excellence, actually
Steve Magness, Brad Stulberg, & Clay Skipper
"excellence, actually" is a podcast from The Growth Equation, hosted by Steve Magness, Brad Stulberg, and Clay Skipper. Drawing on their years of working and corresponding with Olympians, coaches, executives, world-class physicians, and other elite-level achievers in their coaching practice and professional careers, they give you the mental and physical tools, practices, habits, and frameworks used by the best in the world in the pursuit of excellence. Each episode will give you concrete ideas and tips to use in your life immediately to help you become more meaningfully engaged in the pursuits that support your goals and your values. This is not the performative nonsense that is peddled online by grifters and influencers, but the evidence-based systems that work for the best in the world. This is excellence, actually. (This podcast used to appear under the name FAREWELL.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
225 snips
Jan 1, 2026 • 44min
26 Lessons on Excellence to Jump Start 2026
Discover 26 powerful lessons designed to elevate your pursuit of excellence as 2026 approaches. Engage deeply with pursuits that align with your values and redefine your approach to discipline, treating the process of work as the true victory. Learn to embrace repetition and discomfort while finding joy in the journey, and prioritize intrinsic growth over external accolades. Explore the importance of curiosity, flexible routines, and wise modeling while focusing on building a career characterized by cumulative achievements.
27 snips
Dec 25, 2025 • 1h 1min
Best Of: Courtney Dauwalter — Inside the (Joyful) Mind of an Elite Ultrarunner
Courtney Dauwalter, an elite ultrarunner famed for her record-setting wins, shares her unique insights into endurance and joy. She reveals her experience tackling three iconic 100-mile races in just ten weeks, emphasizing the importance of curiosity and a growth mindset. Courtney also discusses her innovative mental strategies, like the 'filing cabinet' method for problem-solving, her transformation of suffering into opportunity, and how she incorporates joy into her intense training, reminding us to embrace challenges with enthusiasm.
9 snips
Dec 18, 2025 • 47min
How to Push Your Limits, with World-Champion Climber Sasha DiGiulian
Sasha DiGiulian, a world champion rock climber known for her incredible ascents including the first female free climb of 'Platinum' on El Capitan, shares her journey through adversity. She opens up about overcoming her fears, managing pain, and the surprising clarity climbing brings amidst chaos. Sasha also discusses enduring a storm while stuck in a portaledge for nine days, the mental tools she uses to cope, and her insights on embracing gratitude in challenging times. With a focus on sponsorship and paving the way for future climbers, her story inspires resilience and positivity.
67 snips
Dec 11, 2025 • 45min
"It's Never All Bad:" How to Suffer (with Matt Fitzgerald)
In this engaging conversation, endurance athlete and author Matt Fitzgerald shares his journey of mastering the art of suffering. After a long hiatus from running, he faced his fears of pain and developed mental toughness. Matt discusses his mantra, 'it's never all bad,' and how he reframes negative emotions into opportunities. He also reflects on the lessons learned while training through long COVID and the importance of being never satisfied in pursuit of growth. Tune in for valuable insights on resilience and self-acceptance!
41 snips
Dec 4, 2025 • 48min
The Talent Episode: Is Greatness Born or Built?
Dive into the riveting debate of whether greatness is born or built, highlighted through college basketball case studies. Discover how environment and grit shape talent, and learn about the crucial balance of nature and nurture. Explore common missteps in identifying talent early, and why late bloomers deserve recognition. The conversation also emphasizes the importance of fostering a growth mindset over innate ability and the value of supportive coaching. Finally, find practical advice for parents and athletes aiming to unlock their full potential.
46 snips
Nov 27, 2025 • 40min
Q+A: On Bad Habits, Post-Race Fitness, and “Boring” Work
Listeners get insightful advice on managing intense work without falling into bad habits. The hosts dive into the balance between fleeting happiness from achievements and the search for lasting fulfillment. They tackle the challenge of finding meaning in tedious tasks and emphasize that every job has its boring moments. Differentiate between normal fatigue and chronic exhaustion in training is discussed, alongside strategies for post-race recovery. They encourage treating recovery as an experiment, blending data with personal experiences.
139 snips
Nov 20, 2025 • 41min
The Mental Fitness Playbook: Resilience, Regulation, and Flexibility
Explore the vital components of mental fitness: resilience, emotional regulation, and psychological flexibility. Discover the myths surrounding mental toughness, like toxic positivity and learned helplessness. Learn how community can aid in disaster recovery and the importance of meaning in managing stress. Gain insights from meditation research and ultra-running metaphors that highlight coping mechanisms. Embrace emotions as valuable information and practice psychological flexibility by aligning actions with values, even in tough times.
77 snips
Nov 13, 2025 • 47min
Doing it All: The CEO Who Ran a 2:29 Marathon (with Nick Thompson)
Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and author of The Running Ground, shares his remarkable journey as a marathoner and cancer survivor. He dives into his systematic approach to productivity, highlighting his Trello system and the importance of 'non-goals.' Thompson reveals how lessons from running translate to his work life and emphasizes the need for focused presence over worry. He also discusses the surprising breakthroughs that helped him shatter performance limits after his illness, shedding light on effective pacing strategies and managing mental barriers.
131 snips
Nov 6, 2025 • 45min
The Optimization Trap — and How to Escape It
The discussion kicks off with Yoshinobu Yamamoto's World Series heroics, illustrating the pitfalls of the optimization trap. Hosts explore how rigid routines can lead to fragility and choking under pressure. They emphasize the value of flexible pre-performance rituals and the importance of knowing when to abandon them. The episode dives into using safe-to-fail experiments to bolster self-efficacy and contrasts wisdom against fear in decision-making. Listeners learn that accepting failure can be a crucial part of achieving success in various fields.
101 snips
Oct 30, 2025 • 59min
The Marathon Mindset: How to Endure, Actually
Steve Magness, a renowned running coach and Olympic qualifier mentor, shares his insights on endurance and resilience in both running and life. He emphasizes the importance of realistic expectations and pacing to avoid early burnout. Steve discusses mental strategies, such as conserving cognitive energy and reframing nerves as signs of readiness. The conversation delves into using multiple goals to cope with setbacks and how the marathon serves as a powerful metaphor for personal growth. His wisdom transcends running, offering valuable life lessons about perseverance and process.
