excellence, actually

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...

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 Podcasts Spotify Android Stitcher *** 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...

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 epis...

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...

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 ke...

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...

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 fi...

Less is not more. More is more. Less is less. But sometimes—no, even often—less is better. In this episode, Brad and Steve talk to Leidy Klotz, a professor at the University of Virginia with appointments in engineering, architecture, and business. They focus on his new seminal work, Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less . The trio discuss why subtracting is not second nature, why minimalism sound...

A fun and wide-ranging conversation on the entire notion of productivity and time-management. We start from a 30,000 foot view of what's the point of all this anyways? and then go all the way down to the ground floor, where we cover common pitfalls and concrete practices that can help you right now to get the most out of your limited stay on this planet we call Earth. You can find the episode on:...

We use a recent exploration of the NFL's empathy gap as a doorway into a broader conversation about the tradeoffs between analytics and the human side of things in organizational and individual life. Steve also coaches Brad through a challenge he's having in sticking to his own physical practice. You can find the episode on: iTunes and Apple Podcasts Spotify Android Stitcher If you haven’t yet, pi...

We dive into what it was like to launch the Growth Eq's latest book,  The Practice of Groundedness . In particular, we focus on our struggles trying to practice what we preach during a frenetic, hectic, and results focused week. Plus, if you've ever wondered what it is like to launch a book, you won't want to miss this. You can find the episode on: iTunes and Apple Podcasts Spotify Android Stitche...

In this behind-the-scenes podcast, Steve interviews Brad on his new book The Practice of Groundedness . Where did the idea for the book come from? How do you go from an idea to a fleshed-out framework? Will groundedness help you run a faster 5k? All of those questions and more are answered in this week's podcast. You can find the episode on: iTunes and Apple Podcasts Spotify Android Stitcher It's...

People often think of the brain and the mind as the same thing. But they are not. The brain is an organ inside your skull. The brain contributes to the mind — or your thoughts, feelings, and general consciousness — but it is only a small part of it. Your mind is also made up of your body, and the people, places, and objects around you. On this episode of the pod, we explore the benefits of getting...

We take a slight divergence from our usual topics to dive into one of those perennial questions with no possible answer: Who is the greatest of all time? To give ourselves at least some constraints, we narrow down into the world of sports. Our goal for this discussion was to entertain and, perhaps more practically, to help you think through the various criteria you use to evaluate performance and...

With conspiracy theories—on everything from diet, to exercise, to a global pandemic and vaccines—flying left and right, we wanted to devote some time to understanding the tendencies behind the people who spread these ideas. The goal is not to dunk on them (though we definitely do some of that) but more importantly, to use these folks as a model to help all of us spot the same tendencies in ourselv...

With the 2020 Olympic Games coming to an end, we thought we'd recap some of the best moments and explore what we all can learn from them, regardless of whether you are an athlete, an executive, an artist, a consultant, a parent, or something else altogether. Themes include: accepting what is happening to get where you want to go, self-awareness, community, competing with instead of against, and th...

We're back with another AMA. We field a broad range of listener questions on diverse topics, ranging from the Olympics to nutrition to how to actually  implement a process mindset. You can find the episode on: iTunes and Apple Podcasts Spotify Android Stitcher Please  write a review on Apple Podcasts  and help new listeners discover the show ! Find Brad and Steve on Twitter:  @Bstulberg  and  @ste...

Many people are feeling a kind of languishing these days, a sense of stagnation and lethargy as if everything is a big effort. We dive into what is underlying this and, more importantly, how to work your way out. To do so, we draw upon all the latest evidence in motivation as well as plenty of concrete examples, practices, and tips. You can find the episode on: iTunes and Apple Podcasts Spotify An...

A few days ago, NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked about keeping his mind right during high pressure games. His answer, which this podcast opens up with, was a masterclass in high-performance psychology, and really, psychology for all of life. A short summary: “Focusing on the past is ego,” he said. “Focusing on the future is pride. Focusing on the present is humility.” In this episode...

One of the hardest parts of work and life is facing transitions. These are often periods of discombobulation, where we may feel like we are losing a part of our identity. Here, we'll explore the science and art of big transitions, and provide tips and practices on how to prepare for and work through, with grace and grit, the big transitions in your own life. You can find the episodes on: iTunes an...

We explore the illusion of trying to be “balanced,” and how a better aim to strive for is the self-awareness to prioritize and choose to focus on what matters most to you in a given season of life. From there, we discuss the various strategies and practices that can be used to cultivate this sort of wise perspective in your own day-to-day life. We'll learn how one of the biggest paradoxes of self-...

In the last round of Growth EQ Academy podcasts (Academy episodes #6 and #7) we explored the genesis of motivation, drive, and passion, and what happens when it goes astray — and also, how to prevent this from happening. In this episode, we turn to harmonious passion, or the kind of drive that can propel you to great heights, without losing a sense of yourself and what is important to you. You can...

Naomi Osaka recently withdrew from the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament. Mental health seems to have played a role. Osaka is not the first athlete and certainly won't be the last to struggle publicly and make big decisions as a result. In this episode, Brad and Steve dive into the topic of mental health in elite athletes. They discuss the wonderful impact of more awareness and less stigma around mental...

We go deep on the “bad” kind of passion, exploring how motivation and drive can become destructive — leading to burnout, angst, unethical behavior, and depression — and what you can do to stop this from happening in yourself and the teams in which you work. You can find the episodes on: iTunes and Apple Podcasts Spotify Android Stitcher Please  write a review on Apple Podcasts  and help new listen...

Intense motivation and drive — what we call passion — is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it can help you accomplish great things. A curse because it can narrow your world and get you to a point where you lose perspective and burn out. This kind of passion is like rocket-fuel: extremely powerful, but only productive when pointed in the right direction. That's what we'll explore in t...