Dying Breed: Year One in Review

Whenever you launch a new project, you can’t help but feel nervous, worried that it’s going to flop.

We certainly had those kinds of nerves almost a year ago when we launched Dying Breed, wondering, Is anyone going to be into this?

Happily, thousands of people have been into this. Dying Breed’s been a big success both in terms of garnering subscribers (we’re in the top 50 for Substack’s Culture category, alright!) and in terms of simply being enjoyable as heck to work on.

Brett really enjoyed finally diving into some meaty articles he’d been researching and thinking about for years — pieces that weren’t quite right for the Art of Manliness and hadn’t previously had an outlet. He’s also enjoyed talking to really interesting people for the Dying Breed Dialogues.

Kate really enjoyed resurrecting the Sunday Firesides series, now in a very suitable home — and contributing some longer articles as well.

Here’s a look back at everything we published this year on Dying Breed. Maybe you’ll spot something you missed, or find an essay worth revisiting.

Articles

• Behind the Scenes of Who We Are and How We Work

• What Nietzsche’s Typewriter Brain Can Tell Us About Twitter Brain

• Why I Hate Making (and Watching) Online Videos

• A New Kind of Monasticism: An Introduction

• Biorhythms: What A Forgotten 1970s Wellness Fad Can Tell Us About 2025

• Increase Your Agency By Increasing Your Affordances

• A New Kind of Monasticism: The Power of Community to Shape the Soul

• How I Take Notes in Books

• How Understanding the Idea of Social Acceleration Can Help You Make Sense of This Disorienting, Relentless World

• A New Kind of Monasticism: Friendship as a Spiritual Discipline

• Resonance as an Antidote to Social Acceleration

• Dying Breed Field Trip: A University Library

• A New Kind of Monasticism: A Monk-Inspired Daily Routine

• How to Be a Swell Podcast Guest

• The Truth About Therapy, Part I: A Good Therapist Is Damn Hard to Find

• What Is Love, Anyway?

• The Truth About Therapy, Part II: Therapy Is Less Effective Than You Think

• The Virtues of Re-Reading Books

• 20 Lessons From 20 Years of Marriage

• The Four Ages of Communication: How Changing Media Transforms the Human Experience

• The Dead Poets Society Sellout Test

• The Sociology of Success

• A Tour of Our Home Office

• 5 Things Farmers Have Taught Me About Work, Life, and Legacy

• The Anti-Relevancy Guide to Staying Relevant

• Average Is Over (In Everything)

• The Power of a Mentor

• Why I Love Reading Biographies

• The Mystery of Moods

• The Passionless Game: Kierkegaard on Why Sports (and Life) Feel Flat

• 7 Stellar Biographies I Highly Recommend Reading

• Becoming a Cinephile, Fifteen Minutes at a Time

• How to Think About Luck

• The Wearing-Pajamas-to-the-Airport Theory of Societal Decline

• Adam I, Adam II: On Building, Being, and Living Life Well

• How I Work: The FAQ

• A Culture of Control vs. A Culture of Chance

• The Best Books the McKays Read in 2025

Sunday Firesides

• Being Existentially Average Is Over

• Bear Witness to Your Own Vitality

• Live Life in Day-Tight Compartments

• Talent Can’t Be Taught

• Be Someone’s Atmospheric Getaway

• The Life That Lives Is the Life That Moves

• Live to the Point of Tears

• Order Off the Menu

• The Loudest Part of Yourself

• Escape the Velcro/Teflon Death Spiral

• Treat Life Like an Experiment

• You Gotta Do What’s Best for You?

• Information Won’t Save You

• Why Seek Ye the Living Among the Dead?

• Don’t Slide — Decide

• Life Needs More Jazz

• You Might Be Living in a Golden Age Right Now

• You Are Your Relation to Pain

• You Make the Magic

• For Things to Stay the Same, Everything Will Have to Change

• Stop Sending Out Your Smaller Man

• You Did It Before and You’ll Do It Again

• Stuffed, But Starving

• Write the Last Chapter First

• Do a Deadlift for the Departed

• It’s Fine . . . Until It’s Not

• What You Really Want

• Three-O’Clock-In-The-Morning Courage

• The Sandals That Never Wear Out

• You Get What You Pay For

• Don’t Judge a Decision Based on the Result

• The Common Denominator Is You

• Work the Fat Off Your Soul

• Forget Me Not

• Boredom Cures Boredom

• Love Is a Mutual Admiration Society

• Yes, Whammies!

• Keep in Touch

• Give the Gift of Self

• A Liturgy for Our Lives

• Restore the True Meaning of Focus

Check out the complete Sunday Fireside archives. You’ll find 300+ Sunday Firesides that Kate published on AoM before we moved them to Dying Breed.

Dying Breed Dialogues

• Michael Easter on Rucking and Doing Hard Things

• Jennifer Tosti-Kharas on What Makes Work Worth It

• Ron Jones on Reviving Classical Physical Education

• Kyle Chayka on Escaping Algorithmic Sameness

• Cate Hall on Elevating Your Agency

• John Sexton on Baseball as a Way to God

• Patrick Hutchison on What Restoring a Cabin in the Woods Taught Him About Confidence and Contentment

• Tiffany Jenkins on the Rise and Fall of Private Life

• Jimmy Hawkins on It’s a Wonderful Life

We’ll be taking the remainder of the year off to celebrate the holidays, recharge, and let some ideas we’d like to cover in 2026 start percolating. We’ll be back in January, continuing to serve up a semi-eclectic mix of inspiration, culture, history, and philosophy, all with this aim: surfacing timeless ideas and virtues that often get overlooked, are worth reflecting on, and can lead to a better life. We’re here to help you make sense of the wrinkles and weirdnesses of modern existence, as we attempt to navigate them ourselves.

But before we call it a year, we want to say a hearty thank you to those who have supported this project in 2025.

A big thanks to everyone who subscribed. There are a bajillion newsletters you could subscribe to, and there are other things you could spend $5 a month on. We appreciate that you’ve found Dying Breed worth your time and money. Your financial support at Dying Breed directly funds the writing Kate and I do online. Many of you have come to Dying Breed via the Art of Manliness, and your paid subscription here helps us keep AoM free for millions of readers and listeners.

It’s been genuinely enjoyable getting to know many of you in the comments. The quality of conversation here has been thoughtful, civil, and curious. We especially appreciate you diehards who comment on nigh near everything we put out. It’s always a boost to hear from you, and we sincerely appreciate the encouragement.

Overall, we’ve enjoyed the Substack ecosystem more than expected. Writing on Substack feels a lot like blogging did back in 2008: friendly, interesting, and fun. It’s refreshing.

Once again, thank you for making this first year of Dying Breed a success. We’re grateful for you.

We wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!