Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
In this episode of The Gentle Rebel Podcast, we explore The Forest of Wool and Steel by Natsu Miyashita - a novel that subtly subverts our pervasive obsession with productivity, the "hero's journey", and the narrow metrics by which we define success.
This book serves as a refuge for anyone who has ever felt out of step with hustle culture or questioned why integrity and depth seem so radical.
Listen and Full Notes: the-haven.co/forest-of-wool-and-steel
Timestamps:
00:27 Introduction
02:52 Purpose and Chance encounters
08:32 Transcending the hero's journey
15:42 High sensitivity is ordinary
22:10 Mono No Aware
23:36 A non-linear view of mastery
27:49 Releasing hustle culture and the judgement of usefulness and waste
31:27 Programmed to resist slowness and find safety in the hurry
35:06 Conclusion
Have you read The Forest of Wool and Steel? Share your thoughts about it (or my response to it) in the comments.
In this episode of The Gentle Rebel Podcast, we explore The Forest of Wool and Steel by Natsu Miyashita - a novel that subtly subverts our pervasive obsession with productivity, the "hero's journey", and the narrow metrics by which we define success.
This book serves as a refuge for anyone who has ever felt out of step with hustle culture or questioned why integrity and depth seem so radical.
Listen and Full Notes: the-haven.co/forest-of-wool-and-steel
Timestamps:
00:27 Introduction
02:52 Purpose and Chance encounters
08:32 Transcending the hero's journey
15:42 High sensitivity is ordinary
22:10 Mono No Aware
23:36 A non-linear view of mastery
27:49 Releasing hustle culture and the judgement of usefulness and waste
31:27 Programmed to resist slowness and find safety in the hurry
35:06 Conclusion
Have you read The Forest of Wool and Steel? Share your thoughts about it (or my response to it) in the comments.
