I’ve had the happiest past 6 months of my life.
And in this state that I’m currently in, it feels strange to want to change.
But this happy story all starts July last year. When things were not so happy.
I burnt out.
I crashed out.
I quit a dream job.
I packed it all up. Working as a marketing director. Working in the online space. Being surrounded by AI conversations and endless numbers and spreadsheets and pressures of more, more, more.
Completing projects faster. Obsessing over the details in terms of hooks and headlines and percentage improvements that I felt like mattered.
The reason I quit, well, there was a build up of frustrations, more and more work, feeling swallowed and powerless in my role.
Everything came crashing down around me both in my personal life and in my ‘career’ (I guess you can call it that).
This is not going to be a full story but just to glimpse into the beginning.
The beginning of something new.
The beginning of the next stage of my life.
The following few months after wrapping out in my role I started a job in a cafe.
Back to my roots from years before I started my own business or got into marketing.
And I made friends, some of the best I have made as an adult.
I made connections with people who have changed my life for good. I deepened relationships, I had time, I enjoyed the chaos of working only 3-4 days a week. And having 0 responsibilities.
But last week there was a trigger, a final call out.
A friend reached out to me and asked if I have that template I mentioned for managing cash as a business owner?
I set it up, and sent it over.
I’ve always wanted to be able to help people like this.
And I know this sounds broad and kind of obvious and a bit wanky, but it’s a true feeling statement.
While I was riding my bike in Japan 2 months ago. I rode for nine days from Fuji to Hiroshima.
And when I got back to Tokyo and I was chilling in my Airbnb thinking about, you know, what’s next and being reflective.
I was making a voice note on my phone just thinking aloud. And it hit me that I already have all of the things that I want to do.
All the pieces.
I have already thought about doing this over 2 years ago. And didn’t commit.
I have done the thinking and a lot of the planning and understanding what’s needed to start.
What was left to do to start?
If not to just rise from the ashes.
I know the way that I want to teach and what I want to teach.
I know that this area of knowledge I’m so passionate about because they’ve helped me so much shape my life.
Shaped my world and kept me on the path to the life I’ve always wanted.
There’s so many tools that I’ve learned over the last seven years of working in business that I’ve picked up. Either from mentors, either from books, from creators, from Youtube.
From my 4 years sitting in on board meetings. Or building an education product in my previous job.
I’ve probably spent an unhealthy amount of time working in this area.
So now it’s time to share everything on the internet. And this newsletter is the heart of the phoenix.
I want to frame this differently from other self help, productivity.
I see that people feel ashamed especially in Australia for trying. That effort or action is seen as you are acting superior to everyone. It’s a strange quirk of living here.
I want to frame it for just anybody. And obviously not anybody, but you don’t have to be a hustle bro, you don’t have to be trying to build a business.
You might just be somebody that’s in a career that wants to grow to the next level of higher pay but lower contact hours.
You might just be somebody that’s currently working in hospitality and just wants to get their first big job and move industries.
You can be in any place of life. Building a business or otherwise. These tools and ideas will apply.
But just having a desire for a future is not where you are currently not headed for.
It’s for someone that wants to change and has that desire within them.
The philosophy that I have, these protocols that I have are perfect for anybody that wants to take the leap.
Somebody that wants to move forward.
Somebody that is honest with themselves and knows that their path is their own.
AND most importantly doesn’t want to live someone else’s dream.
That’s it, that really is the niche.
The desire to change, grow, and live your own life.
So this is a brand new beginning. Welcome, to the very thing that I’ve just been sitting on and wanted to share for so long.
It too is time, for me, to change.
During this, I’m going to share as much as possible.
My process, my backstory, the lessons on the path to also building my own Essential Life.
I’ve gone through many goal setting, visioning, planning sessions over the last 8 years. After deep reflections and conversations with friends.
I’ve known that this is what I wanted to do.
Why?
Because one, it keeps coming back up. Because it combines areas I love. Because it fills me with meaning.
It has popped up on my list for over 5 years.
I want to be able to create.
I find writing fascinating, and challenging.
I find making videos really fun.
I find education and story telling a driving force for change in the world.
For me education is just synthesising information that I’ve already learned and applied and then sharing and packaging it and telling a story. It encompasses all the things that I already like.
I’m never going to be the expert, but I am the person who will learn, research, apply and reflect.
Then shared the results.
So to me a newsletter and Youtube together makes the most sense.
I expect nothing from this process other than the repetition and skills it teaches me.
I’m making these newsletters because the challenge improves my skills, brings me joy, and lets me synthesis and reflect away with a place for those thoughts to live.
One day there could be monetisation of this somehow, a course or a group program.
For now this is just about me condensing my thoughts, learning and building in public.
And for once I know that this is correct and that I think to do it because there was the massive reason why I crashed out last time in my other role.
It was the lack of care, the lack of connection.
I was driven exclusively by what I thought I should be doing.
And what I thought other people would think I should do.
All the while ignoring the actions on my Essential Life plan.
Saying, I’ll get to it one day. Just not right now, I am not ready.
Which was a recipe for burnout.
Exactly what I cooked up.
What can you expect?
If you are interested in:
Living a life that is truly your own
Find purpose in the day to day work you do
Feel a sense a peace you are working towards your Essential Life
Practical systems to design your time, money, and direction.
Feeling the joy that comes to one that is living intentionally
Templates and tutorials, to accelerate you to living your life
Follow someone building it in real time, not teaching from hindsight
If you said yes to any of the above, there’s going to be a lot in here for you.
For me,
This is step one of me completing my dream.
This is step one of me building my own Essential Life, the life that I want to live.
So here’s to many more newsletters.
And here’s the start of a journey.
Stay connected, subscribe, whatever it is you have to do to save this.
Liam
First published on Substack, 9 July 2026.