Welcome to this week’s 2-4-1 newsletter. A small pause to recharge, rethink, and reconnect.
Inside you’ll find two ideas I’m sitting with, four fun or fascinating discoveries, and one tiny step you can take to feel more like yourself this week.
Growth is easy in theory. It gets harder in community.
It feels good to gather with friends, laugh, and reconnect. It feels much harder to sit in a room full of different perspectives and try to build something meaningful together. This week reminded me that both are necessary. Connection fuels us. Coordination stretches us.
Also, quick reset: I missed last week’s newsletter. When I started this project I told myself I wouldn’t miss one. Turns out the real test isn’t perfection, it’s the gap between noticing a mistake and getting back on track.
So here we are. Let’s keep going.
2 INSIGHTS
1. Time with Friends is Good
Two weekends ago I spent time with friends. Between children, work, families, and living in different cities, it’s rare for our group to get together for an overnight event. My girlfriend coordinated a surprise birthday weekend with my old university housemates. I couldn’t have been happier.
There was no itinerary, no expectations, and no pressure. Just good food, good friends, and a lot of belly laughs.
It looks a little different than how we spent time together in university, but the depth of friendship that develops over 15+ years is priceless.
2. Coordination is Challenging
This January I began volunteering on a few committees working on projects that are near and dear to my heart. When I started, I was full of optimism. I imagined sitting in a room of like-minded people, aligning quickly, and making things happen.
It turns out that’s easier said than done.
Over the past few months I’ve been humbled by how many unique, valid, and often conflicting perspectives can exist in a room full of people who all care deeply about the same topic.
For me personally, the biggest challenge has been learning how to speak up for my ideas and advocate for what I believe would serve the group well without coming across as pushy or overbearing. I come from a strong people-pleasing background, so disagreeing, even respectfully, takes real effort.
My biggest takeaway so far is simple: I still have a lot to learn. But I’m hopeful. Growth rarely happens in comfortable rooms.
If you’ve spent time on committees or collaborative projects, I’d love to hear what helped you navigate those dynamics.
4 FUN FINDS
1. Heat Shock Proteins
I’ve long been a fan of saunas.
My first job out of university was at a high-end boutique fitness center in downtown Toronto. There was an incredible team there and I learned a lot. One of my favourite perks, though, was the steam room.
There was a sweet spot in the day between 1–3 PM when the gym would clear out and staff basically had the run of the place. After a workout, I’d sneak in for a steam. I always left feeling refreshed and reset.
It turns out there’s a good reason for that feeling.
Here’s Rhonda Patrick explaining the benefits of heat shock proteins and why heat exposure may support recovery and long-term health.
2. What Babies Might Be Telling Us
What Babies Might Be Telling Us
This article is more of a thought-provoking teaser than a definitive answer, but it explores an interesting idea. That babies may be capable of understanding and communicating far more than we typically assume.
I remember the first time someone explained that teaching a child simple sign language can allow them to communicate needs well before they are able to speak. It blew my mind. Even without language, babies are constantly observing, processing, and responding to the world around them.
Since then I’ve come across studies, articles, and plenty of anecdotal stories that continue to stretch my assumptions about what young children might be capable of.
This piece approaches the topic from the perspective of prenatal and perinatal psychology, which attempts to explore development from the baby’s point of view.
Whether or not you agree with all of the conclusions, it’s an interesting invitation to approach children with a little more curiosity.
If anyone has read more on this or similar topics, I’d love to hear about it.
3. Value of Dedication
I’ll be honest, I hadn’t heard of Eileen Gu before this year’s Olympics, and I missed a lot of the events due to a conflicting work schedule. But a patient mentioned a comment she made in an interview and I had to pass it along.
It’s a powerful message about building self-trust through repetition.
This idea really resonates with individual sports. Growing up I played soccer, volleyball, and rugby. In team sports you can lean on your teammates when needed.
But in my final year of high school I tried out for the wrestling team, and that experience gave me a real lesson in self-trust through repetition. There were a lot of failures and a few successes along the way.
I still remember the feeling of standing up after a difficult match, realizing you won the bout, and knowing it was the direct result of your own effort, focus, and toughness.
There’s something powerful about that kind of feedback loop between effort and outcome.
4. The Separation of Tasks
I first came across The Courage to Be Disliked a few years ago. It was a difficult read for me.
One of the core ideas in the book comes from Adlerian psychology and is called “the separation of tasks.” In simple terms, it means focusing on your own values and responsibilities while allowing others to own their reactions.
For someone like me who spent a lot of time people-pleasing, smoothing things over, and trying to keep the peace, that concept was honestly shocking. The idea that trying to manage someone else’s response might actually be doing both of us a disservice was hard to accept.
I haven’t done a deep dive into Adlerian psychology, so I’m sure the idea has nuances and criticisms. But it’s been a helpful lens for me. It reminds me to ask a simple question:
Am I acting from my values? Or from trying to control how others will respond?
1 REFLECTION / ACTION
Reflection: Where are you being invited to speak up with honesty and humility instead of silence or criticism?
Action:
This week, pick one conversation and do two things:
Say the thing that feels honest.
Say it without trying to win.
Pause before responding.
Speak from your perspective.
Let the other person keep theirs.
Notice what happens.
If you enjoyed this week’s 2-4-1, the best way to support the newsletter is simply to share it or leave a quick comment. Your questions and reflections shape what I write next.
Thanks for being here.
Jack