Mastery Isn’t a Hack. It’s a Practice.
21 Questions for Brad Stulberg, bestselling author of Master of Change
Brad Stulberg writes about what it means to pursue excellence in a world that rarely slows down. In books like The Practice of Groundedness, Peak Performance, and Master of Change, he combines psychology, philosophy, and evidence-based insights to explore how we can strive for more without losing ourselves in the process.
A regular contributor to the New York Times and cofounder of the platform The Growth Equation, Brad’s work has helped Olympic athletes, business leaders, and everyday creatives alike rethink how they define success. He’s particularly interested in the shared foundations of sustainable excellence—the habits, values, and mental frameworks that support long-term fulfillment across any domain.
In this edition of the Author Questionnaire, Brad reflects on the habits, values, and mindset that shape his approach to writing—and what it really takes to pursue mastery over the long haul. It’s a refreshingly unhurried take on what it means to build a writing career that lasts.
—Panio
Twenty-one Questions for Brad Stulberg
1/ I couldn’t have written my last book without… Long walks.
2/ What’s the thing most people get wrong about being a writer? That the words come easy. They don't. The better you get, the harder it gets.
3/ Hemingway wrote standing up; Edith Wharton, lying down. What are your quirks? I write sitting down and standing up and lying down. When I get stuck mentally, I find that moving physically is the best way to help.
4/ What income streams make up your writing business? Books. Speaking.
5/ Is there a book you wish you’d written? My favorite book is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but I'm qutie happy that Robert Pirsig wrote it.
6/ What keeps you up at night? My two-year-old.
7/ Have any tech tools made your job easier? Nope. I write with a notebook, pen, and laptop. I think those are the three most important technologies for writing well.
8/ What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received? You can generally have two out of three things in a good job: money, intellectual challenge, and lifestyle. It's almost impossible to have all three, so choose wisely.
9/ And the worst? Never give up. (The truth, of course, is that it depends: sometimes it's best to grit and sometimes it's best to quit.)
10/ What is the one piece of advice you would give to recent graduates that want to make a living as a writer? Don't quit your day job! If you can find a stable job that pays the bills and affords you the time and energy to write on the side, keep the job, and write on the side. I wrote on the side for a decade before quitting my traditional job. It allowed me to take risks in my writing and not feel the need to do click-bait assignments just to make money.
11/ Whose career do you most admire and why? George Saunders. The dude is such a great writer and has the warmest and wisest presence. What a guy.
12/ How did you find your agent? Referral from an author whose work I admire.
13/ Coffee, tea, or something stronger? Coffee.
14/ What's the most effective way you've found to build your email list? Do good work, don't be scared to share it, and be patient. Lots of marketing bros build email lists overnight, but that's a marketing bro email list, not an author's email list. It took me over a decade to get my email list above 50K. It's not the biggest number, but those are dedicated readers.
15/ How are you using social media to grow your audience? I write mini-essays on Instagram and then I build out longer stuff on Substack, a platform I only recently joined.
16/ How many drafts before you show your editor? At least five.
17/ Can you describe your ideal workday? Wake up and read. Then write and edit. Then walk or go to the gym. Then write and edit. Then walk a bit more. Then be done.
18/ How does that compare to your actual workday? It's not that far off, though the actual workday has a lot more administrative stuff. I always try to do the minimum effective dose, but it creeps up on me. It also depends on the season. When I'm working on writing a manuscript, I am okay with letting the administrative stuff go. When I'm preparing to launch and market a book, it's more important to stay on top of the administrative stuff.
19/ What do you wish you’d known when you were starting out? External success isn't all that fulfilling. The most satisfying thing is having put in a good day's work.
20/ What is your new book about? Excellence and true greatness in a chaotic world.
21/ Any new projects the Author Insider community can help support? Thanks for asking! Check out my substack!
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Like your subtle sense of humor and your well lit writing space. Looking forward to your book.
Love your work, Brad, and your simple approach to writing. Your research (and all three books) have had a profound effect on me and my work, to the point that I quoted you a few times in my own book. :) Looking forward to reading your next one.