“I think that your PhilosophersNotes are an idea whose time has come — but primarily because you're the one who is writing them. I believe that your life to this point has prepared you for this task. It seems a fine service to the reading public, and to authors and publishers, as you introduce readers to some valuable nuggets of the perennial wisdom.” ~ Dan Millman, Author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior

Brian Johnson: Chief Philosopher

Brian's always been passionate about what makes great people great—that .00000001% who go out and really change the world... the ones who write the history books and shape our lives. He’s always wanted to understand what makes them tick and see how he can apply the truths they seemed to know to make his little dent in the universe. The PhilosophersNotes give him the chance to share the wisdom he’s picked up along the way in his own hero’s journey as he inspires and empowers people to live at their highest potential. He loves his job.

In one of his past lives, as a 24-year-old law school dropout turned Founder/CEO, Brian led the creation of eteamz—the world’s largest amateur sports site that currently (and profitably) provides team and league web sites and a comprehensive suite of services to over 3 million teams from over 120 countries around the world. (For example, Little League Baseball® uses the technology.) After spending the requisite time in “garage-mode,” eteamz won UCLA’s Business Plan competition, raised over $5 million of capital, grew from 3 to 45 employees in less than a year and was sold for over $13 million of stock and cash to The Active Network, Inc. in 2000.

After successfully leading the integration of the two companies as a Vice President at Active, Brian spent a few years as a philosopher, immersing himself in philosophy, psychology, mysticism and optimal living. He read hundreds of books and traveled a bit—studying Jesus in Jerusalem, Marcus Aurelius in the Danube of Hungary, Rumi in Konya, Turkey, (plus: check me out with "Sophia" at the Library in Ephesus! :) and Socrates in Greece. On his return, he created thinkArete.com, a site where he began distilling the universal truths of optimal living. Over 10,000 people signed up to receive his daily newsletter where he shared the wisdom of his favorite teachers, showing how everyone (from Nietzsche to Buddha to Emerson) is saying the same thing.

In 2004, in an effort to integrate his philosophical and entrepreneurial selves (yes, he’s a Gemini ☺) and to put the truths he was studying into practice, Brian created Zaadz (now Gaia)—a company named after the Dutch word for seed committed to leveraging world-class social networking tools to connect, inspire and empower people committed to transforming their lives and our planet. (Think: MySpace for people who want to change the world.)

As the Philosopher & CEO of Zaadz, he raised $3 million to finance the launch of the business. Investors included a billionaire and his family (thanks, Christiana, Cheryl & Sam!!!) and the CEO of Whole Foods (thanks, John!!). Feeling the dharmic pull to immerse himself back into studying and living the universal truths, Brian sold Zaadz to Gaiam, Inc. (Nasdaq: GAIA) in the summer of 2007.

Before all of that, Brian graduated Magna Cum Laude with Phi Beta Kappa honors from UCLA where he studied Psychology and Business. Brian has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal and various other publications on everything from philosophy and business to his vision on how to change the world. He has presented on various panels, served as a judge for the Anderson School at UCLA's Business Plan writing competition, and given lectures on conscious capitalism, entrepreneurial finance and the Internet economy at USC's Marshall School of Business, Claremont McKenna and Cal Tech.

He reads a lot and also loves to hike, laugh, write, think, draw, teach, enjoy great conversations with an inspired soul, meditate in his infrared sauna, spend time with his fiancée, Alexandra, and play with their puppy, Joy. He’ll be publishing his first book in 2009. He’s 34.

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“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
~ Apple Computers