Essays

These essays are where I write the in-between bits. It’s the stuff that turns up at 3am when I’m meant to be asleep, or when I’m scrolling LinkedIn and Instagram and thinking, this is why people feel so lost. Too much noise, too much contradictory advice, and you can watch people’s confidence leak out as they bounce from one tactic to the next. This is the thinking that inspires The Misfit Engine™ and The Constrained Founder.

This is where I pull apart the comforting myths that get sold as advice. The myth that you can outwork your life. The myth that discipline fixes everything. The myth that everyone has the same capacity and the same risk profile. The myth that the only reason you’re stuck is because you’re not trying hard enough. It also includes the social media one that’s everywhere: ‘You have to post every day for the algorithm.’ Consistency matters, but for most people that advice doesn’t create momentum, it creates a spiral of stress, and it pushes you towards quantity over quality.

I’m not trying to hype you up. I’m trying to name what’s actually going on, in plain English, so you can make decisions that fit your life. Phone goes - it’s the school number. You sit down to write and nothing happens. Five minutes later you’re watching the cat drink out of a flower pot in the back garden and wondering what you’re doing with your day.

If you want to look at the book, it’s here. If you want to see ways we can work together, that’s here. If you just want a few essays to browse and see what sparks, they’re below.