The Sunday Upgrade

As 2025 comes to a close, I've been thinking a lot about what truly separates the truly fulfilled professionals from everyone else. It's not the ones who grind harder in the same role, chasing bigger bonuses or more "job security." It's the ones who quietly build something that belongs entirely to them. A thriving personal business that creates financial independence and true personal freedom. If that describes you, or the person you aspire to be, you're exactly where you need to be. Today,...

As we head into the Christmas holiday, the rhythm is shifting a bit. Work is slowing down. Emails are dying off (hallelujah!). The world quiets down for a few days, and you finally have some space to breathe, reflect, and maybe even ask the important questions you’ve been avoiding all year. This is exactly the kind of window where the default path can feel like a warm fuzzy blanket… or a bear trap tightening around your ankle. Use this window to your advantage. Because most people don’t...

It's -12F here in Minnesota as i write this. Nobody in their right mind wants to be outside on a day like today. This is the kind of day where you just sit inside and get things done around the house and try to stay warm. Or if you're like me, your headed to the rink where it's not much warmer inside 'cuz you got a championship game happening this afternoon. Hockey families are just a different species. Cold weather means fast ice! So anyway... Today I wanted to talk about building your...

Artificial Intelligence is taking the world by storm. It's capabilities are way beyond what the average person knows about. It is smarter than the majority of humans already and is capable of doing things better and faster than we can. Plus it doesn't bitch about having to work or do things like all the softy humans out there that just like to bitch and complain. I hope you're not one of those. If you think AI is stupid and can't do basic things, you need to find the closest mirror and start...

Before we jump into the topic of the day, I just want to say thanks to all of you that decided to stick around during this insanely long gap between emails. It's been over a year since the last Sunday Upgrade went out. A lot has changed in that time that required my complete focus and energy. I've gone to work at a new company, built a new business with the help of my oldest daughter, almost died, helped a few people get back on their feet after a layoff, and learned a lot of hard lessons...

Reflect upon your journey The past couple of months have been an interesting time in my life. If you've been following along, you'll know that I was granted early release by the parole board at my employer in mid-August. I say it that way because I felt relief immediately after hearing the news. It was the end of a chapter in my life that saw significant growth as a person, professional, parent, and husband. It was also a period of intense struggle against forces trying to contain me. It was...

Is it time to start over? Last week, I spent a few days at a cabin near where I live. In spite of it's closeness to everything, it felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. The campground was nearly empty (it was mid-week in September after all), the weather was perfect, and there was zero chaos. My life had been nothing but chaos for a long time. Manageable, but chaotic. I needed some time to let my brain slow TF down and learn how to function without constant bombardment from life. I went...

Your GSD morning Having a productive day where you get the most important shit done, starts in the morning. And not just because you woke up and can function a little bit. It's the habits and routine that you build to create an environment that allows you to focus on getting the important shit done right away without distractions. When I lived in the Arizona desert, I had developed a rock solid morning routine that allowed me to focus on getting the important work done right away. It was...

Channel your inner simpleton Over the past couple weeks, I've found myself trying hard to keep things in my life complicated. It's what I'm familiar with. My career had been all about creating solutions to complex problems. Most of the time, the solutions were complex, too. That's just how it was for the past decade or so. I got comfortable with complexity. Anyone else in the technology or cybersecurity space will say the same thing. But now that I'm free to build my own thing, complexity is...