The Best of The Playbook: Dr. Julie Gurner: The Unglamorous Truth About Ultra Success

The Best of The Playbook: Dr. Julie Gurner: The Unglamorous Truth About Ultra Success

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2280421/fan_mail/new] In this episode playback, we wrestle with why brushes with death don’t automatically change behavior, then land on courage as the skill that unlocks a life that actually feels like yours. We break down how courage compounds, how fear fades with reps, and why the way we think quietly drives everything we do.  •deathbed regrets and the cost of not living true to yourself  •courage as a compounding skill through small risks and wins  •why elite confidence in work can collapse in dating  •dropping magical thinking and taking novice reps on purpose  •fear, reinforcement, and why action reduces anticipatory anxiety  •thoughts creating emotions creating behavior as a trainable model  •injury anxiety, chronic pain, and the “just for today” reframe  •balancing incremental progress with a constant “big swing”  •internal vs external pressure and boundaries with social media  •the unglamorous sacrifices behind high performance and success  •optionality as a practical definition of a good life  Listeners, tune in next week. Download the pod, subscribe to our YouTube channel, five stars only. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2280421/support] Subscribe, Download, Rate 5 stars only baby! Follow @ColkyJonov10 on all social media platforms.

Bridging the Gap Between Western Medicine and Performance | Kyle Baum

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2280421/fan_mail/new] Kyle Baum and I unpack why recovery metrics can look perfect while your body still feels off, using HRV and the LF/HF ratio as tools rather than truth. We also dig into adrenal fatigue, low cortisol, caffeine dependence, gut health, and the hard skill every competitor needs: pulling back without losing progress.  • LF/HF ratio explained as a subset of HRV and nervous system balance  • why high HRV can still pair with poor training performance  • blending data with biofeedback to guide recovery and deload decisions  • injury readiness limits and why local pain can override global metrics  • the performance dichotomy where “do more” drives success and setbacks  • adrenal fatigue basics, cortisol rhythm, and common symptoms like morning exhaustion  • practical reset habits like breathwork, sleep protection, and delaying caffeine  • gut health links to chronic stress, digestion, motility, and nutrient absorption  • food quality focus, whole foods approach, and avoiding extreme restriction  • bridging Western medicine with functional health and root cause testing  Check us out, athleticfortitude.com. Go download the podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel. Five stars only, baby.  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2280421/support] Subscribe, Download, Rate 5 stars only baby! Follow @ColkyJonov10 on all social media platforms.

Discipline Over Motivation: How to Keep Commitments When Life Gets Hard | Kaitlyn Kenna

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2280421/fan_mail/new] Kaitlyn Kenna and I start with caffeine withdrawal and end up somewhere much deeper: how discipline, identity, and self respect actually get built when things feel hard. We share what helps us train, recover, and eat with intention without getting trapped by perfectionism or social media noise.  • caffeine dependence and what withdrawal feels like day by day  • discipline as a skill built through reps and non negotiables  • training volume, recovery days, and why sleep is a performance tool  • using Whoop and HRV data as feedback without letting it control choices  • premortems and practicing worst case scenarios to build confidence  • setting realistic expectations for different seasons of life without making excuses  • stacking wins by controlling effort and inputs over outcomes  • learning discomfort versus injury and protecting long term consistency  • CrossFit Games goals, support teams, and coaching accountability  • eating disorder recovery, control, and talking back to the restriction voice  • nutrition fear mongering, rage bait, and why whole foods and moderation work  • purpose, meaning, and identity labels that drive behavior change  Tune in next week. Check us out, athleticfortitude.com, download the pod, subscribe to our YouTube channel, 5 stars Only Baby. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2280421/support] Subscribe, Download, Rate 5 stars only baby! Follow @ColkyJonov10 on all social media platforms.

The Dark Side of Leadership: Ambition, Family, and the Cost of Being “The Guy” | Zach Brandon

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2280421/fan_mail/new] Performance and Leadership advisor, Zach Brandon, and I dig into why the traits that drive excellence can also sabotage it when we overuse them. We trade stories and mental models that help leaders, coaches, and athletes stay adaptable, serve others well, and keep their values intact when ambition and adversity collide. • the double-edged nature of performance virtues like intensity, obsession, and discipline  • overused strengths becoming limitations, including communication and leadership presence  • routines as a performance tool, plus the cost of rigidity and the need for flexibility  • the skyscraper model: deep foundation paired with the ability to sway  • the painter versus paintbrush idea, focusing on the person behind the questions  • spotlight versus lighthouse leadership, shifting from ego to service and clarity  • values versus virtues, plus performance as capability shaped by environment  • visualization and mental rehearsal that includes adversity, not just best-case outcomes  • leadership trade-offs at home, including scheduling what we claim to value  • perspective and reframing, helping performers navigate setbacks and injury  • identity as the downstream driver of behavior, growth, and culture  • prioritizing values like a “starting five” and using future-self advice as a filter  Tune in next week. Check us out, athleticfortitude.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, download the pod. Five stars only. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2280421/support] Subscribe, Download, Rate 5 stars only baby! Follow @ColkyJonov10 on all social media platforms.

The Half‑Truths Holding Athletes Back: Lessons from 30 Years and 120 Episodes

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2280421/fan_mail/new] I reflect on turning 30 and break down the lessons that keep showing up across sports, coaching, and life: every decision has downstream effects, and you always have more choice than you think. We challenge popular one-liners about performance and replace them with a practical framework for identity-based decision making, role adaptability, and long-term success.  • using a simple decision tree under pressure  • asking what your future self would do  • excelling in a role even when you dislike it  • planning for adversity with a pre-mortem  • using comparison as feedback without ego  • caring less about noise and more about trusted opinions  • accepting that talent matters and fit matters  • treating emotions as data and choosing the next action  • using outcomes as feedback without obsession  • building adaptability across teams, levels, and careers  • avoiding blanket advice and mapping consequences  • thinking through transfer portal outcomes before acting  • anchoring hard work to identity, not guarantees  Tune in next week. We've got some really cool guests coming up. Check us out athleticfortitude.com. Download the pod, subscribe to our YouTube channel. Five stars only, baby. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2280421/support] Subscribe, Download, Rate 5 stars only baby! Follow @ColkyJonov10 on all social media platforms.