The Coach's Notes: Recent Episodes
Clay Lowe
A newsletter about the simplicity of thinking and living for those who care about living a good life.
claylowe.substack.com
Let’s get straight into it, good people. For this issue, we’re going audio. I’ve been in a podcasting mood all week. Audio is such a fabulous medium.
Here’s the track list:
-
Introduction: Podcast vibes
-
2024 is the year of the transpersonal journey for me
-
On being a guide
-
Vlogging as a spiritual practice
-
Accepting life’s unfolding
-
Beyond the mind’s voice
-
Life’s ordinary moments
-
All faith, no fear
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I’m off to help my daughter move into her new place.
Peace and Love,
Clay
postscript
The choices we make shape how we experience life. It's fascinating to me that I am the sum total of all the decisions I've made up to this point. My life reflects the paths I have chosen to walk—sometimes knowingly stepping towards growth and fulfilment, other times stumbling unawares into insight through mistakes. Every option taken or left seals the trajectory of my becoming. Though I can't undo what brought me here, I can own the choices that shaped my story. And at each new crossroad, I hold the power to steer my steps towards the life I envision.
Nothing Is As It Seems is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Get full access to Nothing Is As It Seems at claylowe.substack.com/subscribe
Is the choice of Hercules a trick question? I kind of think so, listen to find out why.
The Coach's Notes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Get full access to Nothing Is As It Seems at claylowe.substack.com/subscribe
Dear friends and fellow thinkers,
Today, we gather to explore the profound philosophy of existentialism through the lens of an unlikely source: the fictional character John Wick. The world of John Wick, filled with violence and vengeance, may seem an odd choice for such contemplation, but beneath the surface, we find deep existential themes that can illuminate our understanding of human existence.
Let’s explore.
Clay
The Coach's Notes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Shoutouts
Illustration: me in collaboration with Midjourney.
Music: from the fabulous lofi.cafe
Get full access to Nothing Is As It Seems at claylowe.substack.com/subscribe
I’m deviating slightly from our usual Friday podcast format. To supplement the podcast, I’ve included a reading assignment and some study questions for you to reflect on.
In keeping with the 6 Pillars of Self Improvement, I want to work on the intellectual growth pillar today. Hopefully you can carve out some quiet time this weekend and spend some time contemplating truth with Sir Francis Bacon.
The essay is available in the public domain in Sir Francis Bacon’s book, “The Essays or Counsels, Civil and Moral,” and can be read here. Or if you prefer, I’ve added just the essay on its own in a Google Doc. It’s 854 words, or about a 7-minute read.
Study Questions
-
How does Sir Francis Bacon define truth in the essay "Of Truth"?
-
What are the reasons Bacon provides for people preferring lies or avoiding truth? How do these reasons relate to human nature?
-
What role does the pursuit of truth play in the development of human knowledge and progress, according to Bacon?
-
How does Bacon use the metaphor of light to describe truth? What does this metaphor convey about the nature of truth?
-
How does Bacon address the relationship between truth and religion? What importance does he place on the love of truth in religious faith?
-
In what ways does Bacon argue that truth is essential for morality and cultivating virtues?
-
What are the dangers of mixing truth with falsehood or half-truths, as discussed in the essay? How can these dangers impact our understanding of reality?
-
How does the opening line of the essay, "What is truth? said jesting Pilate, and would not stay for an answer," set the tone for the rest of the piece? What does this line imply about the human relationship with truth?
-
Discuss Bacon's writing style in "Of Truth." How does his use of aphorisms, metaphors, and language contribute to the essay's overall message?
-
How does "Of Truth" reflect Bacon's broader philosophical beliefs, particularly his emphasis on empiricism and the pursuit of knowledge?
Note: I’ll share this issue of the Coach’s Notes in our group chat if you want to discuss any of these questions.
Otherwise:
And remember:
The Coach's Notes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Wisdom and Excellence,
Clay
Get full access to Nothing Is As It Seems at claylowe.substack.com/subscribe
Hello my friends and fellow seekers,
Today, I’d like to talk about a profound and universal human experience: the tension between duty and passion. As we navigate the complexities of life, we often find ourselves at a crossroads, torn between the pursuit of our deepest desires and the responsibilities that bind us to our families, communities, and societies.
This raises a few questions for me:
How does the suppression of our passions in favour of duty affect our mental and emotional well-being? What consequences might arise from choosing one over the other?
Join me on today’s Sunday secular sermon.
Clay
The Coach's Notes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
I hope you’ve been having a fabulous weekend and enjoying the Coach’s Notes. When you find a moment, go ahead and drop a comment or say hi in the chat. 🙏
Shoutouts
Illustration: me in collaboration with Midjourney.
Music: from the fabulous lofi.cafe
Get full access to Nothing Is As It Seems at claylowe.substack.com/subscribe
I want to make The Coach’s Notes a powerful force for good. My mind is swirling with ideas and thoughts on how I can bring more value to you as subscribers—both paid and non-paid subscribers.
During my self-reflection session yesterday, I remembered that the School of Life used to run an event called the Sunday Sermons. The idea was to take a secular approach to the church format.
Strictly speaking, a sermon is a speech or talk given by a religious leader or preacher during a religious service or gathering. The purpose was to offer guidance, instruction, or inspiration to the congregation or listeners based on religious teachings or principles.
My Sunday secular sermon is a riff on this idea.
This is my first one. I went for a radio DJ-style presentation. This felt more comfortable than standing up and preaching to the birds!
Anyway, I do hope you enjoy it.
Excellence and Wisdom,
Clay
Resources mentioned
The Ultimate Self-Exploration Journal. ‘Who Am I?’ and 199 Other Transformational Questions and Creative Writing Prompts for Self Reflection and Personal Enlightenment, by Gerald Confienza
drinking from the river of light, by Mark Nepo
Music by The Bootleg Boy Lofi Music app
The Coach's Notes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Thank you for reading The Coach's Notes. This post is public, so feel free to share it.
Get full access to Nothing Is As It Seems at claylowe.substack.com/subscribe
Listen to the audio and jot down 20 words that describe you, without overthinking or filtering. Then, label each word as positive (P) or negative (N).
Afterwards, reflect on why you believe these things to be true and ask yourself if they're really true. Challenge any negative beliefs that aren't benefiting you.
Let me know how it goes. If you have questions, I’ll run a Q&A discussion thread on Wednesday and answer any questions.
Until then,
Excellence and Wisdom,
Clay
The Coach's Notes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Coaching Experience Call
Are you ready to take your personal or professional life to the next level? Or do you have a problem you're trying to solve but can't see a way forward? Perhaps you feel stuck and are looking for some clarity to help you get unstuck.
Come coach with me. My 45-minute free coaching experience call is the perfect opportunity to explore your goals, challenges, and aspirations with a professional coach.
Get full access to Nothing Is As It Seems at claylowe.substack.com/subscribe
The Coach’s Notes #47
Okay, so Coach’s Notes #47. And I'm going to do this intro using voice to text on the Mac, which is a good thing because I can't really use my right hand just yet.
If you've been following me on the social web you'll know that I spent the last several days in the hospital fighting an infection in my right hand from a stinking cat bite!
On this episode, i'll spill the beans on how I almost got taken out by a cat. To think, I survived 11 years in the infantry with barely a scratch, only to be taking down by a fluffy little cat!
Peace and love,
Clay
Word of mouth is the best way to get my work out into the wild and help me grow. If you like The Coach’s Notes, please share it? New folks can subscribe here.
Subscribe at claylowe.substack.com
The Coach’s Notes #44
My brain is crammed full.
There are so many ideas banging around in there that it’s almost too noisy to make sense of anything. I did managed to quiet the noise long enough to squeeze out an episode for you.
I’m off to Munich tomorrow for a short stay. So among other things tonight, I need to pack. Anyway, I hope your week is going well (I know it’s only Tuesday, but dang it sure feels like it’s at least Thursday already!)
Here’s my new talisman that I talk about in the episode:
Enjoy.
Peace and love to you,
Clay
Word of mouth is the best way to get my work out into the wild and help me grow. If you like The Coach’s Notes, please share it? New folks can subscribe here.
P.S. Remember this one:
Subscribe at claylowe.substack.com
The Coach’s Notes #41
It’s been a fun day. Lots of Jedi mind tricks and stuff. In this episode, I unpack culture of conformity discussion we had on the FaceBook Page, and I get into the whole mind tripping idea that you can never really know another person, not even yourself! The three books I mention in this episode are:
Tunnel Vision, by Christopher Ross
The Heart of the Matter, by Graham Greene
Exercise in Style, by Raymond Queneau
Enjoy.
Peace and love,
Clay
Subscribe at claylowe.substack.com
The Coach’s Notes #38 audio edition
It is Eric Arthur Blair aka George Orwell’s birthday today. Each year, a group of us head to Sutton Courtenay to All Saint’s Church to visit his grave and hold a symposium on the state of affairs of security and privacy and general Big Brother style controls.
The weather didn’t play nice today, but in true British fashion, we soldiered on, had our picnic in the rain, and discussed some on the potential threats associated with big data. @Documentally recorded it. Once he puts it up, I’ll share the link with you.
Peace and love to you,
Clay
Subscribe at claylowe.substack.com
The Coach’s Notes #35
Ok so here we go with the audio edition of The Notes. In this episode, I get into an article written by Tristan Harris, the ex-Google design ethicist who is on a mission to answer the question:
“How do you ethically steer the thoughts and actions of two billion people’s minds every day?”
That’s a tall order question. One that Harris tackles with eloquence and passion. Tristan Harris is definitely a big deal. Rolling Stone magazine him named him one of 25 people shaping the world.
Hope you enjoy this episode. Hit reply and let me know what you think.
I’ve been in mood for making collages lately, so here’s one I did this week:
Peace and love to you,
Clay
And if the spirit moves you, ‘like’ and share this issue of the Notes. Also let your network know they can subscribe here.
Subscribe at claylowe.substack.com
And this here is reason number 2 of why I’ve switched to Substack as my newsletter delivery platform. Being able to embed audio directly into the newsletter as oppose to linking out to the episode is pretty nifty.
Here’s the thing, Substack is aimed at creators, not marketers. If you’re in the newsletter game for marketing your products and services, then you’re better off sticking with the likes of Mailchimp, which has way more marketing focused power than Substack.
But if you’re into creating content that you’d like to get paid for directly, then Substack might be a better platform for you.
Let me know what you think about email as a delivery platform for consuming your favourite creator’s audio content.
Clay
Subscribe at claylowe.substack.com