For all the times you've checked your tracking device to find your sleep score is still not in the 90s, your RHR is way too high, and your HRV is not ambitious enough, the wellness industry is finally ready to let you off the hook.

This week: We're navigating a shift from the psychological burden of over-optimization to systemic safety and "treatonomics," while exploring the nature of happiness, and putting Sam Altman's billion dollar solopreneur predictions to the test.

Plus: If you only click on one thing this week, watch the video. I promise it will be worth it.

💡 THE BIG IDEA

Happiness Is Two Scales

Have you ever thought to yourself, when I fix this thing, then I'll be happy.

Or, I just need to get through this week, then things will get back to normal, then I'll be happy.

First, congratulations on surviving the week.

Second, Uri has some thoughts on why the happiness that you promised yourself hasn't arrived yet.

He suggests that happiness and unhappiness aren't opposites at all, but two independent systems running simultaneously.

Under this framework, you could experience both intense joy and profound stress at the same time. Anyone juggling a demanding startup knows this paradox intimately—exhilarated by the mission, exhausted by the execution.

The solution, he suggests, is to start by diagnosing whether you're dealing with an excess of unhappiness, or a lack of happiness.

Removing unhappiness is a maintenance task, building happiness is a creative one.

Fire your toxic co-founder? That stops the bleeding. But it doesn't create the fulfillment of building something meaningful with someone you trust.

Leave the job that's grinding you down? Relief, yes. Purpose? That's a separate project.

You can't solve for happiness by only subtracting misery. You need to add joy as well.

The void is not your friend.

📈 PULSE CHECK

🤝 PARTNERSHIPS & THE STAG HUNT

The Template That Made Sure My Co-Founder and I Were Perfect Partners

​Sam Parr is building Hampton, which is the more established, well-funded, profit-making version of some of what I'm trying to do with care/of.

I could look at it as "someone's already done it, there goes my unicorn," or I could consider it proof of concept, and chug along with my version.

You already know what I chose to do.

Anyway, in the spirit of stealing like an artist, I found this template that he used to evaluate both his co-founder and his then girlfriend, now wife to decide whether or not to continue either relationship.

He's happily married and happily turning down revenue with Hampton.

Do with that information what you will.

🌐 COMMUNITY & BELONGING

To Be Seen or To Be Real: Navigating Reciprocity in the Algorithm Age

I was on a date once, at Xenson's Gallery, and we were looking at the art and taking photos and waiting to see which of the pieces would "speak" to us, when I caught myself thinking of something else:

I need to capture a work-appropriate version for my weekly report.

Remote teams really be doing the most in the name of culture, but I digress.

​Hanrui Zhang writes about this phenomenon, calling it "algorithmic pressure."

Liking someone's post, not because it is meaningful, but because the person engaged with yours recently. Timing your posts for engagement. Refreshing the page to see the numbers coming in.

"We say 'I don't care what anyone thinks,' and then wait to see who responds."

The problem is not just that we're spending too much time online or performing care for "algorithmic maintenance."

It's that we're starting to optimize ourselves in real life, applying filters to our thoughts, actions, experiences, even.

Checking to see if a moment would receive online engagement as opposed to how it feels to us in real time.

We're not just creating content, we're becoming content.

And while it can be argued that content is not necessarily a bad thing, the author reminds us that “our attention, how we give it, who we give it to, is still ours to reclaim.”

Before you feed the content machine, make sure you're feeding your soul. Living your life. Looking for real-life fulfillment above (or at least before) fleeting online virality.

🎭 CULTURE & CREATIVITY

Video: The Art of Creative Recombination

Sometimes the best ideas come from weird mixes you didn't know you needed.

I first discovered this video in a Tim Ferriss newsletter years and years ago.

It's a surreal blend of documentary, comedy, craftsmanship, and treasure hunt.

The perfect demonstration that your unique combination of interests isn't a distraction.

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What looks like scattered curiosity from the outside is often pattern recognition.

The ability to see connections across domains, to recombine ideas in unexpected ways, to refuse the tyranny of staying in your lane.

This is how innovation actually works—not through narrow specialization, but through unlikely adjacencies.

The lesson: Lean into your weird mix. That's where the magic is.

🏝️ LIFESTYLE DESIGN

The Over-Optimization Backlash: Pushing Back on Peak Wellness

The wellness industry is effectively admitting its own burnout.

​Global Wellness Summit’s 2026 report signals a pivot away from performing wellness—tracking every bio-metric and chasing optimization—toward the management of systemic safety.

Also interesting to note: neurowellness, disaster readiness, and the festivalization of wellness.

Little Treats as Economic Strategy

Away from the summit and into the world of social media, we're witnessing a similar shift in how people are choosing to spend their money.

​Treatonomics—also called "Little Treat Culture" on TikTok—captures this perfectly.

Instead of investing in the future self (gym memberships, courses, therapy), people are investing in the present self (nice coffee, small experiences, moments of delight).

​Meredith Smith at Kantar, a market research firm, explains: "This rise of 'Treatonomics' is less about 'guilty pleasures' and instead about injecting moments of guilt-free joy into life."

Not self-indulgence, self-preservation. Regeneration. Small, restorative breaks from the hustle so you can live to fight another day.

🚀 THE UPSIDE

As More Founders Aim To Build Billion-Dollar, One-Person Businesses, New Research Points To High-Potential Niches

The goal for a new generation of founders is no longer a massive headcount, but the solo billion-dollar company predicted by Sam Altman.

​A new report identifies exactly where that's possible. Researchers Engin Caglar and Bernd Lapp studied over 800 S&P firms and high-growth startups and extracted 50 specific "AI-native blueprints" that point to genuine solopreneur opportunities.

📍 PLACES & EXPERIENCES

➕ ONE TO FOLLOW

Mkamzee Chao Mwatela — Award-Winning Actress, Screenwriter, and Creative Strategist, Nairobi, Kenya

A seminal figure in East African television, Mwatela has evolved from a celebrated screen icon into a strategic architect of global-reaching African narratives.

Background:

Mkamzee Chao Mwatela is a powerhouse of the Kenyan creative industry, widely recognized for her transformative performances in television and film. She rose to national prominence through her role as the formidable Usha in the hit series 'Mali,' a performance that earned her the Kalasha Award for Best Lead Actress.

Educated at the State University of New York (SUNY) Buffalo, Mwatela brings a rigorous, academic foundation to her craft, which spans acting, directing, and screenwriting.

Her career is a testament to the maturation of the Kenyan film sector, as she has moved from local stage productions to writing and casting for major international platforms. Most recently, she served as a screenwriter and casting director for 'Country Queen,' the first Kenyan Netflix original series. This role highlights her transition into the strategic side of media, where she shapes how African stories are packaged and presented to a global audience.

Perspective:

Mwatela advocates for the 'professionalization of the passion,' believing that the creative industry must be built on technical excellence and intellectual depth rather than just talent. She views storytelling as a critical tool for societal reflection, specifically focusing on the intersection of modern corporate culture and traditional Kenyan values.

Why she matters:

Her trajectory signals an evolution of impact within the African creative class. By moving into creator and strategist roles for global entities like Netflix, she exemplifies the shift from regional stardom to becoming a global creative executive who influences the narrative of the continent and the expansion of the creative-consultant model.

Why you should know her:

Mwatela provides a blueprint for leveraging specialized artistic mastery into broader strategic leadership and international consulting roles.

Links: Wikipedia | IMDb | Daily Nation​