I'm writing this from Clearwater, Florida.

The rest of the country is under a deep freeze. Here, it's cool - 50 degrees - but with clear skies and sun. We got lucky. 75 degrees when we hit Busch Gardens to start the trip. Bethany, Anna, and Trevor are with us. We're here to be present. To play.

Yesterday, we went to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

There's a sign there. Big, bold, impossible to miss.

"IMPORTANCE OF PLAY"

It talks about how play is integral to cognitive, social, and physical health. How it's necessary for rehabilitation animals to have opportunities to play.

I stood there reading it, and something clicked.

You have to play to get this.

Not just with dolphins. With life. With business. With who you are.

Since I sent last week's issue about convincing energy, I haven't stopped thinking about it.

In fact, I've gone much, much deeper.

And the person who's been helping me see this more clearly is someone you should know.

I need to tell you about my business partner, Brandon Boyd.

Brandon and I have co-owned Feedstories together since 2016.

Feedstories is a video storytelling company. We specialize in creating long-form video stories to help founders share their strategic stories with the marketplace.

But here's what we don't advertise enough:

We are rooted in attraction energy, not convincing energy.

Our videos aren't created to show why a founder is awesome. They're created to share more of who a founder and their company are.

It's alignment versus "look at me" energy.

We often rely on customer stories to "brag" about our clients on their behalf, because when someone else says it, it's not convincing. It's evidence.

Brandon and I have been talking a lot lately about how marketing has fundamentally changed.

We believe we're still on the forefront of this shift, but most people haven't caught up yet.

Brandon uses an image from The Matrix to explain it.

There's a scene where Morpheus tells Neo: "Let me tell you why you are here."

Not "let me convince you to work with me."

Not "here are 20 testimonials proving I'm worth it."

"Let me tell you why you are here."

Brandon says we're shifting to a time where businesses will have to focus on alignment over convincing.

"Let me tell you why you are here" energy versus "here's why you should do business with me" energy.

And when I heard that, I realized...

That's what I've been doing in every coaching conversation for years.

I help people remember who they are. And when they remember who they are, they understand why they're here. And when they understand why they're here, the next steps become obvious.

But I haven't been doing that with my own marketing.

I've been trying to convince people I'm worth it.

I'm also one of the early readers of Brandon's forthcoming book, Undomesticated.

It's a book I've been encouraging him to write for years. But it's only now been possible to produce because it's finally lined up with his life's events.

I think it's world-changing for those who need it, and I can't wait to share it with you when it's ready for the public later this year.

I'm honored to be writing the foreword.

The book is rooted in the theme of Architect and Player. The same framework we've been exploring in this space over the past year.

Most of us have been domesticated. Trained to fit into structures that weren't built for us. To play in someone else's game. Taught to perform, to convince, to prove.

Undomesticated is about becoming both architect and player of your own game. Reclaiming your wild. Your natural state. The version of you that doesn't need to be convinced of anything because you already know.

Here's what I'm doing differently.

I'm refocusing my business around alignment with fewer people instead of reaching the masses.

Not because I'm exclusive or elite.

Because I'm finally being honest about how my business actually works.

The people I end up working with are people I know, people who are referred by people I know, or people who have had an experience with me and gotten to know me.

That's it.

Those relationships aren't built through convincing.

They're built through alignment.

So why am I telling you this?

Not to convince you to hire me.

Not to prove I'm worth it.

But because if you're reading this, there's probably something here that resonates.

Maybe it's the exhaustion of convincing energy.
Maybe it's misalignment you can't quite name yet.
Maybe it's the terror and liberation of doing less with more intention.

I don't know if any of that lands for you.

But if it does, you'll know.

And if it doesn't, that's okay too.

I'm not here to convince you.

I'm here to share who I am.

And maybe, in doing so, remind you of who you are.

Until next week,
-Coach Reg