I’m staying with my parents in Florida for a few weeks. Hydrotherapy in their pool is ace for my surgical recovery (and the vitamin D certainly doesn’t hurt either).

In fact, I’m typing this very newsletter from their tchotchke room, surrounded by family photos (three-deep on the shelves), trophies from my youth, and what seems like hundreds of commemorative hockey pucks.

But there’s less stuff in this room than the last time I visited. 🤔

That’s because Dad read a book called Nobody Wants Your Shit: The Art of Decluttering Before You Die. He hasn’t stopped raving about it since I got down here.

🍻 THE DRUNK BUSINESS ADVICE 

👉 People don’t build shit-piles on purpose. They just stop noticing.

👉 You can't polish a turd, but you can sure as hell stop babysitting it.

And now — the story behind why this advice matters. 👇️ 

But first…

For the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing snippets from my new weekly newsletter that helps you write faster, hit harder, and connect the dots between what you know — and what the world needs to hear.

F*ck reading. Give your audience an experience.

You’ve probably heard this a thousand times— 

SHOW. 👏 DON’T. 👏 TELL. 👏

Telling states facts, while showing paints a picture that lets readers experience it for themselves.

This matters because readers don’t connect with abstract statements — they connect with images, emotions, and action. Instead of just telling them how someone feels, show the small, human details that bring it to life.

So how do you do this?

• Use action — what’s happening physically?

• Use senses — what does it look or feel like?

• Stay tight — swap the abstract for the specific.

In last week’s issue of Drunk Writing Advice, we covered how to flawlessly execute those three things, and featured some killer exercises that brought it all to life.

Join the club.

Shit-piles come in different forms

About 17 years ago, my folks moved from my childhood home to a Florida retirement community. And every time I visit, I feel like I’m living in a Seinfeld episode.

👉️ Power plays in the condo board.

👉️ Petty disputes over tennis courts.

👉️ Passive aggressive pool-chair wars.

I’m just waiting for Jack Klompus to walk in with a pen that writes upside down. 🙄

Y’all — Seinfeld wasn’t satire. I’ve seen it first hand, and trust me, it’s shockingly accurate.

Yesterday, as we were driving by the community clubhouse, Dad pointed out a “shit-pile” by the side entrance. What began as a small utility area had grown into a boneyard for anything the property managers didn’t want to deal with.

• Broken pool umbrellas

• Chipped bocce balls

• Torn tennis nets

• John Deere utility carts seemingly parked by a drunk toddler

Dad turned to me and said, “All it took was one piece of shit to attract more shit, and turn it into a damn shit-pile.”

I thought… holy moly. That’s true for so many things.

People. Attitudes. Problems.

And of course, stuff.

Shit attracts more shit. And it also repels shit’s natural enemy — clarity.

Shit-people attract more shit-people

I’m lucky. For the most part, I’ve avoided truly toxic workplaces. I also tend to quit quickly if I sniff out a jerk.

And I have a perfectly valid reason for rashly departing any organization that employs even one asshole—

It’s because of "peer contagion", which is the scientific term for “assholes tend to turn other people into assholes”.

I have a pretty rosy view of humanity. Call me naive, but I truly believe that most people, when left uninfluenced by negative factors, are honest, kind, and seek to do right by each other.

But we’re also wildly impressionable, and toxic people can influence the behavior of those with even bulletproof values. I’ve personally experienced moments in my career where I’m deeply ashamed of how I behaved — having been surrounded by shit-people, and choosing to mimic their shit-behavior.

I’ve jumped into the shit-people-pile without even realizing what was happening.

And I bet you have, too.

But the concept of peer contagion doesn’t just apply negatively. It can also apply positively.

A few weeks ago, I invited my amazing uncle, a renowned PhD psychologist and entrepreneur, to lead a mental health session in Stealth Mastermind — and I couldn’t have been prouder of our little community!

Why?

Because every member of the group showed up with an open heart, and supported each other’s vulnerabilities without judgement. Sorry if that sounds a little kumbaya, but it’s really difficult to openly say “I’m struggling with my mental health” in a room full of talented business people.

And the positive outcomes from that session are already compounding. Relationships are deeper. Optimism is palpable. 

And most importantly for an entrepreneurship mastermind — business goals are clearer. 

(P.S. — If you’re an entrepreneur, and interested in joining our group, hit reply and we’ll chat about it!)

Shit-attitudes attract more shit-attitudes

There’s another kind of contagion you need to avoid. It can infect your brain. And there’s no vaccine for it.

Cognitive contagion implies that you can catch someone’s bad attitude like a bad flu. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame (Go Irish) studied how freshman roommates’ attitudes rubbed off on each other over a remarkably short period of time:

The shit-pile theory goes beyond treating others poorly when you’re surrounded by assholes. It turns out, it can also cause you to treat yourself poorly.

But just like Stealth Mastermind proved during our mental health session, the Notre Dame study concluded that positivity is contagious as well:

So if you feel your own attitude wavering, avoid the shit-attitude-pile, and look for a positive-attitude-pile. Those folks will lift you up!

Shit-problems attract more shit-problems

A few years ago, I joined a Facebook group for women of a particular lifestyle. (Sorry, that’s the only detail you’ll get on this topic, but I’ll let your imagination wander wildly 😉).

For many of these women, our common lifestyle produces problems. Luckily I don’t experience these problems, but a lot of them do. So one of the functions of this group is to provide “support”.

But here’s the issue—

A bunch of problem-ladened people coming together to talk about those problems, without some sort of positive leadership, isn’t a support group. It’s a commiseration group.

So while these gals get their feelings validated, their problems don’t get solved. 

In fact, they usually end up with more problems, because, as we’ve already established — shit-attitudes attract more shit-attitudes. And shit-attitudes amplify shit-problems.

Spot the shit-pile before you step in it

One cracked pool chair might seem harmless. But soon enough, it’s bound to attract rusted lawn signs, sun-bleached umbrellas, and broken brooms. Then you’ve got yourself a shit-pile.

Shit-piles aren’t created overnight — they accumulate slowly. That’s how workplaces become toxic, friend groups implode, and your personal goals get buried under other people’s baggage.

But you don’t have to be the pooper scooper. You just have to be the person who notices the first sign of stink — then get the hell out.

• So if the people suck, walk.

• If the attitude dampens your outlook, bolt.

• And if the vibes scream “we don’t solve problems here, we just sit in them,” don’t f*cking commiserate. 

Better yet, immunize yourself from shit-piles entirely by seeking out talented people you want to emulate.

Cheers! 🍻 

-Kristin

P.S. — Stealth Mastermind is now welcoming a new cohort. If you’re an entrepreneur, hit reply and tell me about yourself!