Unqualified Advice

Welcome to Flow City Hello dear show notes readers! This week on Unqualified Advice, Dan's been writing again. His latest Prometheus Dispatch essay on pseudo events — manufactured moments designed to create energy rather than report on it — kicks us off and leads to a conversation neither of us expected. We start with Kennedy-Nixon, swing through Greenland headlines, and land squarely on Californi...

Dan and Sean kick off 2026 with a look back at their 2025 predictions—what hit, what missed, and what's carrying over into the new year. From government shutdowns to Big Tech dominance to the DEI pendulum swing, they grade their calls before diving into what's ahead. The big theme for 2026? Geopolitics. With power shifting in Venezuela, potential regime change in Iran, and Trump making noise about...

What starts as a travel recap turns into a wide-ranging conversation about manufacturing, geopolitics, surveillance, and the quiet signals of national confidence. Sean is back stateside after several weeks in China and Japan, where he was auditing suppliers and rethinking what tariffs, supply chains, and "reshoring" actually look like on the ground. From panda diplomacy and traffic that "flows lik...

After an unintended "summer break" that didn't feel much like one, Dan and Sean are back at the mics. This episode ranges from the personal to the global: burnout, survivor's guilt, therapy culture, and the constant tug-of-war between staying informed and staying sane. On the business and economics front, they dive into tariffs, reshoring, and whether Intel should be nationalized. From semiconduct...

This week, Dan and Sean dive into the deep end of economic uncertainty—from the philosophical origins of "the economy" to the lived reality of layoffs, inflation, and shifting trade routes. Why do oil rigs in North Dakota matter to the price of cheese? Are we witnessing demand destruction or just another panic? And what does "creative destruction" really look like when the grenades are turning int...

Dan and Sean return to the mic with a message for the wanderers, the misfits, and the intellectually restless. This episode explores what it means to seek challenge instead of comfort, to embrace unfinished thoughts, and to carve out space for messy, real-time reflection. If you've ever felt like a mental nomad—curious but unrooted—this one's for you. Topics Covered: Why we sometimes feel allergic...

Hello show notes readers! This week, we're trying something new in our mission to bring you insights from the world of entrepenuership.  We're bringing in an outside expert to exlpore an area of entrepeneurship that some of you may have thought about - real estate! This week, we're joined by Lindsay Howard, broker and entrepreneur, for a deep dive into the real world of real estate — starting a fa...

🧵 Episode Summary In this episode, Dan and Sean delve into the complexities of tariffs, the decline of U.S. manufacturing, and the philosophical underpinnings of leadership. They challenge conventional narratives around NAFTA, explore the historical impact of events like the bombing of Dresden, and discuss the strategic philosophies of Sun Tzu, Lao Tzu, and Donald Trump. The conversation also tou...

In this episode, Dan and Sean navigate through numbness, nuance, and the uncomfortable edges of modern life. From tariffs and fentanyl policy to the messy mechanics of entrepreneurship, they discuss the complicated reality of staying engaged in a world that often feels overwhelming. Also on deck: what it really means to be an entrepreneur, thoughts on Prometheus Rising , unfair competition on Amaz...

Hello show notes readers, What is writing? What is art? Did I create this or did a robot and how would you be able to tell the difference? This week we coin the term "adverbious", hoping to prove we aren't robots and also to give you a tool to figure out who the robots are. We can't define it but we know it when we see it, if you know what I mean?  Later, we delve into Dan's masterful schedule man...

Hello show notes readers! This week, Sean and Dan look into the rhythms of the oil and gas world — how things speed up, slow down, and sometimes just stop. They talk about layoffs making headlines , how organizations expand and contract like they're breathing, and what it feels like to be on the inside when that happens. Sean explains why fewer rigs don't always mean less oil, and why the people m...

Hello dear show notes reader, We're 25 episodes in! Woo hoo! ( Imagine Leslie Knope. Now read the italicized bit again. ) As the author of these show notes, I feel like 25 should be a significant number, but I also don't have any valid reason why. Nonetheless, I felt inspired to make these show notes really shine! What's good about this episode? While editing, I had two realizations: Dan is a bett...

Hello dear show notes readers! In this episode of Unqualified Advice we discuss our recent experiences writing code for building websites and apps with Cursor . In short, we're having a blast working with these new tools and have a few tips for those just getting started. We've recommended it before, but it's worth repeating Nat Eliason's Course Build Your Own Life Coach is a great course for begi...

Hello dear show notes readers! Welcome to another episode of Unqualified Advice. We recorded this one on Inauguration Day, so a few viewpoints have already been proven wildly-off or dead-on. We hit a lot of topics this week, as we catch up on our recent podcast addiction ( The Telepathy Tapes ) and what *it all means, man!* If you're a fan of sci-fi or an opponent of generational bashing, this one...

Hello my dear show notes readers, Welcome back for another episode advice. This one starts of personal for me as I explain how I've been getting into lifting weights. In the process, life reminded me of the old adage "experience is what you get, when you don't get what you want." In short, I try to be as honest with myself and you as I can about hitting the bit 4-0 and making some important life d...

Hello, Show Notes Readers We find ourselves neck-deep in a discussion about stated versus revealed preferences for the half of the show, as I take us on a trip down memory lane after doing my Christmas shopping. Nostalgia alert! Dan explains his theory on capital flight and we come to the realization that 80s dystopic downtowns were symptoms and not causes of previous preference shifts.  After tha...

Hello my dear show notes readers ! I've missed you so. We took a little longer than expected break this time, because someone recently turned 40 and hit it a little too hard in the fine city of New Orleans. Have you ever been? If not, you really  must go. One night is not enough. Two nights are divine. Three nights are for 30-somethings.  But back to the crux of the matter! This week, we take a lo...

Hello dear show notes readers! Resolutions are for wusses! This week we're goal setting!? Yeah, we're not really sure what the difference is either, but we hope you listen-in and help hold us accountable in the year to come.  Here's a summary of how we want to improve ouselve in 2025: Dan's Goals Embrace Radical Acceptance Improve Quality of Presence Focus Do better at being 'off' Punctuation Do t...

Hello Show Notes Readers! This week, turned into a bit of a bookclub episode. We compare our notes on the start of Sovereign Individual and talk about areas where the authors imaginations hit or missed the mark. The one thing we both agree on, so far: it's a long book. The discussion turns towards the attitudes we've witnessed on the heels of the assassination of Brian Thompson, CEO of United Heal...

Hello show notes readers! This week, Billy Pilgrim is becoming unstuck in time as we talk about how "the daily routine" is simultaneously a blessing and a curse. We explore the importance of marking life's milestones - "punctuations in time" - and how they shape our sense of memory and progress. We ask, "Can carefully curating your media diet help with your sanity?" and dive into the mental toll o...

Hello show notes readers! I hope this episode finds you well. We are dabbling with a weekly release schedule here this quarter and hope you enjoy a little extra content.  This week on Unqualified Advice: Dan flys to Cebu and I drive up the Pacific Coast Highway and we arrive at the same point: Nat Eliason is wrong and The Fourth Turning is nowhere near it's end.  Chapters 00:00 Weather and Reflect...

Hello to the readers of the show notes! This time around, Dan braves Denver traffic to bring us insights from the Smart Marketer conference he attended in October, including a very poignant question from keynote speaker Gabby Bernstein . We ruminate on his takeaways before diving into the challenges behind unit economics and shipping faced by small business owners in today's e-commerce landscape. ...

Hello show notes readers! This time we dive into markets, media, and misinformation. We discuss TSMC's record setting Arizona fab and its impact on semiconductor production, national security, and the Pheonix water market.  I tell Dan why the Schiller PE ratio has been haunting me, as we ponder its historical significance and what today's elevated levels might mean for the economy. Are we due for...

Hello show notes readers! Sorry for the late episode! Someone forgot the difference between November and December when scheduling this one to post. I just tried to give myself sideeye... not sure how effective it was.  In this episode of  Unqualified Advice , we talk about our perspectives on challenges facing men today. We get a bit deep, exploring themes of loneliness, mental health, and the cri...

Hello dear show notes readers! This week, the rubber meets the road—literally! Sean dives into stories from his travels to industrial sites where rubber is produced, giving a glimpse into the gritty reality of this essential material's manufacturing. Meanwhile, Dan shares insights into how he's using AI to streamline operations for his online business, exploring how cutting-edge tools can optimize...