#129 - The Crossroads Test (an old parable at 30,000 feet)

Get the exact system I designed and live by to set my goals. It's ten dollars, and it's how you can support the show without me ever asking you to buy me a coffee: https://thechaptersystem.com/pdfIf you're trying to grow a social media page from nothing, thinking about betting on yourself and going all in on a side hustle, or you're a runner curious about what elite coaching actually looks like (your form, your footwear, your easy runs, all of it), this episode covers the lot.Myles Rawson grew his Instagram from nothing to 300,000 followers in around 12 months. This is the full story of how, from the man himself.When we first spoke, his channel had just started blowing up. In this one we go right back to the beginning: the 6am workouts before full electrician days with video editing until 11pm, the fuck-this moment where he nearly packed it in, the video format that finally took off, and the ten grand he paid a coach when that money was hard to find.It's not just a growth story though. He also sorts my back out again: my anterior pelvic tilt, what sitting all day does to runners, why easy runs expose your form, what modern footwear does to the 250,000 nerve endings in your feet, and how to build strength for HYROX without bulk.Plus: living with elite runners at a training camp in Kenya, and the DM from Bear Grylls that turned into coaching him.Chapters:00:00 Trailer00:35 Catch-up: the year the channel blew up01:15 Electrician by day, running coach by night12:08 Hormozi’s ten grand bet on himself22:45 Kenya: living with elite runners32:25 My pelvic tilt, his verdict, and the sitting problem56:16 Footwear, 250,000 nerve endings, and overstriding1:01:47 Building running strength 1:15:28 Coaching Bear Grylls1:17:32 Where to find Myles🎙️ MY STUFFThe Chapter System (the PDF): https://thechaptersystem.com/pdfNewsletter: https://awakenoutofcontext.comGUESTMyles Rawson, running technique coachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/findyourstridecoachCoaching: link in his bio, or DM him at @findyourstridecoachPrevious episode with Myles: #69, Shave Minutes Off Your HYROX Time, Running Form Masterclasshttps://youtu.be/ei-CGsGKMYQ?si=0B6nvaQHLqbhZMrH

Get the exact system I designed and live by to set my goals. It's ten dollars, and it's how you can support the show without me ever asking you to buy me a coffee: https://thechaptersystem.com/pdfI started this episode in a bad mood! Work had taken over, I was frustrated with being injured, my fitness had gone backwards, and I’d reached that point of thinking: what’s the fucking point? I stuck my runners on, grabbed a camera and went for a run around Phuket.Along the way, I get into:* Why maintaining your fitness can actually be progress* How quickly I lost strength after injury, illness and stopping the boring basics* Why tracking your numbers matters when things start going backwards* The first sub-4:00/km pace I’ve seen in months* Why I’d stopped running for the simple enjoyment of it* The less glamorous reality of working remotely in “paradise”* Losing fitness and realising how little I appreciated what I had* Gratitude; and why sometimes you only understand something’s value after losing it* Using running to change your mental state* How changing your behaviour can change your environment, not just the other way around* Why sometimes hitting a low point is exactly what forces you to do something differentBy the end of the run, none of the problems had magically disappeared. But they did feel smaller and sometimes that’s enough :)Chapters:00:00 Trailer00:34 I’m Not Having a Good Day05:23 Why Maintenance Is Actually Progress13:05 I Haven’t Seen Sub-4 in Months23:20 Running, Injury & Losing My Fitness25:00 What I Had — and Didn’t Appreciate28:35 The Run Changed My Mood32:35 Why Changing Your Environment Changes You34:00 Sometimes You Need to Hit a Low Point🎙️ MY STUFFThe Chapter System (the PDF): https://thechaptersystem.com/pdfNewsletter: https://awakenoutofcontext.comMore episodes like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09omZ7V629URAvyHG0KxIH_

Get the exact system I designed and live by to set my goals. It's ten bucks, and it's how you can support the show without me ever asking you to buy me a coffee: https://thechaptersystem.com/pdfTwo travellers ask an old man at a crossroads what the people are like in the city ahead. He gives them both the same answer, and it's different for each of them. This episode starts with that old parable and then tests it on a real flight from Bali to Phuket.What I get into: the choice I made boarding that plane to be kind to every single person with no conditions attached. The couple blocking the aisle and what happened when I didn't sigh. Deciding to welcome whoever sat in the middle seat, and the Turkish woman who wrote in my journal because we couldn't share a language. The George Michael impersonator I judged, then chose kindness for, and the chocolate bar that came back. And the question under all of it: is it really kindness if it comes with conditions?🎙️ MY STUFFThe Chapter System (the PDF): https://thechaptersystem.com/pdfNewsletter: https://awakenoutofcontext.comMore episodes like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09omZ7V629URAvyHG0KxIH_

Get the exact system I designed and live by to set my goals. It's ten bucks, and it's how you can support the show without me ever asking you to buy me a coffee: https://thechaptersystem.com/pdfThe moment I turned the camera on, my phone felt heavier. Same phone, same hand, nothing changed except being watched. This solo episode is me sitting in a cafe in Bali pulling on that thread until it unravels into something bigger: how observation distorts everything.What I get into: why the camera activates presenter mode rather than creating a fake version of you. The manual labour paradox: AI promised leverage, but the way to look authentic now is to do everything yourself, glued to your phone. Presumptive fame, and why my brain rates a stranger's video above a friend's. Productive procrastination, and pouring energy into work that looks right but misses the point. And the thing it all lands on: most of what feels urgent is noise, and the skill is telling it apart from signal.If this one lands, let me know. Subscribe and drop a review if you're enjoying the show.🎙️ MY STUFFThe Chapter System (the PDF): https://thechaptersystem.com/pdfNewsletter: https://awakenoutofcontext.comMore episodes like this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09omZ7V629URAvyHG0KxIH_VLOGS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ky3sQEMwUM&list=PLMebuClQRf09N1EW4xaBRDZJQqPlDB_5BAMAS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09DvwNgIXJOsd6ca4azb7nQSOLO: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09omZ7V629URAvyHG0KxIH_

The lads from school woke me up this morning ripping me for changing my accent, so let's get into it. Why do some of us smooth our accents out when we move through the world, and is it fake?I get into linguistic accommodation, the concept Valerie Fridland taught me when she came on the show, and why softening the edges of my Southern Cumbrian accent is the opposite of inauthentic. I've been on both sides of this: on lads holidays I'd turn the accent up as a weapon, out in Bali I turn it down to connect. Same tool, different job.Also in here: catching myself switching mid-sentence, a Sean Connery impression nobody asked for, football hooligans, why the biggest connections I've made out here would never have happened in my broad accent, and what happened to Chris Williamson's Geordie accent. Accent isn't personality, it's a set of options.If this one lands, let me know. Subscribe and drop a review if you're enjoying the show. Check out my conversation with Professor Valerie Fridland: https://youtu.be/3yOSIGNAhhk?si=UM4oXwHE6dJ-PmsJ🎙️ MY STUFFAwaken Out of Context: https://awakenoutofcontext.comThe Chapter System: https://thechaptersystem.com#howtocommunicate #communication #travel #podcaster

Apologies for the low quality audio today. It does improve as the episode progresses. This one is a raw solo entry, recorded on my phone in a coffee shop in Canggu, no camera setup, no plan.Today felt like a shift. First easy run in over a month after a back injury, food poisoning and a rough few weeks, and the start of moving on from a minor heartbreak. Along the way I get into something I keep noticing: the moment a song or a place stops being part of your present and crosses over into nostalgia, and why that threshold feels so much sharper when you are travelling.In this episode:The nostalgia threshold, when familiar songs start to stingMoving through heartbreak without dressing it upWhy walking into a new coffee shop scared me more than recording in publicBooking HYROX Bangkok with four weeks to trainThe three levels of sharing personal stories, from private journal to public insightIf this format lands for you, let me know. And if you have not already, hit follow so the next one turns up on its own.🎙️ MY STUFFAwaken Out of Context: https://awakenoutofcontext.comThe Chapter System: https://thechaptersystem.com

One minute you feel safe, supported and loved. An hour later the ground has shifted and it's fear, dread and unpredictability. That's emotional whiplash, and if you've ever been on that rollercoaster you know how exhausting it is.In this solo episode I break down exactly what to do in the seconds, minutes and hours after the whiplash hits: the one message that buys you a buffer, grounding yourself in your body instead of numbing out, getting into the other person's shoes, honestly checking your own part in it, and acknowledging their feelings either way. I also take on the question everyone asks, why should I be the one doing all this work? It all leads to the bigger question that decides everything: how many baskets is your safety sitting in?Whether it's a partner, a boss or anyone your sense of safety depends on, this is a practical playbook for the moment it hits.If this one lands, share it with someone on their own rollercoaster and drop a comment to say so.🎙️ MY STUFFAwaken Out of Context: https://awakenoutofcontext.comThe Chapter System: https://thechaptersystem.com

Ten weeks in Bali and I'm fried.I came out here to up my content game, and in some ways I have. But I'm shattered. The agency, the podcast, the YouTube, the vlogs. I hired an editor over a month ago and somehow I'm still spending just as much time on revisions, feedback and SOPs as I was before.So this one is completely off the cuff. No script, no polish, just me in a guest house talking through what's actually going on in my head.I get into the strange day I looked at my Spotify analytics and saw a huge spike, and how the first thing I felt was not excitement but fear. I talk about whether I even want this to take off, the kind of person who tends to get famous being the exact kind of person who probably shouldn't, and the clip that suddenly pulled in a whole new audience while alienating another.There's also the slightly mad realisation that I'm making a clip of myself saying I don't want more people to see my stuff, because I want more people to see it.In this episode:- Why ten weeks of hard content work hasn't given me the payoff I expected- The Spotify spike that made me shake, and why fear showed up before joy- Whether I actually want fame or just a bit of micro niche recognition- The "girls vs women" clip, and getting two opposite signals at once- Laughing at myself on camera, and the shy person underneath all of it- Whether to gate my work, charge for it, or build something I can actually live from- No guest this week. Just me, unedited, real life from a guest house in Bali.🎙️ MY STUFFAwaken Out of Context: https://awakenoutofcontext.comThe Chapter System: https://thechaptersystem.com

I put Dr Joey Weber in the passenger seat, let ChatGPT choose the route, and drove through the Southern Lake District for the first ever guest Roadcast.What started as a rainy drive turned into a conversation about panic attacks, death anxiety, getting older, positive psychology, dopamine loops, burnout, AI, nature, and somehow… fish and chips.This one goes from genuinely deep to completely ridiculous.In this episode:• Why panic attacks can feel like you’re dying• Health anxiety vs death anxiety• Getting older and seeing your parents age• Joey’s new book on equanimity and positive psychology• Trauma, responsibility and not making pain your identity• Dopamine loops, phones, boredom and AI work addiction• Burnout, recovery and getting back to basics• £31 fish and chips in the Lake DistrictComment below: have you ever had a panic attack that felt physical?TIME STAMPS00:00 I thought I was dying00:52 The first guest Roadcast begins01:15 Letting ChatGPT choose the route02:02 Picking up Dr Joey Weber03:44 Having it all but feeling miserable04:13 The panic attack that changed everything06:46 Death anxiety vs health anxiety07:35 Getting older and seeing everyone change10:28 Why this became the 100th episode11:03 Reaching 100 podcast episodes11:56 Joey’s honest first impression of the podcast14:15 Why Joey nearly didn’t want to podcast again15:40 Joey’s book deal16:08 Positive psychology and equanimity17:09 Adlerian psychology and responsibility19:30 Trauma without making it your identity22:07 What’s strong, not what’s wrong24:57 The PERMA model explained27:28 Blaming childhood vs owning the good stuff28:14 Letting be vs letting go29:17 Glimmers and equanimity30:25 Stopping for a wet Lake District walk30:51 Beans on toast, nature and safety31:36 Is filming yourself in nature egotistical?31:55 How Jason relaxes32:35 Do podcasters copy other podcasters?33:01 The Raincast begins33:08 Patience, discomfort and British weather33:40 Dopamine Nation and modern pleasure34:13 Are young people chasing micro-pleasure?36:52 Phones, boredom and losing imagination37:22 AI work addiction and burnout38:45 The work row that exposed burnout39:37 Passion fatigue and rebuilding basics40:42 Mental fitness and recovery speed41:33 The fish and chips detour42:28 Vinegar and blood sugar43:20 Batter, gluten and getting older45:32 Organic apples and energy fields46:42 The £31 fish and chips shock48:58 Fish and chip dates49:16 Energetic fields after fish and chips50:44 Why Joey doesn’t do movie quotes51:46 Meeting Steve Coogan on MDMA52:50 Accidental fish and chip reviewers🎙️ MY STUFFAwaken Out of Context: https://awakenoutofcontext.comThe Chapter System: https://thechaptersystem.comVLOGS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ky3sQEMwUM&list=PLMebuClQRf09N1EW4xaBRDZJQqPlDB_5BJOEY’S STUFF:Joey’s Instagram:https://bit.ly/45oS7MQJoey’s Website:https://bit.ly/437uKmVJoey’s Book:https://bit.ly/45vJgqq

Yogi (my editor) came down with double vision this week so the vlog couldn't ship. Recorded this AMA in a Canggu cafe before heading to the Gili Islands with Tommy and Mika.I went to Instagram and Facebook for questions and got through nine of them. We cover the obviously most important question (ten horse-sized ducks vs a hundred duck-sized horses), why I'm wary of going hard left or right politically, an update on my back (turns out I have an anterior pelvic tilt nobody else spotted), what I love and dislike about Bali life, my current relationship with social media, how I'm using AI as a daily reflection and decision-making tool, the females vs women debate, why most fitness advice doesn't apply to you, and the "you are enough" advice plus the daughter-marry-me test that I think actually matters.Plus an honest answer on dating in Bali at nine weeks in.awakenoutofcontext.comthechaptersystem.com If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy these:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMebuClQRf09DvwNgIXJOsd6ca4azb7nQ🎙️ MY STUFFAwaken Out of Context: https://awakenoutofcontext.comThe Chapter System: https://thechaptersystem.com📍 Canggu, Bali#AwakenOutOfContext #BaliPodcast #AMA #AskMeAnything #YouAreEnough #PerformanceVsAuthenticity