This week on A Productive Conversation, I sit down with Brad Stulberg, author of The Way of Excellence, to explore what excellence really means in a world obsessed with efficiency, optimization, and performative productivity. Brad has spent years studying sustainable excellence across sport, leadership, creativity, and life—and this conversation digs into why excellence is neither perfection nor hustle, but something far more human.

Brad and I unpack the difference between true excellence and what he calls “pseudo-excellence,” why metrics often outlive their usefulness, and how habits like routine, curiosity, and gumption play a central role in meaningful progress. Along the way, we explore why satisfaction outlasts happiness, why flow isn’t always the goal, and how focusing on the task at hand—not the time on hand—changes everything.

Six Discussion Points

• Why excellence must be reclaimed from hustle culture, optimization, and perfectionism
• The difference between efficiency and excellence—and why short-term efficiency often undermines long-term growth
• Metrics, mastery, and knowing when measures help—or get in the way
• Flow versus values-driven excellence (and why not all flow is good)
• Gumption, routines, and building momentum without becoming robotic
• Why satisfaction comes from effort on worthwhile work, not outcomes alone

Three Connection Points

• The Way of Excellence by Brad Stulberg
• The Growth Equation (Blog Posts)
• Listen to Brad's previous appearance on APC

This conversation is a reminder that excellence isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing what matters with care, patience, and intention. Brad’s work offers a compelling counterpoint to the constant pressure to optimize everything, and instead invites us to pursue a more grounded, values-aligned version of success—one that shapes us as much as the work itself.

There are moments when a conversation slows you down in the best possible way. My discussion with Brad Farris was one of those moments—a reminder that growth isn’t just about doing more, faster, or harder, but about becoming the kind of leader who can sustain momentum without burning everything down in the process.

Brad has spent decades working alongside agency and expert-firm owners, helping them move past the $1M–$2M ceiling and into healthier, more durable growth. What stood out to me wasn’t just his experience—it was his insistence that the real work happens internally. The biggest constraint to progress, he argues, isn’t strategy or systems. It’s what’s happening between your ears.

Six Discussion Points

• Why agency growth stalls at the $1M–$2M mark—and why effort alone won’t fix it
• The hidden cost of hurry, speed, and “getting through the list”
• Why leadership is about choosing, not clearing
• How inbox habits reveal whether you’re managing or leading
• The role of presence, energy, and reflection in better decision-making
• Why leading yourself is the first step to leading others

Three Connection Points

• Anchor Advisors – Brad’s home base and advisory work
• Brad Farris on LinkedIn
• How To Transform A Single Daily Theme Into An Everyday Focus

Brad’s perspective reinforces something I’ve seen repeatedly: sustainable growth isn’t about squeezing more output from yourself or your team. It’s about creating the conditions where clarity, rest, and intention can do their work. This conversation is an invitation to slow down just enough to lead better.

This episode is the first installment of Season 3 in our monthly PM Talks series, where Patrick Rhone and I slow things down to explore the ideas that quietly shape how we live and work. This time, we start with an act of honesty right out of the gate—being transparent about when the episode was recorded—and let that openness set the tone for everything that follows.

From there, the conversation unfolds into something deeper. We talk about honesty not as a moral stance, but as a practical one—especially when it comes to time, commitments, and the stories we tell ourselves about why things don’t happen. January has a way of inviting big intentions, and this discussion is a timely reminder that clarity begins with truth.

Six Discussion Points

• Why the hardest lies to spot are the ones we tell ourselves
• The difference between urgency and immediacy—and why it matters
• “I don’t have time” as a story, not a fact
• How calendars can act as commitments, not constraints
• Honesty about capacity, energy, and personal rhythms
• Why knowing who you are (and aren’t) changes everything

Three Connection Points

• Patrick's website
• The Year Compass (mentioned as a reflection tool)
• Mike’s upcoming book, Productiveness.

Honesty isn’t about being harsher with ourselves—it’s about being clearer. This conversation is an invitation to pause, notice, and tell better stories about what we can actually do with the time and energy we have.

In this episode of A Productive Conversation, I sit down once again with author and researcher Chris Bailey to explore what it really means to live—and work—intentionally. This conversation centers on his latest book, Intentional: How to Finish What You Start, and the decade of curiosity that led him there.
We dig into why goals often fail us, how culture shapes our relationship with productivity, and why values—not habits, hacks, or willpower—sit at the core of meaningful progress. This isn’t a surface-level productivity chat. It’s a thoughtful examination of why we do what we do, and how to align our days with who we actually are.

Six Discussion Points

• Why values—not goals—are the true drivers of intentional action
• The “intention stack” and how daily actions connect to lifelong direction
• Why SMART goals aren’t as smart as we’ve been led to believe
• Cultural differences in how productivity and calm are valued
• Night owls, morning routines, and the danger of “sepia-toned” goals
• The role of reflection in escaping default behavior and finishing what matters

Three Connection Points

1. Buy the book
2. Check out Chris's website
3. Listen to Chris's first appearance the podcast (from October 2014!)

This episode is a reminder that productivity isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing what fits. If you’ve ever felt friction between your goals and your values, or wondered why “good habits” still leave you unsatisfied, this conversation will give you plenty to reflect on—and return to.

This is a reflective, solo episode where I share twelve essential TimeCrafting tips—not as rules or resolutions, but as orienting ideas you can return to whenever your days feel scattered or misaligned. Think of this as a pause at the edge of the calendar year, and an invitation to relate to time differently. These tips are meant to be lived with, not completed. You don’t need all twelve. One idea is often enough to begin again. Whether you’re closing out a year or simply noticing that your relationship with time feels off, this episode offers a grounded way to reset without pressure.

These twelve tips aren’t meant to be applied all at once—or perfectly. They’re ideas to return to when you notice drift, friction, or fatigue creeping in. Progress doesn’t require dramatic restarts. It asks for awareness, honesty, and the willingness to come back. Wherever you are in your year—or your life—I hope this episode helps you take a gentle step toward what matters.

You don’t have to absorb all of this at once—just stay with it, and let one idea meet you where you are.

During the episode, I mention both The 12 Days of TimeCrafting (which is a limited time offering) and my membership community. If you become a member, you'll have access to The 12 Days of TimeCrafting beyond its limited-time release period... and so much more. You can learn more about this community here.

In December 2024, Erik Fisher and I sit down to explore the alphabet of productivity — a tradition that started as a one-off idea and has now become an annual ritual. This year, we dove back in to see how our thinking has shifted, sharpened, or completely transformed. Turns out, a lot can change in a year… especially when life, work, and expectations rearrange themselves without asking permission.

In this special episode of A Productive Conversation, Erik joins me to unpack the first half of our A-to-Z list – the second part is featured on Eriks' podcast, Beyond the to-Do List. It’s a rich mix of practice, philosophy, and the very human realities that shape how we show up to our work. If you’re craving a more grounded, nuanced approach to productivity, this conversation is an invitation to rethink your rhythms.

Exploring productivity through the alphabet isn’t about clever wordplay — it’s about noticing how our relationship with work evolves year after year. Erik and I always walk away from these conversations reminded that productivity isn’t fixed; it’s lived. And in that spirit, we’ll pick up with N to Z on his show next. I hope you’ll join us there.

This time on A Productive Conversation, I sit down with someone who has spent decades at the intersection of technology, leadership, and what it means to remain truly human. Faisal Hoque isn’t just writing about AI from afar—he has lived inside this world for more than thirty years. From founding multiple companies to advising global organizations and government agencies, he brings a rare blend of deep technical expertise and grounded philosophical clarity.

In this conversation, we get into his newest book, Transcend: Unlocking Humanity in the Age of AI, and explore the place where innovation meets conscience. We talk about fear and fascination, the frameworks that help us navigate uncertainty, and the practical ways AI is already reshaping how we think, work, and relate. It’s a wide-ranging, honest exchange about what we stand to gain—and what we can’t afford to lose.

Six Discussion Points

• Why the rise of generative AI is only the beginning—and why thinking still matters
• How fear and fascination operate as “twin cousins” in our relationship with emerging technology
• Using the OPEN and CARE frameworks as complementary guides for opportunity and risk
• What organizations often overlook when AI governance becomes purely operational
• The philosophical crossroads ahead: outsourcing cognition vs. elevating human capacity
• How empathy, devotion, and even love should shape the way we design and interact with technology

Three Connection Points

• Transcend: Unlocking Humanity in the Age of AI
• Faisal’s website
• Faisal’s writing at Psychology Today

Getting to speak with Faisal reinforced something I’ve been thinking about for a long time: technology can extend what we do, but only we can determine who we become. AI may accelerate our output, sharpen our insights, and open new doors—but it can’t choose our purpose. That part remains ours. This conversation left me more convinced than ever that if we want a future worth inhabiting, we have to bring our humanity to the center of it.

This episode marks the final PM Talks conversation of the 2025 calendar year, and it’s a fitting one: Patrick and I explore legacy — not as something we engineer, but as something that unfolds in the stories others tell about us. As always, this episode is part of our monthly PM Talks series, and it might be the most reflective note we’ve ended on so far.

We talk about time, presence, family, uncertainty, and the way small choices echo long after we’re gone. This one weaves philosophy into the everyday in a way that feels real, grounding, and honestly necessary as we close out the year.

Six Discussion Points

• Why time feels like it’s accelerating as we age, and how presence slows the smaller slices of our days
• The balance between certainty and agency — and how we navigate what we do and don’t control
• Why trying to “control” your legacy is ultimately a losing battle
• How stories — both true and inferred — shape the legacies we inherit and the ones we leave
• The importance of documenting your own story so others don’t have to invent one later
• How everyday tasks, decisions, and moments of presence quietly become the stories others use to remember us

Three Connection Points

• Patrick’s work
• The Productivity Diet
• Our episode on uncertainty

Legacy isn’t a monument — it’s a story, shaped by moments we’re often too busy to notice. This conversation reminded me that what endures isn’t the grand plan, but the small choices, the presence we bring, and the stories people choose to carry forward. Thanks for being with us through another year of PM Talks. There’s a lot more ahead in the next season.

Most of us think of sleep as a nightly event. Michael Breus thinks of it as a lifelong pattern—a shifting, evolving chronotype that changes as we age. Every time he joins me, we end up deep in the details of how rest, alertness, and biology shape our days. This conversation was no different.

In this episode, Michael and I dig into the core ideas behind his book Sleep, Drink, Breathe, why wellness keeps getting more complicated, and how simple habits—done with intention—can create real momentum. We also get into mouth taping, CPAP myths, the rise of at-home sleep tests, and why hydration and breathwork may be more important than most people realize.

Six Discussion Points

• How chronotypes shift as we age—and why both of us are noticing that shift right now.
• The three “dominoes” of wellness and why breathing and hydration often need fixing before sleep.
• Why wellness feels overwhelming today, and the simple starting points Michael recommends.
• The real science behind mouth taping and why it can be risky without proper screening.
• How home sleep testing has changed—and why diagnosing sleep apnea is easier than ever.
• The Sleep, Drink, Breathe plan and how small, steady habits build lifelong change.

Three Connection Points

• Read Sleep Drink Breathe: Simple Daily Habits for Profound Long-Term Health
• Get Life Gives to the Giver by Joe Polish
• Take The Sleep Quiz

Conversations with Michael always leave me thinking differently about how deeply biology shapes behaviour. His work reminds me that productivity isn’t a matter of pushing harder—it’s a matter of aligning with the rhythms that already exist. If you’re looking to simplify wellness, understand your changing chronotype, or build habits that actually last, this episode is a worthwhile listen.

In this episode of A Productive Conversation, I sit down with Quang X. Pham — entrepreneur, author, and the first American of Vietnamese descent to become a U.S. Marine Corps aviator. Quang’s story is the definition of an underdog’s rise — from a young refugee in America to leading a Nasdaq-listed biotech company. His new book, Underdog Nation: Zero in on Effort and Results for Success, captures the lessons learned through perseverance, purpose, and performance.

Our conversation dives into what it truly means to be an underdog — not just in sports or business, but in life. We explore the power of confronting limitations, committing with conviction, and using adversity as fuel for achievement. Quang’s experiences in the Marine Corps, pharmaceutical industry, and biotech leadership bring nuance and depth to the conversation on resilience, effort, and results.

Six Discussion Points

• How arriving in America as a 10-year-old refugee shaped Quang’s early understanding of effort and results
• Lessons from his time as a U.S. Marine Corps aviator and how “reading the room” became a leadership skill
• Why underdogs must balance confidence with humility — and learn to show up when no one’s watching
• The four “Avenues of Approach” from Underdog Nation: Commit, Confront, Course Correct, and Build Credibility
• The role of patience and decision-making in both biotech innovation and personal growth
• Why ego and insecurity are the biggest internal battles underdogs face — and how to replace them with clarity and focus

Three Connection Points

• Visit Quang's website
• Get Quang's book
• While you're buying Quang's book, buy Hugh MacLeod's book too

This conversation reminded me that success isn’t about where you start — it’s about what you choose to confront, commit to, and continue refining. Quang’s story proves that perseverance and patience go hand-in-hand, and that results come to those who focus not on optics, but on outcomes.