About
The Author
Hi, I’m Tony — a neuroscience PhD, former competitive dancer, and ex-physical therapist specializing in neurorehabilitation. I’ve spent decades studying how we learn skills, both in academic research and in real-world settings. Whether it was helping patients recover motor function, training myself for competition, or simply studying, I’ve always been fascinated by how we learn.
On this site I review the latest research and draw upon my experience to explain what works and why. And I’ll show you how to apply this science to your own skill learning journey.
If you’re curious about my career, I’m currently in product development. Prior, I had co-founded a neurotechnology startup developing a new medical device to support neurological rehabilitation. The company was launched during my PhD. Before that, I was a licensed physical therapist. And while studying to become a physical therapist, I ran a dance company. For a more detailed curriculum vitae, see here.
It may seem like an eclectic background, but there is a theme that carried through my entire career: I am fascinated by how we learn skills. And not just the science, but I loved applying it — through practicing dance, studying, and in my career as a therapist helping people move again after injury. My PhD then focused on this topic, and it was my inspiration for founding the neurotech startup.
The purpose of this website is to share what I’ve learned (and continue to learn) about developing skills. We will review the science to date, keep up with new research, and develop tools. At first, there will be a focus on movement skills because that’s my strongest expertise, but I do plan to expand to other types of skills as well.
Ultimately, my vision is that this website becomes a resource for those interested in mastering any skill as quickly, safely, and effectively as possible.
Why Learn Skills?
- Win the game.
- Get a better job.
- Impress others.
And while these are all perfectly valid, I believe our desire to learn skills runs deeper.
We derive immense satisfaction from a sense of mastery. It builds self-efficacy, confidence, and it’s fun. It’s true even of the most basic skills, like learning to tie your shoes as a kid, and learning to cook. For more specialized skills, many of us are fortunate enough to get to choose; like what to study in school and what career to pursue. It’s part of our identity, as individuals and community members.
I believe that even in some utopian future where technology automates everything from work to daily chores, we will choose to spend our time learning and creating — for example, practicing dance, understanding nature, painting, creating music, and enjoying it with others. We will still be impressed by others who achieve the highest level of skills.
Many people obsess over productivity. In my observation, I see a lot of emphasis on how to manage time, set goals and prioritize tasks — all important stuff — but all limited by the hours you have. I see a lot less of: “get good at what you do, and every hour you spend is worth more, and the work you produce will be better”. It’s obviously true, but content creators don’t focus on it as it’s not something one can implement immediately. It takes work, but it’s well worth it.
Learning is the ultimate “hack”.
Why Subscribe?
Newsletter
Stay up to date by subscribing as a free member, which will provide you with a newsletter that informs you when new content is made available.
Community
Meet others like you and contribute to the conversation with a basic membership that allows you to post comments. Eventually I plan to add a forum for members so we can help each other.
Exclusive Content
Not yet available.
While the majority of the content on this site is free, the most actionable content — such as frameworks and guidelines that help you apply the science of learning to your own practice — will be accessible to premium members.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I learn here?
We’ll review the science of learning and practice, which you can apply to anything. I’ll break down how you can apply the science to different types of goals: studying to learn information, practicing a movement skill for a sport or dance, and all at different levels of expertise.
But I do not provide tutorials for specific skills (for now) — for that, there’s already so much great content out there on the internet. What I want to help you with is how to best practice what’s shown in those tutorials.
For more, see one of my earliest blog posts about what I believe is missing from online learning.
You used to write about injuries and pain. Will you do that again?
Yes — you probably won’t hurt yourself studying, but when you’re learning a movement skill, nothing is more frustrating than getting injured and not being able to practice. And I happen to know a lot about that from my years as a physical therapist.
So yes, I plan to revise my old content on the prevention and management of injuries and chronic pain, then keep it updated for subscribers — it’s just not going to be the central theme of the website.
So where is all this content?
You’re here early! I just started this website, and it’s still majorly under construction.
I don’t think it will take me much longer, however — not only is most of the content in my head, but I’ve written about these topics before, in my PhD studies, and on my previous blog. Now I just need to revise all that content for the purposes of this site.
I hope to have the majority of the basics live in a few months. Then the plan is to keep updating things over time, adding more detail and nuance, staying on top of the research, etc.
Why do I need to subscribe?
My plan is to continuously update content for subscribed members, and then blog about what I updated. The blog section will always be available to non-members and free. So, you might be able to piece it all together, and use your own judgement about how to synthesize and prioritize all the ideas. You can think of my paid content as me doing that work for you.
I’ve considered putting ads on my site, but I don’t like the incentives that creates because then the advertisers and sponsors become your true customers. I think YouTube ads are different because creators are more at arms length from advertisers (but not sponsors). Maybe I’ll change my opinion and reconsider — contact me and let me know. I’ll always listen to feedback.
I may also allow more of my content to be free once I’ve built some paid products, courses, or apps. But that’s going to take time, and some content may always remain behind a paywall.
At the end of the day, I’m monetizing my content because I think it’s valuable — and if you’re annoyed that you have to pay, maybe you do too.
How do I comment on posts?
You have to be a paid member to comment on posts.
Why put comments behind a paywall? First, it’s more common than you think. But mostly, I’m doing this because I hated dealing with spam and trolls on my last website. This policy should ensure that only people who are serious about sharing their opinion can do so.
If you think I should reconsider, feel free to contact me — I always consider feedback, even if I don’t end up doing it.