No #170 | May 25, 2025

by Matthew Boyd

Good morning, welcome to the weekly Lead It Cool newsletter.

The Ironman race in my hometown (Victoria) is today and kudos to all the people who are doing it and just know that I'll be cheering you on from the comfort of my couch with my coffee😜.

In this week's Lead It Cool newsletter:

• 🏃‍♂️Mission Impossible
• 🤔Maple Leafs
• 🎤Warm-Up Ritual
• 🤣Father's Advice
• 😎Cool Links

🏃‍♂️Mission Impossible

Mission Impossible 37 8: The Final Reckoning hits theatres this weekend and... Tom Cruise!

When I hear “Tom Cruise,” there are three things that come to mind:

1. ​"I want the truth!"
2. ​"Show me the money!"
3. Sprinting at full speed.

There are entire YouTube compilations of Tom Cruise running. Long shots. Close-ups. Urban sprints. Chases. Rooftop leaps. No matter the scene, no matter the movie, he runs.

And he makes it look good.

And if you're inspired by Cruise's running and you're looking for a good book, I highly recommend Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, a book that somehow makes ultra-endurance races seem like something that is fun to do.

Here are some of my favourite quotes from the book:

Maybe I’ll go for a run this weekend.

Or maybe I’ll just watch Tom Cruise do it while I eat popcorn and feel spiritually athletic.

Enjoy the run🏃‍♂️.

🤔Maple Leafs

Ok so the Leafs lost another game 7 last weekend (their seventh straight), this time in the second round against the Florida Panthers.

Below is a picture of their coach, Craig Berube, doing his year end press conference.

A savvy person on X noticed the slogan on the wall in the background, pointing out that perhaps it should have commas, not periods. With the periods it is saying something very different than perhaps they intended.

Or maybe the Leafs do have no grit, no grind and no greatness?😜

Note to the new GM, perhaps consider changing the punctuation.

🎤Warm-Up Ritual

I read a great article in the NYTimes last week about the warm-up rituals of actors comedians, and musicians. There was one in particular that really stood out and I think is great advice for anyone who has to give a presentation.

This is from the motivational speaker Mel Robbins:

🤣Father's Advice

So true...🤣 Source.

😎Cool Links

✍The Day You Became a Better Writer. I went from being a bad writer to a good writer after taking a one-day course in “business writing.” I couldn’t believe how simple it was. I’ll tell you the main tricks here so you don’t have to waste a day in class.

🤷Who got time for deep community? When I look at myself and at the people around me, it seems like everyone has too much going on and is maxed out. The non-stop hustle of late-stage capitalism is real. In a time of poly crisis, everything feels urgent. All the time. Many of us are part of many different communities. We are poly tribal. We see the potential of groups, so we join many of them. But because we have little bandwidth to begin with, we can only give little to each group. We are over committed. And as a community weaver it can at times feel like I’m competing for people’s attention.

🏀The Commissioner of the WNBA is Transforming the League Ahead of a Breakout Season. The WNBA’s story is a case study in perseverance and strategy execution. Thirty years in business has taught me that growth is not linear—ours certainly hasn’t been—so it’s critical to be adaptable and resilient in the face of change and disruption. That’s not enough, though. In an uncertain environment, all decisions must be made through the lens of a guiding strategy. Ours is centered around play­ers, fans, and other stakeholders, and intentional investment in our marketing capabilities and digital infrastructure, all underpinned by a focus on sustainable growth.

😨Soooo... this is alarming. AI agents may not always have our best interests in mind...

🤯Someone recreated "Lose Yourself" by stitching together 187 random movie clips to form lyrics.

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