Greetings, Superfriends, and welcome to the 300th episode of the SuperHuman Academy Podcast - where, as you've probably already heard me mention in previous episodes, after nearly 6 years and 4.5 million downloads - it is my duty to inform you that this episode will be our last - at least for now. In this final chapter, I want to take a few moments to answer some of your questions, share with you how I've come to this decision, and let you all know what you can expect from me in the future. The first question that's probably on everybody's mind, I imagine, is this: Why would you stop a successful podcast? If you've been paying attention, you know that podcasting is at its all-time peak right now, with just about everybody in every market you can imagine getting into the medium. And it's only expected to grow, with people consuming more and more podcasts every single year. Of course, a lot of these new shows are destined to be part of "the long tail" - never crossing more than a thousand downloads per episode. But SuperHuman Academy, since its inception, has been a reasonably successful show - earning thousands of downloads per episode consistently throughout its 6-year run. Add to this the fact that some of our best and most interesting guests and episodes have come out in just the last year - with quite a few "superstar" guests and life-changing episodes happening in 2020. Why, then, have I decided to bring all of this to a close?! In truth, there are a lot of reasons. First, there's the "family" component. My wife and I just had our baby boy, and I've made the decision to clear off most of my calendar for a while to focus exclusively on this exciting and rewarding new adventure. The fact that I have the freedom to do this is a major blessing that I realize not many people enjoy - and I intend to take full advantage of it. But, as you can imagine, there is much more to the story than that. You see, when I first started this business - with nothing more than a simple Udemy course recorded with a webcam, it was intended to be a fun "side project" - a way to give back and earn a living while I searched for "the next big thing." I could have never anticipated that I would be where I am today, employing a full team, with over 300,000 students worldwide, bestselling books, a successful podcast, certified coaches all over the world, etc. What was intended to be a fun, lifestyle-oriented "side business" in many ways became a runaway success - and my main focus for the better part of 7 years. All of that is well and good - I have no regrets whatsoever, and of course I consider myself extremely blessed for everything this journey has done for me and for those I've touched along the way. But, in all truth, somewhere between then and now, I lost sight of what was important to me. I spent a few solid years mingling with and learning from the smartest minds in the business. And yes, there were amazing times where everything "clicked" and we were on top of the world. But since then, there have also been years of struggling - often uphill - towards endless growth and expansion, without considering whether or not it would bring me happiness (spoiler alert: it didn't). Ultimately, for the second time in my life, I found myself in a prison of my own making: working more hours than I wanted to, to build something that wasn't even my dream. As a result of this, I learned a number of very valuable life lessons: first, there's no happiness in living other people's dreams . And second, there's nothing more important than happiness - nothing. That's why, when COVID-19 struck, and a few key team members took it as an opportunity to resign and start their own businesses, rather than fighting tooth and nail to rebuild, I instead chose to view this as a huge moment of awakening - and a huge opportunity. It's funny, you know? Day in and day out in my courses, podcast, and in interviews, I talk about designing the life that best suits you, about living "a la carte" instead of "prix fixe," and about how you can create your own unique lifestyle where you work as much or as little as you want to. And sure, in many ways, my life today reflects those values and ideas. But sometimes our own advice is the easiest to forget - or, as they say in Hebrew, sometimes, the shoemaker goes barefoot. When the spell of "constant growth" wore off, I was forced to look at the plain facts: while I love this business, I love all of you, and I'm forever grateful for this entire experience… continuing to grow this business bigger and better isn't what makes me happy anymore. It doesn't challenge me or excite me like it used to. It's not what I feel compelled to do. And no amount of impact, press recognition, or money is going to change that. Similarly, another reason for stopping is that I sense that I've done all I can with the podcast. Sure, I can continue finding great guests to interview every week, but the reality is that most of the guests I've wanted to
