?

My answer right now is no.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue a publisher if that path feels aligned for you.

But...

If you’re getting rejections, or you just want more control over your title, your message, your cover, and your release timeline, and our distribution—self-publishing is more viable than ever.

And if you do it right, I promise you no one will know the difference when they go online to buy your book.

Let me know your experiences with self-publishing if you have any to share.

Love,

Why Get Booked on Podcasts?

Let’s be honest: TV is out, and podcasts are in, especially as the go-to platform for having deep conversations about things that matter. To that end, podcasts are perhaps the most powerful and efficient ways to get your message out, and to be discovered by new and engaged audiences.

Maybe you have a book or course to promote. Maybe you want to be seen as a thought leader in your industry. Or maybe you’re passionate about a cause and want to spread awareness.

Whatever the reason, podcast guesting gives you direct access to engaged audiences who are already primed to listen, learn, and act. So publishers and agents will encourage podcast appearances as the best and quickest way to spread the word. And hosts are always starved for guests. So it’s the perfect opportunity to bring more awareness to things that matter.

What You’re Up Against

Podcasts are one of the best ways to spread the word about what you’re doing — which means everyone and their mother is scrambling to be on one. And the top podcasters are bombarded with requests from PR agents, managers, self-appointed experts, and everyday people who think they have something to say.

The problem? Ninety-nine percent of these emails are the same: they’re form emails which list the potential guest’s accomplishments and credentials, and a bunch of topics that probably have nothing to do with the podcast they’re trying to get booked on.

And that’s exactly why those emails get ignored.

The best way to stand out — is by flipping the script. Instead of talking about you, make your outreach about the show. Highly customize each outreach email. Highlight the unique value you can bring to that specific audience.

When you take the time to do this, you’ll immediately rise far above the noise. And if you follow the steps outlined in this article, you’ll exponentially increase your chances of getting a “yes” from a podcaster instead of an ignore or a “no.”

About Me

As a mid-tier podcast host (my show gets around 50,000 downloads a month, with a total of 3+ million downloads), I receive tons of pitches every day from people who want to be guests on my show. I ignore 99% of them.

But here’s what’s fascinating: like all podcast hosts, I’m always on the hunt for my next great guest. But I end up ignoring the overwhelming majority of these unsolicited requests because most people don’t understand how to pitch themselves in a way that actually makes them stand out.

Crafting Your Pitch Strategy

The Art of Pitching

First of all, consider not pitching yourself directly. The reason: it can feel awkward to email a stranger bragging about your own accomplishments. If possible, have someone on your “team” do the outreach and pitch you in the third person — even if it’s secretly you acting as your own assistant.

Effective Pitch Elements

Personalize Your Pitch: Copy and paste generic pitches are obvious and easy to ignore. Instead, take the time to listen to two or three episodes of your target podcast, and mention in the email what resonated with you about the show, or about the host’s interviewing style, or about a guest they featured. And then explain why you’d be a good fit into whatever that host is attempting to create. Always reference the host’s style, tone, or past guests, and tailor your pitch accordingly.

Align Your Message with the Show’s: After researching the show’s theme, share a few specific hot takes, surprising truths, or unique angles that you can deliver, and that will align with that show’s audience. Keep it brief. No novels.

Find Connections: If you’ve shared a stage, been on a podcast the host respects, or have mutual friends, highlight that. Pointing out any common ground builds trust, and will increase the chances of you being considered.

Make It About the Audience, Not You: Don’t just list your achievements. Instead, focus on what you’ll share that will help, inspire, or entertain listeners. Every host is asking: “How will this guest benefit my audience?”

Include links: In case the host or their gatekeepers want to do deeper research on you, don’t make them have to work hard to find out more information. Include links to your socials, your website, and even a link to the PDF of the book or course you’re wanting to promote on their show. The easier you make it for them to vet you, the quicker you’ll get a “yes.” Triple-check all links before you send the email.

Sample Pitch Template

Here’s a sample email you can use as a template:

Dear Light,

I’m reaching out on behalf of author Jim Malone, who is a big fan of your podcast. We both loved your heartfelt episode with Peter Crone.

Peter is actually a close friend of Jim’s and, coincidentally, Jim was a guest on Peter’s show last year.

Jim has a memoir coming out on October 14 about how his cancer journey inspired him to create a nonprofit that supports children facing terminal illness.

We know you love featuring guests who have started movements for social good, and we believe Jim would bring a lot of value to your audience.

He’s already scheduled to appear on The Minimalists, The Model Health Show, and Max Lugavere’s Genius Life. We thought you’d also appreciate his direct style and unique perspective.

For your audience, Jim could bring fresh insights on the hero’s journey, including:

• Why the hero’s journey has a sixth step that most people overlook

• Why Star Wars is actually a poor example of the hero’s journey

• How our greatest challenges are the gateway to our true calling

Here’s a clip from Jim’s appearance on Dhru Purohit’s show last year (I can provide more clips if you’d like).

I’ve also attached a PDF of Jim’s upcoming book, along with a few takeaways and stories that I think would deeply resonate with your audience (click here).

Looking forward to hearing back from you.

Warmly,

Marco Vaughn
Head of Jim Malone’s Press Team

Strategic Approach

Start Small, Then Work Up

Don’t aim for the biggest shows first. If you’ve never done a podcast before, start small. Smaller shows give you room to practice, work out your talking points, and get comfortable telling your stories in a live interview setting. By the time you land mid-tier or larger podcasts, your delivery will be sharper and you’ll know how to make the most of the opportunity.

Building Your Podcast Journey

Move Up to Mid-Tier Podcasts: Once you’ve gotten some experience, aim for mid-tier or niche shows in your space. Build credibility and sharpen your skills there. Share past interviews to prove you’re comfortable behind the mic.

Have Something to Offer: A book, podcast, YouTube channel, or free resource makes you more attractive to hosts. If your only offer is an expensive course, you risk sounding like an infomercial. So lead with value to the audience. The host is always thinking, what’s the value for my audience? So make it clear what that value is before they wonder.

Managing the Process

Be Cautious with hiring PR Agencies: Most PR Agencies charge $4,000 USD a month (or much more in some cases), and in my experience, they mostly outsource the podcast pitching to interns who blast out generic copy and paste emails to various podcasts. It’s very much a kitchen sink approach. My recommendation is to skip the agencies and invest your money in hiring a freelancer to do deep research on the best podcasts for your niche, and send out personalized pitches that reflect your unique voice. It’s better to send out highly-customized outreach emails to 25 of your mid-tier wishlist shows, than 200 copy and paste emails to big podcasters, all of whom will probably ignore your messages.

The only exception is if you have a personal relationship. If you’re neighbors with Joe Rogan or Theo Von, then maybe they’ll have you on. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time. They literally get hundreds of pitches a day, and their gatekeepers are trained to ignore most of them. I’m not saying you can never get on those top-tier shows. But you have to demonstrate that you’re a dynamic guest first. And you’ll need to cut your teeth on smaller and mid-tier podcasts first.

Don’t Overdo Follow-Ups: After sending your initial pitch, one follow-up a week later is enough. If you’re the right fit, trust me, the host will respond. So focus on more outreach, and not on pestering the same show.

Maximizing Your Appearance

Mastering Storytelling

Once you’re booked, your goal is to be memorable. Remember: facts get forgotten — but stories stick.

Get Good at telling stories: Share short (60–90 second) stories with a beginning, middle, and end. Think in terms of Reels, which are 90 seconds long. I would even suggest that you write your hot takes and surprising truths out in story form ahead of time, and imagine telling them to a sixth grader. Forget about AI. It’ll have you sounding like a robot. Tell the story in your words, and where possible, use analogies to keep them digestible.

No matter what question they ask you, answer it with a story.

Example Q&A Story

Host Question: “What’s the biggest complaint people have about meditation?”

Your Answer:

“You know, I had this yoga teacher come to learn meditation from me about 10 years ago. And I’ll never forget him because when he walked in, he said, ‘I have such a monkey mind,’ and then he spent 10 minutes describing how busy his mind was, and how that stopped him from being a daily meditator. Eventually, I cut him off and said, ‘Do you imagine there’s someone out there who sincerely thinks their mind would be perfect for meditation?’ He gave me this sheepish smile, and I told him, ‘I’ve never once heard anyone say that.’

So I would say, that’s one of the biggest misconceptions that new meditators have — they think their mind is unusually busy. But in reality, it just means they’re normal. So when people complain about having too many thoughts, my answer is: congratulations, you’re human. The practice isn’t about fixing the mind; it’s about learning how to sit with it.”

Tailor Your Stories to the Audience

If you’re talking about sprouts on The Minimalists, share stories about how sprouts are the ultimate minimalist snack. On Max Lugavere’s show, focus on brain health—his favorite topic. On Jeff Krasno’s podcast, tie sprouts to biology. The more you customize to the show’s audience, the more engaging you’ll be — and the more likely the host is to have you on, and to promote your episode.

Technical Preparation

Get Your Tech Right: Invest in a solid mic, proper lighting, and a clean background. Avoid AirPods. Your setup signals to the host how seriously you take the opportunity. And you ideally want to be invited back on. The better of an impression you make the first time, the higher the chances that they’re going to bring you back on the next time you have something to promote.

Final Word

These tips won’t just help you get booked — they’ll help you stand out as a guest, deliver real value, and leave a lasting impression on both hosts and audiences.

If you have questions, feel free to leave a comment below.

With love,

You’ve got a steady paycheck.

Your job looks great on paper.

But deep down, something feels off.

The work has started to feel more like a transaction. And yet—there are bills to pay, responsibilities to juggle, and people counting on you.

So you tell yourself, “I’ll figure out what I really want… later.”

But later keeps getting pushed further and further out.

Most people see it as a black-and-white choice:

Going for the money = stability and peace of mind

Going for purpose = financial insecurity and uncertainty

From the Spiritual Perspective, the truth is more nuanced. And if you’re feeling torn between stability and inner fulfillment, this episode is for you.

We’ll cover:

• How to spot ego-driven decisions before they lead you off course

• The one question that brings instant clarity to tough choices

• The hidden cost of chasing status

• How to realign with the values you’ve drifted from

• A practical way to honor both your purpose and your paycheck

Plus—the one exception when it’s spiritually sound to go for the money.

Watch the episode here

And please leave a comment with any examples from your life where you went for purpose over the paycheck.

If you resonate with this episode, I think you'll also enjoy:

• How to Unlock Free Will

• The “Easy Life’ Life

To your continued growth,

There’s that popular idea that you’re the average of your five closest friends.

It’s been thrown around in business circles for years, usually with the implication that if your friends aren’t driven or successful, you’ll end up falling short too.

I get where the idea comes from. But I’ve never fully bought into it.

Not because it’s wrong, but because it’s incomplete.

See, I’ve spent time with some incredibly successful people—by traditional standards. Wealthy. Accomplished. Respected in their fields.

And yet, in many cases, I’ve felt… disconnected.

Not because there was anything wrong with them. Just because our values didn’t really line up.

The things I prioritize—freedom, presence, curiosity, contribution—weren’t necessarily what they were building their lives around.

And then there are the people I do feel deeply connected to—friends who, by conventional standards, might not look “successful.”

But every time I talk to them, something in me expands. I feel more myself. More alive. More attuned to what really matters.

So if I am the average of my five closest friends, then I must be doing alright.

Because what I see reflected back to me in those relationships isn’t status—it’s soul.

And that, to me, is the real measure of success.

Not how much you’ve acquired.
But how much of yourself you’re actually living.

Success, as I’ve come to define it, is simply this:

I get to be who I am. I get to say what’s true. I get to do what I love. And somehow, that gets to be enough.

That’s it.

And yet—so many of us have inherited a version of success that doesn’t account for any of that.

We’re told to chase status. Accolades. Spouses. Titles. Paychecks. And if we’re lucky, those things might come with a side of fulfillment.

But more often than not, we just end up moving the goalpost.

We tell ourselves: I’ll be happy when…
But happiness doesn’t live in “when.” It lives in now.
And more specifically, it lives in the absence of suffering.

That’s all happiness really is:

Not something we achieve, but something we uncover when the noise quiets down.

And often, what creates the most noise is comparison.

When we compare ourselves to someone else’s path, we stop noticing what’s working in our own.

When we compare our pace to someone else’s, we lose sight of how far we’ve already come.

When we compare our friendships to some curated version of what “should” be, we miss the sacredness of what is.

But if we pay attention—really pay attention—something amazing happens.

We start to see that everything is part of the curriculum.
Even the relationships we sometimes overlook.

Every friend you have reflects something about you. Some mirror your values.

Some challenge them.

Some hold up a version of you you’ve outgrown, while others invite a version of you you haven’t yet met.

But none of it is throwaway.

There are no throwaway conversations. No throwaway moments. No throwaway people.

And the more we settle into that awareness, the less we resist what is.

The more we soften around change.

And the more adaptable we become—not out of resignation, but out of resonance with life itself.

Because life is always changing. Always in motion.

And the degree to which we suffer is almost always linked to how much we resist that motion.

Adaptation is the key.

Not forced positivity. Not fake surrender. Just an honest willingness to flow.

And when you start sourcing happiness from within, you realize something kind of wild:

You’re not seeking joy.
You’re expressing it.

You’re not chasing some future version of yourself.
You’re showing up as the clearest version you’ve ever been.

Your art, your work, your relationships—they’re not ladders you climb.

They’re rivers you pour into. Channels for the love that’s already here.

That’s the shift.

From getting to giving.
From earning to offering.
From proving to being.

So no, you don’t need to replace your five closest friends to become “more successful.”

You just need to see them more clearly. And in doing so, see yourself more clearly.

Because when you know who you are—and you like who you are—success takes care of itself.

With love,

Most people don’t realize it, but there’s an excellent chance you’re being tested right now.

You know that one situation that’s been frustrating you lately? The one you keep venting about to your best friend, replaying in your head, writing about in your notes app? From the ground level, it looks like someone’s being selfish. Or insensitive. Or just completely missing the point.

But from the spiritual perspective, it’s more than just an annoyance.
It’s a life pop quiz.

Meaning, it’s an opportunity to integrate a spiritual lesson that you’ve been resisting.

Spiritual pop quizzes are administered in life—not on the yoga mat, or the meditation cushion, or in the journal. They show up when someone ignores your boundary. Or says the one thing that always hits a nerve. Or when plans fall apart, and you’re left holding the tension between what you wanted and what actually happened.

And in each of those moments, you’ve got a choice.

You can put into practice everything you’ve been learning, studying, and reading about—or you can default to the old you and be defensive, reactive, or passive aggressive.

Meditation itself doesn’t fix your life. All it really does is give you the space to see things more clearly, and to respond more authentically.

And the more you practice, the more aware you become. You start to pick up on nuance. You notice the difference between what someone says and what they mean. You feel when something’s off. You sense when something’s shifting.

But even with all of that awareness, change will still catch you off guard. That’s part of the deal.

And when it does, the first point you have to remember is:
Who owns this experience?

The other person? Or you?

In the heat of the moment, it’s going to look like it’s the other person’s fault 100% of the time. If only they hadn’t done X, or said Y, or thought Z, none of this would’ve happened…

But are you sure about that?

So you’re saying you communicated perfectly? Didn’t make any assumptions? Or choices that contributed to the outcome you’re now complaining about?

Think back to before you got involved with this person in the first place. Before you accepted this partnership. Did you make any choices that led to this outcome? Or ignore any red flags? Were there conversations you neglected to have? Did you betray your intuition in any way?

[Insert epiphany.]

This isn’t about blame or shame. It’s about owning our experience. Which is one of the hardest (but most spiritually mature) things to we can do—and also one of the most rewarding. Because it immediately gives us more options.

Instead of waiting for the other person to change, we rediscover our own agency. We realize that we can change how we relate to the situation. We can make different choices.

Imagine if you blame someone at work for losing an important document and get angry at their incompetence—only to realize that you were the one who lost it due to a lapse in concentration.

All of a sudden, your anger transforms into curiosity: How did I lose it? What did I do wrong? What assumptions did I make? What can I do differently next time so I don’t lose another important document?

The point of the life pop quiz isn’t to fix the problem—it’s to convert your anger into curiosity. And eventually, into love.

Loving yourself for the mistakes you’ve made.
Loving (meaning accepting) others for the choices they’ve made—understanding that no one is perfect.

And then the second-most powerful question you can ask during a life pop quiz is:

Where can I give more love?

And look, sometimes giving love means setting a boundary.
Sometimes it means backing off and letting the other person feel seen.
Sometimes it means showing up when you’d rather disappear.
Or loving yourself for your imperfections.

It’s not one-size-fits-all. It’s a question of service:

What is needed right now?
And can I be the one to offer that—even if it’s uncomfortable?

That’s what true presence and empathy look like.

And whatever your heart tells you to do from there—that is how you pass the quiz.

Avoiding the test just creates another pop quiz later, except the test gets harder. (And usually more painful.)

Not as punishment, but as an unambiguous reminder to stay connected to your heart.

So when—not if—you find yourself in the middle of your next life pop quiz, take it seriously.

It’s teaching you something that has nothing to do with the character flaws of the other person, and everything to do with your potential to love.

And when in doubt about how to pass the quiz: just give whatever you were hoping to receive.

Cheers to your next quiz,

One of the first spiritual books I ever devoured was Zen in the Art of Archery. It’s not super well known, but it launched the whole genre—Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, etc.

The author was a German philosophy professor who went to Japan and decided to study archery.

In Japan, archery isn’t just about aiming and hitting a target. It’s more of a meditation—like origami, or flower arrangement, or the tea ceremony—a sacred ritual that can take years, even decades, to master.

When this German professor shows up and starts training with a master, he does what any Westerner would do:

He starts looking for the secret to mastery—after all, there must be a shortcut. A trick for consistently hitting the bullseye.

Except the teacher gives him the most peculiar instruction: Don’t aim. Don’t try to hit the target. Don’t use effort. Just practice loosening the arrow—but without trying to.

Naturally, this fries his brain.

“What do you mean don’t try? Isn’t the whole point to try to hit the target?”

No. That’s goal-oriented thinking.

And Japanese archery is about living into the process.

Unsurprisingly, the professor fails at this—for years. He tries too hard. He fakes it. He gets scolded. He tries to look effortless instead of being effortless. He gets scolded for that too.

Then one day, years after starting, he just doesn’t care anymore. And he finally lets go of the arrow with zero concern for where it goes.

And the master runs over, ecstatic: “That’s it! That’s what we’ve been working toward this whole time.”

He didn’t even know what he’d done.

But his arrow hit the target.

And that’s how most Westerners approach meditation, too.

At first, you try to control it.
Then you try to hack it.
Then you start faking it with posture and gadgets.

And with practice, you realize that less is more.

And that you have to genuinely be unconcerned about whether your mind is quiet or busy. Whether you think about dinner or transcend time. Whether it’s juicy and blissful or distracted and chaotic.

And the very moment you truly relinquish control—that’s when it starts to work.

But even after years of practice, you’ll think, “Okay, now I’ve figured it out.”

And then life shows you how much more there is to refine.

I know, because that was me. After five years of meditation, I thought I’d arrived. But it wasn’t until I went through meditation teacher training—meditating up to 14 hours a day—that I really understood:

There is no finish line. Only refinement.

It’s not about going deeper. It’s about letting go—deeper and deeper.

And ironically, the more you surrender… the more effortless it becomes.

And the beauty is, there’s a carry-over effect.

You can’t take this process-oriented approach to meditation and not have it spill over into life.

You start to notice that things don’t rattle you the same way.

You move from resistance… to curiosity… to purpose.

You start to live more from the inside out.

And your new reference point isn’t what’s happening out there—it’s the internal experience of fulfillment, clarity, and quiet trust in the process.

You stop trying to figure out where the current is taking you.

And just let it take you.

“Your life lived is a reflection of your deepest understandings.”

That quote—from Conversations with God—sat framed in my old apartment for years.

It reminded me that even if you know intellectually that the answers are within… if your life doesn’t reflect that knowing, then you don’t really understand it yet.

Meditation helps you bridge that gap.
It plugs you back into the truth that’s already inside.

Even with kids screaming.
Even when you’re thinking about groceries.
Even when it feels like nothing’s happening.

You’re not here to hit the bullseye.

You’re here to learn how to let go.

And ironically, that’s how you end up hitting it.

With love,

So I was reflecting recently about this experience I had years ago when I used to live in Los Angeles and teach yoga. I’ve always been pretty serious about punctuality—almost to a fault. And I think I finally figured out where that comes from.

Growing up, my mom was perpetually late. Always. And she had this trick where she’d set all the clocks in the house ahead—one would be 10 minutes fast, one 5, another 15. You never actually knew what time it was. But the wild part? Even with all the clocks running fast, she was still always late. And it drove me nuts.

I think part of me made a subconscious vow to never be that way. So by the time I was a yoga teacher in LA, I took pride in starting and ending every class on the dot. I lived about five minutes from the gym where I taught, so I had this whole routine down—leave the house 15 minutes early, drive over, park, walk in, unroll my mat, cue up the playlist, and be ready to go right at 10:00 a.m. I had it dialed in.

Until one Sunday.

I get in my car and hit this random traffic jam on the main road. Totally unexpected for that time of day. So I think, okay, no big deal—I know the backstreets, I’ll just reroute. But every street I tried, same thing: traffic. And now I can feel it—heart rate going up, breath getting shallow, all the internal alarms sounding off. I hate being late. Especially when people are waiting for me.

Eventually, I just had to surrender to the fact that I was gonna be late. Ten minutes past start time, I finally get through the last intersection and... the traffic just vanishes. Completely clears up. No accident. No detour. No explanation. And now I’m even more annoyed because there’s nothing to blame it on.

I park, run up the stairs (but calmly—yoga teacher vibes), and I’m trying to get myself centered again. But when I walk up to the room, something’s off. People are huddled in the back, and I hear this weird crunch under my flip-flops. I look down and there’s glass everywhere. One of the massive floor-to-ceiling mirrors that lined the studio had fallen and shattered—right at the front of the room. Right where I would’ve been sitting at 10:00 a.m. if I had been on time.

That moment stopped me cold.

All the frustration I had been feeling just evaporated. Because suddenly it hit me: maybe that traffic wasn’t a delay. Maybe it was a detour. A protection. Something unseen conspiring to help me, not block me.

I think about that story a lot. Especially in moments when life feels like it’s not cooperating with my plans. It’s easy to get caught up in how things should be going. We make our timelines, set our goals, visualize the outcomes. But sometimes the traffic isn’t the problem—it’s the thing that keeps us from walking into a falling mirror.

Now, I’m not saying every delay is divine or that every setback has some big spiritual meaning. But I am saying there’s value in entertaining the possibility. Even just holding the question: what if this isn’t going wrong? What if this is going right in a way I just don’t understand yet?

There’s a line from the Vedic worldview that I come back to often: "The richest information about what’s coming next is found here in the present moment." Meaning, if we want to know where life is trying to take us, the best thing we can do is stop fighting where we are. Get quiet. Listen. Pay attention.

Because maybe—just maybe—this moment, right here, is the protection. Not the problem.

Cheers to your next delay,

Before I began meditating in 2003, I thought I had a pretty solid handle on spirituality. I had been to Agape. I had read all the books. I did yoga regularly and had a consistent—though not daily—meditation practice.

But in hindsight, I was missing something: direct, sensual experiences of what I thought I already understood.

I knew that everything was connected. I knew we were all one. But those ideas hadn’t fully landed in my body. They lived in my head—and only surfaced during hikes in nature or moments of intense emotion, like falling in love.

That gap between what I understood intellectually and what I had actually embodied led to moments where I got ahead of my own evolution.

One example sticks out: I had recently ended a rocky relationship, and a close friend of mine came to me asking permission to date my ex. Apparently, they had grown close while he was counseling her on our breakup (it happens...).

I was taken aback. But instead of telling him the truth—that I thought it was in poor taste—I put on my "spiritually evolved" hat and said she didn’t belong to me, and that she was free to date whomever she wanted.

I gave them my blessing.

Big mistake.

What followed was an emotional storm. I ended up cutting them both off for a year. And while I eventually forgave them—and myself—I learned a hard lesson:

When your mind moves faster than your emotional maturity, pain tends to follow.

This, right here, is a form of spiritual bypassing. When we use spiritual concepts to override our true feelings, it often creates more suffering than honesty ever would.

Spiritual bypassing is sneaky. It shows up when we say all the "right" things while ignoring what we actually feel. It's when we skip over the messy parts of growth in favor of polished, high-minded answers.

But growth doesn’t work like that.

You can't outsource your evolution to a concept. You have to live it. Feel it. Get your hands dirty in the work of becoming.

That’s why I always emphasize: verify everything through your own experience. Not through what a teacher says. Not through what you read in a book. Through you.

Because that’s where wisdom takes root.

If something feels resonant, explore it. If it doesn’t, let it go. Trust your own fine-level feeling more than any ideology.

And remember: you don’t become Gandhi overnight just because you meditate. The changes are slow and steady—like drops of water filling a swimming pool. The goal isn’t to become perfect. It’s to keep showing up, learning your lessons, and adjusting as you go.

So if you ever catch yourself quoting a spiritual idea instead of being honest about what you're feeling, pause. Ask yourself:

Am I using this belief to support my growth—or to avoid my truth?

The answer will usually point you back toward your next step.

Stay consistent. Be real. And most importantly, give yourself grace.

With love,

.

Every year on Mother's Day, we pause to honor the mothers in our lives. But the truth is, the spirit of motherhood isn't something that should be confined to a single day. It’s not just about biology or tradition. It’s a presence. A principle. A sacred energy we all carry—whether we had a nurturing mother, a challenging one, or none at all.

What I’ve come to realize is this: Motherhood is a paradox. It holds beauty and pain. Devotion and depletion. Strength and surrender. And we all, in some way, mirror that paradox in our own lives.

In ancient spiritual traditions, particularly the Vedic lineage, the Divine Feminine—often referred to as the Mother Divine—is considered the source of all creation. She is the embodiment of compassion, strength, patience, and wisdom. And when we look closely at our own journey, we can often find these same qualities showing up in unexpected ways.

Sometimes they show up through our mother. Sometimes they show up in spite of her.

If you had a close, loving relationship with your mom, that presence may be obvious. But even if you didn’t—even if your experience was painful or absent altogether—there is still wisdom in that path. Spiritually speaking, every dynamic is part of our development. It shapes how we love, how we lead, and how we show up for others.

This is where the paradox deepens. Because the very situations that once made us feel unworthy, unseen, or unsupported often become the catalysts for our most powerful evolution.

Just like childbirth itself—a raw combination of agony and awe—our emotional growth often emerges from discomfort. The trick is learning how to hold both truths at once: that something can be difficult and divine.

That, I believe, is the real spirit of motherhood.

It’s not about having it all figured out. It’s about showing up, again and again, even when it’s messy. It’s about choosing to nurture something—a child, a purpose, a community—despite fatigue, fear, or doubt.

And here’s the part that applies to every one of us:

That mother energy? It lives in you. It’s the part of you that says yes when it would be easier to say no. The part that keeps giving when there’s nothing left in the tank. The part that holds space, sees potential, and sacrifices comfort for growth.

As we grow spiritually, we begin to recognize that our real progress isn't measured by how we feel in stillness, but by how we show up in motion.

• Are you more adaptable today than you were last year?

• Are you quicker to forgive? Slower to judge?

• Are you able to encourage others from a place of hard-won wisdom?

These are the real markers of transformation.

So as you reflect on your own relationship with the mother figure in your life—whether present or passed, loving or distant—see if you can find the gift in it. See if you can trace the ways it has shaped your ability to nurture others. To create. To stay the course. To love.

That, to me, is what we’re really celebrating. Not just a person, but a principle. A universal thread that connects us all.

Happy Mother’s Day to the mothers, to the mothered, and to the mother energy in all of us.

With love,