Peter admits he's stuck in patterns. He’s not quite burnt out, but feeling the weight of deeply grooved neural pathways at 40. Jon responds with what he calls his "wacko" idea: ketamine therapy as a tool for breaking mental ruts.

Speaking metaphorically, he says that Ketamine fills in the snow tracks your mind has carved, giving you a chance to create new paths. But only if you do the work afterward, such as therapy, reflection, habit change. Without that follow-through, you slide right back into the same grooves.

This leads to their "barbell strategy" for change: either make tiny, effortless tweaks or commit to massive action. The middle ground never sticks.

It's too much effort to start, but not enough commitment to force follow-through.

Jon and Peter also discuss hard-coded solutions in software. A go-to-market engineer explained why his work couldn't be productized: the last 20% of customization drives 75% of the value. Peter sees this in his own business with Airtable, while Jon wrestles with it at Sagan.

There’s a tension that LeadSimple’s journey illustrates, and it’s that customers want self-service, yet implementation requires expertise.

The result is an awkward middle ground: $7,000 packages, third-party consultants, and confusion about what the product even is.

Key Topics:
(04:18) Tony Robbins and the Concept of "Massive Action"
(06:26) Tiny Tweaks vs. Life-Changing Commitments
(12:43) Ketamine Therapy
(19:23) Familiar Media as Self-Care: Seinfeld, Star Trek, and Comfort Viewing
(31:03) Hard-Coded Solutions: Why the Last 20% of Customization Matters Most
(34:32) Distribution Strategy: Ben Horowitz's Framework for Implementation Complexity
(42:09) The Cost of Friction Between Purchase and Pleasure
(45:33) Scorecards and Metrics: Getting Back to What Actually Matters

Beating War Drums - January 12, 2026

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Iran Protests, Internet Blackout, and Casualties

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