There’s a palpable physical energy around Dan Greenwald when he’s in the room—something strong, something intruiging. Was he on some reality show you’ve seen? Is he someone you knew from college? A personal trainer at your gym? There’s a familiarity, a magnetism that makes you wonder.
It would make sense that he would harness this energy of his. He’s built a whole framework around it—and he’s giving a workshop at HudCo on Wednesday, January 25, at 6pm, to introduce you to the program. He calls it ‘Energy Farming,’ and it’s a way to control the energy with which you live. We wanted to find out a bit more about Dan and his backstory, because, no, he wasn’t a reality star, or that NYSC personal trainer.
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Before we get into professional stuff, let’s start light. What did you eat for breakfast this morning, and how do you start your day off right?
Plain Greek yogurt, some granola and blueberries or whatever fruit shows up in the fridge.
What does a regular weekday look like for you?
For starters, I have 3 kids under 13. Since Covid, owning my mornings have been key. The alarm goes off at 5:15am. By 5:30, I start the Morning Season 🌞. This is my time to meditate and do early morning writing. Today I’m enjoying answering your questions.
Then 20 minutes for the gym. I missed it this morning but did 60 pushups. From 7-8:30am, I’m responsible for getting my brood (12, 10, 3) fed and on their way. My artist wife Babette is a teacher in Manhattan, so she’s out early. Once they leave, I grab another 15 minutes or so to do Hit-bo-ded-dut, which supports my spiritual health.
By 9:30am, I’m starting my day of doing. Ideally meeting with ThirtyTenZero clients or teaching in workshops. I work out of different spots—HudCo, StandUp NY on West 78th, or when days are longer, somewhere outside.
Depending on the day, I’m back home by 6-7 pm to hang with the family. Regarding wellness, below is my weekly Energy Farming regiment. It supports my mental, physical and spiritual health with easy-to-win actions. Those attending the Energy Farming workshop will also leave with their own weekly plan. For those who use Notion, I’m happy to share the digital template.
Now down to business. How did your ThirtyTenZero system come about?
ThirtyTenZero came to be by accident. It’s a framework that can quickly define one’s Target → Focus → Action. This is used with individuals and also around the growth of their ventures.
The short story is, when we uncover our target for what we really want, as human creatures, we are more likely to get it—especially if we can increase our self-awareness around three areas:
⚡️🚜 Energy Farming – Control the energy we engage life with
🧠 StoryWatch – Capture our mind’s stories driving all our actions
💪 CourageMuscle – Act with greater intention using the mantra “Fear equals opportunity”
Before it was called ThirtyTenZero, this was originally the system I cobbled together to keep me out of my own way, and on some rails of continued growth. I grew up with a stutter, and since I was young, I have been obsessed with how people change and grow by harnessing our intrinsic motivation.
Here’s a visual from 2019 when this took shape:
The transition into a business happened when three different clients, asked and started paying me for their own customized framework. That was the beginning of 2019. Fast forward to now, and ThirtyTen Zero has turned into a methodology and a system, having supported over 100 people and having applied the ThirtyTenZero to a number of their businesses.
Tell us a quick story about a client who used your methodology and the results.
The majority of users have been entrepreneurs and creatives/ artists. It’s very exciting working with passionate hungry people who want to shift from their current norms.
A recent example of someone I’m working with are the rockers who make up the band SUSU. Liza Colby and Kia Warren use ThirtyTenZero strategy sessions to ensure their target focus and actions are in alignment with each other, their band, and the support team that surrounds them. This has supported their growth, and who they choose for their band. Before their last European tour, we used a strategy session to make sure they were focused on how their upcoming tour was going to get them what they were really aiming for. Health and wellness became a priority along with how they scheduled their time.
The big shift is asking the question, “how does [being in SUSU, or running HudCo or waking up at 5:15] help you get what you really want?
You use a lot of emojis. What’s your favorite?
That’s like asking what’s your favorite Stones song. I’m a visual learner, so I love communicating visually.
I’ve been using a lot of ⚡️🚜 as I’m putting out the idea of Energy Farming. Also 🪓: Active Resting is what keeps our ax sharp. ⚙️: I’m a lover of systems and frameworks, so gears are how I see things moving.
Here are my frequently used emojis as of late:
You are our link to Stand Up NY. What’s your connection to the comedy world?
Dani Zoldan is the owner of Stand Up NY and a serial entrepreneur who sees opportunities where others see “gate-closed” challenges. With humility, he attributes the growth of the last few years to the work he continues to do via the ThirtyTenZero framework. I’ve been working with him since 2018, in the role of strategic support of him as a leader and the execution of many of his visions.
Once COVID hit, and the city shut down NYC entertainment, he sold tickets to comedy shows in Central Park and on subways, and we created the Temple of Laughter to have comics continue doing their craft for those needing to laugh. Out of that came the concept of “Stand Up NY Presents,” which brings the comedy show experience to other venues that are a “right-fit” partner, like HudCo.
In full disclosure, Dani is really the one who named this framework ThirtyTenZero. I was running a business strategy session with him and his team from Skitish Media. I was pushing them to think beyond their “10,000 ft. view” and go up to “30,000 ft” to define their specific target for what they were really aiming for. He stopped me and said, “Wait. That’s 30, 10… and what do you call the actions?” I said, “that’s zero—what’s right in front of us.”
Who are you hoping to see at your workshop on January 25?
Other hungry people who don’t want to settle and who are looking for a practical and immediate way to shift their life forward. It can be entrepreneurs, creatives or others who aren’t sure what’s next.