Holli T

Being purposeful in life, spirit, family, work, and everything in between.

[Holli T @HolliTierno]

@unusual_whales No

[Gerry DeFilippo | Strength & Speed @Challenger_ST]

🚨 What if the secret to success isn’t talent or luck… but one simple daily choice?

Nick Saban drops truth: Every single day, you face the same 2 questions:

1. Something you KNOW you should do… but don’t FEEL like doing?

Can you make yourself do it anyway?

2. Something you know you shouldn’t do… but really WANT to?

Can you stop yourself?

Getting out of bed when the alarm hits

Hitting the gym when you’d rather scroll

Studying or grinding when Netflix calls

Choosing the hard right over the easy wrong

This is the invisible bridge between where you are… and who you want to become

Put your choices ahead of your feelings

Because if you only do what you feel like doing, you’ll never reach your goals

This one mindset shift changes everything for champions — and it can change everything for YOU too.

[Dr. Rhonda Patrick @foundmyfitness]

A “plastic-free diet” cut endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the body by up to 60% in just 1 week.

Participants in a recent study switched to low-plastic food, plastic-free kitchenware, and screened personal care products for 7 days.

Urinary BPA fell by 59%, and phthalates fell by up to 54%. Even switching personal care products alone significantly lowered MnBP, another phthalate, by 35%.

These chemicals have been linked to male and female reproductive problems, altered neurodevelopment in children, and even insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease.

The takeaway here is that exposure to plastic is not fixed or unavoidable. Reducing highly processed foods, canned foods, plastic packaging, and plastic contact during food prep and storage, as well as personal hygiene products that contain phthalates, can rapidly lower your internal burden of these chemicals.

[Holli T @HolliTierno]

I would be mad at my wife

[Ethan Brooks @alt_w_v_g]

Had a parent-teacher conference this morning

My wife told me not to come

I came anyway

She said "please just listen and nod"

I said "I always listen"

She said "you listen like you're sitting in a boardroom looking for something to challenge"

That's how listening works

Nice classroom

Small chairs

I am 6'4" and was seated at a desk designed for someone who still believes in Santa Claus

My knees touched my chest

The teacher introduced herself

Shared her identified pronouns

I shared my identified adjectives

Smart and handsome

My wife closed her eyes

The teacher had a folder

Color-coded tabs

I respected the organization

She said our son is "a pleasure to have in class"

My wife smiled

I waited

That sentence is never the whole report

It's the executive summary before the risk section

She said "however"

There it is

She said he "asks a lot of questions"

I said "good"

She said "during quiet time"

I said "when is quiet time?"

She said "it's when students are expected to work independently and in silence"

I said "so he's the only one trying to get information and you've structured the environment to prevent it?"

My wife put her hand on my arm

I continued

The teacher said he recently told another student that "sharing pencils doesn't make sense if nobody brings their own"

I said "that's an accurate observation"

My wife squeezed harder

The teacher said she's concerned about his "resistance to group activities"

I said "he's not resistant. He just doesn't see the value of doing more work for the same grade."

The teacher said he also corrected her math on the whiteboard

I said "was he right?"

She paused

She said "that's not the point"

I said "it's a little bit the point"

My wife stood up

Sat back down

Compromise

The teacher pulled out an evaluation sheet

Categories like "works well with others" and "follows directions" and "respects classroom norms"

All subjective

Not a number on the page

I asked how these are graded

She said "based on observation"

I said "so one person's opinion with no second review?"

She said "it's professional judgment"

I said "my auditors say that too. Right before I disagree with them."

She looked at my wife

My wife said "I'm sorry about him"

I said "I'm sitting right here"

My wife said "I know"

The teacher said overall he's a bright kid and she just wants to make sure he learns to "collaborate"

I said "collaboration is important. But so is recognizing when you're the only one doing the work. He'll learn that again in college. And again in the real world. Might as well start now."

Nobody spoke

The teacher closed her folder

She said "I think we've covered everything"

I said "one more thing"

She braced herself

I said "his reading is above grade level. His math is strong. He asks hard questions and corrects mistakes when he sees them. I just want to make sure this school knows what it has."

The teacher looked at me differently

My wife looked at me differently

I said "that's all"

We left

In the car my wife was quiet

Then she said "he's turning into you"

I said "is that a good thing?"

She didn't answer

From the backseat he said "dad, why does the teacher count off for asking questions? Isn't that the whole point of school?"

I looked at my wife

She looked out the window

I said "yes. It is."

He said "I don't think she likes when I'm right"

I didn't say anything

Neither did my wife

Small chairs

Color-coded tabs

No follow-up items

But the kid's going to be fine

Sent from my iPhone

[Kevin Carpenter @kejca]

Warren Buffett: "My dad was always very forgiving of my misbehavior. He'd just say, 'I know you can do better.' That was very powerful stuff — because I could do better. I knew it and he knew it. It's nice to have somebody have faith in you."

[Jon Willbanks (e/acc) @jonwillbanks]

Scientists gave 20 Alzheimer's patients creatine monohydrate for 8 weeks.

This was the first clinical trial to test creatine in humans with Alzheimer's.

What happened to their memory and cognition was extraordinary.

Here's how remarkable creatine can be for your brain:

[Spitfire @RealSpitfire]

Ok. I was really caught off guard here. I did not expect my visceral reaction to this message from James Vanderbeek.

Do yourself a favor and listen. Just listen. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

RIP James, God speed🙏🏼

[Simons @Simon_Ingari]

"Why does our top performer get the worst reviews?" the boss asked.

I was reviewing their annual performance data.

"Show me," I said.

She pulled up the ratings.
Diana: 2.8 out of 5.
Below average on "collaboration."
Low marks for "team player."

"What's her actual performance?" I asked.

"Exceeded every target.
Landed our biggest client.
Trained three new hires."

"So why the low scores?"

"Her peer reviews are dragging her down."

I scanned the comments.
"Too direct."
"Challenges ideas too much."
"Not supportive enough."

"Let me talk to Diana," I said.

"I used to give honest feedback," Diana told me.
"Said our pricing model was broken.
Got dinged for 'negativity.'"

"What happened with the pricing?"

"They finally fixed it six months later.
After we lost two major accounts."

"What else?"

"I questioned why we needed
eleven approvals for a simple contract change.
Manager said I wasn't being collaborative."

"Are you still giving feedback?"

"No. I learned my lesson.
Now I smile. Nod. Say everything's great.
My reviews are improving."

"But nothing's actually improving?"

"We're making the same mistakes.
Just with better vibes." She chuckled.

I went back to the boss.

"Your review system doesn't measure performance," I said.
"It measures compliance."

"That's not true."

"When was the last time someone
got promoted for challenging bad ideas?"

Silence.

"When did someone get rewarded for preventing a mistake?"

More silence.

"You've trained your best people to stay quiet.
And your mediocre people to stay nice."

A few months later, they redesigned the system.

Added a category: "Constructive Challenge."
Points for identifying problems early.
Rewards for preventing costly mistakes.

Diana got promoted.

"What changed?" I asked the boss.

"We stopped confusing agreement with alignment.
Stopped mistaking silence for harmony."

"And?"

"Turns out our 'difficult' people
were our most valuable.
They actually cared enough to speak up."

Here's the truth about performance reviews:

Most companies don't reward performance.
They reward performance theater.

The person who says the meeting was great
beats the person who says it wasted an hour.

The person who agrees with bad ideas
beats the person who prevents disasters.

You think you're measuring contribution.
You're measuring conformity.

And your best people?
They've already figured out the game.

They're just deciding whether to play it
or find somewhere that values truth over comfort.

[Ben Meer @SystemSunday]

An idea I’m implementing in my life:

The 1-6-4 Method.

Popularized by entrepreneur and author Jesse Itzler, it’s a foolproof way to make sure you always have fun planned throughout the year.

1. Plan one big “year-making” event

This is inspired by the Japanese concept of Misogi (a challenging annual endeavor).

Pick one massive defining challenge or event for the year that pushes you to grow past your limits:

• A long endurance event (like a marathon)
• A big personal project (like finally starting that side business)
• Something transformative (like a multi-day solo backpacking trip)

This’ll act as the anchor for your year.

2. Schedule 6 mini-adventures for every other month

Lock in one small, exciting experience every other month (6 per year):

• Going camping at a national park
• Traveling on vacation to a place you’ve never been
• Attending a music festival where your favorite artist is performing
• Hosting a group of friends for a dinner party and game night
• Explore a new part of your city that you’ve always wanted to visit

3. Implement a winning habit every quarter

Add one positive, compounding habit every 3 months (4 per year).

It could be drinking more water, walking 10k steps per day, meditating, being on time, or any small routine that improves your life.

These are your building blocks for long-term growth.

—

We’ve become bad at leisure.

The digital world isn’t bringing as much joy to our lives.

Having alternative choices (using the 1-6-4 Method) to look forward to throughout the year makes life so much more enjoyable.

And remember:

Put these on your calendar so they actually happen rather than staying as ideas.

Cheers to more joy this year and beyond. 🥂

♻️ Retweet to share this with your network.
➕ Follow @SystemSunday for more content like this.

[Holli T @HolliTierno]

@howardlutnick @SteveScalise Why did you have to lie? Why is @potus keeping you on?

[Dr. Rhonda Patrick @foundmyfitness]

Time-restricted eating (TRE) may not improve cardiometabolic health if you don't change what or how much you eat.

Women with obesity who practiced early TRE (eating from 8 AM to 4 PM) or late TRE (1 to 9 PM) but kept their calorie intake and physical activity levels the same experienced no changes in their insulin sensitivity, blood glucose, blood lipids, inflammation, oxidative stress, or body composition makers.

The late TRE group did see a later shift in their circadian phase (~24 minutes) compared to the early TRE group.

Circadian-timed eating is important, but without an emphasis on dietary quality, metabolic improvements seem to be modest.

[unusual_whales @unusual_whales]

You just can’t make this up.

Cramer’s Inverse portfolio beat Nancy Pelosi’s portfolio in 2025.

[Holli T @HolliTierno]

My 2025 Duolingo stats are in! How did you do? #Duolingo365

[Elise Stefanik @EliseStefanik]

.@KathyHochul is giving FREE Medicaid to illegal immigrants while hardworking New Yorkers struggle to afford healthcare and foot the bill with the highest taxes in the nation.

Kathy Hochul and NY Democrats puts illegals FIRST and New Yorkers LAST.

[unusual_whales @unusual_whales]

Trump FDA begins daily real-time publication of adverse event data from FAERs

[Toan Truong @LearningToan]

Could psychiatrists tell if someone was actually insane?

Stanford psychologist David Rosenhan wanted to find the answer...

In 1973, he sent 8 perfectly normal people to mental hospitals across the US.

What he found next exposed the secret side of psychology…🧵

[Wisdom Stoics @WisdomStoics]

It took me 9 years to understand this, I’ll teach it to you in 3 minutes.

Here are 10 uncomfortable truths about life...

1.

[Secretary Linda McMahon @EDSecMcMahon]

One size doesn't fit all in education.

We need to be encouraging our kids to learn based on their skill sets and what they can bring to an innovative society.

[Secretary Linda McMahon @EDSecMcMahon]

Dept of Ed has prioritized federal micromanagement instead of support for meaningful learning.

It has often demanded budget increases beyond what Congress has allocated — without demonstrating a return on investment in improved student learning outcomes.