Hey, I'm Frank. I share experiments I'm testing in this working knowledge base.
I'm currently on sabbatical in 2024. This particular adventure started with living abroad in France and has morphed into various experiments to change the shape of my life. You can follow along at my email newsletter.
Just prior, I helped build the foundations of a private internet with Aleo and a product to fund Ethereum public goods with Gitcoin. In a past life, I played around with numbers as an analyst, but eventually shifted over to telling stories in the realm of products.
I do a fuck ton of jiujitsu and consider the defining obsession that has altered the way I think about mindset, learning, training, and strategy.
I'm into a fair amount of cooking related shit as well. I did some food science blogging, hosted experimental supper clubs, and worked at a 2* Michelin restaurant. The hospitality space continues to inspire me from a technological and cultural standpoint, and continually reminds me to be "unreasonably hospitable" because it keeps us human.
A bunch of my experimental writing is found below, along with cross posts from my email newsletter. Enjoy!
a la carte knowledge bits
- your reaction is more important than interpretation
- your ability to salt is a major culinary skill
- you don't want a 1 to 1 move tradeoff, you want an n to 1 tradeoff
- writing well can get your foot in the door
- working at a 2 michelin star restaurant
- work phrases to avoid so you're not an asshole
- when its you and not the world
- when in doubt change the color of the potatoes
- what does done actually look like
- web3 has been heavily focused on feasibility rather than usability
- vivid imagery produces a real stimulus
- visualized feel imagery is the subconscious language
- visualization and feel imagery is the language of the subconscious
- utilize all 360 degrees of movement in 3 planes
- use research to discover, evaluate, and refine
- use prototyping to map out a user experience
- use of your head is the fifth limb
- use initial conditions to constrain chaotic environments
- use double opt intros to stop pissing people off
- universal feelings when one gets into the zone
- turn off the analytical mind and see in the present
- trends in web3 product management
- training habits are competition habits
- train with late stage escapes
- train under constrained environments
- through the looking glass
- thoughts about adcc 2022
- the year of experimenting with careers
- the whitespace is just as important as the blackspace
- the way you show up on the mats matters
- the truthfulness in pretending
- the subconscious is where true performance lies
- the subconscious has no body so imagination is reality
- the stories you feed are the ones that come true
- the self image regulates like a thermostat
- the mind responds better to positive commands rather than negative ones
- the mind responds better to positive action than negative action
- the man who wins is the man who thinks he can
- the magic of the experience
- the isolation of limbs is what jiujitsu is all about
- the greatest teachers create thinking students
- the first service
- the faster you can get to offensive cycles the more you dominate
- the essence of the paper cup
- the ability to ask good questions is an indispensable skill
- test the waters before diving
- take what they give you
- success at competing requires more than just technique
- standards
- soaking duck legs
- slip into mentorship by figuring out what value you can provide
- shuttle learnings into concepts and systems
- serving people food is really rewarding
- scenario game if a champion would self talk the way you do
- recipes are a terrible way to learn how to cook
- real threats cause reactions which sets up attack chains
- quality above speed
- product management is about value and viability
- process is understanding that everyone learns differently
- prioritizing at early product market fit stages is more hands on
- prioritization should be simple
- preparing for a future in web3 product
- premortems expose product killing gotchas
- practice in a way that strengthens your self image
- power outages and sauce making
- postmortems help improve future iterations
- play your game because no one else is going to be better than you at it
- pizza without cheese and meat swaps
- physical capabilities
- people come first
- pair offensive actions on the offbeat
- observing that your attention is elsewhere is coming back to the present
- nothing has meaning except for the meaning you assign it
- non judgmental observation shuts down emotions
- niche blogs have awesome shit like chocolate milk reviews
- movement shifts weight which creates opportunities
- more opportunities are found in the pocket
- misalignment is caused by folks talking past one another
- minimize opportunity costs instead of pursuing returns on investment
- mental management is your most important skill as a bjj athelete
- mental commitment leads to confidence and body commitment
- match commitment with expectancy
- map of content (scripts)
- map of content (reviews)
- map of content (product)
- map of content (mindset)
- map of content (jiujitsu)
- map of content (cooking)
- make goals a reality and understand the process
- lno framework
- limits end where vision ends
- knowing the fundamentals of cooking means infinite recipes
- know your optimal emotion functioning zone
- know the rules of negotiation before you initiate
- know the rules if you're going to play the game
- iteratively challenge your beliefs
- instead of buying kitchen items jerry rigging is a great way to diy
- if you don't know it look it up
- if you can't move them move yourself
- i could eat is a universally positive phrase
- how you organize your day determines your day
- how to write well to make a career switch
- how to write a formal catch up letter
- how to take an elegant out of office
- how to let people know you're sick
- how to do another cold introduction
- how to do a warm introduction
- how to do a cold introduction
- how to approach a recipe to cook better
- how to approach a recipe to cook better part 3
- how to approach a recipe to cook better part 2
- getting into the zone cannot be forced
- getting from 0 to 1 for zero knowledge products
- food waste at restaurants
- food hopping culture
- focusing on breathing brings me back to the present
- focus your attention on the present
- focus on execution, not the outcome
- find the way you like things even if it involves modifications
- fattening the tail end
- fake it till you fulfill the physical and mental
- experience in the present opens you to the language of opportunity
- everything you do in jiujitsu should be an expression of you
- encompass the 5 Ls of your sport
- empathize with users during conversations
- embracing humanity as spontaneous hospitality
- email newsletter archive
- email newsletter 9
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- eigenquestions that eliminate large swathes of microdecisions
- each one teach one
- don't overcomplicate and make things so hard on yourself
- don't be satisfied with only escaping
- dominating the grip fight means you dominate the initial entry
- do not start yourself at a deficit
- diving into the city of light
- develop mental toughness with 7 cs
- customers don't usually know what they want
- cultivate inner excellence
- cultivate a fail opportunity mindset to continue the action
- creating halfway decent instagram captions increases your visibility
- create movement if you're stuck
- create daily intention by staying present and aware
- create a pressure log helps identify how to tune inward
- create a pre performance ritual
- create a compelling personal summary to incite curiosity
- continuing the work and professionalization
- constantly decide to be, not try
- constant movement is better than being static
- consciously build product sense
- confidence is the mastery of response
- close the gap between training and performance
- clear your baggage and be unencumbered
- choose courage over confidence
- care about the essence and the process
- building community is another form of understanding users
- bready set go
- assess the outcome by repeating non judgmental observation
- approaching higher level players is a mental challenge
- aim to perceive what you have not perceived to get unstuck
- acts reinforce beliefs
- act yourself into a way of thinking
- act your way into beliefs which reinforce your actions
- accept that you are what you want to be already
- a product review of choice kingdom trust
- a product deconstruction of phantom wallet
- a hopeful mindset keeps one in the pocket
- 7 steps of winning beliefs
- 2022 year in review
- 2022 year in review tweet thread