excellence, actually

050 - The Coach Up: The Visual Tool to Win Hard Workouts (or Days)

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We all have hard workouts and hard days. Often, what makes them hard is there's a problem we need to solve. On today's episode, we're going into the F...

049 - Diet, Exercise, and Performance Dos and Don'ts with Adam Bornstein

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Adam Bornstein is a fitness and nutrition expert who has worked with LeBron James and Arnold Schwarzenegger and who came to the world of wellness afte...

048 - The Coach Up: JJ Redick on the Confidence of an NBA Sharpshooter

17 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the course of his basketball career, JJ Redick carved out a reputation as one of the game's best shooters. (Not to mention one of its smartest mi...

047 - How to think About Longevity and End-of-Life Health

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In recent years, there has been a growing obsession with longevity and life extension: people interested in improving the quality of their health at t...

046 - The Coach Up: How (and Why) To Do A Digital Sabbath

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every week, Brad Stulberg spends either Saturday or Sunday practicing a Digital Sabbath: he goes the day offline and without any of his devices (phone...

045 - The Reason You Can’t Ever Get Through Your To-Do List (with Oliver Burkeman)

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a promise built into all the productivity and time management advice out there: that it’s possible, with the most efficient technique, to ...

044 - The Coach Up: Beginner's Mind and the Power of Pessimism

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rebecca Rusch is an athlete whose feats of endurance have included two self-supported, 350-mile bike rides on the Iditarod Trail and led a magazine to...

043 - Lessons from a 10-Day Silent Meditation Retreat

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Clay discusses his recent experience at a 10-day silent retreat, and the guys use it as a chance to go deep on the relationship between meditation and...

042 - The Coach Up: Master These Soft Skills to Become a Great Leader

27 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To be a coach, you have to have a level of expertise in your field. To be a truly *great* coach, though, you have to have so much more than technical ...

041 - How Algorithms are Changing Our Identity & Culture (with Kyle Chayka)

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Increasingly, algorithms are affecting the culture we consume (the news we read, the music we hear, the restaurants where we dine) and the cultur...

040 - The Coach Up: Allostasis vs. Homeostasis, and the Science of Handling Change

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Whether we like it or not, change is inevitable. In his book Master of Change, Brad cites research that the average human will undergo 36 major life c...

039 - Roundtable: Intuitive Eating, Using Fear as Motivation, and Internet Culture

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week's roundtable is a hodgepodge of good stuff. Brad and Steve share their thoughts on (and criticisms of) last week's interview with Evelyn Tri...

038 - The Coach Up: The Two Types of Attention

13 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We live in an age where attentional well-being is more important than ever. In our increasingly noisy world, there are an infinite number of things vy...

037 - A Saner Way to Eat (with Evelyn Tribole)

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our diet has one of the biggest influences on how we feel and how we perform. But, particularly in the U.S., eating has become rather complicated, giv...

036 - The Coach Up: Steve's Best Strategies for Handling Pressure

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over many years of evolution, we've been wired to have very trigger happy alarm systems. Unfortunately, those alarms tend go off most loudly right bef...

035 - Tools to Move More, Eat Better, & Boost Productivity

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today's roundtable is all about building a more robust and more effective toolbox for handling the challenges life throws at you. After years of study...

034 - The Coach Up: Why "Live Your Best Life Now" is Bad Advice

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On the fifth episode of FAREWELL, Kate Bowler joined the show to talk about the ways in which the cult of wellness is failing us—namely, by making u...

033 - How to Change Your Behavior and Make Better Decisions (with Katy Milkman)

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We humans have a tendency to get in our own way. When it comes to starting new habits, changing our behavior, or making big decisions, we create all k...

032 - The Coach Up: Use this Pyramid to Organize Your Life

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brad has been a performance coach for some time now, working with executives, physicians, founder, attorneys. Today, we're going to get a little insig...

031 - Let's Make Work — and Technology — Less Insane (with Cal Newport)

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the last couple decades, Cal Newport has been thinking about how to do quality work productively, effectively, and sustainably. His latest book Sl...

030 - The Coach Up: 3 Mantras for Work, Anxiety, and Exercise

15 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mantras are a good tool to have in your toolkit when life inevitably gets frustrating and difficult (to wit: in their FAREWELL interviews, ultrarunner...

029 - How to Lose Well & Age Gracefully

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, NCAA March Madness wrapped up, and two teams were crowned National Champions—which means 134 other teams lost. This is the hard reality o...

028 - The Coach Up: The 4 Levels of Competence

08 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Any time we are developing a new skill, hobby, craft, or practice, we have to go through various stages of development—these are called the four lev...

027 - The Case for Less Technology & More Boredom (with Manoush Zomorodi)

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Good news, bad news. The good news: in our modern world of endless entertainment, we have essentially solved the problem of boredom. The bad news: tur...

026 - The Coach Up: How to Tap Into the Power of Ritual

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"A ritual is routine with intention," says Katherine May (author of Wintering and Enchantment) on today's episode of The Coach Up. Whereas routines ar...

025 - Caitlin Clark & The Cost of Greatness

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, ESPN's Wright Thompson wrote a wonderfully reported profile of Iowa's Caitlin Clark (link below), who is playing in her last NCAA tournamen...

024 - The Coach Up: Make Friends with Your Fatigue

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Knowing how to be tired is a skill. If you don't know how to work with fatigue, you won't be able to push yourself when things get hard. On the other ...

023 — When Does Exercise Become Unhealthy? (And Other Voicemails)

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve got voicemail(s)! On the last roundtable, we opened up our phone lines a you all answered the call with some great questions. So today’s epi...

022 - The Coach Up: Instead of Toxic Positivity, Try Tragic Optimism

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The world can be pretty wonderful. It can also be pretty terrible. So we need a mindset that works for both of these circumstances. Unfortunately...

021 - Are Our Cravings and Comforts Holding Us Back? (with Michael Easter)

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In his books The Comfort Crisis and Scarcity Brain, Michael Easter explores two of the major complications of living in our modern world. The world is...

020 - The Coach Up: 6 Tips for Building (& Breaking) Habits

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear makes the point that it's your habits, multiplied over time, that create the person you become. That's because ...

019 - VO2 Max and Other Things You Don't Need To Know

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Health and fitness is in a weird place these days. On one hand, there’s a lack of foundational health literacy in society (as evidenced by a recent ...

018 - The Coach Up: (How to) Fly Into the Danger Zone

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"You need to feel like a pot of water on the stove that's just about to start boiling over," says Molly Seidel, in describing what it feels like to ru...

017 - Rethinking Toughness with Ironman World Champion Chelsea Sodaro

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In October 2022, many people witnessed triathlete Chelsea Sodaro, in her first time running the race, become the first American woman to win the Ironm...

016 - The Coach Up: Getting Started When You Don't Want to Get Started

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"You probably grew up with motivation being super important: 'Think positive. Get hyped. Find inspiration. Ride your bliss,'" says Brad Stulberg,...

015 - How to Be Productive in a World of Infinite Noise

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you ever feel like you've got too much to do and not enough time to do it? Welcome to one of the enduring sensations of existing and working in a v...

014 - The Coach Up: Why Bad Days Matter More Than Good Days

19 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"The sky's the limit." "Shoot for the stars." When it comes to success, we often think in terms of being our absolute best. On today's episode of The ...

013 - Knowing How to "Winter" Is a Year Round Skill (with Katherine May)

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Let’s be honest: Winter ain't always fun! It’s cold, dark, icy, and often sticks around far longer than we want it to. Even if you’ve moved some...

012 - The Coach Up: A Magness Masterclass on Feedback

12 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Growth comes from facing weaknesses, and we learn about those weaknesses from getting feedback. But feedback has a way of raising our defenses. Which ...

011 - Is Our Happiness Obsession Making Us... Unhappy?

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We've always been a country obsessed with happiness. It was, quite literally, built into the promise of America (right there with life and liberty). B...

010 - The Coach Up: We're Talking About Practice(s)!

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to thinking about how to design your days, weeks, and months, to get done everything you want to get done, we often think in terms of go...

009 - Mental & Physical Skills of the World's Best Athlete (with Damian Warner)

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the course of two days, Olympic decathletes participate in ten different track and field events, ranging from pole vault and shot put to long jum...

008 - The Coach Up: This Concept Will Change How You Think About Motivation

29 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever noticed that your behavior is sometimes misaligned with your goals? You go to school to learn, or take a job to do meaningful work, or j...

007 - Be Yourself and Go All the Way

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What type of leadership builds a culture of winning and excellence? Is an approach that prioritizes joy, care, and love, more effective than one that'...

006 - The Coach Up: 5 Lessons on Focus, Leadership, and Greatness (with NFL coach Andy Reid)

22 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A special edition of The Coach Up! In the wake of the Kansas City Chiefs' playoff victory over the Buffalo Bills, Clay revisits a 2020 conversation he...

005 - How the Cult of Wellness is Failing Us (with Kate Bowler)

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if I told you our country's approach to wellness was heavily influenced by the history of American religion? Kate Bowler, a professor of religiou...

004 - The Coach Up: Why You Should Stop Your Workout (Just) Short

15 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout his many years of coaching, Steve Magness has put together a unique set of tools for training mental toughness. In this week's Coach Up, he...

003 - Fantasy Draft: Our 12 Favorite Movies & Shows About Performance

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We are living in an entertainment boom, which is both a blessing and a curse: there's more great content than ever before, but you have to sort throug...

002 - The Coach Up: How to Set Better Goals

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the first episode of The Coach Up, we've got three different experts—Brad, Steve, and Katy Milkman, a behavioral scientist at Wharton—offering...

001 - Inside the (Joyful) Mind of Elite Ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last summer, ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter did something that had never been done before. She ran three of the sport's most iconic 100-mile races... ...

Welcome to FAREWELL, Premiering January 4th (Trailer)

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On January 4th, we are relaunching The Growth Equation Podcast as FAREWELL. Hosted by Clay Skipper, it's a show about performance, delivering you the ...

203 - Is Motivational Speaking a Scam?

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Steve, Brad, and Clay react to a recent story in the The New Yorker about the motivational speaker economy (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/12...

202 - End of Year Roundtable: Habits We Started, Goals We Have, Trends We're Buying/Selling

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Clay, Brad, and Steve round out the year by answering four questions: What's a habit you started (or stopped) in 2023? What's a physical goal you have...

201 - This Book Changed How We Think About Performance and Anxiety

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A deep dive on Mark Epstein’s book “Going to Pieces without Falling Apart:" Brad and Clay unpack the key insights and takeaways that will help get...

200 - Strategies to Maximize Your End-of-Year Health

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Clay and Steve discuss how to approach health and exercise during the holidays and into the new year, whether you want to stick to an existing plan or...

199 - The Arrival Fallacy: Why Chasing (and Achieving) Success Doesn't Always Lead to Happiness

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wanted something badly, finally achieved it, and then found it didn't quite live up to the hype? Brad, Steve, and Clay discuss why this ...

198 - How to Strike the Balance Between Self-Compassion and Self-Discipline

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Magness, Brad Stulberg, and Clay Skipper chat about practicing restraint to avoid burnout, easy days, and the Century Beer Mile. Got a question ...

197 - Why we're on the Internet (but not of the Internet)

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Where do you get your news? Today, the guys chat about World Alienation, The Algorithm, Active vs. Passive experiences, and retaining your Humanity wi...

196 - How to Stay Healthy (and in a Routine) on the Road

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Steve, and Clay discuss their favorite milks, travel routines, Rugged Flexibity, and The Magnesss Method.You can find this episode on:iTunes and...

195 - Motivation (Philosophy is happening)

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

World champion runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen abuse allegations against his former coach (and father), the Las Vegas Aces become WNBA repeat champions, and...

194 - Editing and Publishing Books (with Anna Paustenbach)

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Anna Paustenbach (Executive Editor at HarperCollins Publishers) joins Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness to chat about her creative and editorial process...

193 - Playing Games (even ones we don’t like)

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While Brad Stulberg is recovering from covid, Steve Magness is enjoying the cool Texas weather. On today’s podcast, the guys talk about playing game...

192 - We're Expanding the Team (with Clay Skipper)

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Growth Equation welcomes Clay Skipper to the team. Brad, Steve, and Clay discuss their projections for the upcoming year.You can find this episode...

191 - Deion Sanders and The Contribution Trophy

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This podcast is an off-the-cuff analysis of Deion Sander’s trajectory at University of Colorado Boulder. Steve Magness compares his own collegiate c...

190 - Why Exercise Should be a Part of your Job (even if you’re not an athlete)

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad Stulberg explains why and how exercise should be part of your job (even if you’re not an athlete). Steve Magness gives a follow up lesson on ex...

189 - Reflections on Launch Week

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Magness unpacks the initial reception of Brad Stulberg’s new book Master of Change and the guys discuss successes, failures, best seller lists...

188 - Competition and The “Win at All Costs” Mentality

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad and Steve discuss the “Win at All Costs” Mentality, Capitalism, Competition, and the Gini Coefficient.You can find this episode on:iTunes and...

187 - Master Of Change

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today marks the release of Brad’s new book Master of Change. Join Clay Skipper for a special deep dive into the book; how it ties into Growth Equati...

186 - Four Types of Recovery

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Magness gives a solo guide on four types of recovery: soreness, flatness, (mental) fatigue, and lethargy.You can find this episode on:iTunes and...

185 - The Mental Health of Endurance Athletes

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Steve gives a newborn update and the guys discuss an article on the Mental Health of Endurance Athletes. Brad reacts to testosterone Twitter and offer...

184 - Hitting “The Plateau”

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

No path to excellence doesn’t include “The Plateau.” Brad and Steve discuss two responses; staying patient or shifting yourself.You can find thi...

183 - How and Why We Choke

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode, Brad and Steve explore why and how we choke, personalizing failure, flow vs. clutch states, and turning down your alarm.You can ...

182 - A Master Interviewer on How to Ask Great Questions

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Clay Skipper is a profile writer and interviewer; most recently for GQ. On today’s episode, he chats with Brad and Steve about his background, inter...

181 - How We Use Technology

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how Brad and Steve are using technology. This episodes covers boundaries, social media, and the pros and cons of being Amish.You can find thi...

180 - Taking It Easy

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s hard to shut down when our rest and recovery becomes performative. Here’s how Brad and Steve are taking it easy. You can find this episo...

179 - 7 Mindset Shifts that will Change your Life

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Co-hosted by Growth EQ COO Chris Douglas, Brad unpacks his recent instagram post "7 Mindset Shifts that will Change your Life".You can find the episod...

178 - Cheap Dopamine

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad and Steve discuss how and why dopamine drives our behavior. This episode covers addiction, desire, dopamine “fasting”, and Parkinsons. Y...

177 - The Internet has gone a little Crazy

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad and Steve react to Lance Armstrong’s comments on trans athletes, RFK Jr. working out shirtless, and Elon Musk challenging Mark Zuckerberg to a ...

176 - Relational Flexibility (with Yael Schonbrun)

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the second week in a row, Yael Schonbrun joins Brad fo discuss relational flexibility, setting boundaries, personality disorders. OCD and anxiety....

Special Episode: Big Pharma vs. Big Conspiracy

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In light of a recent Joe Rogan and RFK Jr. podcast, Brad and Steve set out to clear up some of the confusion on out-there public health theories while...

175 - Nurturing Our Relationships (with Yael Schonbrun)

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Yael Schonbrun joins Brad for a discussion on nurturing our relationships: especially while we're busy nurturing our children. This conversation explo...

174 - The Impact of Youth Sports

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fresh off a weekend of youth tee ball, Brad and Steve discuss the importance and impact of youth sports; on both the youth and adults.You can find the...

173 - "You Can’t Screw This Up” (with Adam Bornstein)

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s podcast, Brad and Steve chat with Adam Bernstein about diet extremism, boundaries, sustainability, and working with Arnold Schwarzenegger...

172 – Diet Extremism and the Trigger Happy Contrarian

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad and Steve unpack a recent Jordan Peterson tweet as a springboard into a discussion about why and how so many contrarians find amplification on th...

171 – Steve Magness Gives a Masterclass on Exercise

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With Brad out for the week, Steve leads a solo podcast addressing the latest studies on exercise. Steve explains relative effort, interval training, s...

170 – Interpreting Failure

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever choked? Following the loss of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, Brad and Steve deep dive into the topic of failure. For an ...

169 – Kate Courtney

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Courtney joins the podcast to talk about her rise as a professional cyclist, her grind mentality, and her pursuit of mastery.Connect with Kate:ht...

168 – Men and Masculinity (Part 2)

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the conclusion of our conversation on Men and Masculinity, Brad and Steve discuss solutions to problems effecting modern boys and men.  You can fi...

167 – Men and Masculinity (Part 1)

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Todays podcast is the first of a two part conversation on Men and Masculinity. In this episode, Brad and Steve identify the problems facing modern boy...

166 – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If big assets to achievement and peak performance are routine, controlling a situation, discipline, and consciousness – those quality can fuel s...

165 – A Message for Coaches

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What do people get wrong with coaching? What are some thing to look out for when finding a coach? Today’s podcast is all about coaching – from...

164 – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today's episode, Brad and Steve discuss the advancement of Artificial Intelligence and how it might impact the attention economy of the future.iTun...

163 – Examine Your Supplements (with Gregory Lopez)

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad and Steve are joined by Gregory Lopez to discuss his medical background, working at Examine.com, and his approach to supplementation. As referenc...

161 – Cold Plunges, Coffee, and Alchohol

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad is back with a new squatting PR and Macklemore is back with a new album focusing on the attention economy (as discussed in last weeks episode). ...

160 – The Attention Economy

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad hits a PR at the gym and Steve is having his first kid. The guys discuss how advertising affects them and compare how different things are for mo...

159 – Startling Rates of Mental Illness in Teenagers

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad and Steve discuss anxiety in teenagers, the attention economy, and the impact of social media.You can find the episode on:iTunes and Apple Podcas...

158 – Who’s the Greatest Basketball Player of all Time?

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hot on the heels of Lebron James breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record, Brad and Steve discuss who the best basketball player of all ...

157 – Navigating Intimate Relationships (with Yael Schonbrun)

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s episode is all about navigating intimate relationships. Yael Schonbrun talks to Brad and Steve about setting boundaries, reframing your pers...

156 – Sahil Bloom

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sahil Bloom joins The Growth Equation to talk about his baseball and stock market careers, cold plunges, and his upcoming book.Connect with Sahil Bloo...

155 – How NOT to fail your New Year’s Resolution

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Brad and Steve talk about why people fail their resolutions and what we can do NOT to.You can find the episode on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpot...