Today we’d like to introduce you to William Mulvaney.
Hi William, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I never stop. I think that’s the thing that is unique about me.
Growing up I was always the quiet kid. I longed to impress my parents, teachers, and friends. That led to me being a pretty good student and getting into a pretty good college.
I went to UW-Madison and began finding more academic success in Computer Science and Physics, so I majored in them both. During my sophomore year the pandemic came: it would largely influence the remainder of my time in college. I found fitness in college, and revived it a few months after the covid lockdown began. It became one of the staples in my life — something I’ve carried with me.
After college, I took a job at a company near my university. It paid me well — and coming off being a broke college student that meant a lot. For the first time in my life I could buy things without worrying about money. Still, my frugality never left. I also began going out with friends. I would grind during the week – going for a quick run in the morning, working from 7-3, then hitting the gym and BJJ from 4-7 or 4-9. By the weekend, I was ready to let loose. That usually meant binge drinking one night of the weekend. This was also the only time I would talk to women. Through my extreme fitness regimen I was able to ignore the fact that I was lonely, but with alcohol came the side of me yearning for connection.
I moved to Austin a year after graduating. I found a new job and a nice enough apartment with a few buddies who had also made the move. We got used to the new city. I drank a little less — only once a month or so. I didn’t talk to many women during this time. Similarly, I had the focuses in my life and I let myself believe I was okay to leave dating aside.
Finally, after seeing a podcast that inspired me I decided enough was enough, and I decided to try out this “cold approach” thing. I went out with my dog one afternoon and made an effort to talk to a few women out and about. The fear that gripped me was so real, so jarring, that I took many steps to get myself through it. The only step I didn’t take was opening up to someone else about that fear. At that time it was mine to carry and mine to face.
Months later I met someone at a meetup event, he was the host and the only other attendee. The event regarded dating. Talking with the host, I shared all of my struggles around this approach thing (which I had been continuing) in detail. It was the most I had ever told anyone about this part of my life. He was a dating coach, and we decided to work together following this. What happened next was one of the only “transformations” that has ever happened in my life. In general, I find self development to be a slow process. This was different. Within weeks I was going on dates with women I had only just met, and never with any alcohol. I continued this process over the next six months, and ended up meeting my current girlfriend, who at the time was a reigning Miss Texas pageant title holder. She was the kind of person I wouldn’t have dreamed of talking to in my past life, yet here I was, dating her. I probably talked to 1000 women in that year. I never stop.
Then, last year, I decided to start my podcast. Titled “The Willpower Podcast”, it was a prolonged exploration into anything and everything that goes into the mindsets and lifestyles of people living meaningful lives. I sought out interesting guests and started releasing episodes a weekly cadence. I haven’t missed a week in the year I’ve done it. Like I said, I never stop.
I currently have a few things on my plate. I’ve just left the job I started when I moved to Austin. This time, however, I have no other job ready to go. It’s the first time since being a broke college student that I don’t have a steady income. My challenge is to replace that income — all on my own. I’m confident I can do it, but I’m not sure I know what that will look like. What I do know: I never stop.
I’m also signed up for my first ultramarathon. I’ll be running 100 miles on December 6th (probably partially into the 7th, as well) assuming I don’t take acquire any serious injuries. It’s these kind of monumental missions that inspire me. I don’t know how, but I know I’ll be able to do it: for the simple fact that I never stop.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As a pretty good student in high school, I was excited when I visited the Northwestern campus and decided to apply “Early Decision”. That meant if I was accepted, I was committed to going. There would be no changing my mind. I was basically leaving my fate in their hands. I was pretty confident I would get in, even up to the day I got the email saying I wasn’t accepted. It destroyed me. This was the thing I was supposed to be good at, and it wasn’t good enough for them. That was hard.
I got rejected by hundreds of women as I confronted my fear of exactly that, rejection. And each and every one of those rejections hurt (albeit less and less as I understood more about myself). That was hard.
I have had 4+ businesses go no where over the past 2 years. Literally, zero dollars profit on all of them. That’s been hard, and still is. I’m hopeful and confident that it will change, but still, very challenging.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Qualia?
I am developing an app. It will be available sometime in September 2025 at https://livequalia.app/.
Qualia is a mobile app that reverses the relationship most people have with their phones. Instead of being a slave to the phone, the phone becomes a tool for the user. Qualia allows users to self report desired (and undesired) habits such as exercising, working, reading, connecting with friends, or whatever else they have come up with, along with subjective well-being scores. Power users will log these behaviors and scores every single day.
Over time (minimum 7 days), our AI model will begin to detect patterns. It will identify the scientific effect that habits have on the well being of the specific user. For example, running may increase the felt energy of one user by +1.2 points on a 1-10 scale, while for another it may decrease it by -0.6. These people should not get the same suggestions. Qualia gives suggestions unique to each user – based on what they have found to feel good.
It is a tool I have wanted for the past few years when I realized how hard it is to be scientific about what I’m doing. Life is always in motion – and most of us can’t stop for 2 weeks to hold a double blind placebo trial to see how eating more broccoli affects us. This is the closest thing I could come up with to solving that problem.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I love Modern Wisdom. A recent episode I enjoyed was the one with Mark Manson. I read quite a bit. For fun it has been sci-fi and fantasy recently, and for more focused learning I like biographies, like the ones on Elon Musk or Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson. I’m currently learning about the life of Alexander Hamilton as told by Ron Chernow.
The book that has influenced me the most is “Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://williammulvaney.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willpower_lifestyle/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-mulvaney
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@willpower_lifestyle
