⭕️ A Story That Changed My Life

Hey my friend,

This week, I want to share a story that’s been on my mind—a story that’s not only fascinating but has completely shifted how I think about success, burnout, and pacing myself in life.

It’s a story from Greg McKeown’s Essentialism about two teams racing to reach the South Pole over a century ago.

But first, let me ask you:

Have you ever felt like you’re sprinting through life? Trying to do everything at once—work, relationships, side hustles—only to find yourself exhausted, overwhelmed, and wondering if it’s all worth it?

I know I have. I have previously shared my experience with burn out here and here. This story helped me realize there’s a better way.

read time: 5 mins

🚀 Help Me Inspire More Students + Earn $100!

I need your help! From March 15 – May 15, 2025, I’m launching a 27-city, 5-country speaking tour—visiting schools, universities, and conferences to empower young people with leadership, mental health, and social impact tools.

💡 Do you know someone who hires speakers for schools, universities, or events?

If your referral leads to a paid speaking engagement, I’ll send you $100 CAD as a thank-you!

How It Works:

✅ Introduce me to a decision-maker who books speakers (principals, student leaders, event organizers).
✅ Use the copy-paste email (linked below) or introduce me via LinkedIn, WhatsApp, or another method.
✅ If your referral results in a paid gig, you’ll get $100—no limits, more referrals = more rewards!

Who Can You Refer Me To?

🎤 Schools – Principals, student engagement teams, counselors
🎤 Universities – Student life, wellness, career services, leadership programs
🎤 Event Organizers – Conferences, summits, and keynotes

Let’s make an impact together and bring these talks to more students worldwide! 🌍

📩 Click here to grab the referral details + email template

Got a referral? Hit reply or DM me! Let’s make this happen. 🚀

Opportunities This Week

If you’re looking for more opportunities, check out our living document of more opportunities here.

The Race to the South Pole

Imagine it’s the early 1900s. The South Pole is uncharted territory—no human has ever set foot there. For explorers, it’s the equivalent of today’s race to Mars: the ultimate test of endurance, strategy, and survival.

Two teams set out to conquer it.

The British team, led by Robert Falcon Scott, believes in the mantra: “Maximum effort equals maximum results.” They push hard every day, covering as much ground as possible when the weather is good—30, 40, even 50 miles in a single stretch.

On the surface, it seems like a winning strategy, right? Work harder, go faster, reach the goal sooner.

But here’s the catch: on bad weather days, they’re so physically and mentally exhausted from their all-out sprints that they’re forced to stop entirely.

Now, let’s look at the Norwegian team, led by Roald Amundsen. Their approach is simple but radical: they pace themselves.

No matter what, they commit to traveling 15 miles a day.

When the weather is perfect, they resist the temptation to overexert themselves. And when conditions are brutal—freezing winds whipping across the icy landscape—they still muster the energy to keep moving, even if it’s just 13 or 14 miles.

Day after day, mile after mile, they stick to their plan.

A blizzard

Picture this…

The British team, drained and demoralized, huddled in their tents during a blizzard, writing in their journals about their “terrible luck” with the weather. They feel like the universe is against them.

Meanwhile, the Norwegians are out there, inching forward through the same icy winds, refusing to let the storm break their rhythm.

And then, there’s the moment of decision:

The Norwegian team is just 45 miles away from the South Pole. The weather is perfect. They could push hard and reach their destination in a single day.

Wouldn’t you?

After all, what if the British team is ahead of them? What if they lose everything by holding back now?

But Amundsen sticks to the plan: 15 miles. No more, no less.

Three days later, they arrive at the South Pole, victorious.

When Scott’s British team finally gets there, they’re 20 days too late. Worse, they’re so burned out from their relentless effort that they don’t make it home. Not a single member of Scott’s team survives.

What’s the Lesson Here?

At first, this story shocked me. I mean, isn’t success supposed to be about grinding harder, sacrificing more, and pushing yourself to the limit?

But here’s what the Norwegians knew that the British didn’t:

Burnout is not a badge of honor. Consistency beats intensity every time.

It’s not about how hard you can sprint in the short term—it’s about how long you can sustain steady progress.

What’s Your 15 Miles a Day? 

When I read this story, I couldn’t help but see myself in the British team.

I’ve had so many moments where I pushed myself to the max, thinking, “If I just work harder, everything will fall into place.” But instead, I’d end up exhausted, distracted, and questioning if I was even on the right path.

So now, I’m asking myself: What’s my 15 miles a day?

Here’s what I’m doing to find my pace:

1. Simplify My Focus: Instead of chasing 10 goals, I’m focusing on the 1-2 things that truly matter. (Spoiler: saying “no” is hard, but necessary.)

2. Build in Rest: I’m learning to treat rest as part of the process, not a reward I have to “earn.”

3. Celebrate Small Wins: Progress isn’t always flashy. But every small step counts.

What About You? 

I want to leave you with this question: Are you sprinting toward burnout, or pacing yourself for the long game?

What’s one thing you can do today to find your 15 miles a day?

Maybe it’s saying no to something non-essential. Maybe it’s committing to 30 minutes of focused work instead of 3 hours of multitasking. Maybe it’s just taking a deep breath and reminding yourself that it’s okay to slow down.

And hey, if you’re in your tent right now, feeling stuck and overwhelmed like Scott’s team—know that it’s not too late to course-correct.

From Our Community

This section is where we shoutout all the different cool things happening in our 50,000+ community. Let’s use our joint collective to support each other:

• Karen just launched her book Proctective Love: A journal of 52 lessons. Let’s add it to our carts for our next read

• Vedanshi just won the LEADHER Award. Let’s show her some love here

• Forbes 30u30 alum Nadia writes this insightful weekly newsletter called A Founder’s Diary

• I just launched my world tour. Support me and earn $100

• Julia starred in Season 3 of Hallmark series No Way Home. Let’s give her a follow and show her some love before she becomes too famous for us.
  
  Want your work to be featured to our 50,000+ community? Simply refer the newsletter with 3 other people and we’ll feature you in our next edition.

My friend, things have been crazy on my end with the tour (don’t forget the referral program btw) and everything else. But I’d love to hear from you. How’re you feeling right now? How’s the year started for you? Did you find the 15 miles a day story of value?

As I tell you every week, it truly means the world to me to have you here. I don’t take for granted the opportunity to write to you each week and all the support you give me. It means more than you know to me - so truly, thank you friend.

Sending you a big hug from Toronto (we don’t get enough hugs lol),

With love,

Forwarded this email? Sign up here

Let’s connect on Linkedin and Instagram