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Letters

I write about stuff I find interesting—fitness, nutrition, mindset, and lessons from smart people. It's free, so subscribe if you're into that.

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When "Hard Work" Is Just Avoidance

Hi friend I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’ve been avoiding lately. There’s a difference between doing hard things and doing the hard thing that actually changes you. For a long time, I’ve prided myself on doing hard things. Showing up. Training. Running. Pushing my body. I’ve told myself, “You did it again. You showed up for that 8-year-old version of you. You made him proud.” And that means something to me. But I’ve realized recently I’m not always being honest with myself. I’ve been...

Hi friend, You ever notice this? Sometimes when you're trying to take care of yourself or break a bad pattern, it feels like self-punishment. How strange that is. You’d think that choosing something better would feel good, right? But instead, it can feel like loss. Why? Because even if a behavior isn’t serving the version of you you want to be, it’s familiar. Comfortable. You know what to expect. Sure, you’ve thought about breaking the pattern. But actually doing it means stepping into...

Hi friend, I ran my first marathon last weekend.No race bib. No medal. No crowd.Just me, running loops around an apartment complex, past local businesses, and along a river trail.5 hours. 31 minutes. 16 seconds. It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t flashy.But it meant something. Not just because of the distance.But because I did it. The longest I’d ever run before this was 18 miles, just two weeks prior.Less than two years ago, I’d never run more than a single mile at a time.And I’ve had three surgeries...

Hi Reader, We don’t spend enough time bored anymore. Not real boredom, the kind where you’re just sitting with your own thoughts. No phone. No background noise. No quick dopamine hits from scrolling. Just you, your thoughts, and maybe a little discomfort. But here’s the thing: there’s value in that discomfort. In those in-between moments. The ones where you’re not being fed another video, another notification, another metric. Because when we never give ourselves that space, we start to lose...

Hi friend, Two quick things I’m really excited to share with you: 1. PRFM (aka Perform) is officially open! My training app is live, and you can try it out completely free for the next 3 weeks. No credit card info, no strings. Just a chance to test-drive what I’ve been building. Here’s what’s inside right now: 3 Lifting Programs: Sustain (2x/week, 30–45 min full-body) Build 3x (full-body splits, 60–90 min) Build 4x (upper/lower splits, 60–90 min) 2 Calculators (in On-Demand > Resources):...

Hi friend, You ever feel like motivation is this on-off switch? Like you either have it or you don’t, and if you don’t, well… what now? You just sit around waiting for it to show up? That’s the problem. We’ve been taught to believe that motivation is the prerequisite for action—like you need to feel motivated before you can start. But the reality? Motivation isn’t what gets you going. Momentum is. Clock it: Momentum over motivation. Because momentum nullifies that black-and-white thinking. It...

Hi friend, Wanted to share something with you. A few months ago, I put together a nutrition calculator to help you quickly estimate your caloric needs, macronutrients, and fiber—all in just a few clicks. I’m working on building out a library of lead magnets (business stuff), and since this tool is already pretty useful but missing a bit more helpful substance, here’s a preview of the guide I’m putting together to go along with it. The calculator isn't perfect, but it does give you a pretty...

Hi friend, I heard something this week that stuck with me: "Protect your values. Protect your principles. Not your ego." At first, it just sounded like a solid piece of advice. But the more I sat with it, the more it resonated on a deeper level. Because for most of my life, I didn’t grow up with examples of what that looked like. I grew up in an Asian household where the first response to anything—whether something was said wrong, done wrong, or simply didn’t meet expectations—was yelling....

Hi friend, You are in control. The moment you let something control your emotions, you give up your power. I was recently reminded of this: "If you’re easily offended, you’re easily manipulated." Sit with that for a second. If you’re constantly reacting—if every comment, every situation, every shift in energy pulls you into an emotional tailspin—you’re not in control. You’re being controlled. By others. By your own emotions. By fleeting, impulsive reactions. This isn’t about suppressing your...

Hi friend, Most days, I feel like I’m driving a minivan full of doubt. Not a sedan. Not a two-seater. A full-blown minivan of voices, all shouting their opinions on why I’m not enough, why I’m going to fail, why nothing I do will work. It’s loud. It’s relentless. But here’s the thing: I’m still the one driving. And I’ve had to learn that while I can’t always kick those voices out, I can choose to turn the volume down. I can remind myself that I’m in control. I can decide that their words...