Thane Ringler
📍Denver, CO | Coach & Consultant in the Leadership Development space (which doesn't require you to formally be leading anyone other than yourself)
📝 Editor’s Note
This past weekend I hosted a group of ten of my closest friends from college. The trip involved golf, pickleball, the NC Folk Festival, and our team, the Virginia Cavaliers getting an epic, come from behind win over Wake Forest.
However, one of the best parts of the weekend was getting to stay in the Julian Price house. The house, which is operated as an event space and B&B, recently went on the market for $5,250,000. The owners, Michael and Eric, purchased the home a few years ago and have poured countless resources and energy into the restoration. It truly is special.
Their work was the subject of an A&E “Hoarders” episode in 2017. The episode was one of their most watched in the series.
Without further ado….
Why Thane?
Thane has been a subscriber for a few months. He and I connected when he graciously reached out to offer his North Carolina connections to help me in my search to find a small business. I was very impressed to learn about his background as a professional golfer and leadership coach.
Follow Thane on Instagram
Self-Description
Recovering hyper-competitive ex-pro golfer turned entrepreneur who has an unending passion for intentionality, the pursuit of wisdom, and seeing good ideas and good people be elevated.
Thane’s Recommendations
Written in his own words…
Brand
While I tend to be skeptical of most internet brands, I've been pleasantly surprised by Bylt's quality and comfort. Their everday LUX tees are affordable and versatile, and I find that I keep going back to add more colors to my collection. Plus I recently tried their shorts and have also been impressed by the comfort and look.
Well-Being
Bookending your day
One of the most life-giving habits I've developed over the years is bookending my day with space and time away from screens and specifically my phone. The simplest way to create this discipline is to shift my phone to Airplane mode (w/out connectivity to wifi) so that it becomes detached from the greater world and much less interesting. This allows me to spend quality time winding down in the evening and quiet space for my daily/spiritual practice in the morning before tackling messages or tasks for the workday.
Vice:
Whiskey :) - I have a growing love for whiskey, and currently a life-goal of mine is to build a whiskey collection worth sharing. To do that, my wife and I have a working agreement that for each client I land, I get to celebrate with a bottle of whiskey! I've found this to be a sustainable way to build the collection while also tying meaning and memories to each bottle. (The other benefit of building a whiskey collection is that they last a lot longer than a bottle of wine.)
The bottle I seem to go for most often is the classic Michters Rye. It’s a great go-to especially given it won’t break the bank, sitting at around $45 a bottle.
As far as my aspirations, I haven’t gotten the collection built up enough to chase rare bottles yet, so in the meantime I’d love to acquire the whole WhistlePig lineup in the coming years. (I’ve got their 10-year and it’s fantastic.)
Food and Drink
My wife and I also love a good beer, and our local favorite is 4 Noses Brewery. They have an incredible range of good beers, so you can't go wrong. Our personal favorites are the Flatiron Fog (hazy ipa) and the Perfect Drift (pilsner).
Professional
Sabbath
Whether you are a person of faith or not, I believe we have been designed for rest and relaxation just as much as we are for work and mission. Yet, in our western hyper-achievement culture, rest is often the piece that gets overlooked, missed, or even looked down upon. One of the most important rhythms we can practice is taking a Sabbath each week. What that means in simple terms is: a day of rest. Since this is 1 out of 7 days in a week, it's important to put even more intention into it. So instead of just binging your favorite show or sleeping in, put some thought into what would be life-giving, rejuvenating, or nurturing in a weekly practice of Sabbath. For me, my ground rules are: 1) no work (and nothing work-related), 2) no email, and 3) no social media.
Travel
Scotland! - my wife and I are obsessed with the UK, and specifically with Scotland. Edinburgh is an incredible city, and St. Andrews is one of the most magical coastal towns you'll find, (plus it's also home to the birthplace of professional golf - thank you for that, Mr. old Tom Morris). It feels magical in an almost tangible way, and we've made some of the most interesting and synchronistic connections as well. If you been thinking about exploring that part of the world, you have to. If not, you have to at least consider.
When you get there, don’t miss:
Grabbing a drink at The Jigger Inn
Catching sunset overlooking the Old Course from the rooftop at The Rusacks
Trying some whiskeys at The Keys Bar
Walking over for to the pier for a mac&cheese sandwich from The Cheesy Toast Shack
OF COURSE, do your best to get a tee time on the Old Course, it’s always worth it
Content
I love content so much I made a monthly newsletter to share everything I consume, so picking 1 (or a few) is brutally difficult. Alas, here we go with my top 3 book recommendations!
1. Shantaram: his novel could change your world forever. An unbelievable tale of a con who escapes high-security prison in Australia and flees to India where he lives on the run for virtually a decade. I learned so much about Indian culture, the heartthrob of being a man, and the beauty of so many of the common human experiences in life. A must-read in my opinion.
2. Failure of Nerve: this book is one that I rarely hear mentioned, but is well worth sharing. Packing a greater punch than most leadership books out there, Friedman provides timeless wisdom on the importance of being a non-anxious presence and leading from strength especially in an age when the "quick fix" is often prescribed or projected. I found it to be inspiring, challenging, and helpful all throughout.
3. Golf in the Kingdom - while golf has played a major role throughout my life, it wasn't until the past few years that I started to read more golf books, and this epic tale by Michael Murphy is as good as it gets. Combining a story too good to be true, based on his own experiences in Scotland, as well as exposés on the sport as a metaphor for life itself, this book is fun, fascinating, and endlessly thought-provoking.
Plug
If you are facing people or culture challenges on your team or in your organization, I'd love to connect with you on the work we're doing at Appello Partners.
More importantly, if you like golf and are open to learning leadership lessons from the golf course, I'd love for you to consider joining us at an event with The Leadership Majors in the coming years!
Want to reach out to Thane? Please reach out via Linkedin. “Shoot me a note either route to get the conversation started!”
P.S. from Rambull — my vacation vice is a Pina Colada, preferably with a rum floater. When I am not on vacation, I drink a lot of sparkling water. My wife recently bought the “coconut pineapple bubbly” flavor and it gives me just enough of a hint of a Pina Colada that makes it feel like you on a beach with a PC…
Thane, love the bookend idea! I've tried different apps geared towards quite focus or offline hours and they are definitely challenging (and another task on the to-do list) to set-up. Airplane mode is a genius, very easy guardrail to disconnecting. Thanks :)