3.7M Q&A - Fatherhood Plans, Medical Update & New Hairstyle

Chris describes his own experience: sitting at his desk, not even knowing what he's supposed to do, gravitating toward Instagram, rearranging cupboards—anything but the work. He realized the paralysis comes from the project being too big and undefined. His fix: define the very first tiny action. For a podcast, you don't 'launch a podcast'; you brainstorm a name, then research hosting, then sign up with a credit card, then generate artwork with ChatGPT. Each is a discrete, completable task. If knowledge is the block, the internet, AI, or a tutor can fill it. He says when he's chastising himself for procrastinating, it's almost always one of these two gaps. The method turns a mountain into a series of stones you can step on.

Chris observes that just getting through daily life requires wearing different personas—at work, with parents, in social settings—and it's exhausting. If you can't even be yourself around your intimate partner, it will drain you and teach you that you cannot be yourself anywhere. He declares, 'Your goal should be as many rejections as possible from you or from them while showing your authentic self.' This turns rejection into a deliberate strategy. He draws a crucial distinction between love and praise: praise is the hollow reward you get when you successfully perform the role someone wants; love is the acceptance of who you truly are. He gives the example of a man who insists on farting through a first date as 'authentic self'—some traits are simply bad manners, and a good partner might help you improve them. The principle is to hold onto core identity traits while being open to growth on the rest.

Chris explains that tinnitus is your brain compensating for a lack of auditory input, so total silence is the enemy. He sleeps with earplugs, which paradoxically makes his tinnitus worse because it creates more silence. A white noise machine, fan, or air purifier that generates a constant low hum can fill that void and bring the ringing down. For him, adopting a carnivore diet—which dramatically reduces inflammation and stabilizes blood sugar—made a significant difference. He suggests trying meat and fruit for a couple of weeks to see if it helps. He empathizes deeply, calling tinnitus 'ruthless.'

He argues curly-haired men have exactly three styles: skinhead, broccoli cut, or afro. Having exhausted the first and finding the third too extreme, he chose the middle. He notes the negative connotation of the broccoli cut, but he's comfortable with it. He also shares a story about going through JFK security, where a TSA agent recognized him from Love Island—something that never happened when he was bald—because the US recently started watching UK Love Island and he has the same hair as his season 1 entrance. That anecdote made him consider going back to the afro or skinhead, but he's sticking with it for now.

Chris says the first list took ages and was downloaded 300k times. He's received many messages, but one stood out: a Guido-looking man in a tank top on the Upper East Side stopped him just to thank him for the reading list, not the podcast. He was surprised and pleased. The new list intentionally contains more fiction, still curated for personal growth.