👋 Hello, and welcome! I’m Jalyn, and I’m really happy you’re here.
I left my corporate job at 35, after 15 years climbing fast in that system, to run experiments in how to live. If life is the most important product we’ll ever design, it deserves the same curiosity we bring to every other rabbit hole.
A friend introduced me as a pursuer of hobbies and personal growth, and I’ve decided to keep it because you know what? 100% accurate.
What that actually looks like:
Figuring out who I am when I’m not my job title
Asking whether “enough” is a number, or just a story I tell myself
Testing how much structure I need before it becomes a cage
Learning without a finish line — curiosity for its own sake
Designing experiments that make the invisible parts of life visible
Running A/B tests on “cheap vs. expensive” versions of the same experience
Stacking hobbies like a magpie collecting shiny things
Asking big questions through small trials
Basically: experiments in living! Sometimes useful, sometimes ridiculous, but always revealing.
To keep it from being total chaos, I try to live what I call a full stack life.
…Full stack?
It’s my structure for experimenting with a flourishing life (eudaimonia — an Aristotle reference + my tech background):
Strength: Building and maintaining the foundations of my physical, mental, and financial health
Thinking: Working with my brain, not against it; through deeper understanding of mental models and game theory
Alignment: Living true to my values and purpose, even when no one’s looking
Connection: Finding my people and thriving in relationships
Knowledge: My ongoing commitment to learning, building habits, and managing my resources
(Yes, they spell out “stack”.
Yes, I spent a while trying to make it work.
And no, I will not apologize for loving acronyms in frameworks 🫡)
You’re probably here because you’re curious — and maybe a bit stuck between thinking about doing things and actually doing them.
If you:
Have 47 browser tabs open about things you want to try but haven’t started yet
Collect frameworks and mental models but struggle to actually use them
Have weirdly strong opinions about random stuff (coffee brewing, note-taking apps, whether expensive headphones are worth it)
Love spontaneity in theory but somehow always end up planning it
Think most life advice is either too bossy or too vague
Know you should “just try things” but... somehow don’t
Then hi! Same.
This is me trying things and sharing what happens: with data, or with anecdotal evidence; occasionally with spreadsheets, but always with honesty about what worked and what absolutely didn’t.
I don’t (can’t) promise answers, but I’ll have the stories, experiments, and frameworks you can borrow (or laugh at) as you figure out your own stack.
If what I write resonates, you can subscribe to this Substack, follow along on Instagram (@jalyn.cai), or just tell me what experiments you’re running — I’d love to hear them!
