About Reshad Jamil  

About Reshad Jamil

Part I: My Work and Vision

My name is Reshad Jamil. I create educational content on topics in health and wellness, online business, and personal development.

I’m a digital writer and aspiring solopreneur. I write on X, Medium, and here on my website. I write blog articles, atomic essays, threads, educational email courses (EECs), and e-books.

I ghostwrite various pieces of writing, as listed above, for a selection of clients, ranging from lifestyle coaches to CEOs of companies focused on health and lifestyle enhancement.

In my ghostwriting practice, my objective is to expand my client’s digital presence, attract and engage a growing audience, and ultimately build an impactful personal brand, all through writing.

As a digital writer, I’ve acquired the skills below and continue to refine them:

  • Content writing and editing
  • Content repurposing
  • Ghostwriting
  • Copywriting
  • Technical writing
  • Topic research
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Web design and optimization
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) integration
  • Automation
  • Personal branding

I learn best by doing and teaching. My plan is to develop the skills above to the nth degree by using them to build a personal brand about holistic improvement.

I plan to document my journey in full. My written work ranges in form and content. On X, I offer distillations, terse insights, vivid depictions, and clear action points. On my blogs, I publish medium to long-form content as well as atomic essays.

All my content belongs to the vast category of improvement. Self-improvement and life-improvement are one and the same: When you improve yourself (your health, mindset, etc.), you improve your life. When you improve your life (your environment, routines, etc.), you improve yourself.

I’ve divided my blog into three basic categories—health, online business, and personal development—because most of my life goals are in these areas. I’ve made notable strides in each, but my journey continues. I’ve still a long way to go.

I just know that in all realms of human striving, we succeed by gaining knowledge and acting on it.

Sound knowledge + consistent right action = some form of success

This simple formula includes all forms of sound knowledge and knowledge acquisition, plus all aspects of consistent right action. For example, consistent right action requires focus, vigilance, perseverance, and other crucial factors.

Knowledge must precede action. The formula prioritizes knowledge—beneficial knowledge, that is—in every realm of human life, striving, and flourishing. I envision my entire digital portfolio, part of which is this blog, becoming a unique reservoir of beneficial knowledge, mostly practical in nature, but at times contemplative.

The goal is to benefit people—by giving them answers, solutions, insights, new perspectives, or just pointing them in the right direction. What matters is the impact of knowledge. Knowledge plus action is power.

My sources of knowledge in each area are people well-versed in those areas, my own reading and research, and personal experience. Understanding the how and why of things is essential to true learning. One must also pay attention to personal experiences, good and bad, and carefully learn from them. Experience, especially from experimentation, is an unparalleled source of knowledge. As such, I share my personal experiences in many of my articles.

My essential goal in content creation is twofold:

  1. Provide free, unique, and significant value in the spheres of health and wellness, personal growth, and online business.
  2. Grow my personal educational brand from the ground up and become a successful solopreneur.

Part II: My Health Improvement Journey

My health improvement journey began in my second year of university.

Until that point, I just endured my health issues year after year, some since childhood and others since early adolescence. My issues included asthma, allergies, frequent insomnia, chronic fatigue, brain fog, subclinical hypothyroidism, anxiety, low appetite, inability to gain muscle, and many gastrointestinal issues.

But at some point in my sophomore year, things started to change. It was the beginning of 2018.

The school year was already in full swing, and with each passing day, my frustration grew. I was fed up with merely managing my symptoms and passively receiving the slings and arrows of life. I dreamt of thriving, or just functioning well.

Eventually, my pent-up frustration turned into a decision—a decision to find answers and get better no matter what. I don’t remember exactly when or how this happened. It was probably subconscious, or I was dozing off in some lecture when it dawned on me that all my issues must have root causes and real solutions. So, I took it upon myself to find those causes and address them.

And thus began my journey of self-education. Led by dreams of thriving in life, I started learning about the body, nutrition, sleep, exercise, and other pillars of health.

I started with a few simple changes: eating mostly whole foods, walking at least nine thousand steps a day, doing compound exercises daily, sleeping and rising early, abstaining from cheap dopamine hits, and focusing on my studies.

It took me months to build all those good habits. I introduced and integrated one habit at a time, sometimes two.

Supplements soon came into the picture. I researched compounds that could help with energy, mental clarity, stress, anxiety, thyroid function, and gut health. After a year of experimenting with various supplements, I settled on a few that were consistently beneficial: B vitamins (natural), ashwaghandha (KSM-66 extract), schisandra chinensis, zinc, magnesium, and oregano oil.

2019 was a good year. I kept moving five key levers—nutrition, movement, sleep, supplements, and purpose—in the right direction and with the right intensity to essentially transform my life.

2019 was the year I started prioritizing animal foods over plant foods. Before that, I was a flexitarian, so I prioritized plant foods and ate animal foods on occasion. But embracing an animal-based approach to nutrition literally changed my life.

By the end of 2019, my digestion, cognition, motivation, mood, energy, libido, productivity, skin, and hair all improved. And every improvement was stark, palpable, and motivating. I felt and functioned better than ever before.

Now, don’t get the wrong idea; I still went through many ups and downs in my health during that year, and after, because life is life and I still had a lot to learn. But relative to how I was in freshman year, I was doing significantly better.

Here’s a snapshot of my health in freshman year: chronically cold extremities, sluggish digestion, irregular bowel movements, brain fog, chronic fatigue, incessant dry coughs through fall and winter, hair loss, dandruff, eczema, racing thoughts at night, insomnia, low libido, low appetite, low confidence, social anxiety, and almost no drive for life. A nightmare. Hindsight is definitely 20/20.  

Two years of meticulous learning and implementation taught me the importance of physiology and biology. I realized the remarkable extent to which my energy, drive, mental clarity, mood, productivity, athleticism, emotional intelligence, and entire outlook on life depend on my physiology.

In the periods of my life where my metabolism was fast, my digestion robust, my core body temperature and heart rate optimal, my circadian clock perfectly tuned, and my sleep consistently deep, I was more capable, competent, and successful in every area of my life. In contrast, whenever my physiology was suboptimal in a fundamental way, I was far less capable of thriving in different areas and progressing in life. 

Experiencing the supreme blessing of optimal or near-optimal health for the periods I did made me realize (1) the unmatched preciousness of health, (2) that health is something you build and maintain, and (3) that your daily habits push you toward good health or bad health.

Alas, from my initial resolve to improve my health to where I stand now health-wise, I can’t exactly say it’s been smooth sailing. I went through many highs and lows, extensive trial and error. But what I gained for certain, and never lost, from learning about the body, cells, hormones, light, energy, nutrients, sleep, stress, movement, and so on throughout the past five years or so, was a deep appreciation of biology coupled with an unshakable sense of self-awareness, self-reliance, responsibility, alignment, and autonomy.

As tough as it was, I did resolve many of my issues. Praise and thanks be to God. Not all of them, but many.    

So far in my journey, I’ve successfully resolved my frequent insomnia, anxiety, hypothyroid symptoms, histamine intolerance, asthma, brain fog, chronic fatigue, acne, hair thinning, and chronically low motivation.

I’ve made real improvements with regards to my other issues, namely my eczema (atopic dermatitis) and digestive issues, but I’ve yet to resolve these completely. I’m just grateful to have found the knowledge and tools to keep my symptoms mostly at bay.

There are numerous free, credible, in-depth sources of knowledge that I’ve learned from over the years, continue to learn from, and can confidently recommend. Most people know about popular podcasts in the health space like Huberman Lab hosted by Dr. Andrew Huberman and The Drive hosted by Dr. Peter Attia, but there’s a lesser known podcast I want to highlight: The Energy Balance Podcast hosted by Jay Feldman.

This last mention elucidates the bioenergetic view of health, which I’ve come to appreciate and adopt to a large extent. Dr. Ray Peat, a pioneer of the bioenergetic view, has had a profound impact on my understanding of health. I’ve benefitted immensely from his ideas, insights, principles, and suggestions.

I should note that there are several points of convergence and divergence between different views in the health space. But I’m interested in learning from everyone. I also try to see as much synergy, alignment, or overlap as possible. An extensive body of definitive, well-understood, agreed-upon science and research undergirds the world of health and healing. But there simply isn’t one narrow path to optimal health. Context is king, individuality is real, and nuance is necessary.

Accordingly, my goal is to present sound information in a clear manner and bolster it with my personal successes in health improvement — through sunlight, nutrition, sleep, exercise, mindset shifts, supplements, and so on. I plan to write about basic/foundational topics and advanced/niche topics.

With all that clear, here are some key practices that have helped me over the years:

Nutrition (daily)

  • Staying hydrated (spring water, electrolytes, natural sugars)  
  • Eating a personalized, nutrient-rich, animal-based diet
  • Prioritizing protein and carbohydrates
  • Consuming moderate fat (saturated and monounsaturated)
  • Consuming high-polyphenol foods (extra-virgin olive oil, pomegranate juice, berries, etc.)
  • Having ~30 grams of fiber (insoluble and soluble, from easy-to-digest fruits and vegetables) 
  • Drinking high-purity coffee
  • Taking pro-metabolic supplements, such as:
    • Magnesium (multiple forms)
    • B complex (natural)
    • Thiamine (vitamin B1) in therapeutic doses
    • Schisandra chinensis
  • Prioritizing gut health by:
    • Keeping endotoxins and bad bacteria low
    • Consuming fermented foods with each meal
    • Consuming polyphenol-rich foods
    • Drinking psyllium husk in juice/water nightly
    • Lots of movement
    • Spacing my meals properly (no snacking)   

Light Exposure (daily)

  • Waking up before sunrise
  • Viewing early morning sunlight while walking for ~10 min
  • Getting midday sunlight directly on my skin for ~30 min 
  • Exercising in the sun
  • Viewing sunlight close to sunset for ~5 min
  • Dimming down all lights after 10 pm 

Sleep (nightly)

  • Going to bed between 10 pm and midnight 
  • Sleeping in complete darkness 
  • Keeping my room and bed cool
  • Taking a good magnesium supplement

Exercise (daily, except for sprints)

  • Compound bodyweight exercises:
    • Push-ups (different variations)
    • Pull-ups
    • Chin-ups
    • Air squats 
  • Custom full-body workouts with resistance bands
  • Long morning walk
  • Short post-meal walks
  • Sprints 

Deep Work (daily)

  • First long bout of deep work after morning sunlight, movement, quick breakfast, and coffee
  • Efficiency principles
    • Just start
    • Learn by doing
    • No judgment on first drafts/attempts
    • Write like you’re talking to a friend
    • Good enough, move on, refine later
    • Intuition > cogitation

Acknowledgment of Truth (daily)

  • Remembering and being grateful to God 
  • Meditating on my vision, purpose, blessings, and death
  • Seizing good opportunities as best I can
  • Seeing the consequences of actions in advance

Health is the wellspring of life, thus health-improvement is the heart of self-improvement. When I first thought about creating a blog, the health niche sprung to mind before any other. I hope the educational content I put out on important health topics will help you get closer to your health goals.

Part III: My Path to Digital Writing 

In university, I studied English literature and philosophy. I chose these majors because I knew I could write well and wanted to study the great thinkers of the past. The only career I had in mind was professorship.

But throughout university, my vision for my future was murky. I had no firm resolve or plan to pursue a particular career. Professorship was just the best prospect in my mind. 

I felt like I should become a professor. By junior year, I’d honed my reading, research, and writing skills. I became adept at explaining, clarifying, and persuading, so teaching felt like my true calling. I knew back then, and know now, that teaching is an essential, evergreen, and always in-demand skill. But at that time, my mind reduced teaching to academic teaching.

The prestige of professorship pulled me toward it. But beneath that magnetism was an uncertainty, one that dimmed my life vision; I never really knew where I was going. Nor did ever reconsider my path. I never gave myself time to stop, introspect, reevaluate things, and properly map out my life.

I couldn’t be completely honest with myself. There were so many unanswered questions buried deep in my head. I was just too caught up in a lethal flow of lectures, notes, readings, reflections, tutorials, essays, exams, and random part-time jobs. 

The only thing that kept me going during those four years was my love of knowledge. I sought knowledge for its own sake. I wanted to know just to know—know myself, human beings, language, history, stories, ideas and their origins, ethics, nature, God. So I immersed myself in timeless texts, explored the deepest topics, became adept at the liberal arts, and grew as an individual.

But I never thought deeply about what kind of career I wanted to pursue, or about building wealth.  

Near the end of senior year, I knew I loved literature and philosophy, but not enough to study either for six more years (master’s plus PhD). After four years of analyzing texts and proving my theses, I wanted a break from academia. I took a step back, reassessed my goals and priorities, and tried to create a long-term vision that I could be confident about.

I realized that professorship requires a supreme level of passion, plus outright devotion to study. The truly passionate professors I had made me love learning, while the mediocre ones made me skip their lifeless lectures. I acknowledged that my passion for philosophy and literature fell short.

At the end of my senior-year introspection and reevaluation, I realized what I really wanted in life. Surprisingly, it wasn’t even that deep or complicated.

I want to be as self-reliant and free as humanly possible. I see self-reliance and freedom as complementary personal end goals of working hard and making money. To others, I want to be many things, but mainly trustworthy, useful, and generous. 

Wealth enables the right person to extensively exhibit those noble qualities. Wealth is therefore the principal means to a high level of human flourishing.

I decided, after years of harboring such notions, on a number of long-term financial goals. One is to build multiple streams of income that keep giving. Money is something I want to be “taken care of” to some extent so I can focus on greater things. Self-reliance and freedom—of every kind—are my ultimate personal goals.

However, upon acknowledging my goals, I found myself in the dark. I had no idea how to get to my goals. What line of work would lead me to the freedom and self-sufficiency I sought? What professions should I consider? What online courses should I take? What skills should I learn and master? Since I was no longer pursuing professorship, I was at a crossroads. There were too many paths laid out before me. Instinctively, I walked some distance down many of them before stumbling into the world of online business.

I took a couple courses on data analytics, both paid and free, and spent a good deal of time learning Excel and SQL. I also learned about data visualization tools like Tableau. I knew if I put my mind to it, I could become a data analyst in a matter of months. But I decided to put a pause on that path and try another: cyber security. This was essentially a short detour where I only took free courses on the basics. However, one detour led to many. Next up were UX design, UX writing, and technical writing, in that order.

Upon discovering technical writing, I had my breakthrough. I quickly encountered many forms and paths of digital writing: copywriting, blog post writing, and ghostwriting. I took one five-hour introductory course on direct response copywriting and was sold. For the first time in my life, I viewed writing for what it truly is: one of the most valuable, versatile, and lucrative skills that exists.

Both technical writing and copywriting strongly appealed to me — copywriting a bit more because it relies on persuasion. Moreover, in discovering these skills, I discovered the vast world of online business.

In the summer of 2023, I ventured into that world out of curiosity. It wasn’t long before I realized the sheer number of people making six figures from writing online and monetizing their writing. I was inspired, to say the least, but also a bit skeptical.

Once I studied the digital writing space closely, I understood the tremendous value of writing online. My conclusion was that only good could come from writing online, specifically on public platforms like X and Medium, if I wrote with the intention to educate and benefit people.

At worst, I’ll hone my writing skills, deepen my knowledge of topics I care about, and connect with like-minded people. At best, I’ll do all that and make a ton of money in the process — say, as a premium digital writer for a handful of high-paying clients.

My focus locked in on mastering the fundamentals of specific skills and preparing for an impending war with blank pages. I started doing extensive research into whatever topics I care about, taking detailed notes, analyzing search trends, ideating like a madman, experimenting with tools and protocols, synthesizing information, and distilling the works of luminaries to their finest parts.

After learning technical writing in about a week, I turned to copywriting. I created a burner email, subscribed to at least a hundred newsletters from successful companies, studied their copy, adopted a scientific/formulaic approach to copywriting, and practiced writing my own copy. This was a three-month period.

During that period, I familiarized myself with other profitable skills as well, such as ghostwriting, writing consulting, search engine optimization (SEO), web design, blogging, social media marketing, and AI integration.

Learning just the basics of these skills revealed an opportunity for me to create a rich content library that strategically funnelled to premium services, such as ghostwriting and writing consulting. My plan became to learn the skill stack above. My foundational skill would be writing.

Fast forward to today: I’ve fulfilled my plan and wield all the skills above. My proficiency in each is intermediate. I learned each skill to the extent that I needed it. I’ve used the entire skill set to complete personal projects and client work. But the real journey’s just getting started.

Now I have the skills, tools, experience, vision, and plan to build a one-person business—my ultimate objective. I’m serious, excited, but also a bit scared. I just keep remembering the worst possible outcome:

  1. I deepen my understanding of health and wellness, digital writing, solopreneurship, personal growth, philosophy, and life.
  2. I develop my existing skills to the nth degree and acquire more skills to boot, granted I write online for years to come.
  3. I build a stellar writing portfolio.
  4. I make new friends and grow my network.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds amazing to me. I hope my project comes to fruition and my efforts pay off.

If you’ve embarked on a similar path and begun a similar project, then I wish for you the same success I wish for myself.

Thank you for reading. I hope you find value in my content.

Best,
Reshad Jamil