The Truth About Me and The Move

Dispatch 8: What you need to know about what is about to happen.

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

For over a decade of my life I held a Top Secret clearance. That designation got me into some pretty incredible rooms. Most of them I can’t talk about.

Before I was issued a clearance, I had to get through the screening process. The trick? The interviewer already had all my answers. Along with what the Feds know about me, she had also talked to my boss, former bosses, my spouse, five of my best friends, and two neighbors.

Damn.

And in my case, that meant I had some explaining to do.

I summed up most of the questionable decisions in my life with, “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” While I don’t regret them, I did learn from them. And, ironically, retelling the stories to a man in my home with a badge and a gun was a nice reminder of what I had learned.

Launching The Rambler fits that same mold. Launching it on a simple, unscalable, stale, and isolated platform seemed like a good idea at the time.

But I’m done explaining it and wishing it were better. I am making a change.

To the 3000 of you who are receiving The Inevitable for the first time, welcome.

To the 300 of you who are already here, I’m glad you’re back.

---

So, what’s the deal?

When I launched The Rambler two years ago, I didn’t know if anyone would read it.

I didn’t even like calling it a newsletter, because I knew it wouldn’t contain any “news.” I wanted to share stories. To give hope. To help you see more…for you. I didn’t want to push content. I wanted to pull people closer. I wanted to inspire change. I wanted to write like someone was listening.

And, over time, thousands of you showed up.

But something changed.

Not with you. With the platform, and with what I needed it to be for those who are here.

The platform I started with seemed like a good idea at the time. It was designed for delivery, not connection. It helped me show up in your inbox, but that was never the point. It made it almost impossible for you to see everyone else. It made it impossible to show up for each other. It made it impossible to meet the people who are right where you are. It made it impossible for you to see what I see.

And that’s the piece I could no longer ignore.

Because that is what I’ve come to believe Normal 40 is really about. Not just me showing up for you. But you showing up for you. And for each of us to see and support one another.

This move—to Substack, to The Inevitable—is about something much bigger than migrating a list.

It’s about growing something real. It’s about getting people off a page, out of their heads, and into a current of people like them who are starting things like this.

---

What do I need to know, really?

I’ll be honest, changing platforms is a pain.

It’s expensive. It takes time. It breaks things. And it’s hard to convince people to stay, and harder to get them to share.

But I did it because I couldn’t keep asking you to bet on yourself while I was unwilling to bet on a better home for us.

I did it because I kept meeting people like Joel Hempel, who drove 12 hours to the Normal 40 Ranch, just to be a friend. Like Corey Quinn, who drove 10 hours overnight to surprise me at a live event. People like Eric, Marlon, and Frank who rode motorcycles 400 miles to have coffee. People like Keith, Ron, Chris, Parker, John, Brandon, Emily, and 20 others who would join me on a podcast. People like Adam Eaton who show up to help, and to be helped.

I did it because I kept having conversations with people who were just like me, like us—smart, successful, frustrated, and stuck. And one by one, I watched them do the unthinkable: they made changes that started to shift their lives.

Not because it was easy.

Because they were connected to a community.

---

What’s the point?

I’m here because this platform enables a different kind of writing.

It gives me a place to be raw again. To tell real stories. To give you tools—not tricks—to help you walk through the gap and to consider what your life will be like when you make the trade.

But the biggest reason I’m here is this: you can talk back.

You can comment. You can connect. You can reply to someone who made you feel less alone. You can show up—not just for yourself, but for someone else who’s right there on the edge of something life-changing.

Because that’s what most people don’t understand about transformation—it doesn’t happen in your head. It doesn’t happen in silence. And it certainly doesn’t happen alone.

It happens in community.

That’s what Substack allows us to build.

A place for people like us to do things like this.

---

Why Substack?

Because, well, LinkedIn is changing.

It used to be a place where you could show up, say something real, and find a safe crowd that would lean in. But the last six months? It slid. Slowly. From meaningful to manipulative. From bold to busy. From trusted to tired. Most of all, it’s a place controlled by an algorithm. And I didn’t want to be fed from that any longer.

So yes, I’ll still be there. You’ll still find me posting and sharing.

But I’m not giving LinkedIn the best hour of my day anymore. That hour belongs here—to you, to this, to The Inevitable.

This is a place where we don’t measure likes and comments. We measure leaps and connections.

A place where your boss isn’t watching. Your title doesn’t matter. And your only job is to be real again.

Substack is how we make this movement human.

---

What to Expect From Here

You’re going to get:

• A story that makes you feel something

• A truth that makes you uncomfortable

• A model that helps you see yourself more clearly

• A prompt that nudges you to take the next step

• And a community that reminds you you’re not alone

You don’t have to do anything else. Just read. Just stay. Just trust that if you’re here, there’s a reason.

But if you want to do more—if you want to join the conversation, reply to someone else, or raise your hand when something hits—you’ll need a free Substack account.

Just your name and email. No ads. No spam. Bo fees. No lurking colleagues. Just us.

If you'd like to read this writing more clearly or share it with someone who needs it, simply click the title at the top of this email.

It opens beautifully in your browser.

Full disclosure: There is an option to join a paid community. It’s a $9 option that supports me, and gives you even more access to me (and to us) on live calls, podcast recordings, and live, in-person events.

It is optional, but together we will make it the best $9 you spend all month.

I guarantee it.

---

Final Word From Me

I’ve never felt more certain of the work I’m doing than I do right now.

This isn’t about information. This is about permission.

Normal 40 isn’t about connection, it’s about community. About people you can talk to, listen to, learn from, meet in real life, and create a future with.

This is for people who are done waiting, done tolerating, and done wondering if they’ll ever feel fully alive again. And people who are ready to start the road back home.

For people who are ready to build the best decade of their lives.

I promise to bring everything I’ve got. I’ll shoot straight. I’ll be bold. I’ll share things you may not have expected to read from a guy like me.

I promise to keep a seat open in the front row.

But it’s up to you to take it.

Let’s build something inevitable.

Let’s be up to something.

From your corner,

— Lon

---

If you’re ready, leave a comment.
Say hello.
Tell me where you’re reading from.
Or what part of this hit the hardest.

I’ll see you there.