Running The First Mental Fitness Training in Web3

This summer we ran the Alpha version of the Twoplus Mental Fitness course. 

The goal was to help participants develop habits that would improve their mental health in the short and long term, all while working in DAOs and the rest of Web3.

> “Twoplus is a mental fitness cohort for people who contribute to DAOs and work in Web3. {…} That really opened my eyes to how poorly I was managing my time and my energy” - [Livster](https://twitter.com/livpasquarelli), Social Media Manager, PoolTogether Podcast [ep. #33 (13’)](https://pooltogethercommunity.substack.com/p/pooltogether-community-podcast-33#details)

The feedback we received is full of learnings and we’re going to double down with a new version of the program in November (applications now open [here](https://jv2bphd1l4e.typeform.com/to/AkxTX8EB)). But first, here is a quick retrospective on the Alpha.

1. Alpha Cohort Highlights 

2. What exactly happened in those 4 weeks?

3. What we’ve learned 

4. What’s next with the Beta version

## 1 - Alpha Cohort Highlights

* Alpha ticket price: 0.1ETH 

* Total revenue: $3.3k 

* Number of participants: 24 (7 women, 17 men, 7 POC)

* Instructors: [Antoine](https://twitter.com/antoinesakho), [Steph](https://twitter.com/cryptohun3y), [Sam](https://twitter.com/samspurlin) & [Tanisi](https://twitter.com/tanisi_pooran) (The Ready), [Frogmonkee](https://twitter.com/frogmonkee), [Marc Champagne](https://twitter.com/marcchampagne), [Lola](https://twitter.com/lolacole_) (Othership) (3 women, 3 men, 2 POC)

* Top Tools: [Gather Town](https://twitter.com/gather_town), Discord, [Mochi](https://twitter.com/bondwithmochi), Miro, [Othership](https://twitter.com/bondwithmochi)

* Partners: [Chainspaces](https://twitter.com/bondwithmochi), Othership, Mochi

* Contributors: [Efra](https://twitter.com/0xEFRA) (design), [Ahalya](https://twitter.com/CoachAhalya) (coaching experience)

* Cohort Lead: [Louis](https://twitter.com/albiverse) (writing this)

**A BIG thank you to our partners, contributors and participants who have made this program possible with their heart and passion.**

![The Twoplus Gather Town space designed by @chainspaces](https://images.mirror-media.xyz/publication-images/mOXs5Dhq8ibahmNFHohxX.png?height=1020&width=2008)

## 2 - What happened in those 4 weeks?

> “Twoplus was a fun course - didn’t know it would be possible with a subject matter like mental health” - Dima, founder of[ Docare.io](http://docare.io), Twoplus Alpha Cohort participant

The two main themes of this first version were mental fitness and DAO collaboration.

Our hypothesis was that mental fitness and DAO collaboration training were complementary. The self-awareness (i.e. awareness of our own internal states and how others perceive us) and self-management (i.e. good use of our time and biological resources) developed through mental fitness exercises enable one to contribute fittingly, nurture healthy relationships, and lead with effectiveness. 

Mental fitness training included practices for:

* Focus and prioritization

* Stress and anxiety management

* Energy management

* Increased self-awareness

* Boundaries setting

DAO collaboration training included:

* DAO operating rhythms and goal setting

* Decision making

* Running efficient and human meetings

* Conflict resolution and relationships management

This content was distilled through 3 main formats: 

* **Workshops**

* **A team based habit building game**

* **and weekly team meetings** 

Workshops were interactive most -often using Miro boards- and information dense. They were taught by experts of various areas of mental fitness or DAO collaboration. Here are the 6 workshops we had for the Alpha Cohort.

1. Intro to Mental Fitness (w/ Marc Champagne)

2. Setting Boundaries (w/ Frogmonkee)

3. Breathwork (w/ Othership)

4. Prioritization and focus (w/ Louis)

5. Conflict resolution (w/ Steph)

6. Running meetings optimizing for connection and efficiency (w/ Antoine)

7. Operating rhythms, goal set

Our First Ever Mental Fitness Cohort Is Here

*Twoplus is a mental fitness club for DAO contributors* 🧠🏋️‍♂️

*Questions on the DAO Gymnasium Alpha? DM [@twoplus_xyz](https://twitter.com/twoplus_xyz)* 


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We’re running the first ever DAO Gymnasium Cohort in July with a group of \~15-20 DAO leaders and contributors!

The purpose of this program is to open new horizons for participants in areas which we believe are key to a successful and fulfilling career in the DAO space.

Over 4 weeks we’ll cover items in 3 areas:

1. Starting or improving a mental fitness practice 🧠🏋️‍♂️
2. Improving self-management 🧭
3. DAO leadership and DAO design 👩‍🏭

### Starting Or Improving A Mental Fitness Practice 🧠🏋️‍♂️

*Transformation Goal → participants pick up a mental fitness habit that they sustain and evolve beyond the course.*

Why this focus on mental fitness? We believe that we’re about to see a revolution in the way we approach mental well-being and performance. A shift from a passive and corrective “mental health” perspective to a much more proactive and intentional one based on “mental fitness”.

Specifically, contributors who immerse fully in DAOs and step up as leaders need to develop “mental athlete” qualities: handle moments of high stress (*mental resilience*), be emotionally intelligent and self-aware (*mental flexibility*), be confident in their self-direction and drive (*mental strength*), be able to sustain their efforts while preventing burnout and favouring a relaxed state (*mental* *endurance*).

In the DAO Gymnasium Alpha we’ll introduce or revisit timeless or novel practices and see how they can be inserted in participant’s day-to-day. These practices are fundamentals like meditation, breathwork, flow, reflection — all aiming at increasing vitality, reducing stress, improving focus and fulfilment.

### Better Self-Management 🧭

*Transformation Goal → participants pick up at least 1 practical tool that durably improves the way they organize and prioritize on a daily basis.*

Good self-management abilities help maximize efficiency, productivity and help keep track of short or long term goals. As a secondary effect, self-management practices help reduce the uncertainty that is inherent to DAO work by systematizing recurring decisions, resulting in a higher degree of freedom.

We’ll work with participants to improve and customize their Operating Systems covering some of the following: goal setting, scheduling, prioritizing, managing commitments and accountability.

### DAO Leadership And Contributor Experience 👩‍🏭

*Transformation Goal → participants learn 1 practical skill that helps them move things forward in a DAO or other self-managing organizational setting.*

Finally we’ll touch on a few key skills that power collaboration in DAOs. Diving into some of the following: running meetings, running sprints, conflict resolution processes… These work facilitation tools are at the basis of both productivity and org culture and deserve much attention.

Beyond facilitation we’ll leave room for conversations around organizational design and contributor experience. Whether that’s around onboarding, decision making or compensation. All DAOs have common challenges as well as particular ones. Here we will benefit from the multiplicity of perspectives and experiences brought by the diverse set of participants in the cohort.


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As organizers of this program our intention is to create a fun and straightforward experience that provides substance while preserving participants’ busy calendars. To make this happen we’ll use a set of synchronous conversations/workshops and asynchronous habit building games.

We’re grateful for those who will be part of this first cohort and we’re excited to learn and improve the overall experience. **Contributors are the foundations upon which this DAO space is being built.** The need for more contributor training and the upside of raising awareness around mental fitness in the Web3 space is immense.


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*Questions on the DAO Gymnas

Cultivating Mental Fitness In DAOs

![](https://images.mirror-media.xyz/publication-images/y2fYgNhdREtIwvg8jcnrS.png?height=1440&width=2880&&&&size=large)

Good Mental health is fundamental to our lives and careers. It is a prerequisite for us to achieve ambitious goals, ​​sustain relationships and meaningfully contribute to our communities.

Yet today mental health in DAOs is under siege and a better future of work is compromised by the many challenges present both in DAOs and the contributor lifestyle.

[https://twoplus.mirror.xyz/7neZfOiz0mGUO776qdHiSd70zGDZyC4opXAo3enqtt0](https://twoplus.mirror.xyz/7neZfOiz0mGUO776qdHiSd70zGDZyC4opXAo3enqtt0)

That’s the reason we instigated Twoplus: a mental fitness club for DAO contributors. **Our mission is to empower digital communities to thrive and create positive impact by putting mental fitness at the core of collaboration.**

> “Mental Fitness is the modifiable capacity to utilize resources and skills to flexibly adapt to challenges or advantages, enabling thriving (optimal functioning)”

We believe that mental fitness allows us to become aware of ourselves and unlock our full potential sustainably. As a community we’re taking advantage of how early DAOs are to make mental fitness culture a default of the DAO space. 

In this post we’re making the case for mental fitness in DAOs and Web3.

1. Introducing Mental Fitness
2. The Cost Of Mental Health in DAOs
3. Injecting Mental Fitness In DAOs And The Contributor Lifestyle

## Introducing Mental Fitness

Mental fitness shifts our perspective on mental health from something we endure to something we can nurture intentionally. Just as with physical fitness, adopting a mental fitness practice means training our brains towards better mental strength, resilience and flexibility.

Mental fitness is relevant to everyone but even more so for DAO contributors. We’re continuously processing information, context switching and being pulled in every direction even when we’re “offline”. Our abundant consumption of “junk information” makes us “mentally overweight” and in constant search for more stimulation or dopamine hits.

Work in the past might have been physically exhausting but in DAOs most of the drain is on our brain. This new work paradigm comes at an overwhelmingly high cost as over time our brain health goes down and we become unable to function on par with a healthy version of ourselves.

One conclusion is that at this point working in DAOs and Web3 involves a certain degree of fitness. Mental Fitness practices are here to help us adapt to this new landscape and turn the challenges of DAO life into opportunities to grow:.

* Better handling of digital relationships and ambiguous interactions through high awareness of our own triggers and heightened emotional intelligence - *mental “flexibility”*
* Coping with the intensity and events of the day by knowing how to shut down our nervous system and eventually prevent a state of burn-out - *mental “resilience”*
* Regaining agency over what we focus on in the moment and working on better aligning our work with our strengths and values in the long term - *mental “strength”*

Through increasing our emotional intelligence, self-awareness and spontaneous mental fitness skillset, we do much better at responding to a situation, whether it is an event like a market crash or a tension with another contributor. We’re more objective and become better problem solvers. We also manage our energy sustainably and avoid tragic injuries like burn-out or conflicts.

[https://twitter.com/chaserchapman/status/1458825169267531781](https://twitter.com/chaserchapman/status/1458825169267531781)

### The Cost Of Mental Debt In DAOs

Let’s use a quick historical analogy to highlight the importance of an intentional approach to mental fitness in the DAO space: 

In the 1950s, Americans shifted to an over abundant and sedentary suburban lifestyle. This sudden change resulted in the many health conditions that have been raging and growing in the states. 


DAO Contributor Skills: Mental Fitness, Self-Direction, Facilitation

*In this article we provide an overview of what we consider to be some of the most valuable skills DAO contributor can develop and use in today’s DAO space. For each of the 3 skill categories we provide a high-level introduction and briefly touch on corresponding tactics and practices.*


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Organizational leadership is no longer the exclusive domain of the C-suite. **Web3 and the self-managing nature of DAOs is democratizing the ability for many DAO contributors to be impactful leaders.**

With this novel mode of collaboration comes the need to educate and equip all DAO members - from contributors to operators to founders - with the fundamental skill sets they need to meaningfully participate in distributed organizations.

The contributor skills we describe here are based on the observation that fully engaging with a DAO is about more than simply accomplishing tasks - at its core, **working in a DAO is about processing vast amounts of complex information and facilitating human collaboration in a fully digital work environment**.

## If We Were Built As Computers - An Analogy

![The Contributor Skill Sets - by cryptohun3y](https://images.mirror-media.xyz/publication-images/ZCgjwZsmB06WY0Vgf410e.png?height=1500&width=3001)

* If we think of ourselves through a Computer analogy **Mental Fitness could be thought as our respective *CPUs***.
* Layered on top of this computing power, DAO contributors should develop **their *Operating System:* a set of Self-Direction skills and workflows** for day-to-day work.
* Finally, the CPU and Operating System form a solid foundation for DAO contributors to run **DAO-specific *Apps*: facilitation skills**. In self-managing organizations like DAOs aim to be, facilitation is the one true skillset that high value contributors should master.

## Skill Set n°1 - Mental Fitness

***Contributors Central Processing Unit (CPU)***

![Contributor Skill n°1 - Mental Fitness - by @cryptohun3y](https://images.mirror-media.xyz/publication-images/HU4cH5jSzTKLiT5RDJ6XE.png?height=1500&width=3001)

At the core of a DAO Contributor’s practice is Mental Fitness.

If physical fitness helps you cope with physical stress and enjoy the thrill of sports, mental fitness allows you to flow through the cognitive, social and emotional **stressors** that come with DAO work while enjoying the thrill of contributing.

Mental fitness opens up the possibility for us to be in right relationship to ourselves and the people around us, and expands our capacity to engage in the ever-expanding knowledge work of Web3.

How do we develop meaningful mental fitness? Let’s dive in.

It starts with **Cognitive Capabilities Training**, the foundational layer of mental fitness. These practices actively rewire our neural pathways. Reps build our brain’s fitness through neuroplasticity.

Engaging this base layer of mental fitness can drastically enhance the quality of our attention, awareness and ultimately enhance our thinking, analysis and social-emotional processing in the digital workplace.

* *The practices:* Meditation, breathwork, and active resting, stimulate gratitude/compassion, physical health including daylight, exercise, sleep, food.
* *The how:* Build a daily routine that embeds mental exercising. For example doing a [WimHof breathwork](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tybOi4hjZFQ) in the morning, followed by a 12 minutes meditation session to to strengthen your calm and focus. Simple habits like pausing for three deep breaths before, during and after a meeting can make a difference. Using [body scanning techniques](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojw8P4t7bjk) to actively recuperate in the middle of the day can prove extremely powerful too.
* *The ROI:* Enhance your ability to process the vast amounts of information your brain receives on a daily basis in web3. Increased awareness, attention and depth of analysis.

The second pillar of Mental Fitness is **Social-Emotional Processing**. This is how we process the complex inputs f

We shape web3, then web3 will shape us

> ### "We shape our tools, thereafter our tools shape us"

You've likely heard this apocryphal quote before (mistakenly attributed to the legendary Marshall McLuhan but in actuality from John Culkin, a professor of communication and friend of McLuhan).

What it does, so succinctly, is expose the reflexive nature of the relationship between builder and tool, the co-evolution (or [intervolution](https://twitter.com/strangechances/status/1475245432175529988)) between us and our creations. Think about the innovation of the car for an instant: we invented it about a century ago, but since then it has shaped our world by defining cities (i.e. parkings and malls), sprouting new industries (i.e oil companies) and creating new behaviors (i.e. drive-ins). [The second-order and third-order effects](https://www.ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2017/3/20/cars-and-second-order-consequences) of the invention of the car are simply mind blowing.

Software is the same. We shape it, and then it shapes us in more ways than we realize. We built cloud collaboration, video calls and messaging apps and they changed the way we work. But that's not all — now they're also changing the way capital gets raised, how offices get built and the places people decide to settle.

As Wilson Milner puts it so eloquently in this brilliant presentation:

> “We’re the product of our world, but we’re also its designer. \[…\] We make our world what it is and we become the kind of people who live in it.”

![](https://images.mirror-media.xyz/publication-images/Og2_almUinj8BG7pmPF8l.png?height=2251&width=4001)

## Web2: Adversarial products and human downgrading

Web2 has made our lives easier in so many ways. A couple decades ago, Facetiming your family members around the world was still sci-fi fantasy.

But at the same time web2 (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Google) has created plenty of negative externalities. Such as addictive use, fostered by the quick dopamine hits that these products repeatedly provide, creating dependency by rewiring our brains’ reward systems via neuroplasticity, and this with surgical precision. Or obsession with self-image, caused by the overwhelming competition for social validation that web2 fuels. Put together, these negative externalities result in what Tristan Harris calls "human downgrading":

![From Tristan Harris’ talk at What’s Now San Francisco](https://images.mirror-media.xyz/publication-images/fxpSFTwrTiT52PYzclb89.PNG?height=1125&width=2436)

The reason why this human downgrading is happening in the first place?

Incentives. *“Show me the incentives and I will show you the outcome"* once quipped. Charlie Munger. And it so happens that the incentives of these web2 products are often diametrically opposed to their user's best interest — what we call adversarial products. *"Major Web2 products suffer from adversarial designs. Twitter has many great features but it is also optimized to make you scroll for longer than you’d like in order to sell more ad space. This misalignment is paid at a high price by us and billions of consumers.*" [we wrote in a previous post.](https://mirror.xyz/0x09362a31a90F01E18bB4a7B16Bc82796E8B79a7e/_4JYbrI1U85SGf2_J7zcHE48JkP9-R2dFnl--DNHCBM)

From "The Social Dilemma":

> “If something is a tool it genuinely is just sitting there, waiting, patiently. If something is not a tool it’s demanding things from you, it’s seducing you, it’s manipulating you, it wants things from you. And we’ve moved away from having a tools-based technology environment, to an addiction and manipulation-based technology environment. That’s what’s changed. Social media isn’t a tool just waiting to be used, it has its own goals and it has its own means of pursuing them by using your psychology against you”

Beyond adversarial designs, could a reason for the nefarious effects of using those products be that they themselves were created by *always-on, stressed-out* *(if not burned out), unconscious* builders? Dustin Moskovitz, one of Facebook's co

3 Pillars of Contributor Mental Health In DAOs (and the Metaverse) 

*Disclaimer: All the information in this post is for informational and educational purposes only. The information here is not a substitute for professional medical advice. If you are encountering troubles with your mental health make sure to reach out to a qualified mental health professional.*


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The DAO space is extremely demanding for its contributors. Too often passionate and talented people start contributing but after a short honeymoon phase they’re overwhelmed and run out of steam or worse.

[https://twitter.com/frogmonkee/status/1477349866284228620](https://twitter.com/frogmonkee/status/1477349866284228620)

DAOs are new work environments. At this point their many inefficiencies lead to the accumulation of a psychological burden for contributors. An organization wide liability we call *mental debt* ❌🙅‍♀️. This debt can accumulate in 3 areas.

1. On the ***contributors*** end, the amount and pace of information that needs to be processed is orders of magnitude greater than in start-up environments. And it’s on 24/7, 365 days/year putting a strain on contributor’s brains.
2. The ***tools*** we use today -Discord, Twitter- were all designed for use in other contexts with other interests in mind - not for orderly asynchronous collaboration.
3. Most importantly, ***DAOs and their communities*** are still early in designing cultures and operations that encourage mental fitness as they scale.

Only by prioritizing mental fitness as a core design principle in each of these 3 areas will we succeed in making DAOs a great place to collaborate.

![by @cryptohun3y](https://images.mirror-media.xyz/publication-images/H25PvmsPp2TMYxhaLEiXM.png?height=2251&width=4001)

## 1 - Contributor Level Training And Education

The burst of energy required to operate a scaling DAO is hardly sustainable without proper training or experience. Contributors need to be equipped to swim in the rapid waters of DAOs without drowning. They need to learn how to best leverage currents to progress swiftly without getting exhausted.

We believe that this shift can be initiated through basic education on brain science.

For example, having a basic understanding of dopamine -our brain’s motivation currency- makes it possible to proactively filter out habits and tools that deplet it against our will. And understanding the relationship between belonging and mental fitness can help better select the right place to contribute.

Bit by bit Web3 contributors can grow their toolkit through learning key pillars of mental fitness like nutrition, sleep and mindfulness skills. Lots of resources exist today but few are adapted and embedded in the culture and routine of a Web3 builder.

DAO contributors evolve in a place where the brain and the machine are in constant interaction. We expect that many contributors will struggle before they start taking mental fitness seriously and enter a journey towards more sustainable and enjoyable performance.

## 2 - The Clean DAO Tech Stack

There is nothing worse for brain health than using *adversarial products* all day long.

What’s an adversarial product? It's a product where incentives are misaligned with users’ best interest. Major Web2 products suffer from adversarial designs. Twitter has many great features but it is also optimized to make you scroll for longer than you’d like in order to sell more ad space. This misalignment is paid at a high price by us and billions of consumers.

The presence of tools with poor or adversarial designs cannot be tolerated in a DAO’s tech stack. Running a DAO is hectic and contributors don’t have any spare energy for tools that aren’t supporting them in meaningful ways. A bad tech stack is the promise of a rapid and constant increase in a DAO’s mental debt.

![by @cryptohun3y](https://images.mirror-media.xyz/publication-images/bCoHCX3EXqv2JuYWbsqLc.png?height=2251&width=4001)

Beyond adversarial designs, future collaboration tools have to minimize context switching and ‘tool fatigue’. This

The Untapped Potential Of DAOs

![](https://images.mirror-media.xyz/publication-images/N4pq6FHVSS5tigaK_Xp2w.png?height=1958&width=3756)

## 2021: Pioneering the new wave of DAOs

The DAO space has been expanding at a crazy pace in 2021.

From a handful of contributors to hundreds. From a couple burgeoning Discord communities to billions of dollars in treasuries. Until recently, DAOs seemed to be on an unstoppable trajectory.

But then, DAO operators, coordinating in the trenches, started to face bigger and bigger challenges. Enough to make contributors realize that the pace of growth wasn’t sustainable. Not with the current set of tools and processes.

Many in and around DAOs felt increasingly burnt out. As communities grew in size and activity, it became exponentially harder for new members to find their path. It became equally  exhausting for existing operators to make up for the lack of structure,typing endless walls of texts in a Discord server trying to make themselves understood.

Looking back, it's becoming clear that the last few months have been about exploration.

About discovering what worked and what didn’t, the good things and the ones that sucked. From the hardships that go with scaling contributor onboarding, up to the most fundamental things like staying mentally sane in such a fast paced, technology-heavy environment.

## The Untapped Potential of DAOs

With all this exploration work done and a new chapter ahead of us, there is a massive opportunity to capitalize on what’s good in DAOs and make sure to value it as we grow.

Because we’re so early in building tools and processes we can make sure that we’re designing them with contributors’ best interest at heart and avoid repeating the mistakes of Web2 giants.

Because we’re so early in scaling DAOs, we have to preserve the passion of DAO communities. Their drive to get together and collaborate towards shared goals. There are many reasons to engage with a DAO for the first time, but the one best reason to stick around for the long term is the sense of belonging to something special.

If we fail to find what we value and hold onto it, we’ll end up in the exact same situation the world is in now.

During this same year 2021, workers all over the world have chosen to leave their jobs out of despair and misalignment with the values that most corporations and institutions hold. From the US to China, the youth have shifted priorities, preferring alternative lifestyles to a workplace void of connections and meaning.

![cigna 2020 loneliness and the workplace report ](https://images.mirror-media.xyz/publication-images/tcrsK-VMOguf0f1_p_TDJ.PNG?height=246&width=787)

Both as users or professionals, the feedback loop we’re now getting from the impact of social media on mental health is brutal. Anyone engaging with Crypto Twitter and Discord has been dealing with some form of addiction, fatigue or anxiety inducing FOMO.

[https://twitter.com/jaesmail/status/1470502134907080708](https://twitter.com/jaesmail/status/1470502134907080708)

[https://twitter.com/chaserchapman/status/1458825169267531781https://twitter.com/Jayislate/status/1458836035354431502](https://twitter.com/chaserchapman/status/1458825169267531781https://twitter.com/Jayislate/status/1458836035354431502)

[https://twitter.com/Jayislate/status/1458836035354431502](https://twitter.com/Jayislate/status/1458836035354431502)

These threats are real and already erode value creation in the DAO space. This can be through the incentivizing zero-sum behaviors or drastically increasing contributor turnover.

But we’re early and the DAO playbook is still being written. We have an opportunity to tackle existing issues and double down on the things we value positively.

## Designing DAOs For People, Not People For DAOs

Good design of DAO tools should start with our brains and body cycles in mind. For example, accounting for our strengths in tackling complex tasks but also our limits in processing vast amounts of information and our need to tune-off reg