Sam is a former Division III national champion discus thrower turned sports performance coach, now a creator and writer.

Sam breaks down the difference between resilience and anti-fragility, shares how perception directly shapes luck using a real research-backed formula, and reflects on why his Olympic training failed (and what the environment had to do with it.)

CONNECT WITH SAM:

Website: https://www.thesamelsner.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sam.elsner/

Substack: https://samelsner.substack.com

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) - Introduction

(00:03:12) - Sam's background: throwing, coaching, and corporate life

(00:10:45) - Anti-fragility vs. resilience: hydra vs. phoenix

(00:16:20) - Is anti-fragility a skill you can train?

(00:20:05) - Perception as the lens that shapes reality

(00:28:40) - Why Sam's Olympic dream fell apart

(00:35:15) - Early specialization and the case for multiple sports

(00:44:30) - The luck formula: doing times telling times perception

(00:54:10) - Sitting with hard emotions instead of suppressing them

(01:02:45) - Everything is a skill