Finally start that project you’ve been putting off
Five weeks. Get moving. Find your people.
The world has changed.
It’s not about what you know.
It’s about what you do.
Launch a podcast Write online Vibecode an app Write a book proposal Start making videos Make a digital product
Act Two is a live five-week creative accelerator to get your best idea out of your head and into the world.
Start that project you’ve been putting off.
Become someone who creates things, not just consumes.
Be proud to answer the question “So what have you been up to?”
Cohort 2 begins January 28
Act Two is built by the team behind Write of Passage:
“Hands down the best investment I've made in years, maybe ever.”
3,100+ students from 75+ countries
98% alumni would recommend
“Life-changing” results
Write it, record it, code it, film it, make it, do it. “It” is up to you. What’s that one idea you just can’t shake? A stirring vision? An inspiring new direction?
Any creative medium. Any project type. The choice is yours. As long as you can share it with the world, it’s fair game.
What will you choose?
What do you mean I can work on anything?
Here are some projects that our students are tackling:
Accountability
No more excuses. No more delays. In Act Two, you’ll commit to a clear project timeline and actions each week. We’ll hold you accountable. On-the-spot exercises will get you moving in the moment. And regular check-ins will ensure you keep your momentum.
Community
Here, you’ll build alongside others. Expect to meet enthusiastic, curious, driven peers working on Creative Projects they care about. You’ll receive feedback and encouragement from people who care. Share your wins. Make friends. And once you join, you’re a member for life.
Your first step is to envision what future version of your Second Act feels energizing, and what type of project could get you moving toward it.
01
Conceive
You’ll then battle-test your different project ideas through action, conversation, and feedback.
02
Validate
It’s time for massive action. You’ll go from 0 → 1 on your project, doing the creative work necessary to usher your vision into reality.
03
Execute
Got a day job?
We know you have commitments – work, family, school and beyond. Don’t quit your job. Don’t cancel all your plans.
You can complete Act Two on your nights and weekends.
Expect to give at least 10 hours per week toward your creative project. A focused time investment with power-law returns.
It’s simple – you come in with a project idea. And you build it alongside other exceptional people.
Monday Group Session
Momentum Mondays. A live session to kickstart your week. Set your intentions and start taking action – in real-time. Think exercises, breakouts & guest speakers.
Creative Labs
Small peer groups to smash your roadblocks and harvest novel perspectives to sharpen your thinking.
1-on-1 Collaboration
Fellow humans to help you along the way. Includes two personalized 1:1 sessions to scope your project, plus ongoing 1:1 sparring and peer feedback.
Weekly Challenges
Custom challenges to help you uncover unexpected opportunities and leverage.
Guest Experts
Live instruction + AMAs from skilled practitioners in your creative domain. Learn from those in the arena.
Co-working
Daily live co-working Gyms and labs. Come along to spar with others, learn new tools, collaborate and get feedback on your project.
Our Past Practitioners
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Louie Bacaj
Vibe Coding
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Anne-Laure Le Cunff
Mindset
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Ali Abdaal
Media
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Paul Millerd
Books & Writing
“So what have you been up to lately?”
Have an answer you're proud to tell others.
This is not a step-by-step how-to. You don’t need more knowledge (that’s a Google/YouTube/ChatGPT search away). Specific skills are vulnerable to the latest AI update. The world belongs to those who conquer inner fears and BUILD.
That’s exactly what you’ll do here. Bold moves. Courages leaps. Life-shifting results.
This is not a course.
Who is this for?
Does your work feel cog-in-machine? You can find an entry point to a new path.
Are you wasting away your free time? You can find a fulfilling creative pursuit.
Are you ready for a new challenge? You can find your next peak.
Are you busy consuming, not creating? You can get off the sidelines.
Act Two won’t be a good fit if:
X You feel content. You don’t feel like you were ‘made for more’
X You’re not motivated to put in the work (even alongside driven peers)
X You prefer to sit back and consume information
X You’re not a self-starter or internally motivated
X You’re someone who prefers comfort over new challenges
Real People. Real Second Acts.
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![A man with a mustache wearing a black long sleeve shirt is standing on a staircase, holding a handrail with one hand, in a multi-level indoor space filled with large plants and wooden furniture.]()
“Start today. You’ll be glad you did right away and forever regret it if you don’t.”
Warren stepped onto a new career path.
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![Woman sitting on an outdoor balcony sofa with a cityscape in the background, smiling at the camera.]()
“Clarity builds through action, not planning.”
Charlotte created her own coaching and training business.
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![A woman with dark hair partially hidden in shadows, with one eye visible and illuminated by warm ambient lighting in the background.]()
“Most mornings I wake up at 4:30 AM. I do not set an alarm. I just can’t wait to write.”
Charlie is writing her memoir.
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![A woman with long, wavy brown hair held back with a red and white polka dot headband, speaking into a microphone at a lectern outdoors with modern glass architecture and green trees in the background.]()
"It feels like I’ve finally landed in work that mirrors my values, purpose, and natural strengths."
Paz is building a community and education company.
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![Black and white portrait of a smiling man with short hair wearing a casual shirt]()
"I didn’t go get an MBA. I started a podcast instead."
Andrew turned a curiosity into a podcast.
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![A man with dark hair and a beard sitting on grass in a backyard, wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, and a smartwatch, with a wooden shed and brick wall in the background.]()
“I’m doing the work I want to do—writing and investing in companies I love."
Packy began writing online and it became his thing.
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“I realized I could do things I thought I couldn’t do. And what others thought I couldn’t do.”
Xinran landed his dream job, in an entirely different industry.
Cohort 2 begins January 28
Key Details
The program starts on January 28 and ends on February 27.
The Kickoff Session is Wednesday January 28, 4pm. Eastern time
Group Sessions are at 4pm Mondays. Eastern time. 90 minutes.
Live Co-Working, Creative Labs and Practitioner Sessions scheduled throughout. Recordings are available.
A word from the Founders
The world has changed.
Endless information. AI superpowers available at our fingertips.
We’re entering the Golden Age of Creativity.
There’s just one bottleneck left: the mind. Ancient biology holds us hostage: hesitations, doubts, self-sabotage. How many one-of-one creative visions have stayed trapped in someone’s mind thanks to these pesky psychological blocks?
Act Two exists to help you break through.
To help you follow through on that project you’ve always been thinking about.
To get your best work into the world, so you can get in the game, and start tapping into the Internet. Endless opportunities await. Who knows what path you’ll carve? There is no ceiling to the Internet’s abundance.
But why us? Why are we building this community of creative reinvention?
First, we built Write of Passage, the gold standard of online courses: 3,100 students from 75+ countries. Thousands of students launched their work onto the Internet in the program we built. We’ve pioneered the frontiers of top-quality online learning experiences.
And we both have track records of creative follow-through. Will became a standup comedian in China (after thousands of hours of practice). Dan created a vibrant community of woodworkers (and rebuilt his house from scratch).
So what about you? What’s that creative project you’ve always wanted to complete, but keep putting off? What gives you that gnawing sense of having had, and lost, an infinite inner potential?
In Act Two, you’ll smash these barriers, alongside hundreds of other curious, driven learners from around the world. You’ll finally follow through. And your creative project, shared with the world, will start to attract new opportunities your current self can’t even imagine.
What will you create?
– Will and Dan
Will Mannon
Dan Sleeman
FAQs
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A completed creative project
A public-facing showcase of this project, on the platform of your choice
New know-how and skills around your creative domain (including the latest AI tools)
A supportive community of curious, driven peers (with lifetime access to the virtual Act Two workspace)
Lifetime access to all program materials and resources
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You will be able to take Act Two alongside a full-time job.
Expect a minimum of five hours per week. Most people will spend 7-10 hours per week on the program.
Five hours includes: core session attendance, completing each weekly step, additional project work, and exchanging peer feedback. 7-10 hours will include attending optional Action Gyms, AI Labs, and tactical guest workshops.
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Any project that involves creativity, making something, and can be shared publicly is fair game. Some common project areas include:
Writing, podcasting, creating videos, software products and projects, visual storytelling, learning in public, making your first online dollar, or using AI to create a fundamentally new creative output (ex: an AI- co-hosted podcast or an AI-driven art project).
If you’re unsure if your project is a good fit, we’d love to chat to you about it. Send us a note here.
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Yes. We’ve built a wide network of creative practitioners who will be available for conversations and support. Some will even be featured more prominently as leaders of guest workshops.
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Yes. Even after the program ends, you will be a permanent member of the Act Two virtual community as long as it exists. You’ll also have unlimited access to all program materials and resources.
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Act Two is far more than a course – it’s a fast-paced action sprint. It’s a smorgasbord of sessions. It’s a thriving community of creatively-minded, ambitious people from dozens of countries around the world. Call it “Coachella for Creativity.”
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No. This is a live learning experience, focused on taking action on your creative project. There will be plenty of activities beyond the weekly 90-minute core sessions, including personalized pre-course 1:1 Welcome Calls, weekly Action Gyms, AI Labs to experiment with new tools, tactical guest workshops, and an active community hub to talk and exchange feedback with fellow students.
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Core Sessions include central themes for the week, plus key live steps toward your creative project, so we encourage you to join them all. But if you have to miss one, that’s okay. All sessions will be recorded and shared in the virtual community hub. You’ll have indefinite access to watch all session recordings, even after the program ends.
We also offer “Watch Parties” – live, next-day replays of Core Sessions with the opportunity to complete all live exercises alongside fellow students. If you have an ongoing conflict or live in a time zone that makes Core Session attendance inconvenient, we’ve designed the Watch Parties just for you. These are at 12pm ET.
One of our Europe-based Write of Passage alums put it best:
“The Watch Parties are truly incredible. A second bite of the apple for those that just can't make a session and a great way to include people in non-US time zones in the Write of Passage community.”
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Enrollment is risk-free. If you’re not satisfied with your program experience, you can request a full refund within 14 days of the start of the course.
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Yes, you can receive a certificate of completion for Act Two.
That said – we believe the real qualification you earn will be:
Your completed creative project
Your public-facing project showcase
The personal transformation achieved while completing your project
Ongoing connections and friendships with dozens of fellow Act Two-ers
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Yes, in the sense that you’ll complete a creative project and share it publicly. This is the first step toward attracting like-minded followers and fans.
In another sense, this is a six-week program focused on taking action and kickstarting your Second Act. It is not a tactical marketing or audience growth bootcamp. The momentum from your creative project can and will produce audience growth for Act Two members (the same dynamic played out for countless students in our last program, Write of Passage). That said, there’s also tremendous value that can come from sharing a creative project in public that’s separate from audience growth. Consider this quote from Andrew, who launched a niche Marketing History podcast just a few months ago:
“I had doubts about whether the podcast was worth pursuing, but I’m a few months into the podcast and it’s going great.
I get to speak with some of the most interesting authors, academics, and marketers I admire just because I host a podcast. Other important and influential people have discovered my podcast, either organically or through podcast guests sharing the show. It’s not topping the Spotify charts, but these connections have been incredibly rewarding.” -
Picture a recurring workout class for your mind.
Action Gyms are high-intensity virtual work and feedback sessions. You’ll jump online with fellow students to work on your weekly challenge, progress your project, jam on feedback, and overcome mental roadblocks.Actions Gyms are frequent and convenient. Expect more than 50 Action Gyms spread across time zones throughout the six weeks. Attendance is strictly optional, but in our past program (Write of Passage), these were viewed as some of the most valuable parts of the program. You can attend as many or few as you’d like week to week. Whatever helps you make headway on your project.
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New AI tools arrive by the week. AI Labs are designed to help you make sense of the current landscape. You’ll have a chance to discover and learn the cutting-edge version of AI-driven tools across creative domains.
These sessions use a choose-your-own breakout room technique. Expect 10-15 breakout rooms led by experts familiar with the latest features and functions of each tool. You’ll have the flexibility to jump between rooms as you see fit. AI Labs will recur weekly throughout Act Two. We’ll also share written summaries of all rooms so you’re able to catch up on highlights of rooms you don’t join.
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The first Core Session kicks off on Wednesday, September 3rd. All Core Sessions:
Wednesday, September 3rd from 7-8:30pm ET.
Monday, September 8th
Monday, September 15th
Monday, September 22nd
Monday, September 29th
Monday, October 6th
Each Core Session has a corresponding Watch Party the following day.
There will also be a number of other optional sessions each week (Watch Parties, Action Gyms, AI Labs, tactical Guest Workshops), with specific dates to follow.
We’re looking for people with a creative inclination, the desire to make a change, and a curiosity and enthusiasm that will help drive the entire group forward.
If that sounds like a fit, please share your email here, and let us know what you plan to work on. What will you build?
If you have an questions, comments, or concerns, please let us know.