Broden Johnson

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

I used to think planning was the secret to control.The calendar was colour-coded. The to-do list immaculate. The week ai...
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-s**t

I’ve played enough card games with my kids to know: losing is a disaster.Tears. Outrage. Accusations of cheating. ('Spot...
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

I used to think boredom was something to avoid at all costs.Waiting in line? Pull out the phone.Sitting in traffic? Chuc...
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?

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 cou...
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.

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

Most people ask how you got started.Rarely do they ask how you’re doing.Here’s the question that stopped me in my tracks...
17/07/2025

Most people ask how you got started.
Rarely do they ask how you’re doing.
Here’s the question that stopped me in my tracks—and might just do the same for you.
Sign up for my weekly newsletter → brodenjohnson.co

There is no finish line.We chase the idea that one day we’ll have it all figured out—business, parenting, life. But even...
03/07/2025

There is no finish line.

We chase the idea that one day we’ll have it all figured out—business, parenting, life. But even the Stoics knew: there’s no arrival, just the work.

You don’t rise to the level of your dreams. You fall to the level of your habits.

This week’s email is a reminder that the journey is the thing.

📩 Read it here: https://brodenjohnson.co/posts/are-you-one-productivity-app-away-from-nirvana

Life doesn’t need to be complicated.Be good.Don’t take things too seriously.That’s 90% of the work done.Read the full ar...
05/06/2025

Life doesn’t need to be complicated.
Be good.
Don’t take things too seriously.
That’s 90% of the work done.

Read the full article and get my weekly email here: brodenjohnson.co

People keep asking me why I write these posts.Why I keep talking about Stoicism, death, discipline, ego, time, and how t...
15/05/2025

People keep asking me why I write these posts.

Why I keep talking about Stoicism, death, discipline, ego, time, and how to not be a dick.

Here’s the real answer:

A few years ago, s**t got hard.

Business stuff. Life stuff. Internal stuff I probably didn’t even have the language for at the time.

So I started writing—mainly to myself.

Just trying to make sense of it all.

Trying to be a better dad, a better husband, a better human… and not completely lose the plot in the process.

Fast forward a few years, and that messy pile of notes turned into something real:

A book.

I’m not sure what I’ll call it yet.

I'm tossing up between'Don’t Be a Dick.'

or 'The Unconventional Guide for Life.'

Both feel about right. What do you think?

It started as something just for me—a way to sort through the chaos.

But somewhere along the way, it became about more than just me.

Now I write these posts because I know I’m not the only one figuring it out as I go.

Not the only one asking the hard questions late at night.

Not the only one trying to live a good life without needing to become a monk or an influencer.

I write because the world’s noisy as hell, and we need more honesty.

And less posturing.

And fewer people pretending they’ve got it all sorted.

If you’ve been reading these, thank you.

If you’ve shared one, replied to one, or even just quietly nodded while reading—that means more than you know.

And if you want more of this stuff, I send a weekly email that digs a little deeper.

No fluff. No life hacks. Just perspective, stories, and the occasional reminder that time is running out.

📩 Sign up here: brodenjohnson.co
📚 Read full article here: https://brodenjohnson.co/posts/why-i-started-writing-and-why-i-still-do

Appreciate you being here.



Broden📖📖

Socrates drank poison with more calm than most people bring to a Monday morning.No panic. No rage. Just conviction.Even ...
07/05/2025

Socrates drank poison with more calm than most people bring to a Monday morning.

No panic. No rage. Just conviction.

Even in death, he held his values.

He didn’t obsess over how he’d die.

He focused on how he would live—with clarity, purpose, and courage.

Your time is ticking too.

Live like it matters.

📖 Read the full article below: https://brodenjohnson.co/posts/what-a-man-facing-death-can-teach-you-about-how-to-live
📩 Sign up for my weekly email: https://brodenjohnson.co/

If you had to pay for everything with your time—your literal lifespan—what would you stop doing immediately?That’s not a...
23/04/2025

If you had to pay for everything with your time—your literal lifespan—what would you stop doing immediately?

That’s not a metaphor. That’s real life.

You’re paying for everything in the only currency that matters: your time.

Spend it wisely.

🕒 Read the full post: https://brodenjohnson.co/posts/you-re-paying-for-everything-with-time

📩 Sign up for more like this: brodenjohnson.co

You won’t find character in your highlight reel. You’ll find it in your laundry pile.The Stoics knew it.Character isn’t ...
10/04/2025

You won’t find character in your highlight reel. You’ll find it in your laundry pile.

The Stoics knew it.

Character isn’t built when everyone’s watching.
It’s built when no one is.
In the lunches packed.
The meetings endured.
The moments you choose kindness when you’d rather not.

Do the boring stuff.
That’s where it all happens.

📩 Read the full article below
✉️ Sign up for weekly real-life Stoic insights: 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.