Books and the Art of a Coffee Boost

As many of you know, I am a huge fan of coffeehouses. With dirty chai’s as my beverage of choice, reading in one of these locales is my rai·son d'ê·tre, the essence of my existence. 

I also enjoy brewing my own coffee in a french press at home. For years I was a huge fan of Bulletproof Coffee, which when grass-fed butter and MCT oil are added, is the ultimate in coffee experiences. 

But now I’ve got a new lover on the coffee front. Known as NooWave Flow State Coffee, this organic, ground coffee with L-Theanine and Raw Cacao delivers a massive human performance punch to your day. 

The brainchild of Greg Frontiero, Flow State is a great go-to morning elixir for lowering anxiety, improving brain function, and supporting creativity. In this way, it is the quintessential accelerant for maintaining optimal productivity, performance, and a flow state throughout the day. 

Greg is also a rabid book lover and reader of any and all things involving lifestyle hacks. Here are a few of his thoughts about his journey with books, coffee, and flow experiences

Tell us a bit about your life journey and what prompted you to launch NooWave

Greg: I was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, grew up in South Florida, and spent the last 11 years in NYC pursuing a tech career (worked for Yext, Twitter & Stack Overflow). I got obsessed with nootropics after burning out from tech and started NooWave, which I document here.

What was the spark behind your interest in the Performance Biohacking world? And are there any books and/or authors that have influenced the evolution of your thinking in this space? 

Greg: Tim Ferris, Dave Asprey, and Andrew Huberman are all my biohacker influences and I love all books and blogs by them. I have always believed in the importance of getting 1% better every day. And as a tech bro, biohacking is assigned to you in your starter pack along with some Allbirds, an Apple Watch, and psychedelic mushrooms [laughter]

Share with us about some of your first memories as it relates to books.

Greg: I grew up reading comic books. Mainly Spider-Man. From there I got really into Stephen King novels. I think my first 'self-help' book was in my early 20's, probably 'Think and Grow Rich or 'Four Hour Work Week.’ Despite having a 10-year career for some awesome companies I was always fixated on doing my own thing after reading these sorts of books. I come from a very blue-collar/immigrant white-collar family that never talked about these subjects. So that completely radicalized me and made me unemployable [Laughter]. 

Are there any particular bookstores in cities where you have lived or visited that you have a strong affinity for? And what about them gets you so jazzed? 

Greg: The first bookstore I ever went into was my local comic store (no longer with us RIP) and a local Barnes and Noble (which I can still smell if I close my eyes). Beyond that, there's an amazing book store in Greenpoint NY called Word that I like because everyone there is cool and they do local events. 

What book or books are you currently reading? 

Greg: I'm one of those people that reads like 8 books at once and rarely finishes them unless they captivate me. Since starting NooWave I've been reading lots of very specific titles that would probably bore many “Great Books, Great Minds” readers. Like Opting For Optimization (about conversion rate optimization) and Getting Acquired (even though I have absolutely no plans to do so).

Another great book is Super Maker by Jamie Schmidt which details her making soaps in her kitchen to sell at farmers markets. She eventually sold out for $100mm to Unilever. It’s a really inspirational book for anyone who wants to start a business. It’s my go-to book for everything!

Are there any others? 

Greg: On a slightly more interesting (but still nerdy) side, I've been reading 'Breath' which is all about breathing and it is mind-blowing. I think breathwork will be the new thing in a few years. It’s amazing how much it affects us. I am also enjoying Derek Sivers writing and recently read his book “Hell Yeah! or No.” I also have been pouring through the bestselling books Atomic Habits by James Clear; The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin; The One Thing by Gary Keller and Deep Work by Cal Newport. These books reflect my attempt to shamelessly steal from them to create some content around a routine for NooWave. I’ve been taking in these books on the heels of our marketing 2.0 version launch around focus and deep work. Really stoked about that.  

Besides books, what other interests do you have? 

Greg: Yes, on the slightly less nerdy side I love music. So I am reading the Beastie Boys book which is incredible. But you have to see the format to appreciate just how fucking cool they are. I also just finished ‘The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music, Dave Grohl’s new biography which was fun. I grew up listening to punk rock and love any story of underdogs or counterculture and rebellion. My friends make fun of me for this but I don't care.  

Finally, what one book do you believe that everyone should read in order to gain a better understanding of how to foster peak levels of performance? 

Greg: Man, that's a tough question. My gut says either Atomic Habits or The Art of Learning. Or, of course, you can cheat and become a subscriber of Flow State Coffee and get our new email course/challenge helping people get to 90 min of focus in 90 days! ;)