George Kao's Blog

The Collaboration Spiral for Soulpreneurs

Collaboration is a graduated process that thrives on trust built over time. This framework is designed to help you intentionally cultivate professional connections, starting with low-stakes engagement and escalating only when there is clear alignment in values, goals, energy, and reciprocity.

The goal is not to climb to the top with everyone, but to find the appropriate, mutually beneficial loop for each unique relationship. Think of it as a flexible spiral: you might co-create a webinar (Level...

Reparenting Yourself for Joyful Productivity

Maybe you know this feeling:

You’re a coach, a healer, or a creator, pouring your heart into your work with others. But when it’s time to build your own business — outlining that course, crafting a newsletter, or deciding on your next offering — the freeze hits.

“What if it’s not the right approach?”

“What if it doesn’t resonate?”

The questions loop, and nothing moves…

It’s not a lack of time nor ideas.

It’s an old, internalized fear holding you back from experimenting.

I’ve been there, s...

The Daily Idea List Exercise

Ideas are the currency of our modern world. They change lives, solve problems, and build businesses. Most people, however, wait passively for good ideas to arrive.

What if you could become someone who consistently generates life-changing ideas, whenever you want to?

The practice is inspired by a concept from James Altucher called The Idea Machine. I encountered it more than 10 years ago and found it so helpful I already wrote a blog post at that time – How To Become An “Idea Machine” —...

The 3 Levels of Joyful Productivity

One of the enduring questions for me — over 16 years as a soulpreneur — is this:

Is it possible to make every moment of work joyful?

I’ve noticed 3 levels that I can approach any workday… and in fact, any work hour.

Level 1: Delayed Gratification

At this first level, what drives a worker is external motivation, a focus on completing a task. Perhaps even attachment to completing it. The work process is simply a means to an end.

Core Mindset: “I have to get this over with.” The task is fr...

The Three Stages of a Soulpreneur Business: From Hobby to Legacy

It’s been 16 years of running my own business. I started in 2009, and gratefully reached a six figure annual income by 2011. It’s not like this for most soulpreneur businesses. I’ve been thinking about the reality of how most of them actually develop. Not the fairy tale version where you launch and immediately start making money, but the more realistic journey that unfolds in stages.

Many soulpreneurs are suffering with unrealistic expectations, because they don’t realize which stage they’re ac...

Productive Ways for Soulpreneurs To Use AI

Recent research from MIT about AI usage has surfaced the problem of “Cognitive Debt.” It suggests that using AI for writing tasks could lead to lower mental engagement and a weaker sense of ownership over our ideas.

The fear is that by offloading our thinking, we might weaken the very mental muscles we rely on…

This is especially valid for soulpreneurs. Our work is built on deep reflection, intuition, and the unique grounded insights from our personal journey. The last thing we want is to outs...

Truly Deep Work

What is “deep work”?

Cal Newport’s book basically defines it as: deliberately focusing on important and purposeful tasks, so that you can maximize learning, creativity, and productivity. That’s a wonderful aim to have.

But if you’re anything like me, you want to do work not only for the results, but for personal growth and transformation too.

So let’s explore “deep” work… more deeply :)

Redefining Work and Productivity

Work has typically been defined as a means to an end — you work to get r...

My Struggle with Consistency -- and Becoming a Different Person

Most of my life, I’ve struggled with being consistent with good habits and keeping up with my work.

If you’re a heart-based business owner or intuitive worker, maybe you can relate — feeling the resistance to doing certain important things, and letting hour after hour, day after day, pass.

I used to be devastated when I realized that I was the one standing in my own way. I had all these dreams and visions, but my lack of discipline made them feel impossible. I thought I was unchangeable.

Than...

"Life is unpredictable… how do I create consistently?"

When life is tumultuous, creating consistently can feel impossible.

Unexpected work obligations, family caretaking, travel emergencies, etc. Finding the time and mental space to be creative can feel overwhelming.

Here’s a way of thinking about it that changed the process for me:

Imagine you’ve promised a good friend — someone you genuinely care about — that you’ll reach out every single day. Your friend is struggling. They need your presence, your advice, or simply your thoughtful voice.

You...

True abundance in every moment of business

It’s a deep, intuitive feeling that our existence should be one of abundance, that we should be supported for simply being ourselves and sharing our gifts.

I believe this intuition comes from a soulful place. It’s a recognition that we deserve to flourish, to play, and to be fully supported by the Universe for doing what lights us up.

This is why the gap between our current reality and that ideal can feel so painful. The stronger your passion and vision for your ideal work, the more acutely yo...