I’m writing to you from Houston, Texas today where I’m attending Cloudflare Immerse 2026.

This is an enterprise sales roadshow. I’ll describe what that means and why these types of events are the backbone of billion-dollar companies.

But first I need to get a name badge and raid the swag table.

A few dozen people are mixing and mingling in the fancy hotel lobby now. There are IT professionals, security contractors, and a bunch of Cloudflare employees.

It is a good time to note that nobody paid me to come report to you today from the front lines of go-to-market. I wasn’t even invited; I just saw the event online and signed up.

But I think these types of events- small, regional enterprise road shows- are worth taking a look at. I also like to research Cloudflare as a company. And I’m a sucker for free food, tech talks, and cool swag. So here I am.

A chime rings and they start to usher us inside. Come and let me show you what happens next. I’ll tell you why you should go to one of these Cloudflare events if you get invited, what people talk about, and why even the skeptics in the room left thinking about Cloudflare differently.

Silk Road Caravan

The traveling sales demo is an old idea. It is older than PowerPoint, older than the Internet, and even older than the printing press.

Caravans of traders on the Silk Road would set up camp at stone-walled inns called caravanserais. National Geographic called these places “seedbeds for globalization.” Merchants laid out their spices and fed anyone who walked through the gates to peruse their wares. They shared intelligence about routes, prices, and dangers. And buyers built relationships with sellers they trusted.

Regional Enterprise Tours Today

Fast forward a thousand years. The enterprise road show that I’m at today is a modern-day caravanserai.

Please clap. I worked hard on that damn analogy!

But seriously. Most major technology companies run some version of these small, regional enterprise sales roadshows today.

Salesforce has World Tour. Palo Alto Networks has Ignite on Tour (their teaser video is great). CrowdStrike and Zscaler host regional events, too.

Forrester says that 58% of marketers are planning more small, owned, in-person events. Sub-200 person regional meetups are the fastest-growing event format in B2B. I think that the big annual conference is a press moment, but regional roadshows like the one I’m at today are where enterprise relationships actually form.

Michael Coté agrees and says that these small regional events matter more than the mega-conferences for enterprise sales. When you’re targeting a couple hundred organizations in a metro area, you don’t need a convention center. You need 80 of the right people in a room.

Cloudflare’s version is called Immerse. It runs across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

The Houston event that I’m at today is one of the smaller-tier events on their world tour. Instead of silk and saffron samples, there’s a swag table. Instead of a courtyard feast, there’s a yogurt bar, gourmet sandwiches, and lots of caffeinated beverages. Plus an open bar.

The Hand-Raise Poll

We walk inside, take our seats, and then Khalid Kark, Cloudflare Field CIO, opens the session with a hand-raise poll.

“Who’s using Cloudflare today?” he asks.

A dozen or two hands go up.

“Who’s building with AI?”

Fewer hands.

“Who knew Cloudflare had a developer platform?”

Only a few now. This is not an Act 3 crowd.

I look around, somewhat shocked, and take stock of the room. There are eighty people in here with yogurt bowls and Diet Cokes.

I quickly realize that this isn’t the Hacker News audience who argue about Workers vs. Lambda deep in the comments. These aren’t the influencer accounts on X posting about the latest AI models.

Instead, this room is filled with the people who actually sign enterprise contracts and buy things. And those things that they buy aren’t what you might think.

The Four Acts of Cloudflare

To understand why nobody in this room raised their hand for the developer platform, you need to know about Cloudflare’s four acts.

Matthew Prince, Cloudflare CEO, describes his company’s evolution through four strategic expansions. Each act is a massive new business built on top of the same global network.

Act 1 is the foundation and where Cloudflare started. It has a CDN to make websites load faster, DDoS mitigation to block cyberattacks, plus DNS and WAF. If you’ve ever seen a “Checking your browser” screen, that’s Act 1.

Act 2 protects internal company networks. It replaces old-school VPNs and Cisco hardware and makes sure only authorized employees can access corporate data. The product suite is called Cloudflare One, and it bundles everything an enterprise needs to delete VPNs, filter traffic, protect data, and lock down SaaS apps. If you’ve heard the acronym SASE, this is Cloudflare’s version of it.

Act 3 is the developer platform. Now you’re running code and storing data directly on Cloudflare’s global network. Act 3 competes with AWS by letting developers build apps at the edge with Workers. Shopify runs a huge chunk of their storefront hosting platform on Workers. Your code runs wherever your users already are, not in a data center you picked on a map.

Act 4 is the newest frontier and is still to-be-determined. Agents, Workers AI, and Pay Per Crawl fill this bucket for now.

If you get your Cloudflare news from LinkedIn, you only know Act 2 and maybe Act 3.

If you follow the Cloudflare digerati on X, you definitely know about Act 3 and maybe even about Act 4.

But this event is all about Act 2. And I think Act 2 is where Cloudflare plans to grow the most in near-term enterprise sales.

The Talks

What follows are a series of technical talks that double as a sales pitch. The sessions are hosted by Michelle Mezger and Michael Tarsha, two Cloudflare sales directors with good banter and practiced timing. Each speaker covers a different slice of the Cloudflare platform.

If you’re already a customer, you learn what else is available. If you’re not, you get a compressed education on how enterprise security is evolving, taught by people who build and sell these tools for a living.

Khalid Kark, Field CIO

Khalid lives in Dallas and joined Cloudflare about a year ago. His pitch: Cloudflare is one programmable network, not a stitching of acquisitions. When Cloudflare acquires a company, they refactor the entire product into their core fabric. It takes longer, but everything runs on the same network.

He asks how many security vendors and tools the average Fortune 1000 company runs. Somebody guesses 10.

The answer is that the average Fortune 1000 company has 39 security vendors and 83 tools. Cloudflare’s pitch, and this is important to remember, is to help you reduce that complexity.

Warnessa Weaver, Senior Product Manager

Warnessa Weaver owns data loss protection within Cloudflare One. Her talk is called “Built, Not Bolted” and it walks us through how the old data center model dissolved when remote workers and SaaS apps blew up the network perimeter.

She puts up a diagram of what most enterprise networks actually look like. It is a spaghetti mess of point solutions from dozens of vendors, none of them built to work together.

“Imagine having to manage 39 vendors,” she says, calling back to Khalid’s stat. “That is insane.” Then she asks the room: “How would you design your network if you were starting from scratch?” Someone yells “Cloudflare!” before she can finish. She laughs, we laugh. I like that answer.

Todd Murray, Manager, Cloudflare One

Todd Murray gives the meatiest talk of the day and the one that I think connected best with the audience. He tells us about the three phases of SASE adoption. It was a bit over my head, but I’ll try my best to summarize it like this:

Phase 1: Modernize Remote Access. Cloudflare checks your stuff at the packet level, not the session level. Client examples include Indeed (13,000 users on Zero Trust), Canva, Delivery Hero, and EQT.

Phase 2: Simplify Workplace Security. One company replaced Zscaler with Cloudflare in a week. Todd’s words: “It was a piece of cake. I love to replace Zscaler. It is one of my absolute favorite things to do.” The room laughs.

Another customer cut malicious emails by more than 50% and eliminated hours of daily email triage. Todd’s take: “People have come to accept a 20% fail rate on email security, and it baffles my mind. What are you paying for?”

The biggest audience interest of the day is AI shadow controls. Todd shows us the MCP Gateway for governing agent access. It blocks employee access to unauthorized AI providers. A lot of people liked this.

Finally: Phase 3: Eliminate Private Circuits. Replace MPLS with commodity internet. Cloudflare has branch connector boxes that you ship, plug in, and you’re done.

If you’re still wondering why I’m long on Cloudflare, this talk is another answer. The product actually works, and the customers who adopt it don’t go back.

Customer Panel

Khalid Kark comes back up to host two security leaders on stage. I’m anonymizing both of them for event etiquette.

A Deputy CISO from a major healthcare system has been at his organization for over a decade. He runs SecOps, incident response, and biomedical infrastructure.

A CISO from a large hospitality conglomerate also joins. He oversees data, development, and security across a diverse portfolio of business units.

Some quick highlights:

• DNS filtering. The Healthcare CISO turned on prevention for non-business-relevant categories and saw a 90% reduction in attack signal. “This was very low-hanging fruit.” The result was high-fidelity signal in his security monitoring, and his security analysts stopped chasing shadows. He describes this as “just the beginning” of their Cloudflare story.
• AI agents as interns. The Hospitality CISO develops eight apps simultaneously during meetings. “They are the smartest interns I’ve ever had.” He calls AI revolutionary, not evolutionary.
• Advice from the Hospitality CISO: “Get really good at IT hygiene or get really good at incident response. Pick your poison.”
• Advice from the Healthcare CISO: Ground your AI in sensitive data with strict access controls. Collect and preserve your data now. “What’s relevant today trains the models of the future.”

We take a 30-minute break to get some snacks. Then head back inside for more talks.

Q&A

This is my favorite part of the afternoon.

An audience member asks how to justify growing their Cloudflare spend to leadership after the November 2025 outage. It is a fair question, but I think some people bristle at the ask.

The Cloudflare team walks through their response: a Code Orange initiative called “Fail Small,” canary deployments, plus AI models that are now reviewing merge requests before they ship.

It’s a confident answer that the team doesn’t hide behind. The IT guy who asked the question takes the mic again. “I took your post-mortem blog post and gave it to my leadership as a shining example of what a post-mortem should look like.”

Heads nod. And the host, Todd, gives the guy a Cloudflare-branded water bottle.

I raise my hand to ask about on-site demos. Cloudflare offers hands-on workshops tailored to specific customer environments. They run virtual test drives too, with engineers who help show you how Cloudflare products can work in your organization. If you’re reading this and considering Cloudflare, that’s a good next step.

One audience member asks about building on Durable Objects while being deep in AWS. It is an Act 3 question at an Act 2 event, which I love to see. The Cloudflare rep suggests using KV and caching as a parallel layer rather than attempting a full migration.

Ayush Kumar, Principal Product Manager

I have a hard out at 5PM and have to miss most of Ayush Kumar’s roadmap preview. It looked very interesting. I love how much Cloudflare is innovating.

One story I catch before leaving: he tried using a Chinese AI model to write code for a malware testbed after a US model refused. The Chinese model asked, “Are you using this for good?” He said yes, and it complied and wrote the hacker code. He could have easily lied and used it for malicious intent.

A Conversation with a CISO

The heavy wooden door closes behind me as I slip out to the hallway. It’s cooler out here, and a lot brighter. I came out to find one of the CISOs from that customer panel who seems sharp.

I hope to ask him a few questions about Cloudflare, but I also wonder if he’ll bother talking to me. He’s the most token-burning, forward-thinking guy here. I’m a relative nobody with zero enterprise sales contracts under my belt.

I decide to lead with some AI model questions. I see him near the coffee table and walk over to say Hi.

“What skills are you using for your agent interns?” I ask. We riff on the difference between Opus and Sonnet, and I tell him what I read on some new model rumors. His eyes light up like a freshly racked server as he tells me about an AI agent he built that caught a cyberattack his monitoring tools missed. At this point he settles in to chat and refills his cup.

He’s been at his job for 18 months. It is a very large enterprise with 25,000+ employees and a multi-industry portfolio. He pushed for a Zscaler contract when he started his job.

This guy is a practitioner, not a suit. He builds things and he codes. He knows what’s good.

So I want to know why he’s not buying more Cloudflare.

I ask him: What’s holding you back from spending more with Cloudflare?

He looks resigned to what he’s about to say and quickly glances around to see who is listening.

“No one gets fired for picking Zscaler,” he tells me. It reminds me of the old line about IBM.

He knows that Cloudflare’s technology is better, faster, and less expensive. But Zscaler is the devil he knows.

He wants to test Cloudflare at the app level, tunneling applications outward through Cloudflare’s network. He sees the potential, especially for Zero Trust at the application layer. But he can’t justify a full migration right now. There are too many other fires to put out and too much organizational inertia with the existing setup. He’s the exact customer Act 2 was built for, and he’s still stuck.

He tells me that he didn’t talk to his favorite Cloudflare rep for three months after starting his new job. “You guys are great, but you’re not the fire I need to deal with right now.”

Running a Good Roadshow

I have a hard out at 5PM so I sneak back inside the conference room to grab my things. On the ride home, I type up some notes that might be helpful for anyone running an event like this.

What worked well:

• Personal fun-fact intros for each speaker. It made them human. Khalid is a Dallas transplant. Humair’s five-year-old daughter won a 5K. Ayush does Muay Thai.
• The hosts did recap segments between talks, pulling out key takeaways and riffing on salient points. This is classic craft of a trained Master of Ceremonies.
• Lanyard color system for identifying who’s who.
• “Ask an Expert” engineers in the hallway. Cloudflare doubled that number from the Dallas event a few weeks prior.

A few suggestions, mostly about breaks:

• The Q&A didn’t start until 4:05 PM and had to be cut off early. But this was the best part of the day when the room felt the most alive. I suggest you start Q&A sooner and give it more time. Or split to two brief Q&A sessions.
• For a four-hour seated program, consider two 15-minute breaks instead of one 30-minute break.
• Don’t announce a break and then stay on stage. The survey segment after the break announcement felt like a false release that could be smoothed out.

The Caravan Moves On

The next stop for Cloudflare Immerse is New York on April 14, then São Paulo, then Montreal, then Minneapolis. Then a dozen more cities through the end of the year.

I wait with bated breath for every new Cloudflare product announcement. I’m a small investor in the public stock and I follow every launch, every blog post, and every developer preview. But the reality of the average IT professional in that room is very different. They’re dealing on a daily basis with someone who just needs to restart their computer to fix their WiFi. They’re chasing a virus threat that popped up on an old Windows laptop. They’re managing tens of thousands of hourly employees across dozens of business units, each with a different risk profile.

That’s a different world from the bleeding edge of Act 3 and Act 4 that I follow.

Cloudflare is a massive company with a huge product suite. I know that I can’t summarize a business like that from one afternoon at a traveling sales demo for a very specific audience. But I think I got a look under the hood at something I don’t normally see: the everyday people at Cloudflare who are in the trenches, grinding for enterprise sales, and landing contracts one city at a time.

Just like the caravanserais of yore.

Look, the inertia in large organizations is real. But so is the Cloudflare product suite. Every CISO I talked to today knew Cloudflare was better. They just haven’t made the switch yet. Cloudflare is built for a world that most Fortune 1000 enterprises haven’t arrived at yet. But they will. And when they do, the network is already there waiting for them.

If you get invited to one of these, you should go. The next Immerse events are listed here.

Additional Reading

• Michael Coté, “Tech companies should do regional events more” — Coté makes the case that small regional events matter more than the big annual conferences for enterprise sales. When you’re targeting a couple hundred organizations in a metro area, you don’t need a convention center. You need 80 of the right people in a room.

• Forrester, “The Global State of B2B Events: 8 Key Findings” (2024) — 58% of marketers plan to run more small, owned in-person events with fewer than 200 attendees, the fastest-growing event format. Cloudflare Immerse, at roughly 80 attendees per stop, sits squarely in this trend.

Want to talk Cloudflare stuff? Or did I get something wrong here in my reporting? Reach out to me. I’m always happy to chat and appreciate the feedback.

More Photos

The sender was Liza Anderson, CEO of Anderson Group Public Relations. She said she’d been following my career and that she wanted to set up a meeting to “amplify my brand.”

I almost deleted her email.

You and I probably get a dozen cold outbound emails like this every week, and I feel like all we can do is just delete them and move on.

But Liza attached a 13-page PDF listing over 300 client names.

So I went to her website, and it lists zero clients by name.

That’s funny, I thought.

What follows is my investigation into this outbound email, a humble attempt to name-and-shame, and a potential backfire in which I end up promoting this firm that spammed me.

The Outbound Email

Here’s their message, which I’m guessing they sent to a dozen or a hundred (thousand?) others.

From: Anderson Group Public Relations <agpr@andersongrouppr.com>

To: hello@nickgray.net

Date: Friday, March 9, 2026 at 6:44 AM CDT

Subject: Nick Gray / Publicity Campaign

Hi Team Nick,

I’ve been following Nick’s career, and I love the way his entrepreneurial spirit has led all of his endeavors, from marketing for his family’s company, to founding Museum Hack, to showing others how to find success.

My name is Liza Anderson, the CEO at Anderson Group Public Relations. We are big fans of Nick’s over here, and I wanted to get in touch and see if Nick is currently working with a publicity team. If not, I’d love the opportunity to set up a virtual meeting to discuss PR representation and explore how we can amplify his brand.

Our team specializes in securing mainstream national coverage, see our clients in CNN, Forbes, People Magazine, The Jennifer Hudson Show, Hot Ones, Essence, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Call Her Daddy, Elle, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Watch What Happens Live, and Glamour Magazine.

I’m attaching our client list so you can learn a little more about our team over here! Please let me know if you’d be interested in setting up a virtual meeting. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you!
Liza Anderson

She says she’s been following my career and references my family business, then mentions Museum Hack (I sold Museum Hack in 2019).

Which is nice! I love a good customized email template as much as anyone.

But… sigh… I don’t know, reader. I just don’t know.

Are They Legit?

Maybe Liza really does represent all these people. In that case, I’m doing her a favor by publishing this. Free advertising for a firm that cold-emails strangers!

Or maybe the “client” language is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

You’ll notice as you read through that they use “we represent” for some sections and “worked with” for others. And the charities section refers to causes “we have and can still work on,” which is past tense and future tense at once.

Below is their full client list, converted from the PDF. I’ve linked Instagram handles where they provided them.

Hollywood Actors

Terry Crews and Eva Longoria are mentioned as credential name-drops in the intro. The actual client list then pivots to different people. The 60+ TV shows and movies listed below come with no explanation of what role AGPR played.

Their film/TV client list:

• Amanda Kloots
• Michael Emerson
• James Brolin
• Glynn Turman
• Candace Cameron Bure
• Joe Morton
• Russell Hornsby
• Nafessa Williams
• Teyonah Parris
• Diane Farr
• Jerry Ferrera
• Felicia D. Henderson, showrunner and producer
• Lisa Yaro, Nigerian American Grammy-nominated writer, actress, and model
• Anne Marie Cummings, 4X Emmy-nominated writer/director/actress
• Craig Titley, Scooby-Doo: The Movie writer

TV shows listed, with no context provided for AGPR’s role:

Paradise, Dope Thief, Evil, Landman, Shrinking, The Night Agent, Ransom Canyon, Fallout, Yellowjackets, Younger, Griselda, The Sympathizer, X-Men ’97, Rescue: HI-Surf, Fire Country, Dahmer: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, The Traitors, The Consultant, Vanderpump Rules, My Life with the Walter Boys, The Big Cigar, The Dropout, Ted Lasso, You, Love is Blind, Never Have I Ever, 1923, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, Dopesick, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Dancing with the Stars, Pen15, Sweet Tooth, Next Level Chef, A Black Lady Sketch Show, The Umbrella Academy, The Cleaning Lady, The Ms. Pat Show, Euphoria, The Shrink Next Door, Mrs. America, Stranger Things, Queer Eye, Powerbook II: Ghost, The Morning Show, The Chi, All American, Game of Thrones, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Riverdale, Billions, The Crown, Fuller House, Black-ish, Better Call Saul, Big Little Lies, and more.

Movies listed, again with no context provided:

Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning, Freaky Tales, Killing Mary Sue, West Side Story, Rustin, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Hit Man, Shadow Force, Crazy Rich Asians, Coco, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Avengers: Endgame, Descendants 4, Fire Island, Straight Outta Compton, Wonder Woman 1984, Aladdin, A Star Is Born, The Hate U Give, Reversing Roe, Deadpool, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Fences, Bullet Train, Entourage, Wonder Woman, The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat, and more.

Overall Digital Talent Roster

• Ashton Bingham and Art Kulick of Trilogy Media (@trilogymediainc)
• Mariana van Zeller, Emmy & Peabody Award-winning journalist (@marianavz)
• Jax, TikTok singer (@JaxWritesSongs)
• Kay & Tay Dudley, family influencers (@KayandTayOfficial)
• Dr. Muneeb Shah, famous dermatologist (@DermDoctor)
• Brian Brigantti, gardening and homesteading influencer (@RedLeafRanch)
• Chef Andre Rush (@ChefRush)
• Cam Wilder, basketball influencer (@CamWilder)
• Joe Santagato, influencer and podcaster (@JoeSantagato)
• Margarita Nazarenko, influencer (@Margarita.Nazarenko)
• Akeshi Akinseye, luxury planner influencer (@KeshEvents)
• Jeremy Yoder, BBQ expert influencer (@MadScientistBBQ)
• Demarcus Shawn, comedian TikToker (@ArtByDemarcusShawn)
• Shelby Young, voice actress/content creator (@ShelbyYoung)
• Stella Chuu, cosplayer (@StellaChuu)
• Kelly and Kody, family influencers (@Positravelty)
• Sydney Silverman, fashion and beauty influencer (@SydneySilverman)
• Chris Sain, investor influencer (@ChrisSain1)
• Emily Ley, cooking influencer (@EmilyLey)
• Puppy Sphere, puppy yoga (@ThePuppySphere)
• Logan Moffitt, foodie influencer (@Logansfewd)
• Dina Marciano, interior designer (@DinaMarcianoDesign)
• David Choi, wine connoisseur (@WineWithDavid)
• Shayna Taylor, nutritionist (@ShaynaTereseTaylor)
• Dave Ogleton, family influencer (@FitDadCeo)
• Aileen Christine, lifestyle influencer (@aileenchristineee)
• Eric Sedeño, comedian influencer (@RicoTaquito)
• Mrs. Kasha Davis, author and activist (@MrsKashaDavis)
• Mirta Miller, makeup guru (@MimierMakeup)
• Eleanor Barnes, cosplay influencer (@Snitchery)
• Brandon Farris, comedian (@ImBrandonFarris)
• Mimi G, sewing expert (@MimiGStyle)
• Ross Smith and Granny (@RossSmith)
• Pia Mia, singer (@PiaMia)
• Danielle Carolan, lifestyle content creator (@DanielleCarolan)
• Ling and Lamb, American wifey and Nigerian husband (@LingandLamb)
• Ashley Nowe, parenting/fitness expert (@GetMomStrong)
• Brooke Ashley Hall, fashion/lifestyle influencer (@BrookeAshleyHall)
• Marco Hall, boxer (@IAmMarcoHall)
• Salice Rose, lifestyle and comedy influencer (@OfficialSaliceRose)
• Sophia La Corte, influencer (@SophiaLaCorte)
• Chris Stanley, Gen Z content creator (@StanChrissss)
• Kelvin Davis, model and influencer (@KelvinDavis)
• Terrell and Jarius Joseph, queer Black dads (@Terrell_Jarius)
• Chloe Bean, beauty guru (@ChloeBean)
• Tyshon Lawrence, fashion and comedy creator (@TyshonLawrence)
• Katarina Mogus, tech influencer (@Katamogz)
• Dion and Sebb, queer lifestyle content creators (@DionandSebb)
• Natalie Violette, makeup artist (@NatViolette)
• Felicia Day, gamer (@FeliciaDay)
• Manon Mathews, comedienne (@ManonMathews)
• Pattie Ehsaei, finance expert (@DuchessofDecorum)
• Jose Rolon, wedding planner and LGBTQ influencer (@NYCGayDad)
• Davon Moseley, chef influencer (@RoyalEats)
• James & CaLeigha, influencer couple (@JamesandCaLeigha)
• Caleb Simpson, house tour/lifestyle content creator (@CalebWSimpson)
• Ryan Kelly, comedian (@YouthPastorRyan)
• Natalie Sideserf, hyper-realistic cake sculptor (@SideSerfCakes)
• Grayson Finks, fashion influencer (@Grayson.Finks)
• Sloan Hooks, Gen Z content creator (@SloanHooks)
• Danny Casale, animator (@Coolman_Coffeedan)
• The Wizard Liz, female empowerment content creator (@TheWizardLiz)
• Eloise Head, baker (@FitWaffle)
• Gretchen Adler, recipe developer (@Gretchy)
• Lori Altermann, beauty and fashion influencer (@lorialtermann)
• Frankie Alvarado, fitness expert (@TheLABootyBuilder)
• Jeremy Pugh, hairstyle influencer (@JeremysTooMuch)
• Kat James, beauty and wellness content creator (@OfficialKatJames)
• Ivelina Stefanova, makeup influencer (@Ivistefanova)
• Julie Jones, interior designer (@JulieJonesDesigns)
• Francesca McFadden, lifestyle and family influencer (@FrancescaFargo)
• Ian Paget, dancer and content creator (@IanPaget_)
• Sydney Dumler, Pilates founder (@ForzaPilates)
• Bilal Rehman, interior design expert (@BilalRehmanStudio)
• John Shevchenko, live streamer (@Hyphonix_YT)
• Mario Adrion, comedian (@TheMarioAdrion)
• Wawa Gatheru, environmentalist (@Wawa_Gatheru)
• Toby Turner, YouTuber (@Tobuscus)

Fashion, Beauty, & Lifestyle

• Adriana Lima, Victoria’s Secret model
• Mirta Miller, beauty/lifestyle influencer, makeup guru (@MimierMakeup)
• Eleanor Barnes, cosplay influencer (@Snitchery)
• Caleb Simpson, house tour/lifestyle content creator (@CalebWSimpson)
• Jose Rolon, wedding planner and LGBTQ influencer (@NYCGayDad)
• Alexis Ren, model and viral workout creator
• Danielle Carolan, lifestyle content creator (@DanielleCarolan)
• Aileen Christine, lifestyle influencer (@aileenchristineee)
• Ling and Lamb (@LingandLamb)
• Brooke Ashley Hall, fashion/lifestyle influencer (@BrookeAshleyHall)
• Salice Rose, comedy and lifestyle influencer (@OfficialSaliceRose)
• Terrell and Jarius Joseph, queer Black dads (@Terrell_Jarius)
• Chloe Bean, beauty guru (@ChloeBean)
• Tyshon Lawrence, fashion/comedy creator (@TyshonLawrence)
• Lindsey Pelas, model and actress
• Dion and Sebb, queer lifestyle content creators (@DionandSebb)
• Natalie Violette, makeup artist (@NatViolette)
• Jay Alvarrez, extreme sports content creator and model
• James & CaLeigha, influencer couple (@JamesandCaLeigha)
• Lori Altermann, beauty and fashion influencer (@lorialtermann)
• Kat James, beauty and wellness content creator (@OfficialKatJames)
• Ivelina Stefanova, makeup influencer (@Ivistefanova)
• Model Roz, Dubai Bling Season 3 cast member

Chefs & Culinary Talent

• Nyesha Arrington, Top Chef
• Pinky Cole, Slutty Vegan
• Karyn Tomlinson, James Beard Award winner
• Chef Andre Rush (@ChefRush)
• Davon Moseley, culinary influencer (@RoyalEats)
• Chris Valdes (@chefchrisvaldes)
• Gretchen Adler, recipe developer (@Gretchy)
• Vanessa Lavorato, cannabis-infused chocolatier
• Suzanne Vizethann (@chefiesuzanne)
• David Choi, wine connoisseur (@WineWithDavid)
• Jennifer Maune, MasterChef finalist and restauranteur (@jennifermaune)
• Eloise Head, baker (@FitWaffle)
• Natalie Sideserf, hyper-realistic cake sculptor (@SideSerfCakes)
• Shayna Taylor, nutritionist
• Justin Sutherland, Emmy winner
• Aarti Sequeira, The Next Food Network Star
• Todd English, chef and restaurateur
• Phillip Ashley Rix, master chocolatier
• Brad Kilgore, chef
• Michael Twitty, culinary historian
• Yia Vang, Union Hmong Kitchen chef and owner
• Omi Hopper, Next Level Chef
• Viet Pham, Iron Chef
• Jon Taffer, Bar Rescue
• Elizabeth Rogers, founder and executive chef, Creamalicious Ice Cream
• Samantha Seneviratne, culinary author
• Lizanne Falsetto, founder of ThinkThin
• Dale Mackay, Top Chef Canada
• Roger Mooking, Food Network Canada’s Man Fire Food and Everyday Exotic
• Philip Camino, restauranteur
• Nick Liberato, restauranteur

Restaurants mentioned:

Slutty Vegan, Venice Whaler, Pier House & Baja Cantina, Figs, Tuscany, The Beast, Olives, Blue Zoo, The Pepper Club, Todd English’s Pub & Market, Handsome Hog, Big E & Northern Soul, Fellow, Imari, The Hudson, Earthbar, Union Hmong Kitchen, Pretty Bird Chicken, Kings of Fish: San Pedro Fish Market, Mexican Food Fair.

Cookbooks mentioned:

• KosherSoul by Michael Twitty
• An American Kitchen with an Indian Soul by Aarti Sequeira
• Northern Soul by Justin Sutherland
• Raise the Bar by Jon Taffer
• The Joys of Baking by Samantha Seneviratne
• Eva’s Kitchen by Eva Longoria
• Fit Waffle’s Baking It Easy by Eloise Head
• Everyday Entertaining by Elizabeth Van Lierde
• You Can Have It by Devon Alexander
• Decadent Shakes by Brandan Aouad

Medical Professionals

• Dr. Jennifer Berman, renowned female urologist
• Dr. Muneeb Shah, famous dermatologist (@DermDoctor)
• Dr. Ben Talei, Beverly Hills plastic surgeon
• Dr. Jason Champagne, celebrity facial plastic surgeon
• Dr. Jolene Brighten, board-certified naturopathic endocrinologist
• Dr. Courtney Tracy, licensed psychotherapist and mental health expert
• Dr. Whitney Bowe, dermatologist
• Dr. Jennifer Guttman, cognitive behavior therapy expert
• Dr. Sue Ojageer, pharmacist
• Dr. Arianna Sholes-Douglas, OBGYN and menopause expert
• Dr. Zion Ko Lamm, board-certified internal medicine physician
• Dr. Ernst Von Schwarz, cardiologist
• Dr. Tamika Henry, functional medicine practitioner
• Dr. Mamina Turegano, holistic dermatologist
• Dr. Randal Haworth, plastic surgeon
• Dr. Imamu Tomlinson, emergency physician
• Dr. Aaron Rollins, cosmetic surgeon and founder of AirSculpt
• Dr. Kerry Assil, LASIK and cataract surgeon
• Dr. Bill Dorfman, cosmetic dentist
• Dr. Ava Shambam, cosmetic dermatologist
• Dr. Zena Gabriel, dermatologist
• Dr. Rahul Jandial, brain surgeon and neuroscientist
• Dr. Stephen Greenberg, celebrity plastic surgeon

Experts

• Ashley Nowe, parenting/fitness expert (@GetMomStrong)
• Pattie Ehsaei, finance expert (@DuchessofDecorum)
• Mimi G, sewing expert (@MimiGStyle)
• Bilal Rehman, interior design expert (@BilalRehmanStudio)
• Darcy Donavan, Crypto Queen
• Gabriel Feitosa, dog grooming expert
• Carmine Sabatella, DIY expert, HGTV
• Edward Perotti, expert party planner
• Julie Jones, interior designer (@JulieJonesDesigns)
• Roquita Williams, President and Managing Partner of Polished Consulting
• Vegas Dave, money consultant and financier
• Chiquita Hall-Jackson, attorney
• The Hiltons, real estate
• Chris Sain, investor expert (@ChrisSain1)
• Reed Timmer, acclaimed meteorologist (Storm Chasers)
• Mauricio Umansky, real estate expert
• Jackson Galaxy, cat expert
• Robert Shapiro, legal expert, founder of Legal Zoom and Shoe Dazzle
• The Altman Brothers, real estate
• D Lucky Slots, expert gambler
• Leneiva Head, real estate mogul

Authors, Books, and Podcasts

Books mentioned:

• Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead by Neil Strauss
• Under The Influence by Noelle Crooks
• Eva’s Kitchen by Eva Longoria
• As You Wish by Cary Elwes
• Manhood by Terry Crews
• Reshaping It All by Candace Cameron Bure
• Raise the Bar by Jon Taffer
• The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn Skye
• How to Eat Weed and Have a Good Time by Vanessa Lavorato
• Stay Interesting by Jonathan Goldsmith
• A Boob’s Life by Leslie Lehr
• KosherSoul by Michael Twitty
• Dragonslayers by Bruce Coville
• Slow Burn by DawnCheré Wilkerson
• The Simplified Cookbook by Emily Ley
• UR Special: Advice for Humans by Danny Casale
• Joy Prescriptions by Tiffany Moon
• You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day
• Northern Soul by Justin Sutherland
• The Garlic Peanut Story by Jonathan Rachman
• Be All In by Christie Pearce Rampone and Dr. Kristie Keane
• New Order by Fay Wolf
• The Virtuous Circle by Gaby Natale
• On My Own Two Feet by Amy Purdy
• It’s Okay to Miss the Bed on the First Jump by John O’Hurley

Podcasts mentioned:

• Give Them Lala, Lala Kent
• The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast, Candace Cameron Bure
• The Hidden Third, Mariana van Zeller
• Let’s Get Into It, Sloan Hooks
• The Joe Santagato Show, The Basement Yard, Other People’s Lives, Joe Santagato
• Wizards of Waverly Pod, Jennifer Stone and David DeLuise
• Nerd Declassified Podcast Survival Guide, Devon Werkheiser, Lindsey Shaw, Daniel Curtis Lee
• Vulnerable, Christy Carlson Romano
• Big Name Bitches, Christy Carlson Romano and Anneliese van der Pol
• Full House Rewind, Dave Coulier
• Gals on the Go, Danielle Carolan
• Bystanders, Heather Morris
• We Have The Receipts, Lauren Speed-Hamilton
• You, Me & Mike Podcast, Jenn Todryk
• The Emily Show, Emily D. Baker

Reality TV Stars

• Lala Kent, Vanderpump Rules
• Katie Maloney, Vanderpump Rules
• Jen Shah, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
• Britani Bateman, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
• Jenn Tran, The Bachelorette
• Captain Sandy Yawn, Below Deck: Mediterranean
• Tan France, Queer Eye
• Cynthia Bailey, Real Housewives of Atlanta
• Courtney Boerner, Love Island
• Reza Farahan, Shahs of Sunset
• Brett Brown, Love is Blind
• Lauren Speed-Hamilton, Love is Blind
• Lesa Milan, Real Housewives of Dubai
• Alexia Echevarria, Real Housewives of Miami
• Stephanie Hollman, Real Housewives of Dallas
• Dr. Tiffany Moon, Real Housewives of Dallas
• Kelly Mi Li, Bling Empire
• Hannah Brown, The Bachelorette
• Nneka Ihim, Real Housewives of Potomac
• Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio, MTV The Challenge
• Amber Lee Diamond, Are You The One?
• Corinne Olympios, The Bachelor
• Akbar Gbajabiamila, American Ninja Warrior host
• Jack Maxwell, Booze Traveler
• Nick Liberato, Restaurant’s on the Edge
• Shiva Safai, Second Wives Club

Comedians

• Rob Schneider, actor and comedian
• Cheech and Chong, comedy duo
• Bryan Callen
• Jeremy Piven
• Patrick Warburton
• Eddie Huang
• Mario Adrion, German-American comedian (@TheMarioAdrion)
• Salice Rose (@OfficialSaliceRose)
• Eric Sedeño (@RicoTaquito)
• Ross Smith and Granny (@RossSmith)
• Chris Stanley (@StanChrissss)
• Demarcus Shawn, comedy content creator
• Tyshon Lawrence (@TyshonLawrence)
• Manon Matthews (@ManonMathews)
• Jamie Kennedy, Scream actor and comedian
• Brandon Farris, YouTuber and comedian (@ImBrandonFarris)
• Andrew “Dice” Clay, stand-up comedian and actor
• Desiree Burch, comedian, Too Hot to Handle narrator
• Carlos Mencia, political comedian
• Doug Benson, comedian and podcaster
• Will Sasso, The Three Stooges actor and comedian

Athletes & Fitness Experts

• Wladimir Klitschko, boxing champ
• Amy Purdy, three-time Paralympic medalist
• Chelsea Green, WWE Superstar
• Liv Morgan, WWE Superstar
• The Old Ball Show (@oldballshow)
• Isaac Caldiero, the first American Ninja Warrior winner
• Frankie Alvarado, fitness expert (@TheLABootyBuilder)
• Katana Chance, professional wrestler
• Amanda Dobler, fat loss and mindset coach
• Marco Hall, boxer (@IAmMarcoHall)
• Paige VanZant, Women’s UFC fighter
• Alistair Overeem, UFC heavyweight fighter
• Odessa Jenkins, Women’s National Football Conference owner/running back
• Saraya Bevis, professional wrestler
• Antone Exum Jr., NFL
• Zandara Kennedy, professional stunt driver
• Natalie Eva Marie, WWE
• Sonya Deville, WWE
• Mandy Rose, WWE
• Brooke Ence, CrossFit pro
• Coco Crisp, World Series winner
• Holly Dolke, fitness expert
• Kevin Nash, professional wrestler and actor
• Ali Kay, fitness guru
• Jeremy Ethier, kinesiologist and founder of Built With Science
• Dan Hellie, NFL host
• Vitruvian, fitness brand

Musicians & Bands

• Taboo, Black Eyed Peas
• Michael Clifford, 5 Seconds of Summer
• Nicole Scherzinger
• Josh Devine, One Direction drummer
• Grace Gaustad
• Pia Mia (@PiaMia)
• Yoshiki
• Jax (@JaxWritesSongs)
• Courtney Love
• Samantha Marie Ware
• Bim Fernandez
• Abby Anderson
• Hayden Maringer and Sean Murray, Evaride
• Mapy the Violinist
• Madison Taylor Baez
• Damian Escobar
• Don Felder, The Eagles
• Randy Travis
• Ricky Martin
• Def Leppard
• Danny Elfman
• Adrian Gurvitz, producer
• Butterfly Ali
• K3 Sisters
• Five Finger Death Punch
• Symon
• Laura Bryna
• Red Foo, LMFAO
• Roy English

Products, Corporations, & CEOs

• Bartesian, premium on-demand cocktail maker
• Jonathan Goldsmith, the Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World”
• Sharon Chuter, UOMA Beauty founder
• Mauricio Umansky and Arushi Kapoor, The Agency Art House, global boutique real estate brokerage
• PetPlate, dog food company
• Psychedelic Water, first legal psychedelic brand
• The Mane Choice, hair care line
• Blakk Smoke, luxury hookah company
• Slim + Husky’s, Nashville pizza beeria
• Pat Bondurant, CEO of Bondurant Racing School
• XCINEX, streaming media player
• Ten Thirty One Productions, LA Haunted Hayride production company
• Camila Alves, luxury designer, MUXO handbags
• Jerry Ferrara, Fat Sal’s restaurant
• Bure Family Winery, Napa Valley
• Martin Miller’s Gin
• Reza Be Obsessed, Reza Farahan’s haircare line
• Makeup Junkie Bags
• Peta Jane by Peta Murgatroyd
• Suvara World, Six Plus Three at-home spray tan
• Winky Lux Cosmetics

Dancers & Choreographers

• Jemel McWilliams, 2020 Emmy Award nominee
• Britt Stewart, Dancing with the Stars’ first Black pro-dancer
• Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Latin-ballroom dance champion and DWTS pro
• Amanda Kloots, Broadway dancer
• Peta Murgatroyd, DWTS pro
• Ian Paget, dancer and content creator (@IanPaget_)
• Dexter Carr, choreographer
• Emma Slater, DWTS pro
• Witney Carson, Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance
• Travis Wall, So You Think You Can Dance
• Christopher Scott, Emmy-nominated choreographer
• GiaNina Paolantonio, dancer and content creator
• Kathryn Burns, Emmy Award winner
• Mia Michaels, So You Think You Can Dance
• Jasmine Baddie, celebrity choreographer
• Chelsie Hill, professional dancer and content creator
• Stacey Tookey, Emmy-nominated choreographer
• Tricia Miranda, award show performer and choreographer
• Fuego Shoes, dance sneaker brand
• Sydney Mesher, the first Rockette with a noticeable physical disability

Mediums, Psychics, and Magicians

• Shin Lim, Las Vegas magician
• Monica the Medium
• Oz Pearlman, famous mentalist
• Maria Shaw, The French Quarter Medium
• The Amazing Kreskin
• Murray the Magician, mentalist
• Glenn Rottman, hypnotherapist
• Nevo Abutbul, Israel’s Got Talent finalist
• Jeff and Kimberly Bornstein, magicians
• Fia Johannson, the Persian Medium
• James Van Praagh, physic medium

Red Carpets & Hollywood Events

Events listed:

Children Mending Hearts’ Empathy Rocks, The Eva Longoria Foundation Dinner, HollyRod’s DesignCare, Rafi’s Pre-Oscar Gifting Suite, LA Haunted Hayride, Brent Shapiro Foundation’s Summer Spectacular, 3rd Annual Griot Gala Oscar After Party, Reality TV Awards, TV Guide Advocacy Awards, NOH8, Autism Speaks Charity Poker Tournament, LA Fashion Week Fashion Show, Mexico Food Fair, Youth for Human Rights, BESO openings, Cheech and Chong’s comedy reunion tour, International Rosé Day, Tommy Chong’s 80th Birthday Bash.

Movie and TV show premieres listed:

Mind Over Matter, YouTube Red’s Ultimate Expedition, American Satan, Youthful Daze, The Young Kieslowski.

Charities & Activists

Activists mentioned:

• Maya Penn, environmental activist and eco-designer
• Nia Miranda Duckett, Black Lives Matter activist
• Katie Cleary, Peace 4 Animals
• Wawa Gatheru, environmentalist (@Wawa_Gatheru)
• Michael Mezzatesta, climate change activist and economist

Charities and causes mentioned:

• Children Mending Hearts
• HIT Living Foundation, LA dog rescue
• Shriners Hospital for Children, R.J. Mitte’s involvement
• Skip1’s Skiptember, food and water for children in Rwanda
• The Eva Longoria Foundation
• Eva’s Heroes, Eva Longoria’s nonprofit for developmentally disabled children
• Padre’s Contra El Cancer
• Brent Shapiro Foundation
• Jackson Galaxy’s charity, sheltered animals
• St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Patrick Warburton’s involvement
• BCAA (Brothas Capable of Accomplishing Anything), Marlon Yates foundation
• The Children Hunger Fund, Candace Cameron’s involvement
• NOH8
• Friend Movement
• PETA
• Best Friends Animal Society
• Minds Advisory Group, Jonathan Goldsmith’s anti-landmines organization
• Mercy Corps, Cary Elwes’ involvement
• Beacon Experience, Danny Garcia’s inner-city tutoring and scholarship program
• Talking About Curing Autism (TACA), Jonathon Schaech’s involvement
• Human Rights Foundation, Marisol Nichols’ involvement
• Terry Crews’ White Ribbon Campaign
• Boys and Girls Club and Ronald McDonald’s House Charities, Terrence Jenkins’ involvement

Conclusion

16 sections. Hundreds of names. “To name a few” appears in nearly every section.

Some sections say “we represent.” Others say “we worked with.” The charities section says they “have and can still work on” the listed causes. The Hollywood section opens with Terry Crews and Eva Longoria as name-drops, then lists a different set of people as actual clients.

Their website, as of today, lists zero clients by name. It lists one team member: Liza herself.

They cold-emailed me, a relative nobody online and certainly not a name in Hollywood.

Draw your own conclusions.

Also, I respect the hustle!

Are you or your company mentioned in this list, and want to clarify how you worked with AGPR? Email me at hello@nickgray.net.

Joe Liemandt is wearing a black ALPHA baseball cap and an expensive yet understated polo. He’s smiling, confident, and warm. The type of guy you actually want to be a billionaire and controlling the world.

My heart is racing. I’ve been rehearsing something to say to him in my head for 20 minutes. I always get nervous during a Q&A and I hate to be confrontational, but I have to ask.

“Joe, how spicy can I be with my question?”

He grins. “Bring it on. Make it real spicy.”

So I ask him: Success Academy and Eva Moskowitz were supposed to be the future of education 20 years ago. They promised great outcomes for students, had big wealthy backers, and got tons of press.

And yet they never changed the system. Not truly.

What makes Alpha School something more than the 2026 version of Success Academy?

The room gets quiet. My heart is doing that thing again.

Then in 2018, I sat in a beautiful office in New York City while WeWork pitched their school called WeGrow. They had a $47 billion company behind them, world-class architects designing the classrooms, and Gwyneth Paltrow promoting it. There was a grand vision to reinvent childhood learning.

WeGrow shut down a year later when the whole company imploded.

So yeah, I’ve been burned before.

And now I’m sitting in the second row, pulse up, watching another billionaire tell me he’s going to fix education.

But then Joe explains why he thinks the entire charter school model is broken.

The Charter Trap

Eva Moskowitz opened the first Success Academy charter school in New York City in 2006 with 157 students. Her Harlem kids crushed the state tests.

In 2014, she promised to have 100 schools online within 10 years. There were 32 at the time.

Now it is 2026 and Success Academy only has 59. Almost all of them are in New York City.

Last year, Ken Griffin of Citadel gave her $50 million to open Success Academy in Miami.

I wonder if that’s an admission that the NYC growth story is over.

The Education of Eva Moskowitz

I read Eva’s memoir a few years ago. So much of it was about fighting. Fighting unions. Fighting the Department of Education. And fighting politicians.

One story stuck with me. She couldn’t even get access to a library in her own building. The Robin Hood Foundation had built these million-dollar school libraries, and the public school turned theirs into a teachers’ lounge. Eva had to threaten to call Robin Hood just to let her kids use it. I liked this part:

“Excellence is the accumulation of hundreds of minute decisions; it is execution at the most granular level. Once you accept the idea that you should give in to things that make no sense because other people do those things and you want to appear reasonable, you are on a path towards mediocrity. To achieve excellence, one must fight such compromises with every fiber of one’s being.”

She fought everything. But I think so much of that energy went into political warfare and not towards building new schools.

Eva posted a Charles Osgood poem called “Pretty Good” in her teachers’ work room that I like. It is about a pretty good student who grows up and discovers that pretty good is actually pretty bad.

Joe Liemandt’s Answer

Here’s what Joe said to my question about why Alpha School will have a different outcome from Success Academy:

“Success Academy wins because they do eight hours. Fundamentally, they grind the kids for eight hours a day. The problem with good high-achievement charter schools is if you look at their enrollment trends, they crush K through 5, because at K through 5 kids wake up every day and say ‘How do I make mom and dad happy?’ As soon as you hit adolescence, you start to say ‘I don’t really care about mom and dad anymore, I care about my friends. I care about social acceptance.’ And all of a sudden doing well academically falls off a cliff. But we’re not going to be hamstrung by charter. When kids can learn in two hours a day instead of eight, you can rebuild the school day around the life skills and things that kids really care about.”

His bigger point is structural. Charters are now in what he called “a really weird zone.” ISDs can veto you. Rules and regulations are everywhere. But ESAs (Education Savings Accounts) let you operate as a private company and skip all of that.

Eva spent 20 years fighting within the system. Now Joe and Alpha School are going around it.

What Alpha Actually Does

Alpha School takes a different approach. Kids do academics in just two hours using AI-powered personalized learning. The rest of the day is life skills: leadership, entrepreneurship, public speaking, relationship building.

90-something percent of Alpha kids say “I love school.”

43% said they’d rather go to school than go on vacation.

That sounds fake. But every Alpha parent I’ve talked to in Austin backs it up.

The AI figures out what your kid knows, generates a personalized lesson plan at their level, and keeps them in a zone where they’re getting 80-85% of questions right. Every video game developer knows this sweet spot. So Alpha hired some of the best game developers to build their software.

Joe applies different thinking to hiring teachers too:

“The reason schools can’t scale is teachers are a hard spec to fill. You have to be a world expert in seventh-grade science, you have to teach it well, you have to connect with kids, you have to deal with parents and administrators. Those five skills are all different. So in America, we solved that problem by underpaying them. And we’re like, ‘Oh my god, no one applies for the job! It’s crazy!’ Every head of HR can solve this problem: Simplify the spec and pay more money.“

Alpha took out the subject-matter expertise requirement. The AI handles content mastery. But you have to motivate and connect and engage with kids better than anybody. They pay a minimum of $100,000 for their teachers.

Alpha School by the numbers

• 50 campuses on track this year
• 100,000+ parents registered for Texas Sports Academy when it launched January 1st
• Top 1% achievement and growth on standardized tests

For-Profit is the Point

Joe gave the most unapologetic defense of for-profit education I’ve ever heard. He told the audience about a talk he gave at Reid Hoffman’s Masters of Scale conference:

“I was told when I got involved four years ago: Everything has to be non-profit. Can’t do for-profit. For-profit’s evil. For-profit education is especially evil. For-profit education driven by billionaires is the evilest thing on the world. And lots of the world still believes that.”

He continues:

“Non-profit equals non-scale. Let’s say that I have my big package of donations and I build the world’s greatest product. It goes away really fast. And then I’m stuck. There are tons of charter schools in this country who are awesome. They have 3,000 person waitlists. I ask why they don’t add another campus. They say, ‘We’re waiting on a $40 million donation.’ Meanwhile I had a thousand people at my info session in New York City. I promise you everybody will give me as much capital as I want to open more schools. Capitalism will provide capital for education.”

Education is a $7 trillion global industry. Joe’s point is that there’s plenty of money, just not good products.

Before Alpha School, Joe Liemandt was basically invisible. He ran Trilogy Software for decades, paid people $150,000 to move to Austin in the 90s, and drove an old Toyota even when he was already wealthy. You couldn’t find photos of him online.

Now he’s put $1 billion of his own money into education and he’s out front talking about it. I like that.

Will It Actually Work?

I don’t have kids yet. But I left New York City for a lot of the same reasons that Eva’s story frustrated me. I wanted to be somewhere that was open to different thinking.

Every generation gets a school that promises to change everything. Success Academy was the last one. If you haven’t heard it before, the pitch to re-imagine education always sounds this good. You can’t help but get swept up in the excitement.

Here’s what’s different this time around: Eva needed political permission to open every school. Every charter school in Harlem needed a co-location approval from a school board that didn’t want her there. New York State has a cap on how many charters can exist.

Joe doesn’t need any of that. ESAs are rolling out across the country. Texas allocated a billion dollars for its Education Freedom Accounts program launching this year. The federal Educational Choice for Children Act kicks in 2027 with billions more in tax-credit scholarships as states opt in.

When the money follows the parent instead of the institution, you don’t have to fight the system.

You just have to build something parents want.

Conclusion

I think about all the time I wasted in middle school and high school. Hours of sitting and waiting and doing pointless memorization tasks. And I wish I had something like this.

When the talk is over, I walk up to Joe to shake his hand and take a few pictures. I thank him for what he’s doing. He’s super gracious about it.

On the drive home, I text my wife Lauren. I tell her I think Alpha School might actually be the real deal and that I’m excited about the future.

I’ve been burned by KIPP. Burned by WeGrow. Burned by the promises that someone was finally going to fix our outdated system of education.

And yet I’ve talked to enough Alpha parents and students in Austin to know that something is working here. A friend told me about his son who was voluntarily waking up at 6 a.m. to hit his test scores so he could go on a field trip. That’s not a kid who hates school.

Every generation gets a school that promises to change everything.

And now I think this one just might do it.

More Resources

• The Education of Eva Moskowitz by Eva Moskowitz
• “Pretty Good” by Charles Osgood the poem Eva posted in her teachers’ work room
• The Lottery documentary about Success Academy’s admissions lottery
• What Happened to WeWork’s School, WeGrow?

Thanks to Arena Hall

This talk was hosted by my friend Evan Baehr at Arena Hall in Austin. Evan is building Arena Hall as a gathering place for people working on the most ambitious projects in Central Texas. Defense, transportation, AI, healthcare, space, education. Thanks to Evan for putting this together and letting me ask Joe my spicy question during Q&A.

Here’s some photos of my life lately.

Hawaii in January 2026

Andrew Wilkinson invited me to Hawaii to help host his Conglomerateurs conference for business owners. We were in Maui for a few days (at the White Lotus hotel!) then went to the Big Island to Hilo and Kona.

New Media Summit

I helped out a tiny bit at New Media Summit, a conference for email newsletter people and more. Sometimes people hire me as a Master of Ceremonies, and sometimes I just grab the mic and hop on stage.

Other Photos

I went to my first Austin FC soccer game. I hung out with Shaan Puri for a very special MrBeast event in North Carolina that involved basketball and billionaires. Saw Tynan, read some books, and more.

December 2025

We went to New York City, Mexico City, and a wedding with donkeys. See my New York City updated tips here, and my Mexico City tips here.

Conclusion

It’s been fun! Thank you for looking at my photos.

I will post more on my Instagram stories here: @nickgraynews on Instagram.

If you’re hosting an event soon, try Mixily to collect RSVPs. It’s better than Evite! My friend Andrew Badr made it and now I’m running it.

• My Favorite Things to Do in New York City (2025)
• Mexico City: My Top 3 Must-See Things

Friends always ask me where to stay and what to eat in Kyoto. So I finally wrote it all down.

These are the exact hotels I book, the restaurants I tell people about, and the simple tricks that make the whole trip way more enjoyable.

Hotels

I’ve stayed in two hotels in Kyoto so far. Both stays taught me something new about the city — its history, its design, and the quiet luxury Kyoto does so well.

Hotel The Mitsui, Kyoto

I traveled to Kyoto in January 2025, and on that trip I stayed at Hotel The Mitsui — a former samurai residence that’s now a modern luxury hotel. It’s steps from Nijo Castle, yet it feels like a completely hidden world once you walk inside.

Imagine stepping into calm gardens, walking along quiet pathways, and then discovering a private onsen bath that instantly became my favorite part of the trip.

I filmed a full hotel tour while I was there. You can watch it below, or click here if you prefer watching it on YouTube.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Kyoto

Three months later, I went back to Kyoto and stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

It’s set along a serene riverside path, and the whole place feels like a blend of modern luxury and authentic Japanese design.

There’s a beautiful gym and a great pool, but my favorite part was the quiet library — easily one of the best spots in the hotel to read, write, or just relax.

I filmed a full walkthrough of the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto, too. You can watch it below, or click here to watch it on my channel.

Restaurants

I tried a bunch of restaurants in Kyoto, but these were the standouts. Some came from personal exploration, and others were recommendations from friends.

Monk

Monk is a tiny, special restaurant tucked right along the Philosopher’s Path — a calm, quiet stretch near Ginkakuji.

They use seasonal ingredients from local farmers’ markets, and everything is cooked in the most primitive, beautiful way: over live fire.

L’Escamoteur

This recommendation came from our friend Austin Rief. It’s run by a French magician (yes, really), and the whole place feels like stepping into a tiny, theatrical world.

If you go, try to get there early and grab Seat 1A. It’s the best spot in the house.

Yakiyasai Isoya

This place is really fun and a little hip — the kind of restaurant where they play upbeat Japanese jazz and everything feels lively. The food is incredibly fresh and fully farm-to-table, with lots of vegetable-forward dishes.

It’s a great spot if you want something lighter or need a break from sushi.

Honke Owariya

One of Kyoto’s oldest restaurants, Honke Owariya is famous for its handmade soba served in a traditional wooden townhouse. It’s simple, classic, and a great stop if you want an authentic Kyoto meal.

Conclusion

I want to go back to Kyoto soon. Maybe next spring when the cherry blossoms are out.

It’s one of the few places where I don’t feel the need to rush around and check off a list. I just walk. I eat. I look around.

The onsen at Hotel The Mitsui might be the most relaxed I’ve felt in years.

If you’re planning a trip, use these spots as a starting point. But also leave room to wander and find your own favorite places.

Email me if you go. I want to hear what you discover.

Related Articles:

This is my only dedicated Kyoto guide so far. But if you’re also visiting Tokyo, check out these articles:

• Nick Gray’s Tokyo Tips and Tricks
• Tokyo Blind Date
• My Pictures and Notes from Tokyo

You’ll learn how to solve for database latency, why you should use monorepos, tips for the Hono CLI, a tool for checking serverless security, and why you should be careful picking your email address.

Hyperdrive: Solving for Database Latency

There’s a fundamental issue in serverless architecture: the latency inherent in connecting ephemeral compute to traditional databases.

Pranoy introduced Cloudflare Hyperdrive, a service designed to make existing regional databases feel global by accelerating the connection process rather than moving the data itself.

• The problem isn’t the query, it is the handshake. If you naïvely connect a serverless worker to a Postgres database, 90% of your latency is actually the TCP/TLS setup. A simple query takes about 5 round trips minimum (TCP handshake, TLS handshake, Auth) before data even flows.
• Stop paying the Serverless Tax. A worker connecting directly to a database can incur 1.6s+ latency for a task that should take milliseconds. This is why traditional connection pooling fails in serverless environments. You cannot maintain the pool if the compute dies immediately.
• Architecture details. Hyperdrive places a sidecar on the same physical machine as your Worker. It intercepts the connect() call at the socket layer using a Unix domain socket. It sort of lies to your database driver (like Postgres.js) to make it think it is connecting directly, while actually routing through a pre-warmed connection pool maintained by Cloudflare.
• One-line config change. You do not change your code logic. You just swap the connection string variable. The driver remains the same, but the network topology changes drastically.

Q&A: Hyperdrive

Question 1: Can you guarantee the ordering of requests? For example, if I have a bunch of writes coming in, can I ensure they happen sequentially?

Answer: (Pranoy) No, we don’t guarantee ordering in that sense. It behaves like a standard connection pool. However, since we are maintaining a warm pool, you generally don’t face the race conditions you might see with cold starts, but the ordering logic would still depend on how your worker sends the queries.

Question 2: Can you leverage Hyperdrive outside of the standard request scope? For example, if I have an Auth library initializing outside the fetch handler?

Answer: (Pranoy) It depends on the library, but generally no. Hyperdrive is a “binding” in the Worker environment. If the environment variable doesn’t exist outside of the fetch handler scope, you wouldn’t be able to access it to initialize the connection globally.

Question 3: Will Hyperdrive ever be exposed on a public endpoint so I can use it outside of Cloudflare Workers?

Answer: (Pranoy) Currently, no. This is built specifically for Cloudflare Workers. Our goal is to speed up the access from our global network to your database. We don’t want to become a generic public proxy for external applications right now.

Question 4: How long does the warm connection stay alive?

Answer: (Pranoy) It is tunable, but we generally keep the connections alive for a significant duration to ensure the pool is ready. We actually keep about double the number of connections open relative to the active load to handle spikes, and we multiplex users over those connections.

Scaling Developer Experience with Monorepos

Jacob works on the team that helps connect Cloudflare Workers to GitHub deployments. He shared his journey from managing dozens of isolated worker repositories to consolidating them into a single, high-efficiency mono-repo. I think he said that his Workers projects get billions of uses each week.

See his GitHub here includes which a monorepo template for Cloudflare Workers and his public npm packages.

You want to use a monorepo because managing individual repositories for every micro-service leads to maintenance fatigue and inconsistent tooling.

• The Micro-Worker Trap. If you spin up a separate repo for every small worker, such as an admin tool or a scheduler, you will inevitably suffer from configuration drift. You end up with 30 different config files and outdated linter rules scattered everywhere.
• The Gold Standard Stack. The recommended setup for scaling Workers development right now is Turbo Repo combined with PNPM Workspaces. This allows you to share internal packages, like database schemas or types, across multiple workers without publishing them to NPM.
• The Copy-Paste Regret. Jacob mentioned that he often built small projects, learned a better way to do something, and then realized he had to go back to 17 other repos to fix it manually. A mono-repo solves this by centralizing shared logic.
• Deployment Speed. Moving to a mono-repo reduced deployment overhead because shared dependencies are optimized locally rather than pulled redundantly during the build process.

hono-cli for AI-Assisted Development

🏆 Top Speaker Award 🏆 due to: Lots of LOLs, Fast presentation, Good tech

The creator of the Hono framework demonstrated how the tool is evolving beyond a simple web router. Yusuke showcased the new hono-cli, which integrates AI directly into the terminal to reduce context switching and speed up the development loop.

• The Hono Philosophy. Hono isn’t just a framework; it is building an ecosystem around Web Standard primitives to ensure code is portable across runtimes.
• Stop leaving the terminal. The new CLI introduces AI directly into the workflow. hono docs uses Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to search documentation and answer implementation questions without opening a browser. hono search acts as a middleware that allows you to grep through your codebase using natural language.
• Hono Request beats Curl. Yusuke demoed a command called hono request that lets you ping your worker endpoints locally without spinning up a full localhost server or dealing with CORS. It creates a synthetic request object and passes it directly to the handler function.

Automating Security Posture at the Edge

Harshad presented FlareGuard, a tool designed to solve the visibility gap in serverless security. While developers often secure their origin servers, the Edge configuration is frequently left wide open due to negligence or lack of tooling.

• The Invisible Risk. Common misconfigurations at the edge include exposing .env variables, using outdated TLS versions (1.0/1.1), or leaving debug routes active in production.
• Audit via Baseline Comparison. FlareGuard defines a secure Gold Standard YAML configuration. It scans every worker in your account and diffs their actual config against this baseline to highlight vulnerabilities.
• The Shadow IT Fix. The tool automatically detects routes or workers that developers spun up and forgot about. These “zombie workers” are often the entry points for attacks because they are rarely updated or monitored.

[REDACTED COOL STUFF]

The founder of Cloudflare Workers gave the last talk of the night.

Kenton asked that we not share his talk online, so I’ve not included his presentation in my notes.

However! Kenton did talk about one thing that I can share because Wired wrote a full featured article about it: The temporal@gmail.com Email Address Saga.

Kenton owns the email address temporal@gmail.com. Because “Temporal” means “Temporary” in Spanish, the entire Spanish-speaking world uses his address when they don’t want to give their real email. He constantly gets phone bills, receipts, and sign-ups from random people in Spain and Mexico and Argentina.

His recount of this was super funny and engaging. I think Kenton is an underrated public speaker.

Conclusion

If anything my notes sounds technically incorrect, it is probably because I didn’t understand it. Please email me with any corrections.

Overall, it was a good event. We got free pizza and drinks, they had name tags, I heard some good tech talks, there was a lot of laughter, and everyone was friendly.

It’s neat to see people building on Workers and the internal Cloudflare tooling.

I’ve been using Cloudflare Workers a lot for my Patron View donor database project. Check it out! We use Workers, D1, KV, everything is on Workers Pages with Astro, and more.

The St. Regis Bali Resort, Nusa Dua

This is my FAVORITE St Regis in the world.

In this tour I will show you my room, different pools, the breakfast buffet, the special dance ceremony, the beach, the spa and much more!

Nusa Dua: St Regis Bali Tour and HONEST Review

The St. Regis Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya

I paid with my own points to give you an honest tour of this sophisticated resort.

Spoiler: I had a private plunge pool in my room and the breakfast buffet earned two thumbs up from me.

BEST Hotel in Mexico: St. Regis Kanai in Rivera Maya FULL Resort Tour and Honest Review

The St. Regis Bangkok

This is my favorite hotel in Bangkok.

I’ll show you the secret spa area with a cold plunge, the boxing ring in the gym, and the incredible breakfast buffet.

BEST Hotel in Bangkok Thailand: St Regis Bangkok THE BEST ST REGIS? Full tour + Honest review

The St. Regis Mexico City

I stayed at the St Regis Mexico City a couple of times and it never disappoints.

I will show you the suite room, the standard room, the gym, sauna, multiple restaurants, and more.

St Regis Mexico City: Hotel Tour & Honest Review with Room, Suite, Gym, Spa, Restaurants

The St. Regis Mumbai

Join me as I explore the St. Regis Mumbai to show you the impressive rooftop pool, the massive gym, and a breakfast buffet that features a live chai station and a ‘Grandma’s Pickle Table’.

Full Tour of St. Regis Mumbai Hotel: Room, Gym, Buffet, Lobby

The St. Regis Singapore

I stayed for 4 nights at the St. Regis Singapore in August 2023.

In this tour you’ll see my room, the gym, the pool area, the breakfast buffet, the lobby, and more.

St. Regis Singapore Hotel Tour and Honest Review

Conclusion

What I love about the St. Regis resort hotels is so many of them have great afternoon tea service and amazing breakfast buffets. And when I’m on property, it feels like this little bubble of comfort and fun—with all the restaurants, activities, and services I need right there. I don’t have to think about anything. I can just relax, explore, and enjoy.

Do you have any suggestions or comments for how to make my videos better? Leave a comment on the YouTube video or email me to hello@nickgray.net

Subscribe to my YouTube channel here to see more.

Related article: Puerto Rico: My Favorite Hotel, St. Regis Bahia Beach

If you’re an Amazon customer and if you’re slightly nerdy and interested in warehouse logistics, you should sign up for one of these tours near you.

Here’s what I saw, what surprised me, and whether you should take the tour yourself. (Yes.)

This is not a sponsored post. I am really just a long-time customer and shareholder of Amazon and I enjoy things like warehouse tours.

Introduction

Last week I toured the SAT2 Amazon Fulfillment Center in San Marcos, Texas.

It’s one of more than 175 fulfillment centers across America that make Amazon’s two-day shipping possible.

The tour is completely free. Amazon is spending millions of dollars to show nerds like you and me how their warehouses work.

You can sign up for one of the tours here: In-Person Amazon Fulfillment Center Tours. They have a bunch of locations available.

I assume they’re doing this because they want you to feel good about Amazon being one of America’s largest employers. And honestly it worked on me.

Inside the Warehouse

What you will see inside the warehouse is miles and miles of conveyor belts. Seriously, probably dozens of miles of indoor tracks moving packages in every direction. It’s hypnotic to watch and yet feels exactly like what you’d sort of expect.

The building is absolutely massive—like 28 football fields massive. And this is just ONE facility that only handles standard two-day shipping. Amazon has more than 175 of these fulfillment centers across America, all running simultaneously, all processing millions of packages.

They showed us a robotic arm in one section, pictured above, but it wasn’t doing any work when we were there. I thought it was funny that this was the most technologically advanced part of the tour. A lot of the other stuff was a bit old hat.

Kiva Robots

The big stars of the tour are supposed to be the warehouse workers. But I think the coolest thing for me was seeing how the Kiva robots work. Those are the orange, Roomba-like robots you’ve probably seen in Amazon promotional videos.

The Kiva robots don’t actually pick items. Instead, they slide under entire shelving units called “pods,” lift them up, and bring them to stationary human workers. The rep said they can lift 1,000 lbs.

The robots navigate by reading 2D barcodes on the floor. A central AI system (running on Amazon Web Services, naturally) coordinates all their movements to prevent collisions. The robot zone—this fenced-off area where the pods zip around—takes up about 65% of the facility’s square footage. Humans aren’t allowed in there while it’s operating and we sometimes had to be careful where we walked.

Human Workers

Way more humans work here than I expected. People were sorting packages, applying labels, moving items from conveyor belts, scanning barcodes, and doing quality checks.

The tour guides—all actual Amazon employees—were sharp and seemed genuinely happy. Every employee we talked to was in a good mood. Maybe they put the happy ones on the tour route, but still.

This tour gave me newfound respect for warehouse workers. The lack of windows and natural light would hurt my soul. The repetitive nature of the work, day in and day out, isn’t something I’d be good at. It reminded me of my high school apprenticeship at Siemens Energy and Automation, where I’d sometimes see the warehouse workers while setting up computers for the IT department.

For the people who choose this line of work, the benefits seemed solid and the working environment looked reasonable.

How They SLAM Shipping Labels

The way they apply shipping labels is interesting. The label barely touches the box at first. It’s slightly wet with some kind of mist. Then gravity and time make it stick permanently.

I watched this happen and couldn’t believe those labels would stay on. But when Amazon is processing millions of packages weekly, they figure out what works and how to use the least amount of effort that sticks 99.999% of the time.

The way they handle labels is called the SLAM process. That stands for:

1. Scan
2. Label
3. Apply
4. Manifest

The package never stops moving on the conveyor belt. As it flies by at high speed, it gets automatically weighed (to verify it’s the right item), then a robotic arm instantly prints the shipping label and literally blasts it onto the box with a puff of air. That’s why the labels looked barely attached and slightly damp when I saw them—they’re shot onto the packages with compressed air while everything’s still moving. The whole thing happens in seconds. No human touches it.

Amazon Warehouse Tour Logistics

Here’s what to expect in a more detailed notation.

Duration: About 45-60 minutes, plus a 10-minute safety briefing.

What happens:

• You start in a classroom watching a safety video
• Two or three tour guides chaperon you at all times
• You’ll walk about a mile and climb at least one flight of stairs
• They give you a bottle of water
• There’s one bathroom break during the tour

Pro Tip: They tell you to arrive 15 minutes early. You really only need to be there 5 minutes early. Tours start exactly on time.

Bathroom Warning: I couldn’t use the bathroom after the tour ended. If you drink a lot of water or Diet Coke like me, plan accordingly.

What you can’t bring:

• No phones allowed on the tour floor (they provide lockers)
• No bags or backpacks
• Photography only allowed in designated lobby areas

What to wear:

• Closed-toe shoes (required)
• Long pants recommended
• Sleeves required (no tank tops)

Conclusion

Should you take this tour?

Yes, absolutely. I mean, it’s free. And it was cool.

You’re not seeing any proprietary secrets on this tour. Competitors aren’t going to learn anything groundbreaking. What you’re seeing is the bulk warehouse operation: lots of people, lots of conveyor belts, and those 12-year-old Kiva robots.

But still. It was neat. Most of us buy from Amazon constantly but have no idea how it actually works. This is a chance to see behind the curtain of a multi trillion-dollar operation.

You’ll see the pick, pack, sort, and ship process that gets packages to your door. You’ll meet actual Amazon warehouse workers and sort of understand the massive scale of e-commerce logistics.

The tour made me feel better as both an Amazon customer and shareholder (I’ve owned the stock since 2003!). Seeing the operation firsthand, meeting the employees, and understanding the complexity involved—yeah, I think that is worth an hour or two of your time.

Is it a PR exercise? Absolutely yes.

Did it work on me? Also yes.

Visit amazontours.com and find a fulfillment center near you. Tours are free but you must register in advance—no walk-ins allowed. Bring a friend. My buddy Sameer and I both came away impressed by the scale and complexity of the operation.

Have you taken an Amazon fulfillment center tour? What surprised you? Email me at hello@nickgray.net or leave a comment below

Thanks to my friend Jonathan Wegener who told me that I MUST take this tour. He’s always ahead of the curve and knows me well.

Bonus: Amazon’s Peculiar Ways

I took a picture of a sign they had up for their employees called “Amazon’s Peculiar Ways.”

• We earn trust with our customers by making precise, high-bar promises and then keeping them.
• We are willing to make long-term investments – sometimes at the expense of short-term gains.
• We share the good and the bad to help customers make informed buying decisions.
• We work to avoid the bland personality that customers typically associate with the big homogeneous, corporate Borg.
• We take credit for (i.e., brag about) the impressive things we do in a way that is subtle and sophisticated.
• We endeavor to speak to our customers in a tone that is neither boastful nor boring.
• We use specificity when possible and sensible.
• We prefer to title features factually with a degree of precision.
• We don’t make content look like an ad.
• We stay away from creating new icons.

To my knowledge, you will not find this information anywhere else online.

It was presented by Alex Krivit (PM), David “Tubes” Tuber (Director, Product Management), and Sachin Fernandes (Engineering Manager) at the Cloudflare Connect 2025 partner and customer summit in Las Vegas last week.

Here are my detailed notes from the session for anyone who might find it helpful.

What X Uses Cloudflare For

X deployed several Cloudflare products as part of their infrastructure modernization:

• CDN and content delivery as the primary focus
• Argo for dynamic performance optimization and congestion solutions (with custom tuning)
• PNI and CNI (Private Network Interconnect and Cloudflare Network Interconnect) for direct connectivity
• Extensive peering work to improve global connectivity
• Security tools though these were mentioned as being outside the scope of this particular presentation and possibly under NDA

The engagement discussed in the presentation focused heavily on both network-level products and CDN delivery optimization.

X’s Infrastructure

To understand the challenge, it’s important to understand X’s existing architecture.

X operates a globally distributed infrastructure with:

• POPs (Points of Presence) distributed globally where users connect to the closest one
• Router and load balancer layers
• Envoy proxy, which is similar to Cloudflare in many ways
• A private backbone that transits traffic to core data centers, often in North America
• Backend servers that populate the front-end application – either the Groq interface or the X interface

This architecture required significant operational overhead and complexity to maintain globally.

The Three Migration Options

When X approached Cloudflare, they evaluated three potential approaches for integrating Cloudflare into their infrastructure:

Option 1: Front-End Proxy Only

Keep everything in the backend the same and put Cloudflare in front so that Cloudflare’s POPs would talk to X’s POPs.

The benefits of this approach were:

• Fastest onboarding path
• Offload as many requests as possible from X’s infrastructure
• Allow X to scale back and wind down some infrastructure
• Reduce operational costs
• Fastest possible response times for cached content

Option 2: Partial Infrastructure Replacement

Keep X’s POP and global backbone, but establish strong peering with Cloudflare in all locations.

This would remove some of the middle boxes, with Cloudflare acting as the POPs and talking directly to X’s core data centers.

Option 3: Full Decommission

Decommission everything and rely on Cloudflare’s smart routing to handle the movement of traffic back to X’s core data centers.

X went with Option 1 initially, then moved towards a combination of Option 2 and 3 over time (hence the peering work and infrastructure simplification talk which you will see later). See the “How We Fixed” slide below.

Performance Criteria and Success Metrics

X came to Cloudflare with very specific criteria for how they would evaluate success:

1. No degradation of P99 round trip time for key operations. This included how users access their timeline, post tweets, view their profile, and other core interactions.
2. Statistical improvement in core markets. Specifically US and Japan, which represent core markets for X’s user base.
3. Infrastructure complexity reduction. Cloudflare needed to help reduce the operational complexity of X’s infrastructure.

These criteria would drive all technical decisions and validation approaches.

Time to First Tweet: Key Performance Metric

X uses “time to first tweet” as their primary performance metric. They had probes running from actual user devices that would measure this metric in real-world conditions.

The challenge for Cloudflare was that this wasn’t a standard, replicable test.

You can’t simply run “time to first tweet” from an external system – or can you?

Cloudflare sat down with X and identified the specific calls and APIs used to implement “time to first tweet.” By understanding these underlying API calls, Cloudflare was able to replicate the exact same test from their infrastructure.

The “Wait Time” Problem

When analyzing web performance, most people are familiar with standard metrics from browser development tools:

• DNS resolution time
• Connection time
• TLS handshake time

But there’s often a really long bar at the end of waterfall graphs labeled “wait time.”

This wait time represents something happening upstream on a server that needs to finish before the response starts arriving.

Wait time is particularly challenging to debug because it could be many different things happening.

The Cloudflare team’s approach was to break down “wait time” into specific “Cloudflare time,” looking at each individual step that a request flows through to get a response, and then finding places to improve efficiency.

For every single request, they wanted to examine each Cloudflare step and understand how to optimize it better. This granular approach allowed them to move from a vague “something is slow” to specific, actionable problems and solutions.

Synthetic Probes at Global Scale

To achieve this level of visibility, Cloudflare deployed synthetic probes as a heartbeat across all Cloudflare POPs. This includes more than 350 locations across the entire world.

These probes would:

• Test from every Cloudflare server back to X’s origins
• Return all the different “Cloudflare times,” which were the breakdown of wait time into specific steps
• Identify which specific server, region, or POP was slow
• Provide data on why specific components were slow
• Allow for aggregations to understand if a particular piece of Cloudflare infrastructure could be improved

Performance Bottlenecks Discovered

When Cloudflare ran their synthetic probes replicating X’s time to first tweet metric, they discovered performance issues in four specific locations:

• India
• Lithuania
• Turkmenistan
• Bangladesh

The team presented this data to X, showing them the replicated “time to first tweet” results.

After X validated that Cloudflare’s synthetic testing matched their real-world measurements, they agreed to use this methodology to drive performance improvements.

At this point I was a little disappointed that, like, these tests and the presentation are ONLY showing what was done to improve those 4 countries? But I think X uses Cloudflare for the whole system, and this was the only part outside the NDA that they could talk about publicly.

Tactical Fixes

The solutions were remarkably targeted:

India: X had backbone infrastructure in India. Cloudflare opened a peering session at the Singapore Internet exchange and turned up peering sessions. Within a day, latency significantly improved in India.

Turkmenistan and Lithuania: Peering issues were identified and fixed, bringing down latencies.

Bangladesh: Working with the local partner, Cloudflare was able to improve performance.

Flamingo: Cloudflare’s Secret Weapon

The presentation revealed a previously internal-only Cloudflare service called Flamingo.

At this point in the speech, the Cloudflare team shifted to getting feedback and presenting about their new Flamingo tool. So if you’re only reading this article for details on the X infrastructure, you can stop now.

What is Flamingo?

Flamingo is a service that Cloudflare’s internal teams use to monitor the health and latency performance of their services. Long before X asked about network health and performance, Cloudflare was already using Flamingo internally to monitor their own infrastructure.

When customers like X started asking “what does it look like to monitor the health and performance of services at the edge?”, Cloudflare realized they already had the answer. This became an “aha moment” where Flamingo could be pointed at customer infrastructure.

Flamingo’s Architecture

Flamingo leverages Cloudflare’s “every service can run everywhere” philosophy:

• Deployed to every Cloudflare data center. Just like any other Cloudflare service.
• Runs from all 350+ cities globally. You can set up probes from these Flamingos pointing to your origin.
• Emits vast amounts of health data. Data collected from origins flows back to a command and control server at Cloudflare core.
• Analyzes service behavior. The system analyzes this data to understand how the tested service is performing.

Flamingo by the Numbers

The scale of Flamingo is huge:

• 1 billion+ data points emitted on health for upstream services.
• 40,000+ metals meaning that every single Cloudflare server has a Flamingo monitoring it.
• Infinite scale as Cloudflare adds more data centers and servers, new Flamingos automatically deploy.

Real-World Impact: The Rust Stack Migration

One of Flamingo’s early achievements was during Cloudflare’s replacement of their old front-line proxy with a modernized Rust stack. This new stack handles trillions of requests to CDNs every day.

When Cloudflare swapped out this critical service, no customers noticed any issues. But Flamingo noticed.

Before any deployment could break customers, Flamingo would alert teams: “Hey, you’re trying to deploy these things but, just FYI, it’s kind of broken.” Teams rely heavily on these health metrics because they can gradually roll out changes based on what Flamingo detects, preventing customer impact.

Beyond Simple Probing

Flamingo is not a traditional prober that just checks for HTTP 200 responses.

Because of the complexity of Cloudflare’s feature stack, teams test almost 1,000+ features across the Flamingos:

• DNS team ensures DNS resolves correctly using Flamingo
• TCP and Magic team confirms that Magic packets and Magic Firewall block packets as expected
• Bot management can be tested to ensure APIs are properly protected
• Header validation can verify expected headers are present
• UDP support is being added to understand how UDP packets are routed
• Parsing capabilities allow Flamingo to parse responses and validate complex behaviors up and down the stack

Targeting Capabilities

Since Flamingo deploys to every server, teams can target different geographies, server types, and network tiers. This enables testing of:

• Data localization services – “I want all my data processed in the US. Did that happen or did we leak something?”
• Regional WAF rules – “Did this WAF rule do what I wanted in France?”
• Specific network tiers – Test behavior on different classes of infrastructure

Flamingo v2: The Future

Currently, Flamingo is only available internally at Cloudflare. However, the team is working on Flamingo v2 which will be a public version available to all Cloudflare customers.

The vision is described as “Catchpoint, but beefed up to Cloudflare scale” that would give customers the ability to monitor their applications from everywhere, all the time, just inside Cloudflare’s infrastructure whenever they make a change. The team is actively gathering feedback from customers to understand what exposing this capability would look like, potentially integrated into the Cloudflare dashboard and API.

Comparing Synthetic Data to RUM

One question from the audience addressed how synthetic testing relates to real user monitoring data, aka RUM data.

X actually started with RUM data using measurements built from their actual client applications. The success criteria for using Flamingo’s synthetic probes was that the RUM data and synthetic data needed to be “directionally correct.”

Importantly, they didn’t need to show the same numbers. And if I understood it correctly, that was actually the point. RUM data includes everything: TCP connect, DNS resolution, and all the client-side overhead. But as noted earlier, what X was actually concerned about was the wait time.

The beauty of Flamingo is that it bypasses all the front-end variability and allows focus only on the wait time. Cloudflare worked hard to ensure that X’s RUM-like data matched directionally with what their synthetics showed, enabling them to dig into the wait time systematically.

Conclusion

This presentation offered a cool glimpse into how Cloudflare approaches performance optimization at massive scale for a gold key customer. I love Cloudflare (I am their biggest fan!!), and I’m a daily user of X.

I believe there was a lot more that Cloudflare worked with X on that wasn’t discussed. But this was all that they were approved to share in a public format based on privacy agreements.

Kudos to the team at Cloudflare and X for making services faster for customers around the world.

If you want to try Flamingo for your application, email me and I can try to put you in touch with someone on the Cloudflare team. Or reach out directly to one of these guys at Cloudflare: Alex Krivit (PM), David “Tubes” Tuber (Director, Product Management), or Sachin Fernandes (Engineering Manager).

I’m here today to meet the director, look through the space, and see if it is a sector that I want to explore for philanthropy.

An Ode to Small Museums

Small museums are where third-graders learn local history. They’re a place for tourists to discover stories they’d never find online. And small museums are a home for experts to volunteer because they can’t imagine doing anything else.

They’re powered by passionate volunteers, a few generous donors, admission fees, and local support from members and partners. Every small museum is a labor of love. They operate on budgets smaller than what major museums like The Metropolitan Museum of Art spend on their catering service.

Darrell Beauchamp

The Museum of Western Art has exactly one full-time employee.

Meet Darrell Beauchamp, the director, who fundraises for the entire operation.

He is supported by 40 volunteers who range in age from 26 to 101 years old (!!!).

Darrell joined the museum from the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame, where he was the Executive Director.

Behind the Scenes

I used to run a company called Museum Hack. And sometimes people like Darrell have heard of that company, and they are nice enough to let me peek behind the scenes of how their museum operates.

“What’s behind that?” I ask, pointing to a non-descript door on the side of a gallery.

Darrell walks me over to the double doors, fishes out a ring of keys, and opens us up to our own private Night at the Museum experience.

Today is my lucky day because I’m getting to see a part of The Museum of Western Art that few visitors experience.

The archives smell like old leather and wood polish. Climate-controlled rooms hold pieces waiting their turn for display. Their registrar, by the way, is a volunteer who used to work at the Smithsonian. She’s created a detailed cataloging system that would make any big-city museum jealous.

Barbed Wire Wall

An enormous wall in the front entryway includes a 6-foot by 30-foot display of nearly 500 different types of patented barbed wire.

Here’s what blew my mind: There are only 600 patented versions in existence. And The Museum of Western Art has almost all of them.

I spent 10 minutes just staring at and exploring the variations of twisted metal. I liked the utility, and also the art, of how something as simple as barbed wire can have 600 different ways to say “stay out.” It felt like both an art museum and a science display, which I love.

Women’s Pistols

One of my favorite exhibits was their collection of women’s small pistols. About the size of a pack of cigarettes, these would be kept in garter belts or tucked into purses.

The small handguns date from the 1800s. I found something fascinating about these dainty, ornate weapons with pearl handles no bigger than a matchbox. Deadly but decorated. Practical but pretty.

Unfortunately, a lot of the guns misfired and caused more harm to the owners.

History and Recognition

The museum opened in 1983 as the Cowboy Artists of America Museum before going independent about 20 years after. Today it displays about 150 sculptures and 250 paintings, all Western-themed.

Darrell told us about the architecture and the museum’s original connection to the Cowboy Artists of America organization. The building was designed by O’Neil Ford with beautiful boveda ceilings and mesquite floors.

In September of 2025, True West Magazine named The Museum of Western Art as the #1 Western Art Museum in America.

The Flood Effect

A bit of an unfortunate note: Darrell told me their visitor numbers are down 75% since the floods hit Kerrville a few months ago.

The museum wasn’t affected, but the news and a few politicians told everyone to stay away from the area. So they did.

“Even a month after those storms, some days we had zero visitors. We’re back to COVID levels of visitorship right now. I hope it’ll come back. The town is hurting for tourists and visitors right now.”

Worth Your Time

I spent more than an hour exploring the space. We had the whole museum to ourselves, which was a blessing for us, but perhaps hard on the museum.

For $7 admission, you get access to everything, plus volunteers who are ready and willing to give you a private tour.

It’s a great spot for families with kids. They have a Journey West children’s gallery that makes the Old West accessible to little ones, plus lots of interesting things to look at.

Conclusion

I lived in New York City for 13 years, but I’ve been back in Texas for almost 5 years now.

I’m still adjusting back to my Texas roots. I grew up in Dallas, but even then I lived in the suburbs.

This museum is all about Western art with cowboys and Indians and guns and steer.

I personally have never felt comfortable on a horse. And I’ve never owned a gun.

But still, I like this stuff. This is the American West. It is a part of our country. And as a Texan, it is a part of my history.

I like visiting museums. There’s something special about a dedicated physical space to appreciate art and learn about history.

Small museums like The Museum of Western Art are the backbone of American cultural preservation. They provide educational programming for school field trips. They boost local tourism. They employ people who care deeply about their subject matter. They maintain collections that would otherwise be scattered to private buyers or lost entirely.

This is exactly the kind of place I want to support.

If you’re anywhere near the Texas Hill Country, go visit. It’s about an hour northwest of San Antonio or two hours from Austin.

And if you’re lucky, Darrell or one of the volunteers will probably give you a VIP tour.

I’m working on a new project called Patron View. It’s a database of museum donors. I hope to be able to help places like The Museum of Western Art with fundraising research. Check out the top patrons list, or read more about the project here.

• What: Connect 2025
• When: Oct 13-16, 2025
• Where: Aria Resort & Casino, Las Vegas

They have a huge list of sessions here.

I read through all of them on August 25th and ranked my favorites below.

If you’re attending Connect 2025 and want to meet up, email me! I might host a little meetup. If new sessions are added, you should please let me know so I can re-review and update this list. Follow me on X here.

Top Most Interesting Sessions

The most interesting sessions at Cloudflare Connect 2025 judged by me, Nick Gray, a random non-technical person on the Internet who just likes Cloudflare!

Moving .gov: What it takes to transition a critical TLD on the Internet

Christian Elmerot, Engineering Manager • Cloudflare
Kaitlin Abbitt, .gov Product Manager • CISA

This talk explores the complex migration of the .gov top-level domain infrastructure, detailing the technical and strategic considerations involved in transitioning a critical internet domain.

Nick’s notes: That looks cool!! Pretty neat to do a whole TLD infra.

“The new developer stack” – Cloudflare + Agents

Sunil Pai, Principal Systems Engineer • Cloudflare

This presentation explores Cloudflare’s unified agent platform that enables developers to build autonomous business agents with integrated AI, state management, and automatic scaling capabilities.

Nick’s notes: The speaker is the GOAT of Durable Objects, I bet it will be a fun talk. Everyone should follow Sunil Pai on X.

A framework for better technical decisions

Kent C. Dodds, Software Engineer and Educator • Kent C. Dodds Tech LLC

Kent shares decision-making principles for evaluating technical tools and approaches, helping developers make more confident and systematic choices when building or refactoring software.

Nick’s notes: Hosted by Kent Dodds, who sounds smart and has a big audience.

Building an autonomous AI-powered support system with Cloudflare

Ashley Peacock

A presentation exploring how to create an AI-driven support agent using Cloudflare technologies that can autonomously handle user cases with minimal human intervention.

Nick’s notes: I like this guy– Ashley Peacock is the author of a Cloudflare book, very active on X

Deploy like Cloudflare

Emily Music, Network and Traffic PM • Cloudflare

The talk provides insights into network resource deployment strategies, focusing on infrastructure expansion and optimization for network operators.

Nick’s notes: Sounds cool!! If they talk about their peering etc. I wish there were more talks at Cloudflare Connect on things like the Gen 12 Servers, or Cloudflare for Offices.

Fireside chat with Swyx and James Allworth

James Allworth, Head of Innovation • Cloudflare
Swyx (Shawn Wang), Editor • Latent.Space

An insightful discussion exploring the intersection of developer tools and AI, featuring perspectives from a Cloudflare innovation leader and a prominent AI engineering voice.

Nick’s notes: I don’t know who Swyx is but I think he’s famous and prob v smart!

How Cloudflare Workers was designed for sandboxing

Kenton Varda, Principal Systems Engineer • Cloudflare

Kenton Varda will discuss how Cloudflare Workers provides a robust sandboxing approach to safely deploy AI agents and applications by isolating them in secure, controlled environments.

Nick’s notes:Kenton invented Workers! Neat talk idea. I liked his HN post about using AI to write code recently, too. Plus he has that famous LAN house.

Lisan al gAIb: Small Teams Riding on AI Power

Jesse Taylor, VP of Product and Engineering • Orbis Operations
Luis Romero-Sevilla, VP of AI • Orbis Operations

The talk explores how small teams can leverage generative AI to streamline product development, automate knowledge work, and create more agile and adaptive technological solutions.

Nick’s notes: I just included this because it has the best session title!! I loved the Dune movies. And the first Dune book.

Scaling without breaking: Migrating 1,600+ WordPress sites using Cloudflare

Harpreet Singh, Principal Developer • EInc

A case study on successfully migrating over 1,600 automotive websites to Cloudflare with zero downtime, improved performance, and enhanced security.

Nick’s notes: Not enough people talking about WordPress and Cloudflare!! I like stuff like this. Need more respect for WordPress and everyone attend so Cloudflare won’t stop supporting APO.

X’s big move: Boosting performance and reliability with Cloudflare

Alex Krivit, Product • Cloudflare

This panel discussion explores X’s migration to Cloudflare, highlighting how the platform enabled the company to improve infrastructure scalability, performance, and reliability under challenging conditions.

Nick’s notes: Wow YES I want to hear this!! Really really interesting BTS of X stuff. I love X.

No managed device, no problem: Browser isolation to the rescue

Ben Stewart, Engineering Manager, Corporate Security • Lyft
Nitish Balachandran, Senior Security Engineer • Lyft

The session explores how Lyft uses browser isolation to securely enable access for contractors with unmanaged devices by enforcing security policies through a remote browser.

Nick’s notes: Run by team from Lyft, sounds neat to learn how they manage their driver stuff with Cloudflare.

Other Interesting Sessions

Here are other sessions that looked neat.

Accelerating AI adoption with edge computing and AI inference

Amit Chaudhry, Sr Director, Product Marketing • Cloudflare

This session explores how edge computing and AI inference can accelerate enterprise AI adoption through improved performance and reduced latency.

Nick’s notes: Has the potential to be boring or interesting, TBD!

Building an ultra-fast and resilient personalization system at Contentful

Alex Braunreuther, Chief Architect • Contentful

Contentful will discuss how they built a high-performance personalization engine using Cloudflare’s developer platform, leveraging edge computing technologies to deliver personalized content with sub-100 ms response times.

Nick’s notes: Seems neat, big company using tons of Cloudflare stuff.

From 2 days to 6 minutes: Niflheim’s edge AI OCR for exams

Caio Moretti, CEO • Quest Edu

Niflheim is an AI-powered OCR system that dramatically reduces exam PDF transcription time from two days to six minutes by using Cloudflare services and AI technologies, achieving near-perfect accuracy with a human review mechanism.

Nick’s notes: Related to my interests. I am working on an OCR project right now that I’m hosting on Cloudflare.

Inside the adversary’s mind: Cloudflare’s Red Team

Dan Jones, Senior Security Engineer • Cloudflare

Cloudflare’s Red Team simulates advanced cyber attacks against their infrastructure to proactively identify and address security vulnerabilities, helping protect the 20% of the internet that relies on their services.

Nick’s notes: Like the movie Hackers!! Could be neat! But I can’t imagine they would ACTUALLY share a lot of what they do, to not give others an advantage.

Navigating data sovereignty: Cloudflare experts on the Internet’s future

Emily Hancock, Chief Privacy Officer • Cloudflare
Alissa Starzack, Deputy Chief Legal Officer, Global Head of Public Policy • Cloudflare
Zaid Zaid, Head of US Public Policy • Cloudflare
Wesley Evans, Product Leader • Cloudflare

A panel discussion exploring how organizations can navigate the complex landscape of data sovereignty and global internet regulations while maintaining an interconnected digital environment.

Nick’s notes: Cloudflare is smart on this stuff; these seem like heavy-hitters on the panel.

The fastest way to load… anything

Kevin Gervais, CEO • Touchless

Kevin Gervais will discuss how using Cloudflare Workers to stream scripts and UI in real-time can dramatically improve website performance, potentially transforming how web content loads.

Nick’s notes: Title and description seem like clickbait but I wonder what they’re doing.

The future of software development

Jeff Wang, CEO • WindSurf

A discussion on how AI will transform software development, including predictions about AI-generated code and the evolving roles of software engineers.

Nick’s notes: Hosted by the CEO of WindSurf??

Conclusion

I picked these simply as a layperson who likes learning new things.

If you’re hosting a session at Cloudflare Connect and want to be considered to be added to this list, email me here please.

If you’re thinking about attending Cloudflare Connect 2025, you should go! I’ll try to go. Email me if you want to say Hi and maybe I can host a little unofficial meetup for random fun folks.

Until I went to Post Ranch Inn, a luxury hotel in Big Sur, California.

I actually proposed to my girlfriend Lauren there (spoiler alert: she said yes!).

Here are my notes, photos, restaurant review, and insider tips at Post Ranch Inn.

Video Tour

Here’s the full YouTube video where I tour the hotel. Watch it below, and keep reading for the detailed breakdown.

Post Ranch Inn Full Hotel Review

The Room

I picked a normal room – the Upper Butterfly Room – with forest and mountain views.

I didn’t splurge for a special treehouse or a room overlooking the ocean because we didn’t plan to spend much time in the room itself.

We were happy with our choice. The room was great. I’d pick an Upper Butterfly Room again without hesitation.

But if money was no object and I was a billionaire, I probably would have chosen a room overlooking the ocean.

The fireplace was my favorite. The hotel had set it up perfectly with kindling, wood stacked up nicely, and cute matches. We lit a fire in the morning, opened the door to the deck, and just enjoyed a slow morning. I sort of wish I’d done this at night one evening.

Sierra Mar

Sierra Mar is the restaurant at Post Ranch Inn.

You want to get the tasting menu. It’s $185 per person. Just do it.

Every bite was great.

One of the final meat courses was a bit of a miss, but everything else was fantastic. I left feeling full and super happy.

Breakfast is included in the room rates, which is great.

Sorry to sound so cheap and chintzy; I just love free stuff (even if I’m paying for it in the room rate!!).

We sat by the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the coast for breakfast. Highly recommend this when you can see outside!! The smoothie was good. The burrito was hearty and perfect after hiking.

The Infinity Hot Tubs

OK, here’s the real tea: The infinity-style hot tubs are the best part of Post Ranch Inn.

There are two hot tubs overlooking the ocean:

1. Jade Pool. This is the biggest one right next to the restaurant. We met a really cool couple here.
2. Meditation Pool. My favorite! Tucked up on the north end of the property. We had it all to ourselves one night around 10PM.

Both of these hot tubs are heated to around 100F. They’re open 24 hours and fresh Towels and pillows are always available.

Looking up at the stars from the edge of the infinity pool reminded me of being at The Sphere in Las Vegas. Like being in a planetarium. I saw more stars than I’ve seen in years, maybe ever. It took my breath away.

Insider Tips

• The Chef’s Garden had a tree full of hummingbirds when we went in June. I sat underneath it and watched them for at least an hour.
• Billy’s Trail was my favorite hike, but I need to explore more next time. This hike leads to the Meditation Pool. You’ll pass the secret meadow and Native American artifact areas.
• The Mercantile shop sells everything from your room. Those Japanese coffee cups? $30. The highball glasses from dinner? $20. I liked this.

The Property Map

Post Ranch Inn sits on 100 acres in the Big Sur mountains. It is quite the compound:

We barely saw other guests except at the pool.

The swimming pool proper (not the hot tubs) is surrounded by redwoods and oaks. It is heated year-round. We saw a few folks hanging out reading down here one day.

There’s a yoga yurt with free morning classes. Six people showed up when we went. The class was just OK.

The gym has two Pelotons, treadmills, ellipticals, and some free weights. Huge windows facing the mountains. It is one of the nicest small gyms, but it’s exactly that: quite small.

Conclusion

Was Post Ranch Inn worth it?

Yes. Absolutely yes.

I’m glad Lauren suggested it. I’m glad we splurged. The memories will last forever. I already want to go back!

This hotel isn’t for everyone. If you hate the price or need constant entertainment, skip it.

But if you want to disconnect and experience Big Sur magic, Post Ranch Inn delivers.

Questions about Post Ranch Inn? Email me at hello@nickgray.net or leave a comment below.

Here’s my current hour-long routine of how my mornings start when I’m home in Austin, Texas.

Morning Overview

What works well for me now:

• Wake up (no alarm)
• Waterpik then brush teeth
• Make large glass of diluted coffee + salt
• Drink that outside for sun exposure while I scroll on my phone
• Easy 1-mile jog
• Dunk face in ice bowl
• Protein smoothie
• Quick cold shower
• Make matcha

This process takes about 60 minutes total. I feel pretty good afterwards.

Detailed Morning Routine

Wake Up (6:30-7:00 AM)

I wake up naturally after 6-7 hours of sleep without an alarm.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve used an alarm to regularly wake up. This is true freedom. The key for me is going to bed earlier, like asleep by 11PM. Still working on that part.

Brush Teeth (5 minutes)

I use a waterpik to rinse my mouth out. Then brush my teeth. I do this because my mouth has been closed for 8 hours straight and I think it’s a good idea to rinse it out. If I don’t do this part immediately, I tend to forget.

I sleep with an eye mask, ear plugs, and mouth tape, btw!

Hair Drops

I put a dropper-full of minoxidil topical drops on my scalp to help me regrow hair. But I have to be careful: if I tilt my head down immediately after putting these drops on, they drip drop down my forehead.

Diluted Coffee (5 minutes)

This is a little strange, but I like to drink a huge glass of diluted cold brew coffee that I warm up with hot water. I also add salt for electrolytes.

• 60 mL cold brew concentrate
• 1 tbsp collagen peptides
• 1/2 packet LMNT chocolate salt or pinch of table salt
• Hot water to taste

This works out to a tall 16 oz glass of liquid. I usually drink two of these. The 2x servings of 60 mL cold brew works out to around 80 mg of caffeine.

I use cold brew cans that I buy at Costco. I find cold brew to be less acidic and easier on my stomach than regular coffee.

Sun Exposure (15 minutes)

I drink that diluted coffee water outside to get sunlight on my face and in my eyes. This is the first time that I scroll through my phone, usually reading X and the Wall Street Journal.

I’ve heard that getting this sunlight outside is probably the most important part for regulating circadian rhythm.

Light Jog (10-15 minutes)

1 mile at an easy pace. I play music through my phone speaker, no headphones, for safety and vibes.

My mile time is a paltry 9 minutes. But I’m amazed I’ve been able to keep this up as part of my routine. It just feels great to get my heart rate up and a little sweaty.

Once a week I’ll run 2.5 miles to grab breakfast tacos from Taco Deli. On my last run home with tacos, the paper bag ripped from my sweaty hands and the tacos spilled all over the street. But don’t worry: they were relatively intact and I still ate them all later.

Ice Bowl Face Dip (2-3 minutes)

I fill a bowl with ice water and dunk my face for a few seconds. In and out a few times.

I learned to do this from my friend @msg. I like how it makes my skin feel.

Might be placebo, might be real benefits, but the cold exposure feels good. And maybe it makes my skin nicer.

Protein Smoothie (5 minutes)

I throw all of this into a little blender:

• 1/2 banana
• 2 raw eggs (yes, raw)
• 1 tbsp peanut butter powder (easier to scoop, less fat)
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp ground flax (for heart health/cholesterol)
• 1/2 cup whole or soy milk and water for base

This gets me about 30g of protein and healthy fats to start the day.

Face Wash (3 minutes)

After the ice dip, I wash my face with water and a light cleanser. I also apply vitamin C serum – I use La Roche-Posay – and put on a little moisturizer afterwards.

Cold Shower (2-3 minutes)

Quick rinse because it’s hot in Texas and I’m sweaty from the run. I often skip this if I’m working alone and don’t mind being a little smelly… I should stop skipping this. Also the “cold” water here isn’t actually that cold due to Texas.

Matcha Latte (5-10 minutes)

Then I make a matcha latte with 5g of culinary matcha powder. I froth some whole milk, add ice, and sometimes also add 1 or 2 tsp of honey. This feels like an indulgence.

Community Q&A

Here are the best questions I got when I shared this routine on X:

How do you do this all in an hour?

“How do you do this all in an hour is what I need to know” – @StroutMotivateU

Most steps are quick and some overlap. I drink coffee during sun exposure, the jog is only 15 minutes max, and everything else is under 5 minutes.

Should you eat before coffee?

“Best to get food in before coffee – helps calm the effect on your adrenals so you don’t have an energy dip later.” – @niko_bush

Great advice. I will experiment with moving the smoothie before the first coffee. Or reduce my cold brew intake to under 80 mL.

Raw eggs??

“Personally I would not make a daily habit of raw eggs. I would go for cooked or use an egg protein powder.” – @ATX_JS

Fair point on food safety. But I’ve been adding raw eggs to my smoothies for years without issues. So I dunno.

Face washing technique?

“Small thing but when you use cleanser, use warm water for the wash and finish with cold” – @mvarghoose

OK! I will have to try that. Maybe I can do another ice dunk after I rinse with the cleanser.

What about caffeine dependency?

“I’d throw in my unpopular pitch for reconsidering caffeine. Someone in your position can enjoy the luxury of a calm mind that can think clearly.” – @KeithNewtonMD

Sigh. I might need to experiment with caffeine-free days to see how I actually feel without it. But for now it’s a crutch that I don’t mind.

What about the soy and flax?

“Flax and soy are estrogenic, so it’s worth considering a potential ingredient swap.” – @HeyHelloFriends

The flax I’m keeping for heart health. For soy milk, I just haven’t found other nut milks at Costco that I like. But I can try to use more whole milk and less soy. Currently doing that now.

What’s Next

I’m still tweaking based on the feedback and how I feel. But for now, I feel pretty good! This makes me feel energized and focused, I think, and a little healthy.

What does your morning routine look like? Leave a comment below – I’m always curious how other people start their day.

Previously I wrote about my morning routines here:

• My Morning Routine in Dallas (November 2020)
• Morning Diary (May 2020)

Some links in this post are Amazon affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you purchase through them. I only recommend products I actually use.

But EO Fort Worth wanted something different. They wanted their attendees to meet new people beyond their usual forum groups.

Entrepreneurs’ Organization is a global network where successful business owners connect through small, trusted peer groups to share real experiences and help each other grow personally and professionally.

I was invited to speak at this event after the organizer Mitch heard about me on the My First Million podcast and read my book The 2-Hour Cocktail Party.

Here’s how the event went, my favorite photos, and what you can do at your next meetup to get amazing feedback like I got. Plus some great testimonials.

About the Event

60 people attended. It was completely sold out and they even had a waitlist.

It became EO Fort Worth’s biggest summer learning series event ever.

The event was titled “Become the Most Connected Person in the Room” with the tagline: “What if the key to deeper relationships and better business was a two-hour party?”

They had a professional photographer attend and I’ll add some photos throughout.

Agenda

Here’s a quick rundown of the timeline of the event.

5:30-6:00 PM: Arrivals
I personally welcomed everyone. No clustering by the bar. I organized small groups of 6-10 for quick intros.

6:00-6:10 PM: Logistics
Admin & housekeeping from the EO team.

6:10-6:30 PM: Learning
I shared my proven formula from The 2-Hour Cocktail Party. How to host events that people actually want to attend, and why this is helpful for your business and personal life.

6:30-7:00 PM: Practice
Speed icebreakers with carefully crafted questions. People shared meaningful stories. Made real connections in minutes.

7:00-7:15 PM: Debrief
We discussed what just happened and how to use these techniques.

7:15-8:30 PM: Structured Dinner
Forum-style discussions with specific conversation prompts for each table.

Icebreaker Questions

I used 3 types of icebreaker questions:

1. “Green Level” Starter – Safe, easy questions to get people talking
2. Speed Icebreakers – Rapid-fire questions that create energy and movement
3. Value-Additive Icebreakers – Deeper prompts that help people offer help to each other

I actually just wrote a full guide on how I used these icebreakers during the event. Click here to read it on my book site.

Photo Gallery

Here are some of my favorite photos from the event.

What Made It Different

Instead of the usual “sit and listen” format, I got a lot of people moving from the moment they arrived.

The first 30 minutes are usually wasted at business events. People grab drinks and talk to the same people they always do.

But I changed that. Everyone who attended met at least 5 new people. Everyone heard from nearly every person in the room.

Finally, the structured dinner kept the energy going. We used moderators and had table topics so that there were no awkward silence at tables.

Feedback

I got amazing feedback from everyone at the event, but the ones that mattered the most were from the people behind EO Fort Worth.

“I talked to several members who’ve been in our EO group for years. They said your talk was the best one they’ve been to. They all appreciated getting the opportunity to chat with other members and mix and mingle. People join EO for business, but they stay for the social connections. Your event is one of my new favorites of all time.”


Mitch Allen, Learning Chair for the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Fort Worth Chapter

“The event was great last night and I got so much positive feedback about your presentation! I heard that a lot of the people really enjoyed the table questions you provide. What a great way to change up the conversations.”


Katie, Event Manager, EO Fort Worth

Conclusion

Most learning events and dinners at EO events follow the standard formula. It’s good, and people learn a lot.

But you might want to do something different. Something where your members can mix and mingle, plus learn a few life hacks for hosting their own events.

Studies show that entrepreneurs who host their own events widen their networks, meet more prospective clients and employees, and generally boost their overall happiness with a bigger social network.

Here’s why you should call me to brainstorm for your next EO event:

• Track record: I’ve hosted hundreds of events from networking to talk shows.
• Interactive format: Your attendees won’t just listen. They’ll participate, connect, and leave energized.
• Immediate results: People start networking from the moment they arrive. No wasted time. And they leave seeing my methods first-hand.
• Practical takeaways: Attendees learn techniques they can use in their own businesses from my book, The 2-Hour Cocktail Party. (See Amazon reviews!)
• 100% satisfaction guarantee: I won’t bill you if you’re not happy or I don’t meet expectations.

Shoot me a text at +1-917-635-9967 or send me an email to hello@nickgray.net.

For further reading, check out these other articles:

• EO Keynote Speaker on Networking – this is from an EO chapter in Connecticut. It was so much fun.
• Closing Keynote Speaker at Supernode 2023 – I help a lot of conferences. This is one that I was able to write about.
• BiggerPockets Conference 2024 – Over 2,000 people attended. BiggerPockets hired me to help
• Master of Ceremonies: Conference Tips & Tricks – Here’s what you need to know if you want to hire an emcee aka MC aka Master of Ceremonies for your next event.

Special thanks to Mitch, Katie, Ellerbe Fine Foods, and the whole EO Forth Worth team for hosting me.

He’s an expert on LinkedIn marketing and business development. Here’s a list of the tactical advice and best practices that Chris gave me to share for posting on LinkedIn.

The Power of a Face in Every Post

Your face is a critical part of your personal brand.

Including a picture of yourself whenever possible when you post on LinkedIn is going to improve your reach and engagement.

As humans, “we’re very attuned to people’s faces.” Everyone in your audience who cares about you will be much more likely to stop scrolling and show their support on your post when they see your photo.

Chris recommends making sure that you are smiling and looking at the camera for the photo.

He says there’s “a clear kind of tier list” for what images perform best:

• A picture of you smiling is better than one where you’re not.
• A picture that includes you is better than a picture that doesn’t.
• Any picture is better than no picture at all.

The “Belief” Content Formula

Another key component of highly effective LinkedIn posts is to ensure that every post conveys a belief. Bonus points if that belief is targeted to a specific audience segment within LinkedIn’s user base.

Segments could be:

• Employees, the largest well defined user group on LinkedIn.
• Tech enthusiasts, to get more niche.
• Software developers, to get even more niche.
• Entrepreneurs, etc.

As an example, Chris pointed to a guy named Chad Gono who runs a company called Regal Plastics. Chad has been very successful building his brand on the platform and creating viral posts.

Chad makes sure almost all of his posts share a core belief that advocates for employees. Every post he puts out “shares a belief that is meant to recognize employees and boost them up, making a case for why they should be treated better.”

As an employer, Chad’s posts carry extra weight when he speaks up on issues in support of employees. Employees comment on and repost his content understanding that other leaders might be more willing to consider his perspective as a fellow executive.

Chris called this a “winning strategy because anyone who disagrees with him is still reading and engaging with his posts in the comments,” while those who agree are even more likely to share it.

By targeting the largest segment on LinkedIn—employees—with a clear belief, Chad can engage LinkedIn users who may have never seen or engaged with his content before. Whenever anyone likes, comments, or reposts one of his posts, LinkedIn will put that post in front of some of their connections as well, even if those connections have no relationship with Chad. If some of those connections like, comment, or repost as well, the cycle continues. This is the engine that fuels viral posts on LinkedIn.

The Whiteboard Tactic for Engagement

A simple strategy for catching posts is to write the core belief of that post on a whiteboard and hold it up in your photo.

Chris admits this can be “kind of tacky,” but it delivers engagement.

People are much more likely to stop and reflect on your core message if it’s written on a whiteboard. He said he loves that it almost every person who sees the post in their feed will read it, which drives their curiosity to read further and spend more time on the post, which is what you want for engagement.

The “Quality Over Quantity” Rule for Posts

Finally, remember that on LinkedIn, the quality of each post matters much more than the cadence.

LinkedIn is not like X or Instagram where volume is the key driver of the algorithm.

Instead, posting content that users spend a lot of time looking at and engaging with is “way more important than trying to be consistent.”

LinkedIn’s algorithm judges every post you make.

If you put out posts that don’t perform well, Chris warns, “it damages your reach across” the entire platform.

One reason for this is that the average user spends less time on LinkedIn than they do on competing platforms each time they log on, and LinkedIn wants to change that. So their algorithm values content that keeps people engaged and spending more time there. They “really value when people stop and spend time on a post.”

One upside to this algorithmic bias is that the platform encourages you to share lengthier posts and share your thoughts and areas of wisdom in greater detail and depth.

Remind Yourself to Innovate, Don’t Invent

One overlying principle that Chris stressed more than once was the importance of remembering not to reinvent the wheel.

“Inventing the wheel is hard. You’re not going to be the one to come up with a completely new and successful approach to content that no one else has thought of before.”

Instead, he recommends taking the time to research successful content creators with similar audiences to the one you want to speak to, and have a level of success that you aspire to achieve.

Once you have a list of creators and have gone through some of their posts, write down a bullet point list of things you like about their content, as well as the things you don’t. Pay particular mind to patterns that persist across creators as well.

Your job becomes to take the things you like, and use those content formulas and strategies as a starting framework for building content that is authentic to you. This helps you stay true to yourself while positioning your posts for algorithmic success.

Conclusion

It’s easy to overthink your content, but a few core strategies make all the difference.

Here are the best tips for LinkedIn:

• Use Your Face: a smiling photo of you gets more engagement.
• Share a Belief: center every post on a core belief to drive conversation.
• The Whiteboard Tactic: write your main point on a whiteboard in your photo to stop the scroll.
• Focus on Quality, Not Quantity: one great post is better than five mediocre ones. The algorithm will reward you.
• Innovate, Don’t Invent: find what successful creators are doing and adapt it to your own style.

If you want help with your LinkedIn posts, consider hiring Chris Gittings and his company Cogent Connections. They do great work and I can vouch for Chris as a good guy. Plans start at $500 per month.

Lauren and I are going to get married and then hopefully start a family.

That might be enough of a post for most people, but since I’ve been public with my dating life, I want to reflect on this for a moment.

A year ago, the thought of getting married wasn’t even on my radar. And yet now I’m in love.

In this article, I’ll tell you what I did. I’ll even tell you how I changed my mental models on dating, why I love this woman, and what comes next.

The Good Life

First, my life was pretty good. Or at least it felt incredibly full.

I built businesses and made some good investments. I lived in NYC, moved to Austin, and just generally loved the thrill of dating and hosting events.

My freedom is what I valued the most. I could fly anywhere in the world on a whim. I could pack a bag and go to Japan just for fun, and then leave the moment I got bored.

Being single felt like absolute freedom. I loved it.

Wanting More

But about a year ago, something changed.

I did the Tokyo blind date thing. Then my sister had a baby. And all my best friends started having kids.

I looked around at my life and things just felt a bit more flat.

The dating experiences that used to thrill me were starting to feel empty. I was getting older, too, and I started to feel like my time was running out. I realized that I wanted more.

I wanted to share my life with someone, and I wanted to start a family.

So I got strategic about it. Which I know is super nerdy and doesn’t feel romantic, but I had to change something major with my lens on dating.

I read books on relationships, I interviewed friends in happy marriages, and I thought a lot about what my non-negotiables were. I created a framework: big stuff versus small stuff.

Small stuff was what I’d always focused on. Looks, style, wit. These are the things for me that create instant attraction.

Big stuff was the foundation. Values, wanting kids, where they want to live, how they treat people, and what a successful partnership means to them.

For too long, I’d screened for the small stuff first. Attractive? Check. Fun? Check.

Good enough!

But finding a life partner meant flipping the order. I thought I knew what I wanted, but my intuition about what would lead to long-term happiness was often dead wrong.

I had to look at the big stuff first and be willing to walk away if it didn’t align, no matter how gorgeous or charming they were.

So I started being direct on dates and telling people that I was interested in a serious relationship.

Showing Up

Then came the hard part: showing up.

One Tuesday evening, dead tired from work, my friend Katelyn invited me to Barton Springs Pool. Every bone in my body wanted to stay home and keep working. But I went anyway.

Lauren was up on the hill reading a book. She looked supermodel beautiful and was exactly my type. The book caught my attention. She was reading Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, which is not exactly a fun poolside read.

I walked over to chat her up. Small stuff got me there, but the big stuff kept me talking. She had a rare confidence and a quick wit. When she talked about her family, there was a warmth I didn’t know I’d been looking for.

Three hours into our first date, I asked her if we should get married. But that was too bold. She laughed it off and said she’d think about it.

Fast Forward

That was ten months ago. We’ve spent nearly every day together since and moved in together earlier this year.

Now she’s become my best friend.

When I get too intense, she grounds me. When I miss details, she catches them all. She pushes me to grow in ways I’d never push myself.

Lauren has a rare gift of social grace. She can talk to anyone about anything. Venture capital one minute and cowboy boots the next.

The first time I joined her family for Rosh Hashanah they welcomed me with open arms. They roasted me, teased me about my affinity for name tags, and brought me into their world.

Seeing how close they all are – how Lauren talks to them daily, how proud she is of her brothers and cousins and dad – I thought, “I want this. I like this.”

Last weekend was Lauren’s birthday.

We went out to California to talk about our future. We talked about having kids and what building a life together really means.

I asked her again if she’d marry me, and this time she said yes.

It feels big. It feels right. And I’m super happy for what comes next.

The Announcement

Here’s how we shared the news to our friends on Instagram.

THE END

Hi from Nick! If you’re a single guy and feeling stuck, I actually wrote a post a while back about what helped me meet Lauren. It might give you a few things to try.

Plus, I got some fantastic recommendations from friends, which I’ve added as bonus picks at the end.

Here’s the full list of tools that power my workflow.

Featured Apps

Here’s a quick list of all the apps I downloaded:

1. Brave Browser
2. 1Password
3. WhatsApp Desktop
4. Wispr Flow
5. Logi Options+
6. Raycast
7. Superhuman
8. 2FHey
9. Loom
10. Stats

Read why I like each of these and what I use them for below.

Here are a few apps that my friends love which I want to check out:

1. Beeper
2. Superwhisper
3. HiddenBar
4. Sparkle
5. Cleanshot X
6. Paste
7. Cloudflare WARP

Full List

The 10 apps that I installed first are listed below.

Brave Browser

My default browser, hands down. Brave is built on Chromium (so it feels familiar if you’re used to Chrome) but it comes with a built-in ad and tracker blocker. This means faster page loads and a much cleaner, more private experience right out of the box.

1Password

Seriously, if you’re not using a password manager in 2025, what are you waiting for? I wish I would have started to use one sooner.

1Password is my choice for creating, storing, and auto-filling strong, unique passwords for everything. I like it better than Apple’s default, but Apple’s default password thing is probably good, too.

WhatsApp Desktop

The WhatsApp Desktop is still a must-have for me for staying connected with various group chats. However, I have been using Telegram more and more lately.

Wispr Flow

For quickly getting thoughts down in emails, drafting prompts, or even sending some texts, Wispr Flow has been my go-to. It’s a neat voice-to-text app that’s incredibly accurate and helps speed up writing when I don’t want to type everything out. Like 10x better than Siri’s voice-to-text.

March 2026 update: I still use this app every day and would be very sad if I could no longer use it. Talking to my computer is SO MUCH BETTER than trying to type things out. Thank you Wispr Flow. Not an ad, but I do get $3 if you sign up for a Pro account from my link.

Logi Options+

This one’s for a specific but crucial part of my workflow: mouse customization. I use Logi Options+ to map my Logitech mouse buttons. I use the Logitech Lift mouse, btw, which is a bit controversial.

My favorite tweak is setting the side “Forward” button to “Close Tab” – so my side buttons become Back and Close Tab. It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference in my web browsing speed. I hate needing a full app for it, but the utility is undeniable.

Raycast

This app has replaced Spotlight for me.

I need to learn to use this better – it is very powerful and I bet I only use 5% of it.

Superhuman

When it comes to email, Superhuman is my client of choice. I’ve used it for 7 years or so and just haven’t found a better alternative. But it is expensive: $30 per month.

It’s built for speed and efficiency, with a focus on keyboard shortcuts, a clean interface, and features designed to help you get through your inbox faster. It’s a premium tool, but for me, the time saved is worth it.

2FHey

This is a nifty little utility for macOS that I find incredibly useful.However, some friends said it might be at risk for security vulnerabilities, so be careful.

Thanks to Jon K. for letting me know that this app is no longer needed:

MacOS Tahoe came out with 2FA iMessage access natively for other browsers and I’ve had it in Chrome since.

Loom

I use Loom every single day. It’s fantastic for quickly recording my screen and camera to share updates, explain concepts, or give feedback to my team. The videos are instantly shareable with a link, making collaboration much more efficient than typing out long explanations. I happily pay for this app, but the free version is nice too.

Stats

Stats is a free, open-source, and lightweight macOS app that lives in your menu bar. It shows crucial system information like CPU usage, RAM, network activity, and battery levels. It’s highly customizable and helps me keep an eye on what my Mac is doing without being intrusive. (You can also often find it on GitHub: ExelS/Stats on GitHub)

Bonus App Recommendations

After posting my initial setup, friends chimed in on X with their essential apps.

Here are some standout suggestions.

• Beeper: brings together messages from WhatsApp, Signal, Instagram DMs, X (Twitter) DMs, Slack, and many more into a single, unified inbox. “Still in beta but its a game changer,” from Andrew Wilkinson.
• Superwhisper: this AI-powered app significantly enhances standard voice-to-text by not only transcribing but also transforming your speech. It can generate LLM prompts from dictated thoughts or rephrase feedback into a more professional tone. “It’s phenomenal,” from Andrew Wilkinson.
• HiddenBar: a free utility, often found on GitHub or the Mac App Store, that helps declutter your Mac’s menu bar. “It compresses all your non-critical menubar items,” from Andrew Wilkinson.
• Sparkle: uses AI to assist in organizing your desktop and folders by automatically categorizing files based on their names (it does not read file contents) and moving them into a structured system. From Andrew Wilkinson.
• Cleanshot X: a major upgrade from built-in macOS tools for anyone who frequently takes screenshots. “For sure, Cleanshot X for screenshots,” from Sara Dietschy.
• Paste (pasteapp.io): a dedicated clipboard manager that remembers everything you copy (text, images, links, files), allowing for easy retrieval and reuse of items later. “I use this multiple times a day,” from Chad Gorshing.
• Cloudflare WARP: an easy-to-use VPN (part of the 1.1.1.1 app) providing added privacy and security by encrypting your traffic, built around Cloudflare’s fast DNS resolver. “If you still don’t use a VPN, get this,” from Simon de Haast.

Conclusion

If you’re setting up your Mac or just looking to refresh your toolkit, I hope this list of essential apps helps get you started.

Next up, I’m debating a switch from Zoom to Google Meet for video calls.

It was in a big conference room downtown. We needed a good playlist to raise the energy for attendees to get them excited in the morning. And also some songs for the breaks and the writing sessions.

Here are the tracks for a conference music playlist that I submitted.

Related link – Tony Robbins Music: Motivational Songs Used at UPW

Opening Start & Morning

Morning hype music that is upbeat and happy.

1. Can’t Hold Us – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
2. Whatever It Takes – Imagine Dragons
3. Feel So Close – Calvin Harris
4. High Hopes – Panic! At The Disco
5. Good Feeling – Flo Rida
6. CAN’T STOP THE FEELING! – Justin Timberlake
7. Let’s Go Crazy – Prince

Breaks

Mid‑tempo feel‑good songs for 5–10 min hallway chats.

1. Adventure of a Lifetime – Coldplay
2. Walking on Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves
3. Treasure – Bruno Mars
4. Good as Hell – Lizzo
5. Happy – Pharrell Williams
6. Lovely Day – Bill Withers
7. Counting Stars – OneRepublic

Thinking and Writing

Instrumental / lyric‑free tracks for focused work.

1. Time – Hans Zimmer
2. Weightless – Marconi Union
3. Electra – Airstream
4. Clair de Lune – Claude Debussy
5. Bloom – ODESZA (Instrumental)
6. Sunset Lover – Petit Biscuit
7. La Femme d’Argent – Air

End of Day

High‑energy send‑off to keep attendees buzzing.

1. Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
2. Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
3. Thunderstruck – AC/DC
4. Sandstorm – Darude
5. 24K Magic – Bruno Mars
6. Levitating – Dua Lipa
7. I’m Good (Blue) – David Guetta & Bebe Rexha

More Conference Hype Songs

The best conference hype music that I’ve ever seen is what Tony Robbins uses at his events.

They are Jock Jams-inspired tunes to create energy in the audience, get people dancing, welcome them back from breaks, etc. When I attended his Unleash the Power Within event, I wrote down all the tracks that he used in this article.

Here are some of my favorites:

• “Tonight’s The Night” by Black Eyed Peas
• “Sandstorm” by Darude
• “Top Gun Anthem” by Harold Faltermeyer and Steve Stevens
• “Gangam Style” by Psy
• “Get Up Offa That Thing” by James Brown
• “Raise Your Glass” by Pink
• “Hey Ya!” by Outkast
• “Y.M.C.A.” by Village People
• “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO

Do you have any songs that I should add to this list? Let me know in the comments, or send me an email. Also check out my other article, Tony Robbins Music: Motivational Songs Used at UPW.

Other related articles:

• Master of Ceremonies: Conference Tips & Tricks: In this article I’ll tell you everything I’ve learned, tips and tricks, plus questions you should ask if you’re hiring one for a conference.
• How I Hosted a Mini-Conference: Step-by-Step Guide and Lessons Learned:A mini-conference has 32 people gathering for 4 hours during a work day. This article tells you how I did it and everything I learned.
• Trade Show and Conference Badge Ribbons: This is a low-cost, innovative, and admittedly gimmicky thing you can do at trade shows or conferences.

I’ve been to dozens of shows. New York City is the best in the world at theater. Especially musical theater.

But some Broadway shows are awful. And many are expensive.

I’ll tell you how to get cheap tickets. I’ll also tell you my favorite shows to see.

Getting Cheap Tickets

First, if you’re purchasing Broadway tickets for the first time, I’d avoid online stores like Broadway.com. They are not affiliated with any Broadway theater. And they add on a lot of fees to your purchase.

The tickets are legitimate, but all they’re doing is buying them from the actual box office and keeping a 60% premium for your trouble.

Here are the legitimate cheap ways to get Broadway tickets instead.

The TKTS Booth

There are two TKTS Booths that sell cheaper same-day and next-day tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.

One is in Times Square, and you’ve probably heard of this one. But there’s a lesser-known outpost near Lincoln Center on 62nd Street.

Both have the same inventory of tickets, but the Lincoln Center booth usually has much less of a line.

I’d recommend getting to either booth as early as possible. Lincoln Center opens at 11am every day (closed on Sunday and Monday), Times Square opens at 11am on days that have matinee performances, 3pm otherwise, and is open 7 days a week.

If you don’t know what to see, ask someone in a red coat who works there. They’re very helpful and eager to recommend shows.

If you’re using TKTS more than once during your trip, hold on to your ticket stubs. If you bring the stubs back to the booth, they’ll let you skip the line. Ask for the “7 Day Fast Pass” and they’ll show you where to go.

Lottery Tickets

Some shows make affordable tickets available via an online lottery. They’re hard to get, but extremely cheap if you get lucky.

These tickets are typically $35 to $49, and you can get either 1 or 2 tickets. They can be anywhere in the theater, but are usually pretty great seats.

There are four places to check for lotteries: Telecharge, Broadway Direct, Lucky Seat, or TodayTix, depending on who owns the theater.

Not all shows do a lottery, and not all performances have enough tickets available for a lottery draw.

Lotteries typically open in the morning, and close in the afternoon to draw for the next day’s performances. Some lotteries draw 2 days out, some draw 7 days out.

The Hamilton lottery, famous for its $10 front-row tickets, draws a few weeks out so people out-of-state are able to coordinate travel and hotels.

TodayTix

TodayTix is a mobile app that offers cheaper tickets to Broadway shows. Their business model is the same as Broadway.com’s, but their fees are much more reasonable (sometimes $0).

They also frequently run ‘flash sales’ on advance tickets for shows that aren’t selling well, meaning you can get tickets for less than box office prices.

I personally use TodayTix a lot because it is so convenient. The pricing isn’t necessarily great or even amazing, but it works, it is easy, and I can do it all from my phone at the hotel.

Rush Tickets

A few theaters sell same day ‘rush tickets,’ which are basically cheap same-day tickets. If you’re willing to show up early and wait in line, this is a good option.

Some theaters have a dedicated pool of tickets set aside for this purpose. But often they’re just discounting expensive tickets that haven’t sold yet, so the house is packed.

Rush tickets are available the moment the box office opens (10am Monday through Saturday, 12pm Sunday), but shows that are ‘in demand’ get a line forming outside before the box office opens.

Depending on how well the show is selling, you may need to get there a few hours early, or there may be rush tickets available all day, and you can walk up before the performance.

These tickets are typically $39 to $69, and like the lottery, there’s a limit of 2 tickets per person.

Playbill keeps an up-to-date listing here of shows that offer rush, since not all shows do. Some shows limit rush to certain demographics: only students, only veterans, only people under 30, etc.

Last Minute Box Office

If you’re coming up on showtime and don’t know what to go see, it never hurts to pop into the box office and see what last-minute seats they have available.

Theaters don’t want to leave seats unfilled, so they’ll usually work with you.

It’s unlikely you’ll pay less than the lowest advertised rate, but your money will go further. So if the cheapest advertised price is a balcony seat for $49, it’s unlikely that you’d be able to get that seat for $25, but $49 might get you into the orchestra.

Your mileage may vary and depends on who’s at the box office and how busy they are. This works better for shows that aren’t selling as well.

For Locals

If you live in NYC or the surrounding area, consider taking advantage of these hacks to get cheap tickets to Broadway shows.

TDF

A $40 yearly subscription gets you access to TDF.org and discounted Broadway + Off-Broadway shows.

TDF is a non-profit that gets blocks of seats and sells them at competitive rates to their members.

• Broadway shows are a flat-rate $51 for plays and $59 for musicals.
• Off-Broadway shows are a flat-rate $35 for plays and $39 for musicals.

Tickets can be booked in advance, subject to their availability, and you pick up the tickets at the box office under your name. Super easy. Bring your ID, they usually ask for it!

Young Patrons Programs

Several non-profit theaters on & off Broadway offer discounted tickets to people under 40.

Here are a few to check out:

• Manhattan Theatre Club has three theaters (1 Broadway, 2 Off-Broadway), and if you’re under 35 years old you can book $30 tickets in advance. College students who live in NYC can get free tickets, but these sell out quickly!
• Lincoln Center Theater has three theaters (1 Broadway, 2 Off-Broadway) and most of their productions are eligible for LincTix – if you’re under 35, you can get $35.50 orchestra tickets (you just need to be mindful of them selling out quickly.)
• Roundabout Theatre has five theaters, and three of them – the Todd Haimes Theatre on Broadway and the two Off-Broadway theaters at the Steinberg Center – allow you to get $30 advance tickets if you’re under 40 via their HipTix program.
• New York City Center has $28 tickets available, both advance and same-day, if you’re under 40 via their Access Club program. NYCC is well known for Encores!, staging short runs of underrated Broadway shows with an A-list cast.

Standing Room Only (SRO)

If a performance is sold out, some shows sell same day ‘SRO’ tickets that allow you to stand at the back of the orchestra.

Be prepared to stand for the entire performance, but ushers will usually let you pop into an empty seat at intermission.

You’ll pay about the same price as rush tickets, $39 to $69. Unfortunately, I don’t have a good resource of which shows offer SRO tickets.

Understudy Performances

This is a little more serendipitous, but productions that rely on famous actors may discount tickets when an understudy goes on.

When Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott were in a production of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, tickets were regularly going for $250-300 per seat.

They both got sick at the same time, and the theater refunded everybody and offered $30 seats to anyone who wanted to see the understudies.

You’ll get an opportunity to see some excellent actors in the same exact production, but for much cheaper. These often only happen with a few hours notice, so you need to be ready to pounce.

My Favorite Shows on Broadway

This is the weakest part of my article, and I’m sorry for that! I’ll work on updating it again later once I’ve seen more shows in 2025 and 2026.

Current Shows:

• Maybe Happy Ending
• Dear Evan Hansen
• Six
• Hamilton
• The Book of Mormon

Shows I Loved That Have Closed:

• American Utopia
• Come From Away
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Fun Home

Conclusion

Broadway shows can be an amazing experience without breaking the bank if you know where to look.

With a little planning and flexibility, you can see world-class theater for a fraction of the standard ticket price. Remember these key takeaways:

• Avoid third-party sellers with high markups like Broadway.com
• The TKTS Booth at Lincoln Center typically has shorter lines than Times Square
• Digital options like lotteries and TodayTix offer convenience with reasonable fees
• If you’re local, memberships like TDF and Young Patron programs offer significant savings
• Don’t be afraid to try for last-minute box office deals or see understudy performances

Email and tell me what you see, or leave a comment below with anything I missed.

For more New York City tips and tricks, see my favorite things to do in NYC here.
Special thanks to Nathan Sykes for helping me write this article. Check out his site Understudies.org for cool notices about when understudies are performing on Broadway. He also told me about a new resource, Theatr, which I’m going to check out soon.

I’ve been on a dozen cruises, usually with my family. In this article I’ll show you all the secrets spots I found on the ship. I’ll go through the ship floor by floor, show you my room, and sneak into premium areas like The Haven.

YouTube Video

Here’s the full YouTube video where I tour the entire ship. Watch it below, and keep reading for the detailed breakdown with my top tips and highlights.

Norwegian Viva: THE BEST NCL Full Tour with Secret Spots

Top of the Ship

I will start with Deck 19– the very top of the ship. Here’s what I found up there:

• On port days, the slides are usually closed, but the lounge chairs? Wide open.
• Hardly anyone comes up there, so if you want uninterrupted views and the best beach chairs, this is your spot.
• I love the hot tubs on the 18th floor. There’s one with a canopy for shade.
• For $5, Tea Time miniature golf on the 17th floor is a blast—RFID-tagged balls track your game. It’s quick (20 minutes) and family-friendly.
• The Stadium has pickleball, shuffleboard, and ping pong. It’s a cool hangout—check the screenshot of that pickleball court.

Surfside Cafe Buffet

Deck 17 is a foodie’s paradise and a great place to unwind. Let’s break it down.

The Surfside Cafe is the main buffet. While it’s a LOT smaller than what you’d find on bigger ships, it’s still solid.

You’ve got salad bars, grilled chicken, bratwurst, and even tropical fruit salsa on fish. It’s not gourmet, but it’s hot, fresh, and free—no wait times! My brother-in-law Aaron loves the pizza here, and my father raves about the moist pork.

Observation Lounge

The Observation Lounge is a hidden gem. Floor-to-ceiling windows, cozy chairs, and no crowds—perfect for reading. Bring your own books, though; the book exchange here is pretty weak with not a lot to pick from.

There’s also a water station with orange-infused water—my favorite—and no lines ever for any of the coffee or tea. These stations are usually the freshest, too.

Gym

Deck 16 mixes workouts with luxury. Here’s what I explored.

The gym is a winner. Kettlebells, Smith machines, rowers, and a secret spin room where I ride bikes with my Peloton app. There were plenty of free weights, tons of Ellipticals and treadmills, and more.

Bonus: free seltzer water! I mix it half-and-half with filtered water—refreshing trick.

The Haven

Thanks to my mom, I got into the Haven—think private elevators, a swanky lounge, and an infinity pool.

The restaurant’s included if you’re a Haven guest. You can bring a friend for $30 at breakfast or lunch. But honestly? The burger took 35 minutes and the fish sandwich was dry.

Balcony Room Tour

Let’s pop into my room on Deck 12—nothing fancy, but it’s got some surprises.

Room 12806 is a standard balcony setup. It has USB-C ports (a game-changer!), a decent desk, and a bigger-than-expected bathroom with a nice shower.

The balcony’s my favorite—perfect for chilling and reading books.

The Haven Suite Room Tour

The suite that my mother had was insane—double sinks, a huge shower, and a balcony bigger than my room.

Indulge Food Hall

Deck 8 is where I saved the best for last—Indulge Food Hall. It’s my top spot on the ship. Here’s why it is the best.

Forget the buffet—this food hall is incredible. Order via iPads at your table, and it’s all free!

My must-have? The chicken korma with cashews—so good, even if you’re not into Indian food.

I also love the Lone Star chili and beef shish kebab.

Here’s a full list of food you should try at this food hall:

• Spinach Caesar salad
• Cobb salad
• Guacamole
• Broiled Tilapia
• Chicken legs
• Urad Dal with Basmati rice

Starbucks and Hidden Seats

Deck 7 has some unexpected gems, but my favorite are some great seats near the Starbucks.

The Starbucks here is a morning hotspot (my girlfriend’s obsessed). Drinks aren’t included in the drinks package, but you can use your onboard credits to buy stuff.

Behind the Starbucks are a bunch of comfortable empty chairs with a killer view. Hardly anyone knows about this spot, as it was always empty when we visited. I found it a nice place to lounge. Definitely check it out.

Conclusion

I liked the Norwegian Viva, but it wasn’t my favorite. The small buffet, the limited room cleanings, and just… I don’t know. I liked my time on Celebrity ships better.

See my other cruise tour videos here for more.

The buffet was smaller than I’d like, and I miss twice-daily room cleaning. But the food hall made up for it. I liked ordering from the iPads and the nice, quality selections there.

Got a cruise planned? Drop a comment with where you’re headed—I reply to everyone. Thanks for reading my article.

Watch my full Norwegian Viva tour video on YouTube for lots more spots and a 1-hour long walkthrough of the ship.