The Slow Down Club

Founder

Christin Fleck

Mindfulness Coach

Brainhero

Head of Business Development

SEEK Sportswear

Co-Founder

Nike

Area Sales Manager

Product Trainer

Marketing Project Assistant

Slowing down has changed my life in ways I could have never imagined.

After leaving the sports industry I built a sustainable sportswear brand. 

Wanted to save the world. 
Hoped for inner peace. 
Did not happen.

That is when I knew it is time to go inside. 

When I stopped saving the world. 
When I started to lead myself. 

Today, I'm walking alongside peak performers who struggle to slow down.

Because there is a gift waiting to be unwrapped.
 
It helps you to see the reality. 
It helps you to free yourself from the limiting stories of the mind.
It helps you to create balance within.

It is the key to freedom in body and mind. 

What do others say?
“Guided by his questions (not always comfortable but always respectful and frank) and mindfulness practice, I managed to: clear my scattered mind by feeling my heart, find my inner saboteurs and shut them up”  - Christiane, Teamlead & Corporate Rebel

"The thing I admire most about Christian is his absolutely exceptional skill of holding the space for you, your thoughts, emotions and feelings. His razorsharp focus and deeply loving and intuitive approach to any of our conversations and interactions were an absolute gift" 
- Sebastian Mattl, Leadership Coach

"Chris has an innate ability to see right through the noise and point to what is really going on inside of you. But he does not just point it out... he mirrors it for you so you can see it for yourself"
- Kat Kugler, Founder Humanplus 

Feel the resonance?
👉🏼 Drop me a DM for 1:1 guidance
👉🏼 Head over to my featured section to check out the podcast and testimonials
👉🏼Check in with yourself - how are you feeling, really? 
👉🏼Join the Slow Down Club - send me a DM "SDC" 

Much love, 
Chris

It’s been almost four years since I got made redundant at my finance job during the pandemic:
 

I can still feel the pain, the uncertainty, the unsettling feeling of being lost.

But after that initial upheaval of my world turning upside down, it wasn’t so bad…

What an incredible chapter of experimentation it kicked off:

I became a writer and coach! Something I had been longing to do but could never find the time or bandwidth to do. I juggled new work styles, initially by leaning on my finance expertise as a contractor, and later contracting as a leadership coach for organisations.

I’m now eternally grateful for that unexpected job loss.

It pushed me to grow in ways I didn’t know was possible.

But with an impending milestone (a special 100th newsletter issue), I feel compelled to announce a change that has been brewing in the background.

A big change.

A change in strategy.

A change in what I want to focus on — for the long term.

Ok, ok, I won’t tease, and I’ll just give you 3 headlines here:

1. I’m ending my newsletter (Matt K. Head Letter) after issue # 100.

Don’t worry, I’m not giving up on writing:

It’s actually the beginning of the next chapter!

It’s time to simplify.

Do less but dive deeper:

2. I’ll be solely focusing on my other newsletter — The Meaning Path.

And…

The elephant in the room:

3. I’m going back to being an employee!

Now, you might be like, “Whaaaaaaaaat?!!”

Why do I want to go back to being an employee?

See, I haven’t been happy lately.

Ironic as I often write about fulfilment. But honestly, I’ve felt spread too thin, while feeling the weight of various pressures.

I started this online game as a writer and coach 4 years ago when things were different.

What a journey I’ve had.

But my priorities have changed since when I kickstarted my solopreneur journey.

My wife and I started a family. I am a proud father to 2 beautiful little boys. They are now my number one priority.

This led me to consider:

What is the most appropriate path for my family and me during this stage of life?

Does it make sense to be an employee or entrepreneur?

Or both?

Who am I? And what do I want to be?

What kind of path would I enjoy over the long run?

Ok, if you want all the juicy details:

I have openly laid them out on my Matt K Head blog, in the hope that it can help you navigate similar decisions around purpose, family, and types of work.

--- 

Follow me Matt Head for more insights, questions and stories to help you chart a more meaningful path.

Christian Fleck

If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together. 

Dessie and me worked on it today. I am beyond grateful to be able to bounce off ideas with her. 

It’s another beautiful - also sometimes challenging - facette when your partner is also an entrepreneur. 

I recognized it in the last weeks in many conversations with fellow founders and solopreneurs…

And realized it today again so strongly: 

We need someone to bounce off ideas.
We need someone who sees us.
We need someone who hears us. 

We need someone who listens deeply.
We need someone where we can be fully ourselves and drop the mask. 

We need a place where we can drop the pressure and be ourselves. 

We need someone to be with us, so that the puzzle pieces snap into place. 

We need someone to be with us to simplify. 
We need someone to help us find the one thing that moves the needle. 

I’m grateful for my partner, my mentors and my coach who help me with that daily. 

——

What dream are you working on? 
Who supports you on the journey? 

——

Much love,
Christian 

#slowdownclub 
#dgoldenhour

Do you have a trusted advisor? 

Mine is Meir Benezra - and I couldn’t wish for a better one. 

He listens deeply.
He challenges fiercely.

He bends my thinking.
He reminds me. 

He helps me with his network.
He helps me with his knowledge. 

Having someone Meir in my inner circle is priceless. 

I remember so well when we met for the first time in Istanbul. 

And as boundaries are important, it’s just awesome to work together with someone that feels like a “brother from another mother”. 

Do you have a trusted advisor?

I was in doubt a lot over the weekend. 

I doubted past life decisions. 
I doubted the current path. 

I could see this in my body:
Constricted chest.
Shallow breath. 
Heavy legs.

I could see this in my mind: 
Avoiding tough conversations. 
Increased mind wandering.
Increased restlessness. 

I could see this in my emotions:
Anger. Sadness. Fear

In the past I would have just suppressed and pushed through. 

Another coffee. 
Another scroll. 
Another distraction. 

Today I practice to express and make space for it to arise. 

How? 

Slowing down. 
Saying “no” more. 
Breathing practices. 
Offline time. 
Journaling on tough questions. 
Making time to look at things from above. 

I have learned that this conscious effort to make space to be with what’s present and “slow it down”, is an incredible door opener to possibility. 

And that’s important to see. Because when you’re in swimming in the sea of doubt, you feel the doors are all closed.  

Can you relate? 

I’m sharing this, because it’s part of my process of building a business as a conscious creator. 

Or “spiritual creative”, how my friend Aleana calls us. 

The truth: 
I’m still practising. 
The playground of life is a tough one. 

Yet I try to remind myself: 

When in doubt: 

Spread your wings. 
Open your heart. 

And do what your nature demands of you. 

Go fly! 

🦋

——

How do you meet yourself in doubtful moments? 

#slowdownclub

It’s better to build your dream slowly than not build it at all.

Some get sucked into going ‘all in’. This sounds alluring, but the consequences can be harsh, especially if you have a family and mortgage, but it isn’t sustainable yet.

Others assume it’s too hard, so they delay it for ‘someday’. But guess what? Someday never comes. And regret hurts.

So why not choose the middle path? Your path.

Find a way to build your dream a little bit each day. Brick by brick, chip away at it slowly. Think 10+ years. Keep upskilling. Develop your experience. Take an apprenticeship under a master. Stay energised without burning out.  

Sure, it’s the slow way. But it’s sustainable.

It’s on your timeline, not someone else’s. So you can build it the ‘right’ way. You can obsess over the details that matter. And you don’t have to be ‘needy’, which works wonders for your confidence.

I’m finding joy in this fact:

You can’t beat the feeling of fulfilment as you build something meaningful that is uniquely you.

--- 

Reflection:

Get honest with yourself:

- In what ways have I been sucked into following someone else’s path?
- What would a path look like that was more authentic to me?
- How could I benefit from slowing down and expanding my time horizon?

---

Hi, I'm Matt Head. I like to blend my love of writing, coaching, and personal growth in how I show up. Follow me for more like this.

The longer I’m playing the social media game, the more I understand chasing followers and likes is:

Not the way to go. 

We need to go vertical, not horizontal. 

More depth, please. That’s what I crave. 
And I know, many do too. 

There’s a magic in having one conversation at a time. 

Who’s with me?

A story on dreaming big, making small steps and starting now. 

Very relevant for everyone building something. :) 

Link in the comments below ⬇️

Why is this platform not supporting the sharing of other peoples post? 

Why? 

I don’t get it.

It makes me angry. 

This is one of the reasons why I’m really considering to leave. 

It’s against my values. 

The awesome people in your network and their contributions deserve to be seen. 

It makes no sense to me why this platform doesn’t encourage behavior that puts others in the spotlight. 

Why is the share/repost feature even there? 

Why? 

Rant over.

How to release tension in your jaw in 1 minute!

The body keeps the score.
We store a lot of tension on the jaws. 

I for sure do. 

It only takes a few moments to release some of it. 

Self-massage is such an underrated tool. 

How is your jaw? And what creates the most tension on your life at the moment?

Post ecstatic dance vibes. 🙃

Crazy now we make people coming together to dance and be themselves even a special thing. 

But hey, you can’t dance and sit in a circle all the time? 

If you ask me, we have our priorities wrong. 
The weighting isn’t right. 

Too much: thinking. planning. Stressing. Sitting in front of a computer all day, contributing to creating results that we don’t want. 

Too little: moving. Letting go. Expressing joy. Expressing emotions. Creating environments that are nourishing for the human species. 

I know it’s a delicate topic. I know I generalize. Yet this is the way how I can express my sentiment best in this moment. 

Thx to Eva Keiffenheim and Anja Vojta for facilitating this experience. 

I remembered some things I forgot. 

Priceless.

Have you done ecstatic dance? 
Anyone here who doesn’t like to move their bodies to music?

When was the last time you made time to meet yourself? 

For us creators it’s not always easy. 
So many interesting things out there. 

We’re so used to direct our attention AWAY from ourselves.

We’re so used to flooding our brains with stuff. And don’t get me wrong: 

There’s great stuff out there. 

The books.
The people.
The podcasts.
The AI’s. 

All of this is a huge source of inspiration.

The problem: we struggle to maintain a strong core. A strong connection to our anchor. 

The solution: becoming still. 

Stopping the influx with the light of your awareness. 

Reducing phone time. 
Reducing the books. 
Reducing the people.
Reducing the podcasts.
Reducing the AI‘s. 

And instead: sitting, breathing, being.

When you sit, sit. 
When you breathe, breathe.
When you walk, walk. 

Direct your attention to what’s already present for you in this very moment. 

Notice the desire for more.

If I do this, then I’ll finally achieve this. 
Yeah, sure…

When was that ever a sustainable option? 

Notice the subtle voice that tells you are not enough. 

Just notice. 
Meet yourself. 

And see the transformation happening in front of your eyes. 

One key to feel more alive is and less stressed on the quest to build your business and master your craft, is to to stop numbing and instead to start meeting yourself. 

If you can’t do that: 
How will you’ll be able to genuinely meet someone else? 

#slowdownclub 

P.S.: This is a reminder to myself as much as a message to you. 

📸: 🇪🇸. My screen time last week was <1h a day, and I am now very curious to reduce my screen time also during non-holiday times.

Back from a creative break. My daily screen time was < 30 minutes. My presence level: very present. At least that’s how it felt. Ask my partner if she confirms 😅

And as I’m still processing the insights from „not being productive“, I feel compelled to share this: 

What if you’re perfect just the way you are in this very moment? 

With all your flaws. With all your past mistakes. With all your dreams. Even if some might seem far away. 

What if this unique mix of traits, thoughts and stories that you experienced is what makes you magnetic? 

What if it’s ok that you let go of everything you’ve done and start completely anew? 

What if you live a little? 

On the last day, we ended up staying a couple of hours at a finca. In the living room, I found a card deck. 

I picked a card. 

„BACK TO NATURE“, it said. And I felt it was the perfect sentence and To Do for me. 

Will share more about my discoveries in future posts and substcks. 

Now I‘d like to invite you to reflect: 

If you look at your last week and it would be your teacher. What would it say? 

Much love,
Christian

I love it when I see people creating solutions for very real problems. 

Just had a call with my former colleague from my times at the swoosh -  Viktoria Rokos. She's invented a solution that makes the tying shoelaces for the kids on the football pitch a thing of the past. 

She asked me for an outside perspective because there are some things they currently struggle with. A situation that every entrepreneur knows. To struggle with stuff is normal. I love that she didn't keep it to herself. 

If we're transparent about these things to people we trust, chances are we find ways around the obstacles. I hope I could contribute to that. 

Now I want to ask you for your help. 
She's aims to have conversations with: 

- football training centers 
- professional (Top 3 leagues) youth coaches
- amateur football youth coaches

Who does she need to talk to? 

Please tag them in the comments below or send me or Victoria a DM. 

This will not be a sales conversation, but about helping someone who is building something meaningful. So that both the kids and the trainer's are less distracted and can focus on the beautiful football game. Not tying shoelaces. :)

#entrepreneur #network 

P.S.: I have no commercial interest. I am just a big fan of people who go after their dreams, and want to support them through telling their story and connecting them with my network.


Going on a creative break.

Have some final thoughts to share with you. 💭

Ah, and my latest publication is out too. 

A 4 minute story about the power of small steps. Such an important thing to remember when we’re building meaningful things. 

Link in the comments if you’re interested. 

Much love 
Christian

Friendly reminder: hydrate :)

I can’t count the days when in the past I would just hustle running on the fake energy of 6 - 10 espressi and forgetting to hydrate. 

This is a thing of the past. But I tracked my water intake in the last days and realized I need to improve.There was 1 day last week where it was only 1 liter. 

Are you kidding me?
Go get the foundation right, I said to myself. 

And yes, I know. Every body is different. Not gonna tell you what to do. But want to give you the opportunity to check in with yourself. 

Your cells will thank you :)

Do you hydrate enough?

The one question every stressed founder needs to as themselves:

What’s the rush? 

🙏

One week before her photoshoot. 

I remember the moment so well when I had the “Aha” moment. 

My partner had a chat with the photographer. And she said something that was eye opening to me. 

It helped me to see something that I needed to see. I knew it, but forgot to remember. 

“Just do the yoga practice, she said.
This is an inside out game, not an outside in game.”

Some of the best teachings you don’t get in a course, but through living live and observing what you experienced. 

Full story in the link in the comments. 

——

In there, you’ll find: 

1.) the whole story in detail. Meaning more fodder and triggers to help you remember what you already know. 

2.) Two powerful reflection questions that help you live more from the inside out. 

3.) A chance to slow down, if you read mindfully instead of skimming through. It’s only 3 minutes. 

——
📸: somewhere on Mallorca at the first shooting spot

Can I give you a hug? 

Meet Hamid. And learn from him about patience, mastery and love. 

I’m happy I didn’t have my earphones on on that particular day. 

I remember it so well: as soon as I leave the metro, I hear the sounds. I’m in awe. 

Almost in trance and magnetized, I stand there. Watch. Listen. Hand on my heart, eyes closed. 

This guy. He touches me deeply. I get emotional. Feel a gentle shake. Goosebumps don’t lie. 

He grew up in Iran. 
As a 10 year old, he sees a western guitar. 

From that day onwards, there is no day where he doesn’t play and practice. 

Over 40 years later, there he is. A now professional composer who studied this instrument for years. 

He plays the long term game. It wouldn’t be the same if he’d learned it overnight, he shares with me later. 

In a break, I walk towards him and do what I learned on my journey of becoming a more grounded man: 

I express my gratitude to him. For his music. For his being. I tell him how he impacts my state of mind. Because truth is, I felt sad when I left that metro. 

And then, we experience this moment where time, space and words collapse. 

He opens his arms. 1 second later, I find myself hugging this man. 

We chat a bit. He continues to play. I leave. My heart is full. And from what I see in his eyes, his is too…

#slowdownclub 

The lesson from Hamid: As entrepreneurs and creators: let’s play the long term game. Let’s play for the sake of playing. With our heart wide open. 

What do you say?

Complete the sentence: 

A really good listener is someone who…

I used to judge books by the cover. 

Not a good idea. 

I thought about it a lot.

When the busyness takes over, vision gets narrow. 

When we zoom out, slow down and look at reality with clarity: 

We see the essence.

Of the task at hand.
Of the person in front of you. 

When a connection is loaded with presence, it gets much more meaningful. 

And that is: priceless. 

Do you judge books by the cover?

Taplio

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