• The hardest part of homeschooling Leyla

    The hardest part of homeschooling Leyla

    The hardest part of homeschooling Leyla I never talked about. When Leyla was 8, she couldn’t really read.Other kids her age could. And for the first time, Manon and I looked at each other and genuinely asked, are we getting this wrong? Are we failing her? That doubt is a very specific kind of discomfort.Because…

  • 1 hour of training is 4% of your day.

    1 hour of training is 4% of your day.

    1 hour of training is 4% of your day. If you can’t carve out 4%, you have a priority problem. I’m 52. I’m fitter now more than ever.I haven’t drunk alcohol in 10 years.I do weighted pull-ups with 35kg. None of that is genetic.All of it is the 4% Rule, applied for two decades. Why…

  • In a firefight, when you run out of ammo, you don’t stand there clicking an empty weapon.

    In a firefight, when you run out of ammo, you don’t stand there clicking an empty weapon.

    In a firefight, when you run out of ammo, you don’t stand there clicking an empty weapon. That gets you killed. That gets your team killed. You shout one word at the top of your lungs: “RELOADING” It’s not a cry for help.It’s not weakness.It’s tactical communication. It tells your team:“I’m combat ineffective for 5…

  • In 2005, we moved to Spain.

    In 2005, we moved to Spain.

    In 2005, we moved to Spain. We left everything behind in the Netherlands – the social circles– the expectations– the unspoken rules about what a responsible life is supposed to look like. And when we got to Spain,we didn’t plug into that culture either. We didn’t adapt to Spanish customs or social norms. We just…

  • My daughter Leyla went to a book publishing conference in London recently, on her own

    My daughter Leyla went to a book publishing conference in London recently, on her own

    My daughter Leyla went to a book publishing conference in London recently, on her own, no school credentials to speak of, because she never went to school. At some point in the conversations with American publishers, that came up.They asked if it was for religious reasons. In the US, homeschooling is common,and the most common…

  • Special Forces conditioned me for one thing above everything else: Force.

    Special Forces conditioned me for one thing above everything else: Force.

    Special Forces conditioned me for one thing above everything else: Force. Assess. Plan. Execute. Push until it’s done. It works in combat. Then I tried to build a life that way.A marriage. A business. A relationship with my daughter. The harder I pushed, the more resistance I created. Then I found the research of David…