Hello there Curious Human!

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🏔️ Personal Update // on Sept 27th, Kelly & I hiked up to 8,500ft and officiated our wedding. On our path up we met two couples who had been married for many decades—they shared their wisdom with us on what it took to keep a healthy + thriving partnership over that kind of duration. Bring on the next 60+ years!

👨‍🎓 Nervous System Mastery // on Monday, enrollment doors for the 5-week NSM bootcamp will be opening. Thus far, we've received upwards of 250 applications, & places will be limited. So, if exploring your nervous system in community & learning how to become a conductor of your internal state sounds intriguing, stay tuned out for the launch announcement in ~72 hours.

🎙️ Potent Podcast Conversation // I had the opportunity to record a conversation with a generous and wise retired poker player turned executive coach by the name of Chris Sparks. The episode turned into something of a masterclass in mindset for staying calm & making good decisions in high-stress environments.

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I hope all is well wherever in the world you are reading this from and wish you both a wonderful & curiosity-inducing weekend.

Onwards!

Jonny

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🏔️ The Ten Most Impactful Personal Development Retreats & Trainings that I've Experienced

My friend Paul Millerd, said he thought it would be interesting to reflect on and share more of the personal journey that I've been on since we've known each other.

So that's what I did, and here are my reflections on which experiences—from dark room meditations to vision quests and plant medicines were most impactful with the benefit of hindsight.

Jonny Miller @jonnym1ller For the last few years, I've experimented with dozens of therapies, retreats, modalities & experiences (spending upwards of $55k) After nudging from @p_millerd—here's a thread outlining ten of the most impactful + what I learned. 🧵 September 21st 2022 15 Retweets 247 Likes

For context, I initially dove into this world to process deep grief + loss but quickly realised that I'd been relatively repressed + numb from the neck down for most of my life. The deeper I went, the more fascinated I became, so just kept digging. Read the thread.

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🎙️ Mental Resilience, Cognitive Canaries & High-Stakes Decision Making with Retired Poker Pro Chris Sparks

​Chris Sparks is a one-of-a-kind human, he's a retired professional poker player, who was once ranked one of the top 20 players in the world.
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But in recent years, he has applied himself to coaching and running workshops on decision-making, systems thinking, and peak performance.

And as you'll hear in this conversation, he is not only very smart but also wise. Before we hit record, I said to Chris let's record a masterclass in mindset for staying calm and making good decisions in high-stress environments ~ and he didn't really disappoint.
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Our conversation ranged from talking about tools he used to stay calm or shift his state during high-stakes poker games and how he eliminated mental distractions in critical moments.

He also shared some meta-principles that he learnt through poker but applies to life more broadly—as well as how his approach and philosophy around productivity have shifted over the years.
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I deeply enjoyed this conversation with Chris, and I have a sense that you will too. I'll also mention that Chris has what he calls a 'performance assessment', which I've linked in the show notes ~ that provides a series of excellent questions to reflect on.
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🔗 Et Cetera

📺 Watch: A rare clip filmed in 1972 from Viktor Frankl on 'why to believe in others'. I've watched this upwards of twenty times over the years, it contributed to a belief that has become something of a foundational intention to make generous assumptions of others in life. Watch.

👀 Read: A new book published by Holloway called 'Creative Doing' by Herbert Lui. Perhaps the most delightful reading experience on the interwebs & a practical guide with 75 exercises to unblock creative potential. Read.

🎧 Listen: A conversation with Joe Hudson on how to become your own inner authority on the Do Explain podcast. Whenever I listen to Joe, I always feel like I glean a fresh perspective on something important, and this was no exception. Listen.

👨‍🎓 Learn: A primer on 'non-coercive marketing' written by my friend and fellow creator Rob Hardy. As he writes it's not just about how to sell shit in an ethical way, but rather a radical rethink from first principles, meant to start the dominoes toppling towards a more beautiful future. Learn.

💰 Purchase: I finally caved and bought an 'Analog'. I admire Jeff's dedication to craft. For me, it's more than just a productivity tool but a physical totem/reminder to simplify my own work to its essence. See it.

📸 Meme: my new favourite meme to appear on Twitter originated with Dan Shipper claiming that 'Productivity is emotional regulation', which has led to a playful and genuinely thought-provoking exploration. Read.

🤔 Question: How might you describe your relationship between meditation and ambition? Discuss.

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📝 Parting Wisdom

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