Rob Thompson
@sirchutney.bsky.social
Used to be about the size of a baby. Grew very very slowly. Now roughly as big as a man.
My manager asked a question that exposed a hard truth: I had a degree, experience… and I was thinking like a junior. Learning to define problems—not just execute—transformed my career. I turned that lesson into a 5‑asset system. Full story + tools ↓
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#Career
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#Career
I Turned My “Invisible Skill” Into a 5-Step System. Here’s How It Works.
After 11.3K claps and thousands of “but HOW?” messages, I built the thing you actually asked for.
medium.com
February 3, 2026 at 3:46 PM
My manager asked a question that exposed a hard truth: I had a degree, experience… and I was thinking like a junior. Learning to define problems—not just execute—transformed my career. I turned that lesson into a 5‑asset system. Full story + tools ↓
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#Career
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#Career
🧵 I spent 2 years thinking ChatGPT was getting dumber.
Turns out, I was just asking the wrong questions.
Last week, I discovered how to unlock GPT-4's "hidden mode" with 8 words.
The difference is INSANE. Here's what happened:
buff.ly/EhGdSD0 #ai
Turns out, I was just asking the wrong questions.
Last week, I discovered how to unlock GPT-4's "hidden mode" with 8 words.
The difference is INSANE. Here's what happened:
buff.ly/EhGdSD0 #ai
January 31, 2026 at 3:23 PM
🧵 I spent 2 years thinking ChatGPT was getting dumber.
Turns out, I was just asking the wrong questions.
Last week, I discovered how to unlock GPT-4's "hidden mode" with 8 words.
The difference is INSANE. Here's what happened:
buff.ly/EhGdSD0 #ai
Turns out, I was just asking the wrong questions.
Last week, I discovered how to unlock GPT-4's "hidden mode" with 8 words.
The difference is INSANE. Here's what happened:
buff.ly/EhGdSD0 #ai
Rise through being lost: every detour teaches you who you are, every small step rebuilds you—keep going, breathe, and let the quiet work of healing do its work. ✨🌿 #Quotes
January 31, 2026 at 8:15 AM
Rise through being lost: every detour teaches you who you are, every small step rebuilds you—keep going, breathe, and let the quiet work of healing do its work. ✨🌿 #Quotes
I had panic attacks 3x/week despite living in paradise.
Then I discovered I'd been accidentally training a nerve that controls 75% of my stress response.
Here's the 20-minute daily routine that stopped my anxiety cold:
buff.ly/7AspbFb
#MentalHealth #VagusNerve
Then I discovered I'd been accidentally training a nerve that controls 75% of my stress response.
Here's the 20-minute daily routine that stopped my anxiety cold:
buff.ly/7AspbFb
#MentalHealth #VagusNerve
January 29, 2026 at 3:28 PM
I had panic attacks 3x/week despite living in paradise.
Then I discovered I'd been accidentally training a nerve that controls 75% of my stress response.
Here's the 20-minute daily routine that stopped my anxiety cold:
buff.ly/7AspbFb
#MentalHealth #VagusNerve
Then I discovered I'd been accidentally training a nerve that controls 75% of my stress response.
Here's the 20-minute daily routine that stopped my anxiety cold:
buff.ly/7AspbFb
#MentalHealth #VagusNerve
✨ Your belief in yourself isn't negotiable—it's the foundation everything else is built on. The world will offer a thousand reasons why not, but the only voice that truly matters whispers from within. Trust your resolve. Trust your timing. Something extraordinary is already unfolding. 🌅 #Quotes
January 28, 2026 at 7:34 AM
✨ Your belief in yourself isn't negotiable—it's the foundation everything else is built on. The world will offer a thousand reasons why not, but the only voice that truly matters whispers from within. Trust your resolve. Trust your timing. Something extraordinary is already unfolding. 🌅 #Quotes
I spent 90 days waking up like a Roman emperor.
No meditation apps. No 4 AM alarms. Just 5 practices that turned my chaotic mornings into the calmest part of my day.
The one that changed everything? Asking what I actually control.
Here's the full routine 👇
medium.com/stoicletters...
#Stoicism
No meditation apps. No 4 AM alarms. Just 5 practices that turned my chaotic mornings into the calmest part of my day.
The one that changed everything? Asking what I actually control.
Here's the full routine 👇
medium.com/stoicletters...
#Stoicism
I Started Every Morning Like a Roman Emperor for 90 Days — Here’s What It Did to My Anxiety
The ancient practice that turned my chaotic mornings into the most powerful part of my day (no meditation app required)
medium.com
January 25, 2026 at 2:13 PM
I spent 90 days waking up like a Roman emperor.
No meditation apps. No 4 AM alarms. Just 5 practices that turned my chaotic mornings into the calmest part of my day.
The one that changed everything? Asking what I actually control.
Here's the full routine 👇
medium.com/stoicletters...
#Stoicism
No meditation apps. No 4 AM alarms. Just 5 practices that turned my chaotic mornings into the calmest part of my day.
The one that changed everything? Asking what I actually control.
Here's the full routine 👇
medium.com/stoicletters...
#Stoicism
I spent 8 months tracking 1,247 Americans who moved to Portugal.
68% came home within 3 years.
Average cost of failure: $40K-$112K.
The relocation industry doesn't want you to see this data.
Here's what really happens 👇
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#ExpatLife #Portugal #PersonalFinance
68% came home within 3 years.
Average cost of failure: $40K-$112K.
The relocation industry doesn't want you to see this data.
Here's what really happens 👇
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#ExpatLife #Portugal #PersonalFinance
I Tracked 1,247 Americans Who Moved to Portugal. 68% Came Home Broke and Broken.
The relocation industry doesn’t want you to know the real failure rate — or the $40,000-$112,000 average cost of getting it wrong.
medium.com
January 24, 2026 at 12:38 PM
I spent 8 months tracking 1,247 Americans who moved to Portugal.
68% came home within 3 years.
Average cost of failure: $40K-$112K.
The relocation industry doesn't want you to see this data.
Here's what really happens 👇
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#ExpatLife #Portugal #PersonalFinance
68% came home within 3 years.
Average cost of failure: $40K-$112K.
The relocation industry doesn't want you to see this data.
Here's what really happens 👇
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#ExpatLife #Portugal #PersonalFinance
We burned $300K on AI that made our product worse, not better.
Then I talked to 20+ founders. Not one could prove ROI.
Now Silicon Valley is pivoting to nuclear power with the exact same playbook.
Here's what the hype cycle doesn't want you to know 👇
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#Startups #AI #Tech
Then I talked to 20+ founders. Not one could prove ROI.
Now Silicon Valley is pivoting to nuclear power with the exact same playbook.
Here's what the hype cycle doesn't want you to know 👇
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#Startups #AI #Tech
I Watched My Startup Burn $300K on AI That Never Worked — And I’m Not Alone
What the collapse of the AI gold rush taught me about how Silicon Valley sells us the future
medium.com
January 24, 2026 at 11:56 AM
We burned $300K on AI that made our product worse, not better.
Then I talked to 20+ founders. Not one could prove ROI.
Now Silicon Valley is pivoting to nuclear power with the exact same playbook.
Here's what the hype cycle doesn't want you to know 👇
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#Startups #AI #Tech
Then I talked to 20+ founders. Not one could prove ROI.
Now Silicon Valley is pivoting to nuclear power with the exact same playbook.
Here's what the hype cycle doesn't want you to know 👇
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#Startups #AI #Tech
✨ True living isn't just breathing—it's presence. Death isn't the enemy; a numb life is. Let go of what you can't control, show up fully where you are, and turn the ordinary into art. Every small act done with care becomes extraordinary. 🌿
January 24, 2026 at 7:57 AM
✨ True living isn't just breathing—it's presence. Death isn't the enemy; a numb life is. Let go of what you can't control, show up fully where you are, and turn the ordinary into art. Every small act done with care becomes extraordinary. 🌿
Strength is shaped in strain, not comfort. What breaks you can also rebuild you—if you step forward with courage and let the work refine you. 🌱🔥 #Quotes
January 23, 2026 at 7:26 AM
Strength is shaped in strain, not comfort. What breaks you can also rebuild you—if you step forward with courage and let the work refine you. 🌱🔥 #Quotes
I was 46 with the body of a 58-year-old.
Doctor said I was headed for a heart attack within 10 years.
Today at 49, my biological age is 34.
Here's what reversing 15 years of aging taught me about time itself:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/im...
#HealthTransformation #Longevity #BiologicalAge
Doctor said I was headed for a heart attack within 10 years.
Today at 49, my biological age is 34.
Here's what reversing 15 years of aging taught me about time itself:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/im...
#HealthTransformation #Longevity #BiologicalAge
I’m 49, But My Body Is 34: The Data-Driven Protocol That Reversed My Age
The doctor said I had the body of a 58-year-old — three years later, I’m biologically younger than my 30-year-old self, and you can do it…
medium.com
January 22, 2026 at 7:16 PM
I was 46 with the body of a 58-year-old.
Doctor said I was headed for a heart attack within 10 years.
Today at 49, my biological age is 34.
Here's what reversing 15 years of aging taught me about time itself:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/im...
#HealthTransformation #Longevity #BiologicalAge
Doctor said I was headed for a heart attack within 10 years.
Today at 49, my biological age is 34.
Here's what reversing 15 years of aging taught me about time itself:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/im...
#HealthTransformation #Longevity #BiologicalAge
I have a PhD in cognitive psychology.
For 10 years, I unknowingly destroyed my brain every single morning.
The 5 habits that sabotaged my focus, mood & decision-making (backed by neuroscience):
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
Your morning routine is your life routine.
#Productivity #MentalHealth
For 10 years, I unknowingly destroyed my brain every single morning.
The 5 habits that sabotaged my focus, mood & decision-making (backed by neuroscience):
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
Your morning routine is your life routine.
#Productivity #MentalHealth
I Destroyed My Brain for 10 Years as a Cognitive Psychologist — Here’s What Finally Saved It”
The five morning habits that neuroscience proves are sabotaging your focus, mood, and decision-making (and the simple protocols that…
medium.com
January 22, 2026 at 7:02 PM
I have a PhD in cognitive psychology.
For 10 years, I unknowingly destroyed my brain every single morning.
The 5 habits that sabotaged my focus, mood & decision-making (backed by neuroscience):
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
Your morning routine is your life routine.
#Productivity #MentalHealth
For 10 years, I unknowingly destroyed my brain every single morning.
The 5 habits that sabotaged my focus, mood & decision-making (backed by neuroscience):
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
Your morning routine is your life routine.
#Productivity #MentalHealth
🎨 Your thoughts are the brushstrokes of your reality. Choose them with the care of an artist, the discipline of a master, and the courage to paint what others fear to imagine. What you practice in your mind becomes the masterpiece of your life. ✨ ##Quotes
January 21, 2026 at 5:13 AM
🎨 Your thoughts are the brushstrokes of your reality. Choose them with the care of an artist, the discipline of a master, and the courage to paint what others fear to imagine. What you practice in your mind becomes the masterpiece of your life. ✨ ##Quotes
🌱 Your truth isn't found by doing it all—it's found by choosing what matters and sitting peacefully with who you are in the quiet spaces between. Authenticity isn't perfection; it's presence with your own becoming. ✨
#Quotes
#Quotes
January 20, 2026 at 6:21 AM
🌱 Your truth isn't found by doing it all—it's found by choosing what matters and sitting peacefully with who you are in the quiet spaces between. Authenticity isn't perfection; it's presence with your own becoming. ✨
#Quotes
#Quotes
The path reveals itself only to those who dare to begin. Victory belongs not to those who never fall, but to those who rise again. Your dreams are waiting—not in some distant future, but in the courageous step you take today. Start walking. 🌅✨ #Quotes
January 19, 2026 at 6:13 AM
The path reveals itself only to those who dare to begin. Victory belongs not to those who never fall, but to those who rise again. Your dreams are waiting—not in some distant future, but in the courageous step you take today. Start walking. 🌅✨ #Quotes
I left the party at 9:17 PM and spent 3 days recovering.
Not from alcohol. From people.
Social hangovers are real, expensive, and backed by neuroscience.
Here's what I learned about protecting your energy in an extrovert's world: medium.com/stoicletters...
#Introvert
Not from alcohol. From people.
Social hangovers are real, expensive, and backed by neuroscience.
Here's what I learned about protecting your energy in an extrovert's world: medium.com/stoicletters...
#Introvert
I Need 3 Days to Recover from 3 Hours of Socializing: The Science of the Social Hangover
What neuroscience taught me about protecting my energy in an extrovert’s world
medium.com
January 18, 2026 at 4:15 PM
I left the party at 9:17 PM and spent 3 days recovering.
Not from alcohol. From people.
Social hangovers are real, expensive, and backed by neuroscience.
Here's what I learned about protecting your energy in an extrovert's world: medium.com/stoicletters...
#Introvert
Not from alcohol. From people.
Social hangovers are real, expensive, and backed by neuroscience.
Here's what I learned about protecting your energy in an extrovert's world: medium.com/stoicletters...
#Introvert
I destroyed the best relationship of my life because I was too proud to admit I was wrong.
For 2 years I pretended I had "no regrets."
Then I finally admitted the truth—and it changed everything.
Why the "no regrets" mantra is toxic:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#personalgrowth
For 2 years I pretended I had "no regrets."
Then I finally admitted the truth—and it changed everything.
Why the "no regrets" mantra is toxic:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#personalgrowth
I Regret My 20s, and That Is Exactly What Saved Me
How embracing your mistakes — instead of reframing them — is the only path to becoming whole.
medium.com
January 18, 2026 at 4:10 PM
I destroyed the best relationship of my life because I was too proud to admit I was wrong.
For 2 years I pretended I had "no regrets."
Then I finally admitted the truth—and it changed everything.
Why the "no regrets" mantra is toxic:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#personalgrowth
For 2 years I pretended I had "no regrets."
Then I finally admitted the truth—and it changed everything.
Why the "no regrets" mantra is toxic:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#personalgrowth
Your strength isn't measured by never breaking—it's proven by how you hold yourself together when life applies pressure. Guard your inner world fiercely; consistency in small choices builds the foundation for everything else. 🌱💪 #quotes
January 18, 2026 at 7:37 AM
Your strength isn't measured by never breaking—it's proven by how you hold yourself together when life applies pressure. Guard your inner world fiercely; consistency in small choices builds the foundation for everything else. 🌱💪 #quotes
I spent 3 years thinking Stoicism meant "don't feel anything."
Turns out it means "don't let your feelings run your life."
Here's the mental operating system that finally gave me control over my anxiety ↓
medium.com/stoicletters...
#Stoicism #MentalHealth #SelfImprovement
Turns out it means "don't let your feelings run your life."
Here's the mental operating system that finally gave me control over my anxiety ↓
medium.com/stoicletters...
#Stoicism #MentalHealth #SelfImprovement
Most People Get Stoicism Wrong. It’s Not About Suppressing Emotion, It’s About Allocating It.
How to use the ancient art of ‘selective indifference’ to survive the modern world.
medium.com
January 17, 2026 at 12:01 PM
I spent 3 years thinking Stoicism meant "don't feel anything."
Turns out it means "don't let your feelings run your life."
Here's the mental operating system that finally gave me control over my anxiety ↓
medium.com/stoicletters...
#Stoicism #MentalHealth #SelfImprovement
Turns out it means "don't let your feelings run your life."
Here's the mental operating system that finally gave me control over my anxiety ↓
medium.com/stoicletters...
#Stoicism #MentalHealth #SelfImprovement
Here's the timeline no one tells you about .
I thought I just needed a vacation.
I took 2 weeks off, 3 days back at work, I was crying in my car.
What I broke in 12 months took 24 months to fix.
The burnout timeline no one tells you:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/it...
#mentalhealth
I thought I just needed a vacation.
I took 2 weeks off, 3 days back at work, I was crying in my car.
What I broke in 12 months took 24 months to fix.
The burnout timeline no one tells you:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/it...
#mentalhealth
It Took Me 2 Years to Recover from 1 Year of Burnout
Here’s the timeline no one tells you about — and why “self-care Sundays” won’t save you.
medium.com
January 17, 2026 at 11:56 AM
Here's the timeline no one tells you about .
I thought I just needed a vacation.
I took 2 weeks off, 3 days back at work, I was crying in my car.
What I broke in 12 months took 24 months to fix.
The burnout timeline no one tells you:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/it...
#mentalhealth
I thought I just needed a vacation.
I took 2 weeks off, 3 days back at work, I was crying in my car.
What I broke in 12 months took 24 months to fix.
The burnout timeline no one tells you:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/it...
#mentalhealth
Your reality is shaped not by what happens, but by what you choose to value and perceive. Great transformations unfold slowly, through patience and perspective. You become the quality of your inner world—choose your thoughts like you'd choose your destiny. 🌱✨ #quotes
January 17, 2026 at 7:43 AM
Your reality is shaped not by what happens, but by what you choose to value and perceive. Great transformations unfold slowly, through patience and perspective. You become the quality of your inner world—choose your thoughts like you'd choose your destiny. 🌱✨ #quotes
Truth emerges when we stop resisting what is and start shaping what could be. Your power lives not in perfection, but in the courage to descend into uncertainty and create meaning from the raw materials of your life. 🌊✨
January 15, 2026 at 5:23 AM
Truth emerges when we stop resisting what is and start shaping what could be. Your power lives not in perfection, but in the courage to descend into uncertainty and create meaning from the raw materials of your life. 🌊✨
I rage-quit at a barista over oat milk and drove home shaking. That's when I realized: the parts of me I'd been trying to kill for 30 years were actually holding my power.
What I learned about the "Shadow Self" changed everything 👇
medium.com/a-fulcrum/th...
#PersonalGrowth #SelfImprovement
What I learned about the "Shadow Self" changed everything 👇
medium.com/a-fulcrum/th...
#PersonalGrowth #SelfImprovement
The Parts of Me I Tried to Kill: A Journey to Wholeness
How befriending my “Shadow Self” unlocked the power I’d been suppressing for thirty years — and the exact framework that changed everything
medium.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:03 PM
I rage-quit at a barista over oat milk and drove home shaking. That's when I realized: the parts of me I'd been trying to kill for 30 years were actually holding my power.
What I learned about the "Shadow Self" changed everything 👇
medium.com/a-fulcrum/th...
#PersonalGrowth #SelfImprovement
What I learned about the "Shadow Self" changed everything 👇
medium.com/a-fulcrum/th...
#PersonalGrowth #SelfImprovement
I turned down a $30k raise and the promotion I spent 5 years chasing. Not because I gave up. Because I realized I was climbing a ladder I never wanted to be on.
Here is the framework I used to choose "Quiet Ambition" over burnout:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#Career #QuietAmbition #MentalHealth
Here is the framework I used to choose "Quiet Ambition" over burnout:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#Career #QuietAmbition #MentalHealth
I Turned Down a $30,000 Raise and the Title I Spent 5 Years Chasing
What happened when I finally got everything I wanted — and realized it was the last thing I needed.
medium.com
January 13, 2026 at 2:48 PM
I turned down a $30k raise and the promotion I spent 5 years chasing. Not because I gave up. Because I realized I was climbing a ladder I never wanted to be on.
Here is the framework I used to choose "Quiet Ambition" over burnout:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#Career #QuietAmbition #MentalHealth
Here is the framework I used to choose "Quiet Ambition" over burnout:
medium.com/a-fulcrum/i-...
#Career #QuietAmbition #MentalHealth