Letting Go to Come Full Circle

Small Win: Cutting the Cord on Distractions

9/1/25

This past week was about a big pivot—the decision-making process behind it and how this change is bringing me full circle to where my entrepreneurial journey began back in 2023, but now with a lot more experience. 

But first, a small win.

I took my war on phone distractions to a new level—I deleted Gmail and WhatsApp.

Both apps were blowing up with notifications. Even when I silenced them, I found myself checking them constantly, just in case. The more I limited them, the more I realized—I’m a dopamine junky.

I read an article listing the symptoms: restlessness, poor sleep, anxiety, reduced pleasure in normal activities.

Am I a diagnosed addict? No. But I don’t want to risk it.

So goodbye, Gmail and WhatsApp. Nothing that comes through those channels is urgent. I can check them when I’m at my desk.

The result? More peace. More presence. More time for what matters.

Big Pivot: Leaving Stacked Properties

Now for the bigger decision: walking away from one of the business projects I’ve been working on—Stacked Properties, the land investing company I was building with Greg Farricielli.

I met Greg back in early May at a Gobundance event. He’s a Gobundance Elite member and has  been in the land business for over a decade and has built something solid. At the time, I was tired of chasing passion with no paycheck, so I made a shift: make the money now, fund the passion later.

At first, I was all in. I wanted to help Greg bring his vision to life. I committed to being the best ops guy I could be.

But a few months in, I started feeling it. That internal resistance. That quiet knowing I’ve learned not to ignore.

So I paused—and ran it through a decision filter I’ve been using lately. It’s simple, but it’s saved me a lot of wasted time:

1. Does it align with my values?
   Simplicity, abundance, love, fun, creativity.
   Only abundance checked the box. Eventually, I could see myself making a lot of money from this business and not having to spend too much time on it...eventually.
   

2. Does it match my vision?
   I imagined myself a year from now—out on the pontoon boat with my family in Eastern TN. Would I feel present, fulfilled, unhurried?
   No. I pictured myself having to close a deal before a buyer walked away which meant I was going to be forced to operate on someone else’s schedule.
   

3. Would I be happy doing this if the money was already there?
   If I was making $10K/month from this—would I love it? Would it feel fun?
   Still no.
   

4. And finally—forget all that. What does my gut say?
   It said I already knew.
   

That last question is the one most of us skip. We get stuck in logic and spreadsheets. But your gut always knows before your brain catches up.

The truth is, I could’ve kept going. The money would come. The business was real. But it felt like a grind. And I know myself—if it feels like a grind now, it turns into burnout later.

So I walked away. Not because it was failing. But because staying would’ve meant abandoning my peace.

And it was about chasing a paycheck and sacrificing peace, I could have stayed at Progressive. 

The Truth About Pivoting

Letting go doesn’t mean you failed. It means you listened.

Pivoting is something I have done a lot and I used to be ashamed of it. In the beginning it felt like quitting. Like I was proving everyone right—the ones who’d say, “Is this guy ever going to figure it out?” “Why can’t he just stick to something?” “He’ll never be successful if he keeps changing.”

But this is my truth now: I’ll keep pivoting as many times as it takes to find what I love.
Because if this was just about making money or playing it safe, I could’ve stayed at Progressive. That path was always there.

This is different.
It’s about alignment. About building something that feels like mine. That fulfills me far more than just financially. And that means I have to be willing to walk away when something doesn’t fit—even if it looked good on paper. Even if people don’t get it.

Because when something’s out of alignment, it costs me my peace. And peace isn’t optional. It’s everything.

The longer I held on, the heavier it got. The more I tried to ignore the feeling, the more restless I became. Not just in the business, but in everything—my energy, my sleep, my presence with Kallie. It all started to feel… off.

And that’s how I knew.

I used to wait too long to make a decision.
Now I have a proven process for making my decisions. Is it perfect? No. But it hasn’t failed me yet. Mix that process with my intuition and it’s a powerful force. 

So I let go.
And in doing that, I reclaimed something way more valuable than income—my alignment.

Gratitude for Greg

And I want to say this clearly—I’m deeply grateful to Greg Farricielli. He gave me a shot. He brought me into something he’s spent years building. He opened up the world of land investing to me, taught me the core systems and thinking behind it, and gave me the space to contribute.

This was never a mistake. It taught me exactly what I needed to learn. And I’ll always be thankful I said yes.

Full Circle: The Birth of Forged Fitness

Now for the full circle part.

Over the last month or so, I’ve been building something in the background—100% passion-driven. No pressure to monetize. Just doing it because it combines the things I love.

Back in 2023, right after I left Progressive, I launched IDEAL Coaching—a personal and leadership development business. I started it with friends, and I was committed. But I was also trying to pay my bills. And that pressure made it feel disingenuous.

Not because I didn’t care. But because I was saying yes to clients that didn’t really fit. I needed the money, so I kept going. Until it got heavy.

So I moved on.

Next came FYF (For Your Future) Fitness. Virtual and in-person fitness coaching. This one grew fast. I hit 20 clients quickly and was nearly replacing my W2 income.

I thought, "This is it."

But I absolutely hated lead generation and worse, I didn’t love the programming side. I wasn’t a student of the game. I just liked training hard and helping guys do the same. For clients who wanted that, it worked. But for others, I felt like I was falling short.

I also didn’t like working on someone else’s schedule. That was a huge reason why I left Progressive, freedom. 

So again, I shut it down.

And now I’m back. But this time with clarity.

Forged Fitness.

A space for men. Built around fitness, community, connection, and personal growth. Something I don’t need to rush or monetize. Something I can build slowly, with intention. Something that’s not just for them—but for me.

Because every piece of it is built from what saved me.

More to come on Forged Fitness soon and how I am applying all of those lessons I learned on the path this time around. 

As always, thanks for navigating the storm with me,
Kyle

Song of the Week: “Is What It Is” — Chance Peña

I’ve been listening to “Is What It Is” by Chance Peña nonstop this week. It’s not about force-fitting your life into pressure points. It’s about landing somewhere real when nothing else fits. The kind of peace that doesn’t shout—but steadies.

It’s the quiet nod the universe gives you when all you’ve done is listen.

Peña said this song is about knowing you’re right where you need to be—even when it doesn’t feel like it. About finding beauty in the place you’re in, with the people around you. And trusting that it’s going to be okay.

That message hit different this week. I hope it meets you where you are.