Okay, Actually

Okay, Actually

Episode 9: Moving Is Not the Same as Going Somewhere

Jul 9, 2026 · 21 min · 10 segments

Okay, Actually is a podcast for people who are working hard and starting to wonder if the problem is them. It's not. In under 30 minutes, we dig into what's truly broken and figure out how to build a…

Okay, Actually is a podcast for people who are working hard and starting to wonder if the problem is them. It's not. In under 30 minutes, we dig into what's truly broken and figure out how to build a solution that can actually work. In this episode, I'm talking about direction — and specifically why it's not the same thing as having a plan — and then offer some ways to think about direction at this point in the year. We may think we need beautifully structured goal systems, Q1 metrics, and a formal review process, but really 30 minutes of reflection will help you move in the right direction for the rest of the year. If you've ever had a genuinely productive week and still gotten to Friday feeling vaguely flat, this episode is for you. 00:00 The Book I Can't Stop Recommending 02:17 Direction Is Not Goal Setting 03:25 Show Premise Setup 04:07 Busy But Off Track 06:41 When Goals Break 08:36 Midyear Reality Shift 11:17 Plant The Flag 14:30 Two Step Direction Check 16:23 Five Direction Filters 18:52 Why July Matters **The two checkpoints I mention** **Part 1: Direction Check (10 minutes)** Find an environment where you can actually think. Ask yourself one question: where do I actually want to go right now? (Not where did I plan to go in January or where should I want to go). Where do I want to go from where I actually am? If you can answer it, you have your compass. If you can't, that's the work. And if you don't know where to plant the flag, plant the flag in "figure out where to plant the flag." **Part 2: Autopilot Audit (five questions)** 1. What are you still working on just because you started it earlier in the year — not because it's still the right thing? 2. What meetings, commitments, or obligations came into your life without a conscious yes? 3. What are you still measuring that no longer tells you anything useful? 4. What would you stop doing tomorrow if you gave yourself permission? 5. What are you not doing that your direction is actually asking for? Your direction is the filter. Run everything through it. The whole thing should take about thirty minutes. Book mentioned: Candice Millard, The River of Doubt Find me here: OkayDoak.com [karen@okaydoak.com](mailto:karen@okaydoak.com)

Okay, Actually is a podcast for people who are working hard and starting to wonder if the problem is them. It's not. In under 30 minutes, we dig into what's truly broken and figure out how to build a…

Roosevelt’s River of Doubt & the Power of a Compass0:06 – 3:24

0:06

I like to think that one of my more charming tendencies is I love to enthusiastically tell anyone I know about whatever book I'm obsessed with in the moment.

0:20

And then in that enthusiasm, which is honestly always grounded in trying to get them to read the book, I end up giving away lots of key and exciting moments, twists and turns, and that sometimes dissuades them from reading.

0:34

So I want to say I am barely scratching the surface when I briefly talk about Candace Millard's book, The River of Doubt.

0:43

This is all about Teddy Roosevelt's 1914 expedition down an uncharted portion of the Amazon.

0:50

And this man had already served as president, but when he lost the 1912 presidential election, and because he's clearly a far more adventurous person than I or most, he He agreed to go on this expedition with his son and a Brazilian explorer and a whole crew with the entire objective being to map this river of doubt, which is now named after him, because that's what happens when insane people go places for the first time.

1:19

The entire story is completely nuts.

1:22

Using the term story of survival barely scratches the surface of the many, many perils that were encountered throughout this.

1:31

It truly is a must-read book, and I have given very little away.

1:35

But it's the sort of thing where I would have turned around, or, okay, I wouldn't have gotten on the boat in the first place.

1:41

But if I had ended up on this boat, I would have turned around at so many different points.

1:47

And it's really both exciting and impressive and intriguing to learn about someone who fundamentally operates differently and has a willingness to throw themselves into things and test the limits of human endurance and be willing to do whatever it takes to survive, but also do all of that in the spirit of discovery.

2:07

Every single person on this expedition was eating limited food if they were eating at all and at risk for disease and a million other things.

2:15

It's nuts.

2:17

But anyway, I think about that story a lot, not just because it's my actual nightmare come to life, but because it says a lot about what direction really is, right? Roosevelt didn't have a map.

2:27

He was literally making a map.

2:29

He had a compass and direction and the willingness to move.

2:34

And that's what got him down the river and got the river named after him.

2:38

I think about that story when I think about the importance of direction.

2:42

We're often focused on setting these big picture goals and making an entire plan, but I actually think the most important thing is to know where you're headed and be willing to move in that direction regardless.

2:54

The alternative is that you can make all these plans and do all these things and move really confidently, execute well, et cetera, but end up in the wrong place.

3:04

Having a perfectly plotted out map still means that one wrong turn sends you somewhere you didn't mean to be.

3:10

But if you genuinely have a strong and secure inner compass, you know where you're headed and you use that to guide what you're working on personally, professionally, in any possible capacity.

3:21

You're set up for something that a map alone can't give you.

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Roosevelt’s River of Doubt & the Power of a Compass0:06 – 3:24

0:06

I like to think that one of my more charming tendencies is I love to enthusiastically tell anyone I know about whatever book I'm obsessed with in the moment.

0:20

And then in that enthusiasm, which is honestly always grounded in trying to get them to read the book, I end up giving away lots of key and exciting moments, twists and turns, and that sometimes dissuades them from reading.

0:34

So I want to say I am barely scratching the surface when I briefly talk about Candace Millard's book, The River of Doubt.

0:43

This is all about Teddy Roosevelt's 1914 expedition down an uncharted portion of the Amazon.

0:50

And this man had already served as president, but when he lost the 1912 presidential election, and because he's clearly a far more adventurous person than I or most, he He agreed to go on this expedition with his son and a Brazilian explorer and a whole crew with the entire objective being to map this river of doubt, which is now named after him, because that's what happens when insane people go places for the first time.

1:19

The entire story is completely nuts.

1:22

Using the term story of survival barely scratches the surface of the many, many perils that were encountered throughout this.

1:31

It truly is a must-read book, and I have given very little away.

1:35

But it's the sort of thing where I would have turned around, or, okay, I wouldn't have gotten on the boat in the first place.

1:41

But if I had ended up on this boat, I would have turned around at so many different points.

1:47

And it's really both exciting and impressive and intriguing to learn about someone who fundamentally operates differently and has a willingness to throw themselves into things and test the limits of human endurance and be willing to do whatever it takes to survive, but also do all of that in the spirit of discovery.

2:07

Every single person on this expedition was eating limited food if they were eating at all and at risk for disease and a million other things.

2:15

It's nuts.

2:17

But anyway, I think about that story a lot, not just because it's my actual nightmare come to life, but because it says a lot about what direction really is, right? Roosevelt didn't have a map.

2:27

He was literally making a map.

2:29

He had a compass and direction and the willingness to move.

2:34

And that's what got him down the river and got the river named after him.

2:38

I think about that story when I think about the importance of direction.

2:42

We're often focused on setting these big picture goals and making an entire plan, but I actually think the most important thing is to know where you're headed and be willing to move in that direction regardless.

2:54

The alternative is that you can make all these plans and do all these things and move really confidently, execute well, et cetera, but end up in the wrong place.

3:04

Having a perfectly plotted out map still means that one wrong turn sends you somewhere you didn't mean to be.

3:10

But if you genuinely have a strong and secure inner compass, you know where you're headed and you use that to guide what you're working on personally, professionally, in any possible capacity.

3:21

You're set up for something that a map alone can't give you.