What I’m working on, baby

October edition with personal updates

Raising a baby boy

From dodging Dengue-carrying mosquitos in Costa Rica to wrestling with impossibly small onesie buttons at 2 am in the Oakland hills, raising our little boy has been a whirlwind… of laughter, haze, and adaptation. It’s reorganizing my worldview, my work, my waistline. Actually, that last bit is not quite true. I’m proud to report that I’ve got a six-pack of baby formula in the fridge and hints of one on the belly. Don’t let the haters convince you that parenting will make you out of shape.

But parenting has expanded and cracked me open in a way that, in hindsight, was perhaps inevitable. I understand now. The shared pain and joy. Our primal heritage. The weight of life. Mothers carry most of it. It is beautiful and it is hard. I have more to say on this front in an essay nearly ready for paid subscribers.

As you might have guessed, raising our sweet boy has been the primary focus this year. This explains why it’s now been 10 months since I sent one of these “What I'm working on” dispatches!

New personal website

I have a new personal website at alexolshonsky.com, and I’m quite pleased with it. Having a kid has clarified a few things for me, mostly in a desire to simplify. This led me to sunset the deepfix.co alias. While Deep Fix remains one of my most important projects, I wanted a domain that could represent all of my work, including potential future literary endeavors.

As a dude who does a few different things on an unconventional path, a common issue I encounter is that people are confused about what I do for work and how I earn my living. This new website aims to rectify that, showcasing my projects and hopefully clarifying that my primary source of income is through coaching/somatic therapy and group facilitation (if you’re interested in that, go here).

While I’m not a believer in modernity’s squashing of style and embrace of aesthetic minimalism, that’s exactly what I wanted for my personal brand on the internet. The result is something peaceful and inviting, which honestly feels more representative of my current state and goals.

If you like it, I can highly recommend my designer, whom I’ve now hired for three website projects. The logo is hand-painted and digitized by Ben Hatch, featuring my lowercase initials in a flowing, wave-like Enso circle.

Sons of Now

When I started this men’s group, my intention was more “let’s fuck around and find out” than “I’m going to create an international organization.” But as it continues to widely exceed expectations, I’m considering expanding the offering to include retreats and more groups.

Check out the new website, and please share it with any dudes in your life who could benefit from a dedicated weekly group such as this. There’s magic in meeting with the same group of guys each week who are committed to their growth and yours—it helps you step into purpose, catch your blind spots, explore healthy masculinity, and enjoy a few laughs.

Life Not Wasted

Remember that online course I created? I poured my heart into it at the start of the year, and then... baby happened. I’ve done literally zero marketing for it—not exactly a strategy I’d recommend. But now that I have more breathing room, I’m refocusing on it. The feedback thus far has been amazing, and I’m excited about improving its potential as an evergreen offering.

I’ve also come to realize that while my unique terms “Modern Addiction” and “Awakened Recovery” are valuable, what really makes this course special is its core promise:

It teaches you how to free yourself from that one monkey on your back—whether it’s alcohol, vape, weed, screens, porn, gambling, food, work, etc. But it doesn’t stop there. It shows you how to cultivate a life so joyous, you won’t need an escape.

This course distills a decade of insights from my journey as a recovering polysubstance addict and innovator in the field. Everything I’ve learned, now in a digestible self-paced format for just $250. It could maybe change your life? Take a look here.

Deep Fix Substack

The dust has settled, and I’m entering a more prolific writing phase, fueled by ecstasis and sleep deprivation. My publishing schedule is now flexible, though Friday habits die hard. Expect more podcasts with spiritual teachers and deep thinkers, plus paid subscriber exclusives on parenting and birth.

Here’s a Halloween special: 30% off annual subscriptions for LIFE.

Interviews and appearances

I’ve done some pods and whatnot this year. Here are some of my favorites.

But first, Tablet magazine reshared my viral essay twice this week to mark the October 7th anniversary. Welcome to the many new subscribers who joined because of that. I promise most of my dispatches aren’t self-promotion jams like this one.

I’m working on a longer follow-up piece regarding the war, as my thoughts have been evolving.

tabletmag

A post shared by @tabletmag

Second, I appeared on my friend

Brooks Barron

’s podcast to discuss how we initiate ourselves in a modern society lacking rituals and rites of passage. This is probably the deepest I’ve ever gone into my story.

Third, extreme athlete Ari Delashmutt hosted me on his acclaimed podcast. We started with Jonathan Haidt’s digital addiction research and broadened from there in all sorts of interesting ways.

Fourth, I recently addressed the Center of Addiction & Faith, an organization I deeply respect. Our conversation covered various aspects of my work, including men’s issues, modern addiction, psychedelics in recovery, and the essentials of healing.

Lastly, I thoroughly enjoyed my interview with

Johnny Bowman

. His unique format condenses an hour-long conversation into a concise 6-minute read.

In the coming months, I’m looking forward to talking about some of my passions beyond addiction, including meditation, awakening, sensemaking, parenting, and politics.

Thank you

Writing this newsletter and connecting with you all has been a wild ride that’s changed my life for the better in so many ways. I’m insanely grateful for your readership, support, and tolerance of my questionable witticisms.

I’d love to hear from you. Even more, I’d love for you to shower me with riches in exchange for my wordsmithing. A writer can dream, right?