A Productive Conversation

This episode is the latest in our monthly PM Talks series, where Patrick Rhone and I step back from tactics and tools to explore the deeper questions that shape how we live, work, and show up. What we planned to discuss was poise—but what we actually talked about was something more urgent.

Recorded in real time as events were unfolding in Minneapolis and St. Paul, this conversation became about moral clarity, civic responsibility, and what it means to stay aligned when neutrality no longer feels like an option. This isn’t a polished debate or a tidy argument. It’s a candid conversation about right versus wrong—and why that distinction matters now.

Six Discussion Points

• Why this conversation couldn’t follow the plan—and why that mattered
• The difference between poise as composure and poise as alignment
• Why this moment isn’t about left versus right, but right versus wrong
• The danger of performative belief and the erosion of truth
• How lived experience carries weight even when it isn’t “linkable”
• What it means to keep living your life responsibly in a fractured moment

Three Connection Points

• Requiem for the American Dream (documentary)
• Willhoit’s Law (on power and the application of law)
• PM Talks series archive

I’m grateful Patrick was willing to have this conversation when he did, and I’m grateful to you for listening. This episode isn’t meant to inflame or persuade—it’s meant to bear witness. Sometimes that’s the most productive thing we can do.

Working from home sounds simple—until kids, calendars, meals, meetings, and relationships all collide. In this episode, I sit down with Thom Gibson, a work-from-home dad and social media strategist, to talk honestly about what it really takes to make remote work and family life coexist.

Thom is the founder of WFH Dads, and his perspective is grounded not in theory, but in lived experience—raising two young kids, navigating shared schedules with his wife, and building a workday that leaves room for presence, not just productivity.

Six Discussion Points

• How Thom transitioned into working from home during the pandemic—and why he stayed
• Why default schedules matter more than perfect plans
• The overlooked power of clear boundaries between “work time” and “family time”
• How simplifying meals reduces daily decision fatigue
• Why Thom changed his journaling practice after 15 years
• The thinking behind the Six-Hour Workday Playbook for dads

Three Connection Points

• WFH Dads
• Get The Six-Hour Workday Playbook
• How to Build a Powerful Journal in 3 Steps (Starting Today)

This conversation reinforced something I’ve believed for a long time: structure isn’t the enemy of freedom—it’s what makes freedom possible. Thom’s approach to work-from-home life is thoughtful, practical, and refreshingly human, and I think a lot of parents—especially dads—will see themselves reflected in this episode.

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.