What if could you spend the next big season of life feeling so much more connected and alive?
The 2x20™ Origin Story
Hi friend,
Have you ever hit a big milestone, and started wondering, “what now?”
This was my story, in a very big way. One, that’d change everything.
I’m Jonathan Fields. A dad, husband, author, multi-time founder, advisor, coach, and co-executive producer and host of one of the longest-running, top-ranked podcast in the world, Good Life Project®.
I’d just turned 58. Realized I was spitting distance from 60. Only two years away.
I started wondering how to use the time before this momentous birthday well. I wanted the next big season of work, love, and life (for me, 20 years felt about right) to be filled with:
Deep, juicy connection, surrounding myself with people I couldn’t get enough of
Genuine meaning, purpose, and creative expression, like who I was and what I contributed mattered, and I wasn’t stifling or hiding parts of myself
Peace, ease, and simplicity, like I could walk through life with a sense of lightness, no matter what came my way, even in the face of hard moments
And, as much mental and physical wellbeing as possible
It’s not that life up to that point was bad. I mean, sure, there were more aches and pains, including my feelings about the world. But there’d also been, still is, so much good. And so much more potential that lay ahead.
It wasn’t about blowing anything up, making myself wrong, or negating any choices that got me there. Nor was it about ignoring anything. It was about building on the foundation. Getting honest (mostly with myself) and intentional about what I wanted for the next season of life.
It also became clear, I couldn’t just focus on work or whatever kind of contribution I wanted to make, whether personal or professional. I had to take all parts of life into account.
Because, in the end, everything affects everything.
And, maybe most important, it couldn’t just be about trying to think, read, watch, listen, plan, or talk my way to a different reality that better fit the way I wanted the next season of life to unfold.
We’ve all tried that. Mercilessly, and repeatedly.
It just doesn’t work.
This had to be about doing my way to it. And along the way, actually making this new vision something I could touch, feel, experience, and start to savor and enjoy not just down the road, but as often as possible along the way.
The question that became my guiding light was…
“What can I learn, do, or build in the next two years that’d let me center simplicity, significance, and joy in the twenty that follow?”
Those last three words, by the way–simplicity, significance, and joy–were unique to me. You’ll have your own three words to center, once you start into your own adventure.
I started calling it my 2x20 (“two by twenty”).
And the way my brain works, I began developing tools, models, and frameworks around it, drawing on my experience with tens of thousands of students and clients, interviews with more than 1,000 leading voices in human potential over a dozen years, and nearly three decades crafting my own learning experiences.
The goal was to run a series of joyful experiments that’d let me learn, do and build my way into a beautifully aligned and alive next season in life. This became a central part of my days, and a new source of perpetual adventure, exploration, growth, and awakening. It was more about discovery and unfolding than force or aggression.
Some experiments took minutes, others unfolded over days, weeks, even months. Gently, over time, so many insights, answers, and key elements of my next season began to take shape. And, instead of it feeling heavy, forced, or complicated, there was a sense of lightness, excitement, and joy.
What unfolded next, I never saw coming…
A year in, I shared my 2x20 with a friend, along with all the experiments I’d been exploring, the fun I was having, the incredible insights that were dropping, the real change that was happening and the sense of passion and possibility that was building as I saw my next season start to take shape.
Before then, no one other than my wife knew about it.
Then, he asked the question that set in motion the big thing I never saw coming…
“Have you shared this publicly? Because I think a lot of people in a similar season of work and life would be really interested. What you’re doing could help so many.”
I was resistant. I mean, this was never supposed to be a thing beyond my own, personal journey. Still, I wondered if he had a point.
So, partly as a dare, I “leaked it” to a select group of people. A few weeks later, I wrote about it in my personal email newsletter, and recorded a quick podcast about it. Then, sent them out into the world.
The response…just wow!
It was more popular than anything I’d shared in over a decade.
Apparently, there are so many of us out there, in a similar season, wanting to experience a similar change, and looking for guidance, wisdom, structure, and even community along the way.
Tons of messages started coming in.
“How can I do this, too?”
“What is the whole structure you’ve created? The models, frameworks, the step-by-step process? Tell me everything!”
“How can I create my own 2x20? Or 1x10? Or whatever feels like the right windows for me?”
“Please, help me make this real in my own life!”
Oooooookay. I was so floored by the response, I wasn’t sure what to do.
I sat on it for another 6-months, wondering if the response and the need was as big as it seemed. Maybe it’d just die down. But the calls for help didn’t go away. In fact, they just kept building.
So I decided, as part of my own 2x20, I’d run my own experiment. To see if maybe helping others do what I’d been doing could be something I’d love integrating into the mix for my own next season of work and life.
I quietly shared that I was going to take on a small number of private 2x20 coaching clients for a limited 3-month engagement. Didn’t feel anyone would need more than that.
And, I opened up spots for up to 20 people to join me and my team for an incredible 3-day 2x20 destination retreat in a stunning haven in Palm Springs, CA.
There was no fancy launch, videos, ads, social media, sales page, or really anything. Just a simple google doc I threw together with a handful more details, and a link to apply.
Both sold out in the blink of an eye.
What unfolded from both of these…pure magic!
The people who showed up were amazing.
Big open hearts, deep wisdom, rich life experience, and an excitement to explore, connect, learn, and reimagine life. There were so many powerful moments of awakening, grace, and growth that set in motion genuine change.
It was all about crafting your next season with intention, while also experiencing joy, meaning, and connection along the way.
As these experiences came to a close, I realized there was no way I could walk away from how amazing and impactful they had been for both the participants, and also, for me.
So, I decided to keep it going.
To include serving, supporting, and awakening people as they craft their own 2x20 journeys as a part of my own next season of work and life.
And, that’s where things get interesting for you…
If you’d love to explore either a 3-month 2x20 Coaching Immersion, or participating in an upcoming 3-day 2x20 Destination Retreat, just tap or click on the buttons for either below to learn more.
Also, please note, in order to preserve the intimacy, integrity, and power of both the coaching and retreat experiences, I only work with a handful of coaching clients at any given time. And, the retreat is capped at only 22 people.
Once these are gone, a waitlist builds.
If you’re interested in either, and you don’t want to have to wait for what could be a fairly long time to begin, go ahead and check out the details now, and reserve your place in whichever option most speaks to you!
meet jonathan
Jonathan Fields is a dad, husband, maker, award-winning and bestselling author of six books, multi-time founder, advisor, coach, and teacher to thousands, executive producer, and host of one of the longest-running, top-ranked podcast in the world, Good Life Project®, which has been listened to and watched over 100-million times.
He is the founder of a series of companies focused on human potential, currently CEO of Spark Endeavors, where he developed the groundbreaking Sparketype® Assessment, which has been tapped by over 1-million individuals and organizations to identify, embrace, and cultivate work that makes people come alive. His latest book, SPARKED: Discover Your Unique Imprint for Work That Makes You Come Alive, is both a rally cry and a field guide to reclaiming work as a source of meaning, joy, and possibility.
He’s also the visionary behind the 2x20™ phenomenon and the founder of the maker-meets-media endeavor, Diary of a Maker™.
Jonathan’s work has been featured widely in the media, from The New York Times, FastCompany, Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review to Oprah Magazine, SUCCESS, Allure, Elle, Vogue, Parade, and Reader’s Digest.
Jonathan is someone who has walked, and continues to deepen into, this path himself. From navigating multiple career changes to redefining success and later-life reinvention, he brings not just expertise but empathy, clarity, and compassion to this work.