What if the thing helping you lead better isn’t another productivity system, but a simple practice of reading, writing, and reflection?
In this episode of The Future Walk Podcast, Sarah Draper sits down with Joe Byerly, founder of From the Green Notebook, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, writer, podcaster, and author of My Green Notebook and The Leader’s 90-Day Notebook, for a conversation about leadership, journaling, purpose, freedom, and the practices that help us turn experience into wisdom.
Joe shares how a simple green notebook became a powerful tool for capturing lessons, processing hard-earned experiences, and building a platform that has impacted millions of leaders. Together, Sarah and Joe explore why reflection matters, how writing helps leaders make meaning from their lives, and why sustainable success requires more than ambition.
They discuss the power of a daily journaling practice, the importance of reading for growth, how small pockets of time can be used intentionally, and why freedom can mean having the space to invest in the people and values that matter most.
In this episode:
● Why leaders need space to think before they can lead well
● How journaling turns experience into wisdom
● Why “the work is the win” can change how you define success
● The value of reading, writing, and reflection as daily leadership practices
● How to use small pockets of time more intentionally
● Why freedom is about more than schedule flexibility
● How relationships become a deeper priority over time
● Why ambition should be aligned with your values
● The danger of living by “should” instead of what truly matters
● How reflection helps leaders recover, reset, and move forward with clarity
If you’ve ever felt like life is moving too fast to process what you’re learning, this episode will challenge you to slow down, capture the wisdom in your own experience, and make more deliberate choices about how you lead, live, and invest your time.
Connect with Sarah Draper and tune into more conversations on The Future Walk Podcast.