Permission to be Powerful Podcast

Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, The Rochester Zen Center… Has a mouse problem. We’re losing this war badly. These mice are completely unafraid. The softies here at the center are out of their element. They hate killing. As Buddhists, we believe in living in harmony with all sentient beings. And the mice love us for it. Sometimes, I see them scurrying around in broad daylight. I’m rememberin...

Dear Permission to Be Powerful reader, I went on a date. Before it even started, I told her: “I feel nervous.” That was enough. She stormed out. Canceled immediately. And just like that, the whole thing collapsed. Not after a fight… Or anything dramatic. Just… the presence of a need. At first, you want to explain it away. Maybe she’s guarded. Maybe she’s not that invested yet. But then you look at...

Dear Permission to be Powerful reader, Last October, I moved into the Rochester Zen Center. Since then, I’ve shed several decades of trauma. It’s a beautiful thing. I’ve spent more time on the mat than just about anyone. I’m so funny. I get a job as a janitor and they don’t even pay. I’m coming up on six months and I am eligible to get a “salary” $300 per month. And they work me to the bone. Up at...

Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, I burned my life to the ground. Again. Let’s review… The past two years have been the hardest of my life. Two straight years of nuclear winter.🥶 It started when Tony Robbins fired me. I had no income… And yet, I refused to go back to freelancing. If I were going to pull this off, I would have to draw on every insight I’d earned over fifteen years writing for...

Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, Imagine being this sick f**k. Imagine … You’ve spent your whole life at the very top. Invincible. Above the law. It’s even worse than you think. This motherfucker thought he could rape children and get away with it. He used all of that f*****g power and money that he never earned… To be a f*****g child molester. The chickens have finally come home to roost. T...

Dear Permission to be Powerful reader, The latest Epstein files released by the U.S. Justice Department contain millions of emails. Many of them come after Jeffrey Epstein’s 2008 conviction as a sex offender. These men knew. Some of them participated. And many of them were extremely violent. In a 2022 civil complaint, a woman alleged she was raped inside Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse by billionair...

Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, I f*****g hate wartime. But it sneaks up on you. Always uninvited. Before you know it, you can’t remember what the good old days were like. No more salsa seven days per week. No more dance crew. No more girlfriends. No more sex. No more money. No more fun. No more running. No more racing. No more running team. No more weekenders. Just me and David Goggins. Wi...

Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, Follow these instructions to the letter. Here’s my request: I want to know why you read this blog. Tell me in the comments. I can only speculate. But there isn’t much time. We were at 88,000 subscribers to my new mystery list. We’re now closing in on 100,000. But that may not be good enough. There’s basically no time left. There’s no manual for how to manage...

Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, I was going to write to you about why I changed my name. NO TIME FOR THAT… I’m almost out of time. Let’s review… Why is Tony Robbins’ ex copywriter broke… working as a janitor? Surely, he could get a job most anywhere he wanted after that gig. Right? Yes. That’s correct. I could have easily gone to a seminar somewhere and shmoozed up to the right person. But...

Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, I know what I am willing to fight for. Willing to die for. What I won’t let slide. No more being invisible. No pretending it didn’t happen. No living in denial. Enough is enough. Moral clarity makes life simple. No confusion. No debate. No exceptions. Truth doesn’t negotiate. Nobody can dictate your reality. And no one has the right to tell you what you’re wo...

Dear Permission to Be Powerful reader, I went from being a copywriter for Tony Robbins—to being a janitor at a Zen Center. And honestly? I love it. For years, I lived to perform. To prove myself. To get straight As. To be superhuman. I can’t understate how much pressure was placed on my back—writing to millions of people, trying to capture Tony’s voice, and sound incredible while I did it. I ran u...

Dear Permission to be Powerful reader, You’re broke. Desperate for a break. Then you see it—a dream job overseas. Free travel. Great pay. A way out. You apply. You’re accepted. You tell your friends you’re finally catching a break. Soon, you’re on a plane to Bangkok. Full of hope… That hope dies fast. At the airport, a smiling man greets you. He offers to “help” with your visa, asks for your passp...

“Terrible things are happening outside. Poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart; men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared.”— Anne Frank, January 13, 1943 Those words were written eighty-two years ago. And somehow, they feel truer than ever. How is that possible? There’s no time to f...

Dear Permission to be Powerful reader, Have you ever been treated like you’re a pest? A burden? A nuisance? Fire that person. Quit. Dump them. Check your prenup. Start hiding assets if you must. You’re a gift, not a burden. When someone shows you they don’t want you around, believe them. Leave. People pleasers snap straight into “please like me” mode the second they feel distance. They twist thems...

Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, I felt like a God… 23,520 Subscribers… FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. What an incredible milestone. One click… Twenty thousand emails sent. And within minutes—boom. They NUKED 90% of my subscribers. Gone. Substack? 15,000 Nuked. MailChimp? 23,000 Gone too. Go to Jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Twice in one week. You ever build someth...

Editor’s Note: We Did It. Permission to be Powerful has officially crossed 10,000 subscribers. Wild. I promised myself that when we got here, I’d republish my favorite article, Blackballed. To mark the occasion, here’s my Big Fat Mega Dump of every place you can find me online... * Facebook * Twitter/X * YouTube (Mr Congress) * YouTube (Permission to Be Powerful) * TikTok * BlueSky * Mastodon * Te...

Editor’s Note: Follow me on Facebook , Twitter/X , and YouTube Now, let’s get into it… Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, August 18, 2025, a French man named Jean Pormanove (JP) died live on Kick. Viewers tuned in from around the world, while they… “ murdered someone slowly on camera.” A few hours before his death, co-streamer “Naruto” (Owen Cenazandotti) coldly adds: “Let him say on camera ri...

Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, When someone treats you like dirt… Do you pretend you didn’t notice? All people-pleasers do it. You may even smile and laugh… Like you’re some joke. I used to live like that. Looking back, I see a professional doormat. With my father, my ex, my colleagues. I told myself:They made a mistake. They didn’t mean it. They’d do better next time. I gave them the endl...

Editor’s Note: I’ve lined up some excellent nonfiction books from indie authors that you can get for free. 👉 Click here to get your free books. Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, Jackie’s son went to prison. For SIX MONTHS.Not for fentanyl. Not for meth. No. Just weed. Did he really deserve that? Millions of people took Jackie’s side, as he publicly disowned his son. Overnight, Jaycee became...

EDITOR’S NOTE: Most people are using AI like it’s a toy—typing polite prompts and hoping magic happens. The AI Cheat Code turns ChatGPT into a strategist, coach, and copy chief. Instead of hollow answers and hallucinations, you’ll unlock focused, profit-driving output on command. 👉 [Get the AI Cheat Code for Just $8.99] Now, let’s get into it… Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, “I love you mo...

Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader , We’re taught to believe in “being good enough.” Work hard. Play nice. Do well. And maybe… one day… you’ll be rewarded. It’s the biggest scam in history— A lie to keep you paying your dues until you die. Like a good sheep. Because power is never given. The King didn’t build America for the Founding Fathers. Your boss won’t hand you what you’re worth. No one g...

EDITOR’S NOTE: Get your pick of these free nonfiction titles from indie authors here . Now, let’s get into it… Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, There came a moment… It dawned on me… That everything I’ve been doing… Is b******t My pleasing voice. 🤮 The polite emails. 🤮 The way I dressed for that conference. 🤮 I just spent thousands of dollars to spend a whole week around a bunch of motherf...

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Summer Slowdown Giveaway is in full swing. You can win up to $1,000 in prizes. Register for free here . Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader , You never signed them. But you've been obeying them your entire life. The silent contracts. Absorbed from your family. Your culture. Your trauma. Etched into your bones like law. Now they’re holding you hostage. They run your life like a...

EDITOR’S NOTE: Enter The Summer Slowdown Giveaway to win a free Smartphone. (Retail value: $250) Also get up to $750 in cash prizes. Enter to win right now. Chapter 12: New Phone, Who Dis? Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, A brown paper bag filled with weed sits beside you. Brown rolling papers are scattered all over the floor. Scissors. You’ve become incredibly talented at rolling joints. Th...

Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader, I used to be like this guy. The one texting three times in a row. The one waiting for a response that never came… Refreshing Instagram to see if they were online. Planning our entire future together while you’re paying me no mind. I finally nipped this pattern in the bud. It’s been great. Human psychology fascinates me. Before I get into it, let me just say t...