excellence, actually

On this episode of the Growth Equation podcast, Brad and Steve discuss the culture's obsession with idolizing certain people, and how thanks to the internet, everyone has a chance to win at this game. But is it a game that you actually want to win? Or are the forces of so-called celebrity (or going viral, or growing a personal brand, or becoming more influential, and so on) actually just making life increasingly performative rather than real? Might this be leaving us exhausted and stressed? Is there a practical way to opt out?Check out our exclusive community offers on Patreon here.You can find the podcast on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherPlease write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post Hero Worship and Performative Everything appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hard work is often talked about as a be-all end-all when it comes to performance, and even personhood. On this episode of The Growth Equation podcast, we explore what hard work can (and can't do), what pursuits are more prone to be impacted by hard work, and the difference between hard work making you as good as you can be versus making you better than others. We also look at the history of hard work as a moral concept, and offer some thoughts on why it might be misguided.Resources Mentioned:Born Losers by Scott SandageRachel Hollis Instagram PostCheck out our exclusive community offers on Patreon here.You can find the podcast on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherPlease write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post Skill vs. Luck vs. Hard Work appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The film Operation Varsity Blues, a chronicle of the massive college admissions scandal that occurred from 2011 to 2018, was just published on Netflix. It is a pretty damning (and tragic)film. In this episode of The Growth Equation podcast, Brad and Steve use the film as a jumping off point to an in-depth discussion of everything that is wrong with higher education. Of course, they also offer some ideas on how to fix it. Topics discussed include standardized testing, to pay or not to pay athletes, and how so many schools have become a luxury brands in the same way that a Prada bag or Gucci wallet are. Warning: this show is not for the faint of heart or easily offended. Brad and Steve don't hold back in their analysis of how we got into this mess. But it will take this kind of brutally honest analysis if we are to have any chance at working our way out.Check out our exclusive community offers on Patreon here.You can find the podcast on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherPlease write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post An Honest Rant on College Admissions appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special bonus episode, Brad and Steve delve into the process of becoming authors, starting from their early days writing hardly-read blogs to landing book advances with large publishing houses. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who has ever wondered how to write a book, the difference between self-publishing and traditional-publishing, or what goes into turning an idea on the back of a napkin into 250 pages for sale at Barnes and Nobles.To Subscribe and get the full episode, head over to: https://www.patreon.com/TheGrowthEquationYou can find the podcast on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherPlease write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post Inside Baseball: Book Publishing appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To foam roll or not to foam roll? Force yourself to endure an ice-bath after a grueling workout, or sit it out? Cardio or weights, or perhaps even more pertinent, will doing cardio hurt your weights (and vice versa)? Sure, “diets” are no good, but neither is being opposed to all weight loss, right? What matters more, training frequency or duration or intensity? The list goes on and on. In today's episode, we are going to spend some time debunking myths in health and fitness and discussing what actually works, and when. As you might guess, there's a fair of amount of “it depends,” in this episode, but we do our best to tease out the “on what.” To help us navigate the sometimes overwhelming and bizarre world of health and fitness, we've got special guest Zach Greenwald, an exercise scientist, gym owner, and personal strength and conditioning coach to Brad (and coach to strength athletes far better than Brad!) We had a great time in this conversation and learned a lot. We hope you do too!Zach's gym and personal coaching: Strength Ratio.Zach on Instagram.Check out our exclusive community offers on Patreon here. (Note: Judson will be joining us for a conversation on his book in an upcoming book-club!)You can find the podcast on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherPlease write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post Slaying Sacred Cows in Health and Fitness appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anxiety, in the broadest of terms, is discomfort with uncertainty. In the words of psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author Judson Brewer, “it's a severe condition; that is, it's the human condition.” On this week's episode of The Growth Equation podcast Brad and Steve are joined by Judson for a wide-ranging conversation on anxiety. They touch on anxiety's evolutionary roots, historical evolution, and modern day permutations. They also detail Judson's 3-part process to unwind anxiety, using as an example Judson's own current situation: resisting the impulse to constantly check reviews on his newly released book. Finally, they dive into something that Judson once told Brad about his own experience of anxiety while meditating: “That's just your ego afraid to die.” Judson is one of the smartest people Brad and Steve know, and in this conversation, you'll see why. With an uncanny ability to go broad and deep, to explain and coach, Judson is a great teacher for all.You can find the podcast on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherJudson's new book, Unwinding Anxiety.Check out our exclusive community offers on Patreon here. (Note: Judson will be joining us for a conversation on his book in an upcoming book-club!)Please write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post Unwinding Anxiety appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sleep. It's a topic that affects everyone, and it's particularly timely coming off of daylight savings time, which doesn't do much other than make an entire country of people groggy. Against that backdrop, Brad and Steve figured it'd be a perfect occasion to dive deep into sleep. They discuss the fundamental and sometimes surprising habits that set you up for a good night's sleep, the role of melatonin (both naturally and as a supplement), what's happening in your mind and body throughout the night, and the costs and benefits of using sleep-trackers. Equal parts intellectually interesting and practical, this episode is chock full of insights for anyone who sleeps, which is everyone!You can find the podcast on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherCheck out our exclusive community offers and special launch giveaways on Patreon here.Please write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post What “Good Sleep” Really Means and How to Get It appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A phenomenon that just about everyone is familiar with goes like this: You are striving hard to reach the next level at your given craft or pursuit. After loads of hard work, you finally reach it. When you do, you vacillate from feeling in over your head to feeling like you belong. Sometimes your ego may be too big; other times, too small. It's a wild and uniquely human ride. Someone who knows it well is Mara Gay. Shortly after she got her dream job at the New York Times editorial board, she told us, “This feels like going from playing in high-school to getting drafted into the NFL.” In this episode of The Growth Equation podcast, we are joined by Mara for a wide-ranging conversation on taking your game to the next level, and the importance of practicing humility as you do. Mara's craft is reporting and writing, but the topics we discuss are applicable to sustainable success and peak performance in all fields. These include how to keep perspective to stop your ego from getting in your way, imposter syndrome, resilience, staying hopeful during dark times, identity, routines, setting boundaries between work and life, and Mara's ongoing battle with a serious case of COVID-19. We absolutely loved this conversation and we think you will too.Follow Mara Gay on Twitter here.Support the Podcast and check out our exclusive community offers on Patreon here.You can find the podcast on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherPlease write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post Why Practicing Humility is the Key to True Confidence and Belonging appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you dislike email, or at the very least, the amount of time, energy, and attention your inbox demands? If so, you aren't alone. In this episode of The Growth Equation Podcast, we welcome Cal Newport, bestselling author of Deep Work, Digital Minimalism, and most recently, A World Without Email. We dive deep into Cal's new book. But we also explore Cal's journey to becoming an author who is also a computer scientist, and who was formerly a pretty dang good athlete all the way up to the collegiate level. This is a wide-ranging conversation that tackles a variety of topics including using constraints to be more free, fit versus grit, exploration versus mastery, and of course e-mail (and more accurately, how to lessen its role in your life).Get Cal's new book, A World Without Email, here.Check out our exclusive community offers and special launch giveaways on Patreon here.You can find the podcast on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherPlease write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagnessThe post A World Without Email (And a More Optimal Life) With Cal Newport appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coaching has long been a foundation of sport, but only more recently is it spreading into other industries. From business, to health care, to creativity, more people are seeking coaches to help them boost their performance and longevity, and the flip side of that coin, to help them avoid burnout too. On this episode of the Growth Equation podcast, Brad and Steve are joined by Sarah Milby, founder of the company Valor Performance, which aims to scale coaching to non-traditional spaces. The trio dive deep into who could benefit most from coaching, the principles of good coaching, what to look for in a coach, and the future of coaching as it continues to expand. While they focus on coaching, they also touch upon traditional management leadership, and much of what they discuss can be applied to other fields too. At its core, this is a good discussion on helping people improving, even if that person you are helping is yourself (i.e., self-coaching).Check out our exclusive community offers and special launch giveaways on Patreon here.You can find the podcast on:iTunes and Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidStitcherPlease write a review on Apple Podcasts and help new listeners discover the show!Find Brad and Steve on Twitter: @Bstulberg and @stevemagness(As mentioned in the show, you can use the Promo code “GROWTH” for discounted coaching from Valor Performance. Learn more here.)The post Coaching Beyond Sport appeared first on The Growth Equation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.