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Failure might be the most misunderstood concept in our success-obsessed culture. The world’s best innovators—from Booking.com to Jeff Bezos to Michael Jordan—have shown that failure isn’t something to avoid, it’s the very foundation of success. In this episode, I unpack powerful stories that reveal why doubling your rate of “unsuccessful attempts” might be the most important move you make toward growth.

Key Takeaways:

• Failure and success are inseparable twins—every miss is a step closer to the breakthrough.
• The world’s most successful people and companies deliberately create space for failure to accelerate growth.
• By reframing setbacks as opportunities, you can transform failure into your greatest competitive advantage.

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What if the very things you think disqualify you are actually your greatest gifts? Markus Kaulius—entrepreneur, founder of Magnum Pharmaceuticals, and author of Play a Bigger Game—shares how he turned adversity into fuel and built his life around one principle: take action today, not tomorrow. In this conversation, Markus breaks down the power of choice, the integrity of keeping your first promise to yourself each morning, and the small daily wins that create unstoppable momentum.

Key Takeaways:

• Transformation happens through immediate action—90% of learning comes once you’re on the path.
• Your biggest obstacles can become your greatest gifts when you reframe your perspective.
• Daily habits like movement, preparation, and a personal scoreboard of wins compound into extraordinary success.

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What happens when life flips upside down in an instant? At 14, Nick Prefontaine suffered a traumatic brain injury snowboarding, was told he’d never walk or talk again — and ran out of the hospital less than 60 days later. His STEP framework (Support, Trust, Energy, Persistence) has since helped countless people take their first step toward recovery after trauma.

3 Takeaways:

• Your mindset shapes your recovery more than your prognosis.
• Focus only on what’s right in front of you to win today.
• Trauma can become the gift that reveals your true purpose.

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On December 4th, I’ll run over 200 miles across South Carolina to raise a goal of at least $20,000 for families battling cancer through Breaking Ribbons, an initiative born from deep personal loss and a desire to do hard things for those going through even harder things. This challenge isn’t about running—it's about choosing voluntary suffering to serve those who don’t have that choice. Tune in, share the mission, and ask yourself: what hard thing is calling you?

3 Key Takeaways:

• Voluntary suffering can become a vessel for healing and hope.
• Breaking Ribbons honors loved ones lost and supports those still in the fight.
• When you move with purpose, your pain creates impact far beyond yourself.

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What does it really mean to win?
Lately, I’ve been sitting with this question—and the more I observe high performers, the more I notice a common thread: the most successful people aren’t doing everything. They’re obsessed with one thing.

This episode was inspired by my time at the Aspire Tour, where leaders like Ed Mylett, David Goggins, and Jesse Itzler laid out their blueprints for success. What stood out? Simplicity. Focus. Depth. Whether it’s Bezos building everything around the customer, Rolex sticking to watches, or Jiro dedicating 75+ years to perfecting sushi—true winning comes from going all in on what aligns most.

Here’s what you’ll take away:

• Why obsession with one thing beats juggling many
• How the world’s best build momentum through narrow, deep focus
• A new lens on “winning” that goes beyond titles or income
• How to find your personal definition of winning—one that aligns with your values and fuels consistent growth

Let’s redefine winning together. Subscribe to the Winning Is... newsletter and tune into the show to explore powerful stories and timeless truths that help you stay aligned, focused, and fulfilled.

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In this episode, I explore how negative thoughts aren’t always true and how our beliefs about them shape our reality. Using the allegory of a deaf frog and Byron Katie's method, The Work, I highlight actionable strategies to break free from limiting beliefs.

Key Takeaways:

1. Examine past successes to challenge negative self-talk.
2. Create new evidence through consistent action.
3. Question and reframe limiting beliefs.
4. Transform negative thoughts into fuel for growth.

These strategies will help you separate yourself from negative thoughts and become unshakable in what matters most.

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Your words don't just reflect your reality—they create it. A lesson I learned early in my career taught me that saying "I'll try" invites uncertainty, while commitment begins with decisive language. The words we use—especially those that signal doubt or limitation—shape how we think, act, and pursue goals. As we hit the year’s midpoint, focus on upgrading your language and watch how it improves your state of being plus welcomes in new opportunities. 

3 Key Takeaways:

1. Eliminate uncertain language like “try,” “hope,” and “maybe”—they weaken commitment and action.
2. Watch for self-limiting phrases and negative preambles that reinforce doubt or fear.
3. Rewire your mindset by intentionally choosing words that reflect confidence, clarity, and possibility.
   
   

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Waist-deep in freezing water, questioning everything, I faced the brutal reality of the 2025 Spartan Death Race—72 hours of nonstop, unpredictable suffering. From bear encounters to barbed wire crawls and cement hauls, the experience shattered comfort and tested my mental limits far more than my physical ones. What I learned is simple but powerful: the body rarely gives out before the mind does, and most people quit not from fatigue, but from belief. This race wasn't about finishing—it was about finding the part of myself that only reveals itself under extreme pressure.

3 Key Takeaways:

1. Mental endurance outweighs physical strength—the true battle is with the voice that says "quit."
2. Discomfort is a teacher—when you make pain your ally, you unlock resilience and clarity.
3. Adversity creates "memory dividends"—lasting lessons that outlive the moment and shape your mindset forever.

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Ever felt like no matter how much you accomplish, it's never enough? You're not alone. Ambition—that driving force behind achievement—can sometimes lead us into what I call "the unintentional abyss of ambition," where periods of stillness or rest become sources of self-criticism rather than rejuvenation.

In this deeply personal episode, I share my own recent struggles with feeling insufficient despite evidence to the contrary. Drawing on Dr. Ben Hardy's powerful concept of "the gap and the gain," we explore why high performers often measure themselves against idealized standards (the gap) rather than acknowledging how far they've come (the gain). Through real examples—from marathon runners fixating on qualifying times rather than celebrating personal records, to my own tendency to overlook the transformative impact of my work because I haven't reached arbitrary numeric goals—we unpack this common mindset trap.

The most powerful moment comes from a community member who lost 30 pounds and completely transformed his relationship with discipline. His journey from believing change was impossible to creating sustainable healthy habits for himself and his family perfectly illustrates the power of living in "the gain." I also recommend Byron Katie's book "Loving What Is: The Work" as a resource for questioning the stories we tell ourselves and optimizing our way of being rather than just our external achievements.

Whether you're building a business, pursuing fitness goals, or working on personal growth, this episode will help you recognize when you're falling into the gap and give you practical tools to shift your perspective. Remember, you are special and amazing—don't let ambition blind you to that truth. Subscribe, share with someone who needs this message, and join my Unshakable Discipline community if you're ready to build sustainable discipline in all areas of your life.

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The sweet spot of human potential often lies just beyond where most people are willing to venture. What happens when we deliberately seek out our limits, not just to discover them but to push past them? This profound question sets the stage for my upcoming participation in the 2025 Spartan Death Race—one of the world's most extreme and unpredictable endurance challenges.

My journey toward this event began in 2011 when, as a high school wrestler, I stumbled upon footage of participants diving into freezing Vermont ponds at 2AM to retrieve pennies needed to continue after already enduring 24+ hours of challenges. Where most saw pointless suffering, I recognized something magnetic—a rare opportunity to discover what exists beyond conventional boundaries. That fascination never faded, eventually leading to a conversation with Spartan founder Joe DeSena and ultimately, my acceptance into this legendary event.

Unlike traditional races with clear parameters, the Death Race thrives on uncertainty. The experience begins months before the starting line with monthly challenges designed to eliminate the mentally unprepared—finding logs weighing more than your body weight to drag through snow, solving puzzles while hanging upside down, completing 500 tire flips. Of roughly 100 selected participants each year (chosen from those with impressive endurance résumés including ultramarathon finishes and special forces experience), approximately half abandon their commitment before race day arrives.

What draws someone toward such deliberate difficulty? Two powerful motivations: discovering the better version of myself that exists on the other side of extraordinary challenge, and proving myself right about what I'm truly capable of. These lessons transcend the physical arena, building resilience applicable to every aspect of life. When we embrace discomfort rather than avoid it, we develop tools that serve us professionally, personally, and spiritually.

The greatest potential often lies just beyond what we believe possible. What difficulty are you willing to embrace to discover yours? Join me on this journey by following along, and more importantly, by finding your own version of "doing hard things"—whatever that means for you.

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