FAREWELL

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 Academy for Human Performance." The Academy is something we created after readers and listeners continue to ask for a place to go deeper on performance and well-being. We couldn't find a program out there that we liked, so we created our own, filled with courses, masterclasses, guides, and an interactive community of other like-minded people interested in performing their best on the things they care about most. For a limited time, we're giving you 40% off. You can access the discount by clicking the link below. If you enjoy the podcast, then we're confident you'll enjoy The Academy, where you can find much, much more on all of what we discuss on this show.Join The Growth Equation Academy today for 40% off!https://the-growtheq-academy.mn.co/If you are enjoying FAREWELL, do us a huge favor: text your favorite episode to three people so they can enjoy it, too. Thanks!iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherGot a question, feedback, or ideas for the show? Email clay.growtheq@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at (646) 893-9503 

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, technical difficulties, or when you forget your watch/tracker). In these cases, RPE can be a helpful metric to use, because it's based on feel. Today, Brad explains what it is, how to use it, and how it can be applied outside of physical exercise to life more generally.If you are enjoying FAREWELL, do us a huge favor: text your favorite episode to three people so they can enjoy it, too. Thanks!iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherGot a question, feedback, or ideas for the show? Email clay.growtheq@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at (646) 893-9503 

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 Americans thought that having a job they enjoy was an important element of a fulfilling life. This creates a big disconnect. If we believe meaningful work is important to a good life, but we're struggling to find meaningful work, where does that leave us? Brad and Clay discuss the role work should play in life, what makes something "meaningful," whether or not it's important to find meaning in your work, and how to find it outside of your job."America's Crisis of Meaningless Work" by Molly Lipson (Business Insider): https://www.businessinsider.com/american-employees-disengaged-work-meaningless-fake-email-jobs-2024-6"What Makes for a Fulfilling Life" by Kim Parker and Rachel Minkin (Pew Research): https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/09/14/what-makes-for-a-fulfilling-life/#:~:text=When%20asked%20what%20it%20takes,to%20live%20a%20fulfilling%20life.If you are enjoying FAREWELL, do us a huge favor: text your favorite episode to three people so they can enjoy it, too. Thanks!iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherGot a question, feedback, or ideas for the show? Email clay.growtheq@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at (646) 893-9503 

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 you feel like you've hit your wall—BOOM—you get an unexpected surge of energy to push you to the finish line. It's great when it happens, which begs the question: why does it happen? And how can we make it more likely to occur again? Today, the guys break down the physiology and psychology behind the phenomenon, what we still don't know about it, and how we can increase our chances of catching it. (Hat tip to Mike, who emailed in a question about the second wind!) Plus: a George Orwell quote sparks a debate about the importance of ego and egolessness when it comes to excellence and performance.George Orwell Quote: https://x.com/oldbooksguy/status/1805650757502583096If you are enjoying FAREWELL, do us a huge favor: text your favorite episode to three people so they can enjoy it, too. Thanks!iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherGot a question, feedback, or ideas for the show? Email clay.growtheq@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at (646) 893-9503 

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 deep on a good book isn't just one of life's great pleasures, it's also a way to improve your attentional fitness (not to mention a great way to learn). On a year when he's not writing his own book, Brad can read 50 to 100 books. He shares his tips for starting (or restarting) and maintaining a deep reading practice: his note-taking process, why he always keeps a pad nearby (but no devices), and his one rule for quitting books.If you are enjoying FAREWELL, do us a huge favor: text your favorite episode to three people so they can enjoy it, too. Thanks!iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherGot a question, feedback, or ideas for the show? Email clay.growtheq@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at (646) 893-9503 

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-Enhancing Vices:" How do the personality traits that make for better competitors impact moral character? Is it possible that things like envy, selfishness, and pride—traits we'd likely label as "vices"—make us more competitive? Does good character hurt our performance? Using contemporary examples and drawing on their own experiences coaching, competing, and working with elite athletes, the guys explore the relationship between athletic performance and moral character. When does selfishness help and when does it hurt? Do you have to singularly obsessed to be great? How should we think about balancing life with ambitious goals?"Performance-Enhancing Vices" by Sabrina Little (Aeon):https://aeon.co/essays/does-it-take-a-bad-person-to-be-a-good-athleteIf you are enjoying FAREWELL, do us a huge favor: text your favorite episode to three people so they can enjoy it, too. Thanks!iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherGot a question, feedback, or ideas for the show? Email clay.growtheq@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at (646) 893-9503 

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 FAREWELL archives to pull one of the great problem-solving tools from ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter's killer toolbox. As you might imagine, many problems creep up when you're running 100+ miles, and Courtney has one visual tool that's proven particularly effecting at helping her win races. Plus: her favorite mantras, and the trick to unlock confidence and self-belief.Full Episode:Spotify -- https://open.spotify.com/episode/5RG8qJFrtmX9pbibmuQzHi?si=667003bf0d5144f7Apple -- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/001-inside-the-joyful-mind-of-elite-ultrarunner/id1505257676?i=1000640521579If you are enjoying FAREWELL, do us a huge favor: text your favorite episode to three people so they can enjoy it, too. Thanks!iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherGot a question, feedback, or ideas for the show? Email clay.growtheq@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at (646) 893-9503 

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 after breaking his back (twice!) at a young age. It was the 1990's and doctors told him he'd have to change his athletic lifestyle—except for one, who put him through exercises that involved strengthened his core and focused on on functional, load-bearing movement. The (ultimately effective) regimen was unusual at the time but is now considered foundational to most physical fitness routines. It gave Adam an early lesson in the power and strength of the human body—and the shortcomings of fitness and wellness "experts." Which is why he's an ideal source to help us wade through all the misinformation of today's health and wellness world. He discusses why he thinks the health industry is getting worse, the critical mindset shift that will help you change your behavior, a better and more sustainable way to eat, what he's learned from Arnold and LeBron, and a better way to think about goal-setting and to-do lists.Adam Bornstein's book, "You Can't Screw This Up: Why Eating Takeout, Enjoying Dessert, and Taking the Stress out of Dieting Leads to Weight Loss That Lasts":https://www.harpercollins.com/products/you-cant-screw-this-up-adam-bornstein?variant=41096256552994If you are enjoying FAREWELL, do us a huge favor: text your favorite episode to three people so they can enjoy it, too. Thanks!iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherGot a question, feedback, or ideas for the show? Email clay.growtheq@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at (646) 893-9503