About PATH NINE (aka P9)
PATH NINE is a newsletter charting the people, places, and practices for the future of work. Each week, I share insights and strategies to help individuals and organizations redefine work, productivity, ambition, and living.
What some readers are saying:
“I look forward to your newsletter every week.”
"Consistently inspirational and encouraging."
"Consider it required reading for forward-thinkers and innovators”
About Kevin K.
After 15 years building and leading eight figure businesses, I found myself exhausted and unhappy. I was seeking something different; something that could set me free from the corporate shackles. I needed a new path. This is my path — join me!
Where’d the idea (and name) come from?
In April of 1958, Hunter S. Thompson was 22 years old when he wrote this letter to his friend Hume Logan in response to a request for life advice.
Thompson’s letter, found in Letters of Note, delivers a crushing blow to the notion that we must blindly pursue the path in front of us. Some people have no other choice — they must create their own path.
For me, the process started early.
I started designing products and experiences early in life. By the time I was 23 I was advising Fortune 100 companies about digital product strategies. Things were going great! And yet, something wasn’t quite right. Despite these early achievements, I still couldn’t feel happy or content with life.
The relentless pursuit of success led me to neglect relationships, emotional and physical health, and ultimately my own happiness. It seemed as though no matter what I did, I found myself wanting more. Every option I considered, seemed like a disappointment — a personal or professional regression to the mean. A life meant for someone else. And that’s when I finally realized, it was.
A few years back, in the midst of what was nearly a mental breakdown, I stumbled upon the letter (below) written by the infamous Hunter S. Thompson. Expecting to read the traditional, albeit trite “stay strong” or “keep your head up” guidance, I was surprised to find that Thompson’s recommendation was non-traditional. Instead of encouraging his friend to stay on one of the eight hypothetical, conventional paths, he presented a radically divergent idea and advised Hume to FIND A NINTH PATH.
This rang like bullhorn inside my head, shocking me out of my catatonic state and into action.
From that moment on, I realized that if I wanted to be happy I couldn’t continue on the same path. I had to commit to finding mental and physical balance while still striving for the success I’d always craved. In short, I had to set my own path.
And that’s when PATH NINE was born. I wanted to create a place for people who unabashedly seek out professional success but need a way to do it on their own and maintain a healthy lifestyle — the people who want to have it all, really.
This is the first step toward PATH NINE.
Are you on the right path?
And more importantly, should you take a different path?
You’ve reached a crossroads. Maybe you want to leave your job to start a new venture or turn a side project into something more. Or maybe you’re simply not fulfilled by the path you’re on today. Whatever your goal, it’s possible to build a better life—all you have to do is take the first step to the “new normal.”
Our readers include entrepreneurs, venture-backed CEOs, architects, psychologists, academics, technologists, and digital creatives.
Ready to start your journey? Start here 👇
