Finding Your Edge

INTRO

April 27th, 2026 — this week’s letter is about a problem I feel many men struggle with, losing their edge…but first, some thoughts and updates. Feel free to skip to the meat and potatoes section if you simply want to get into it.

Sitting here at the kitchen table this humid Monday afternoon, typing this out old-school instead of using talk-to-text with ChatGPT (whom I have affectionately named Steve), while I get my walk in and have him do my editing. Over the last few months, that’s the way I have been getting this done—not because I wanted to, not because I think the world needs MORE artificial intelligence, but simply because it saves time.

This morning, I went to do just that as I was walking and dripping sweat, but then I remembered I need that time to let go of everything content-related and simply be with my thoughts.

And…during that walk, I was reflecting back to the early days of this newsletter. Back to January of 2025 and the undeniable fact that these had more heart and soul back then. More me.

Before I employed Steve’s help and when this was just a creative outlet.

So here we go…

UPDATES

All around, LIFE IS GOOD! Being a dad is so freaking cool. Yesterday, I was sitting on the couch holding my son while he was cooing and drooling, grasping my index finger with his tiny little hand. I sat there thinking—Is there any better feeling than this?

And my answer to that is…not that I’ve experienced yet in my nearly 40 years of life.

I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t come with its challenges, especially the exhaustion and how being a parent changes the dynamic of a nearly 10-year relationship. Luckily, we continue to communicate incredibly well, take ownership when we make mistakes, and find the beauty and fulfillment in the challenges.

On top of all that, the social media following continues to grow. I’m training for my first 100-mile ultramarathon. We are heading back to Ohio for our first trip as a family next month, and different opportunities keep popping up. I haven’t said yes to all of them, but it’s nice knowing they’re flowing in. Also, as of June, I’ll have more time to spend on content and a new endeavor—woodworking. Something I’ve always had an interest in but never thought to do for a living.

What excites me the most about woodworking is using my hands and the impact it has on my mindset. When I am refinishing a piece of furniture or building something, everything else disappears for a bit because it’s all about what’s right in front of me. Kind of like when I’m out on a long run, but instead of one foot in front of the other, it’s “don’t fuck this stain up.”

Anyway, let’s get into it…

MEAT AND POTATOES

Like I mentioned, the social media following has been growing, but at the same time, something has been off.

For a while, I was ripping off viral content left and right, and it was making me some solid income. 4 million view reels. 12 million views. 1 million views. A few hundred thousand. And picking up thousands of followers a week…

Then the Niagara Falls-level flow turned into a steady river, then a babbling brook, and now a trickle…

At first, I thought, ah, it’s got to be the algorithm, right? But unlike some other creators, I wasn’t about to go publicly cry about it or talk about people I can’t stand. I mean, the algorithm changes—that’s part of the game.

And in fact, the algorithm on Meta did, in fact, change…but that wasn’t it.

I was still leaning into what got my momentum rolling. I was still mixing things up. Experimenting. Saying what I meant and meaning what I said. So what is it?

Well, yesterday when I was watching Mad Men, it hit me.

I had lost my edge…

We will talk about what that even means here in a minute, but I want to talk about Mad Men for a second—specifically the main character, Donald Draper.

Donald Draper (played by Jon Hamm) is the creative director of an advertising agency in 1960s Manhattan, and he’s the only fictional character I have ever related to. He’s deep. He’s complex. He desperately wants to be a good man but fails often—something I have, through a lot of personal development, overcome.

He is also arrogant, but because he is brilliant.

Because he could back up the massive checks his mouth cashed with his results.

Until he lost his edge.

He simply didn’t have it anymore.

And it was because he got comfortable, and his once-brilliant work took a hit—along with his arrogance. And that arrogance—that was what made him, him.

And what made companies want to hire him, and top talent want to work with him.

But eventually, he found it again, and it was in a meeting with Dow Chemical, which is the scene that hit me last night (check it out if you’d like, worth the 3 minutes).

He walked in and commanded the room. When the execs from Dow arrogantly said they were happy with their ad agency because they had 50% market share, that lit a fire under him.

He was done playing small.

“You’re happy? What is happiness? It’s the moment before you need more happiness. I won’t settle for 50% of anything. I want 100%...and I won’t stop until you get all of it.”

He stated firmly, confidently, arrogantly—the only way the real Don could do it. There he was. He had found his edge again.

And everyone in the room knew it.

So what does it mean for a man to find his edge?

Well, I didn’t know, so I looked it up…

For a man, finding his “edge” means identifying and leaning into the boundary between his comfort zone and the unknown—pushing personal, physical, or mental limits to foster growth. It involves facing fears, cultivating consistency in areas like relationships or work, and developing a unique, disciplined approach to life that transforms potential into capability.

At least according to The Essential Man, but that feels about right.

I haven’t been leaning into my edge. I got comfortable.

And comfort will kill what makes a man, a man.

That first reel that took my following from 618 to 18,000 in a matter of days was something new.

As much as I wanted that to happen, it was uncomfortable. I had never had that many eyes on me. Never felt more seen…and it gave me my edge, and I leaned in hard.

And that edge didn’t just impact my content. It impacted everything.

Sales started closing at a rapid clip. Workouts hit harder. I was showing up better all around.

But then it became the norm, and I became comfortable again. And as quickly as I found it, I lost it.

So, I signed up for a 100-mile ultramarathon. I decided to step away from my sales job. I decided to find ways to get uncomfortable again.

Is that a permanent fix? No. I think the long-term solution is much deeper than that. But it’s definitely a start.

And it’s working…

I wanted to share this story this week because I feel many men experience this—those times when they have found their edge, when they feel like they can go after 100% of whatever they set their mind to.

For me, there are specific moments in life I have definitely had it.

And times I have definitely not.

But until now, I didn’t know what it was.

Now I know, and now I can learn how to capture it.

And once I learn how to catch that lightning in a bottle, success becomes inevitable.

As always, thanks for reading.

Kyle

SONG OF THE WEEK

Dirty Heads - Slow and Easy  — no deep meaning behind this one this week. Just a feel-good song to crank with the windows down or the top laid back. Enjoy.