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I never thought I would be a yoga person…

In LA, the yoga girlies would always be caught in the wild, donning their attire from class at 3pm happy hour carrying their floppy mats all over West Hollywood.

I would think, how are they still out in gear they just wore in hot yoga? I would leave hot yoga drenched. You can’t sit in your own sweat like that unless you want a year’s worth of yeast infections. I don’t think margaritas and vegan tacos combat those. I digress…

But I happened to go to a class back in 2017 taught by a guy who was part former rock star, part Matthew McConaughey, part sage. Chill ass dude. He would hold his classes cover-to-cover — an entire classic rock album start to finish — he had soul.

It caught me off-guard in the best of ways that a yogi would have real soul.

His classes hooked me. He still runs them. You should check him out. (Hi Dalton!)

There was one day during the lockdown that Jake and I were taking a class of his over zoom. In my parent’s basement. We may or may not have consumed some mild mushrooms.

Dalton put us in this challenging pose. We hold. And hold. And he says something to the effect of “You’re just here. Remember… you’re not stuck.”

Something about that line totally sank in. Could have also been the mushrooms.

But we, in fact, are never actually stuck. There is always a next move. A way out. A way up. Or a way to sit in something challenging and appreciate being exactly there, knowing it's only temporary.

Stuck is a feeling. Not a fact.

It may hurt. It may be uncomfortable. But the pose always ends.

So does everything else.

The Hustle

Think about all the places we convince ourselves we're stuck.

The city that stopped feeling like home three years ago but you haven't left yet. The relationship that's been running on fumes but feels too complicated to exit. The job that's slowly draining your soul but the benefits are good and at least it's familiar. The creative block that's been sitting on your chest for weeks making you feel like you've lost it entirely.

None of those are stuck. They're just uncomfortable. And uncomfortable is not the same thing as permanent.

One of my favorite comedians and pals, Beth Stelling, had a joke once about growing up in Iowa and her friends who still live there. “The thing about Iowa is… you can pack up all your things… and leave.”

I've moved cities multiple times. Left relationships that weren't working. Walked away from opportunities that looked great on paper but felt wrong in my gut.

Every single time, the moment I made the move — the actual decision, not just the thinking about the decision — the stuck feeling evaporated.

Because stuck lives in the pause between knowing you need to make a move and actually moving.

I've also learned this on stage.

A room that isn't laughing isn't a lost cause. It's just a room that needs a different approach. You read it, you adjust, you try something else. You never just stand there and accept that the room has beaten you.

That's always the move — in comedy, in cities, in relationships, in careers.

You assess, you adjust, you make a new choice.

We are but one decision away from being unstuck.

The only way to actually be stuck is to decide the current circumstances are permanent when they're not. Nothing is permanent. Not the hard stuff. Not the easy stuff. Not the yoga pose. Not the bad room. Not the city you've outgrown.

There is always a next move available to you. Always.

The question is just — are you ready to make it?

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The Chill

The funny thing about "you're not stuck" is that it works in both directions.

Sometimes the next move is BIG… Leave the city. End the relationship. Quit the job. Burn the plan down and start over.

Those moves are terrifying and necessary and ultimately the ones that change everything.

But sometimes the next move is tiny… Change the playlist. Text the person first. Take a different route home. Fix the diet. Say yes to the thing you've been avoiding. Say no to the thing you've been saying yes to out of habit.

Both count. Both move the needle. Both are valid exits from the stuck feeling.

All decisions. All choices. And once you make them, you have to just allow that to be what you’ve decided. And commit to the choice.

I think we get sold this idea that if the move isn't dramatic it doesn't count. That unless you're blowing up your whole life and starting fresh, you're not really doing anything.

But that's not true.

The tiny pivots compound. The small adjustments accumulate. The incremental choices add up to a completely different life before you even notice it happening.

Dalton didn't say "get out of the pose if it’s hard." He said "you're not stuck." Because there's a difference between forcing your way out of something and simply remembering you have options.

Sometimes the move is leaving. Sometimes the move is shifting your weight two inches and suddenly the pose is bearable. Sometimes the move is just reminding yourself that this moment — however hard — is temporary.

You're not stuck. You're just in a spot that's challenging right now.

And you already know what to do next. You've always known.

You just needed someone to remind you that you're allowed to do it.

Just try to do it in dry gear, and keep the pharmacy visits at bay.

Upcoming Shows

Thursday August 20th — “The Most Expensive Comedy Show” in Chicago — Invite only (reply if interested… it’ll be a whole big night of surprises)

Friday August 21st — Chicago Laugh Factory 7 + 9:15 pm (DM or reply for comp list)

Saturday August 22nd — The Pabst Theater in Milwaukee with Natalie Cuomo

Friday August 28th — Chicago Laugh Factory 9:15pm

Friday September 11th — Providence, Rhode Island with Jim Norton 7 + 9:30pm

Saturday September 12th — Providence, Rhode Island with Jim Norton 7 + 9:30pm

Sunday September 13th — Burlington, Vermont with Jim Norton 8pm

Thursday September 24th — Headlining The Plus in Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Love you all and cheers to the hustle + chill. We ain’t ever stuck…

xx NPH