A ship in a bottle shows that bottlenecks are often solved by adapting what passes through them, not by removing the constraint. Not every bottleneck is bad—some create structure, precision, and quality. The biggest bottlenecks are often internal, such as fear, avoidance, or the need for control, rather than external systems. The key lesson is to identify whether the obstacle is the system or yourself, and work on the part you can change.

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After more than a year of writing about what it means to live a full human life, I am rebranding his newsletter from The Renaissance Protocol to More from Life. The new name better reflects the core idea behind his work: helping people get more from life in areas such as relationships, family, work, health, play, and spirituality. While the content remains the same, it will expand to cover a wide range of topics that contribute to human flourishing. Through personal reflections and practical insights, I invite you to build your own version of a full and meaningful life.

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Most transformations happen invisibly first. In this episode, we explore why growth, mastery, burnout, and collapse all happen gradually… then suddenly — and how to stay present through the invisible phase before the threshold is crossed.

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In this newsletter, I reflect on a temporary art installation in Central Park that unexpectedly became one of the most important lessons of my life. Inspired by Buddhist teachings, I explore why suffering often comes not from difficult emotions themselves, but from our resistance to them.

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What if the problem isn’t that you need more, but that you’ve never fully seen what you already have? A reflection on accumulation, unrealized selves, and why gathering more information about a problem you already understand isn’t research — it’s avoidance.

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Thinking about a lemon can make your body react instantly—without it even being there. That’s how powerful your brain is.

The problem? Most people visualize outcomes, not actions. They imagine success, but not the steps it takes to get there. So nothing changes.

Real progress happens when you stop picturing the reward and start mentally rehearsing the process. Not the end result, but the next step.

Clarity creates action. Not motivation.

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Why do we so often act against our own values? This episode explores how, without clear priorities, decisions get driven by politeness, habit or comfort instead. It’s about building a clear internal hierarchy—so you can focus on what truly matters, make better decisions, and live more intentionally.

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A conversation over espresso made me realize something uncomfortable: my sense of time doesn’t seem to match reality in the way others perceive it.

How can someone be a father of three, run a department, teach, do research, build a podcast, and still feel like there is room for more?

In this episode, I introduce a concept I call Deliberate Delusion — the intentional choice to redefine what “normal” means for your life.

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This episode is exploring the inner architecture of human desire — why we repress, why we indulge, and how real transformation comes from understanding rather than avoidance. Reflections on spirituality, psychology, and the ordinary initiations that shape a life.

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Your brain isn’t lazy, it’s battling friction. In this episode, we explore why tiny obstacles can destroy even the best intentions, from misplaced running shoes to dead laptops. Through stories from surgery, behavior change, and a patient who kept smoking after losing his leg, we uncover a powerful truth: discipline doesn’t drive behavior — design does.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letters.niccokrezdorn.com