If you’ve noticed that I’m not showing up in your feed or your inbox as often lately, I wanted to explain why.
The short version is that nothing is wrong. In fact, most of the reasons are good ones.
The longer version is that over the last year, my work has evolved in ways that have required me to spend less time producing short-form video content and long-form writing, and more time building projects that I hope will have a longer-lasting impact.
Last week, I attended the Trending Up conference as a panelist. I had the opportunity to speak about online safety, security, and wellness for creators—topics that have become increasingly important as more people step into public-facing roles online.
More importantly, it gave me a chance to spend time with a lot people I’ve come to genuinely admire. Over the last year, many of the creators I first met through social media have become real friends and colleagues. I made a conscious decision to be present during that time rather than documenting every moment for content. As a result, I left with almost no photos and no video of my own.
I don’t regret it.
The conference was also a reminder that this work is becoming more professionalized. Creators are increasingly building sustainable careers, organizations, and media platforms. I’ve been fortunate enough to be learning alongside some incredibly talented people as part of the second cohort of Chorus, where we’re receiving training from some of the best digital strategists and creators in the country.
That education has taken time, but it’s also helping me become better at the work.
At the same time, life outside the internet has changed, too.
My daughter just turned one.
When she was a newborn, she would happily sleep on my chest while I wrote articles, researched investigations, or prepared interviews. Those days are gone. If she’s awake, she’s moving. If she’s moving, she’s exploring. And if she’s exploring, I want to be there for it.
I don’t get this time back.
As much as I care about the work, being her dad is still the most important thing I do.
The other major reason I’ve been less visible lately is that I’ve been writing.
One thing I’ve learned over the last few months is that there are only so many hours in the day.
When I launched On Offense, most of my time went into writing. Long-form essays were the foundation of everything else. They built this publication. They built the audience that eventually made the podcast possible. They created opportunities I couldn’t have imagined a year ago.
Since January, my time has been divided very differently.
I’ve been helping build VALOR Media Network. I’ve been producing podcasts. I’ve been mentoring other veteran creators. I’ve been recording an audiobook. I’ve been writing a book. And I’ve been trying to be present for my daughter as she grows from a baby into a toddler.
All of those things matter to me.
But they’ve also come with a cost.
The truth is that the people who support On Offense didn’t subscribe because I started a media network. They didn’t subscribe because I became a podcaster. They subscribed because of the writing.
Over the last few months, I’ve been reminded of that as paid subscriptions started to drop off significantly.
On Offense is strongest when I’m actively publishing here. Not because the podcast isn’t important. Not because the other projects aren’t worth doing. But because the writing is still the foundation everything else is built on.
That’s something I’m carrying with me as I look ahead to the next phase of this work.
A few weeks ago, I submitted the manuscript for a foreword that will appear in a new edition of a book that means a great deal to me.
I’m not quite ready to talk publicly about all the details, but I can say that I’m currently recording the audiobook version as well.
That experience has given me a whole new appreciation for professional narrators.
Reading the sections I wrote myself is easy. Reading testimony written nearly a century ago by General Smedley Butler is another challenge entirely. It’s rewarding work, but it has been far more demanding than I expected.
Which brings me to the biggest project currently on my desk.
I’m writing my first full-length book.
The book will be built around the ideas behind On Offense—the publication, the podcast, and the argument I’ve been making for years about how pro-democracy movements need to stop thinking exclusively in defensive terms.
“Defense” of democracy is important.
Protecting institutions matters.
Preventing harm matters.
But defense alone doesn’t win.
Whether you’re talking about politics, organizing, sports, chess, or warfare, a strategy that consists entirely of reacting to your opponent eventually fails. You have to create opportunities. You have to impose costs. You have to shape the battlefield instead of allowing someone else to dictate the terms of the fight.
That’s what On Offense has always been about.
And preparing to write this book has forced me to think more deeply about those ideas than ever before.
The podcast continues every Wednesday—except when my schedule doesn’t allow for recording—and I’m incredibly grateful for the guests who have joined me over the last several months. We’ve spoken with journalists, historians, investigators, legal experts, and organizers who are helping us understand both the threats facing democracy and the strategies available to confront them.
You’ll continue seeing a lot more of that in the months ahead.
Beyond my own work, I’ve also taken on a new role that has consumed a tremendous amount of time and energy.
I’m serving as President of Valor Media Network.
The mission of VALOR is straightforward: help veteran creators build sustainable careers and sustainable platforms.
Many creators built audiences on platforms that have become increasingly unreliable. Anyone who depends on TikTok for income understands exactly what I mean. Algorithms change. Monetization changes. Entire business models can disappear overnight.
We’re working to help veteran creators build something more durable.
That means helping them develop long-form content, podcasts, YouTube channels, and media properties that aren’t entirely dependent on the whims of a single platform.
I’m especially excited that we’ve now launched our first original podcast with another veteran creator.
Matt Gordon—who many of you know as “USMC Angry Veteran”—recently released the first episode of Danger Close. The show gives him the space to do something that’s difficult to accomplish in a 90-second clip: have substantive conversations with military leaders, elected officials, and subject-matter experts.
We’re also producing Our Copa, a new limited series exploring the history of the World Cup and its surprising connections to anti-authoritarian movements, anti-fascist resistance, and global struggles for democracy.
Even if you aren’t a sports fan, I think you’ll find the history fascinating.
Taken together, these projects explain why I haven’t been posting daily ten-minute videos every day the way I once did. It’s why I haven’t been able to publish long-form investigative pieces each week the way that I used to on Substack.
The reality is that social media is no longer the center of my work.
It’s one part of a much larger effort.
I’m still running Veterans Fighting Fascism. The Antifascist Book Club continues to grow. I’m adding to the ABC’s recommended reading list the books by the authors, historians, journalists, and investigators who I’ve interviewed for On Offense in recent months. There are new books to read, new conversations to have, and new projects to build.
And while you may be seeing less of me in your social media feed and inbox, I want you to know that I’m still here.
I’m still doing the work.
I’m still fighting.
And I’m deeply grateful to everyone who’s chosen to come along for the ride.
Whether you’ve been here since the beginning or found me last week, thank you for reading, listening, watching, sharing, subscribing, and supporting this work.
The next few months are going to be busy.
But I think they’re going to be worth it.
