Our Best Posts on Happiness and Living Well

Raise your hand if you hate seeing these things go down? Here’s some bad news, they don’t always go up. New to RadReads? Hi, I’m Khe Hy. Nearly a decade ago I quit my 7-figure job on Wall Street to become a writer. I explore topics like money, happiness, ambition, relationships, productivity and more. I […]

I am a happy person. I’m an optimist who sees the glass as half-full. I’m patient. And I don’t really get mad often. That should make me “happy,” right? That’s not what this pie chart would say. Am I wrong about my happiness? New to RadReads? Hi, I’m Khe Hy. Nearly a decade ago I […]

We were each enjoying a delicious bite of uni. It was our first Omakase since becoming parents a decade ago. We sipped some sake at the quiet upstairs sushi bar. (I might have even snapped a few food pics for my Instagram account.) And then the meltdown happened. The couple next to us went nuclear. […]

Why is making time for hobbies so tough? Uncover the secrets of an "Octopus Day" and finding balance between work and personal interests.

I am an MC. And even though I can tell a mean dad joke – I’m not a master of ceremonies. But what I am, is a Master Coper. If you throw any uncomfortable feeling at me – envy, anxiety, worry, fear, anger or FOMO – I know how to cope. Sometimes the cope is […]

This week’s post is by Jeff Hittner, an entrepreneur, executive coach, husband, and father (rarely in that order!). Jeff is the founder of Ambitious Dads and an ambitious dad himself. Ambitious Dads is a resource for fathers inspired to lead in their careers AND at home with their children.  He threw food, screamed and smacked his little […]

Meet Dr. Goobie. He’s a sweet (MIT-educated) neurosurgeon in his 30s. And he just quit his job. The decision was the byproduct of poor health, broken incentives, the lack of time freedom and career-driven existential angst. Goobie quit without a plan, overcoming the “sunk cost fallacy” of med school and residency. And in this viral […]

I turned 45 on Monday. If you believe actuarial estimates, I’ve lived 60.3% of my life. A solid (but daunting) 39.7% remains. I’ve worked my butt off. Taken big risks. Tinkered with what’s possible. And smiled a lot. Here are 45 things I’ve learned along the way. New to RadReads? Hi, I’m Khe Hy. Nearly […]

Drake had a very bad Q2. He picked a rap battle with Kendrick Lamar. And lost. Kendrick’s diss track, Not Like Us, became the song of the summer (featured at ​kids’ birthday parties​ and ​Argentina’s victory celebrations​). But Q3 marked the start of Drake’s comeback. His redemption. The 6 God made his first high-profile appearance […]

I made the biggest purchase of my life when I was 26 years old. It was a fancy condo in the East Village of New York City. And a tale of two cities. It was 585 square feet (“worst of times”) and had a sexy pool on the roof (“best of times”). I won’t share […]

Well, that was quick. Yesterday, she was a newborn. Taking a nap while nestled on my chest. Like a little kitten curled up in a cozy nook. 10 years later, she grabs my phone, shoves it in my face to unlock FaceID so that she can start her Spotify playlist. Every proposed hang is met […]

Our dinner conversations have been evolving. Long gone are the days of “airplane” – aka the interpretive dance of making a morsel of cold chicken appetizing to a toddler in a high chair. And they’ve been replaced by an onslaught of “bruh” and “no cap.” And “skibidi toilet.” If you’re a Gen X parent trying […]

I’m looking for a new teacher. Not for meditation. (I’ve got one already.) Not to learn a new language. But to rekindle a childhood dream. Learning how to make beats. Hip-hop beats using Fruity Loops, to be precise. Yup. Think The Neptunes, Timbaland and more recently Metro Boomin. I’ve been talking about this idea for […]

Things got nuclear in hip-hop this week. It was a gift from the heavens for fans. And for the combatants, it was ugly AF. In the pursuit of lyrical dominance, they went scorched earth. Plastic surgery, shoe sizes, ghostwriters, cultural appropriation and baby mommas were all fair game. And I’m not here to opine on […]

I’ve spoken to many founders with 8-figure exits. They all complain about the same thing. The first 2 years after the exit are the hardest. Not because they have to stay for the earn-out. But because they feel rudderless and without purpose – and deeply unsatisfied. So, they usually do two things: angel investing and […]

“Everyone knows that if a child’s parents dies, the child will suffer with sadness and loss. No one thinks about this being the case when a child loses a parent to success.“ These two sentences hit like a ton of bricks. Success is usually paired with accolades, promotions and a financially “good life.” Things that […]

This post’s for the “F9 Monkeys.” Now this can be a diminutive term for a first-year analyst. One who lives in Excel building indestructible financial models. And for those unfamiliar with F9, it’s the special button that runs the model. You smash F9, and your perfectly fine-tuned (and 50-tabbed) model spits out an answer. Sell […]

Here’s a question for folks who grew up “lower middle” and are now “rich.” The grit, persistence and work ethic you learned as a child are hard to recreate for your own kids. But at the same time, you don’t want them to have the childhood that you had. How do you reconcile this? The […]

Imagine you’re competing in the Olympics. But you didn’t win Gold. You missed. By a hair. Instead, you got the Silver medal. No small feat. Yet still disappointing. But you know who’s happier than you? The Bronze medalist. So close, yet so far away Absurd! I can hear you yelling at the top of your […]

An Investment Banker takes a trip down to Mexico where he meets a local fisherman. The banker brings the fresh fish back to his villa and it’s the most delicious fish he’s ever tasted. The banker comes back the next morning with a question. “Why do you only fish 2 hours a day?” he asks. […]

Imagine you could build your identity using Lego bricks. One component at a time. Ivy League degree? Ya smart cookie! Marathon runner? What a resilient fella! Board member? Soooo charitable. TriBeCa apartment? Cha-ching. Now let’s smash it to the ground with sledge hammer. Are you OK? The curious case of Andrew Luck Andrew Luck had […]

His cousin was killed in an act of retribution. He then had to kill his own consigliere. His mom disowned him. And his lover left him. There’s a steep cost to being the #1 kingpin. There’s a cost to being The Top Boy. In a moment of reflection, Dushane asked: “Is the juice worth the […]

At age 50, Ichiro Suzuki just pitched a shutout – against a team of high school girls. The former outfielder (and future hall of famer) took to the mound for an exhibition game. He’s known to be obsessive about baseball – refusing to let go since he first picked up a mitt 47 years ago […]

Every city worships its unique god. It serves its idol. In NYC, “How’s your fund performing?” shows the money chase. In DC, “Going to the correspondents’ dinner?” flaunts proximity to power. Vegas asks, “Got a hookup for XS?” – it’s all about pleasure. LA name-drops, “Met Kim K’s manager,” seeking fame. Which idol are you […]

This tweet stopped me dead in my tracks. It reminded me of the feeling when you connect multiple sections of a jigsaw puzzle. But unlike a puzzle, this tweet didn’t evoke a deep sense of joy and satisfaction. It produced more of a wtf-this-can’t-be-true moment. But first: What do Michael Jordan, Taylor Swift and Don […]

The gig is up for the CEO of Goldman Sachs. David Solomon hung up the turntables this week. “DJ D-Sol” had a good run. He performed at Lollapalooza. He even hit the Billboard charts. But the board of directors crushed his little passion project. Thankfully your side projects are safe. And you should lean into […]

Imagine your parents hiring someone to teach you to ride a bike. A hedge-fund manager I knew once did that. He’d calculated his time was worth $3,205/hr. So this optimization made sense. It turns out that something else is being optimized these days: chores. 82% of you did them as kids. But only 28% of […]

“A young widower, who loved his five-year-old son very much, was away on business, and bandits came, burned down his whole village, and took his son away. When the man returned, he saw the ruins, and panicked. He took the charred corpse of an infant to be his own child, and he began to pull […]

“I feel like I’m on a treadmill all week longAnd the only way to shut it off is to black out.” You’d think these were the words of an over-worked Wall Street banker. Nope. They were the words of a high school student. The pricey Mandarin tutors, volunteer activities and industrial sports complex had given […]

Here’s an embarrassing story about our honeymoon. We were in Bora Bora staying in one of those private huts on the water. The “swim in, swim out” kind sitting above the reef. Flush with manta rays, friendly baby sharks and clownfish. We playfully sipped Veuve from our hot tub overlooking a majestic and dormant volcano. […]

There once was young warrior who had to battle fear. She was nervous. Fear was aggressive and mighty. “How can I defeat you?” she asked. Fear replied: “My weapons are that I talk fast.I get very close to your face.Then you get completely unnerved and do whatever I say.If you don’t do what I tell […]

Imagine selling your startup to eBay for a cool $800 million. It’s the ultimate act of financial freedom. And Bryan Johnson did just that. He sold his payments company Braintree in 2013. He was 36 years old at the time. A true time billionaire. But let’s take a look at his daily routine. After all, […]

“I just want my kids to be friends with me.” I often hear this noble pursuit from fellow parents. It comes from a place of deep love. But the cold truth is we can’t control other people. We can’t make someone feel a specific way. And that’s a tough pill to swallow for the people […]

“I’ve been grinding hard. I’m in my 30s. I’m remote, traveling the world and having awesome experiences. But I’m dissatisfied with my daily life. What do I do? It’s what I dreamed of and worked so hard to achieve. But I literally feel no happier, than when I was broke.” This entrepreneur continued: “I kind […]

Justin Timberlake was sending some bad juju to Britney Spears. When the rumors swirled of her infidelity, he responded with a warning: What goes around, goes around, goes around,Comes all the way back around Actions have consequences. Beware of the karmic boomerang. But karma impacts you more than you realize. You understand that if you […]

Last Friday I turned into a feral creature. An innocent game night quickly took a dark turn. Bringing back childhood desires, adult insecurities and the bloodsport of competition. We were playing Monopoly. And this guy showed up: He was going to teach my 9-year-old an important life lesson. Play or get played I was going […]

There’s a special kind of playdate reserved for tiny children. These playdates usually go until age 2. It’s called “parallel play.” The two kids play in the same room, but independently. Parallel Play is an on-ramp for socialization. TIL that a similar concept exists for older men. They’re called Men’s Sheds and according to the […]

I’ve been thinking a lot about bucket lists recently. Mostly because we redesigned our marketing assets to include the following tag line: Your bucket list matters more than your task list. It captures the spirit of all things Rad. Not getting lost in the details. So that you can zoom out on the big picture. […]

Parenting is such a trip. Lisa and I were high-fiving each other after Christmas. Santa delivered a Nintendo Switch – and suddenly – Instant Childcare! For 45 minutes each evening, Lisa and I had – gasp – time to watch a TV series. (Fleishman is in Trouble, godd**n that’s like a RadReads blog series.) And […]

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone,” wrote the French philosopher Blaise Pascal. Well in that case, humanity’s problems should get resolved when we turn 39. This graph floored me. I drew my finger up from my age (43) to see what was in store for me. […]

John Mayer, philosopher? Say it ain’t so. With Mayer’s bevy of famous exes, “lothario” seems more appropriate for the Your Body is a Wonderland singer. Maybe you know him for his crooning. Or songwriting prowess. Or his ridiculously gi-normous sleeve tattoo. But wisdom? In a recent episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Mayer demonstrated […]

As the year winds to an end, it’s time to surrender. Surrendering to the 1,470 unread emails in your Inbox. Surrendering to the fact that a Dry January won’t atone for a Drunk December. And surrendering to all the 2022 New Year’s resolutions that didn’t make it past February. But those are all small-scale surrenders. […]

Would you rather have 5 people or 5,000 people at your funeral? I find this question to be quite problematic. My rational, logic-seeking brain says: “Dude, you’re dead. Who cares?” It then says: “As long as it’s your loved ones, great!” But then my chest gets tense. My heart beats faster. There’s a pit in […]

We’re surrounded by scarcity.  The day starts with “I didn’t sleep enough.” Then the rush to get the kids fed and out the door is accompanied by the nagging feeling that as parents we’re “not present enough.” Next, a commute skimming articles on our phones and listening to podcasts at double speed. There’s too much to […]

I’m a man of my word. If I say I’ll send you a follow-up, I will send it. If we have a meeting, I won’t be late. (Which is hard in LA.) Said differently, I honor my agreements. With others. But what about agreements I’ve made with myself? Do these agreements adhere to the same […]

“It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who has been swimming naked.” Straight from God’s Lips (i.e. Warren Buffet) to my ears. And boy did we see a naked swimmer this week. Sam Bankman-Fried (known in crypto circles as SBF) flew his firm (FTX) a bit too close to the sun. And […]

There’s trouble brewing in paradise. The sacred union between a football legend and a super model is on the brink. (For the record, I never EVER want to celebrate someone’s struggles. This essay is just a thought experiment and pure conjecture.) First, I always wondered how Tom Brady (aka TB12) could hate strawberries so much. […]

I’ve got some baller-ass friends. There’s an entrepreneur who sold a company after 2 years, personally pocketing $50 mm. (After taxes.) There’s a law firm partner who owns not one… not two… but three homes. There’s an early buyer of Bitcoin at $30, who after crypto winter is still worth 8 figures. And there’s the […]

It’s my 43rd birthday and I’ve lived a little, laughed a bunch and learned some stuff along the way. Here are 43 lessons on life, money and happiness that I’ve collected along the way. Caveat emptor!

Life is lived in seasons. Long stretches of time, book-ended by milestones. Milestones like graduation, getting married, having a child and sending that same child off to college. One of the most beautiful seasons of life is the DINK season. (For the uninitiated, DINK stands for dual income, no kids.) It begins right when you […]

I recently shared Memento Mori with a little zing to it. Let’s just say, the responses were… animated. Here’s a visual describing the conundrum: But before we go any further, you’re probably wondering: What’s a business book? As a starting point, we can use these four that I grabbed off my bookshelf. (TBH, as someone […]

My 7 year old wrote me a love letter yesterday. Yikes. It was 8 pm. Teeth were brushed. We had finished reading Judy Moody. She was in one of her question asking modes. “What’s the difference between a country and a continent?” “Do continents have presidents?” Meanwhile, I was on my phone. Here’s the embarrassing […]

The Big Sur MacOS update delivers a delightful Easter Egg. Your AirPods now magically follow you across devices. Gone are the awkward transitions (“hold on, let me connect my AirPods”) while fiddling with your Bluetooth settings and pressing that random button on the white case. Now you can gracefully glide from podcast, to Zoom call, […]

“Stress is a perverted relationship to time.” These words from the late Irish poet, John O’Donohue are truthfully incisive. And whether it’s using Text Expanders or doing Tabata Burpee workouts – I’ve always been in the hot pursuit of more time. The chase is straight forward. More free time equals more time to do stuff. […]

“Do you think your wife would ever leave you?” It was a jarring question, one that shook up routine coaching session. “Absolutely,” I said without any hesitation. I surprised myself with my answer’s assertiveness. It was a bit like jumping off a cliff at an amusement park. You trick your legs into jumping, a split […]