Never Ask A Cat For Financial Advice with Alex Joonto

“You have a moral duty to yourself to go after the thing—even if you have to go alone at first.”

In this episode, writer and blogger Alex Joonto joins from the border of Spain and Portugal, where he’s about to move into a new countryside home. He shares how writing has always been both his calling and his rebellion—leaving university against the advice of his family, diving into technical writing, and now pursuing life as a full-time author.

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This episode is sponsored by my new book BRANDJITSU, helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world.

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In this episode Alex talks about experimenting with AI by creating a parody of Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life. He asked ChatGPT to generate its own rules, resulting in surprising gems like, “Never ask a cat for financial advice.” The process showed him that while AI is a useful tool, what gives writing its true value is the human effort, vulnerability, and even suffering poured into it.

He also discusses his debut book, Thank You President Corona, written in the heart of the pandemic. Instead of despair, Alex found growth—embracing fitness, therapy, and journalling while reframing adversity as opportunity. He shares his belief that even in the darkest times, silver linings can be found.

This conversation weaves through his love of journalling as daily practice, thoughts on Medium vs. Substack, his favourite typeface (Verdana), and the family lasagna secret of adding nutmeg to the sauce. His advice for rebels-in-waiting is bold and simple: expect resistance, especially from those closest to you, but pursue your dream anyway. You have a moral duty to yourself to walk the difficult path.

Quoteable Quotes

“Never ask a cat for financial advice.” — Alex Joonto

“A piece of art is as valuable as the suffering the artist puts in it.” — Alex Joonto

“You have a moral duty to yourself to go after the thing—even if you have to go alone at first.” — Alex Joonto

“It just made the vein on my head pulse a little… a wasted opportunity to actually say something that matters.” — Michael Dargie

“Life can be a big joke—you don’t need to take yourself so seriously all the time.” — Alex Joonto

Episode Highlights

Portugal vs. Spain | Why Alex calls Portugal home but keeps returning to Spain.
Becoming a Writer | From technical manuals to novels.
AI Experiment | Creating “12 Rules for Life” through ChatGPT.
Rule #1 | “Never ask a cat for financial advice.”
Going Against the Grain | Dropping out of university to pursue work and writing.
Technical Writing | Manuals nobody reads and why it mattered.
Spain’s Inspiration | Its cultures, history, and lifestyles.
Thank You President Corona | A rebellious pandemic book.
From Push-Ups to Therapy | How pandemic habits reshaped his life.
Medium vs. Substack | Pros, cons, and plans for publishing.
AI and Art | Why suffering and vulnerability matter.
Filling the Bucket | Journalling as mental training.
Favourite Typeface | Verdana for clarity.
Life Philosophy | Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Food Corner | Salads, olive oil, and lasagna with nutmeg.
Books to Recommend | Atomic Habits and Jurassic Park.
Advice for Rebels | Go despite resistance; a moral duty to yourself.

Links from Episode

Alex Joonto Website (https://www.alexjoonto.com/12-rules-for-life-according-to-chatgpt)
Alex on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandro-giuntini-85014a5a/)
Alex on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/alexjoonto/)

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