It's been almost two months since The Obvious Choice was released. Lots of people have been asking me how it's been going. If I'm honest, my answer is "not great". I've been disappointed with sales and so has my publisher.

I'm sharing five crucial lessons I've learned from this experience. Not to complain, but to illuminate the path for anyone bringing something valuable into a noisy world.

Whether you're launching a product, sell a service, or creating art––these five lessons transcend any specific field.

Read the full article here: https://www.theptdc.com/articles/my-book-launch-didnt-go-all-that-well-really

Order my book "The Obvious Choice" here: https://amzn.to/4ghBzce

Not sure if you want to get my book, “The Obvious Choice”? Here’s a free sample to check out: https://www.theptdc.com/the-obvious-choice-free-chapter

Who Am I?

Jonathan Goodman is the creator of the Personal Trainer Development Center and host of the popular Obvious Choice podcast, a top show for coaches, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. Jon’s been featured in most major business and fitness publications including Men’s Health, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Robb Report, Inc., and many more. Over 200,000 coaches and small business owners in more than 120 countries have purchased business development materials from him.

Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter "5 Reps Friday" read by 73,000+ each week: https://www.theptdc.com/newsletter-subscribe

Get my FREE "Jacked Nerds Reading List" here: https://www.theptdc.com/11-best-books-for-jacked-nerds

Join my Online Trainer Mentorship program: https://onlinetrainermentorship.com/mentorship/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=OTMEvergreen

Follow me on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itscoachgoodman/

X: https://x.com/itscoachgoodman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-goodman/

Timestamps

0:00 What I learned from my book launch bombing?

0:49 Five crucial lessons I learned from this experience

1:04 Lesson 1: Positioning: The Art of Framing Value

3:42 Lesson 2: Audience: Quality over Quantity

7:24 Lesson 3: Influence: The Contextual Boundaries of Your Authority

10:15 Lesson 4: Mastery: The Illusion of Transferable Excellence

13:06 Lesson 5: Self-Reliance: The Ultimate Liberation

Writing isn't just about putting words on a page—it's about clarifying the chaos in your mind and presenting ideas in a way others can understand. In a world where AI can write for us, mastering this inhuman skill might be the most powerful advantage for any ambitious person today."

Order my book "The Obvious Choice" here: https://amzn.to/4ghBzce

Not sure if you want to get my book, “The Obvious Choice”? Here’s a free sample to check out: https://www.theptdc.com/the-obvious-choice-free-chapter

Who Am I?

Jonathan Goodman is the creator of the Personal Trainer Development Center and host of the popular Obvious Choice podcast, a top show for coaches, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. Jon’s been featured in most major business and fitness publications including Men’s Health, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Robb Report, Inc., and many more. Over 200,000 coaches and small business owners in more than 120 countries have purchased business development materials from him.

Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter "5 Reps Friday" read by 73,000+ each week: https://www.theptdc.com/newsletter-subscribe

Get my FREE "Jacked Nerds Reading List" here: https://www.theptdc.com/11-best-books-for-jacked-nerds

Join my Online Trainer Mentorship program: https://onlinetrainermentorship.com/mentorship/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=OTMEvergreen

Follow me on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itscoachgoodman/

X: https://x.com/itscoachgoodman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-goodman/

In today's episode, I'm thrilled to sit down with my long-time friend Alex Hutchinson, New York Times best-selling author of "Endure" and his new book "The Explorer's Gene." We dive into the courage it takes to explore new creative paths rather than getting typecast by your past successes, and Alex shares how his unplanned writing journey led to his most powerful work.

Get my friend Alex Hutchinson's new book, The Explorer's Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map

Alex Hutchinson is the New York Times bestselling author of Endure, a longtime columnist for Outside covering the science of endurance, and a National Magazine Award–winning journalist who has contributed to the New York Times, The New Yorker, and other publications. A former long-distance runner for the Canadian national team, he holds a master’s in journalism from Columbia and a Ph.D. in physics from Cambridge, and he did his post-doctoral research with the National Security Agency.

Order my book "The Obvious Choice" here: https://amzn.to/4ghBzce

Not sure if you want to get my book, “The Obvious Choice”? Here’s a free sample to check out: https://www.theptdc.com/the-obvious-choice-free-chapter

Who Am I?

Jonathan Goodman is the creator of the Personal Trainer Development Center and host of the popular Obvious Choice podcast, a top show for coaches, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. Jon’s been featured in most major business and fitness publications including Men’s Health, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Robb Report, Inc., and many more. Over 200,000 coaches and small business owners in more than 120 countries have purchased business development materials from him.

Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter "5 Reps Friday" read by 73,000+ each week: https://www.theptdc.com/newsletter-subscribe

Get my FREE "Jacked Nerds Reading List" here: https://www.theptdc.com/11-best-books-for-jacked-nerds

Join my Online Trainer Mentorship program: https://onlinetrainermentorship.com/mentorship/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=OTMEvergreen

Follow me on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itscoachgoodman/

X: https://x.com/itscoachgoodman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-goodman/

Timestamps

0:00 Alex Hutchinson Introduction

1:28 Discussing Alex's books, including "Endure" and "The Explorer's Gene"

3:12 The evolution of book writing toward self-development and life design

4:25 What exploration really means beyond physical travel

5:06 The dilemma of being typecast after success

6:18 The explore-exploit dilemma: balancing new ventures vs. known success

7:49 "It just didn't seem fun to me" - Making career choices based on enjoyment

8:50 The challenge of crossing between different professional worlds

10:47 How John and Alex first met through a cold email

14:00 The challenges of writing: structure vs. crafting sentences

17:33 How the interludes in "Endure" evolved organically

20:37 The choice not to track book sales and analytics

21:23 Injecting personal experience into writing in the age of AI

24:32 Writing with "your cup half full" to prepare for life's challenges

28:57 - Introduction to the Wundt curve concept