What I'm Up To
​Volume 86

Hey friends,

Here’s what I’ve been up to since Vol. 85...​

1. August Happenings​
This last month overflowed with happiness and heartbreak. I won’t lie, this is a hard one to share.
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I kicked off the month by attending my second Authors for Authors (A4A) masterminds in Nashville. Donald Miller hosted at his home with Rory Vaden and Mike Michalowicz managing the invites and speakers. I took oodles of notes and even got to share what we’ve learned hosting online book clubs over the years. Super thankful to collaborate with so many amazing authors. I wrote about the experience in my work newsletter in an article called, “Step Into the Room.”
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On the eve of Mega Agent Camp, our mid-year convention, my friend Kim came to town to organize her new Austin home. We grabbed lunch at a barbecue place that’s been on my radar for many months. I can now say that Mum Foods has the best pastrami in Austin. It is well worth a pilgrimage! We also enjoyed a surprise visit from my friend Ben. We met for dinner at Dai Due, which always delights. My sister, Jan, also came into town for the event with two work friends. It was great catching up with her over brunch at Kerbey Lane Cafe.
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​Wendy had her birthday on August 17th. 🎂 We did our new birthday workout and she enjoyed a weeklong celebration with family and friends from out of town. It may have been overshadowed a bit by work, but it got really stretched out, too.
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We packed in an incredible amount of content for the 1½ days of Mega Agent Camp with almost 50 segments. (You can read about my favorite takeaways here.) Behind the scenes, our crew works miracles to keep the show flowing and on time. After the big show, we hosted a couple of masterminds for our top people and then I went home and napped hard 😴 before a dinner with work friends from across the country. The dinner was scandalously funny. I now know who has been in fistfights or arrested 🚨, how our mascot 🦬 became a eunuch, and much more. 🤣 I’ll not post a photo to protect identities.
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After the event, some noble soul sent me a bottle of Blanton’s whiskey. There was no gift card. If it was you, please let me know. As my friend Phil M. Jones noted, it was a “kingly gift.”

Through all this, Gus was on an epic adventure. Before heading back for his sophomore year of college, he and his pals decided on a road trip from Austin to Banff National Park in Canada. That’s over 1,700 miles each way. They talked their way out of a speeding ticket. They visited Glacier National Park on the way and Arches National Park on the return trip. They managed two flat tires and went on a legal pub crawl in Canada (the drinking age is 18 up there!) and generally made a lot of great memories.

The following Monday one of our team members, Allison, didn’t show up for work. The next day, Carly and I reached out to her sister and learned that she had died over the weekend. 💔 She had just celebrated her 25th birthday days before. Words cannot express how grief-stricken we are. The mornings are tough, the nights brutal, and the days surreal as we alternate between what must be done and what’s lost. We check in on each other and take turns comforting and being comforted. One of my oldest friends, Monroe, has run a college counseling center for twenty-plus years. He took my call when I needed it. So many others - co-workers, friends, and family have checked in as well. Sometimes you need space and other times you need a shoulder.
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The weekend after, I traveled to New Orleans for our annual fantasy football draft. It’s my 18th year with this bunch. I was thankful for the distraction, the food, and the kind words and gestures.

At the end of the month, Wendy traveled to Minnesota with her sister to bury her father’s ashes. I’m glad Milt is back home surrounded by family.
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All I can say is reach out to those you love and tell them you love them. Do it today and do it often. I’ve suffered some awkward moments saying those three words – I love you – to friends and coworkers. I have no regrets.

2. What I’m Reading
​Thank God for books. In preparation for the CEO Summit, I read Stories that Stick by Kindra Hall, which breaks down the essential stories every business must tell and how to tell them. Joseph Nguyen spoke at the A4A mastermind about self-publishing Don’t Believe Everything You Think. Some authors write books about what they know and others write about what they’ve lived. He is among the latter. He summed up the book well saying that we have thoughts and we have thinking. Thoughts are us observing the world. Look, a hummingbird! Our thinking is how we feel about our thoughts. Wow, that’s beautiful. While we can’t control our thoughts, we have power over our thinking.
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For fiction, I enjoyed the women’s boxing novel, Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and widely lauded. Bullwinkel masterfully weaves the lives of eight boxers together through their bouts in a national youth championship held in a dingy gym outside Reno. We learn who they are and who they will grow up to be. There is no story per se. It’s like a collection of portraits. I didn’t think I loved it, but I found myself revisiting it in my mind. It reminded me of The Boys of My Youth by Jo Ann Beard, which I read decades ago and still ponder from time to time.
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Carly recommended Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe early in the month. It’s more than a little risqué, so be forewarned. I loved it. It’s laugh-out-loud funny. Wendy read it and now so have numerous teammates. It’s about a college student who gets pregnant after a brief affair with her English professor. She eventually turns to OnlyFans to make a living. The characters are delightfully quirky, like something from a Tom Robbins novel. Apple is making it into a series with Elle Fanning.
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Finally, I’ll give a shoutout to Give to Grow by Mo Bunnell which just came out. I read an early reader’s edition and loved his wisdom on building a relationship-focused business. I recorded an episode with him for The ONE Thing podcast which should drop in the next week or so.

3. What I’m Watching
​Wendy and I enjoyed Twisters (Rotten Tomatoes) on Apple PPV. Glen Powell is the new Matthew McConaughey. It’s a great summer popcorn film. We also enjoyed the first episodes of Simone Biles Rising (Netflix) and look forward to the finale in October. I also watched every US Women’s National Team soccer match in their run to Olympic gold. They are truly looking dominant again! Congrats to ☕️☕️☕️ and the rest of the team. We have tickets to see them play in Austin next month!
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I wrapped up seasons 4 and 5 of Peaky Blinders (Netflix). Still love it. Kinda sad I only have one season left.
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We took the whole family to see Deadpool & Wolverine (Rotten Tomatoes). It was everything we expected – crude, action-packed, and funny. Finally, Gus and I rewatched Alien: Covenant (Hulu) which is one of the weaker installments before seeing Alien Romulus (Rotten Tomatoes) which we loved. Romulus felt like they uploaded all the scripts and reviews from the previous films and asked ChatGPT to make a mash-up of the best elements. Gus also noted that they had a lot more practical effects (less CGI) which makes for a better movie for us.

Be well, do good deeds, and eat tacos!
Jay

Note - I've decided to start using Amazon affiliate links for the books I share here. While this newsletter isn't a commercial enterprise, it does have costs to defray. I hope you don't mind.

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