Chris Williamson
Host · Modern Wisdom
Host of Modern Wisdom, a long-form interview show covering psychology, performance and modern life. A former club promoter turned self-described "life audit" case study, he talks openly about quitting alcohol, training and the reading habit behind his monthly book list. His stack is a distillation of the guests he interviews.
- Entries
- 27
- Does
- 18
- Recommends
- 8
- Discusses
- 1
The gear and products they use
All 10 products in this stack
- SupplementDoes it$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Creatine monohydrate
Creatine sits in the middle tier of his supplement routine, taken daily alongside an afternoon protein shake, and he has used it for around a decade.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, Imposter Syndrome, Cocaine & WaistsView item: Creatine monohydrateBacked by 10 of 34 stacks - BookRecommends$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Why We Sleep
Credits it with making him take sleep seriously, points listeners to it, and has hosted sleep researchers on the back of it.
Source: Modern Wisdom Reading List, Volume 1View item: Why We SleepBacked by 8 of 34 stacks - SupplementDoes it$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Electrolyte supplementation
First item of a fixed morning routine is an electrolyte mix in cold water.
Source: Ben Greenfield Life podcast transcriptView item: Electrolyte supplementationBacked by 6 of 34 stacks - BookRecommends$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Atomic Habits
Called it his most recommended book of 2019 and hosted its author on the show.
Source: Modern Wisdom episode 64 with James ClearVisit jamesclear.com (opens in a new tab)Backed by 5 of 34 stacks - BookRecommends$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Deep Work
Rates it for the argument that sustained concentration is a trainable and increasingly rare skill.
Source: Modern Wisdom Reading List, Volume 1View item: Deep WorkBacked by 5 of 34 stacks - BookRecommends$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Man's Search for Meaning
Recalibrates ordinary complaints quickly, which is why it is a standing recommendation on his lists.
Source: Modern Wisdom Reading List, Volume 1View item: Man's Search for MeaningBacked by 3 of 34 stacks - BookRecommends$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
The Daily Stoic
Pitches it as a daily ritual book rather than a straight-through read, and has hosted its author repeatedly.
Source: Modern Wisdom Reading List, Volume 1View item: The Daily StoicBacked by 3 of 34 stacks - GearDoes itSponsor, disclosed
Eight Sleep
Sleeps on a temperature-controlled mattress cover. Eight Sleep is one of the partners listed on his own deals page.
Source: chriswillx.com: partner deals pageVisit eightsleep.com (opens in a new tab)Backed by 2 of 34 stacks - GearDoes it$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Kindle e-reader
Does most of his reading on a Kindle, and the exported highlights become the notes behind his book recommendations.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, Murder, Fame & ReadingView item: Kindle e-readerBacked by 2 of 34 stacks - BookRecommends$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Returns to its ideas frequently on the show, and recommends it for the sections on specific knowledge and on what multiplies a person's output.
Source: Modern Wisdom Reading List, Volume 1View item: The Almanack of Naval RavikantBacked by 2 of 34 stacks
Protocols
10 entriesRepeatable, mostly free routines with a defined trigger and dose.
Began lifting at eighteen, obsessed with gaining muscle, and has trained ever since. He now describes it as identity rather than discipline.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, Obsession, Time & LoveBacked by 27 of 34 stacksCold plunges go in regularly, and he talks about them as much for the discomfort tolerance as for the physiological effect.
Source: Modern Wisdom podcastBacked by 20 of 34 stacksStays fasted until early afternoon most days, usually eating from around one or two o'clock.
Source: Ben Greenfield Life podcast transcriptBacked by 18 of 34 stacksBuilds meals around a high protein target for training, and talks about how much higher it is than most people assume.
Source: Modern Wisdom podcastBacked by 15 of 34 stacksPairs sauna with cold as a standing part of his week, and has repeatedly hosted researchers on the heat literature.
Source: Modern Wisdom podcastBacked by 13 of 34 stacksBefore touching his phone, he looks outside for at least five minutes; the day goes noticeably worse when he skips it, he says.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, Advice, Fathers & TRTBacked by 9 of 34 stacksStuart McGill's Big 3 and Foundation Training exercises run every morning, as maintenance rather than part of a lifting session.
Source: Ben Greenfield Life podcastBacked by 7 of 34 stacksNo caffeine within ninety minutes of waking and none after 1pm is the rule, and he has gone long stretches with none at all.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, 2024 Candidates & ButterfliesBacked by 3 of 34 stacksEmphasizes a cold, blacked-out bedroom as the foundation, before spending on sleep technology.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, Sleep, Sex & PlasticBacked by 7 of 34 stacksRepeats weekly aerobic targets from guests, with no settled easy-cardio routine of his own.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, Dreamers, Buttons & OrgasmsBacked by 9 of 34 stacks
Habits
7 entriesDaily practices held long enough to become default behavior.
Ten minutes of reading a day is the floor, which he lists among the highest-return resolutions he has kept, and he publishes a hundred-book reading list.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, 2024 Candidates & ButterfliesBacked by 18 of 34 stacksUnguided meditation on Insight Timer is part of the morning routine.
Source: Ben Greenfield Life podcast transcriptBacked by 16 of 34 stacksLeft a career in club promotion and stopped drinking, and describes it as the single change that improved his sleep and mood most.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, Monk Mode, Sleep & BraveryBacked by 11 of 34 stacksWalks fifteen minutes every morning, for the daylight and for thinking time.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, 2024 Candidates & ButterfliesBacked by 9 of 34 stacksSplits the 6-Minute Diary across the day as a fixture, three minutes in the morning and three in the evening.
Source: Ben Greenfield Life podcast transcriptBacked by 8 of 34 stacksCharges the phone outside the bedroom overnight, one of the resolutions he has kept.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, 2024 Candidates & ButterfliesBacked by 6 of 34 stacksScreens go off ninety minutes before bed, with e-readers exempted: he says they do not hit sleep the way phones and televisions do.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, Sleep, Sex & PlasticBacked by 5 of 34 stacks
In their own words
Checked word for word against the linked source
“I’ve cut out alcohol for over 2000 days in the last 8 years. Gone 500 days without caffeine. 1500+ sessions of meditation. 5+ years of daily journals filled, 300+ sessions of yin yoga, probably 500+ hours of Stu McGill’s Big 3.”
chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday – Monk Mode, Sleep & Bravery (opens in a new tab) · 2 Feb 2026 “4 years ago, I wanted to read more. … Buying a Paperwhite was one of the best hacks for making reading more convenient & frictionless.”
chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday – Murder, Fame & Reading (opens in a new tab) · 28 Sept 2020 “Darken your room & make it cooler than you think it needs to be. … But the most important hack is to actually prioritise your sleep.”
chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday – Sleep, Sex & Plastic (opens in a new tab) · 21 Sept 2020
Latest episodes
All of Modern Wisdom (opens in a new tab)- WW3 Debate: “We’re On the Brink of Global Collapse” - #1144 (opens in a new tab) · 3h 6m
- Mexican Batman, Britain’s Downfall, Mr Bean’s Comeback & Jimmy Carr - Rabbit Hole #5 - #1143 (opens in a new tab) · 2h 10m
- Female Psychopath Explains How She Manipulates Men - Kanika Batra - #1142 (opens in a new tab) · 1h 53m
- “Age Reversal Is Coming.” Everything You Need To Know - Dr David Sinclair - #1141 (opens in a new tab) · 2h 6m
- Why Violence Is Safer Than Vulnerability - Johnny Chang - #1140 (opens in a new tab) · 2h 0m
Stack notes are paraphrased. Anything in quotation marks is a short excerpt copied from the transcript it links to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.