About - Making Way with Brandon Sneed

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”

Thomas Merton

I’m Brandon Sneed. I’m an author, co-author, and/or ghostwriter for more than a dozen books, a documentary and podcast producer, and I’ve written countless articles and in-depth feature stories for Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, and more. Critics have called my books “elegantly written … vigorous and smart … a thrilling manifesto … a goddamned jewel.”

Welcome to my newsletter Making Way. It’s about the art and science of elite performance, doing great work, and living good lives.

For example: musician Nick Cave encouraging a jaded 13-year-old to find the beautiful stuff in life’s brutality, author Steven Pressfield and surf king Kelly Slater on healing versus playing hurt, and actor Ethan Hawke, podcaster/ultrarunner Rich Roll, and neuroscience on what it takes to tell critics to fuck off and make the art you want to make.

Part of Making Way will be the writing and sharing of original stories and interviews that don’t neatly fit the traditional mainstream outlets I’ve long worked for, but matter in their own ways.

“Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”

Robin Williams

Here are a few of my recent stories:

America’s First Olympic Breakdancer is Ready to Take Gold (Rolling Stone) — Victor Montalvo set out to be the best breaker in the world. Nobody ever thought that would mean spinning for a medal.
Taming the Wave (Sports Illustrated) — Surfing always came easy for Caroline Marks. At 22, she already has a world title and is headed to her second Olympics. But what she’s learned out of the water is the key to her long-term success and happiness.
Wolfe’s Hunt: The Meaning Behind a Former NFL Player’s Viral Quest for a Lion (Sports Illustrated) — The internet exploded when Derek Wolfe posted his photo with the beast. But for the former Bronco, bagging a lion had nothing to do with scoring political points and everything to do with who he is.
They Caught the Fish, but the $3.5 Million Prize Got Away (New York Times) — The guys aboard Sensation celebrated like lottery winners when they boated a monster marlin in the last hours of the fishing tournament. The party ended when they got back to shore.
Later, Slater? (Sports Illustrated) — Kelly Slater won the Super Bowl of surfing at 50. So, what’s next? He’ll consult some legends—Brady, Brees, Hawk—and wrestle his demons and keep stoking that fire. Until he doesn’t.
The Caretaker (Sports Illustrated) — Esther Lee’s physical therapy work is described by clients like the Williams sisters and Shaun White as life-changing, going beyond muscles and into matters of the soul. Now, facing down death, she’s learning to look within, too.
Where Are They Now: Shaun Weiss (Sports Illustrated) — Shaun Weiss went from child actor and star of the Mighty Ducks franchise to living on the streets and in the throes of heroin addiction. Now he says the internet has saved him.
Rex Chapman Isn’t Sure He Deserves Good Things (New York Times) — With 1.2 million Twitter followers and a new show debuting Monday, the former N.B.A. player appears to have an enviable life. But he’s haunted by what happened the last time he was famous.
From Heisman Hopeful to the Dark Side (Sports Illustrated) — The excruciating struggle to break Colt Brennan’s endless cycle of addiction: drinking and drugs, arrests and alienations, apologies and promises. Repeat.