Are you thriving or just surviving? Steve Magness joins Kevin to discuss how many of us operate in psychological survival mode far more often than we realize, treating everyday workplace challenges as threats rather than growth opportunities. They explore the psychological traps of modern stress responses, protective systems, and the impact of flattening our identities. They also cover accepting “messiness”, the balance between short-term comfort and long-term growth, redefining success, and why authenticity must go beyond performance to resonate.

Listen For

00:00 Introduction to The Remarkable Leadership Podcast 01:33 Introducing Guest Steve Magness 02:25 Steve Magness' Background and New Book 03:15 Steve’s Journey from Running to Coaching 05:02 The Dangers of Win at All Costs Mentality 05:24 From Survival to Thriving The Purpose of the Book 06:09 The Modern Survival Mode Explained 07:14 The Four Protective Systems of the Brain 08:53 Why We Struggle to Accept and Learn 11:25 The Challenge of Moving Past Natural Responses 12:15 Leadership and Survival Mode in Everyday Life 13:07 Flattening the World Simplifying People and Ourselves 16:09 How Flattening Ourselves Makes Us Fragile 18:09 Accepting the Messiness of Who You Are 19:05 Resilience Through Embracing Complexity 21:24 Instagram vs Real Life Identity Example 22:15 Leadership Accountability and Avoiding Deflection 23:16 Real vs Performative Authenticity 24:40 Why Actions and Words Must Align for True Leadership 25:07 Authenticity vs Using It as an Excuse 26:13 Defining Thriving Autonomy Significance Belonging 28:02 Thriving at Work and Intrinsic Motivation 28:46 Advice for Leaders Start with Yourself 30:54 Learning to Lose and Resilience in Leadership 31:11 Steve’s Book Recommendation The Science of Storytelling 32:21 Final Thoughts and Steve’s Contact Info 34:00 Kevin’s Now What Call to Action 35:26 Closing

Steve's Story: Steve Magness is the author of Win the Inside Game: How to Move from Surviving to Thriving and Free Yourself Up to Perform. He is a world-renowned performance expert as well as the bestselling author of Do Hard Things and The Science of Running, and coauthor of Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox. He is the co-host of the podcast, Farewell, and co-founder of The Growth Equation. He has written for The Atlantic, Runner’s World and Sports Illustrated, and he has been featured in The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, NPR, and others. Magness has served as a performance coach and speaker for teams and individuals in the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, the US military, and numerous companies and organizations. He lives in Houston, Texas.

Book Recommendations

• Win the Inside Game: How to Move from Surviving to Thriving, and Free Yourself Up to Perform by Steve Magness
• Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness by Steve Magness
• A Story is a Deal: How to use the science of storytelling to lead, motivate and persuade by Will Storr

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