
excellence, actually
"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.
Latest episodes

Dec 29, 2021 • 1h 5min
Recapping the Six Biggest Performance and “Wellness” Ideas from 2021
Brad and Steve let loose recapping the six biggest ideas in performance and wellness from 2021.You can find the episode on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcher***Check out our exclusive community bonuses on Patreon.Get a copy of The Practice of Groundedness! It is currently over 40 percent off!Please write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post Recapping the Six Biggest Performance and “Wellness” Ideas from 2021 appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 22, 2021 • 54min
The Creative Process with Sculptor Emil Alzamora
Brad and Steve are joined by world-class sculptor Emil Alzamora to discuss his work, the idea (and life) of being a craftsperson, physical versus digital art, the creative process, the role of lightening inspiration versus hacking at it every day, and so much more.You can find the episode on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcher***Learn more about Emil here.Check out our exclusive community bonuses on Patreon.Get a copy of The Practice of Groundedness! It is currently over 40 percent off!Please write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post The Creative Process with Sculptor Emil Alzamora appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 snips
Dec 15, 2021 • 49min
Fundamentals Not Fluff
On this episode, Brad and Steve dispel some recent trends in the health, fitness, and high-performance space, delving into how they came into existence, why people follow them, and what, if any, benefit they may have. Then, we go into what actually works for improvement and why it's so easy to focus on fluff and fads and so hard to focus on fundamentals.(Note: We call out a few particular trends. If you follow these we don't mean to offend you and would be interested to hear about your experience with them. We are always, and genuinely, open to being wrong and changing our minds.)You can find the episode on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcher ***Get a copy of The Practice of Groundedness! It is currently over 40 percent off!Check out our exclusive community bonuses on Patreon.Please write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post Fundamentals Not Fluff appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 snips
Dec 8, 2021 • 59min
What Does it Mean to be Courageous in Daily Life, With Ryan Holiday
Brad and Steve are joined by author Ryan Holiday for a wide-ranging discussion on courage: how it relates to self and society, and the big and small acts in our lives. They also discuss Ryan's routines, how he sticks to them, adhering to a process-mindset vs. an outcome one, and why physical practice is such an integral part of Ryan's job as a writer. For those who don't know him personally, Ryan is a great and genuine dude — he's the real deal. Ryan has done a bunch of podcasts on his new book, so we made sure to stick to new questions, prompts, and stories. This is one of our best conversations in a long time.You can find the episode on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcher***Support Ryan's local bookstore and get these books that were recommended and discussed:Courage is CallingHow the Word is PassedFirst PrinciplesThe Practice of GroundednessCheck out our exclusive community bonuses on Patreon.Please write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessIf you are price sensitive, get a copy of The Practice of Groundedness where it is currently over 40 percent off!The post What Does it Mean to be Courageous in Daily Life, With Ryan Holiday appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 1, 2021 • 1h 2min
Top 10 Books of 2021
Brad and Steve discuss their top 10 books of 2021. Fun banter, and a great reading and holiday gifting recommendations. You don't want to miss out on this one.You can find the episode on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcher***Get a copy of The Practice of Groundedness! It is currently over 40 percent off!Check out our exclusive community bonuses on Patreon.Please write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessBooks discussed:Bullshit Jobs, by David Graeber.The Extended Mind, by Annie Murphy Paul.The Shallows, by Nicholas Carr.Wintering, by Katherine May. The World Ending Fire, by Wendell Berry. Escape from Freedom, by Erich Fromm.The Hidden Spring, by Mark Solms.The Knowledge Gap, by Natalie Wexler.Think Again, by Adam Grant.Wanting, by Luke Burgis.The post Top 10 Books of 2021 appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 24, 2021 • 38min
Grit and Exploitation vs. Exploration
An interesting discussion on when grit is useful versus when grit gets in the way, and the value of exploration (going wide) before exploitation (going deep). Between the extremes of generalization and specialization there is quite a bit of nuance, and this podcast explores that in-between, using a few recent and large studies as a foundation for confidence in the assertions.You can find the episode on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcher ***Get a copy of The Practice of Groundedness! It is currently over 40 percent off!Check out our exclusive community bonuses on Patreon.Please write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post Grit and Exploitation vs. Exploration appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 snips
Nov 17, 2021 • 1h 3min
Activity (And Other) Trackers
From Whoop to Fitbit to Oura, activity trackers are on the rise. On this episode of The Growth Equation Podcast, Brad and Steve dive into these wrist, finger, and chest worn devices. They discuss various types of trackers and their applications, and when these sorts of things work versus when they get in the way, or worse, cause harm. If you wear an activity tracker or have ever considered wearing one, you won't want to miss this episode.You can find the episode on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcher ***Get a copy of The Practice of Groundedness! It is currently over 40 percent off!Check out our exclusive community bonuses on Patreon.Please write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post Activity (And Other) Trackers appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 snips
Nov 10, 2021 • 38min
Do More Real Things in The World, Be Better, and Feel Better
On this episode of the Growth Equation Podcast, Brad and Steve discuss the vast benefits of doing real, concrete activities in a modern world that is increasingly complex and full of subjective measures. They argue that everyone, especially knowledge workers, should have a “real thing” craft to which they dedicate at least some time, energy, and focus. Doing real things keeps you humble and it keeps you well. This is one of the best episodes we've recorded in a long time, so don't miss out!You can find the episode on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcher***Brad's essay in Outside on Doing Real Things.Get a copy of The Practice of Groundedness! It is currently over 40 percent off!Check out our exclusive community bonuses on Patreon.Please write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post Do More Real Things in The World, Be Better, and Feel Better appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 27, 2021 • 1h 22min
Dave Pell: Managing Editor… Of The Internet
We are lucky to be joined by Dave Pell, the reader, writer, and all-around creative behind the internet's longest running big-time newsletter, Next Draft. In this far-reaching conversation, we talk about how Dave shows up consistently to do high quality work, his daily routines, mental health and news consumption, running your own little internet empire, getting addicted to relevance, the future of the media in the western world, Dave's new book, Please Scream Inside Your Heart: Breaking News and Nervous Breakdowns in the Year That Wouldn't End, and so much more. It's a far-reaching conversation that has something for everyone, from those wanting to understand excellence and high-performance in a traditional craft, to those who want to learn more about the inside baseball of newsletter publishing, to those who are curious about the news, its history, choices one makes in covering it, and where this all may be going.You can find the episode on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherAdditional Notes:Order Dave's brand new book on Amazon or via Bookshop.orgSubscribe to Dave's newsletter Next Draft here.***Get a copy of The Practice of Groundedness! It is currently over 40 percent off!Check out our exclusive community bonuses on Patreon.Please write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post Dave Pell: Managing Editor… Of The Internet appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 20, 2021 • 51min
Everyone Can Benefit From Coaching
On this episode of the pod, Brad and Steve talk about all things performance coaching, including in fields outside of sport. They discuss everything from who can benefit from having a coach, to the value of credentials, to strategies you can use to separate hucksters from excellent professionals, to the nuts and bolts of their own individual performance and executive coaching practices.You can find the episode on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherAdditional Notes:“I am a life coach, you are a life coach: the rise of an unregulated industry”Get a copy of The Practice of Groundedness! It is currently over 40 percent off!Check out our exclusive community bonuses on Patreon.Please write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post Everyone Can Benefit From Coaching appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.