Hopefully y'all are experiencing what I am demanding all of my clients call a 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 with an uncommon rash of sales opportunities and energy at 11:59 of the year 2025. This is bonkers. Here's some quick context and advice before EOY.

New plans & big plans for You Can't Lose! in 2026, as well as a tease for some more updates from Richard to follow about exciting new Second Harvest things too!

Joe and Richard unpack why creative work, and life, is more about steady contact than home runs. They explore the art of doing less but better, resisting the urge to please everyone, and finding meaning in risk, friction, and imperfection.

In this episode, Richard joins fresh off his Second Harvest retreat in Spain to talk about the myth of constant creativity, Joe talks about the beauty of the “average Thursday,” and Richard speaks to why resistance is the doorway to real growth. We trade stories about chasing the thrill of deadline chaos, the grind versus the high of agency life, and the trap of mistaking busyness for progress. Richard breaks down how Second Harvest helps people confront fear, embrace stillness, and integrate deep reflection into daily life, not just during a retreat, but back home amid kids, clients, and chaos. It’s a conversation about cycles of work and rest, the illusion of endless optimization, and learning to find meaning in the 80% of life that’s not the highlight reel.

This week Richard and Joe are still unpacking Second Harvest leading to some insights into the concept of hospitality as a skill. Convening the right people, the right way, and letting uncommon outcomes happen is a skill both Richard and Joe have developed over decades and applying these ideas to clients and relationships can yield profound outcomes.

Richard and Devon launched Second Harvest in Austria successfully and he's here to spill a ton of behind the scenes details, insights into the event, deeper dives into the unique philosophy behind Second Harvest, how it went, and where it goes from here. This is a must-listen if you've followed this event at all along the way!

https://www.secondharvest.co/

In this episode, Joe and Richard explore the difference between community and alliance: “An alliance is going someplace… it has direction.” They trade time-travel hypotheticals, reflect on the problem-solving joy of The Martian and The Last of Us, and debate whether their businesses are behaving like nouns or verbs. “Do something with this,” Joe insists, as they revisit lessons from the Philadelphia Experiment. Along the way, they ask: what if your lease is your marketing strategy?

While Richard was away Joe catches up with Anthony Colangelo, partner at Pine Works, host of Main Engine Cut Off & cohost of Off-Nominal, Engineering leader, iOS product developer, birds fan, dad, and Joe's spiritual nephew. Anthony has grown a space flght, exploration, and policy podcast empire rooted in his sincere passion and strong opinions re: the topic. They discuss the MECO origin story, how Anthony's vision drove the growth of the podcast, the power of authenticity, and the impact this project has on Anthony's life and career. Also it's a love fest.

Richard and Joe break down their conversation with Chris & Aaron Quinn, more details about agency acquisitions, private equity vs venture capital, and they spill the beans about The Philadelphia Experiment April 9-11.

Chris and Aaron Quinn join to share their experiences creating, growing, and ultimately scaling eHouse through an acquisition.

Thanks to our friends for being so candid and informative about their experiences!