NYT Bestselling Author of The 5 Types of Wealth

Sahil Bloom is the New York Times Bestselling author of The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life.

Sahil is an inspirational writer and entrepreneur, captivating millions of people every week through his book, social insights, and bi-weekly newsletter, The Curiosity Chronicle.

His debut non-fiction book, The 5 Types of Wealth, was an instant New York Times, USA Today, and Sunday Times Bestseller. Apple CEO Tim Cook called it "a powerful call to action to think deeply about what lights you up—and a guide for how to build a life of meaning and purpose around those things." The book is a unique blend of strategies, tactics, and actionable insights, enabling readers to make real, positive changes and lead healthier, wealthier lives.

Sahil is also an entrepreneur and owner of SRB Holdings, a personal holding company, and the Managing Partner of SRB Ventures, a $10 million venture investment firm committed to investing in and accelerating the most compelling startups in the world. Prior to launching SRB Ventures in January 2022, Sahil was an early-stage investor in 40+ startups across the technology landscape, including multiple unicorns.

Previously, Sahil spent seven years as a private equity investor and served on the board of several middle market companies during that period.

Sahil graduated from Stanford University with an M.A. in Public Policy (2014) and a B.A. in Economics & Sociology (2013). While at Stanford, he was a four-year member on the Stanford Baseball Team (2009-2013), twice helping to guide the team to NCAA Super Regional appearances (top-16 finishes). Additionally, Sahil earned two PAC-12 All-Academic Team awards and twice received the Bruce R. Cameron Memorial Award, given annually to a student-athlete exhibiting excellence in athletics, academics, and leadership. Academically, Sahil was advised in his pursuits by former Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice.

Sahil Bloom

Nobody talks about recovery speed.

It might be the most important skill you can build.

The most successful people I know don't fail less than everyone else.
They just recover faster.

You will get rejected. 
You will lose money. 
You will embarrass yourself.

That's not the problem.
The problem is the time you spend between the fall and the reset.

The wallowing. 
The overthinking. 
The shame spiral.

That gap is where years disappear.

Here's what I've learned:

Recovery speed is a skill. It can be trained. It can be shortened.
And it compounds.

Every time you get back up faster, you build evidence that you can handle what life throws at you.

Every time you shorten the gap, you reclaim time that most people never get back.

Fast recovery is a competitive advantage.

Start training for it.

—

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—

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NYT Bestselling Author | Entrepreneur | Investor

The key to life is simple:

Show up.
Show up when no one’s watching. 
Show up when it’s hard. 
Show up when you don't feel like it. 
Show up when the rewards are uncertain. 

Just show up. 

You can never bet against the person who just keeps showing up.

—

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—

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The most attractive trait in the world:

(it has nothing to do with looks).

It’s energy.

Walk into every room with genuine curiosity, enthusiasm, and interest. You become a magnet for the highest quality people.

Energy is contagious. Spread the kind you'd want to catch.

—

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The rarest skill in the world isn't talent. 

It's finishing what you started.

The world is full of starters.

Half-written books. 
Half-built businesses. 
Half-kept promises.

Everyone has a great idea. 
Almost nobody sees it through.

Finishing is not about talent. 
It's not about resources. 
It's not about waiting for the right moment.
It's about the courage to close the loop.

The starting is easy. 
The middle is seductive. 
The finishing is where most people quietly disappear.

The people who get furthest in life are not the most talented.
They're the ones who do what they said they would do.

Finishing is a competitive advantage.

Close your loops. 
Do what you said you'd do. 
Have the courage to finish.

——

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Needing to be right is holding you back. 

(And it's been doing it for years.)

I used to think confidence meant standing firm on your positions.

Changing your mind felt like weakness.

The most impressive people I know change their minds constantly.

Not because they're indecisive.
Because they treat new information like a software update.

You install the patch. 
You run better.

The goal was never to be right.
The goal is to find the truth.

There's a difference.

Most people choose the comfort of being right over the clarity of being accurate.

Willingness to change your mind is a skill.

It can be trained.
It can be deepened.
And it compounds.

Every time you update your beliefs based on evidence, you get closer to reality.

Every time you defend a wrong position to save face, you fall further behind.

Intellectual flexibility is a competitive advantage.

——

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This philosophy changed my life. 

(It's only 3 words)

"Use the Difficulty"

Here's how Michael Caine discovered it:

As a young actor, he was rehearsing a play scene when a chair got stuck in the door and blocked his path.

He told the other actor he couldn't get by the chair to enter the room in the scene.

The actor's response:

"Use the difficulty...if it's a comedy, fall over it, if it's a drama, pick it up and smash it."

This idea — of using the difficulty — became a defining mantra for Michael Caine's life.

"There's never anything so bad that you cannot use that difficulty...if you can use it a quarter of one percent to your advantage, you're ahead, you didn't let it get you down."

This idea hit me hard...

How can you use the difficulty you're currently facing?
How can you embrace the struggle?
How can you find flow through the friction?
How can you sow the seeds of your light during the periods of darkness?

As with everything in life, control the controllable:

The difficulty is already there, you can't control it.

You can control how you react to it.
You can control your response to it.
You can control your attitude towards it.

Lesson: Difficulty is inevitable. Use it.

——

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Want to make a lot of money? 

Here's my honest advice.

3 things I wish I knew at 22:

1. The only way to make a lot of money is to create a lot of value.

Here's a harsh truth: no one hands out money.

No one is going to pay you just because they like you or think you're cool.

Money earned is a direct byproduct of value created.

Create value, receive value.

If money is the goal, value has to be the focus.

The only way to get rich is to create an enormous amount of value for others, and capture a small portion of that along the way.

It's not talking about the thing. 
It's not brainstorming about the thing. 
It's not thinking about the thing.

The only way to create value is by doing the thing.

And if you don't know where to start, look around you.

Customers, colleagues, bosses, shareholders, employees.

Every single one of them has a problem.

What problems can you solve for the people around you?

Figure them out, solve them, scale that solution.

That's how you make money.

2. You have to demonstrate excellence in everything you do.

Your income scales proportional to the amount of excellence you demonstrate.

If you want to get promoted, earn the big raise, get that fancy title, demonstrate excellence in everything you do.

Everything matters. 
Every single thing.

You don't get to pick and choose when to show up.
The world will ignore your best and judge you for your worst.

Top performers show up with energy and enthusiasm for the little things just as much as the big things.

If you're in the top 10% of performers, there's no ceiling for what you can do.

If you're not, figure out why and fix it.

3. You don't need passion, you need energy.

I've always taken issue with the advice to follow your passion.

You don't have to be passionate about your professional pursuits.

You just need to find energy in them. 
You just need to feel a pull towards them. 
You just need to feel that spark of curiosity in them.

Passion can lie.
Energy never does.

When you have energy for something, you're prone to giving it your deep attention.

To ask the right questions. 
To figure it out. 
To win.

——

Go deeper on this advice in my NYT bestselling book, The 5 Types of Wealth.
It's 30% off on Amazon right now.

Order here: https://lnkd.in/eUzjZUxj

P.S. Email the receipt to sahil@sahilbloom.com and I'll send you a 50+ page companion workbook to guide your reading.

The highest ROI investment you’ll ever make:

(It’ll change your life)

Surround yourself with the right people.

The ones who believe in you before you believe in yourself.

The people you surround yourself with determine your outcomes:

     • If you surround yourself with people who believe you are capable of more,   who encourage you to think bigger, to dream, you will rise to the level of those expectations.

     • If you surround yourself with people who belittle you, who laugh at your ambitions, who tell you to be realistic, you will fall to the level of those expectations.

What better reason do you need to choose wisely when it comes to the people you allow into your life?

—

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Nobody cares about you.

That truth will either paralyze you or free you.

A mentor told me this at a pivotal moment in my life.

I had just shared that I'd paused pursuing my book because an agent had rejected the concept.

His response was two words:

"Nobody cares."

I was confused at first. Then it hit me.

When you're winning, nobody cares. When you're losing, nobody cares.

It doesn't mean nobody loves you.

It just means nobody cares about your life as much as you do.

Most people are so consumed by their own fears, their own doubts, their own dreams, that they barely have room to think about yours.

The audience you're afraid of performing in front of?

They're too busy worrying about their own performance.

The people you think are judging your choices?

They're too busy second-guessing their own.

This is one of the most liberating truths in life once you truly internalize it:

The spotlight you think is on you doesn't exist.

So stop waiting for permission. 
Stop waiting to feel ready. 
Stop waiting for the fear to go away.

Nobody is watching as closely as you think.

Which means you are completely free to go do the damn thing.

—

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99% of success comes down to one trait.

Most people never develop it.

Tolerance for uncertainty.

Most people quit right before the breakthrough.

Not because they lack talent. Not because they lack ideas. Not because the opportunity isn't there.

They quit because the discomfort of not knowing became too much to bear.

Here's the uncomfortable truth:

There is no clear, linear path to the life you want.

That's a myth. A fairy tale adults have continued to believe.

The real path is long. Foggy. Full of doubt and stagnation.

The rewards go to those who show up every single day without a guarantee.

Who take the next step forward even when they can't see where their foot is going to land.

Those who win aren't always the smartest or most talented.

They're the ones who can hold their nerve the longest.

Ask yourself this:

Where are you accepting good because you're afraid to tolerate the uncertainty necessary to reach great?

Your answer might change everything.

—

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This is one of my favorite speeches of all time…

It always hits me hard:

“You get up every day—you’re entitled to nothing. Nobody owes you nothing. You could have talent, but if you don’t have discipline, and you don’t execute, you don’t focus… What do you get? Nothing. If you’re complacent and not paying attention to detail… What does that get you? Nothing. So nothing is acceptable but your best.”

This is a harsh reality of life:

Talent is meaningless without discipline.
Ambition is worthless without execution.
Focus is the difference between potential and reality.

You’re not entitled to success—it’s earned in the quiet, thankless moments when no one is watching.

The antidote to entitlement is relentless ownership.

Show up fully. Pay attention to the details. Do your best—every single day.

Because in a world where everyone wants the reward, it’s those who refuse to accept anything less than their best who build something worth being proud of.

—

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Your most important career decision isn't at work.

It's who you come home to.

I've watched brilliant people underperform their potential for decades because of who they chose to come home to.

And I've watched ordinary people achieve extraordinary things because they had someone in their corner who made them feel unstoppable.

To be clear: this is NOT about marrying for success. That's not the point.

The point is that who you choose to build a life with touches everything.

Your energy. Your focus. Your growth. Your peace.

Career success is just one more place where it shows up.

Choose wisely. 

—

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📌 Want to build a foundation that lasts? I've distilled the best lessons from history's greatest partnerships into one place.

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You know someone less talented than you who's winning.

(And it has nothing to do with talent.)

It's not connections.
It's not luck.
It's not some secret advantage you haven't found yet.

Here's what I've learned:

The most dangerous person in any room isn't the most talented.

It's the one who just keeps showing up.
When motivation fades, they show up.
When results are slow, they show up.
When no one is watching, they show up.

Talent is common.
Consistency is rare.

You will have days when you don't feel like it.
You will have seasons where progress is invisible.
You will question whether any of it matters.

Show up when it's easy.
Show up when it's hard.
Show up when no one is watching.

Never bet against that person.
Make sure that person is you.

——

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Harsh truth:

Nobody is coming to save you.

It's all on you. No one will fix your problems. No one will change your mindsets. No one will hand you the things you want in life.

It's just you. It's all on you. There's a power in that.

—

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Readiness is a myth. Action creates clarity.

Most people have it completely backwards.

They think clarity comes first. That one day they'll wake up feeling ready. Confident. Certain.

So they wait.

They gather more information. 
They create the perfect plan. 
They simulate progress without making any. 
They convince themselves they'll start tomorrow.

Tomorrow becomes next week. 
Next week becomes next year. 
Next year becomes never.

Here's the uncomfortable truth:

You're afraid because you haven't done it yet. 
Not because you can't.

Fear comes from inexperience. 
And inexperience is only solved one way: by having the courage to act in the face of it.

Clarity doesn't come before action. 
It comes because of it.

As Rumi wrote: "As you start to walk on the way, the way appears."

You won't feel ready. 
The path won't be clear.

Start anyway.

I often wonder how many extraordinary people wasted their entire lives waiting to feel ready.

Don't be one of them.

—

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The best advice I got in my 20s:

When you feel stuck, shrink the time horizon.

Don’t ask what the year needs.
Ask what today needs.

One finished task.
One workout.
One closed loop.
One hard conversation.

Momentum isn’t magic.
It’s a byproduct of movement.

So if you’re overwhelmed right now, don’t build a master plan.

Pick one small thing you can do in the next 30 minutes… and do it.

What’s your “one thing” today?

—

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You get 10 years. 

Then the window closes.


For the first decade of your child's life, you are their entire world.

Their favorite person. 
Their safe place. 
Their whole universe.

Here's what most people miss:

That season is not permanent.

They grow up. 
They make friends. 
They fall in love. 
They build lives of their own.

And that's exactly how it should be.

But one day you'll look up and realize the window has quietly closed.

The "I'll be more present after this project" trap. 
The "things will slow down soon" lie.

They won't slow down.

The years keep moving whether you're paying attention or not.

Here's what I've learned:

The deferred happiness plan will steal this from you.

You cannot schedule presence for later. 
You cannot buy these years back. 
You cannot outwork the clock on this one.

So slow down. 
Put the phone away. 
Get on the floor and play.

Because the magic years will fly by if you let them.

And you were never going to be their favorite person forever.

Make the most of the time you have.

——

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📌 Want to build a foundation that lasts? I've distilled the best lessons from history's greatest partnerships into one place. Download my 1,000 Years of Relationship Advice PDF (free) and join 800,000+ who get my newsletter → https://bit.ly/4qs657w

The Magic Years

This idea completely changed my life…

It’s called the Archimedes Principle:

In the 3rd century B.C., Archimedes faced a difficult question:
How do you verify the purity of a gold crown without melting or damaging it?

He stewed over the problem day and night, turning it over again and again. One day, frustrated by his lack of progress, he decided to take a bath to calm his mind.

When he stepped in, the water overflowed. Suddenly, it hit him.

"Eureka!"

The insight was simple: If the crown were pure gold, it would displace the same amount of water as a cube of pure gold of the same weight.

But the way he uncovered it is the most important part.

The Science of REST

Neuroscientist Dr. Nancy Andreasen spent years studying history's most creative people. She noticed a common trend: disciplined, structured work followed by rituals of "free-floating" thought.

She coined the term Random Episodic Silent Thinking (REST).

During these "inactive moments"—like a walk, a shower, or a drive—the brain is actually highly active. The association cortex lights up, allowing you to:

     - Link seemingly distant ideas.
     - Combine experiences in novel ways.
     - Surface previously unexplored connections.

The Archimedes Principle

I like to think of it as a simple equation:

Creative Insight = Active Work \times Active Rest

The effort and active work provide the "raw material," but the REST gives your brain the space to work with it.

Most people default to either work or rest. But the magic is found in the collision of the two.

The Takeaway:

Work hard, then create space for the work to breathe.

Your next insight may already be there, waiting patiently for you to stop crowding it out.

—

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📌 Ready to stop waiting for your next "Eureka" moment and start engineering it?

The Archimedes Principle only works if you actually prioritize the "Rest" variable. A Think Week is the most effective way to create the space your brain needs to surface its next big insight.

Download my full Think Week setup guide (Prompts, structure, and rules) and join 800,000+ others here: https://bit.ly/3O4e1yu

The Archimedes Principle

Growth happens gradually, then suddenly.

Most people quit right before the "suddenly."

In 1978, American futurist Roy Amara made a famous observation about technology:

"We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run."

It became known as Amara's Law.

But here's what most people miss:

This isn't just about technology. It's about the way humans fundamentally misjudge progress.

In the 1950s and 60s, there was a wave of techno-optimism. Computers were going to solve everything. Nuclear energy would be too cheap to meter.

By the 1970s, none of it had materialized.

Computers existed. But they were clunky, expensive, and inaccessible.

It was easy to feel disappointed.

But that surface-level view missed an important truth:

Progress on the surface was not indicative of the compounding happening beneath it.

Microprocessors were shrinking. Costs were falling. Networks were forming. Software was developing.

And then, suddenly, it all appeared.

I'd propose a revised version of Amara's Law for your own life:

"We tend to overestimate the effect of our actions in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run."

You think linearly. But most of life works exponentially.

Today's actions cannot be judged on today's results. They quietly stack under the surface for days, months, years, even decades.

In Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, a character is asked how he went bankrupt.

His answer: "Gradually, then suddenly."

Growth works the same way.

When you feel stuck, ask yourself two questions:

What's happening on the surface? What am I seeing? What's happening at the foundation? What am I feeling that's unseen?

If you can pause and do that, you'll reclaim your perspective and play the game of life on an entirely different level.

—

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Amara's Law - The Invisible Force That Shapes Your Life

💪Girl dad 🛋️Psychologist 🌅I pulled back from a prestigious (but overworked) clinical path to design a 6-figure career around my family 🤝🏾I help therapists build and make money from their online courses and podcasts

I didn’t grow up around business owners.
To be honest, I thought I’d do therapy and testing forever.

Then, in 2014, a snowstorm shut everything down. 

The power went out.
The roads froze.

I canceled 21 therapy sessions in one week.

We were saving for our first home.
And just like that, my income was gone.

So I started asking better questions.

A few months later, in March 2015, I launched a small podcast called Selling The Couch. 

No hype. Just showing up each week (and recording from a TV dinner stand from Walmart!).

Over time, it became:

• 🌍 A top 0.5% podcast worldwide
• 📊 1.92M+ downloads in 100+ countries
• 💛 A trusted space for thoughtful builders

Then life changed again.

Our daughter was born 7.5  weeks early.
The sounds of the NICU stayed with me as she struggled to make it.

That season taught me this:

How you build matters as much as what you build.

⸻

Today, I help thoughtful professionals grow without burning out.

So far:
• 🎧 245+ therapists launched podcasts
• 🧠 50+ founders built online courses
• 💰 $1M+ earned—while building around family and health

My own business is built around:

🥾 Hiking
🧩 Deep work
⛪ Church
⛳ Golf
💬 Time with the people I love

Because success that breaks your nervous system
isn’t success.

⸻

In fall 2025, I started learning to play golf. ⛳
I was 43.

It was a dream I’d had since I was eight.

I'm committed to weekly lessons with a PGA coach, hours of practice, and more hip mobility training that I know what to do with. 😅

Golf teaches me patience, pressure, and staying calm when it matters.

⸻

What I’m focused on now

Haven — a calm community for therapists building:
• 🎙️ Podcasts
• 📘 Courses
• 🎥 YouTube
• 🎤 Speaking + writing

No hustle culture.
Just steady progress.

👉 sellingthecouch.com/haven

I also write The Quiet Builder ✍️
A paid newsletter for people who want to build their careers around their lives and health.

⸻

Starting in Fall 2026, I'm working privately with people who make
high-stakes decisions under pressure—

where lives, capital, or influence
are on the line.

🩺 Doctors, Lawyers, and Surgeons
📈 Investors
🏗️ Founders
🏌️ Elite performers

The work is about one thing:

🧘 Identifying your unique performance blocks + staying calm when mistakes are costly.

⸻

If you’re building something meaningful and want to stay whole while doing it—let’s connect =).

Melvin Varghese, PhD

In March 2015, I hit “submit” on the Selling the Couch podcast to Apple.

There’s a video of it. 😅

I look happy.
Excited.
Confident.

But here’s the truth.

I was nervous.

At the time, I was working five and a half days a week as a psychologist.

Therapy.
Assessments.
Long days.

Podcasting felt risky.

I kept thinking:

How long will this take?
Will this even work?
When will I see a return?

That’s the hard part no one talks about.

We love the launch moment.
The logo.
The first episode.
The announcement post.

But ROI?

That part is slow.

For me, it took years — not months — before real opportunities showed up.

Sponsorships.
Course sales.
Partnerships.

And today?

Podcasting is more crowded.
More mainstream.
More competitive.

But here’s the twist: A lot of people are quitting.

Which means the opportunity is still there —
for the ones who stay.

Especially now, with Apple leaning into video podcasts.

So here’s the simple truth: 

If you’re starting a podcast, ask yourself-Can I commit to this for 2–3 years?

Not for applause.
Not for quick wins.
But for steady compounding.

In this week’s episode, I break down realistic timelines for podcast ROI — including when sponsorships usually become possible.

If you’re building something slow and meaningful, this one’s for you. 🙂

🎧 https://lnkd.in/emsVzYZr

𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗢𝗥 (𝗔𝗟𝗠𝗔)

Alma makes it easier to take insurance, get paid, and their all-in-one system helps with scheduling, notes, and the business side of managing a solo practice. 

Alma's services also include access to consultation groups and CEU's.

2 Months FREE for STC fans: sellingthecouch.com/alma

Melvin Varghese PhD

Psychologist • Girl dad • Learning golf ⛳ | Helping therapists grow beyond the chair & Quiet Builders build life-first careers | Sharing the journey

When my friend, Justin, opened his private practice in December 2020,
he was sitting in the corner of his bedroom.

Using DoxyMe.
Sending invoices through Square.
Making “janky” documentation. 😅

His first client paid $75.

He once let someone haggle him down to $90.

Today?
He charges $225 a session and runs a group practice in Memphis.

Something I've noticed is that we compare our version one
to someone else’s version ten.

And then we freeze.

But confidence doesn’t come from thinking.

It comes from reps.

Justin didn’t wake up charging $225.

He raised his rates slowly.
Practiced saying the number out loud.
Grandfathered clients in.
Stopped haggling.
Kept showing up.

That’s what five years looks like.

Not glamorous.

Not viral.

Just steady.

In this week’s podcast, I sat down with Dr Justin Keith Dodson, Ph.D, LPC to unpack what he’s learned in five years — from solo practice to leading a team.

We talk about money.
Scaling.
Burnout.
Loneliness.
And what success actually looks like.

If you’re building something of your own, this one’s for you. 🙂

🎙 https://lnkd.in/eR8Gs5qE

𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗢𝗥 (𝗔𝗟𝗠𝗔)

Alma makes it easier to take insurance, get paid, and their all-in-one system helps with scheduling, notes, and the business side of managing a solo practice. 

Alma's services also include access to consultation groups and CEU's.

2 Months FREE for STC fans: sellingthecouch.com/alma

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There are two beginners in our house right now. 😅

Our daughter is 7.
I’m 43.

We’re both learning golf.

Since September, I’ve been practicing about 10 hours a week.
Another 4-5 on strength and flexibility.

Last week she had the day off school.

Philly has been buried in snow, so we went to the indoor simulator where I train.

The heater hummed.
The screen glowed bright green.

We didn’t work on mechanics.

We tried to break digital glass.
We aimed for cartoon buckets.
We laughed when the ball rolled nowhere.

When I was at Vanderbilt, I saw a pattern often.

Kids of high achievers.
Playing elite sports.
Killing it in school.
Burned out by 19.

They had talent and ambition.

But somewhere along the way, they lost joy.

I didn’t fully understand that before I became a parent.

Now I do.

As a parent, you want to open doors.
You want to nurture potential.

But there’s a delicate line between encouragement
and pressure.

In psychology, we call it extrinsic motivation —
when the reward becomes the goal, and by extension, your identity.

The weird irony? Joy is the fuel that allows intrinsic motivation to grow.

The belief in yourself even if things don't always work out.

So we’re doing this differently.

We’re not training for the LPGA.

We’re building memories.

Inside jokes.
A rhythm that belongs to just us.

If skill comes, great.

But if her light stays on?

That’s the win.

We publish 𝟰𝟴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀 a year.

For a long time, our system was simple: Take the YouTube transcript.
Turn it into a blog post. Doing a final human pass.

Done.

But over the 3-4 months something changed.

Those posts stopped getting much traction.

My guess?

Search engines—and AI—can tell when something is basically duplicate content.

A transcript turned into a blog post isn’t really a new article.

So we changed the system.

Instead of transcripts, we build 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗹𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀.

One recording becomes:

• a YouTube video
• a podcast episode
• a LinkedIn post
• a rewritten long-form guide on our website

Not copied.
Rebuilt.

Because Google is getting better at rewarding something deeper.

They call it E-E-A-T:

Experience.
Expertise.
Authority.
Trust.

In other words:

The people who win are the ones in the arena. The ones actually doing the work they teach.

They notice small details.
Nuances.
Mistakes.
Adjustments.

AI can summarize information.

But it can’t replace lived experience.

𝗦𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁.

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

That’s the idea behind a workshop I’m teaching next week:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹.

Less about going viral.

More about using YouTube to build a durable growth engine for your business.

If you’re curious, you can sign up at https://lnkd.in/e2Ct6DGv

QUESTION (would love to hear from you!): Are you publishing content...or building a library of experience?

This morning I did some golf mobility work, then opened the registration page for a YouTube workshop we’re hosting today.

𝟵𝟭 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽. 

The workshop is called 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹.

Over the past few years, we’ve published 𝟭𝟬𝟲 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘀.

Not to chase the algorithm.

But to build a 𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆.

A body of work that quietly compounds over time.

Lately I’ve been sensing something in conversations with colleagues.

Many of us feel overwhelmed by the flood of AI content.

Endless posts.
Endless summaries.
Endless recycled ideas.

But underneath that noise, something interesting is happening.

𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣.

Thoughtful ideas.
Real experience.
Content created by someone actually doing the work.

Not content for the algorithm.

Content with a point of view.

That’s the mindset behind today’s workshop.

Not more content.

Better libraries.

The kind that compound slowly, quietly, and meaningfully over time. 🙂

P.S. Replay is here (https://lnkd.in/e2Ct6DGv)

“If you build a great course, they’ll come.”

I wish that were true.

Since 2015, I’ve created multiple online courses.
Since 2022, I’ve helped therapists build theirs.

I’ve seen brilliant, research-backed courses fail.

Not because the content was bad.
But because connection was missing.

Here’s what most creators get wrong:

They obsess over the teaching videos.

Slides. Lighting. Perfect modules.

But the most important video isn’t inside the curriculum.

It’s the one right after someone buys.

The welcome video.

That’s the moment a student is wondering:

“Did I make the right decision?”

A simple, human message does more than 20 polished lessons.

“Hey, it’s Mel. Thank you for trusting me. If anything feels unclear, email me.”

That lowers refund anxiety.
That builds safety.
That keeps people engaged.

The second mistake?

We spend 80% of our energy on content.

When it’s often 20% content, 80% clarity and distribution.

If people don’t see it, they can’t benefit from it.

And finally:

Your course isn’t competing with other courses.

It’s competing with Netflix.
With clinical schedules.
With tired parents and inboxes.

So more content isn’t the answer.

Clearer paths are.

The best courses aren’t the deepest.

They’re the clearest.
The most human.
The most doable.

I go deeper into this in this week’s podcast episode.🙂

🎙️ https://lnkd.in/eTZsnUWr

Momentum is such a weird thing. 

When you've been building something for a while, momentum feels like proof.

It’s growing.
It’s working.
So it must be right.

But there’s a quieter question underneath:

How do I know I’m building the right thing before it’s too late?

I’ve learned this — as a psychologist and as someone who’s been building for over a decade:

𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿
𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲.

One signal I watch now?

My nervous system.

Does the work feed me —or deplete me?

Do I wake up curious?
Or just afraid of falling behind?

High achievers mistake motion for meaning.

But the real question is simpler: Is this still me?

Not the version from five years ago.

The one I am now.

This tension is what made me record this week's Quiet Builder episode.

If you’re wondering whether you’re building the right thing —
this one’s for you. 

Link in the comments. 🙂

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