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Introducing my New Substack: Permission to Chill

Mar 26, 2025

This Substack has evolved! Tiny, bold moves is now Permission To Chill. With all of the (positive, sweeping) changes since my India trip— Today’s the day! 🥳

Go grab a warm cup of something, and dig in! Giving ourselves Permission to Chill in crazy times can feel counterintuitive. It may sound melodramatic, but what I’m about to share is the most crucial teaching I can lay on you. Thanks for being here. Times are unsettling. It’s time to chill.

A Gobsmacking Parting Gift

My peak moment in India came on the final weekend. It wasn’t my baptism in the three rivers at the Maha Kumbh Mela— which I learned was a once in a 144-years event, and the largest gathering in the history of the world. 450 million humans. There were many epic moments, but the best came last. By the end of the six weeks, I was both blissed out and tired of repacking. Every day was full of heart-expanding and mind-blowing moments. Now we were wrapping in the Himalayas, with pristine silence and breathtaking views. We stayed in an ashram in Dwarahat, and meditated between 2-4 hours per day.

I joined my friend Joe for a private hike up Pandukholi mountain. If there is a single mountain to thank as the origin of modern yoga, this would be it. It’s named for the Pandavas, heroic princes who were first exiled here before the epic battle of The Bhagavad Gita. The Gita is the foundational scripture for yoga and Hinduism for good reason. It documents both a historic battle, and also our daily internal battle— between consciousness, and unconsciousness. Between our higher selves, and our default settings. Between our mighty soul, and these troublesome, perishable little bodies. The Gita has inspired thousands of years of peace, presence, and spiritual practice in India.

My last major box to check was to meditate in Babaji’s cave. Mahavatar Babaji is known as a supreme deathless guru. That’s right, deathless. Documented sightings of Babaji date back as far as the 1860s, and as recent as the 1970s. He always appears to be “a youth of twenty-five.” Modern yoga and meditation has Babaji to thank, because he appeared in this cave to Lahiri Mahasaya in 1861. Up to that point, yoga knowledge was largely barred from everyday people. In this cave, a profound gift of spiritual liberation was given back to humanity. Lahiri went home to Varanasi and started awakening disciples, night and day. These included Yogananda’s parents and his guru Yukteswar— all of whom prepared Yogananda to bring yoga to America.

“…so, in 1861 the celestial river of Kriya Yoga began to flow from the secret fastnesses of the Himalayas into the dusty haunts of men.”

Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi

Our lives are links in that chain

That river of light still flows from that cave today. I certainly felt it. When we sit on our cushions, or stretch out on our mats, we step into that river. I practiced so much yoga in my travels that when I’m not, it’s like I don’t know what yoga is. Practice is the only medicine. Without practice, yoga is philosophy and posters of flexible people. As a kid, I cram practiced piano so I wouldn’t embarrass myself with my teacher. As a man, I’ve fallen deeply in love with practice. Not just for the break it gives us either. Practice is an end in itself— and daily as a coach, I witness the practice of building dreams, and empires. And as an artist, practice pulls rabbits from the ether.

Love goes before us

I hiked an hour up from the road. The largest, flowering Rhododendron trees showered all paths with deep red petals. The cave, near the very top of the foothills was drawing us like a tractor beam. Everything was sparkling in slow motion. Sun soaked everything. It still chokes me up to go back there. God saying, “You’ve fought so hard for any glimpse of Heaven. Take it all in. Remember this. Know Me.” The vibration inside the cave was undeniably Babaji’s: A deeply percolating Divine Love.

Like Yogananda, Babaji is an incarnation of love. Though he wasn’t physically present that day, the pulsing energy was love of the highest order— for any visitors, for all of humanity, and for his beloved disciple who fulfilled the mission given to him here. A massive flood of love I now picture as the Byfrost in the Thor films. Like a rainbow canon. We sat to meditate for what felt like five minutes. It turned out to be 90.

When faced with all-powerful, unconditional love, tears are going to flow. Mine pour down as grace. I just can’t believe this path finds so many of us. It has saved my life countless times, as recently as last year.

And it’s just beginning to fuel my own own global mission. That brings me to Permission to Chill— our new Substack.

“Through the endless slipstream of information,
pause is our sword, and our shield.”

Kristoffer Carter, Permission to Glow pg 58

Now’s the Time

Now more than ever, we need to hit pause. Not because we don’t know what we’re doing. We meditate to get clear on where our hearts are, then act accordingly.

Our problems feel way too big these days. Social media, and the media machine amplify everything we already worry about. It was a gift to meditate 1-3 hours every day in India. Of course, all our meals and nice rooms were already paid for. I realize what a privileged bubble that may sound like.

Since returning two weeks ago though, I can’t stop. In fact many days, my spiritual practice has increased to (gulp) 3-6 hours per day. On top of running our business and raising kids. Am I just avoiding responsibility? Hiding from the enormity of moving on with my life? Maybe.

Yet, these two related messages keep showing up:

I was daunted by reentry into our social and political cluster. Everywhere, in all types of people I feel immense pain, powerlessness, outrage, and grief. Both sides, all sides, all ages.

India taught me what I’ve always wanted to believe, yet needed proof:

The Medicine we seek: feeling at peace, the courage to love ourselves, and everyone else (as is), the audacity to Dream Big in a troubled world, to unleash our Purpose… That Medicine has always been inside us.

We Need Permission to Chill

We must make time to give ourselves the medicine. No one will do it for us. Externals keep us glued to the three-fold suffering of isolation, comparison, and powerlessness.

As an entrepreneur, and as a Dad raising three kids in a world thick with uncertainty, I gotta tell ya: It’s one thing to beg for reassurance through prayer. It’s an entirely different energy to sit down, and not get up until you feel deep, peaceful reassurance from inside yourself. Even better, to sit in a roomful of likeminded souls. Do you feel the potential of that power? This is the power we claim, showing up to the gym daily, to our mat, or the meditation cushion. Notice I said daily.

How long you meditated on your last retreat means nothing. All that matters is how consistently you’ve meditated since. Consistency over duration. Tree pose on Instagram doesn’t make you a yogi. It’s the compounding benefits of that asana over time, rewiring our bodies, hearts, and minds.

This will be easier than you think

I couldn’t sit still for 3 minutes when I started meditating. Over the last 12 years, I’ve helped thousands of people create an airtight, daily meditation practice. Like many of us, my practice took a major hit since the pandemic.

Here’s the crazy thing. It’s exactly these uncertain, batshit times that make creating the practice easier than ever before. Why? Anytime you make time (even a minute), you will notice the tiniest difference. The harder it feels out there, the more immediate relief we can create in here.

You may have heard the often misunderstood Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and ‘know that I am God.” Our goal is to practice, so you know that YOU are also a wave on an Infinite ocean of bliss. Still and chill yourself, so you too know that you are extension of the Infinite. That is yoga. Not the pants, or the accessories.

“But I can’t slow down! I’ll fall behind.” 😩
Improve Performance, Creativity, and Focus:

Focus Boosts Productivity: Multitasking can cut productivity by up to 40% (APA). Slowing down to focus on one task leads to faster, better work.
Meditation Raises Productivity 120%: University of Washington research shows regular meditation boosts productivity through better focus and lower stress.
Mindfulness Increases Efficiency: Psychological Science found mindfulness improves cognitive function, raising task efficiency by 50%.
Mindfulness Elevates Satisfaction and Output: University of Massachusetts study shows mindfulness increases work satisfaction by 31%, improving results and reducing burnout.
Rest Improves Performance: NIH research shows proper rest boosts cognitive performance by 20–30%, proving breaks enhance productivity.
Breaks Boost Output: DeskTime found the most productive workers take breaks every 52 minutes, showing downtime drives results.
Less Stress, More Creativity: Journal of Experimental Psychology found stress-reduction techniques like meditation increase creativity by 22%.
Lower Stress, Faster Decisions: Journal of Behavioral Decision Making found low stress improves speed and quality of decision-making.

1. Why the change to Permission to Chill?

My former Substack Tiny, Bold Moves is now called Permission to Chill. This is a deeper dive into Permission 1 from my book Permission to Glow. “Quieting the mind has launched many epic quests!”

Up near Babaji’s cave, I was shown that I’ve been blessed with a two-sided coin. On one side is grace, which for me is serving humanity through yoga. I’m usually grateful and amazed: “Yoga has plans for me!?!” The other side is shame. Childhood trauma led to addiction, and the end of my marriage. And thankfully, to recovery. Permission to Chill is the pause before jumping into what’s next. Meditation helps us love both sides of the coin.

We can’t find the grace, or joy in our lives without facing the depths of our pain.

I repeatedly learn— when we give ourselves Permission to Chill, a wider, softer space opens.
We savor our own little slice of heaven in this chaotic, troubled world. And we love the ride, because we’re not, and have never been alone.

2. Permission to Chill is a community.

Like many of my great coaches and teachers, I don't drop by. I move in. Every high-performing entrepreneur, artist, or athlete, has circles of support around them. Community is about lifting others as we climb. This means sharing and up-leveling your practice. Dream of launching your book, podcast, yoga training or coaching practice? We got you. Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice is perfect.

This is a space for inclusive, open curiosity and learning. A space to share with one another, to nudge and question one another, as we circle up around common topics. Permission to Chill is a conversation about what works, what doesn't, and how to persevere. Picture the spiciest chai on a cozy morning with all your high-vibe homies.

3. Every Tuesday you will receive:

A free note in your inbox. Tiny, bold packages of epic wisdom. Along with helpful tools, reframes, or guided meditations. All designed and edited to be crisp, and actionable.

Weekly notes will include personal stories of wild client shifts, or our own breakthroughs in entrepreneurship, writing, or speaking. The goal is to help you cut the crap, and do your highest, purpose-driven work.

You can also access the page at any time to read the full archives of public posts as they’re published. The Substack app is also pretty sweet. Their Notes function is like Twitter, without the sewer of bots and misinformation. Real humans caring about other real humans. Can you imagine?

Thank you for the kind notes below. These are tough, strange times for many. Unless it’s a simple Heck Yes, please don’t feel pressure to join as a paid subscriber. We invite those unable to pay, who want to engage, to please contact us. We will offer periodic scholarships. Here’s a short list of additional value.

Paid subscribers get:

Ability to comment and join in!
My weekly newsletter, where I teach meditation, and write about sobriety, breakthroughs in self-love, and other things I find to be dope.
Meditation Toolkit - 4 Steps to set up your phone and your habits
Next Community Class - Third Thursday of each month, starting 4/17
Art of Chill - Immersive audio, music and more ❤️
Science of Chill - Condensed research + neuroscience 🧠
My full archive with Table of Contents

Finally, our sincere appreciation for supporting and sustaining this work. A portion of which goes toward making coaching more accessible in all communities.

What could 15-30 minutes a day of stillness make possible in your life?

How about all you create?

Share where you’re from below. Better yet— How would you rate your ability to Chill?

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