The Compound: Starbucks, be awkward, and why normal isn’t optimal

Some people call that boring. I’m just protecting the start of my day.

I drink Starbucks because it’s predictable.

That sounds like an insult, but I mean it as a compliment. I can be in London, Miami, Vegas, Bali, or pretty much anywhere else I end up, and I know exactly what I’m getting.

Same coffee. Same order. Same start to the day.

People love telling me I should try more independent places. It’s a hard pass from me. I’m sure some are great. But some are absolutely not. First thing in the morning, I don’t want to queue for ten minutes, only to be handed something that tastes like shit.

A bad coffee will absolutely ruin my morning.

I think people underestimate how much of performance comes from protecting your baseline. It’s not always the big dramatic decisions. Sometimes it’s the same coffee, other times it’s sitting in the same place when you need to write.

I like variety in the areas that matter. Ideas, conversations, travel, opportunities and risk.

But my morning coffee can stay boring.

“The point of routine isn’t to make life boring. It’s to save your energy for the things that actually need it.”

Last week we hosted another Toucan Talks at Soho House.

Every seat taken. Seventy-five people in the room. Attendees from some of the biggest FMCG brands in the world.

I opened by showing a photo from our first ever Toucan Talks in 2022. There were seven guests.

People see the Soho House version and assume there was always a room full of people, a polished format and brands with billions in revenue represented. There wasn’t.

You don’t get to skip the early version. You have to be willing to do the thing before it looks like a thing.

This newsletter is a great example of that.

Record the podcast before anyone listens. Post the content that will get 20 views. Launch the product before it feels perfect. Put the event on before the room is full.

If you don't you'll never know what's possible.

“Most things that look impressive start off looking slightly awkward.”

I’ve become a bit obsessed with health data over the last few years.

Bloodwork 2-3 times a year. Gut health tests. Whoop. Tracking calories, sleep and training. Recovery protocol. Supplements and peptides.

Not because I want to live forever, and not because I think everyone needs to turn themselves into a spreadsheet of biomarkers. More because I don’t want to drift into feeling average and be told that average is fine.

Nobody is going to care about your health as much as you do.

That’s not a criticism of doctors. They have an incredibly hard job, and when something is clearly wrong, modern medicine is unbelievable. But the system is mostly designed to treat problems once they become obvious. It is not really designed to help already healthy people become sharper, stronger, better rested, more energetic and harder to stop.

And this is why I think people need to take more ownership.

A lot of people walk around feeling tired, flat, foggy, low energy, under-recovered and just accept it as ageing. Maybe it is. But maybe it’s sleep. Maybe it’s food. Maybe it’s alcohol. Maybe it’s stress. Maybe it’s training load. Maybe it’s hormones. Maybe it’s something else entirely.

The point is, you won’t know unless you look.

I’m not saying you should self-diagnose everything from a podcast clip and a Reddit thread. But I do think you should know your own numbers. I think you should understand your baseline. I think you should pay attention to the signals your body is giving you before it has to start shouting.

This is the foundation of everything - how you show up at work, home and the gym.

You have one operating system that impacts everything you do.

I want the energy to build my businesses properly. I want to be high energy at home. I want the performance to keep pushing my fitness goals. And I want to know when something is off before it becomes a bigger issue.

This is more than biohacking, it’s a basic responsibility you owe yourself.