new pod

My new solo pod episode: From Atheist to Christian Entrepreneur: 30 Years of Lessons (Life, Marriage, Business)

In this video, I’m sharing the 30 non-negotiable lessons I’ve learned—10 for your soul, 10 for your family, and 10 for your kingdom-driven business.

the conformity tax is coming due

Goldman Sachs estimates AI will impact 300 million jobs globally, with cognitive work most vulnerable to automation. McKinsey suggests that by 2030, up to 30% of hours currently worked could be automated.

But here’s what the headlines miss: this isn’t just about job displacement. It’s about the end of trading conformity for security.

The industrial revolution created a powerful exchange: sacrifice your uniqueness, fit into the system, receive stability and income in return. For over a century, conformity at scale built unprecedented wealth.

That era is ending.

the significance gap

You’ve felt it—that gnawing sense that success isn’t enough. The thought that surfaces: “I don’t want to be known as someone who just sells [fill in the blank].”

You’ve built expertise and wisdom that took decades to earn. You help people in ways that matter. But it’s trapped inside a role. Your income is proportional to the position you hold, not the unique value you create.

You’re watching peers make the leap—building audiences, creating offers, living with more freedom. But when you think about starting, the paralysis sets in. Where do I even begin?

what AI can’t commodify

AI can replace tasks, processes, and sophisticated analysis. But it cannot replicate you—your specific combination of experience, perspective, and wisdom shaped by your origin story.

In an ultra-connected world where anyone can access information, trust in a specific person is the new scarcity. People want solutions from someone who understands their context, delivered by someone whose journey resonates with theirs.

This isn’t three to five years away. It’s happening now.

the infrastructure of the future

A personal brand isn’t vanity. It’s the vehicle that allows your uniqueness to be monetized and secured. It’s how you offer your distinct framework to people anywhere who need exactly what you have.

The formula has flipped: Fitting in is no longer success; it’s a ticket to becoming replaceable.

Your unique approach, shaped by where you’ve been and what you’ve overcome, is now your greatest asset. Who you are, how you think, where you come from—this is the treasure that commands attention and builds trust.

your origin story is your unfair advantage

Most professionals underestimate the power of their own story. They think personal branding is about tactics and platforms. But the foundation is deeper: understanding why you do what you do the way you do it.

I recently unpacked my own origin story on Jeff Dudan’s podcast. As you listen, map your own story onto the framework. Notice the moments that shaped your worldview, the pain that refined your perspective, the turning points that forged your approach.

You’ll find untold treasures in your own narrative.

the 7 questions that unlock exponential value

For my paid subscribers, I’ve distilled this into seven questions you need to answer with depth and nuance. These will help you extract the unique value from your experience, position yourself as irreplaceable, and build content that attracts the right people. I’m also attaching a downloadable worksheet you can use.

This isn’t about becoming someone you’re not. It’s about embracing the fullness of who you already are—and building the skill stack to communicate it.

The future rewards the specific, the personal, the unreplicable.

The question is: will you start building it now, or wait until conformity has fully priced you out?

Read more

things to look forward to

2 episodes coming up, I’m excited about.

1. Don't miss my upcoming episode with Dr. Caroline Leaf! We dive into the fascinating intersection of neuroscience, mental health, and the power of the mind.

2. My recent post on 30 lessons from 30 years as a Christian entrepreneur struck a chord—so I'm going deeper. In than upcoming solo episode, I expand on all 30 lessons across three fronts: personal flourishing, relational wisdom, and biblical business principles. From breaking generational dysfunction to positioning yourself for supernatural results.

   how to stay grounded when the world is on fire

The first week of 2026 has been explosive in international news—and I’ve learned to feel it all without letting it consume me.

Nicolas Maduro, president of Venezuela, has been arrested by the US in a dramatic operation in Caracas. The unrest in Iran has boiled over from protest into something closer to revolution. On New Year’s Day, rockets rained on Ukraine and a young man in Odessa—a city I’ve been in many times—left the house to meet with a friend only to come back to a heap of rubble and his young wife and 8-year-old son dead. I watched a long interview about an 18-year-old Russian street artist, Naoko, who was arrested and eventually forced out of the country for singing “forbidden” songs.

All these things affect me deeply. I was a refugee as a boy, have lived through a lot of political crisis, and care deeply about freedom—both societal and individual.

In the past, I’ve allowed this crisis or the other to derail my emotional health. No longer.

Here are 3 strategies I use beyond prayer (which is non-optional to me—it keeps me tethered to something bigger than my anxiety).

They may come in handy as the news seems to be offering nothing but crisis all around us.

1. freedom is a privilege—be engaged in it.

Most of the world, last I checked more than 70%, lives under one level of authoritarian rule or another. We get to think, speak, vote freely. That’s rare and precious, and it comes with responsibility.

By definition, politicians are incentivized on one hand to govern while being empowered by the people, and on the other to overpromise while underdelivering to be voted into office. Our job is to have convictions about our leanings based on values—to land somewhere in the spectrum of democrat vs republican in a two-party system.

But be aware: party lines also lead to massive group think, and a drift in the wrong direction is more than possible, it’s inevitable. So learn about the people deciding the direction of your city, state, and country. Do you trust them as human beings and leaders? Is it important that you trust them as both? Engage in this and speak and vote according to your conscience. Freedom is both privilege and responsibility.

2. history is a great teacher.

Study history and you’ll realize that some of the things you see in the news cycle that may send you into an anxiety flare-up have happened many times before. Our brains are not built to absorb all the bad news, everywhere, at the same time. The media outlets you’re paying attention to online have a business model. They monetize better when you stay on them. You stay longer when you obsess about bad news.

If you study history, you’ll have a more balanced, non-reactive view about deeper tectonic shifts. You’ll be able to know that Russia/Ukraine is a centuries-old thing, that the Iran situation is a matter of when not if, that Venezuela is what happens when Marxist dictatorships entrench themselves, and that unfree societies tend to tell artists what they can or cannot sing or write.

You’ll also know that while your heart aches at the injustice, pain, and suffering of millions—we actually and objectively live in the most prosperous, healthy, and peaceful times in the history of humanity. That absolutely true statement will not keep you doom scrolling, so you don’t get that on your feed.

3. your personal well-being is mostly defined by things you have most control over.

Your physical, relational, emotional, spiritual, and economic health. When you find yourself stressing out about “the world”—lean into “your world.”

Build a resilient business, body, and family. A great marriage will carry you through any downturn in an economy. Happy children will wipe away most stressors. Deep friendships will fix most bad weeks. A strong business will give you the sense of stability you crave. Eat healthy, move a lot, get some sun, go on long walks. Build a good life.

The world will keep breaking our hearts. Build a life strong enough to hold the grief without collapsing under it.

So I’m curious—which of these hits home for you? Where are you most tempted to lose yourself in the noise?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity share strategies, stories, lessons learned and even hard things with my subscribers.

Thank you for your few minutes every week that you take to read and think about what moves me.

I decided to thank one of my subscribers personally not with words, but with my time and service to them. Here’s what I’m thinking:

a new year challenge for one subscriber

I’ve never done this before.

For this round of Passion to Profit Lab, I’m not working with a group.

I’m taking on just one person.

One driven subscriber who’s ready to turn their expertise into real online authority.

If you’re a subscriber to the Xponential Newsletter, I’ll personally guide you through a 5-day video challenge—completely free. (This is the same process my private clients use to get their first breakthroughs.)

I only ask for a fully refundable $97 commitment deposit, which you’ll get back when we finish Day 5.

Here’s how it works: Five 45-minute 1:1 Zoom calls over five consecutive weekdays.

Together, we’ll sharpen your niche and message, choose the right platform, set up simple tech (your phone is all you need), script your first short video, record it with my live feedback, and publish it.

You’ll walk away with a workflow and video you’re proud of, more importantly - with a vision of what is possible for you with an online personal brand.

People pay me thousands of dollars to do this. This is a rare chance to get that level of focus and support at zero cost—just bring your full commitment for five days.

I’m reviewing applications this weekend and choosing one person by Monday. If this feels right, apply before Sunday night.

To apply: Click here and answer a few questions. I’ll personally review every response and choose the person I’m most called to serve. We’ll start next week.

Christian Ray Flores here, on a warm Sunday morning in Austin, TX.

last chance for a gift to the poor

The tax year is wrapping up, last chance to make a tax deductible gift to the Ascend Academy in Maputo, Mozambique. If you’ve been itching to support a cause that is life changing not just for the children in one of the poorest places on earth but for those of us helping out - click here. If you’d like to learn more about the work, I’ll personally call you and tell you more. Just reply with the word ACADEMY.

january’s passion to profit lab

I’m thinking about devoting our monthly workshop squarely on creating content that help you become known, liked and trusted. From my own full gear setup, to workflow and most importantly how to grow your audience.

If this is something you’d jump on. Reply with the word PPL. I’ll add you to the waitlist and you’ll be the first to know when we decide on the details.

what christmas anxiety reveals (and how to fix it)

My family absolutely loves Christmas. The Christmas story. The Advent season full of anticipation. Even the shopping. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are easygoing—full of the kind of delight a house filled with love rewards you with.

But it’s also a life-pattern interruption that brings hidden anxieties to the surface.

I warn members of my coaching community not to freak out when negative stuff comes up out of nowhere during the holidays: anxious thoughts, sleepless nights, second-guessing, self-doubt, worry, imposter syndrome.

I expect it for myself too. And sure enough, I had three nights where I woke up in the middle of the night with irrational negative thoughts and anxiety.

This isn’t just a spiritual battle during a week many consider holy. It’s biology reacting to disrupted patterns.

This Christmas pattern reveals something universal about how we’re wired: your most irrational fears show up right when things are going well.

Our brains are wired to survive, not thrive.

The amygdala scans constantly for danger—social, physical, reputational—and reacts faster than your prefrontal cortex can reason with it. When threat is detected, real or perceived, resources get pulled away from growth functions and redirected to survival.

The result? Your brain will always choose safety over ambition. Certainty over possibility. Familiar pain over unfamiliar upside.

This is ancient code running modern hardware.

For most of human history, social survival mattered more than individual fulfillment. Standing out risked exile, ridicule, or loss of protection. It still echoes today in thoughts like “Who do you think you are?” or “Don’t rock the boat” or “Be grateful with your station in life.”

To move into thriving territory, you have to convince your brain that you’re safe enough to expand.

Here’s the counterintuitive part:

If you want to build a different future, make 80% of your life safe, repetitive, and predictable—and only 20% high-risk.

Your brain will calm down, interpret life as safe, and allow you to become more creative, optimistic, and deeply focused on growth.

Every founder I know who burns out lives at 60% chaos. Every one who scales sustainably lives a boring life outside their risk zone.

Here are my top five ways to spend as much time as possible in that 80% “safe” territory—while still taking real risks and expanding:

1. develop a robust transcendent practice—meditation, prayer, journaling. This pauses reactive thinking and moves you into metacognition, where irrational fear becomes easy to dismantle.

2. build a strong marriage and healthy relationships with your children, parents, and close friends. You need to come from the entrepreneurial battlefield to a home filled with love.

3. exercise daily. Movement activates your body’s internal pharmacy—from antidepressants to motivation chemicals—and reinforces the identity of someone who overcomes resistance.

4. hardwire growth into your schedule. For me, certain mornings each week are non-negotiably reserved for thinking, learning, and strategic expansion—whether I feel like it or not.

5. get coaching. Join a community where doing new and hard things is normal, expected, and celebrated. I don’t make big growth decisions in isolation.

So let me ask you this:

Where is your brain mistaking expansion for danger?

If imposter syndrome is loud right now, this episode will help you shut it down.

if you missed it

Latest solo pod issue: Build Your Six Figure Brand: 3 Rules + 3 Steps from Zero

do they know it’s christmas?

I’ve always loved the Band Aid song and video. It planted a seed in me that we should use our resources to think of the poor at Christmas time.

If you’re in that mood, consider this chance to give a tax deductible gift to Ascend Academy in Mozambique. We’ve been supporting this work for years and are taking a group of donors there in April. Here’s a short video, if you’re so inspired, make a one time or recurring donation here.

christmas tunes you may enjoy

A few years ago I released a Christmas album in three languages: English, Russian, Spanish.

Here’s the Spotify link. Let me know what you think. And a lyric video.

30 Lessons from 30 Years a Christian

December 23rd, 30 years ago I got baptized. I came to my baptism at a friend’s home with bags packed because I was leaving that night to go on tour. It redirected the whole trajectory of my life after growing up in a family of atheists.

Fair warning: This is explicitly a Christian post. If that’s not your thing, I won’t be offended if you skip it. No hard feelings.

But if you’re curious about what three decades of faith has taught me about actually living well, here’s what’s coming: 30 things I’ve learned about Personal Flourishing, Relational Wisdom and Business Advice.

Turns out applied ancient wisdom is life changing.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Personal Flourishing

1. Who you are is best defined by Whose you are—a loving God who directs your path.

2. You are not alone, not now, not ever. Nurture a daily relationship with God.

3. You are wonderfully made for a specific purpose. Learn it and you’ll never be without direction.

4. Your mistakes, shame and regrets can be erased in a heartbeat. Accepting that is crucial.

5. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Take good care of it.

6. Follow Jesus’s teaching and you’ll learn the truth—that truth will set you free.

7. Ask and you shall receive more than you can ask or imagine.

8. Your trials, suffering and obstacles can be repurposed as fuel.

9. Learn to be content. If you can’t be happy with a cup of coffee, you won’t with a mansion.

10. Live victoriously, like you know how this story ends. Because you do.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Relational Wisdom

1. Who you marry is the most important relational decision you’ll ever make.

2. Learn to build a healthy marriage like your life depends on it. Because it does.

3. Your children are your next priority before anything else, be present and active in their lives.

4. Parenting does not stop when they leave the house, but it does change as children mature.

5. True friends take a lifetime to nurture. Invest in them intentionally and deeply.

6. Give generously to those in need, whether you have abundance or lack. Non-negotiable.

7. Don’t tolerate toxic relationships. Forgive but move on.

8. Resolving conflict is one of the most valuable skills you can master.

9. Be an apprentice to someone your whole life. Wisdom is true wealth.

10. Love people. Love your family, your friends, your competitors and enemies.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Business Advice

1. Money is a great servant and terrible master. Deploy the servant for good.

2. Unlearn toxic money beliefs to master healthy money habits.

3. Aspire to greatness through service to others and you’ll never have money problems.

4. Find your assignments from God and focus on them with all your heart.

5. Commerce is service. It’s God’s incentive for His children to solve each other’s problems.

6. Your talent is not just a gift. It’s a responsibility to multiply what has been entrusted to you.

7. Align yourself with Kingdom purposes and you can count on supernatural results.

8. Take great pride in your vocation, strive to be known, liked and trusted in your work.

9. If you can’t work with someone for years, don’t work with them for an hour.

10. Scripture contains the best business advice in existence.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Which of these resonate with you the most? Hit reply, I read all the comments.

This one is short and sweet. And can be life changing if you take it seriously.

taking the first step

The number one reason most people never make it big is fear. It’s not even the big fear of failure but the fear of the first step and how it will feel to be bad at something before you get actually get good at it.

That is the chasm. Between your normal and an exponential life.

We all see people who are good at what they do, but not better than us have an incredible life because of the content they create.

If you see what I see and ask yourself, could this be me? Watch this video till the end.

What you’ll see is that - yes it can be you. It should be you. If you have anything of value that can benefit others, it’s not just an opportunity, it’s a responsibility.

All it takes a first step, then the next, that’s how all good things start. Before you know it - you have a life you could have not imagined before.

I host a Passion to Profit Lab workshop once a month.

Small groups. Real work. Actual outcomes.

Now I’m deciding what to run next — and I want your input.

Below are the topics on deck. Pick the one you’d actually show up for.

These workshops are intentionally limited so I can work closely with everyone.

If one hits, reply with the topic + your email and I’ll put you on the waitlist.

if you missed it

• my solo podcast on overcoming imposter syndrome

• my guest podcast on big reasons to love America

ai can’t replace this

AI is about to wipe out a lot of safe careers.

There’s one move that keeps you standing when it does.

I’ve always loved new tech.

If something new drops, I usually test it within months.

Less than a year after image generation became usable, I published a book filled with AI-generated illustrations to cover gaps in my personal archive.

That same year, I took a client’s mountaineering photo archive, turned it into AI-generated video, mixed it with his speaking footage, and created a powerful promo film.

So yes — I’m bullish on tech.

I’m also clear-eyed about what’s coming.

The AI revolution will create chaos.

Entire job categories will disappear.

Education will be reshaped.

White-collar work will be hit hardest — and millions will feel it.

We don’t know exactly how tectonic the shift will be.

We do know it will be massive.

There is one move that changes the game entirely.

It takes time.

It takes effort.

And it creates something AI simply cannot replace.

Build a personal brand.

Here’s why.

AI can generate content.

It can analyze data.

It can mimic patterns.

What it cannot do is relate.

It cannot connect to your passions.

It cannot feel your fears.

It cannot tell stories rooted in lived experience.

It cannot have taste, intuition, or deeply human preferences.

People don’t trust systems.

They trust people.

When your value is anchored in your humanity — your story, your perspective, your way of seeing the world — it becomes immune to automation.

Not resistant. Immune.

Build that, and the coming chaos doesn’t erase you.

It elevates you.

for paid subscribers: the 3 steps you can’t skip

Read more

last chance to join the workshop.

Honest question: why would your 2026 be any better than 2025?

Hope isn’t really an answer. Waiting rarely changes anything.

A strategy does.

I’ve never done this before, but as a thank-you to my subscribers, I’m giving away a few $100 passes to my Passion to Profit Lab for free.

If you’re an expert who’s been meaning to build a real personal brand online—and actually turn it into income—this is for you.

We’ll spend two focused hours building your personal brand together, live.

👉 Full details here.

👉 Want to claim a free pass? Click here.

If you see a registration page, it means free spots are still available—grab your seat.

latest pod

My Wednesday post about Imposter Syndrome had the highest open rate in a while, so I recorded a pod about it unpacking ways I deal with it in more detail. Send it to a friend who needs to hear it.

making space for the music

Deep thinking is underrated.

The holidays are one of the few times left in the year where the world naturally slows down. Fewer meetings. Fewer expectations. More space.

A rare window.

Instead of letting this time dissolve into noise, busyness, and consumption, I suggest we use this slowdown to ask a better question:

How do I make 2026 a quantum leap from 2025—on purpose?

I haven’t released music in five years. That still surprises me.

Before that, I spent years entertaining millions of people. Music gave me a life most people only imagine. But after a lot of deep thinking, I moved on.

I listed the long-term pros and cons. I looked honestly at my values. I asked where staying would actually lead.

It wasn’t aligned.

I’ve thanked God many times for giving me the courage to make that leap. The life I have now fits my values far better than the one I left behind.

But here’s something I hadn’t really examined until recently:

Why did I stop making music for fun?

Part of the answer is uncomfortable: I’m a snob.

After working with world-class musicians, studios, and producers, it’s hard to sit in a home office, record something basic, and feel satisfied. Once your taste level rises, “good enough” stops being good enough.

Then the holidays came.

I’ve been quietly watching AI tools for music creation for a while. Not hyped. Just paying attention. And I realized the technology has crossed a line.

It can now replace about 80% of the reasons I stopped creating.

So I asked my wife and daughters for a Christmas gift: a subscription to a music creation AI platform.

During this slower season, I’ll experiment and play. I’ll find a rhythm that doesn’t interfere with my work—and still satisfies the musical snob in me.

The technology gives me flexibility, speed, and a level of excellence that lets my imagination fly again.

That period of deep thinking just reintroduced joy I didn’t realize I’d put on hold—and it’s shaping how I think about 2026.

I’m sharing this because the holidays can easily become a blur of consumption, busyness, and low-grade anxiety.

But they can also be a strategic pause.

Time to think clearly.

To reassess.

To make intentional decisions about what stays, what goes, and what gets re-entered—differently.

Most people don’t need more motivation.

They need space to think.

There are many ways to do that. Conversations. Journaling. Walking. Prayer. Strategy sessions. Even structured environments like Passion to Profit Lab—which is simply one way I help people create that kind of clarity.

don’t miss the passion to profit lab

We’ll spend 2 hours with a small group of pros working on their personal brand concept and ways to monetize it. Claim your pass here.

what your 3am panic is trying to tell you

I’ve been in media, teaching, speaking, mentoring, and coaching for decades. And yet — with annoying consistency — I still get hit with imposter syndrome. Sometimes all it takes is a small disruption in the pattern. Deb is away visiting family, and that simple change had me up at 3AM spiraling: Why do I even dare think I can bring value or improve anyone’s life? Who am I to teach anyone anything?

That’s imposter syndrome.

It plagues the most competent among us with higher intensity.

It can derail or stall our best work for years.

And the good news? It can be beaten.

Here’s the cold hard truth: if you want an extraordinary life, you’re signing up for hundreds of moments just like my 3AM panic. It comes with the territory — and you simply have to possess the antidote to it.

And here’s what makes that antidote possible: imposter syndrome isn’t mysterious. It has patterns, causes, and triggers that show up with startling consistency. Once you see them, they lose their power.

where imposter syndrome comes from (research-backed causes + triggers)

1. high-achiever bias

The researchers who first identified imposter syndrome, Clance & Imes, found it hits high performers the hardest. The more capable you become, the more aware you are of what you don’t know — and that awareness creates a false sense of inadequacy that less capable people never experience.

If you’ve ever had a night like my 3AM spiral, this is often why.

2. identity lag

Your life can upgrade faster than your internal identity does. Psychology calls this “identity lag,” and the brain treats it like a mismatch: new role, outdated self-concept. That gap alone can trigger the sense that exposure is coming, even when you’re unquestionably qualified.

3. comparison overload

Constant upward comparison — especially online — resets your sense of what “normal” progress looks like. Research shows it consistently lowers self-assessment, even in people performing exceptionally well. It’s not failure; it’s a distorted baseline.

4. lack of representation

When you walk into rooms where you don’t see people with your background or path, the brain interprets it as social risk. Studies on “solo status” show it amplifies vigilance and self-doubt, regardless of competence or performance.

5. perfectionism loops

Perfectionism, in the research sense, is fear of judgment dressed up as “high standards.” Impossible expectations → inevitable disappointment → the false belief you don’t belong. It’s a loop designed to keep talented people stuck.

Before I unpack the 3 bulletproof techniques to consistently beat imposter syndrome for my paid subscribers — and truly, there’s no better moment to join than today for just $9/month — I want to highlight something else that dismantles imposter syndrome at its roots:

The Passion to Profit Lab.

It’s one of the strongest power moves you can make because nothing rewires self-doubt faster than turning your expertise into a personal brand that creates clarity, confidence, and real income. When you see your work generating tangible impact, imposter syndrome loses its grip.

Details here.

Next: 3 techniques that dismantle imposter syndrome instantly and long-term

Read more

passion to profit lab

Your expertise and wisdom are worth so much more than you think. Don’t miss our next Passion to Profit Lab if you want to truly offer it to the world. Claim your pass here.

the midlife myth

i often speak to very accomplished people in the midlife season about the power of personal branding.
the pushback is almost always: “it’s too late for me.”

the truth is — not only is it not too late… it’s the most natural season for reawakening.

because i’m running a passion to profit lab next week, i wanted to republish this remarkable conversation with chip conley — founder of the modern elder academy, and the original modern elder at a little company you may have heard of… airbnb.

he joined them as a 50-something mentor to founders half his age — and helped turn a scrappy startup into a $100 billion hospitality giant.

here are just a few takeaways from that talk. the full conversation is linked below — and i highly recommend you soak it in.

1. midlife is not a crisis — it’s a chrysalis

chip reframes what we call a “midlife crisis” as a midlife chrysalis — a transformation.

just like the caterpillar, we consume and build in our early years. then… we enter the cocoon.
it feels disorienting, dark, gooey… but it’s where metamorphosis happens.

this isn’t a breakdown. it’s a breakthrough.

2. it’s not too late — you’re not even close to done

the average person at mea is 54. the age they expect to live until? 90.

that means: at 54, you’re halfway through your adult life.

let that sink in — your second act could be longer, richer, and more impactful than your first.

don’t bury your brilliance in regret. become a beginner again.

3. wisdom is the new currency

in a world where knowledge is commoditized — wisdom is the differentiator.

you can google answers. but you can’t google discernment, empathy, and soul.

as chip says: “the world doesn’t need more knowledge — it needs more wise people.”

4. this season isn’t about winding down — it’s about waking up

whether you’re 37 or 67, if you feel stuck, off-track, or lost in a fog — you’re not broken.

you’re being invited into the chrysalis.

that tug you feel isn’t failure. it’s purpose knocking.

will you answer?

if this resonates — if you know there’s something more for you in this season — i want to personally invite you to join me in the passion to profit lab happening next week.

click here for the details.

it’s a guided experience where i’ll walk you through how to uncover, shape, and share your message — and turn the wisdom you’ve earned into something that serves others and sustains your life.

you’re not too late.
you’re right on time.

i’ll see you there. Watch my talk with Chip Conley - you’ll love it.

passion to profit lab

You have expertise, passion and a hunger for more impact and income. Watch this and don’t miss our next Passion to Profit Lab. Claim your pass here.

you were born a creator — here’s how to reclaim that identity

Walk into a room of seven-year-olds, hand them crayons, and ask if they’re artists.

Every hand goes up.
No hesitation. No inner critic. No “I’m not creative.”

By high school, that confidence is almost gone. The number of self-identified “creatives” plummets. Not because the creativity disappeared — but because it was educated out of us.

Here’s the truth:

Every single person reading this is a creator. By design. By divine appointment.

You were put on earth to create specific value for others. The most successful people you admire? They spend the vast majority of their time doing exactly this — transforming chaos into order, raw materials into meaning, scattered ideas into symphonies.

Before we go further, let me tell you where this first became real for me:

When I started getting serious about music in my teens — the pursuit that eventually gave me my first big career win — it looked nothing like “creativity” as we imagine it. It was just me, a keyboard, a four-track cassette recorder, and a mountain of terrible demos. Mundane. Repetitive. Messy. Not impressive at all.

But that’s the creative process in any field. It compounds over time. There are no shortcuts. Only reps.

And in my coaching practice, the biggest breakthrough isn’t the algorithm or the posting strategy.

It’s this:

Finally embracing their creative power — fully, unapologetically, and permanently.

When that shifts, everything else becomes doable.

A brilliant scientist I coach — a tenured professor — started with tiny, almost embarrassingly simple steps: short videos walking students through the problems on their next test. He learned the basic gear, found his rhythm, and soon ideas started flowing. A few hundred views turned into clarity about format, tone, and audience.

Then something happened that foreshadowed the future of expert creators:

A student filmed a classroom demonstration on distributed pressure — something he’d done a hundred times.
This time, a camera was rolling.

3 million views on TikTok.

We were shocked… but not surprised.

Because before that “surface moment,” several deeper shifts had already taken root.

And those are the moves I want to unpack for my paid subscribers.

the 7 moves that turn ordinary experts into consistent creators

Read more

passion to profit lab

If read my newsletter - you are likely thinking that your expertise is valuable and can be monetized in a personal brand. Now’s your chance to build a brand concept and business model in real time on our Passion to Profit Lab. Registration is now open.

Build your personal brand before Christmas while most won’t truly wake up till mid January. Claim your pass here.

how sarah robbins rebuilt when everything collapsed

Some stories teach strategy.
Some teach character.
Sarah Robbins teaches both — in a way that stays with you.

People are often shocked that a kindergarten teacher became one of the most respected leaders in her field.
But the real lesson isn’t the leap.
It’s this:

Your competitive edge is usually hiding in plain sight… but most people never look for it, and even fewer keep trying when things get hard.

In our Xponential Podcast conversation, Sarah shows how she built a career and brand from scratch — not with rare talent, but with ordinary skills applied with intention and consistency.

But here’s the moment that stunned me — the one that shows who she really is.

Right after building a life-changing business and a thriving sales organization, she got a call telling her that her income — and her team’s income — would disappear in 60 days.

That kind of news can break people.
It can turn them bitter or vengeful.
It can make them forget who they are.

Sarah didn’t go there.

She chose to honor the people who made that decision — without drama, without resentment, without burning down relationships.

That’s not weakness.
That’s mastery.

Character like that isn’t common — but it’s a skill you can build if you know how.

Below is just a preview of what you’ll learn from this conversation.

🔍 What You’ll Learn

• A grounded, honest roadmap for reinvention
How to rebuild when life blindsides you — including the kind of betrayal most entrepreneurs never see coming.

• How ordinary skills become leverage
Simple systems, consistency, and the courage to try again turned everyday experience into business advantage.

• Why your personal brand isn’t optional anymore
It’s protection — a safeguard in a world where companies shift, markets change, and nothing is guaranteed.

• A rare look at the inner game
Faith, forgiveness, emotional endurance — the traits that actually keep you going when business gets chaotic.

🧭 Sponsor

Interested in sponsoring this newsletter or podcast? Reply “SPONSOR” and we’ll send details.

passion to profit lab

We changed the date of this upcoming workshop to December 15th.

I am super excited about this one. I am unapologetically bullish on building a personal brand for any pro with real expertise. We’re helping a small group of pros build a concept and a business model around their personal brands in real time.

Here’s a short video about it. Claim your pass here.

gratitude as your unfair advantage

Here’s a truth most people never realize:

Your brain cannot feel gratitude and anxiety at the same time.

It’s neurologically impossible.

Which makes gratitude not just a virtue, but the fastest and most reliable way to exit fear… and enter your future.

My dad likes to tell me gratitude is a gift I have.

Wherever he’s visited me — and I’ve lived all over — I’ve greeted him with the same wide-open enthusiasm:

“This place is amazing.”

And he’s right — I do feel so much gratitude, it may be a gift.

I’ve vowed never to live in cold climates again (and I haven’t for 20 years)…

yet Deb still laughs when she remembers visiting me in Moscow, where it’s bone-cold and gray half the year — and I was going on and on about how amazing it was.

Some of that might be wiring.

But here’s the part that matters:

Gratitude is also a skill.

A lifestyle.

A practice.

And when cultivated, it reshapes your entire life from the inside out.

When gratitude becomes part of your identity, everything shifts:

1. your relationships get richer

From spouse to kids to friends to colleagues — expressed gratitude deepens connection and expands trust.

2. your joy increases

The brain’s default is survival, not happiness.

It looks for danger, problems, and worst-case scenarios.

Gratitude interrupts that primitive loop and reorients you toward possibility.

3. your creativity unlocks

You can’t create in survival mode.

Gratitude pulls you out of fear and into presence — and presence is where creativity actually lives.

4. your health improves

Grateful people are healthier, wealthier, and they live longer.

The research is everywhere, but the truth is intuitive:

how you feel shapes how you live.

Thanksgiving is the one day America collectively puts gratitude at center stage — and I love that about this culture.

But here’s what I know from experience, coaching, and the trenches of my own life:

Gratitude doesn’t need a holiday.

It can become your operating system — the baseline that builds high performance, deeper peace, and a more expansive future.

And when it does, life opens up in ways most people never experience.

for my wonderful paid subscribers

Here’s the exact gratitude-maximizing practice stack I coach my clients through — the habits that create a powerful internal shift over time.

If you haven’t invested in a paid subscription yet, this is a great moment to deepen your growth.

Read more

our sponsor – third drive media

All of my marketing is done by this team.

Reach out if you’re a business owner, expert, or consultant looking to create and execute marketing around your brand.

To become a sponsor of XE and reach 12k subscribers with your product or service. Learn more here.

build a personal brand before christmas

I’m pulling a small group of pros into a focused, 2-hour workshop called The Passion to Profit Lab.

We’ll take what you already know — the expertise you’ve earned the hard way — and turn it into the foundation of a personal brand that attracts clients and creates new income… without torching the career you’ve already built.

We’ll build in real time.
No theory. No fluff.
You walk out with clarity, structure, and momentum — all before Christmas shows up and steals everyone’s attention.

If you want in, here are the details

Passion to Profit Lab

how passion drives profit

Passion is massively underrated. We live in a hyper-pragmatic culture and rarely notice how it drains us. The cost of “being practical” is subtle: a slow erosion of energy, creativity, and courage.

Passion isn’t reckless — it’s fuel. It’s what keeps you moving when logic says stop. Mute your passion and you mute your potential. Follow it and doors appear that didn’t exist before.

When I wrote The Little Book of Big Reasons to Love America, it was pure passion. As an immigrant, I wanted to create an optimistic book about America at a time when pessimism was peaking. So I wrote at 5AM for nine straight months.

Since then, I’ve been on dozens of podcasts, spoken on stages, and just handed a copy of the book to the governor of Texas.

Passion is a whisper from your deepest self pointing toward the work you’re meant to do for others. Most people ignore it. Don’t.

Three ways passion drives profit:

1. Passion sharpens differentiation. When you care deeply, your voice, product, or mission stops sounding generic — and that creates demand.

2. Passion builds endurance. You’ll outwork and outlast competitors who are only in it for efficiency or convenience.

3. Passion attracts believers. People don’t buy information; they buy conviction. Your passion gives them a reason to follow, share, and invest.

our sponsor – third drive media

All of my marketing is done by this team.

Reach out if you’re a business owner, expert, or consultant looking to create and execute marketing around your brand.

To become a sponsor of XE and reach 12k subscribers with your product or service. Learn more here.

cool stuff coming up

I’ve been hinting at something new for a while, and it’s finally ready to see daylight. I’m opening Passion to Profit Lab— a 2-hour online workshop where we take your real expertise and shape it into a clear personal brand concept and a business model you can start using immediately. If you’ve felt that nudge to do something with what you know, this is the thing. I’ll release everything soon, but if you want the details a day before everyone else, reply INTERESTED and I’ll send them to you early.

take your gift seriously

Most of us — myself included — struggle with this:

Our own abilities are so familiar to us that they stop feeling valuable or extraordinary.

We mistake ease for insignificance.

Inside the Xponential Tribe, we’ve been watching this unfold in real time.

Today I want to share one of the wildest plot twists yet — and the three habits that made it possible.

Let me tell you about Victoria.

Victoria is an expert educator.

Not the “took a weekend seminar” kind.

The real deal — the kind who can take a child who’s behind in reading and lift them three levels in three months.

She’s scary good.

But when she joined Xponential, she carried the classic expert fear:

“What if the education establishment doesn’t like the way I do things?”

Which is really just another way of saying:

“I’m great at this… but also please don’t look at me.”

So we started building her personal brand.

Clients started coming.

Her confidence started catching up to her competence.

And then something shifted — in that quiet way breakthroughs often begin:

She stopped waiting for permission.

Victoria has loved the San Francisco Giants since she was a kid.

One day she discovered they run a massive summer reading program.

And instead of overthinking it for six months, she did something new:

She reached out.

Now?

They’re offering her a contract.

With her childhood team.

Doing the work she once worried wouldn’t “fit” anywhere.

A few months ago she wouldn’t have dared imagine this.

Today she’s living the kind of professional plot twist most people only daydream about.

And all of it came back to one decision:

Take your expertise seriously enough to build a brand around it.

With a front-row seat to her journey, I know exactly what created that momentum.

And you can use the same habits to create your own — often within weeks.

Read more

our sponsor – third drive media

All of my marketing is done by this team.

Reach out if you’re a business owner, expert, or consultant looking to create and execute marketing around your brand.

To become a sponsor of XE and reach 12k subscribers with your product or service. Learn more here.

the age of leverage

Last week in Florida, somewhere between speaking in Miami, celebrating my sister’s wedding in Naples, and stealing a couple quiet beach days with Deb, one idea kept circling in my mind.

There are two kinds of lives.

In the first, your time is spoken for. Your income is capped. Your creativity is boxed in. Your impact is limited by whatever system you’re plugged into.

In the second, the opposite is true.

You choose when you work, what you work on, who you work with, and how big or small you want to build based on your values and your season of life.

For most of history, the first path was the only path. The second looked like a rare privilege reserved for a tiny elite.

That story doesn’t hold up anymore.

And here’s where the contrast goes from interesting to undeniable.

1. The computer in your pocket is ridiculous.

Your phone carries more power than the systems that ran the International Space Station in the early 2000s. What once required entire rooms of equipment now sits in your hand waiting for direction.

2. The world’s best classrooms are open to all.

Elite universities put their lectures online for free. Education that used to demand wealth or connections is now available to anyone who’s willing to commit.

3. Any skill is learnable in the format you learn best.

Video, audio, text, interactive tools, tight-knit communities, courses, coaching. The excuses disappeared years ago.

4. Distribution isn’t controlled by anyone you need permission from.

A single creator with clarity and consistency can reach a bigger audience than entire organizations could not that long ago.

5. Anyone can sell to the entire planet.

One person can launch a product or service and have customers in 150 countries without a staff or a budget. Global commerce has been handed to individuals.

What this all adds up to

Everything above was already true before AI arrived. Now AI agents can do work that used to require multiple employees. The gap between a tiny team and a multi-million-dollar business is getting smaller by the month.

We are entering an era where one or two focused professionals can build something enormous without begging for capital, approval, or manpower. The leverage is historic.

I learned all of this in my twenties and felt the impact long before it was normal. Building a personal brand back then wasn’t strategy; it was borderline delusion. Almost no one could do it, and I was equal parts stubborn and lucky.

Now the game has changed. Anyone with a real skill, a curious mind, fast-learning instincts, and a streak of rebellion can step into this new model. The advantages that once belonged to a select few are open to anyone who’s willing to use them.

Life’s too short to keep following rules written for a world that doesn’t exist anymore.

Coming Up

1. Passion to Profit Lab — Limited Workshop

A small group, two hours live, and a focused sprint to build the concept and business model for your personal brand.

Spots will be limited.

Reply INTERESTED to get on the early-access list and hear about it one day before it opens.

Oh, and about the AI superpower: we’ll be giving away three custom-trained GPTs you can use immediately to accelerate your work.

2. New XE Podcast Series Coming Up…

Three weekly interviews with everyday pros who built remarkable businesses through the power of a personal brand.

Real people. Real leverage. Real examples of what’s possible right now.

How does this hit you? I read all the comments and replies.

Also - send this to a friend who needs it.

our sponsor – third drive media

All of my marketing is done by this team.

Reach out if you’re a business owner, expert, or consultant looking to create and execute marketing around your brand.

To become a sponsor of XE and reach 12k subscribers with your product or service. Learn more here.

florida heat and life lessons

I love Florida. The climate, the people, the mojitos and the Cuban food that ruins you for anything else. I’m here for a week, and between speaking, family, and sand, I caught two reminders worth passing along.

1. Jobs Don’t Fulfill You — Purpose Does

I spoke at the One Miami Church on Sunday, and it hit me again how restless humans are. No job — not even the “dream” one — will satisfy you for long.

Purpose does that.

People who run on service instead of status have an unfair advantage. That motivation becomes rocket fuel. You show up differently. You solve harder problems, you treat people better, and you innovate with more fire.

4 Biblical Truths That Turn Success Into a Certainty

I don’t have recording from that talk, but this recent podcast episode captures the essence.

2. A Strong Marriage Beats Every Business Strategy

I’m officiating my sister’s wedding this week, and we couldn’t be happier for her. Watching two people step into that kind of commitment reminded me: a happy marriage is the ultimate success hack.

Whether your spouse works with you or not, they’re your most important business partner. Prioritizing my marriage over short-term business wins has paid off in health, wealth, and a home full of love. Science backs that up — but honestly, love proves it faster.

If you haven’t yet, listen to my podcast on the best moves I’ve made in my marriage.

If this resonates with you, hit reply to this email, I read every comment.

How To Find Love & Keep Love: My 17 Secrets for a Happy Marriage

next steps to build your brand and business

Here are two ways to go deeper with Xponential:

1. Join the Xponential Program

Build your personal brand concept and business model in 9 weeks. Designed for experts ready to grow influence, income, and impact.

👉 Learn more here

2. Sign up for the next Passion to Profit Lab

A limited-seat online workshop on personal brand building. Reply with INTERESTED and we’ll add you to the waitlist—you’ll be first to know when registration opens.

All of my marketing is done by this team. If you own a business and want to sharpen your marketing for more sales and reach - TDM provides world class strategy and execution.

To become a sponsor of XE and reach 12k subscribers with your product or service on the XE newsletter: Learn more here.

latest xe pod

The Bible Story behind the biggest wealth creation period in history.

the freedom to give

Without fail, giving always feels like we’ve received more than we’ve given.

Luke 6:38 (NIV)

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over…”

My muscles are sore and my heart is full after a day of volunteer work with a group from my church, cleaning up damage from the floods in Texas earlier this year. It’s amazing how slow recovery is in a flood area—months later, people are still trying to rebuild what was lost.

Next year, we’re taking a group to Maputo, Mozambique, to spend time with the kids, parents, and volunteers of Ascend Academy, which we’ve supported for several years. You can learn more about it [here].

Most of us would love to help more people in more places—but we often don’t have enough time or money to give. One of the most effective ways to create more of both is by building scalable intellectual property—ideas, frameworks, and systems that don’t depend on your time or physical presence to make an impact.

I love that I can take a day in the middle of the week and not feel an ounce of stress about it. Most of the work I do—whether for free or paid—is scalable, and that freedom has been built, little by little, through years of creating, serving, and refining my personal brand.

In about a week, I’ll open registration for my Passion to Profit Lab—a 2-hour workshop for a small group of people who want to take their expertise and build a personal brand and business model around it.

If you want to be first to know—a full day before the public announcement—just reply with INTERESTED, and I’ll add you to the early waitlist.

For My Paid Subscribers

Here’s a simple roadmap for turning your content from dabbling into authority and impact.

We’ll start with the obstacles, then move into the three best ways to accelerate your high-impact content. If you haven’t become a paid subscriber - now may be a good time.

Read more

our sponsor – third drive media

All of my marketing is done by this team.

Reach out if you’re a business owner, expert, or consultant looking to create and execute marketing around your brand.

To become a sponsor of XE and reach 12k subscribers with your product or service. Learn more here.

you’re too good to sound that boring

Who doesn’t love Bruce Springsteen? Let’s be honest: most people do, and if you don’t… something’s a little off.

A couple of weeks ago my wife, Deb, and I saw the much-anticipated biopic. It was wonderful and skipped the usual obscurity-to-fame story most movies tell. Instead, it focused on that strange period after early stardom and before world fame.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably an established pro who wants to be more known and trusted in what you do. Here’s how going against the grain made Bruce Springsteen The Boss—and how that same mindset builds your brand.

Spoiler alert: skip this part if you don’t want story details.

Bruce had five albums out, a solid career, and money finally coming in. The label expected a massive breakthrough next. He rented a house to write. Depressed and restless, he started writing songs that sounded less like rock and more like folk.

He demoed them on a four-track cassette recorder with a basic reverb unit. Just vocals, harmonica, and guitar. Sparse, raw, honest.

I lit up at that part because that’s exactly what I used to record my first demos.

The obvious next step: take those demos to the studio, blow them up with the band, watch the charts light up, and let the money roll in.

Only Bruce wasn’t feeling it. The studio sound wasn’t true to the songs. He insisted on releasing the home cassette recordings. At the time, that was unheard of—home recordings weren’t “real” records.

The label thought he’d lost it. Then Bruce made it worse: no photo on the cover, no tour, no singles. Still, they trusted the artist. Nebraska came out as is.

To top it off, “Born in the U.S.A.” was already finished and ready to explode—but Bruce held it back.

Result: Nebraska hit No. 3 in the U.S. charts. No photo, no single, no tour.

Here’s the point. The content you create is how people discover you and decide if they trust you. There are all kinds of growth strategies out there, but none of them matter if you’re not authentic. People can sense when something’s off. They just can.

Authentic is scary because you feel more vulnerable and exposed to criticism. What we don’t see is that most people read honesty as courage. When I coach my clients, I help them find more of themselves in the way they write or talk on camera—more unedited, honest, even a little quirky. The stuff that feels risky is usually the most magnetic.

Authenticity takes self-awareness, vulnerability, and passion. Those things feel dangerous. But they’re what make you the voice your people have been waiting to hear.

How to get there

1. Don’t outsource your voice. Never have AI write for you. Use it for research, grammar, or notes—but your conviction is the magic.

2. Create prolifically. Put out 2–3 pieces a week. Quantity builds mastery faster than perfectionism ever will.

3. Pick one main platform. Get confident there before expanding. Depth first, then reach.

4. Dig deep. Pull from your expertise and lived experience. Don’t be afraid to hold a countercultural opinion if it’s true.

5. Find a sounding board. Someone you trust to reflect back your best ideas—and call you out when you’re playing it too safe.

Bruce trusted the tape; you can trust your deepest passion as an expert.

In the Wednesday issue for paid subscribers, I’ll share a roadmap to taking your content from dabbling with it to a source of authority.

next steps to build your brand and business

Here are two ways to go deeper with Xponential:

1. Join the Xponential Program

Build your personal brand concept and business model in 9 weeks. Designed for experts ready to grow influence, income, and impact.

👉 Learn more here

2. Sign up for the next Passion to Profit Lab

A limited-seat online workshop on personal brand building. Reply with INTERESTED and we’ll add you to the waitlist—you’ll be first to know when registration opens.

I write The XE (Xponential Edge) twice a week. Sunday is free, Wednesday is for paid subscribers.

Today - how to rebuild your creative edge and why this will build a different future for you.

our sponsor – third drive media

All of my marketing is done by this team.

Reach out if you’re a business owner, expert, or consultant looking to create and execute marketing around your brand.

To become a sponsor of XE and reach 12k subscribers with your product or service. Learn more here.

Today’s highlight. Danny Bobrow is a sales coach who came throught the Xponential coaching program - developed a personal brand and the Third Drive team built all of the marketing assets for it. Check it out here.

create or conform

When you were five, you were a creator in full bloom.

You played nonstop, invented characters, dreamed up worlds, and switched between ideas like lightning.

Then came school — the slow domestication of imagination. You were trained to meet other people’s standards, follow preset routines, and be graded by professionals. By graduation, you’d been funneled toward a “safe” career path that promised stability and maybe, if you were lucky, a sliver of joy.

That’s how most of us got creativity taught out of us — traded for the illusion of security.

The cost? A life that’s competent but predictable. You’re rewarded for conformity, not originality.

But creativity isn’t about painting, composing, or writing novels. It’s the raw ability to imagine and then make something that didn’t exist before. It’s the bridge from incremental change to exponential leaps.

If you want a radically better future — in love, health, freedom, wealth, or impact — creativity is where it starts. And it compounds faster than interest.

You were born with it. You might’ve buried it, but you can dig it back up.

Reactivating creativity is one of the highest-return shifts I help my clients make. Joy skyrockets. Imagination wakes up. Possibility becomes tangible. They start to feel the life they once thought was out of reach. And it’s just the beginning.

For paid subscribers, I’m breaking down the top 3 moves that supercharge creativity. If you haven’t upgraded yet, now’s a good time.

And speaking of new futures — creativity is the engine of every personal brand. I’m developing a workshop that helps you turn your skill into a monetized personal brand. Reply with INTERESTED to get on the waitlist and be first to know when registration opens.

Now, back to those 3 ways to unlock creativity fast:

Read more