Hi there! Troy Erstling here 👋

15 years ago  I had a simple dream –

Work from my computer, on a beach, in a foreign country.

15 years later – I can confidently say I crushed that goal with enthusiasm.

I now live in Florianopolis, Brazil with my beautiful Brazilian wife and our 3 year old son. I work from my computer and I achieved Financial + Location Independence before my 35th Birthday.

So how did I make this happen? 

Back in 2011, after graduating from University, I spent a year teaching English in South Korea.

It was a solid first step. I got out of the country, saved some money, and pursued my dream of working abroad.

After this I moved to India on a “Fellowship” in Social Entrepreneurship. It was an opportunity to continue working abroad while moving my career away from teaching and towards Entrepreneurship.

I was immediately immersed into the “Silicon Valley of India” in Bangalore. It was an exciting climate that inspired me to launch my first startup – a technology firm that connected talent with VC backed startups in any country. 

Biggest Learning:

As is the case with many first time entrepreneurs, I quickly realized that being your own boss is a challenge. I needed more structure to make sure I was effective with my time and produced results. For someone with ADHD, this wasn’t so easy…

• I discovered people like Tim Ferriss, Josh Waitzkin, Derek Sivers, Naval Ravikant and more – Masters of business, productivity, and peak performance.  
• I also learned meditation and went on a 10 day silent retreat (I have since completed 4 more of these for 50 total days of silent meditation). 

One of the books I read around this time was “Stealing Fire” by Steven Kotler.

This was a game changer. I dove deep into the concept of “flow” and began to study what allowed the top athletes, entrepreneurs, and artists to enter what is commonly referred to as “the zone” – that state where time disappears and focused effort feels effortless. 

I was obsessed. I devoured every book I could get my hands on on the subject. It connected the dots between meditation, athletic performance, work productivity, creative arts and more. I had to know more!

What happens next?

I reached out to the author of the book, Steven Kotler, and offered to volunteer.

Fast forward 3 years and I became the first seller and founding team member for the most transformative startup in the flow and peak performance space – The Flow Research Collective.

Over the next 5 years we scaled from 0>$50M and $12M ARR by year 3. I built a team of 10 AE’s and taught them all how to sell flow. We worked with clients like the Navy Seals, Formula F1, Google, Deloitte, and Goldman Sachs.

The best part? The more I taught people the science of “flow”, the more sales I made, and the more people wanted me to coach them.

Throughout these 5 years I personally coached and trained 2k+ people to implement the science of flow state into their lives. 

Who was I doing this with?

• CEO’s, CXO’s, Fortune 500 executives, VP’s, Managers, Founders and Entrepreneurs – AKA Busy ass people working 60+ hour weeks, perpetually distracted and interrupted, spread in a million directions, constantly putting out fires in the business – with no time for exercise, sleep, family (or all three). 
• Professional Athletes and Coaches looking to be at the top of their game, needing help with pre-game, in-game, and post game rituals.
• Artists, musicians, writers, and creatives who wanted a repeatable formula to achieve flow state in their respective craft. 
• Everyday individuals who simply wanted to live a happier, more productive, more fulfilling life of meaning and purpose.  

What about walking the talk?

Aside from implementing this work with individuals and businesses, I practice what I preach. I have been able to find flow state in a variety of activities ranging from creative to work to athletic performance. Here are some of them below –

• Writing – I have been writing for the last 15 years and maintain an active blog. Writing was my first gateway into flow.
• Freestyling – Give me a word, any word, and I will create an impromptu freestyle. In my past life I did a TEDx talk on it (Please ignore the hair, this was my India days…)
• Slackline/Highline – I walk on a stretchy rope strung in between two mountains for fun

• Psychedelic Flow – I have embarked on plant medicine journeys such as Ayahuasca and Psilocybin.  Read more here.
• Work – Applying these learnings have helped me to reach states of hyperfocus. 

I practice what I preach. 

In late 2024 I made the decision to leverage my knowledge, studies and personal experience and work with clients 1:1.

In my practice, we help Entrepreneurs, Athletes, and Creatives achieve Flow State on Command – repeatedly, and sustainably. 

Curious to learn more? I created a free course here that gives a solid intro into Flow Science. 

Want to dive even deeper? Schedule a free session with me. My first coaching session with you is always free, and I always guarantee results.

Not interested in training together?

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Hope to chat with you one day soon!