The Rest You’re Not Optimizing Hi Reader and welcome to Sunday. I’m writing this after just getting home from Clarens this morning, following an incredible few days that included a 4x4 drive up the Sani Pass. My Tank 300 was an absolute beast - handled everything the mountain threw at it. I am deep in the process of building the new MAPC platform right now. Pilanesberg next week followed by Cape Town, then one final week at home before heading to Svalbard on the 16th. The new platform is...
7 days ago • 3 min read
It's Time To Stop Performing Your Growth Hello Reader! Welcome to Sunday and I hope life is being kind. Last week I wrote about the work you're avoiding. About how the magic you're looking for is in the stuff you keep putting off, and how you need to stop waiting for confidence to arrive before you start. The response was pretty intense. Lots of people recognizing themselves in that mirror, finally ready to stop negotiating with the part of them that's been keeping them stuck. But here's what...
15 days ago • 12 min read
The Work You're Avoiding Hi Reader Week one off social media has been great. No notifications, no distractions, just slowly chipping away at what matters. Training harder, writing more, making real progress on Greenland planning, and building the programs that have been stuck in my head for months. The shift from thinking about things to actually doing them feels right. What I wrote below started as a note to myself this week, but it applies to anyone tired of their own excuses. The Magic...
22 days ago • 3 min read
The Geography of Coming Home There’s something about early mornings around the campfire that strips away everything unnecessary. The camp is still quiet, the coffee is strong, and you have space to think without anyone needing anything from you. It’s in these moments, when tiredness meets solitude, that awareness tends to creep in. I’ve been sitting with a slow realization over these past two weeks in Kenya. Not a dramatic revelation or a moment of clarity, but something quieter. The kind of...
29 days ago • 5 min read
From the Mara Hello from the Mara, I'm sitting on the banks of the river, smoking a cigar as I finish this newsletter before heading to sleep. Tomorrow I'm starting a new week with Nick and the people from the Chicago Photography Classes. Johan and I will be hosting, and I'm looking forward to another week of sharing this place with people who appreciate it. I know it's Saturday evening, but I'm sending this out now as I'm starting very early with my new guests tomorrow. This first week has...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
The Weight of What Comes Next: From Nairobi Hello from Kenya Reader, I'm about to go to bed here in Nairobi before I head to the Mara tomorrow. It's been great catching up with some of our staff members and the guests who'll be joining me for the next two weeks. There's something about being back in Kenya that feels like coming home, even when home is complicated. I'm making a point to focus on the experience ahead - looking at it through the lens of positivity, gratitude, and agency. But...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
The Complexity Issue: Beyond Binary Hi Reader and welcome to Sunday. It's been an absolute crazy week. Feels like the world has spun around twice, sometimes three times a day. I have one week left before I head to Kenya, but there's been a lot happening in the background. Getting back from Borneo took a couple of days to settle into - only a six-hour time difference, but with everything else going on, it felt pretty big. Your body might be home, but your head takes longer to catch up. I've...
about 2 months ago • 9 min read
Some honest thoughts from Borneo Hi Reader I'm writing this from Singapore's Changi Airport, as I'm about to start heading home after two weeks in Borneo. Borneo was absolutely amazing and even though I'm very partial to Arctic conditions and the cold, even the ridiculously hot and humid conditions couldn't take away from a very special place and experience shared with three amazing guests. A short stint at home awaits before heading out again. Kenya next, followed by Svalbard, then the...
about 2 months ago • 9 min read
The Price of Getting Better Hi Reader I'm sitting at Kuala Lumpur International Airport waiting to board a flight to Sandakan tomorrow. Starting our Borneo photo tour - one of my last four scheduled group departures before I shift direction. I only had a few days at home after returning from MalaMala, which is why I wasn't able to get a newsletter out last week. This week might be the same, but I'll see if I can get something out between river cruises and walking through the second oldest...
2 months ago • 5 min read