#561: Rich Roll — Reinventing Your Life at 30, 40, and Beyond

223 snips

Jan 5, 2022

Rich Roll, an ultra-distance endurance athlete and bestselling author, shares his incredible journey of transformation from a career in law to becoming a fitness icon at age 40. He dives deep into the struggles of addiction and the importance of navigating sobriety, emphasizing self-awareness and resilience. Rich discusses the spectrum of addiction beyond substances, the effectiveness of Zone 2 training for endurance, and the power of scheduled breaks for enhancing productivity. This inspiring conversation invites listeners to embrace personal growth and redefine success.

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ANECDOTE

Early Life and Alcohol

Rich Roll's early life was marked by insecurity and difficulty connecting with others.
He found solace in swimming, where he excelled through discipline and hard work, but alcohol became a crutch.

ANECDOTE

Rock Bottom

Rich Roll's drinking led to DUIs, near job loss, and a failed marriage on his honeymoon.
These events caused deep shame, but he continued drinking to cope until reaching a breaking point.

ANECDOTE

Failed Marriage

Rich Roll's failed marriage was not directly caused by alcohol, but by underlying issues.
His then-fiancée wanted out but didn't break it off, leading to a disastrous honeymoon and relapse.

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Finding Ultra

Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Top Ultrarunners

Rich Roll

Finding Ultra recounts Rich Roll’s remarkable journey from an out-of-shape, mid-life couch potato to one of the world’s top ultrarunners. The book chronicles his battle with alcoholism, his transformation into an elite endurance athlete, and his adoption of a plant-based lifestyle. It includes his experiences in the elite Ultraman competition and the EPIC5, five Ironman-distance triathlons completed in less than a week on different Hawaiian islands. The revised and updated edition provides practical tools, practices, and strategies for optimal performance, longevity, and wellness, making it a guide for anyone seeking to transform their life through self-discovery and a healthier lifestyle.

The Plantpower Way

Whole Food Plant-Based Recipes and Guidance for the Whole Family

Julie Piatt

Rich Roll

Created by Rich Roll and Julie Piatt, this book shares their experiences and the health benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. It includes a variety of easy-to-prepare whole food recipes, such as hearty breakfasts, lunches, dinners, smoothies, juices, and desserts. The book is not just a recipe collection but a comprehensive guide to long-term wellness, body, mind, and spirit health, and a celebration of a simple and sustainable lifestyle.

Essentialism

The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Greg McKeown

In 'Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less,' Greg McKeown argues that by applying a more selective criteria for what is essential, individuals can regain control of their time and energy. The book is divided into sections such as Explore, Eliminate, and Execute, providing practical advice on distinguishing the vital few from the trivial many and eliminating non-essential activities. McKeown emphasizes the importance of clarity of focus, the ability to say 'no,' and living 'by design, not by default.' This approach helps readers achieve more by doing less and making the highest possible contribution in their personal and professional lives.

Effortless

Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most

Greg McKeown

In 'Effortless', Greg McKeown offers practical tools and strategies for achieving more with less effort. The book is organized into three parts: the effortless state, effortless action, and effortless results. McKeown argues that not everything has to be hard and provides methods for turning tedious tasks into enjoyable rituals, preventing frustration, setting a sustainable pace, and automating essential tasks. His philosophy emphasizes the importance of finding easier ways to accomplish what matters most, rather than perpetually overexerting oneself[1][2][5].

New Pair of Glasses

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Chuck Chamberlain

The Plant Power Way Italia

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Julie Piatt

Rich Roll

Brought to you by Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating, and Tonal smart home gym.

At age 40, Rich Roll (@richroll) made the decision to overhaul the sedentary throes of overweight middle age. Walking away from a career in law, he reinvented himself as a globally recognized ultra-distance endurance athlete, bestselling author, and host of the wildly popular Rich Roll Podcast, one of the world’s most listened to podcasts, with more than 200 million downloads.

Named one of the “25 Fittest Men in the World” by Men’s Fitness and the “Guru of Reinvention” by Outside magazine, Rich shares his inspirational story of addiction, redemption, and athletic prowess in his bestselling memoir, Finding Ultra, and in the cookbooks/lifestyle guides The Plantpower Way and The Plantpower Way: Italia, which he co-authored with his wife Julie Piatt.

Rich is a graduate of Stanford University (where he was a member of their dynastic, multiple-NCAA-championship men’s swimming program) and Cornell Law School. He has been featured on CNN and on the cover of Outside and has been profiled in The New York Times, Forbes, ESPN, and many other prominent media outlets.

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Prior to turning things around at age 40, what role had alcohol played in Rich’s life, and when did he realize it was a problem? How bad did it get? [07:27]

Why did Rich decide to pursue a career in law? [16:09]

What was the last straw that made Rich decide to seek help for his addiction to alcohol? How old was he, what was going on in his life at the time, and what form did this help take? [18:26]

What does Rich notice people commonly missing when he retells his story of addiction recovery and lifestyle changes that led him to become the person he is today? [27:45]

As Dr. Gabor Maté says: “Don’t ask why the addiction, ask why the pain.” What tools have most helped Rich understand and manage his own addiction? [33:51]

Was the decentralized nature of Bill Wilson’s Alcoholics Anonymous basically blockchain before blockchain was cool? [40:45]

Rich says that addiction is “a spectrum so broad that almost anybody can find themselves somewhere along the line.” Even if you might not consider yourself an addict, the tools of addiction recovery can often be used to help you break bad patterns you find yourself repeating. [43:45]

Having trouble cultivating good habits (like regular exercise)? Remember: “Mood follows action.” [48:36]

Why (and how) did Rich turn his physical health around at age 40? [50:52]

Rich’s most worthwhile investment of time, money, or energy. [57:59]

Rich’s advice for anyone trying to make positive changes in their own life — whether it’s building a small, beneficial habit, picking up a new set of skills, or overhauling their physical regimen for maximum results. [1:03:55]

Zone 2 training thoughts, experiences, and recommendations. [1:14:59]

How — and why — did Rich get in the habit of regularly sleeping in a tent on his roof? How does he maximize benefits and alleviate potential dangers of this unorthodox practice? [1:24:34]

By not scheduling commitments before noon, what does Rich’s daily architecture look like? How often does he succeed in fending off disruptions to this schedule? [1:32:00]

How Rich got to the point where he commits to living a month off the grid every year, what he does to ensure that it happens, and how he benefits from this practice. [1:38:37]

An aside: Rich asks me to share what I experienced off the grid recently in Antarctica. [1:42:41]

What would Rich’s billboard say? [1:49:49]

What is Rich most excited about for the year ahead? [1:52:32]

What Rich would ask the audience to consider and parting thoughts. [1:56:51]

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