excellence, actually
Episodes
Best Of: Courtney Dauwalter — Inside the (Joyful) Mind of an Elite Ultrarunner
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Merry Christmas! We're taking a little break, so we're bringing you an episode with an all-time great athlete, Courtney Dauwalter, whose interview, tw...
How to Push Your Limits, with World-Champion Climber Sasha DiGiulian
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Just last month, Sasha DiGiulian completed only the fourth ever free climb (and the first by a woman) of "Platinum," a route on El Capitan—a 23-day ...
"It's Never All Bad:" How to Suffer (with Matt Fitzgerald)
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At some point, we're all going to suffer. So what if you treated it as a practice—something to be done skillfully? This was the question Matt posed ...
The Talent Episode: Is Greatness Born or Built?
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we dive deep into the age-old debate of talent acquisition versus talent development, using the contrasting blueprints of top college basketbal...
Q+A: On Bad Habits, Post-Race Fitness, and “Boring” Work
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As a thanks you to you on Thanksgiving week, we're answering a handful of listener questions.1. How can I navigate periods of intense work where my li...
The Mental Fitness Playbook: Resilience, Regulation, and Flexibility
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Elite performers know: mental fitness needs the same intentional training as physical fitness. In this episode, we break down mental fitness into thre...
Doing it All: The CEO Who Ran a 2:29 Marathon (with Nick Thompson)
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How does someone become CEO of The Atlantic, run a 2:29 marathon at age 44, write books, make music, and still be present for their family? For the an...
The Optimization Trap — and How to Escape It
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we use the L.A. Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s gutsy back-to-back World Series appearances in Game 6 and 7 to discuss what we’re calling...
The Marathon Mindset: How to Endure, Actually
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In anticipation of the New York City Marathon this weekend, we (well, okay, mostly Steve) discuss the ins and outs of how to have your best race, buil...
Everything You Need to Know About Managing Fatigue
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For a long time, it was assumed that fatigue was a muscular phenomenon. It was thought be a set point and once you hit it, you couldn't go any further...
7 Lessons to Help You Unlock an Elite Competitor's Mindset
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We talk a lot on this podcast about the principles that underlie true excellence, so we’re especially excited when we see those core ideas exemplifi...
How Curiosity Can Take Your Performance to the Next Level
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we're exploring the transformative power of curiosity, which is one of the most effective tools elite performers use in high-pressure situation...
Is Self-Improvement Just Making Us More Selfish?
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is personal development and self-improvement making us better—or just more self-absorbed? In today's episode, we wade into the debate sparked by a r...
It's Time to Move Past Bullsh*t "Toughness"
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forget everything you’ve been told about toughness. On today's episode, we're taking on many of the macho myths that dominate sports, business, and ...
The Sports Psychologist Who Taught MJ and Kobe How to "Manage the Moment"
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Before the 1993-1994 NBA season, coach Phil Jackson wanted to get his Chicago Bulls some help. They'd won the championship the previous year, but righ...
Fall Performance Syllabus: 3 Ideas to Help You Thrive
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As we transition into Fall, we've got a few ideas and strategies that we're trying to implement into our lives. Today we're sharing those with you, wi...
How Hard Should You Be Working?
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What role should work play in your life? How hard should you be working? And how can you do it in a way that's sustainable over years, or even decades...
How "Narrative Values" Can Change Your Psychology & Biology
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The stories we tell ourselves shape our reality, heavily influencing our decision-making, behavior, and ability to bounce back from challenges. Which ...
From Success to Mastery: The Art of Sustained Excellence
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We spend a lot of time on this podcast talking about how to achieve success in your own personal pursuit of excellence, but we don't spend all that mu...
Build Better Work Habits, Manage Anxiety, & Quit Leaking Energy
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Since we launched "excellence, actually," we've gotten a bunch of questions from listeners and members of The Growth Equation Academy. So today we're ...
Restless Exhaustion: What to Do When You Just Can't Turn Off
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's the end of the day and you're finally ready to shut down, unplug from work, relax, or go to sleep—except your mind won't stop racing. You're wi...
Tools for Navigating Discomfort and Difficulty
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At some point, we will all face discomfort, be it psychological or physical, at work or in a workout. But we do often get to choose how to handle that...
How to Avoid the Achievement Trap and Find Lasting Fulfillment
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Just about everyone has been caught thinking that some big achievement would fulfill them—only to get there and realize it didn't. This is the Achie...
The Art of Doing Hard Things: Meaningful Challenge vs. Useless Suffering
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We believe it's important to do hard things. In fact, as your may know, Steve wrote a book with that very title. But there's a difference between taki...
Balance is a Myth: How to Build Healthy Obsession
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we're taking exception with a couple ideas you often see passed around in the health and wellness space: that balance is achievable (or even de...
How to Build a Meaningful Identity in a Status-Driven World
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a phrase we often come across: “Comparison is the thief of joy.” This is absolutely true! Unfortunately, we’re biologically wired to seek...
How to Be Excellent, Actually
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On the inaugural episode of our rebranded podcast "excellence, actually," Steve Magness, Brad Stulberg, and Clay Skipper discuss the rebrand of the sh...
How to Take Better Breaks: Mastering Rest & Recovery
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We all know we need to take breaks to allow ourselves to rest and recover, both physically and cognitively. But it can be especially hard to do when w...
How to Know When to Grit vs. When to Quit
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you know when to persevere through a rough patch—and when to give up entirely? And if you do decide to push through, what are the most effect...
9 Important Life Lessons We've Learned from Exercise
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Exercise isn't just a way to better yourself physically. In fact, through our years of running, competing, and working out, we've found some of exerci...
120 - A 66-Year-Old Powerlifter with 71 World Records on the Secrets to Long-Term Success (with David Ricks)
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
David Ricks first competed in a powerlifting competition in 1981, when he was 21 years old. At 66, he is still competing. Along the way, he's won 13 w...
119 - How to Turn Your Inner Critic Into a Coach
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
By some estimates, the voice in your head can spew up to 4000 words per minute, making it all the more important that we learn how to live with it. Th...
118 - How to Build Discipline
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why are some people disciplined and others aren’t? It’s not because of an innate character trait, but because disciplined people have simply train...
117 - The Masculinity Crisis, and Why It Matters for All of Us (Part 2)
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is the second of two episodes we're devoting to the topic of masculinity. Last week, in part one, we spoke with Richard Reeves about how changing...
116 - The Masculinity Crisis, and Why It Matters for All of Us (Part 1)
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the next two weeks, we're going to be exploring the topic of masculinity—more specifically, how changing ideas of what it means to be a man hav...
115 - Mailbag: Daily Health Checklist, Rut vs. Burnout, & Taking Good Breaks
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You've got questions, we've got answers. Today, we dive into listener emails and voicemails to answer some of your questions.1) Can you give me a mini...
114 - Choke, Recover, Repeat: Mastering the Art of Resilience
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the world of sport and performance, a lot is made of executing under pressure. "Don't choke," we often say. However, what is perhaps more impressiv...
113 - Playing the Long Game in a Quick-Fix World
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As we often say, people have a tendency to drastically overestimate what they can do in a day and drastically underestimate what they can do in a year...
112 - Building True Confidence: The Practical Path from Bravado to Belief
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're breaking down confidence. We discuss what it is (earned self-belief) and what it isn't (bravado, arrogance, positive thinking, or the abse...
111 - How to Better Manage Stress
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we talk about how to navigate life and athletic performance amidst stress. We discuss the impact of mental and emotional stress on physical per...
110 - Bracketology: Who is the World's Top Performer?
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
March Madness is back! In honor of its return, we put together a special edition FAREWELL bracket with sixteen of the world's best performers, across ...
109 - How (and Why) to Spend Some Time Alone in Your Head
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." The French philosopher Blaise Pascal said this in 1654. A study...
108 - Musk, Chalamet, and Real vs. Fake Greatness (with Cal Newport)
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A couple of recent events—Elon Musk parading onstage with a chainsaw at the Conservative Political Action Conference and bragging about DOGE's 120-h...
107 - Wise Words: 16 of Our Favorite Quotes to Live By
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're sharing our all-time favorite quotes we've collected over the years. These are words about everything from performance to spirituality to ...
106 - Mastering Mental Performance with Sports Psychologist Alex Auerbach
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From years of experience working with NBA players, CEOs, para jumpers, and Olympians, performance psychologist Alex Auerbach has learned about the mos...
105 - Building Resilience and Finding Resonance: How to Embrace Life's Chaos
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Two topics for you today. On the back of the Super Bowl, Brad shares a message of resilience inspired by Eagles' quarterback Jalen Hurts. Then, a disc...
104 - How to Win the Inside Game, and Move from Surviving to Thriving (with Steve Magness)
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When we think of "choking," we usually think of a field goal kicker missing a clutch kick, or someone freezing up during an important speech. In those...
103 - Steve's 5 Essential Rules for Training Physical Fitness
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, Steve breaks down his five foundational rules for building a training practice that he's used to coach world-class athletes to suc...
102 - The Art of Attention: Breaking Free from Digital Distraction
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last week we heard the ways in which our fractured attention was keeping us from connecting and negatively impacting our society. So this week we're t...
101 - From Solitude to Social Fitness: Rethinking Connection in the 21st Century (with Derek Thompson)
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Americans are spending more time alone than we have in a long, long time. That wouldn't be such a big deal if we weren't also reporting feelings of in...
100 - Badwater 135 Finisher on Lessons from "The World's Toughest Foot Race" (with Kelaine Conochan)
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Badwater 135 is a 135-mile race across Death Valley, where temperatures reach 125 degrees, runners cover an elevation gain of more than 20,000 feet, a...
099 - 25 Lessons (in 25 Minutes) for 2025
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year! To celebrate, we've put together a special edition of The Coach Up, looking and highlighting 25 of our favorite learnings from a year ...
098 - Farewell, 2024: The Year's Best Tools, Lessons, Performances, & Books
26 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We use the last episode of the 2024 calendar to reflect on the year, discussing the tools or mental frameworks we found most useful, the biggest lesso...
097 - Healing Internet Brain Rot: Tips for a Healthier Information Diet
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Oxford's 2024 word of the year is "brain rot" (which appears, to us at least, to be two words). What does it mean? "The deterioration of a person’s ...
096 - "Go See God" Workouts and How to Stop Procrastinating
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, we discuss the role of intense workouts ("Going to see God" as Steve calls it): the physical and psychological benefits and how yo...
095 - Strategies for Overcoming Bad Days
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We all have bad days, when we can't get motivated, perform in the way we were hoping to, or adhere to the schedule we had planned. Contrary to popular...
094 - Hard Conversations & Gratitude That (Actually) Works
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The holiday season brings with it many traditions, two of which we're covering in today's episode: Navigating contentious conversations or disagreemen...
093 - How We Can ACTUALLY Make America Healthy Again
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In conjunction with this week's Growth Equation newsletter, we're diving deep into the deteriorating state of public health in America. As the wellnes...
092 - How to Get Off the Achievement Treadmill
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode draws on conversations with an Olympic gold medalist, an ultrarunner, and a Buddhist author to discuss a potential way to think about ...
091 - Keep Calm and Practice On: Buddhist Lessons on Performance (with Stephen Batchelor)
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Two skills that will be helpful to anyone trying to master a craft or achieve excellence (or, frankly, make it through life): the capacity to be with ...
090 - Use the Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule) to Simplify Your Life
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of The Coach Up, you'll learn how the Pareto Principle can be used to help you get clarity on what's most essential in your life — f...
089 - Marathon 101 with Steve Magness: Insights & Strategy
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Clay asks Steve to answer all of your most pressing marathon questions: what to know before signing up; what he thinks the Boston Marathon shou...
088 - Flow: The 8 Factors of Optimal Experience
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In his 1990 book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi laid out the ideas that would give birth to the idea...
087 - Training Tips for the Aging Athlete
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are, each of us, getting older every moment. (Scary, we know!) So how should we think about adjusting our training as we age, particularly if we're...
086 - The Coach Up: Should You Do "All-Out' Workouts?
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Magness is back on The Coach Up to discuss the nuances of doing "intense" or "all-out" workouts. Since the explosion of High Intensity Interval ...
085 - Quitting: When to Give Up (and When to Push On)
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Knowing when to quit, and when to push on, is as much an art as a science. Where is the line between normal fatigue or difficulty, and harmful discomf...
084 - The Coach Up: How to "Practice Your ABC's"
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's Coach Up, a lesson from the book "Everyday Zen" by Charlotte Joko Beck about expanding the upper reaches of your comfort zone.Join The ...
083 - The Science, Art, & Mystery of Hot Streaks
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After a brief discussion of Ruth Chepng'etich's world-record marathon from this past weekend, Brad and Steve get into the science of the "hot streak" ...
082 - Thinking Beyond the Brain: Exploring the "Extended Mind" (Part 2)
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is the second episode of a two-part Coach Up where we're diving into the work of science writer Annie Murphy Paul and her book "The Extended Mind...
081 - Picking Goals, Pushing Through Plateaus, and Navigating Post-Race Blues
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Steve, Brad, and Clay discuss three stages of tackling a big, ambitious challenge: (1) How do you find the right goal for you? (Particularly if...
080 - Thinking Beyond the Brain: Exploring the "Extended Mind" (Part 1)
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Over the next two weeks of Coach Up's, we'll be diving into the work of science writer Annie Murphy Paul and her book "The Extended Mind," which explo...
079 - Supplements 101: A Sports Dietician Goes Deep (with Meredith Parmley)
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the performance world, there are a lot of supplements, a lot of questions about supplements, a lack of great data on supplements, and a lot of peop...
078 - The Coach Up: Don't Be a Day Trader
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A quick story about the 2021-2022 Golden State Warriors, a conversation with then General Manager Bob Myers, and how to apply some wisdom from finance...
077 - Peak Performance: 10 Rules for Sustainable Excellence
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Drawing on a recent talk that Brad gave to his hometown Detroit Tigers of the MLB, the guys discuss 10 of the core principles that have come out of ye...
076 - The 3 P's: A Simple Tool to Be More Optimistic
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The stories we tell ourselves about what happens to us are powerful. Today, drawing on the work of psychologist Dr. Martin Seligman, we discuss a simp...
075 - Mastering the Mind: Layne Norton on Pain, Motivation, and Success
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Layne Norton, a successful powerlifter, coach, nutritionist, and respected performance expert, joins Brad and Clay to talk about his evidenced-based a...
074 - The 85% Rule and the Art of Hard Effort
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Getting the most out of yourself isn't about simply going all out. Performing your best requires an ability to give maximum effort while still staying...
073 - Sleep Science: What Actually Matters
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Not that long ago, it was considered a badge of honor to "hustle" or "grind" off of only four or five hours of sleep a night. Thankfully, we've come t...
072 - Navigating Our Inner Selves: A Lesson from George Saunders
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode of The Coach Up, Clay revisits a conversation he had with the award-winning author George Saunders, about navigating the different ...
071 - Debunking Masculinity Myths & Redefining Modern Manhood
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In recent years, the idea of masculinity has undergone a cultural and societal shift. Though the evolution was much needed and long overdue, it has le...
070 - "Don't Shoot Yourself with The Second Arrow"
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." You've probably heard that one. It's not the most useful phrase. There are a lot of really difficult or t...
069 - What Dying Can Teach Us About Living (with Dr. BJ Miller)
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're all going to die. (Gulp.) We know this—and we all share it—but death remains taboo, as do so many of its accompanying experiences: grief, su...
068 - A Mindset Shift to Make Your Life Easier
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The psychologist and philosopher Erich Fromm argued that there are two fundamental orientations we can bring to the world: a having orientation and a ...
067 - How to Stay Motivated for the Long Haul
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When times get difficult, people often turn to sport and fitness to help. It's a way to build confidence and mental strength, and an outlet for frustr...
066 - The Coach Up: 5 Rules for a Better Routine
19 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There's plenty of information out there about the "best" routine for your morning, your night, and every time in between. Of course, as we always say,...
065 - The (Underrated) Mental & Physical Benefits of Walking
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We all know walking is good for us—but just how good is it, exactly? Today we go deep on running's more leisurely and oftentimes less celebrated (da...
064 - The Coach Up: How to Exercise in the Heat
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re someone who lives in a place with seasons (or decided to travel somewhere especially warm) you might be slogging through heat and humidity...
063 - A World-Class Violinist's Tips for Peak Performance (with Hilary Hahn)
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hilary Hahn first picked up a violin when she was 3, and made her major orchestral debut at 12. Now in her forties, she has spent four decades playing...
062 - How Elite Performers Turn Anxiety Into Fuel
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Studies have shown that elite performers—like those we're watching in the Olympics right now—experience the exact same feelings of nervousness and...
061 - The Difference Between Greatness and Fake Greatness
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nike recently released an ad for the Olympics whose message is that you have to be a "bad person"—in the ad's telling, a competitor who lacks empath...
060 - The Coach Up: A Tool to Help with Prioritization
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to being productive, there’s nothing more important that prioritization. You don't just want to get things done; you want to get the r...
059 - Olympics Preview: Inside the Olympian's Mindset
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Olympics kick off tomorrow, so the guys share the events they're most excited for, and discuss the mindsets that the world’s top performers use ...
058 - The Coach Up: Use the 4 P's to Respond Not React
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"Respond, not react." It's easy to say and extremely difficult to do, especially in the heat of the moment. Luckily, Brad has an actionable, four-step...
057 - BIG NEWS: Introducing The Growth Equation Academy
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we discuss Brad's recent article in The New York Times, and announce some exciting news: On Monday, we launched "The Growth Equation Academ...
056 - The Coach Up: RPE (What It Is & How to Use It)
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We live in a data-heavy age, rife with smart watches and fitness trackers. But objective metrics have their limits (such as heat, fatigue, stress, tec...
055 - Do You Need Meaningful Work to Have a Good Life?
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a 2021 Pew Research survey, only 17% of Americans mentioned their work as a source of meaning. But a 2023 poll, also from Pew Research, said 71% of...
054 - The Coach Up: A Short but Effective On-the-Go Workout
08 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are many reasons why your workout routine might get disrupted. Maybe you're traveling, maybe something comes up and you have less time than expe...
053 - Everything You Need to Know About the "Second Wind"
04 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You're probably familiar with the phenomenon of the "second wind." You're doing something difficult, going all out, giving max effort, and just when y...
052 - The Coach Up: How to (Deep) Read More Books
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Reading is a skill that we may not spend a lot of time trying to improve. But in an age of constant noise and distraction, being able to focus and go ...
051 - Does Being a Good Person Make You a Worse Competitor?
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Steve, Brad, and Clay discuss a question posed by the writer and runner Sabrina Little in a recent article (link below) from Aeon titled "Performance-...