Build A Second Brain Review 🧠

You are already an artist:
BASB is the digital Trans Siberian express train journey of productivity and self development courses.

You get on the train at one point and see the world slowly shift through day and night until you arrive at a whole new land. Your fellow cohort passengers are friends you are about to meet and on each carriage there are past alumni and mentors ready to help you on the journey ahead, whilst all being guided by Captain Mr Tiago Forte and team.  

You board the train just before dawn. Not sure about what is going to happen. The stars are visible and the lounder speaker comes on with Captain Tiago asking you all to dream by visualising your future. As the sun rises you start to see the faces of your fellow cohort with a mix of inspiration and uncertainty written upon their faces. Then a whistle rings and the Conductor Mr Tiago Forte comes through the carriages giving his teachings – The best ways to come closer to your the visualised future. The journey of transformation has begun.

You are now in the train for 6 weeks and by the end of it you’ll be dropped off at a train station somewhere in the digital universe with a new view and way of creating. That is if you put in the effort.  
Who will you become by the end? Someone different that is for sure and Tiago has his own ideas:

At this point you might be realising that BASB isn’t just about being more efficient using ToDoIst. Great you are getting the picture. Okay enough of the imagery, lets get into the nuts and bolts.

The Training Carriage:
The accessibility to the course is great on the technology side. In Cohort 11 BASB used a live Zoom call for lessons with Teachable as its after hours on demand video delivery platform. They are put fit for purpose and Tiago and the team were always open to feedback and would tweak as needed day by day. When it comes to community engagement they use Circle for the discussion forum. This is the buffet car section of the train where conversations happen informally with fellow participants as well as the “submit your final work here” slot when completing lessons. 

Overall the systems were good and always evolving. Oh very modular and agile.

Community: Captain Tiago, the Mentors and your fellow passenger:
The strongest pull for me of BASB was the live and interactive aspect of the course. I’ve done many courses where the content is good by it is lacking in the interactivity that is so motivating and inspiring. 

Cohort 11 had over 20 alumni mentors teaching weekly sessions that you could drop in and out of. They were a diverse field of professionals that have utilised BASB in their personal and professional life to great affect. I went with Ali Abadal, Glen Lubbert and Marie-Pier Corbeil. These sessions were ace as over the course the numbers in them dwindle and became more focused. They showed their own second brains, helped us with the course work and provided greater detail into the course content. Like having an open tutor group. 

This is where I made new friends in the course. As you can tell I learn best by talking and sharing! Thats the great thing about this course so many interactions and sincere participants. We were all helped by COVID-19 to be in indoors more, seeking connections and collaborations. 

REMEMBER – BASB is a method:
It is a verb not a noun. A way of doing. To start with a lot of people copy and shadow Tiago’s way of doing, this is natural. The ultimate step is for you to take his method and transform it. You will be asked to discover your own unique creative process on the way. Tiago points to the path and provides the teachings, we need to walk the path to make it our own. It has taken me time to come to this and it well worth it.


The Ticket Cost – Value?
As an Australian I paid $1700 just when all the markets went into COVID turmoil. Worth it? Yes. BASB and the community helped me through that period and I am able to come back again and again. 

Take Aways:

• The beauty of BASB course is it will get under the predominate cultural self that only a select few can be artists and creators. 
• You are here to learn a process of how to do. 
• With a lifetime one price you can return again and again and evolve with your fellow students.
  

Conclusion:
Will the train ride be for you or not? I cannot say. Though if you feel under neath your quest for productivity is actually someone wanting to express, create and offer more to the world, then I’d say yes. Come into the BASB train line via the back alley of productivity because one day you might surprise yourself and even come out the front doors as an artist.