Broden Johnson

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Broden Johnson

Founder of Yakk & Eight Fifty Espresso | Author of Don't Be A Dick [Launching 2025]

05/11/2025

My mother-in-law comes around for dinner each week.

I think it’s for the company, but I’m starting to suspect it’s for the entertainment.

She sits at the end of the table like she’s watching a live sitcom called

“The Johnsons: A Tragedy in Three Courses.”

Wine glass in hand.

Calm smile.

Eyes tracking the chaos like a seasoned war correspondent.

There’s a pot boiling over.

The cat’s on the bench.

My wife is giving me that look.

The kids are arguing about who gets the blue plate.

And I’m pretending I’m not checking emails under the table.

She chuckles. Not at anyone in particular — just at the madness of it all.

And that’s when it hit me.

This is what “balance” actually looks like.

Not the Instagram version.

Not the zen yoga, beach-sunset, “I only work four hours a day” kind.

Real balance is:

Eating half your dinner standing up.

Saying “I’m listening” while one kid screams and the other asks, “Do worms have parents?”

Apologising to your partner mid-meal because you said something stupid while trying to rescue a burning pan.

It’s not peace.

It’s movement.

It’s motion without losing your footing.

For years, I thought “balance” meant harmony — equal parts work, family, health, calm.

Like some perfect spreadsheet of priorities.

Now I know it’s more like juggling chainsaws while blindfolded.

The Stoics understood this.

Marcus Aurelius didn’t talk about “finding balance.”

He was trying not to lose his mind while half of Rome was on fire.

Balance, to them, wasn’t stillness.

It was staying upright when the world tilted.

In business, it’s the same.

Something’s always on fire.

If Yakk’s running hot, the family gets less of me.

If the kids need me, work waits.

Either way, something’s tipping.

I used to feel guilty about that — like I was failing someone every day.

Now I just ask:

Where am I needed most right now, and can I be there fully?

That’s it.

That’s balance.

So tonight, when the garlic bread burns again, and my mother-in-law chuckles into her wine, and the kids start a fork duel over mashed potatoes — I’ll smile too.

Because this isn’t chaos.

This is life.

It’s not meant to be even.

It’s meant to be alive.

Real balance isn’t calm. It’s chaos you’ve made peace with.

👉 If you’ve ever chased “work–life balance” and ended up with burnt garlic bread instead, welcome to the club.

You’re doing fine.

Read the full article here: https://brodenjohnson.co/posts/the-myth-of-balance

And since you've read this far - if you'd like to get tales or thoughts like this, straight to your inbox - I write a weekly newsletter - you can sign up for free here: brodenjohnson.co

29/10/2025

Ego’s a funny thing.

It makes you want to win arguments you don’t care about, impress people who aren’t watching, and protect a reputation that doesn’t exist.

Mine shows up most when my wife says, “You’re wrong.”

That’s when the inner lawyer wakes up — ready to defend, justify, and completely miss the point.

Ego isn’t confidence. It’s insecurity with a microphone.

The quietest person in the room usually has the most power.

Read full article here – https://brodenjohnson.co/posts/your-ego-is-the-loudest-voice-in-the-room

28/10/2025

Parenting tip: if you want to know what kind of person you really are, have kids.

They’ll mirror every bad habit back at you in 4K.

My youngest stood there “brushing her teeth” without moving her arm — just foaming at the mouth like a malfunctioning robot.

I laughed. Then realised I do the same thing.

I tell people I’m “doing the work” while standing still.

Stoicism calls that talking about virtue instead of practising it.

Less talk. More toothbrush.

Read the full article here – https://brodenjohnson.co/posts/don-t-tell-people-what-you-do-show-them

22/10/2025

We like to think people do bad things on purpose.

That they meant to be rude, selfish, lazy, or cruel.

But Socrates didn’t see it that way.

He believed no one does wrong willingly — people act from ignorance, not evil.

That driver who cuts you off.

The client who ghosts your invoice.

The kid who talks back.

They’re not plotting your downfall — they’re just doing what they think makes sense in that moment.

It’s not always easy to see that. When someone wrongs you, your first instinct is to react.

To judge.

To prove them wrong.

To protect your pride.

But when you stop for a second and look deeper, you realise that ignorance — not malice — drives most bad behaviour.

The Stoics took this idea and ran with it. Marcus Aurelius wrote, “When someone does you wrong, consider what they believe is good or bad. Once you understand that, you’ll pity them instead of being angry.”

That’s powerful. Because once you understand it, you take back control.

You stop wasting energy on outrage.

You stop letting other people dictate your peace.

We can’t fix everyone.

But we can choose how we respond.

With patience. With curiosity. With understanding.

No one does wrong willingly.

They just don’t see clearly.

And sometimes, neither do we.

Read the full article → https://brodenjohnson.co/posts/no-one-does-wrong-willingly

05/09/2025

I used to think planning was the secret to control.
The calendar was colour-coded. The to-do list immaculate. The week airtight.

Then Monday morning arrived.
By 9:15am: the Wi-Fi crashed, a client bailed, and my daughter was home sick.

My “perfect plan”? In the bin.

It took me years — and more business disasters than I’d like to admit — to realise this: The plan was never the point.

The real test isn’t whether your plan works.
It’s how you respond when it doesn’t.

That’s what I wrote about this week → https://brodenjohnson.co/posts/when-plans-go-to-sh*t

27/08/2025

I’ve played enough card games with my kids to know: losing is a disaster.

Tears. Outrage. Accusations of cheating. ('Spot it' is basically a blood sport at our place).

But kids aren’t alone.

I’ve watched mums yell and scream after seeing their kids lose a footy match.

I’ve watched business owners stew for weeks after missing a deal.

And I’ve been guilty of the same thing — replaying failures in my head like a bad movie on repeat.

The truth is, we all lose.

Jobs. Clients. Arguments. Opportunities. People.

It’s not about if you lose — it’s about how.

Do you lose with bitterness?

Or do you lose with dignity, learn, and move forward?

The people who lose gracefully are the ones who end up winning in the long run.

That’s the lesson I wanted to share this week → https://brodenjohnson.co/posts/how-to-lose-gracefully

21/08/2025

I used to think boredom was something to avoid at all costs.

Waiting in line? Pull out the phone.

Sitting in traffic? Chuck on some music.

Even at home, I’d fill silence with emails, news, or some random rabbit hole on YouTube.

But here’s what I’ve noticed.

Some of my best ideas haven’t come in the office or in meetings.

They’ve come in those “boring” moments when I had nothing to do but sit there with my own thoughts.

Boredom forces your brain to wander. It digs up old problems, connects dots you didn’t see before, and sometimes hands you clarity you’ve been chasing for weeks.

And beyond business… boredom brings you back to life.

You start noticing people.

You start appreciating small things.

You remember that being alive isn’t meant to be a constant scroll.

The Stoics would say boredom isn’t the enemy. Distraction is.

I’m learning to lean into boredom more. To stop filling every gap. To see what shows up when I don’t.

What about you? When was the last time you let yourself be bored?

02/08/2025

The toilet was blocked.
My daughter was crying.
The dog had spewed on the carpet.
And I was late for a meeting.
I wish I could tell you I handled it like a monk.
But truth is—I nearly lost it over a half-flushed unicorn sticker.
Life isn’t hard in the dramatic Hollywood sense most days. It’s hard in the “someone moved the scissors again” sense. In the “why is everyone screaming at 6:12am” sense.
But here’s the kicker:
That’s the real training ground.
That’s where character is forged. Not in boardrooms. Not on big stages. But in quiet kitchens when you’re trying not to snap. In the carpark when you choose not to yell. In the hallway when you decide to listen instead of lecture.
And lately, I’ve been thinking about this a lot—
Not because I’ve mastered it.
But because these everyday hard things are the training.
They’re the reps.
They’re the real Stoic gym.

24/07/2025

People thinking you're not good enough?
Great.
That’s your green light to get to work in peace.
Let them underestimate you.
Then quietly prove them wrong.

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http://brodenjohnson.co/

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About Me | Broden Johnson

Having started my first sales job at the ripe age of 18, I spent the first few months working in a call centre, cold calling hundreds of people a day, trying to convince them to buy a product priced at a whopping $18k. Without success…

This is where my passion (near-obsession) was ignited and began my journey of personal development and the desire to understand what made people buy (and what didn’t)… I studied the deep psychology of this and thus I began the journey of improving my sales and marketing skills.

By the age of 21, I had built a successful sales company and was personally earning in excess of $1.2mil a year.

Then one day, it all came tumbling down. After a failed business partnership, I went from earning over $1.2mil a year to being $200K in debt and suddenly not having a job… All in one day.