#1 – Why Richard Feynman (Almost) Refused the Nobel Prize
This short video offers a fascinating glimpse into the underlying motivations of one of the most brilliant scientists of the 20th Century.
In 1965, Richard Feynman received news he was being awarded the Nobel Prize.
Far from being elated, he tried to refuse the award because he felt the extra attention would distract him from actually being able to do the work he so loved to do.
But when several colleagues warned him that “the circus would be bigger if he said no“—meaning that a Nobel Prize rejection would result in even more press, phone calls, and public attention—Feynman reluctantly flew to Stockholm to accept the award.
When asked about his Nobel in an interview with the BBC 16 years later, he responded:
“I do not see that it makes any point that someone in the Swedish Academy decides that this work is noble enough to receive a prize. I have already got the prize. The prize is the pleasure of finding the thing out, the kick in the discovery, the observation that other people use it. Those are the real things. The honors are unreal to me.”
For Feynman, the process was the reward — everything else was noise.
#2 – Three Takeaways From Our First Camino Fellowship Experience
We wrapped up our first Camino Fellowship in Leon, Spain earlier this month.
This was a 5 day nature immersion combining morning workshops with afternoon walks, designed to help participants reset, create alignment, and return with a clear 12 month and 90 day plan.
Facilitation is new territory for me, so this was very much a “deep end” experience — involving 5 x 90 minute workshops across 5 days.
Although I barely slept the first night 😄, as the week went on, I found my groove, and started to enjoy the challenge and process of teaching.
This short post (357 words) shares some of my key takeaways from the experience.
#3 – Famous Last Words: An Interview with Dr. Jane Goodall
This interview was recorded with Dr. Jane Goodall in 2025.
Interestingly, she only agreed to the recording on the condition that it would be released after her death.
This gave her freedom to speak openly and honestly on controversial issues and offer her opinion on some of life’s biggest questions.
What stood out for me was her sense of calling.
From a young age, she had a deep knowing that she was put on this planet for a reason and had a purpose to fulfill while she was here.
You hear this sort of thing all the time, but when someone of Goodall’s stature and life experience shares it, the words have added weight.
Well worth a watch.
See the trailer here and the full version here.
#4 – Chronos vs Kairos Time
From a recent interview with the brilliant Dr. Anne-Laure Le Cunff, I discovered that the Ancient Greeks had 2 separate words for our experience of time.
“Chronos” refers to calendar time.
This is when we’re “on the clock” and using time towards an objective in the future.
More often than not, we feel a background sense of pressure and unease when we’re in Chronos — like time is scarce and running out.
“Kairos” refers to a deep, open, and spacious experience of time.
In Kairos moments, we feel connection, sometimes find flow, and lose the sense that time is running out or pressing against us.
Although he never directly made the connection himself, this reminded me of Martin Buber’s “I and Thou” way of relating.
Learning about this distinction was a good reminder to ensure I’m spending enough time in “Kairos mode” each day.
What about you?
1.) If you had to estimate, what would your ratio of Chronos to Kairos time be on a typical day?
2.) What would you ideally like it to be?
3.) And is there anything you can do to shift the ratio more towards your ideal?
#5 – A Study that Blew My Mind
I recently interviewed Dr. Christof Koch — a neuroscientist, professor, and entrepreneur who has spent several decades immersed in the scientific study of consciousness.
During our conversation, Koch mentioned a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2024, which examined 241 patients who had been diagnosed as being in a coma or in a vegetative/minimally conscious state.
Although these individuals were completely unresponsive during standard examinations, researchers tried an alternative approach to detect if some awareness still remained.
Patients’ brain activity was measured using an fMRI scanner and then the researchers would ask them to imagine themselves playing tennis or opening and closing their hand.
In people with normal cognitive functioning, this imagination exercise predictably activates specific brain regions involved in movement and motor planning.
So, the thinking was, that if the same activity showed up in the fMRI readings of the coma patients, it would indicate at least some level of awareness.
Incredibly, approximately 25% of the patients in a vegetative state showed the same patterns.
So, although these individuals are unable to communicate in traditional ways (speech, movement, etc), at least a quarter of them could understand instructions and intentionally use their imagination.
Researchers refer to this as “cognitive motor dissociation” — a disconnection between a conscious mind and an immobile body.
It’s still early days, but if these findings hold up, the implications are potentially enormous for end of life care, and opening up alternative lines of communication between those suffering and their loved ones.
If you want to hear Christof speak about it, the relevant section starts at 26 mins, 50 seconds here.
#6 – A 2 Minute Ritual with a Big Positive Impact
For the past few months, I’ve got into the habit of “seeding” my brain with an orienting question before going to bed at night.
When I do this, I’ve noticed a difference in the quality of my actions and experience the following day.
It’s almost like it primes my subconscious to pay attention differently, and I find my automatic tendencies are more aligned with the kind of person I want to be—beyond my default patterns and conditioning.
If you want to give it a try, here’s how it works…
Before you go to bed, come up with a question you’d like to orient your attention with the following day.
One that if you kept top of mind, would lead to a better state of being for you and those you interact with.
The question can be spiritual in nature—but it doesn’t have to be.
A few examples:
A.) If I was on my deathbed and had been granted a dying wish to come back and live one more day fully in good health—and this was that day—how would I show up?
B.) How can I be a source of light and love for those I interact with?
C.) How can I rehearse the state of being of my ideal future self?
D.) If [insert role model], we’re living through me, how would they act/be in this situation?
It doesn’t necessarily matter the specific question you use, only that it is personally meaningful for you.
For best results, I recommend changing the question each day to keep the brain engaged.
I’ve found that if I keep using the same one, the novelty wears off, and I quickly return to “default settings”.
#7 – A Book Worth Reading: Beyond Belief by Nir Eyal
This book from Nir Eyal explores the surprising extent to which our beliefs shape our experience of reality.
Early on, he tells the story of Daniel Gisler, a 55-year-old Swiss commodities trader who suffers a freak accident and requires surgery to have metal pins put into his leg.
A few years later, Gisler returns to get the pins removed.
In the meantime, he learns a technique called “hypnosedation” — a method that some people are now using to undergo surgery without anaesthesia.
So, Gisler undergoes a 55 minute procedure—involving a scalpel cutting into his flesh and metal screws being extracted from his bones—without local or general anaesthesia. Instead, he relies entirely on mental techniques to alter his experience of pain and suffering.
This is just one example of many woven throughout the book. Very interesting and readable.
