FROM THE FAM ARCHIVESWhile Dirk is finishing his upcoming book Honor Yourself, we’re revisiting some of the most meaningful newsletters from the past year.**Be sure to make it to the bottom of this email for a unique insight from Dirk's writings this week.** Good morning Reader— And welcome to the seventh issue of The FAM. We’re taking a moment to pause and have a heart-to-heart conversation this Sunday morning. I feel the need to speak directly from my heart today. To you Reader—the human...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
FROM THE FAM ARCHIVESWhile Dirk is finishing his upcoming book Honor Yourself, we’re revisiting some of the most meaningful newsletters from the past year.**Be sure to make it to the bottom of this email for a unique insight from Dirk's writings this week.** Good morning Reader— And welcome to the eleventh issue of The FAM. There seems to be an epidemic making its way through our homes, our work, even our society. More than ever, I'm hearing people tell me: "I'm tired of being tired." Not...
about 2 months ago • 8 min read
Good morning Reader, Welcome to The FAM’s 40th issue. Before anything else, I want to pause for a moment and say thank you. For the last 40 Sundays you’ve opened, replied, shared, and stayed with us along this important and personal journey. So many of you have written back with stories of challenge, courage, and growth. Others have quietly read along each week, reflecting on what it means to move from just getting by to living fully alive. Either way, you’ve been part of building this. And...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Good morning Reader, Welcome to the 39th issue of The FAM. I'm writing to you at 4:38 a.m. Eastern time from the parking lot of a Buc-ee's in Calhoun, Georgia—just 90 minutes before this lands in your inbox. Yesterday morning, I got the not-so-surprising news that my mother's health had taken what we believe is the final turn for the worse. She is beginning her final journey here with us. In the hours that followed, I rolled the RV out of storage, threw a summer's worth of clothes in the...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Good morning Reader, Welcome to the 38th issue of The FAM. There was a time in my life when I was balancing fatherhood, marriage, a growing career, working alongside my dad, and climbing the traditional path of success. I was carrying more responsibility than I knew how to name. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, I felt called to do an Ironman triathlon. Not casually. Not recreationally. All in. When I shared the idea, my boss, my mentor — my dad — said something that made perfect...
2 months ago • 6 min read
Good morning Reader, Welcome to the 37th issue of The FAM. The alarms are still there on my iPhone: 11:55 AM: Dad’s Morphine 1:55 PM: Dad’s Morphine 3:55 PM: Dad’s Morphine 5:55 PM: Dad’s Morphine 7:55 PM: Dad’s Morphine The day before, I pulled out my father’s living will and reviewed it sentence by sentence with my mother. He clearly asked for no artificial or life-sustaining support at the end. With that clarity, I made the decision to remove the oxygen that was keeping Dad’s body here....
3 months ago • 6 min read
Good morning Reader, Welcome to the 36th issue of The FAM. I was dead tired on Friday night. Not the “I need a nap” tired. The kind of tired you feel after you’ve poured your whole self into a room full of people. The day before, I facilitated a high-energy, collaborative strategic planning meeting with 100 members of the American Supply Association. As I opened and set the tone for the day, I spoke from my heart, referencing a quote from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden: “I went to the woods...
3 months ago • 8 min read
Good morning Reader, Welcome to the 34th issue of The FAM. Agency From the Latin agere - “to do,” “to act,” “to set in motion.” Later agentia - the power to make things happen. I used to hate the word “agency.” I remember sitting in a mastermind program in Franklin, TN and the coach threw it around as if it were the answer to everything, and I honestly had no idea what he meant. It felt distant, guru-speak, irrelevant to a guy running a business, raising kids, and just trying to keep all the...
3 months ago • 6 min read
Good morning Reader, Welcome to the 33rd issue of The FAM. The decision to quit drinking came to me on a quiet Saturday morning of September 7, 2024. I woke up early before the sun and watched the day come to life over the lake in our backyard. I then saw a post from Apple Fitness+ trainer Jamie-Ray - his tatted-up body on full display as his wife, and friends partied late into the night in Ibiza. Then he shared: “I'm excited to share with you why I decided to stop drinking & what helped me...
4 months ago • 8 min read