Alexander Lyadov

Benefit From Harm / May 17, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

I'm 52 years old, and my quadriceps are growing like crazy. The reason? A knee injury. More specifically, sports rehabilitation after it.

Three times a week, I leave my training with wobbly legs. And it's no wonder, as my typical program looks like this:

Warm-up on the stationary bike - 10 minutes
Squats — 200 reps
One-leg balance — 3 sets x 1 minute paired with
Forward lunges with a 10kg disc — 3 sets x 30 reps (paired as a superset)
Two-leg balance — 3 sets x 1 minute
Backward lunges with a 10kg disc — 3 sets x 30 reps (paired as a superset)
Pedal bike with ball tossing — 4 sets
Wall sit — 3 sets x 1.5 minutes
Step-ups — 3 sets x 30 reps
Reverse Sisyphus on the treadmill — 3 sets x 1.5 minutes
Quad electrical stimulation — 15 minutes
Stationary bike — 10 accelerations of 30 seconds over 10 minutes
Calf raises — 3 sets x 70 reps
Balancing walk on a beam — 3 sets x 1 minute

The rehabilitation specialist's health criterion is simple: you must squat 1,000 times in 19 minutes and hold the wall sit for 15 minutes. Last time, with a different knee injury, I was able to meet that standard.

I'm training with Yuri. He's 58. A weightlifter. He set a record at an international competition and dislocated his shoulder. He underwent complex surgery in Lithuania. He couldn't lift his arm.

That was two years ago. Now, Yuri is preparing for competitions in Los Angeles. He's determined to win. Not only has Yuri regained functionality, but he's also back in competitive sports.

I'm amazed: "How did you manage that? What's your program?" Yuri smiles: "Three times a week, I do about 20 exercises, 3 sets for different shoulder muscles." There's no secret. It's simple.

Muscles eagerly gain strength and mass at any age if progressively and methodically loaded. Check the research — PMID: 20543750, 16339329, and 33921356.

The body wants rest not instead of, but after the load. Give it what it asks for, and in return, you'll gain the freedom to do what you've long forgotten or couldn't even do.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

How can I help you?
If you've long been trying to understand what is limiting you and/or your business and how to finally give important changes a push, then The Catalyst Session is designed specifically for you. Book it here.

The Path of No / May 16, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

It is easier to know the truth through negation than through affirmation.

Example: sports rehabilitation vs. bodybuilding. I have experience in both, so I can compare.

In the first case, it's crystal clear what and why you're doing: – Restoring the function of muscles and ligaments, – Getting rid of vulnerability, discomfort, and pain, – Re-entering active life without limitations.

With bodybuilding, it’s more complicated. The final state is vague. Success criteria are blurry. The meaning is best left unspoken. Fulfillment constantly tempts but slips away at the last moment.

You can debate happiness, power, and freedom for a long time. But everyone can agree on one thing: they definitely don’t want to suffer without meaning, to be helpless, or depend on the whims of others.

Saying “No!” is like turning a pencil sharpener.

Via negativa — the path through negation that reveals the essence. This becomes especially important when you're disoriented. If it’s hard for you to imagine your heaven, describe in detail what hell looks like.

Apophatic theology is the method of knowing God by systematically negating all of His definitions. Words are too poor and insignificant. The mystery should not be named but felt.

“God has neither parts, nor changes, nor boundaries” (Thomas Aquinas).

“The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao” (Lao Tzu).

“I am — without doubt. I am this — raises doubts” (Nisargadatta Maharaj, Indian non-duality teacher).

“Monsieur, when the finger points to the sky, the fool looks at the finger” (from the movie "Amélie").

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Voltage of Change / May 15, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

"Caution: High Voltage!" You’ve seen that sign on electrical panels, transformer sheds, or power poles. Sometimes the warning is blunt: "Keep Out: Will Kill."

Transforming 10,000 volts into 220 is a dangerous game for the untrained. It takes an engineer’s knowledge, experience, and tools to tame invisible energy. One mistake brings convulsions, burns, or death.

Here’s a secret: every transformation is dangerous.

Ancient people knew this. Big changes came only through touching the transcendent—a force beyond that could renew or ruin life. Structured rituals, guided by elders, controlled the intensity of meeting the Unknown.

Modern folks have forgotten. They dive into experiments, bold in scope, reckless in fallout. For individuals, it’s things like so-called personal growth seminars, casual psychedelic trips, or shamanic retreats stripped of cultural roots.

Governments increasingly engage in social engineering, destroying "backward" traditions and imposing "correct" worldviews, values, behavior, and even food habits. The result? Wild election swings, protests, riots, and worse.

In business, “transformation” is the buzzword. People think it’s like a sauna visit—pay, sweat, emerge reborn. Reality bites harder:

Initiatives flop, resources vanish, and teams sulk after another false start.
Companies get stuck in limbo, unable to let go of the past, the future keeps slipping away.

Yes, staying still isn’t an option. But to avoid fake progress, paralysis, or disaster, treat transformation with the respect and vigilance our ancestors gave fire 400,000 years ago.

In practice, this means:

Study the risks of the upcoming initiative.
Look for those who have been there and done that.
Remember, landing matters as much as takeoff and flight.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Respect the Big Dog / May 14, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

J.B. Mauney is a bull riding legend. He has earned more prize money than anyone else. But there was one bull, Arctic Assassin, that broke his neck and sent him into retirement.

One might think the rider should hate the bull fiercely, but that’s not the case.

People who don’t understand rodeo often accuse participants of cruelty to the bulls. They say the bulls would be better off peacefully grazing on the grass, rather than desperately throwing off people trying to ride them.

Some animals, like some people, are not made for peace — their potential is revealed in struggle. Without an adrenaline rush, life feels boring and bland. They are eager to defeat everyone.

Breeders select aggressive calves that love to buck, especially if they do it creatively. The legendary bull Bushwacker became a three-time world champion of PBR and earned the nickname "Michael Jordan of Bulls." He drew crowds like a rock star, touring the country.

And what about Arctic Assassin? J.B. Mauney took the "villain" to his ranch when the opportunity arose. Now, one retiree scratches the back of the other. "He’s like a big dog," says one legend about the other.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Unbreakable Flame / May 13, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

In each of us, there is something we fear breaking or losing.

Knowing this secret, we build defenses around it. We hide the source of light high in a tower, so that salty water cannot reach it.

But sometimes the ocean proves stronger. A tsunami. The perfect storm. The flood.

A catastrophe happens. The very foundation of our familiar life is washed away.

But what is this?

The lighthouse falls, but you remain. You stand. You see everything with clear eyes.

Instead of the world you knew—mud. Black earth. Raw material.

Your world hasn’t vanished; it’s changed shape. You’ve lost, but you’ve gained.

What? The truth of your unbreakability. Your fire burns without wood, hearth, or walls.

Others said it better, long ago:

“Beyond ideas of right and wrong, there’s a field. I’ll meet you there” (Sufism, Rumi).

“Divine light shines in your soul, and through it, you’re one with the Eternal” (Kabbalah, Zohar, 3:88a, adapted).

“All beings hold the nature of Buddha” (Buddhism, Tathagatagarbha).

“The Dao you can name isn’t the eternal Dao, but it lives in a man’s heart” (Taoism, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 1, adapted).

“You are That” (Hinduism, Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7).

“The kingdom of God is within you” (Christianity, Luke 17:21).

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Know Your Parents / May 12, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

Luis CK, the stand-up comedian, has a wonderful bit about Achilles and his mother. Louis ends with the words: "What the story of Achilles teaches me, is that, if you’re a parent, it’s never enough what you do for these motherfuckers. It’s just never enough. It’s still gonna be your fault."

Each of us is a son or daughter, and if we're lucky, we eventually become a mother or a father. That’s when we start to understand. For example, how much we wanted to give our children, but how little we were able to. Or t may seem that way, at first glance.

But as children grow, it turns out they are far from deprived — they have many different gifts. Some were passed down through blood, while others they saw in the family and absorbed. Sometimes, children value exactly what parents never even noticed.

In psychotherapy, they say it's impossible to give — you can only take. Is it any different in a family? Parents give what they are able to give, and children take as much as God has allotted them. If necessary, they’ll take more from other adults. To hold grievances against your parents means you don’t really know them at all. Maturing is learning to stop idealizing your parents, to stop being disappointed by the fact that they, horror of horrors, are just human.

We can only guess at how hard it was for our parents. Generally, parents don't rush to reveal the darker side of their family life, and children are too busy with their own lives and world.

We should be grateful that our parents are who they are. Without them, we wouldn't be here. Are you dissatisfied that the inherited fire is small? But it burns. You can make it bigger and stronger.

And to conclude, here’s the best photo of true motherhood, with the caption: "My mom has this picture hanging on her wall in her house for everyone to see. She sends it to me every Mother’s Day. This is me when my kids were little. Apparently, my kids needed me. And so did the dog."

How much strength, patience, and love there is in this, right?

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Contain to Free / May 11, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

Inside us lives a force that can only be called numinous. It’s the experience of the presence of something "completely Other" — a mix of awe and terror, enchantment and reverence. The term "numen" was introduced by theologian and religious historian Rudolf Otto.

One founder told me that in such moments, he works miracles — he brings incredible projects to life, works tirelessly, finds Wow-solutions, and opens any door. He said: "I feel like I’m glowing from the inside, and everyone around notices it."

But such experiences are rare. More often, modern people feel a vague, persistent longing — like a king in exile or a princess cursed into a bird. The memory of sacred power remains, but there’s no contact with it.

Carl Jung called this sacred force the Self. It can also be called "God within us," as it symbolizes the full potential and harmony of the personality, the highest power in an individual’s fate.

When a person merges with the Self, they burn out, fall into addiction, or go insane. Think of the rapid rise and fall of brilliant musicians, artists, or entrepreneurs.

Distance from the Self leads to depression and idealizing others. The person begins to see what he desperately lacks in others, but simultaneously, he envies them and hates them for it.

The secret is in the distance — not too close, not too far. Then, you have at your disposal a source of inspiration, energy, and new ideas — a source that will never run dry.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Know Thyself / May 10, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

Carl Jung called this sacred force the Self. It can also be called "God within us," as it symbolizes the full potential and harmony of the personality, the highest power in an individual’s fate.

When a person merges with the Self, they burn out, fall into addiction, or go insane. Think of the rapid rise and fall of brilliant musicians, artists, or entrepreneurs.

Distance from the Self leads to depression and idealizing others. The person begins to see what he desperately lacks in others, but simultaneously, he envies them and hates them for it.

The secret is in the distance — not too close, not too far. Then, you have at your disposal a source of inspiration, energy, and new ideas — a source that will never run dry.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Enduring the Void / May 9, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

Writing a newsletter teaches you to endure Nothingness. Time passes, and the blank screen begins to scare you. Snakes of doubt crawl out from the subconscious: “What if your source is running dry? What if there are no new ideas this time?”

The saved notes and illustrations remain silent. A short nap brought clarity, but no inspiration. I’m left alone with the Unknown. Intellectually defenseless. Existentially naked.

At the edge of this Void, there is only one thing left — to Be. Sit on the edge of the cliff, dangle your feet down, and look into the abyss. Humility as is.

Well, what can you do with what isn’t there? Anger is inappropriate . Complaining is laughable. Violence is useless. Sail, wait for the favorable wind.

The creative process brilliantly tames pride. You depend on the generosity of the blank page or black hole, like a farmer depends on rain and sunshine. All that’s left is to wait and watch closely.

You, like a gentleman at a ball, invite Her Majesty to dance. Will she decline or agree? Did you do everything to make her like you?

There are no guarantees. The hunter, fisherman, artist, scientist, and entrepreneur — anyone can set up all the right conditions, yet still end up with nothing. Alas, the element of unpredictability, but it adds thrill to the game.

The higher the gratitude when new meaning emerges from the void.

The lesson: It's co-creation — you never create alone.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

The Center of Your Cosmos / May 8, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

Mandala of Vairochana Buddha, Tibet (1700 - 1799)

What happens if you limp to the left side? To compensate for the imbalance, tension will form on the right side of the body, followed by muscle spasms. Years of limping will damage the joints.

Any misalignment is unnatural. Friction, pathology, and wear increase. The body, organization, and state — all systems degrade in the same way when the tilt of the central axis is ignored for too long.

It might seem like the 'body' is just slightly asymmetrical. You could grab a crutch, or better yet, an imposing cane. Or simply keep a palanquin nearby.

The problem is that you’re challenging everything—gravity, time, entropy. Maintaining your integrity gets more expensive with each passing day.

Remember spinning on the carousel as a child? You can’t hold on at the edge—you’ll lose your grip. But at the center, you could sit for hours.

But what is the center? It’s the point where polarities are balanced, and energies are harmonized. Nothing is forgotten, but everything is accounted for.

Yet, since this is where extremes meet, there’s argument, conflict, and even explosion in one step. It takes a certain maturity not to fall into the abyss, but to rise above contradictions.

Thus, the destructive dilemma turns into a constructive paradox.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

The Pulse of Being / May 7, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

The rehabilitation specialist doesn't stop at strange exercises — he also attaches electrodes to the skin of my injured leg. Under the impulse, the muscle contracts, stimulating blood flow, healing, and growth.

The sensations are unpleasant, like a spasm. "The more painful it is, the faster the ligament will heal," explains the doctor, encouraging me to crank the electric current to the maximum. From experience, I know he’s right.

My dilemma: what’s more valuable — future health or comfort right now? It’s tempting to pity myself. What helps is the “pulse of being” from the device — a ten-second burst followed by a ten-second rest.

A kind of life’s sine wave: motion-rest, inhale-exhale, on-off.

I remember this insight from Jiu-Jitsu — nothing tires you out more than constant tension during a match. But if you skillfully weave in micro-pauses, your opponent will think you’re a cardio machine.

Application? Let’s say you’re intimidated by the anticipated ‘shock’ — the problem's challenge, the project's ambition, or the effort it demands.

Check the balance of polarities — perhaps you should:

Shorten the tension intervals.
Increase the duration and frequency of rest.
Keep track of the alternating “ascents” and “descents.”

The secret source of super-effort lies in absolute rest.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Implicit Strength / May 6, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

What do people typically associate with strength?

immense size,
unmovable weight,
absolute power,
terrifying weapons,
unyielding toughness,
unlimited resources, and so on.

Symbolically, it’s Goliath, Cyclops, Typhon, Leviathan, the Chaos Dragon.

Something too big against something too small. The collision of an asteroid and a speck of dust. The outcome is fully predetermined.

Really? No, my dear friends, it’s exactly the opposite.

Take, for example, a dagger, a rapier, or a spear. Their penetrating power depends on sharpness. The smaller the contact area with the opponent’s body, the easier it is to pierce through.

Let’s push this insight to the limit — what is infinitely small cannot be physically stopped. It simply doesn’t encounter resistance:

a thumb-sized boy,
a speck of dust,
a melody,
truth,
a drop,
a spore,
an image,
an idea,
light,
will,
spirit.

So, what is the strongest thing in the world? What is, but isn't.

The unnoticed pattern. Faith in the unimaginable. The pregnant void.

The Paradox.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

The Value of Expertise / May 5, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

The rehab specialist pushes me harder than I would ever push myself. Most likely, I would swing between extremes — either pampering myself too much or trying to set foolish records, risking re-injury.

I remember how the rehab specialist surprised me last time: "How many days have passed since your knee surgery? A week? That’s bad. You should have come to see me the very next day."

It might seem like I know my body, I feel its needs, and I can react to pain. But the rehab specialist observes from the outside, not 24/7, but just for those few minutes while I perform his test.

It’s all about recognizing patterns.

I tear and repair my meniscus and ligaments a few times in life, but to the expert’s eye, thousands of such injuries weave together into a distinct pattern. An experienced specialist can size you up with one look:

A psychoanalyst diagnoses with the first words from the client.
A massage therapist can tell the drama of your life from the tension in your back.
After the first grip, a wrestler reads their opponent like a book.

That’s why entrepreneurs shouldn’t sell their business on their own, especially to a private equity firm or a strategic buyer. It’s better to hire an M&A boutique. Otherwise, there’s an imbalance: the founder may have bought and sold one or two companies, while for the fund, it’s just another day at the office.

Let’s say you face a strange or unknown problem in business. If time is on your side and the stakes are low, you can take it slow and teach yourself. But if there’s a risk of losing the business or missing a market opportunity, find an expert who deals with that kind of 'unknown' every day.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

From Before to After / May 4, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

How do you know you've changed? It feels strange to remember that you couldn’t decide to do something you now do freely, joyfully, and easily. “Was that really me? What was stopping me? Why did I hesitate for so long?”

Between the "before" and "after," there’s a vast chasm. It’s like jumping out of an airplane or having sex for the first time. You understand that others do it, but you can’t even imagine yourself in it.

In the process of transition, it’s important not to rush but also not to slow down. I had to jump off a bungee bridge twice. The first time, the instructors emotionally pushed me. My body jumped, but my soul stayed at the top. The second jump, I did on my terms and at my own pace.

By forcing the natural process, you only get form without substance. Change grows from the inside out, not imposed from the top down.

In one of my businesses, I stayed too long, even though the vision and priorities of my partners were diverging more and more. But as a co-founder, I convinced myself that I could get used to it or change their minds.

The Buddhists are right: resistance to the inevitable is the source of suffering and loss. Your snake needs to shed its skin in time.

Do you want to make your transition from point A to point B safe and fruitful? Provide the necessary conditions:

A dedicated time and space for metamorphosis.
A proven structure and sequence of actions.
A witness to change — someone who has been through it and lived it.

The last one is critical if the scale of the change takes your breath away.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

What's In the Sand? / May 3, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

What could be more mundane than beach sand? Even if it’s from the island of Mallorca. But what if I suggested you dig into it? You’d probably refuse: “How boring! I’m not three years old!”

German macro photographer Ole Bielfeldt thinks differently. What appeared to be a uniform mass turned out to be a palette of different colors and shapes. There are shells, corals, quartz, and plastic—everything you could imagine.

A careful gaze seemed to free beauty and meaning from their captivity.

The photographer could have walked right past it, like everyone else, but something intrigued him. What? A mystery. A promise. The potential of what could be. Or not.

To capture that fleeting interest and not devalue it immediately—that’s what matters. Not to be lazy and grab a handful of sand from Mallorca, only to place it under a microscope back home in Germany. And see the universe.

This is the Creator’s gaze—full of interest, awe, and recognition. It’s no wonder that the prima materia is eager to reveal all its secrets to him.

When someone looks at you like that, your soul opens in response. It’s like a plant in the deep forest, eagerly reaching toward the sun. The sun’s energy turns into glucose, needed for growth. Photosynthesis is life.

Personality blooms when it meets a blessing gaze. Too bad it’s rare. Someone had to light the sun yesterday so it could warm you today.

And why? So your gaze can ignite change in someone tomorrow.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Relating to the Fire Within / May 2, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

"Homo erectus" learned to control fire 1.5 million years ago. For today's city dweller, fire has become something familiar and safe, like the tiny flame in a lighter or a gas stove.

The true meaning of fire is only recalled when a disaster strikes, like the recent wildfires in California. One is overcome with a sense of encountering the numinous — a sacred awe and terror.

Arrogant politicians displayed negligence and carelessness. Fire taught its lesson — every phenomenon has a dual nature. Especially one that, according to myth, humanity either stole or received from the gods.

In much the same way, Western culture has trivialized and undervalued the sacred fire within each of us. In the past, people built safe relationships with it through rituals and ceremonies. Modern man has almost returned to the Paleolithic, facing the elements alone without any means to protect himself.

It’s no surprise that more and more people suffer from mental disorders, addictions, depression, mania, and phobias. If you ignore the flame, you’re guaranteed to suffer burns or frostbite.

What is this Fire? Carl Jung introduced the concept of the Self. The Self is the source of energy and meaning, the center of the personality, encompassing both the conscious and the unconscious. Many cultures had their own equivalents: Atman, Tao, Guardian Spirit, the Image of God, the Philosopher’s Stone, and many others.

The imbalance in the world is deepening. People continue to develop technologies to control atoms and bytes, but at the same time, they are losing the ability to control themself.

What should you do? Rebuild your relationship with the Fire within you.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Unlock the Flow / May 1, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

How to accelerate what you believe is slowing down or holding back? It doesn’t matter where — in a project, an organization, yourself, or another person.

One option is to make it hurry using temptation or force. The result is quick, but the cost is high. Violence and deceit won’t be forgotten, and one day, they will come back to you.

What’s the alternative? Try to understand the struggling process. The very fact of your impatience means a gap between your inflated expectations and what is. Something important remains hidden from you.

Something is waiting for your attention to reveal its true interest behind the resistance to you. The paths to achieving noble goals are so twisted that even looking in that direction feels terrifying and repulsive.

Who is finding it hard to look? You.

Why? Something is stopping you.

What exactly? Your beliefs that A is good and B is unacceptable.

What if you were wrong? I hope you’re not an all-knowing God. What if the repellent facade is guarding the Holy Grail — the source of harmony, wealth, and wisdom?

By slightly changing your perception, you stop blocking the flow. Your project accelerates on its own, business grows, energy flows, and co-creation with others becomes more and more fruitful.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Don't Push the Tempo / April 30, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

In 2001, Fatboy Slim released the music video for his song "Ya Mama." Various people casually play this song, and suddenly, they begin to move uncontrollably, spreading madness and chaos around them.

This video has always intrigued me, but only yesterday did I realize why.

It’s a vivid illustration of how people become possessed (in religious terms), consumed by archetypes (in psychoanalytic terms), or fall into psychosis (in psychiatric terms).

Carl Jung believed that within each of us, there are mighty objective forces. Objective in the sense that they owe us nothing and pursue their own interests.

Sometimes our goals align with theirs, and sometimes they don’t — then beware!

Psychologist Robert Moore often reminds us in his lectures that archetypes are aggressive and imperialistic, meaning each one longs to claim you entirely. The question is not whether your archetypes are active in your life, but how. The less aware you are of them, the more you dance to their tune.

The overpowering desire for power, alcohol, gambling, cleanliness, isolation, violence, control, promiscuous sex, or relentless work — all these are the consequences of twitching when the archetype beats the drum.

One function of humor is to help society recognize a frightening phenomenon and develop an attitude toward it. The video does this perfectly. At first, it was funny, but then it wasn’t.

The task is to study the "rose of the winds" within yourself with interest and respect.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Clear Yet Unclear / April 29, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

Entrepreneurs often complain about problems with their teams. Some can’t find talent. Others are tired of the infighting among “stars.” But the biggest complaints are about the low agency:

The team is not autonomous and needs constant supervision.
No one takes responsibility or they shift it onto others.
Everyone waits for someone else to make a decision.
Breakthrough ideas are not being proposed.
There’s no initiative.

The founder says, “I’d be happy to share the power, but with whom?” Why does this happen? One reason is that autonomy, initiative, and creativity have not been valued as core principles. For example, the company once obtained or created a monopoly, or its niche developed like the “rubber boom” in Peru.

In the past, the team was expected to execute flawlessly, with no room for error. As a result, the corporate body has taken its current form. The business is perfect for an era that has already passed.

The team urgently needs to change its approach, but for some reason, they don’t. The founder pushes them, flatters them, and threatens them, but there’s no response.

The problem is that the founder stands alone at the tip of the spear. With the highest motivation and the broadest perspective, the founder has long recognised and adapted to the tectonic changes. Everything is clear to him — the timing, the seductive prospects, and the nightmare of inaction.

So what should the founder do? Speak the “obvious” out loud.

This means clarifying the parameters of the 'journey' — where it's starting from, where it's going, how, and most importantly, what for. It’s amusing that when the founder shares what’s clear to him, it turns out that there’s still much to clarify.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Opposites Within Us / April 28, 2025 by Alexander Lyadov

Suppose you are the embodiment of Eternal Motion. You constantly measure distance and speed. Your medals for breaking records no longer fit on the wall. Progress excites you like an aphrodisiac.

How would you respond to a representative of Absolute Stillness?

His values don't just oppose yours—they provoke a full-scale Ragnarök, the final battle between chthonic monsters and gods. Of course they do: for you, a pause, stillness, and paralysis are death.

What are the chances you could understand each other? Zero.

That means nothing new can emerge. When like meets like, the world becomes sterile. A royal dynasty collapses when it practices incest.

So when does synthesis, not decay, happen?

Only in one case—when the apostle of Eternal Motion acknowledges the "dirty stain" of Absolute Stillness within himself. And vice versa.

We understand the new and the unknown only through association with something old and familiar. Learning something new is an act of recognition. It happens by finding a shared trait between two different things.

When light finds a drop of darkness within itself, the dance of day and night begins.

A workaholic, for example, might be shocked to discover that injections of Absolute Stillness boost his productivity tenfold. Meanwhile, a reclusive intellectual may find unexpected joy while planting the seedlings of shared ideas in the soil.

If you want your Work to thrive, first unite the polarities within yourself.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.