Mike Vardy, Author at Mike Vardy

The Permission You’re Waiting For Doesn’t Exist

A retreat isn’t a reward for hard work — it’s part of the work. Here’s why retreat as practice matters more than retreat as place, and the five ways most people sabotage their own reentry.

A single bolt of lightning branching against a black night sky, representing the sudden jolt behind why we quit our jobs

The Moment Everything Changes: What a “Jolt” Actually Is

Anthony Klotz, who coined “the Great Resignation,” joins the show to explain what a career “jolt” actually is — and why the smartest move after one is usually to wait.

Three wooden blocks spelling AHA to highlight the aha moment verus the post highlighting the difference between an AHA and an epiphany.

Holding Loosely: Why Some Ideas Unfold and Others Unravel

Not every realization is an epiphany. Mike Vardy and Patrick Rhone break down the difference between a small aha moment and the kind of epiphany that reorganizes everything else.

An open book with mathematical notation, symbolizing the laws of thought behind human reasoning

The Laws of Thought: Why Logic Can’t Explain the Human Mind

Princeton cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths joins the show to talk about why logic fails most human decisions, David Hume’s riddle of induction, and why AI thinks in “jagged” ways we don’t.

The phrase BE HERE NOW spelled out in wooden blocks and spaced separately on a white background, emphasizing the HERE as the place between BE and NOW. All 3 are are locations more than anything else.

Now Isn’t a Moment. It’s a Location.

Gary John Bishop’s new book, Now What, argues that “now” isn’t a moment moving through time — it’s a location. Here’s why that distinction matters more than it sounds.

Wooden counter blocks on a blue background ticking down toward zero, representing the chase for inbox zero

When “Good Enough” Beats “Empty”: Rethinking What Inbox Zero Actually Measures

Inbox zero was never about the number in your inbox — it was about the space your email takes up in your head. Here’s why the goal should be “Inbox Today,” not zero.

A handwritten to-do list on a soft pink background with a single honest entry — "mainly procrastinate…" — capturing why we procrastinate even with the best intentions to get things done.

Why We Procrastinate: You Can’t Discipline Your Way Out

We treat procrastination like a willpower leak, but Robin J Emdon argues why we procrastinate is emotional — a survival instinct you can’t discipline your way past. Here’s why goals can quietly make it worse, and why a clear sense of who you’re becoming pulls you forward when motivation runs dry.

Wooden blocks with arrows pointing inward at a red bullseye, illustrating that tolerance is a range rather than one fixed target.

Tolerance Is a Range, Not a Target

We treat “tolerance” as a moral word, but it’s also an engineering one — the range of variance you’ll accept before something stops working. Mike Vardy and Patrick Rhone explore why tolerance is a range, not a target, and how knowing yours changes everything from minimalism to your next trip to Costco.

A white twin-bell alarm clock reads about 3:00 on a nightstand, sharply in focus, while a person lies awake in the blue-lit background, covering their head with a pillow — the frustration of trying too hard to sleep.

The Harder You Try to Sleep, the Worse You Sleep

The harder you try to fall asleep, the more stubbornly awake you stay. Sleep coach Shimin Ooi of Sleep Reset explains why effort backfires — and why permission, not pressure, is what finally lets rest in.