Chasing Excellence

What if your triggers aren't random — they're a map back to yourself? In this close-out episode, Patrick reflects on the 21-day trigger challenge with two reframes that change everything: the tug of war between wants and reality, and the difference between surface triggers (your mental dojo) and the serious ones rooted in your own history. Learn why the fastest road to context-independent peace of...

What if the key to being capable at 75 isn't training harder — it's training more completely ? In this episode, we introduce the Heavy, Fast, Far, and Free framework: a simple weekly approach to strength, power, endurance, and mobility that keeps every fitness bucket full. You'll learn why power declines 10x faster than strength (and why that matters for staying formidable at any age), why VO2 max...

Coaches and mentors aren't essential — but they might be the best shortcut you'll ever find. In this episode, we answer Chase Club member David's question about whether coaches need coaches, and explore how Ben has built three very different mentorship relationships, each running on a different value exchange. You'll learn why reciprocity is the non-negotiable foundation of any real mentorship, an...

What if the reason you keep falling back on old habits isn't a lack of discipline — but a failure of persuasion? In this episode, we sit down with New York Times bestselling author Jay Heinrichs to explore how ancient rhetoric holds the secret to becoming the person your best self already believes you can be. You'll discover Aristotle's three-part framework for identity — craft, caring, and cause...

What if you didn't need a prescription to fix your testosterone — and what if training through surgery was simpler than you thought? In this 5x5 episode, Ben answers five listener questions about training — covering HRT, surgery recovery, rucking, bite-sized movement for busy parents, and the essential home gym stack. 🙋🏼 Ask a question 👉🏼 Get the full Listener's Guide here ❤️‍🔥 Free Newslette...

What if the most powerful thing you can do for your kids' emotional health is regulate yourself first? In this episode of our Raise series, Patrick sits down with Jenna Cain — a pediatric physical therapist, Level 3 Enlifted coach, and mother of two — to explore why the nervous system of the adult in the room determines what's possible for the child in front of them. We dig into why asking questio...

Ryan Rivard went from a homeless overdose survivor at 19 to summiting Mount Everest at 40 — and the most powerful thing he learned is that neither rock bottom nor the summit was the point. We explore how gratitude transforms daily life, why everyone is recovering from something, and why the person showing up at work needs to be the same one your family gets at home. Ryan walks us through the Dodek...

As we age, the Five Factors don't disappear — they shift. And most people wait until something breaks before they start paying attention. Answering a Chase Club member’s question, we break down exactly how to adjust how we train, eat, sleep, think, and connect across each decade of life — and why the most dangerous thing isn't aging itself, it's the drift that comes with it. You'll walk away with...

We're launching a 21-Day Trigger Challenge: a structured daily practice built around five pillars (trigger identification, recovery speed, response vs. reaction, regulation strategies, and self-compassion) designed to shorten the gap between stimulus and choice. Whether you join the Chase Club , use the  ChaseTracker app , or rely on nothing but a notebook and three questions at the end of ea...

What does it actually mean to be fit for life — not just for a competition, a season, or a phase? In this episode, Ben, Cole, and Jamison unpack six foundational principles for anyone who wants to build fitness that serves them today, tomorrow, and forever. You'll walk away with a clear framework for training with sustainable effort, building real-world capability, and stacking weeks and months in...

In the first of our new 5x5 series, Ben takes five listener questions on the THINK factor, covering growth mindset, the Fragmented → Focused → Flow framework, and the distillation process behind the CE frameworks we talk about all the time. You'll walk away with a clear process for building a growth mindset in others, a new approach to retaining what you read and listen to, and a reframe on why le...

What if most of what your kids are learning about emotions isn't coming from what you say — it's coming from what they watch you do? In this first episode of our new Raise series, we explore Doug Earl Johnston's groundbreaking book  Choosing Emotions  — now the single most comprehensive reference on human emotions in the English language — and what it means to parent as someone who choos...

What happens when the coach you hired tells you to do the opposite of what you expected? We dig into a listener's real dilemma — her coach told her to take six days off from training — and explore why the hardest part of being coached isn't the programming, it's the trust. Discover why a great coach's perspective is the single most valuable thing you're paying for, and why curiosity beats judgment...

What if conquering fear has been the wrong goal all along? In this episode, Jim Murphy - author of Inner Excellence and The Best Possible Life - reveals that fear isn't the root problem: the root is self-centeredness, and fixing it changes everything. We explore the "affluenza virus," the three internal adversaries (the Critic, the Trickster, and the Monkey Mind), and why the ego's obsession with...

What's really standing between you and the life you know is possible? In this deep-dive supercut, we unpack nine distractions that quietly pull us off course — from the supplement trap and toxic digital algorithms to the four idols, self-doubt, and comfort seeking. Discover why these distractions aren't random, and how recognizing them is the first step to breaking free. These nine distractions mo...

What if the most powerful thing you could do for your child's confidence takes less than five minutes a day? In this short episode, we revisit a conversation with mindset coach Mark England that sparked something big — the idea of a wins journal — and we explore how one simple question before bed can reshape the story your kids tell themselves about who they are. We dive into why most of us have a...

Are you unknowingly losing your edge — not in one dramatic moment, but through a thousand small, quiet compromises? In this episode, we diagnose the 10 forces of modern life that pull us toward what we call "the pool of dysfunction" — and, more importantly, we explore the countermeasures to swim against the current. Discover why drift is the true villain in the pursuit of health, happiness, and he...

Most of us were raised with only two options for dealing with difficult emotions: act them out or stuff them down. In this conversation with Margaret Cullen, author of Quiet Strength , we explore a powerful third door — equanimity — and learn how to fully feel our emotions without being hijacked by them. Discover why equanimity isn't about dulling your feelings — it's about deepening them while st...

What if the secret to lasting fulfillment isn't adding more to your life, but letting go of your attachment to the things you're chasing? In this conversation with NOBULL co-founder Marcus Wilson, we explore the reverse bucket list — a powerful framework for breaking free from the endless cycle of wanting more so you can actually enjoy what you already have. Inspired by Arthur Brooks and Simon Sin...

Can technology finally fix our nutrition struggles — or is it just adding more noise? We dive into why calorie trackers, wearables, and AI-powered diet tools consistently miss the mark, and discover the surprisingly simple, old-school method that actually gives you accurate, personalized results without any of them. In two powerful conversations with EC Synkowski , we explore why the friction of w...

What if the biggest barrier to your fitness isn't a lack of willpower — it's a set of hidden biases working against you? In this conversation with sports medicine physician Jordan Metzl, we uncover the science of motivation and why people who rarely miss a workout aren't more disciplined — they've just learned to lower their cost to act. Discover the knowledge-belief-emotion framework that transfo...

Ever wonder why your perfectly planned 15-step morning routine keeps falling apart, or why that expert advice feels like it's missing the mark? In this episode, we explore seven powerful universal laws — from Gall's Law to Hanlon's Razor — that reveal the hidden patterns shaping our decisions, our confidence, and our capacity to grow. We break down why simplicity always beats complexity, how your...

Are you ready to stop making excuses and start taking ownership of your life? We explore 10 hard truths that separate those chasing excellence from those stuck in blame—uncovering why we complain, defend our egos, and chase things that will never make us happy. We unpack the frameworks that reshape how you approach your relationships, priorities, and growth: learning to focus on changing yourself...

What drives the most successful people to their greatest achievements—and sometimes their darkest moments? Alongside writer and philosopher Rebecca Goldstein, we explore the mattering instinct - the fundamental human need to justify why we deserve attention in our own eyes - and discover how identifying your mattering project transforms this universal longing into a meaningful life path. We unpack...

Can you stay relentlessly disciplined without becoming the person nobody wants to be around? Alongside the WWE’s Ivy Nile (aka Emily Andzulis), we explore how true discipline becomes a source of motivation for those around you, and how choosing to do hard things every single day compounds into a life of genuine satisfaction. We unpack the framework of non-negotiables with extreme flexibility - rig...