You’re Not Broken. The Loop Is.

Stuck scrolling endlessly when you should be working? Feel like you’re trying to save money, but the impulse buys just happen? We all face those moments where our intentions clash with stubborn reality. It feels like you’ re broken, right?

But what if you’re not?

At Stacked Rift, our core belief is simple: You are not inherently flawed or broken. The challenges you face often stem from the invisible systems you’re operating within. The way our own behavior (The Human Loop), the rewards and punishments around us (The Incentive Stack), and the patterns of change (The Progress Loop) all interact creates these hidden forces that keep us stuck, frustrated, or just plain confused.

Think of The Human Loop as our ingrained habits and responses – the default ways we think and act. The Incentive Stack is the external forces – the carrots and sticks – shaping our choices and motivations. And The Progress Loop is the dynamic feedback loops that either propel us forward or keep us stuck in plateaus over time. These aren’t just abstract ideas; they’re the hidden forces quietly shaping your decisions, your interactions, and even the trajectory of your life – often without you even realizing it.

Without understanding these loops, we often waste energy fighting the wrong battles, blame ourselves for systemic issues, and miss out on opportunities for genuine progress.

Like that annoying level in a game you can’t beat – you’re not necessarily bad at the game. Maybe the enemy AI has a weird exploit, or the power-ups are poorly placed. The system of the level is what’s ‘krangled ’.

That’s what Stacked Rift is all about. We’re here to help you pick apart these broken systems – from personal habits and workplace dynamics to broader societal patterns. Each week, we’ll use our framework to show you the hidden loops and incentives at play, often using insights from gaming, economics, systems thinking and of course personal experience.

You’ll get practical tools, real-world examples, and a clearer way to see why things are stuck and how to begin untangling them. These aren’t just theories; they’re actionable frameworks and insights designed to give you a new lens, empowering you to identify the root causes of friction and build strategies for lasting change. Imagine gaining the clarity to finally stick to your goals, navigate workplace politics with more ease, or understand why certain societal issues persist – and how you might influence them.

Ready to break free from feeling ‘krangled’? Ready to gain the clarity and tools to finally make progress on what matters? Join the mission. Stacked Rift delivers insights across three distinct streams you can subscribe to:

  • The Human Loop: Understanding and influencing your own habits and internal systems.
  • The Incentive Stack: Unpacking why people (and organizations) do what they do, based on the forces that motivate them.
  • The Progress Loop: Discovering how growth happens, why plateaus occur, and how to build momentum over time.

Hit subscribe for the streams that resonate most. Choose the streams that speak to your biggest challenges, and let’s start seeing the stack beneath the rift together. Know someone else wrestling with a ‘krangled’ situation? Share this with them!