Mike Murphy

@schlaf LOVE this so much. I spent the past 6+ months in a period of "unwinding". My soul really needed it. I'm a little lost with where to take it as I start to step back in, it's still feeling...off. The path will unfold as the steps are taken.

Haven't posted here since March. Almost 10 months. I'm slowly returning and assessing how I want to show up in these feeds. But here's my fuller update. I'm currently in a season of radical simplification. Editing. Refining. Slowing way down in some ways and speeding up in others. In June, I made the difficult decision to stop running Downshift, the 10-week decelerator program I'd been running. We brought 36 founders, execs and creatives through it. People left with more clarity about what mattered and more permission to let go of what didn't. But I just didn't have it in me to try to scale it. Ironically, I had to downshift from Downshift. Over the summer, I took my first sabbatical since I walked away from VC. While I was in Portugal, something cracked open. I guess you could call it a spiritual opening. What followed was about two months of walking around in what I can only call a bliss state. Feeling connected to something much larger than myself. I'm still integrating and honoring what I experienced even though my feet are firmly planted on the ground again. I'm learning to hold both. The felt sense of something vast and mysterious alongside the dishes, the deadlines, the ordinary Tuesday. Right now, my attention is moving in four directions: 1. Coaching. I'm loving this and in so much flow. My practice is full. Supporting my clients navigating inflection points is becoming more and more nourishing. I've rebuilt my practice from the ground up. December will be my biggest month ever. I can't believe I get to do this work and get paid for it. So grateful for my clients. 2. Hakomi. Wrapping up year one of a 3-4 year certification with the Hakomi Institute. Hakomi is a body-centered, mindfulness-based approach to psychotherapy. You slow down, turn toward the body, and listen for what's already there. It's radically changing how I attune and hold space for everyone in my life, including all the parts of myself. 3. Buddhist study. Working with a Zen teacher whose wisdom is helping me deepen into the dharma and Theravada philosophy. I'm spending the next 12 months studying the Path of Individual Liberation by Trungpa. I'm getting better at seeing all the ways in which my ego keeps me stuck or suffering. That's progress. 4. Family. My girls are 7 and 3. Home is asking for more of my attention than ever before. For years, I resisted this, and I know this is where my biggest growth lies. Life keeps showing me that my real curriculum right now is here. In the early mornings. In the kitchen. At bedtime. With my daughters and wife. In the small, ordinary moments I used to rush past or try to push away. In this season, I'm not compulsively reading stacks of books, listening to random podcasts, scrolling social media, or trying to keep up with what everyone else is consuming. The inputs have narrowed and that feels right. Coaching, family, Hakomi, dharma. Four things. That's enough. Maybe more than enough. Not sure how much I'll post here. But I wanted to say hello. And if you're in your own season of slowing down, simplifying, or trying to figure out what actually matters, I see you.

@flairairlines dinging piles of people $89 for having a carry on. Shameless Gouging.

Be who YOU Wanna Be open.substack.com/pub/immikemurp…

Hope is Not a Strategy... open.substack.com/pub/immikemurp…

@dickiebush Probably one of the most impact posts I've seen from you Dickie (and there have been many). I'd add - be gentle with yourself as you notice and be slow to judge. Self induced pain isn't helpful.

Become a professional “noticer” Notice your thoughts Notice your behaviors Notice your ingrained beliefs Notice your strength & weaknesses Witness them from a 3rd person perspective so you can intervene & i improve them without your defensive ego getting in the way

I Gave Up open.substack.com/pub/immikemurp…

@BrettFromDJ I let a few clients go to reduce the pressure, turn off the lead gen system or introduce a waitlist system. Why? $100K/mth for 5 years = $6 mill. If you can't live the rest of your life on that, something is very wrong (and you're dead a long time).

Let’s say your design agency makes well $100K/month. You charge $5K/month. 28 active subs. It’s just you. No help. Three new calls booked daily. You cancel most just to keep up. You’ve been at this pace for 5 years Do you raise prices, hire, or drive off a cliff?

Money Won't Make You Happy...Being Broke Won't Either open.substack.com/pub/immikemurp…

@realDonaldTrump Tarriff's WILL NOT stop drug traffic or illegal immigration. Fight drugs by fighting the cartels and illegal drug manufacturers.

Most newsletters are crap with the only goal being to sell you something. Sanjay's is WAY different...newsletter.sanjaysays.co

I used to think I was depressed…turns out I was just tired of everyone’s bullshit…including my own.

Be 100% FACTUAL. It's the easiest life hack that can change everything. - If you're fat, admit you're fat - If you're broke, admit you're broke Now you've got a REAL starting pint to work from.

If you have boundaries that you flex on "just a bit here and there" you don't have boundaries.

All hat, no cattle - perfect term for coaches with many team members but not enough revenue generated to support them and the biz.

Opinions are like a**holes - everyone's got one and most stink. ____ is dead, ____ is THE biz strategy for 2025, You MUST do ____ to succeed. <-- likely all b.s.

If your prospect has questions, your offer isn't clear. If those questions offend you, your emotional intelligence needs work.

"You're just ONE funnel away bro" 🤮 Nope - if your funnel is a complicated piece of sh*t, you're many funnels away.

@OneJKMolina +No-brainer

When I see an offer with the words - Fine-tune - Nail - Actionable - Refine - Roadmap - Effortlessly - Supercharge - 10x - Master - Navigating - Authority - Practical - Innovative - Influence - Goals - Strategic - Enhanced I already know it's not going to sell.

Your guru posturing that they’ve got their sh*t together might be the same guru laying off their team. Don’t beleive everything you see on social media.