Hello there,

Just a brief note from me today as my wife and I are heading out on a hike through the redwoods to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary.

Wishing you a wonderful week.

Jonny

p.s. I challenged the latest Claude model to turn my unclenching essay into a music video, and the results were quite impressive...

// GENIUS LIFE INTERVIEW

In Conversation with Max Lugavere

I had the pleasure of sitting down in Max's home in LA and recording a heartfelt conversation exploring grief, boundary setting, what might be underneath our addiction to social media and the self-improvement trap that so many of us fall into.

In this conversation we explored:

• How our nervous system shapes our experience and sense of agency, and the three core skills: interoception, self-regulation and emotional fluidity.
• Learning to feel grief: the imagined future and parts of our own identity & why it's important to make time to feel our emotions.
• Recognising defensive patterns in relationships, setting boundaries and taking breaks during conflict.
• Experimenting with what helps us return to connection.
• Finding meaning after loss and allowing gratitude to emerge without forcing it.

// RUN THIS EXPERIMENT

Map Your Nervous System A journaling practice to document your bodily reactions to stressful situations.

Why: Developing your ability to detect triggers early can prevent emotional hijacking, identify personal activation patterns, and build your personalized "nervous system GPS."

How: Keep a notes app or small notebook dedicated to tracking how your body reacts to stress:

• Where you first notice activation in your body and what it is (e.g., your throat tightening, stomach dropping)
• What triggers preceded the response (people, situations)
• What sequence of sensations follows
• Which reactive state you shifted toward (freeze, fight/flight, fawn)
• Which self-regulation tools or practices helped you regain a calm and grounded presence

Tip: The goal is to increase the space between stimulus and response, and reduce the half-life of reactivity. Everyone has a "signature signal," e.g., tension in your jaw before anger, stomach butterflies before anxiety. These are your personal "early warning system."

// ET CETERA

Easter Egg: How to activate the secret portal hidden in the cover of Huberman's new book. See it.

Research Paper: A very interesting paper categorises ADHD as a 'circadian rhythm disorder' Read.

Nature Doc: How to Live on Earth is a gorgeous free documentary on YouTube narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. Watch.

Meditation is a weird hobby: a delightfully written substack essay describing average moments on the path of a long-term meditator. Read.

// DIVE DEEPER

Free Nervous System Self-Assessment ​Get Your Score →​

Try Our Protocol Cards ​Downshift →​

Rewire Your Anxiety for Good ​Try the iOS app →​