056: Building Physical, Mental, and Emotional Strength through Transformative Experiences with Mike Bledsoe

Jul 20, 2023

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Mike Bledsoe, former CEO of Barbell Shrugged and today’s guest, had everything from the outside looking in. His business made millions. He was a world-renowned strongman and Olympic lifting coach. He had what seemed like a successful marriage. And he hit all of society’s most common metrics for success.

There was only one problem…

Mike was deeply troubled. He wasn’t living the life he wanted because his life wasn’t in alignment with his true self and purpose in life.

But Mike changed his life when he realized he was lifting through 3 herniated discs. Taking two months off from lifting for the first time since he turned 15 made Mike reflect deeply on his life for the first time.

Through this reflection, he realized his insatiable desire to train was rooted in a desire to be loved. Before, Mike thought the only way people would love him is if he was strong. He also realized that his 7-figure business, marriage, and his entire life wasn’t serving his higher self.

After making these startling realizations, Mike set out to change his life through deep, introspective work.

The result?

He stepped down as CEO of Barbell Shrugged. He went through a difficult, yet transformative divorce. And he finally stopped using exercise as an excuse to avoid the difficult emotions he struggled with.

In today’s show, Mike and I discuss:

How to listen to your body’s cues that you’re overtraining before you injure yourself
Why it’s so difficult to leave your biggest insecurities behind
How to expand your consciousness and align yourself with your true purpose
The trick for making gut-wrenching experiences, like going through a divorce, a transformative experience instead of a destructive one

And so much more.

This is a far-ranging conversation that touches on many of the key struggles men face today.

Listen now.

Show highlights include:

The insidious way covering up your root desire to be loved with the gym can cause life-changing injuries (11:05)
Why overtraining and ignoring your body can make your body split at the seams—like it did for Mike who had 3 herniated discs he didn’t know about until after he got surgery (18:08)
How not knowing how to breathe properly can cause physical pain across your body and heighten your risk of injury (22:55)
Why deep-seated beliefs you picked up in childhood caan creep back up and make you self-sabotage (and how to deal with them before this happens) (26:07)
The “projection into reflection” secret for uncovering your deepest subconscious fears and addressing them to improve your mental and emotional health (32:23)
The weird way your biggest insecurities actually helped you survive (and how this makes letting go of them extremely difficult) (36:54)
How zooming out time and space helps you live longer, with fewer aches, pains, injuries and insecurities (45:17)
Why making more money can actually make you feel more stressed, overwhelmed, and unhappy (56:57)
The counterintuitive reason being too logical means your emotions completely control your behaviors (1:12:36)
2 daily activities which keep you in a near-constant state of zen (1:21:43)

Resources mentioned in this episode:

1. The Sovereignty Codes: Discover Mike’s proven system which empowers you with clarity, direction, and authentic living here: https://www.sovereignty.codes/

2. Listen to Mike’s podcast, The Bledsoe Show: Available wherever you listen to podcasts as well as at https://thebledsoeshow.com/.

3. Follow Mike on Instagram: Connect with Mike and stay in touch with him by following him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mike_bledsoe/

4. Rhone: Save 20% on all high-quality, long-lasting, and comfy workout gear from Rhone by using this link: https://manflowyoga.com/rhone