College teacher turned ghostwriter | Scaling founders, coaches, and consultants to $100K+ /mo | Writing to build wealth and better self | 98,000 on Twitter (X)

Taylin John Simmonds

3 years ago, a friend lent me $40K to pay off my debt. So I could focus on business.

2 years ago, I offered to pay it back. He said no. Reinvest. Pay me later. 1 year ago, first payment. 

Yesterday, I paid him back!

Find the people who bet on you before it makes sense. Then spend your life proving them right.

College teacher turned Substack ghostwriter | Thoughts about craft, ideas, and AI as a creative partner (not a replacement) | 2B impressions | $4M+ revenue generated | All in on Substack

One pattern I’ve noticed in all the people that inspire me: They live a diverse life.

They layer unrelated skills. 
Read widely. 
And have friends you'd rarely see together. 

A rich life isn't only about money. It's about the range of experiences that made you who you are.

Stop calling yourself a content creator. Content creators chase algorithms. You're cultivating a body of work.

You're not in the content game. You're in the depth game.

And depth doesn't scale. It compounds.

I'm noticing a quiet rebellion against balance. 

People who disappear into their craft. 12, 15 hours a day for weeks. Then step back completely. No guilt. No routine. No splitting the difference. Full immersion, then full recovery. 

Seasons, not schedules.

You don't actually want to stop working. You just haven't found work worth your devotion.

The goal isn't to do less. It's to care so deeply about one thing that everything else becomes noise.

Find that thing. Then you'll never need convincing to start.

Everyone's trying to escape work. Fewer hours. Passive income. Early retirement. That's not freedom. That's avoidance.

You don't want to do less. You want something worth pouring everything into. Work that's worthy of your full attention, your full energy, your full devotion.

Find that first.

If AI is speeding up your writing process, you're using it wrong.

AI should slow you down. Stress-test your ideas. Pressure-test your arguments. Find the angle that actually matters before you write a word.

The bottleneck was never your writing speed. It was your thinking clarity.

You don't need 100 clients. You need a handful of the right ones and the devotion to serve them so well they never want to leave.

No empire. No team of 30. No "scaling to seven figures."

Just craft you're proud of and a livelihood that lets you live well.

A book you highlighted but never practiced is a book you never read.

Understanding doesn't live in the notes you took.

It lives in the choices you made differently afterward.

A life-changing habit I picked up recently: Fifteen minutes of breath work before work.

The breath brings me out of my head and into stillness. A stillness that makes creative work feel effortless.

Your best work is hiding behind the ritual you're skipping.

The real value in the AI age isn't what you know. It's who you can inspire.

Give them an aim, a compelling reason, and the next small step when everything feels overwhelming.

If you want to matter in the AI age, don't just share knowledge. 
Lend direction.

You're behind because you've never given 100% of yourself to the thing you care about.

Subtract everything that isn't it. Give it everything you have. Not 40%. Not most days. Everything.

You've never seen what happens when you actually commit. Find out.

Writing about creative work and human potential

D1 Football ➟ Writer, Podcaster & Creator Consultant

Jack Moses

It’s easy to underestimate the power of becoming an extremely prolific writer.

Writing is the backbone of business. Every message you send, social post you script, business plan you create, and lead you nurture is writing. Even a 5% improvement in your writing, compounded across every area, creates an extraordinary difference.

Writing forces precision. In this noise-filled world, clear writing is how you cut through noise to the signal. If you can write clearly, people who are actively filtering for signal will find you and your ideas.

Writing is the best way to consult clients. I aim to consult my clients primarily in written form because it forces sharper thinking. I don’t want to ramble in a voice memo. I want to cut to the signal. It saves them time, and gives them clearer directives.

Writing, maybe most importantly, is how you sharpen your thinking. Constantly asking AI for advice atrophies the mind. Writing to discover clarity within yourself strengthens it.

The best business people you know are usually the best writers. This is because they’re also the best thinkers. 

Spend more time writing. Even if you’re not directly a writer, every area of your life will improve as a result of honing and practicing the skill.

Writing about consciousness, wealth creation, and human potential ∞ One-of-One Writer begins April 15 (early-bird enrollment open)

Wealth does not equal money.

Wealth = time, freedom, and autonomy.

I don't have a ton of money in my bank account.

But I do what I love for work.

I do what I want 99% of the time.

I can live anywhere I want in the world.

I can choose to work as much or as little as I want to.

I can wear whatever I want, and wake up when I want.

How?

I've built leverage and trust through the internet.

40,000 people read my writing or listen to my ideas.

I am connected across industries and niches worldwide.

I have figured out how to monetize my passions, curiosities, and interests -- with maximum autonomy and minimal obligations.

People pay me for both my unique insight and expertise...

And my energy, frequency, & vibration (sounds esoteric, but it's true).

I write every day online.

I create offers, products, and events that my audience wants (that I also want).

I aim to help people improve their lives through free and paid content (the point of this post in particular is to break your beliefs on what's possible).

And now, I've created a life of time and location freedom - that equals wealth for me.

I've worked at this obsessively over the last 4 years.

And while I may not have stacked the numbers in my bank account yet, I have reached the skill level, network, and sovereignty where I will never have to work a job I don't choose to a day in my life.

By conventional measures, I am not rich or incredibly successful.

By my own internal standards, I wouldn't trade places with anyone making more than me at the expense of their own freedom and passion.

My philosophy is this:

• Define wealth on your own standards
• Block out everyone else's opinion
• Build a personal brand online
• Combine hard skills (marketing, sales, offers, writing) with soft skills (spirituality, psychology, people skills, etc)
• Network your *ss off
• Commit to the game for 1-3 years
• Become so good they cannot ever hire you or put you in a box

You don't have to wait til your 50 to live the life you want.

You can skip to the end and live a life of wealth (freedom) now if you go against the grain, take strategic action, continue to self-actualize, and become so valuable to the world that you can get paid to be yourself -- on your own time and your own terms.

"How are you able to just run retreats in places you've never been?"

The truth is, I don't think about it much anymore.

If I have an idea to run a retreat in a cool place, I'll whip up the website, put it out there, and see what the response is.

I don't really second-guess if I'm "ready."

I trust that when the moment comes, and the people arrive, I'll know exactly what to do.

But it wasn't always like this.

The first time I co-hosted a men's retreat in Austin, Texas, in 2024, I was nervous as hell.

I think I was the youngest of the 10 or so people there.

I was scared to say the wrong thing in front of the group or to give the wrong advice to someone asking me a question.

I thought I had to be some enlightened spiritual guru who had mastered all his desires to be worthy of organizing and hosting a retreat.

It wasn't until one of the retreat members, an older guy of about 50, said to me:

"Jack, you don't have to be doing any of this 'right.'"

That was the most liberating thing I'd ever heard.

If I didn't have to do anything "right," I could just be me.

And when I simply allowed myself to just be me, I could paradoxically serve others the best.

That single sentence prompted the realization that now allows me to spin up retreats at the drop of a dime when inspiration hits:

I don't have to be perfect to run a retreat.

All I have to do is be myself.

And who is myself?

Well, I'm not "perfect" or some pure spiritual guru.

I like to go out and have a few drinks. 

I'll rip a cig from time to time with a friend over dinner.

I have days where I get nothing done and scroll too much.

I also have moments when I'm overcome with anxiety and insecurity.

I am nowhere near perfect.

But I am beyond needing to be perfect to be okay with myself AND create experiences that elevate others.

I've realized none of my imperfections mean I'm not equipped to run a retreat - or run a coaching business or community.

So, I'll say the same thing to you.

Stop waiting to be perfect to serve others.

Waiting to be perfect is the greatest sign of an over-inflated ego.

It is your ego that is scared of embarrassment or of not being seen as perfect.

But it is your SPIRIT who can help another human being and give them love EVEN WHEN you still perceive yourself as imperfect.

So choose courage from your spirit and let go of the ego's worries.

Launch your retreat.

Launch your group program.

Launch your coaching business.

You don't have to be perfect to help another human being.

You just have to create a container for their growth, teach them something you know that they want to know, and direct your attention and energy at them to help facilitate their transformation.

The greatest act of embodiment is to lead with courage even when you're doubting yourself.

So stop waiting to be an enlightened millionaire to help another human being and go out there and live your dharma anyway.

Message me to join the Italy Writing Retreat July 2026 🪶⭐️

Never fight your nature.

If you were the type of kid who stayed up til 3am playing video games, allow yourself to build your online business into the late hours of the night without guilt or pressure from performance-optimizer types.

If you were always the student who finished the presentation 30 minutes before class, allow yourself to hit a buzzer-beater when making a presentation for work.

If you grew up loving being outside all day, every day, engineer your work and lifestyle so that you can do the same as an adult.

The truth is, you and you alone know the way to unlock your optimal performance.

You'll find the way back to your natural expression by uncovering what you were doing naturally in childhood.

The source of your abundance is not a job, a client, or a product.

It is the universe itself, the infinite field of consciousness that is constantly growing and expanding.

When you recognize this source and live from it, you no longer need anything from anyone. There is always someone else to receive abundance from or another possibility for abundance to be created. 

From this open state, you are most creative. From this unattached state, you can truly receive.

Infinite consciousness and scarcity consciousness cannot coexist simultaneously. Reside in infinity, and trust in the infinitely creative intelligence of the universe to channel through you to serve the rest of humanity. 

The universe will always give you exactly what you need in each moment, so long as you're listening and doing your best to live in accordance with it.

Becoming a deadly writer is paradoxically the most powerful thing you can do in the Age of AI.

Writing is applied thinking. Right now, less and less people are able to think for themselves. They outsource their grocery lists and text messages to AI. Even worse, many outsource their business models or career decisions.

Undoubtedly, this will lead to people becoming incredibly lost. 

Unless you are able to think critically for yourself and use your intuition to make decisions, you will end up on a path that is not the desire of your heart, but the desire of your mind at best — and the rationale of a machine at worst.

Who will they then turn to for insight? Whose perspective can they trust when their personal AI has become a Tower of Babel?

The unique thinkers. The thought leaders. The people who have trained themselves to think for themselves through the practice of writing about their lived experience.

it is nearly impossible to think clearly without a consistent writing habit, epecially in this world of hyperstimulation.

Write first for your own sake. To clear the mind, to find out what you really think, and to sharpen the sword of you decision making.

Then, write for the sake of others drowning in noise and searching for truth.

The signal they’re looking for is your sovereign thinking and direct experience.

Lifestyle creation is the meta skill.

Your life is nothing more than your day to day experience.

If you can create a life where you live your dream day every day, you’ve won.

There are 4 key stages to unlock this:

First, unlock the ability to live anywhere in the world. This step is usually remote work, freelancing, or taking a hit to your ego and volunteering somewhere you love. 

Second, unlock the ability to only do project based, asynchronous work. This probably narrows you down into a freelancer or consultant of some type. You must become the top ~ 5% in the world for your skill to reach this stage.

Third, unlock the authority to only take calls on your own time. This is high level consulting or coaching. You no longer bend to other people’s needs. They bend to your preferences because you’re so valuable. This level requires world class authority and credibility.

Fourth, unlock the freedom to transcend calls and project based work altogether. At this point you’re a genuine creator. You get paid to create and build whatever the f*ck you want. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do - ever.

These steps are not easy. Each requires skill development, psychological integration, cross-disciplinary study, and a global network and reputation. But the path is there. Thousands have already walked it, and so can you.

The key is to avoid optimizing for salaries, career paths, prestige, and other people’s validation. Instead optimize for mobility, freedom, and leverage.

At first, people will think you’re crazy. In a few years, they’ll be paying you to teach them how to do it.

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One of my favorite things to do is write in inspiring places with a cappuccino…

I first discovered a love for writing and travel when I was backpacking in Italy with a friend in 2022.

It was there that I had the first seed of an idea to ditch the corporate world and find a way to make money online so I could be free and travel.

I began writing a newsletter and then on X, and then built a full-time income from my writing in early 2023.

For the past few years, I’ve been traveling the world, and writing has been the passion that’s stuck with me and the vehicle for making money.

But the biggest benefit of writing online has been the people I’ve met. I have friends all around the world. I’ve lived and traveled with many of them. Most of my best friends are from Twitter. It’s beautiful to bring online connections in person. It feels like the highest expression of the internet.

So… I decided to combine these areas of passion - writing, travel, business, and people - into an experience:

The Lake Como Writing Retreat.

It’s a 7-day retreat for creators, writers, and builders with a heavy focus on writing, creativity, and connection in beautiful Lake Como.

You will be able to work on a book, a series of articles, journal for yourself, or write anything you desire during the time there.

I’ll also be facilitating workshops on writing, creativity, and flow psychology — as well as business-oriented workshops to understand the mechanics of social media writing & marketing for attracting an audience and building a business off the backend of your writing aligned with your passions.

And we’ll also have a ton of fun going to dinners, chilling at cafes, walking on the beach, swimming in the lake, and having philosophical conversations over wine (or water).

There are 8 spots available.

You can find details and apply by clicking into this post below:

https://lnkd.in/e8hRJgFC

People don’t buy quality or value. 

They buy status, feeling, and frequency. 

I can buy a leather bag here in Thailand for $2. If you used the same fabric, put a Gucci logo on it, and dropped me into a designer store in LA, the bag suddenly costs $250. 

Why?

Gucci has a vibe, an aura, and a collectively recognized status of prestige around it.

To the right person, $250 or $25,000 doesn’t matter to them if it gives them the feeling and symbol they want.

Price is mostly arbitrary.

Obviously, creating high-quality things is best practice for customer satisfaction, reviews, and word-of-mouth marketing. 

But realize you could probably charge much more for the same product or service if you could create a vibe of luxury, status, and exclusivity around your product or service.

Position yourself as the authority. Create an aura of luxury and prestige in your products and services. Prioritize creating a vibe over creating something perfect.

You will be able to charge much more for your same offers and attract higher quality customers.

“Naturally, if you are a hunter of butterflies, you would want to be where there are butterflies. Instead of chasing them around with your net and exhausting yourself, you would instead want to hold the scent they are attracted to.” Frederick Dodson

I am so bullish on the real world.

Group events. Cookouts. Sports. Parties. Animals. Music festivals. Phoneless dinners. Co-living centers. Healing centers. Retreat centers. Beautiful views. Group adventures. 

These things light me up. Tech, ai, and materialism continue to disguest me more every day.

The pendulum has swung too far. A small group of nerds will continue to obsess over ai, automation, effiency, and the intellect. But those of us connected to our hearts and spirits are becoming disgusted by it. We want real, and we want human. 

Expect a huge countersurge of irl businesses and events in the next few years.

Business is a game. By shifting our perception, energy, and attachments, we can become better players.

New article:

Open article: The Game of Money by open.substack.com

The creative mind needs solitude.

Long, continuous stretches of it.

Calls, texts, conversations, and obligations are death for the creative process.

Breakthrough insights or life-changing downloads do not reveal themselves until deep into a solitude session, oftentimes not until hours 5 or 6.

You have to allow the mind to wander for 5-6 consistent hours to reach a completely new revelation. When you break the string of insight every 30 minutes, the mind cannot follow strings of thoughts to depths it’s never explored before.

Long stretches of solitude are as vital to the health of the artist as the sun is to any living organism.

Every day, spend a few hours completely by yourself. And at least once a week, spend an entire day in solitude.

Even better, a multi-week period of solitude will be invaluable for the creative process. When you live alone, eat alone, and create alone, the channel between you and God grows stronger. You talk with God 24/7. You pull ideas out of the collective consciousness all throughout the day.

There is a time to be with people, work together, live together, and celebrate life.

But for the creative spirit, long stretches of solitude are absolutely vital.

Writing about consciousness, wealth creation, and human potential ∞ Founder of Transcendence, Partner of Coherence ∞ Read my articles on Substack

Scarcity vs. Abundance Consciousness

Article:

Open article: Scarcity vs. Abundance Consciousness by open.substack.com

Becoming a creator is a catalyst for psychological individuation and spiritual development.

What makes a creator successful?

It's how unique they are.

The only way to stand out in this increasingly saturated space is to become increasingly differentiated from the average person. 

This path is a forcing function for discovering your true self and unique potential — whereas the standard path (9-5 jobs, office work, etc) actually incentivizes conformity to the societal average, not personal individuation.

When you enter a city in the US, everyone seems to be a copycat of one another. They have the same hobbies, same haircut, same clothes, same speaking pattern, and share the same favorite sports teams.

It's rare to find someone who's truly unique because they've been groomed and programmed from the age of 5 to fit in. 

The creator path will force you to go in the completely opposite direction. The same people I just spoke about will think you're crazy. You will constantly question your sanity as you become increasingly unique.

But trust. This is the path of psychological individuation and spiritual development. It is the way to find out who you really are and discover your potential.

I can't imagine a better path in the modern world for personal development than the path of the creator —because to see success, you have no choice but to develop yourself and individuate from the collective.

And if you want to insert yourself into a tribe of creators operating at the EDGE of content, business, health, wellness, and spirituality...

I'm building something special with Nick Sweeney called Coherent Creators.

There are 37 people in.

And we are capping enrollment at 50.

Comment or DM me "CREATE" and I'll send u more info

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