I hope you had a great couple of weeks!

Last week, I was in Sarasota with Roman, four of his friends, and their fathers for a father-son spring break. It was a great time, despite not spending as much time as I would have liked writing. Going down, I anticipated taking the boys to Siesta Key, dropping them off at the beach, and posting up at a coffee shop and doing a lot of writing and creating. That plan changed when we rented e-bikes for the boys, but that was ok. I got to spend some quality time with the other dads and took a break that I probably needed, but didn't know I needed.

Here's our "family dinner", which was the only time we all sat down together to eat at the same time--the boys fully took advantage of their freedom during spring break and were rarely home with us.

I also got a chance to see one of my closest friends, Jeremy Walter, in person. I've known Jeremy for close to ten years, and this was just the second time I've hung out with him in person. We have a monthly Zoom and a group text with another friend, and thanks to a passing comment about retiring to Florida in our group text, we realized we were both in Sarasota and staying just 2.5 miles apart.

Jeremy is definitely one of those great people I talk about needing to surround your Self with!

While Roman and I were in Florida, Ang and Silas hung out in Atlanta because Leo was invited to USA Soccer mini-camp, which was a huge honor and opportunity. For the four days they were there, Leo was under the care of the USA Soccer program, and Ang only saw him for a few minutes on three of the days after his games.

I can't lie, it's pretty cool to see Leo in a USA kit.

We all got back home just in time to head to Michigan, Ang and Roman for AAU, and Chicago, Leo, Silas, and me for soccer.

With all the travel, I didn't do as much writing, so you'll see there aren't any Omens and AlignedLife blog posts to share, but I've got plenty lined up for the next few weeks.

Ok, let's get to this week's Notes...

📝 this week's Daily Notes

4.04.26 #1169 wishes for our kids​

4.05.26 #1170 the mind determines what you see​

4.07.26 #1171 be who you really are​

4.09.26 #1172 routines are great, but don't need to confine you​

4.10.26 #1173 letting go to accept what is meant for us​

4.11.26 #1174 everything is neutral​

4.12.26 #1175 you will be tested​

🎙️ AlignedLife: The Leap Before The Plan with Phil Wood | Convos With Friends

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​Apple Podcasts​

​Spotify​

In this episode, I sit down with my coach Phil Wood for what I hope will be a regular series of conversations — and I couldn't think of a better place to start than the story of one of the biggest chapter endings I've ever heard.

Phil and his wife Jen spent 20 years as church-planting pastors, pouring their entire lives — their identity, their community, their spirituality, their income — into one calling. And then, five years ago, they walked away from all of it. What drove that decision wasn't a strategic plan. It was grief. It was a profound moment at his father's bedside, a release of a lifetime of seeking approval, and the gut-level knowing that the second half of life had to look different. What followed was a leap into the unknown — with three boys, no business plan, and the complete trust that the path would reveal itself.

We get into what it actually feels like to end a chapter before you know what comes next, why so many of us stay in the wrong chapters far too long, and how Phil and Jen experimented their way into building Expansion Lab — a leadership development company that looks nothing like what they imagined on day one.

We also explore the difference between genuine evolution and moving the goalposts, why inner work is the foundation of everything, the role of support systems when you're taking the biggest risks of your life, and what it means to bet on yourself when you have a family depending on you.

This is a conversation about faith, alignment, and what it looks like to actually live the authentic life — not just talk about it.
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📺 The Authentic Life On Other Shows and What I've Been Consuming

From time to time, I listen to a conversation, and all I can hear is other people talking about the Authentic Life.

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What else I Read/Watched/Listened To

📝 The Art of Wandering: Medium Rare​

🎧 The Nick Bare Podcast: Why I've Changed My Mind About Chasing Success Note: I don't agree with everything Nick shares in this episode--specifically that we need to pursue failing. We definitely don't need to fear failing because, as he alludes to in the episode, we learn from our "failures", but we can also learn without failing if we are paying attention. I enjoy listening to perspectives that don't always align fully with mine--this episode has both things I agree with and things I don't.

📚 The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz I read this at least once a year.

🎧 Unlocked by George Mumford Still listening every car ride with Roman has been spent listening to George narrate this book; my attempt to help open Roman to meditation. I've also reached out to George's company to hire a coach for Roman.

📚 The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

See you next week (or tomorrow) and keep pursuing,

JC