What I'm Up To
​Volume 96

Hey friends,

Here’s what I’ve been up to since Vol. 95…

1. June Happenings
​We kicked off the month celebrating Gus's 21st birthday! Wendy made the traditional birthday pancakes and assembled an impressive donut cake. We took him to lunch near my office, then later conquered an escape room where we heroically saved the wizard's dragon. 🧙‍♂️ Finished with Maudie's TexMex because nothing says “you're officially an adult” like queso.

The best part? Gus basically spent his whole day with us. That weekend, he assembled with his pals at the ranch to imbibe semi-responsibly, hike, and play games.
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Brandon Turner brought his BetterLife REI Summit to Austin and Wendy and I both got to speak. I really enjoy the community he’s created for investors. He joined to record for The ONE Thing podcast (Apple / Spotify). At the end of the month, he dropped by unexpectedly and joined us for dinner. It’s not often your friend from Maui just pops by…🏝️
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We celebrated our friend Val's 40th birthday at the Uptown Sports Club in East Austin. It’s a great spot with solid martinis and sinisterly good smash burgers. My mother-in-law, Linda, also hit 80 that same weekend. Lots of birthday candles in June! 🎂

I took Carly (her third time) and Andrea (her first) to Craft + Commerce in Boise. About 400 creators gather downtown to learn about building audiences through newsletters, podcasts, and YouTube channels. I even got invited to do an impromptu Q&A with Kit founder Nathan Barry.

I got to spend invaluable time with Carly and Andrea, see lots of my friends, and make some new ones, too. Other highlights include having breakfast with my new coach Barrett Brooks, recording a podcast with Pat Flynn, dinner and drinks with Soli and Katie, and our feast with Tim and Austin at Saint Lawrence Gridiron.

We were sitting on a church pew when Carly spotted an antique book hidden in the back: Sermons by the Devil. We perused its cautionary tales over cocktails. Tim was sufficiently lit and bought a copy on eBay for $100. 😈 Needless to say, we already have tickets for C+C 2026.
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In work news, we set our venue for our first ever The ONE Thing Summit this November in Austin. We’re hosting it at Assembly Hall in East Austin with breakouts at nearby Inn Cahoots. It’s going to be such a fun event. I can’t wait.
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Finally, after probably more prep than I needed, we opened up a handful of executive coaching spots on my calendar. I’ve done some free coaching for friends and colleagues over the year. This will be my first foray into doing it professionally.
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​2. What I’m Reading – I don’t usually share childrens books here, but Kobi Yamada is worth an exception. His new work is called Maybe. And like all the others, it’s beautiful and uplifting. “Wherever you go, take your hopes, pack your dreams, and never forget—it is on the journey that discoveries are made.”​
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I also loved John Scalzi’s SciFi classic, Old Man’s War. The opening line tells you everything you need to know: “I did two things on my seventy-fifth birthday. I visited my wife’s grave. Then I joined the army.”

There is plenty of adventure, a little love, and a surprising amount of witty banter.
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​Slow Productivity by Cal Newport lived up to the hype. My publisher and friend, Todd, listed it as the best business book of 2024. I had almost unfairly high expectations going in.
​“Slow productivity requires that you free yourself from the constraints of the small so that you can invest more meaningfully in the big.”

There is a lot of “ONE Thing” in his manifesto on abandoning busywork for more meaningful work.
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Finally, I read The AI-Driven Leader by Geoff Woods, my co-founder at Produktive.
​“As AI becomes part of our way of life, the leaders who learn to harness it will be the ones who thrive.”

Geoff’s book is less about prompts and tactics, although he shares plenty. It’s more about adopting AI as a thought-partner in general. It’s not about the answers it can provide as much as the questions AI can ask.

3. What I’m Watching
​A few months ago, we saw Sarah Silverman in Austin as she prepared for “Postmortem” which is now on Netflix. It’s astonishing that she weaves laughter from such morbid material - the deaths of her dad and stepmom just weeks apart.
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​Drops of God (Apple) may be the best show you’ve never heard of. It’s loosely based on a popular manga. When wine critic Alexandre Léger dies, he leaves his estranged daughter and best student to compete for his 150 million-dollar wine collection in a series of wine tastings. You might as well open a bottle of red before you start. 🍷
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Wendy and I powered through season 4 of Hacks (HBO Max). This season was uneven for us. Deborah and Ava work best when fighting a common enemy instead of each other. Still, there were lots of laughs and some amazing cameos. I also watched The Day of the Jackal (Peacock) when I went down with food poisoning early in the month. Can't say it was great, but it helped pass the time while questioning every food choice I'd made. 🤢
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Finally, for Father’s Day, the family took me to see Ballerina, the latest installment in the John Wick universe. If you’re a fan, you won’t be disappointed.

That’s it for this month. Please reply back and let me know what you’re up to!

Be well, do good deeds, and eat tacos!
Jay

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