Five weeks ago I hit an internal wall that took me by surprise.

I didn’t understand what it was, but I knew I had to stop sending out my Daily Groove emails until I figured it out. If I’d known it would take so long, I would have announced that I was taking a break instead of just disappearing from your Inboxes, so I apologize for leaving you all wondering “WTF happened to The Daily Groove? Is Scott okay?”

Yes, I’m alive and well. :)

Last month, several things coincided which compelled me to hit the Pause button, retreat into a cave, and re-evaluate my personal and professional path:

1. I began a new “cycle” of Daily Groove emails. Newer subscribers often don’t realize that most of the “Classic” Grooves were written more than 10 years ago. After the first year, I had expressed most of the Big Ideas that I wanted to — or at least the ones I could express in under 200 words. So the daily messages I sent out were, increasingly, repeats of old Grooves, until eventually they were nearly all repeats. Surprisingly, the majority of subscribers remained subscribed, apparently benefitting from the repetition, so I kept the cycle going. But as this latest cycle began, I realized that some of those “Classic” Grooves are out of synch with my current way of thinking and expressing the Big Ideas that inspired them. I started leaving those Grooves out of the old sequence, which made me feel like The Daily Groove was beginning to die a slow death.

2. My typical response to the above would be to try revitalizing The Daily Groove by putting more energy into writing new material, but I’ve recently become aware that my self-created work patterns are over-balanced toward solitary work (like writing) and role-based work (like coaching), both of which I love, but neither of which meet my need for more face-to-face, authentic, peer relationships. I’ve begun to feel the effects of too much isolation.

3. The beginning of the Trump presidency marked a surge in extreme Left/Right polarization and the visibility of authoritarian values held by close to half of Americans. That, along with similar dynamics unfolding in several other countries, has given me a feeling that now, more than ever, the world needs people who envision a global shift in consciousness — who are working to create a partnership culture — to take extraordinary action in service of that vision. Business as usual won’t cut it.

In light of these (and a few other) issues, getting clear about my path forward has been a challenging process. Fortunately, Beth Noelle, my partner for more than 25 years, has been extra supportive. One of our new insights, I’m thrilled to say, is that we want to find more ways to do meaningful work together, besides maintaining a household and family life.

I’ve decided to replace the weekly “Revue” edition of The Daily Groove with a newsletter sent once a week at most but more likely once a month, on average. I’ll continue cycling The Daily Groove Classic in a limited way, sending three Grooves a week (Mon/Wed/Fri) and omitting those that no longer inspire me. (The omitted Grooves will still be accessible on this site and in my book.)

Beth and I have begun envisioning a new project that is still too formative to announce, but what I can say now is that it will involve creating opportunities for parents and children to experience real community in real life — with deep, enduring, authentic connections. We think many of you are going to LOVE what we have in store!