E003 - The Mental Race Within the Race: How to Hold Attention Under Pressure with Matt Christopherson

When we talk about focus, we usually think big picture—sticking to a goal, staying on track over weeks or months. But real focus lives in the moment. In the next breath. The next step. The choice to stay with discomfort instead of escape it.In this episode, I sit down with Matt Christopherson, a high-performance coach and former National Team athlete. In 2024, Matt completed one of the most intense endurance challenges of his life—running 80 miles overnight with nearly 2,000 meters of elevation gain, and finishing North America’s biggest cycling race entirely on foot.What makes this story so compelling isn’t just the physical feat. It’s the mental one.Matt shares what it took to stay present through pain, fear, and isolation—and how the real test wasn’t just finishing the race, but managing his focus minute by minute when quitting seemed like the only sane option.We talk about the difference between macro focus—sticking to a goal—and micro focus—holding your attention steady under pressure. Matt opens up about what goes through his mind in the hardest moments, how he trains himself to respond rather than react, and why staying with discomfort is where transformation actually begins.If you’ve ever struggled to stay focused when it really counts—when your thoughts spiral, your body resists, or you just want to give up—this episode will hit home.*** LINKS ***Matt’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/matty_christophersonMatt’s Website: https://mattychristopherson.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit attentioneering.substack.com

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.