zm happy saturday. Today’s lesson comes from Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: breathe before you speak. I’ve always struggled with this. With ADHD, I’m impulsive and quick to react. My instinct is to speak before I’ve thought it through. To respond emotionally instead of pausing. But every time I manage to take a breath first, everything shifts. The space between their words and mine feels small but powerful. People feel heard. Tension drops.

ZM happy floral Friday. Today marks the start of something new. The first BetterCallZaal Yaps episode is live, and it feels like planting a seed that has the potential to grow into an ongoing dialogue with founders, builders, and artists who are reshaping the creative economy. In this first episode, I sit down with Deepa, the founder of GrantOrb.

ZM Happy Thursday. Today’s lesson comes from The Four Agreements: don’t take anything personally. The card says, “Refuse to eat emotional poison.” Clean and direct. Attention works like a diet. Inputs shape mood, choice, and art. The dopamine loop rewards outrage, then asks for more. Predators love bait. We do not need their menu. Refuse the plate. Today’s practice. Mute one source of drama. Set a two minute rule before replies.

The card on my desk today read, “Be aware of unconscious assumptions.” It hit harder than I expected. Most conflict I’ve seen inside creative projects doesn’t come from lack of talent or effort. It comes from assumptions that sneak in unspoken. We assume someone knows what we mean. We assume they’ll read between the lines. We assume care equals mind-reading.

“Put beauty into your life.” The reminder from Marden, shared last week by @fellenz, stays with me. Beauty is not optional. It is the ground that holds your progress. A plant, a song, a walk, or a person who steadies you shifts how long your effort lasts. Without it, outcomes drain you.

Mindful Moments & MeditationsWeek of Aug 18 (ET, UTC−4)Consistency builds culture. This week is about rhythm. Show up, build together, and let each day stack into something bigger.

Today kicks off BCZ Yaps — my space to speak directly with founders building tools for creators. No fluff, no press releases. I want to know why a product exists, what it solves, and where it falls short. My first guest is Deepa Chaudhary, founder of GrantOrb — an AI platform that can write a full grant proposal in minutes. Deepa’s path runs from corporate philanthropy at Salesforce Foundation, to co-founding United Way Mumbai, to leading Impact DAO Media. Her entry into Web3 started after se...

ZM Today’s lesson comes from The Four Agreements: be impeccable with your word. I have noticed how easy it is to let small fears shape the way I speak. A sharp tone, a defensive reply, a careless phrase. All of them plant seeds. The mind holds onto those seeds and grows them into weeds. Words born of fear always carry weight, even when you do not intend them to. When I shift those words into love, something changes. The conversation softens. The air clears. Love is not about big statements or...

Today’s lesson comes from Rabbi Harold Kushner, who reminds us that everything in life—good or bad—carries God’s fingerprints. It’s easy to see that in the obvious places: a sunrise, ocean waves, the smile of a healthy child. The real challenge is finding it in the moments we’d rather avoid: a personal setback, a hard conversation, or a season of uncertainty. Just because we can’t see beauty right away doesn’t mean it isn’t there—it might mean we’re not looking closely enough.

I pulled a card this morning that read, “Don’t Make Assumptions. Be yourself around others.” Fitting for a Tuesday that always tries to sprint before it stretches. Most of our bottlenecks are imaginary traffic cones we set down ourselves. Assumptions flatten people. In music and Web3, we’re guilty of filling silence with guesses: what a collector wants, what an artist is “about,” how a DAO will vote. That’s lazy storytelling. The better story starts with a question and a real introduction. Ou...

Mindful Moments & MeditationsWeek of Aug 11 (ET, UTC−4)In decentralized communities, consistency is culture. This week is about rhythm—showing up, building together, and letting each daily beat stack toward something bigger.Main ZAO Events this week (ET, UTC−4)Mon 11AM — Space: Sunday Battle Reveal Format breakdown, experimental rewards, and artist hints. If you’re only coming to one pre-battle space, make it this one. Hosted on @WaveWarZTue 11AM — Daily Space – @WaveWarZWed 11AM — Daily Spac...

ZM The lesson today comes from The Four Agreements, and it’s one of those deceptively simple truths that keeps revealing new layers the longer you sit with it: “Be impeccable with your word.” The card says that to have great faith is to have great power — because when your intent is undivided, your will becomes a force that cuts through doubt. I’ve noticed this in my own life, especially in the way I speak about ZAO’s future.