The Inner Circle

Some things are guaranteed to change you. Most of us just never make the time for them. In this episode of The Inner Circle, Mike and Kevin talk about stepping away on purpose. Kevin is heading to the remote Khumbu region of Nepal to trek, disconnect and think about the next season of life as a new empty nester. Mike is heading to his second 8-day silent meditation retreat, right after approving the final proof of his book. They talk about staying open to change, why achievers end up running at 100 miles an hour even with well-designed lives, and why it pays to occasionally do the things that are guaranteed to transform you. They discuss: - Kevin's trip to the Khumbu region of Nepal, in the shadow of Everest and far off the tourist path - "If it doesn't involve family, it's probably a no," and the reset Kevin is planning for his 50s - Strong beliefs loosely held, and how to stay available to change - "I am the storm": why change doesn't scare Kevin - How a guy with an intentional life still ends up running at 100 miles an hour - What 8 days of silence is actually like, and why Mike is going back - Finding teachers who have the life you want - The space that opens up after a three-year project (Mike's book, Be Rich Now) - Experiences with a 100% chance of transforming you, and surrendering to what comes next Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to The Inner Circle 00:39 Kevin's trip to Nepal 03:00 A bucket list trip to the Khumbu 04:52 A season of exploration: all in on family 06:55 Strong beliefs loosely held 07:54 "I am the storm" 09:33 Running at 100 miles an hour 11:45 Why taking real space matters 12:50 Mike's silent retreat and finding the right teachers 14:28 What 8 days of silence is like 17:36 Great lives, still at a crossroads 19:22 Surrendering to what comes next Connect with Kevin and Mike on X for more from The Inner Circle: Kevin Dahlstrom: https://x.com/Camp4 Mike Brown: https://x.com/mbrown_co

Things tend to work out. Usually better than you imagined. In this episode of The Inner Circle, Mike and Kevin unpack a line from climbing legend Lynn Hill at Kevin's Boulder event: "I've managed to live my whole life without having a regular job, and things tend to work out." Mike shares how losing $1.6 million on a distressed e-commerce company became one of the greatest gifts of his life, and they dig into why fear makes us overestimate risk, underestimate the cost of staying put, and why the wealthier people get, the harder change becomes. They discuss: - Lynn Hill's "things tend to work out," and why people who make bold moves wish they'd done it sooner - Mike's $1.6M business loss and the idea that the universe is conspiring in your favor - Correcting for fear: why a decision that feels 50/50 is probably 70/30 - The hidden cost of the status quo, and reclaiming your agency by choosing consciously (from chapter 7 of Mike's book, Be Rich Now) - Why success and money often make people more afraid of personal change - The CEO who said he was miserable but wouldn't show up for a 6 a.m. walk - Doing it for someone else, and running toward something irresistible instead of away from something - Letting go of the illusion of control Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to The Inner Circle 00:27 Lynn Hill: "Things tend to work out" 03:00 Mike's $1.6M loss and the universe conspiring in your favor 06:30 Looking back: the hard times that were exactly what we needed 07:55 Fear, regret, and the cost of staying the same 10:18 Internal dissonance and choosing consciously 11:23 Why wealth makes change scarier 13:15 The CEO who wouldn't change 15:32 Do it for someone else, and run toward something 18:56 Go for it: letting go of the illusion of control Connect with Kevin and Mike on X for more from The Inner Circle: Kevin Dahlstrom: https://x.com/Camp4 Mike Brown: https://x.com/mbrown_co

Love something absurd or obscure way too much.In this episode of The Inner Circle, Mike and Kevin start with a post Mike put up on X: a cheat code for being happier is loving something uncool, like his outsized love for The Cranberries. Kevin explains why he asks every job candidate what they do outside of work, and why a weird, passionate answer tells him more than a résumé. They talk about why personal stories and odd interests matter more as AI makes everything sound the same, and then answer a question a nine-figure CEO once asked Kevin: how do I find a hobby?They discuss:- Dropping the mask of what you're "supposed" to love, from The Cranberries to brown supercars- The interview question Kevin has asked for 25 years, and the best answer he ever got (the 501st Stormtrooper Division)- Why originality and personal experience get more valuable in the age of AI- The problem with "be obsessed" hustle advice and the "I love my work" fallacy- Why being willing to be bad at something keeps the joy in it, and how Mike's push to go pro in triathlon killed it- How to find your thing: try things, give it time, and notice what you think about in your quiet momentsChapters:00:00 Welcome to The Inner Circle01:08 Mike's post: love something absurd or obscure way too much05:03 What do you do outside of work?08:24 Originality in the age of AI, and the problem with "be obsessed"14:43 How do you find a hobby?Connect with Kevin and Mike on X for more from The Inner Circle:Kevin Dahlstrom: https://x.com/Camp4Mike Brown: https://x.com/mbrown_co

???? Inner Circle ⭕️ is back! Kevin and I took a little break. When we started this podcast with a single rule: This stays fun. The minute it feels like work, we are missing the mark. So when I was heads down launching the book, the pod dropped out. The other promise was that this show would be the conversations Kevin and I have anyway. This episode is us legitimately catching up - and we have some big life updates. Thanks to everyone who messaged to say you missed the show. We did too! mb

The closer you get to your potential, the further it moves. In this episode of The Inner Circle, Mike and Kevin take apart one of the most well-meaning ideas we inherit: that you owe it to yourself to live up to your potential. Kevin admits he has spent years haunted by the feeling that his was massive and unspent. Mike makes the case that the measure was rigged from the start, and that the goalposts were never going to hold still. They discuss: - Why potential is an unwinnable game by definition, and what happens the moment you measure yourself against it - The shift from dirty fuel to clean fuel, and the uncomfortable question of whether clean fuel burns as hot - How to spot someone running on dirty fuel across a room, and why it is easy to recognize once you have lived it - Why quitting the chase for conventional success often just becomes a chase for enlightenment wearing better clothes - The idea of making a goal both inevitable and irrelevant, and how two things that sound like opposites become the same practice - What non-attachment actually means, and why it has nothing to do with killing desire Most high achievers spend their lives measuring against a standard that recedes every time they reach for it. This episode is about setting the standard down, and what becomes possible once you stop chasing a number that was never going to hold still. Connect with Kevin and Mike on X for more from The Inner Circle: Kevin Dahlstrom: https://x.com/Camp4 Mike Brown: https://x.com/mbrown_co