The Origins of Cyan

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A friend texted me recently asking for my PR person's number. I laughed - there is no PR person, media strategy, or calculated rollout. What's happening is something far more organic and, I'd argue, meaningful.

It started with a simple recommendation from my colleague Justin Mares to the host of Invest Like the Best. That conversation sparked something unexpected. The interview found its way to Tim Ferriss, and then to the All In podcast. Each conversation opened new doors. On Tim's podcast, I shared stories about Officer Pratt, who had detained me several times as a minor in Flagstaff, Arizona. What happened next was unexpected - a listener contacted Flagstaff PD's PR department, sharing the podcast episode. Within a week, Officer Pratt and I were reconnected. We talked for hours, and those conversations continue on today.

Building on these revelations, I'm taking things deeper with Lawrence Krauss on The Origins Project, a groundbreaking initiative exploring life's fundamental questions through long-form conversations. Krauss, a theoretical physicist and cosmologist, has earned his reputation as one of the world's premier science communicators through his bestselling books like "A Universe from Nothing" and "The Physics of Star Trek."

The Origins Project takes a unique approach to understanding the human experience. Through in-depth conversations with scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders, Krauss explores what his guests have accomplished and the complex journey that shaped their worldview. The project examines how personal histories intersect with broader human questions about consciousness, creativity, and our place in the cosmos.

I'm an unusual guest for this format. I haven't published a book. My legacy isn't in papers or theories but in the products and services people use daily around the world. Yet, somehow, that made our conversation even more fascinating.

This interview goes deeper than any I've done before. Krauss was particularly intrigued by the opportunity to feature someone outside his usual roster of scientists and academics. As he noted, while I've never considered myself a traditional scientist, my approach of studying myself - what I playfully call being a "cyantist" - offers a different lens on the scientific method. Through our conversation, he excavated forgotten memories and connected dots I never noticed, exploring everything from my earliest memories to my evolving views on spirituality and the unexpected parallels between product investing and scientific inquiry.

I'd love to hear your thoughts once you've had a chance to listen. It's strange and wonderful how this conversation reveals new layers of understanding about where I’ve been and where I might be going.