2025 Year in Review: Presence versus Performance

This year hit me like a bulldozer. There was no amount of reading and research that could have prepared me for this level of intensity, and I want to start this annual review by saying thank you. I’m grateful to my body and brain for mostly holding up. I’m grateful I have access to spaces and tools such as psychedelic medicine, ecstatic dance, and entrepreneur retreats that have helped support my mental health throughout this journey. Most of all, I’m grateful to the people in my life - my family, friends, colleagues, and the entire Ness Labs community - who all showed up in wonderful ways this year. So much happened, but here’s a quick bullet-point overview before I dive in: Published my first book, , which is being translated into 18 languages. Tiny Experiments Recorded over 100 podcast episodes, including 60 in the lead-up to the book launch (which I do not recommend, more on that later). Gave dozens of keynotes and lectures with audiences ranging from 10 people to 1000+ including at the University of Oxford, TEDx, SXSW, Talks@Google, Harvard Alumni, and Creative Mornings, and got signed by a public speaking agency. Produced my first premium course in a studio with a live cohort of leaders. Received $200k in research funding from the UK government and led data collection for four research studies that are awaiting publication. Went to Burning Man, where my parents renewed their vows and my dad almost died . Connected more to the plant world: completed a 9-month herbalism training, made my first tinctures, went on several guided foraging walks, and I managed to keep a plant alive for more than 12 months (a beautiful orchid I named Rocky). Co-organized a mushroom ceremony for loved ones. Opened up publicly about my ADHD diagnosis . Looking through my calendar, I’m shocked at how many cities I visited this year: Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore, New York, Las Vegas, Boston, Boise, Atlanta, Nashville, Oslo, Amsterdam, Marseille, Zürich, Istanbul, the Black Forest in Germany, and I spent almost two months living out of an Airstream in Austin. I also got to visit more of the UK, including Leeds, Lancaster, Driffield, Osea Island, and the New Forest. Other highlights I don’t want to forget: had my PhD graduation ceremony , joined the reMarkable scientific advisory board , became a contributor for Big Think , downsized the Ness Labs team, and got to meet lots of authors, researchers, and entrepreneurs I admire. I also danced in a sauna, hosted dinners at home, and went on a big hike in Brittany with my parents and siblings for my mom’s 70th birthday. Building a digital immune system I consider myself a child of the internet. As a teenager, I had a hand-coded blog and a community of online friends from all over the world, whom I’d only ever communicated with in writing via phpBB forums and our ‘blogring’ (remember those?). Although I had a bunch of odd jobs when I was younger,...

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