Raised in West Virginia, Zach worked as a coal miner while building a reputation as an elite powerlifter. In 2016, he took a chance and moved to Indianapolis to open Iron Valley Barbell. Despite early challenges, Zach’s consistency, creativity, and relentless effort transformed the small gym into a thriving global community that now includes coaching programs, retreats, conferences, and thousands of people committed to physical, mental, and spiritual growth.

His athletic accomplishments are beyond impressive. To name a few, Zach has squatted and deadlifted over 700 pounds, overhead pressed more than 300 pounds, performed a 175-pound pistol squat, benched 225 pounds for 49 reps and 315 for more than 20 reps. He has also completed Ironman races, ultramarathons, and recently ran 75 miles during a Backyard Ultra event. His goal this year is to exceed 100 miles, potentially becoming the first person in recorded history to both squat over 700 pounds and complete a 100-mile run.

Zach is genuinely one of the coolest people I’ve ever spoken with. Not because of what he has accomplished or how he looks/talks (although also very cool), but because of who he authentically and unapologetically is. He is not chasing appearances, status, or perfection. As you’ll hear in our discussion or see if you follow his work, his focus is on becoming the best version of himself as a husband, father, leader, and human being.

For more from Zach, check out his Substack: Do Hard Things

Follow Zach on X

Some of my favorite posts from Do Hard Things:

• DO HARD THINGS

• The Theology of 4:04 AM

• 3 Tips for a Thriving Marriage

• Hard Fitness Truths

• 5 Days in Total Darkness

Video of him pistol squatting 90 lbs:

Hearing Conservation in Military Operations

“The views expressed in this Article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Defense Health Agency, Department of War, nor the U.S. Government.”

Active-Duty Navy Audiologists are Naval Officers who apply their specialized skill sets and serve as subject matter experts in hearing conservation and communication sciences to address auditory, vestibular, and human performance challenges across the fleet. Their mission is to increase medical readiness and optimize performance in all combat and training environments through advancements in safety program management, preventive health education/training, overseeing audiometric monitoring, hearing and head protection devices, communication systems, and auditory performance factors.

Historical Context

Audiology as a profession, and hearing conservation as a discipline, both emerged largely in response to war-time hazardous noise exposures. All our nation’s wars dating back to early colonization show evidence of hearing loss as a battlefield injury. Efforts, however, to study the effects of noise exposure and provide aural rehabilitation to warfighters did not begin in earnest until WWII. It wasn’t until the 1970s and early 1980s that we began to see the emergence of formal Hearing Conservation Programs.

Operational Importance

Unrestricted hearing is imperative to mission success in all military operations. Medical Readiness is defined as a service member’s ability to deploy and perform their assigned duties without preventable medical or dental limitations. Situational awareness and communication capability are the most important mechanisms for military members to operate safely and competently individually and as a team in dynamic environments. Both mechanisms rely heavily on the ability to hear well. In ideal lighting, our hearing allows us to detect cues or threats from any angle and outside of our immediate visual field. Normal hearing becomes even more crucial for situational awareness with less-than-ideal lighting due to time of day or environmental factors. Mild hearing loss can compromise the ability to understand speech, especially when visual cues are not available such as when focusing on a task or speaking through a communication device. Hearing in the presence of background noise creates additional challenges for both individual and mission effectiveness because it places an increased processing burden on the peripheral and central auditory systems to decipher what is important and what is just noise.

Health Impacts of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is permanent damage to the auditory system caused by hazardous noise. At an approximately 10-15% prevalence rate, noise-induced damage is the most prevalent injury in the military every year (Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center, 2016). NIHL is often characterized by poor speech understanding, difficulty hearing in background noise, difficulty locating sounds and tinnitus. Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of an external auditory source. For decades, tinnitus and NIHL have been among the most prevalent disabilities within the Department of Veterans Affairs (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2024). This is because noise is one of the most prevalent hazards throughout military operations whose effects are often painless and progressive. While advancements in technology and capabilities have allowed our military to be more adaptive and multifunctional, they have also caused our hazardous noise environment to become more dynamic.

In addition, there are many non-auditory effects to noise-induced damage, which are often overlooked. NIHL is directly linked to psychological effects, cardiovascular effects, cognitive and sleep disturbances, social and occupational impacts, increased stress, and disruptions in overall quality of life (Basner et al., 2014; Lin et al., 2013; Jo & Baek, 2024; Wang, 2020).

Hazard Assessment and Measurement

Hazardous noise is generally determined by the overall intensity/loudness of the noise, duration of exposure, and noise type (continuous/steady-state, peak/impulse or a combination of the two). It can also include spectral quality/frequency content of the noise for unique or especially hazardous environments. Service members are required to be in the Hearing Conservation Program if exposed to continuous noise equal to or greater than 85 dBA as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) and/or impulse noise equal to or greater than 140 dBP. The military uses a 3 dBA exchange rate, meaning a 3 dBA increase in continuous hazardous noise exposure cuts the exposure limit in half before the same risk of damage occurs. The table below demonstrates this exchange rate. As the table demonstrates, once an individual approaches exposures of 112 dBA or greater, it takes less than one minute for this exposure to risk causing NIHL.

Sound level meters can be used to measure all aspects of hazardous noise instantaneously and/or over time for a particular environment or piece of equipment. Noise dosimeters can also be worn by personnel to calculate the TWA as they engage in the dynamic environments they are assigned. This data allows general estimations of noise hazard risk level, however, small changes in an operation (i.e. addition or subtraction of a process or part, location of equipment or personnel, number of systems running, weather/climate and individual variability, etc.) can alter the noise environment and subsequently change the risk profile for a particular location or occupational specialty.

In the military, there are varying levels and types of hazardous noise. Dynamic occupational noise environments (rockets, grenades, explosives, missiles, aircraft, tanks, amphibious and land attack vehicles, etc.) and current limitations of hearing protective device (HPD) performance all increase the risk of NIHL. Examples of the decibel range for common military devices, tools, and aircraft are as follows:

• M4 Rifle: 158-165 dBP

• .50 Caliber: 153-155 dBP

• Mortars: 175-179 dBP

• Rockets: 180-185 dBP

• H-53 Helicopter: 109 dBA

• AH-1 Helicopter: 108 dBA

• V-22 Tiltrotor Aircraft: 120 dBA

• F-18 Fighter Jet: 130-150 dBA

• F-35 Fighter Jet: 153 dBA

• Needle Gun: 90-115 dBA

Each of these sound levels can produce permanent hearing damage within seconds to minutes of exposure when adequate hearing protection is not used.

Individual risk of NIHL will vary significantly due to many factors aside from the environment and HPD usage. Factors influencing susceptibility can also include genetics, prior exposure/damage, pre-existing hearing loss or tinnitus, sensitivity to sound, ototoxic medications, and exposure to other ototoxic agents (e.g. jet fuel, various solvents and chemicals commonly used in military operations).

Protection Challenges: Training and Proper Usage

Enrollment in a hearing conservation program involves audiologic monitoring, hearing conservation education, and hearing protection requirements. Audiologic monitoring allows for early identification of damage while education intends to prevent the problem before it happens.

Training for hearing protection devices varies on the worksite and familiarity of the safety managers or workplace supervisors. It is common for military personnel to not wear hearing protection within the recommended levels of attenuation, wear them inappropriately, or be exposed for longer durations than recommended. These factors increase the risk of noise-induced hearing loss. Therefore, proper training and fit verification should be conducted to reduce variability in hearing protection effectiveness and decrease the risk of NIHL.

While under-protection or inadequate usage of hearing protection devices is certainly a cause for the prevalence of hearing damage throughout the military, there is also the issue of over-protection. Just as hearing loss causes detrimental effects to safety, survivability and lethality, wearing too much hearing protection immediately causes the same problem. This issue is most common with more manageable noise hazards like rotary aircraft. If hearing protection configurations reduce hazardous noise for an exposed service member too far below 85 dBA, then situational awareness and communication capability can also be significantly impacted. This over vs under-protection dilemma contributes to the importance of command safety leaders and workplace supervisors to select the appropriate and specific criteria to determine administrative controls and hearing protection configurations.

Fit, comfort, and performance needed for the job are essential considerations when selecting hearing protection. The goal is always to protect a given worker while maintaining or enhancing their performance.

Conclusion

Effective hearing conservation in military operations requires a comprehensive, evidence-based approach that balances force protection with operational effectiveness. Navy Audiologists serve as critical enablers of mission success by providing expert guidance on hazard assessment, implementing tailored hearing protection strategies, and ensuring service members maintain the auditory capabilities essential for situational awareness and communication in combat environments. As military technology continues to advance and noise environments become increasingly complex, the role of audiological expertise in preserving both the health and combat readiness of our warfighters has never been more vital.

Success in this mission demands ongoing collaboration between audiologists, command leadership, safety managers, and individual service members to ensure hearing conservation programs are not merely regulatory requirements but are integrated components of operational culture. By protecting our personnel’s hearing today, we safeguard their ability to serve effectively throughout their careers and preserve their quality of life long after their military service concludes.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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References:

Basner, M., Babisch, W., Davis, A., Brink, M., Clark, C., Janssen, S., & Stansfeld, S. (2014). Auditory and non-auditory effects of noise on health. Lancet (London, England), 383(9925), 1325–1332. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61613-X

Department of Veterans Affairs. (2024). Fiscal year 2024 annual benefits report. https://www.benefits.va.gov/REPORTS/abr/docs/2024-abr.pdf

Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center. (2016). Hearing Conservation Compendium Report CY2015. https://www.med.navy.mil/Portals/62/Documents/NMFA/NMCPHC/root/Documents/oem/Hearing-Conservation-Compendium-Report-CY15.pdf?ver=_OH0q-JxiFVUNHIouQnYsw%3d%3d

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (1998). Criteria for a recommended standard: Occupational noise exposure: Revised criteria 1998 (DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 98-126). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/98-126/default.html

Lin, F. R., Yaffe, K., Xia, J., Xue, Q. L., Harris, T. B., Purchase-Helzner, E., Satterfield, S., Ayonayon, H. N., Ferrucci, L., Simonsick, E. M., & Health ABC Study Group (2013). Hearing loss and cognitive decline in older adults. JAMA internal medicine, 173(4), 293–299. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.1868

Jo, H., & Baek, E. M. (2024). Impacts of noise-induced hearing loss on sleep, health, and workplace: Multi-group analysis. Heliyon, 10(9), e30861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30861

Wang, T. C., Chang, T. Y., Tyler, R., Lin, Y. J., Liang, W. M., Shau, Y. W., Lin, W. Y., Chen, Y. W., Lin, C. D., & Tsai, M. H. (2020). Noise Induced Hearing Loss and Tinnitus-New Research Developments and Remaining Gaps in Disease Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention. Brain sciences, 10(10), 732. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10100732

As a functional fitness coach of several years, I run a community-based fitness group outside of my gym. We discuss goals, meet weekly for outdoor workouts, and tackle a new daily challenge each month.

The intent of these daily challenges is to create productive habits and induce both mental and physical adaptations. The at-home exercise is never more than ten minutes - often less. Short, achievable tasks provide an opportunity to still earn the day when your plans get disrupted.

Consistency will always produce better and more lasting results than intermittent intensity.

Anyone can find a few minutes a day to do something beneficial for themselves.

That’s all you need to begin seeing progress.

The Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands (SAID) Principle is an exercise physiology concept that demonstrates the more you do anything, the better you get at that specific thing.

The body’s ability to physiologically adapt and optimize performance based on what we consistently put it through is amazing. Even more impressive is the mind’s plasticity in response to stress.

Machine learning for humans.

Fitness serves as a vehicle for resilience training. The physical benefits are valuable, but the mental skills developed through consistent effort are what create lasting change.

Showing up daily isn’t easy but it’s how lasting change is formed.

Enhance resilience by consistently embracing self-created challenges.

June Daily Challenge: Midsection Stabilizer

Complete as many flutter kicks in the supine (lying on back) as possible for up to 3 minutes.

Recover for 30 seconds.

Complete as many flutter kicks in the prone (belly down) position as possible for up to 3 minutes.

Recover for 30 seconds.

Accumulate as much time in the side plank position for up to 90 seconds. Repeat on other side immediately.

Alternate starting positions each day.

The Midsection Stabilizer trains the core from all sides. Supine flutter kicks develop the anterior abdominals, prone flutter kicks strengthen the posterior chain, and side planks build lateral stability in the obliques. Together, they create a balanced foundation of strength, postural control, and resilience in the core while requiring minimal equipment and only a few minutes per day.

Modifications are provided for all movements, making this challenge accessible regardless of age, weight, or ability.

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Technique & Modifications

* Watch videos for technical demonstration and discussion. The written steps can help add detail to the micro-movements as needed *

Supine Flutter Kicks

Supine flutter kicks strengthen the abdominal muscles and hip flexors while improving trunk stability, hip mobility, postural control, and muscular endurance.

Starting Position:

• Lie on your back with your legs extended straight

• Place your hands under your butt or alongside or on your body

• Keep the neck aligned with the spine by either slightly lifting your head and shoulders or letting the head rest on the ground.

• Engage your core while pressing your lower back toward the floor

• Raise both feet a few inches off the ground

Execution:

• Begin alternating your legs in a small, controlled kicking motion

• Move one leg up and the other down far enough that the heel on the higher foot clears the toe line on the other and continue alternating

• Keep your core engaged and avoid arching your back

• Maintain steady breathing throughout the movement

Modifications:

• Bent-Knee Flutter Kicks – Bend your knees approximately 90 degrees and perform the same alternating kicking motion.

• Seated Flutter Kicks – Sit on the edge of a chair or bench, lean back slightly, brace your core, and perform alternating kicks (legs straight or bent) while keeping your feet elevated.

Prone Flutter Kicks

Prone flutter kicks strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and posterior chain while promoting trunk stability, hip mobility, postural control, and muscular endurance.

Starting Position:

• Lie face down on the floor with your legs extended straight

• Place your head on your hands or extend your arms in front of you

• Engage your core muscles and squeeze your glutes

• Lift both legs slightly off the ground

Execution:

• Begin alternating your legs in a small, controlled kicking motion

• Move one leg up so the thigh comes off the ground as the other lowers while keeping the legs straight and continue alternating

• Keep your torso and hips flat on the ground with the core and glutes engaged throughout the exercise

• Maintain steady breathing throughout the movement

Modifications:

• Bent-Knee Flutter Kicks – Bend your knees approximately 90 degrees and perform alternating kicks by moving your heels toward the ceiling.

• Tabletop Leg Raises/Pulses – Begin on your hands and knees with your knees under your hips and hands under your shoulders. Extend one leg straight behind you and lift as high as possible. Alternate legs or perform small, controlled upward pulses for a certain number of repetitions before switching legs.

Side Planks

Side planks strengthen the obliques, shoulder stabilizers, and lateral core muscles while improving trunk stability, balance, and postural control, and muscular endurance.

Starting Position:

• Position yourself on your side with your legs straight

• Place your supporting hand directly under your shoulder with your arm extended

• Alternatively, place your forearm on the ground with your elbow directly under your shoulder

• Feet can be stacked or staggered for additional stability

• Keep your head, neck, torso, and legs aligned in a straight line

• Engage your core and glute muscles

Execution:

• Lift your hips off the ground into a strong side plank position

• Keep your head, neck, torso, and legs aligned in a straight line

• Maintain steady breathing throughout the movement

Modifications:

• Side Knees Plank – Bend either your bottom knee or both and use as support on the ground.

• Elevated Side Plank (Couch or Bench) – Place your supporting hand, forearm, or head/shoulder on a couch, bench, secured yoga ball, or any other elevated surface to reduce the amount of body weight being supported.

For all movements:

• Keep spine and neck aligned

• Avoid excessive tension in the neck

• The neck should not feel more fatigued than the core

• Keep torso pressed to the ground in supine and prone positions

• Maintain steady breathing

Progression Guide

For beginners:

• Start with modifications that allow you to continue movement/hold for more than ten seconds and take breaks as needed

• Decrease total amount of time for each exercise

• Choose only one or two exercises on a given day and rotate through them throughout the week

• Progressively work to unmodified versions of each movement for prescribed amount of time

For intermediate/advanced:

• If you can complete challenge unmodified and unbroken:

  • See how long you can go/how many reps you can complete until failure and build off that

  • Wear ankle weights for flutter kicks and/or place a manageable weight on your hips for side planks

• Add in other core challenges like the Ab Stacker, Core Conditioner, Trunk Transformer, or Waistline Refiner

As always, compete with yourself yesterday.

Quality of form is more important than quantity of reps. Become comfortable with the technique first, then increase your volume.

By the end of June, if you consistently complete this challenge regardless of modifications, you will build a stronger, more stable, and more resilient core.

Battle your internal resistance and get that small win.

Everything feels easier when you occasionally make things a little harder on purpose.

Balanced Training

For the longest time, if I was wanting to strengthen my core, I was on my back cranking out crunches, sit-ups, and leg raises. Every so often I might do some Russian twists and a standard plank. As I began studying functional fitness, human performance, physiology, and training methods, I quickly realized how flawed my approach had been.

The core’s primary purpose is to transfer force in all directions and stabilize the spine. It encompasses much more than the front abdominal region. Front-loading the trunk with primarily linear movements such as crunches and sit-ups can neglect the obliques, posterior chain, and rotational stability needed for a resilient midsection. My previous training focused almost exclusively on the abdominal muscles, contributing to muscular imbalances that likely exacerbated lower back discomfort from poor posture and activities such as jiu-jitsu, trail running, and rucking. As I began considering my sleep posture, doing deep squat holds, sitting upright, and training the other aspects of my core, my lower back pain progressively went away.

Incorporating prone and side-positions with traditional abdominal exercises creates a more balanced approach by training the core’s ability to stabilize the body from multiple directions, improving overall function, durability, and performance.

Make sure you watch the technique video above to learn about modifications so you can start at a manageable level based on experience and proficiency with movement.

The primary purpose of all of this - resilience development physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Get Ready

I’m posting this a day early so everyone, including my international friends, can prepare to start strong on day one at their own skill and comfort level.

Track your times and modifications only to set a goal for the following day. The outcome doesn’t matter as long as you show up and do your best.

Consistent effort leads to improved performance over time.

How will you respond when you don’t feel like it?

These are the days that matter most.

These are the moments you see what you’re made of.

These are the days that change you.

This is how resilient mental states are developed.

Embrace the challenge of discipline to optimize the skill of resilience.

Deliberate discomfort daily can lead to improved comfort elsewhere forever.

Stacking valuable inputs in training adds quality to the limited quantity of time we have throughout the day. Use a brief fitness routine to insert control and success into every day.

Self-care through self-challenge.

A few minutes a day can change your life.

Resilient Mental State is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

*Special Offer*

Join our community and earn a one month subscription to Resilient Mental State:

• Complete the challenge for more than half the month.

• Bonus giveaway for anyone who completes it every day.

In our community chat, we’ll hold each other accountable by posting a ✅ after completing each day’s challenge. Timing and modifications don’t matter—just show up and do your best.

To claim your one month subscription, share your story at the end June:

Share a reflection on your progress (either in the community chat or privately with me) and then I’ll confirm your ✅ count.

Join our community, and let’s improve together.

Join Kyle Shepard’s subscriber chat

Available in the Substack app and on web

Join chat

Disclaimer:

The content provided is intended for general knowledge and informational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to making any decisions or changes relating to your health. Kyle Shepard is not responsible for any adverse effects resulting from the use of information in this publication.

Today, I want to share the expanded piece I wrote for the recent post with Mike.

From Sympathy to Empathy

An older man in ragged clothes sat next to a bucket as my father and I walked toward our destination in downtown Dayton, OH. As we passed, I locked eyes with him. His face was gentle even though his features were rough. He said, softly, that he was hungry and then asked if we had any money to spare. I looked to my dad, who kept his awareness focused on our surroundings while continuing to walk as he held my hand on the crowded sidewalk. This man was clearly suffering yet my dad and everyone else on the crowded sidewalk continued to walk past him as if he didn’t exist. I was troubled and confused. Asking questions about why we didn’t help, what does homeless mean, and how could one get into such a situation, only furthered my frustration. We didn’t make it much more than a block before I broke down and began crying. My dad stopped, hugged me, and then proceeded to walk me back to the man so I could give him ten dollars. I still remember the genuine appreciation in his face and words before we parted ways.

This was the early 1990s when I was around six years old. If I had seen a homeless person prior, I didn’t realize it. Without an understanding of the complexities behind homelessness on a macro scale and not knowing all the charitable things my father was doing to help people less fortunate, I was fully absorbed in the moment and the overwhelming emotions that come from seeing another human hurting. I needed to help to ease his suffering.

Fast forward fifteen years and I’m sitting in Counseling 101, a core requirement for a major in psychology at Ohio State University. Rather than lecture on counseling methods, this class involved facilitated application in simulated sessions to progressively build techniques. On day one, we immediately were told to reflect on past or current struggles that we were willing to share. Students were then assigned to be counselors and clients as aides observed the rotating twenty-minute rounds. Every one of the student counselors, including myself, attempted to be problem-solvers. Once we believed we understood the issue, we immediately began offering solutions such as reframing techniques, resources for support, and practical methods to overcome the adversity. Few questions, all answers.

At the end of each class, instructors would debrief observations from the day and then begin to progressively offer concepts, techniques, and considerations to encourage connection with those we desired to help. While I took away many lessons from this ten-week course, they all can be boiled down to learning the distinction between empathy and sympathy.

Empathy, as defined by The American Psychological Association (APA), is understanding a person from their frame of reference rather than one’s own. The APA defines sympathy as feelings of concern or compassion resulting from an awareness of the suffering or sorrow of another.

Empathy is getting out of your own head. It requires removing all of your own biases, opinions, assumptions, and even experiences so you can consider the perspective of the other person. Sympathy is getting another person’s head into yours. It’s absorbing another’s observed state based on assumptions.

Empathy is curiosity whereas sympathy is concern. Empathy leads to questions while sympathy leads to action. These two terms are often used interchangeably by many but the distinction matters.

The appropriately named sympathetic nervous system is responsible for activating the stress response. Stress is not bad and concern for others is valuable. Chronic sympathy just like chronic stress, however, wears on the mind and body. Compassion fatigue, emotional exhaustion, distancing, sleep disturbances, unproductive attitude, and decreased performance are all signs of burnout resulting from mismanaged and/or unrecovered stress. This is an issue in overly sympathetic people and providers. Empathy, on the other hand, endures. It’s a skill that allows for connection and guidance without necessarily causing stress.

Now, it’s important to note that I only included the first parts of the APA definitions for empathy and sympathy.

Here is the full APA definition of empathy:

Understanding a person from their frame of reference rather than one’s own, or vicariously experiencing that person’s feelings, perceptions, and thoughts. Empathy does not, of itself, entail motivation to be of assistance, although it may turn into sympathy or personal distress, which may result in action. In psychotherapy, therapist empathy for the client can be a path to comprehension of the client’s cognitions, affects, motivation, or behaviors.

And the full APA definition of sympathy:

1. Feelings of concern or compassion resulting from awareness of the suffering or sorrow of another.

2. More generally, a capacity to share in and respond to the concerns or feelings of others. See also empathy.

3. An affinity between individuals on the basis of similar feelings, inclinations, or temperament.

You can see from these expanded definitions where the overlaps arise. Empathy can lead to sympathy and sympathy can lead to empathy. The more we understand about someone’s situation, the more likely we are to experience their feelings vicariously. The more concerned we are for someone, the more likely we are to be curious about what is going on. The problem arises when we conflate these two terms. We don’t need to inherit another’s stress in order to consider their perspective. We also will have a hard time being reasonable the more troubled we are because of someone’s perceived suffering.

Channeling energy into curiosity rather than concern is productive with people, books, media, events, and all other things outside of our control.

Young Kyle was extremely sympathetic toward the poor man’s situation. My breakdown caused my father to become sympathetic toward my emotions, leading him to give the man a little money. Sympathy is contagious and can lead to productive action.

Undergraduate Kyle in Counseling 101 applied sympathy to my simulated sessions. I wanted to help them solve their problems as soon as possible. A deep caring and concern for others is powerful. It’s also taxing and unsustainable. We often can’t solve the majority of other people’s problems. Empathy is invaluable as a provider, caregiver, leader, parent, coach, spouse, teammate, or friend. Encouraging agency in others to solve their own problems requires connection, understanding, and guided conversation to allow them to come to their own conclusions.

I often argue the most important attribute one can possess is giving a shit. If you don’t care, you won’t act. The second most important attribute, however, is not giving too much of a shit. Caring has limits. If you care about every potential source of concern, you’re going to burn out.

Sympathy is the starting point. We must care.

Empathy is the enduring process to put effective caring into productive action.

Consistent curiosity kills chronic concern.

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Toxic Empathy

Empathy has become the backbone of my personal and professional life when it comes to staying curious rather than overly concerned about anyone or anything else. It wasn’t until I befriended a polymath proficient in mixed mental arts that I learned of the potential limitations of empathy.

Polymathic Being

Toxic Empathy

Welcome to Polymathic Being, a place to explore counterintuitive insights across multiple domains. These essays take common topics and explore them from different perspectives and disciplines and, in doing so, come up with unique insights and solutions. Fundamentally, a Polymath is a type of thinker who spans diverse specialties and weaves together in…

Read more

a year ago · 76 likes · 36 comments · Michael Woudenberg

In this fantastic post, Mike explores the applications of empathy and how it can be used in excess causing us to lose our own agency and even have it be weaponized against us. As he often does in his writing, Mike highlights the nuance we must consider even in a perceptually virtuous skill like empathy.

All things can be taken too far. Dichotomies always exist and must be contemplated.

If the use of empathy is causing you to lose trust in your intuitions, forget your perspective, or constantly slip into taking on perceived emotions of others, you’ve lost the critical distinction between empathy and sympathy.

Overlap between empathy and sympathy exists for a powerful reason. We won’t act if we don’t care. Caring effectively, however, can only be sustained if we remember the differences between these two terms and use both to our and the world’s advantage.

Emotions are rational signals, but they aren’t always required for effective action.

Sympathy and empathy are both valuable tools when grounded in reason and understanding.

If you don’t already subscribe to Polymathic Being by , do yourself a favor and improve your Sundays with his weekly newsletter.

Subscribe to Polymathic Being

In this conversation, we discuss identity, finding meaning after transition, doing vs. being, catharsis through creativity, interconnectedness, staying true to yourself, comparisons between fiction and nonfiction, fatherhood, and much more.

Ben’s passions span many domains. His story and work show both the power of purpose and the importance of not becoming confined to a single identity.

Whether through creative arts or connection forged during challenging outdoor experiences, transformation often begins with outlets that allow for authentic self-expression and community development. This is what Ben advocates for through VOAG and what he consistently demonstrates in his exceptional writing.

For more from Ben, check out The Transition.

Here are some of my favorites from his Substack:

• Transition Interview with Mark Twight

• Transition Interview with Brad Geary

• What We Already Know

• Anhedonia

• Usefulness

There may be no word more ripe for a reframe than stress.

Stress is inevitable. It is also invaluable.

Stress narrows focus, increases energy, and is required for growth. Chronically mismanaged stress, on the other hand, causes countless problems such as increased all-cause mortality risk and decreased performance in any domain.

Aspects of life are undoubtedly difficult yet we often make it much harder than it needs to be. Modern life makes self-regulation difficult. Unproductive beliefs, false assumptions, information overload, prolonged rumination, irrational fears, resistance to change, and endless temptation all amplify unnecessary stress.

We know chronic stress without recovery can have detrimental effects on your health. Avoidance of stress, however, produces the same effect.

Stress is a physiologic prediction of or response to something you care about. If it doesn’t perceptually matter or affect you, it doesn’t stress you. This is true of the mind, body, and soul. Stress is neither good nor bad. Stress becomes harmful when it is chronically mismanaged, unsupported by adequate recovery, or viewed as threatening.

Your understanding of and belief about stress ultimately determines whether or not it can be used to your benefit.

The brain is a predicting mechanism that is continuously attempting to keep us alive and well through a process called allostasis - the central adjustment of internal systems based on need anticipation to meet demands. The brain consistently filters incoming signals and uses past experience to influence its prediction of what is needed in a given situation. Following events, the mind continues to encode and recode based on the result.

The process of allostasis and the stress response are extremely prone to adaptation based on continued experience.

The mind can be trained to better predict and effectively respond to challenge by intentionally using stress as a stimulus. Cultivate new experiences with stress to create productive predictions and subsequent responses.

I’ve been teaching resilience for more than ten years. Initially trained in stress management, I quickly determined that simply managing stress is insufficient. Rather than teach methods to effectively respond to stress, how can one proactively prepare to leverage its benefit? The answer is simple - use it.

Resilience is the ability to effectively function with, recover from, and improve because of stress.

We all have the capacity to be resilient.

To train the skill of resilience, you must induce stress intentionally at a manageable level with prepared strategies for the purpose of getting more comfortable at what initially caused discomfort.

Your attitude toward stress dictates your resilience in response to it. The more you attempt to avoid stress, the more significant mild stressors become. The more you embrace stress, the more capable you become in response to future stressors.

Resilience isn’t possible without stress just as courage isn’t possible without fear.

At the beginning of every month, I create a fitness challenge to build resilience. Physical training is one of my favorite ways to gain wisdom from intentional stress. It is, however, just one of the many ways you can leverage the stress response for growth.

The mission of this series is to explore methods of training mental, social, and spiritual resilience without physical exertion. Counterintuitively, there is a method I often recommend to those who are interested in beginning to workout that doesn’t involve physical exertion of any kind. Rather than suggest a particular workout or program, there is a self-assessment that reveals opportunities outside of scheduled exercise that produces a much higher return on investment.

Previously, I’ve explored the benefits of creating a mission statement and determining your core values. Knowing your current Why and prioritized How is essential to figuring out What to do proactively or reactively. The method I suggest to people who want to get in better shape can apply to any domain of life.

Let’s first reveal the simple way to begin getting in better shape and then apply it to systematically making your core values a progressive and consistent reality.

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I grew up reading primarily fiction. These days, the majority of my reading is nonfiction; however, when I learned Mike had written a fictional novel based on many of his Substack posts, I immediately ordered a copy. Already having high expectations, Paradox exceeded them all.

Paradox is a science fiction thriller based on moral dilemmas in creating advanced AI. Integrating science, psychology, and technology, Mike creates an engaging plot, likable characters, and a story that reads like a real possibility. It will challenge you to consider the pros and cons of continued development toward sentience of AI while allowing you to draw your own conclusions. Its premise poses a simple question, “In the battle over advanced AI, will we lose our humanity or learn what truly makes us human?”

In this conversation, Mike and I discuss his outstanding book and the many themes that arise in it such as moral dilemmas, consciousness, identity, reason vs. emotion, technology vs. human experience, and the illusion of progress. We also discuss his creative process, merging of science and fiction, and the already published sequel to Paradox titled Integration. He’s now working on the third book in his series titled Rebirth which sounds like it’s developing into his most exciting novel yet.

If you enjoy fiction in any way, I can’t recommend picking up a copy of Paradox enough. Order here

I also highly recommend checking out The Singularity Chronicles website for more information on all of his novels to include sources of information for the various concepts he writes on, videos, order links at a discounted cost, and more.

Posts we alluded to in our conversation:

• AI: A Reflection of You

• Becoming a Man

• Sympathy -> Empathy -> Resiliency

• Mixing Mental Arts

Daily Challenge

As a functional fitness coach of several years, I run a community-based fitness group outside of my gym. We discuss goals, meet weekly for outdoor workouts, and tackle a new daily challenge each month.

The intent of these daily challenges is to create productive habits and induce both mental and physical adaptations. The at-home exercise is never more than ten minutes - often less. Short, achievable tasks provide an opportunity to still earn the day when your plans get disrupted.

Consistency will always produce better and more lasting results than intermittent intensity.

Anyone can find a few minutes to do something beneficial for themselves.

That’s all you need to begin seeing progress.

The Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands (SAID) Principle is an exercise physiology concept that demonstrates the more you do anything, the better you get at that specific thing.

The body’s ability to physiologically adapt and optimize performance based on what we consistently put it through is amazing. Even more impressive is the mind’s plasticity in response to stress.

Machine learning for humans.

Fitness serves as a vehicle for resilience training, with the physical benefits secondary to the mental skills developed.

Showing up daily isn’t easy but it’s how lasting change is formed.

Enhance resilience by consistently embracing self-created challenges.

May Daily Challenge: Complete 5 sets of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats

Pulling, pushing, and squatting account for some of the most basic human movements. Pull-ups, push-ups, and air squats make up the best bodyweight exercises to enhance these functional patterns.

Pull-ups enhance:

• Neuromuscular pulling strength of the upper body

• Posterior chain stability and posture

• Grip strength

• Shoulder and elbow stability and mobility

• Muscular endurance in the upper body and core

Push-ups enhance:

• Neuromuscular pushing strength of the upper body

• Shoulder, elbow, and wrist stability and mobility

• Core and posterior chain stability

• Muscular endurance in the upper body and core

Air squats enhance:

• Neuromuscular pushing strength of the lower body

• Hip, knee, and ankle stability and mobility

• Core and posterior chain stability

• Proprioception, body awareness, and balance development

• Muscular endurance in the lower body and core

Stacked skill development opportunity for functional fitness and resilience.

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Technique & Modifications

* Watch video for technical demonstration and discussion. The written steps can help add detail to the micro-movements as needed *

Pull-up variations:

• Unmodified pull-up: Start in a hanging position without your feet touching the ground. While maintaining good posture and core muscle engagement, pull yourself up until your chin is in line with the surface you’re hanging from. Descend back to the starting position for one rep.

• Platform assisted pull-up: Start with a chair or stable object you can stand on. Ideally, a surface that is tall enough for your head to reach the pull-up bar while standing up straight. Use this platform to support as much of your weight as needed while practicing the motion that is a pull-up. Engage your back and arm muscles, maintain good posture, grip the bar tightly, and begin pull-up movement. The less you support yourself with your legs, the harder the rep.

• Negative pull-up: Using a platform or jumping from the ground, begin in the top position of a pull-up and support your weight in that position. When ready, descend at a slow, controlled pace.

• Band-assisted pull-up: Resistance bands, like a platform, support your weight while training proper technique for a pull-up. Wrap a band around your bar and then insert one of your feet to begin performing this modification. The less resistance in a band, the more strength required to complete a pull-up.

• Pull-up alternatives: If you do not have a pull-up bar/surface to perform the movement on, there are many pulling movements that can serve as alternatives. A few considerations are inverted rows, bent over rows, or band pulldowns.

Push-up variations:

• Unmodified push-up: Start in a high plank position with hands shoulder width apart. While maintaining good posture and core muscle engagement, bend at the elbows and descend toward the ground until your chest touches the floor and/or your arms go beyond a 90-degree angle at the elbow. While maintaining the same form, push yourself back to the starting position. Keep your neck aligned with your back by looking straight down at the floor throughout movement.

• Knee push-up: Same upper body form as an unmodified push-up. Only difference is the knees are on the floor instead of the feet. The closer the knees are to the hands, the easier the rep.

• Incline push-up: Same upper body form as an unmodified push-up. Only difference is the hands are placed on a surface higher than the feet. Options include the stairs, counter, or a wall. The higher the surface, the easier the rep.

Air Squat:

• Unmodified air squat: Start with your feet shoulder width apart and toes either pointing forward or slightly outward. Hinge at the hips and begin to lower body by bending your knees while keeping your chest up, back straight, core engaged, and feet flat. Knees should stay in alignment with the toes throughout the movement. Continue to lower your body until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Return to the standing/starting position while continuing to keep your neck and spine straight. No bending or looking down at any point during this movement.

• Half or quarter squat: Using the same form as an unmodified squat, descend halfway or a quarter of the way down before returning to starting position.

• Chair squat: Using same form as an unmodified squat, sit down to a chair or stable surface. Stand back up unassisted, with momentum, or by using the surface for support as needed.

• Supported squat: All squat variations can be assisted by holding onto a stable object while completing the movements with focus on proper form and muscle engagement.

Progression Guide

For beginners:

• Don’t wear a weighted vest

• Decrease rep count for any all movements

• Decrease set count

• Focus on proper form rather than speed

• Start with modifications and progressively increase difficulty as you’re able to complete the prescribed rep count

For intermediate/advanced:

• Time yourself and attempt to go faster each subsequent attempt

• Focus on efficiency without compromising form

• Increase set count once you’re able to complete five sets in less than five minutes

• Change the amount of weight you’re wearing to vary the stimulus - no weight for speed work to heavier weight for strength building

• Add in cardio (running, stationary equipment, jumping rope, or jumping jacks) before and/or after your sets.

**This is a difficult daily challenge. For those doing other forms of training with competing goals, split up your regular training with this challenge as much as possible. For athletes, the daily challenge is intended to supplement your typical training schedule, not compromise or replace it. Listen to your body and either modify down or take days off as needed.**

As always, compete with yourself yesterday.

Quality of movement is more important than quantity of repetitions. Become comfortable with the technique first, then increase your volume.

If you can’t do it slow, you can’t do it fast.

Show up and do your best.

Battle your internal resistance and get that small win.

Everything feels easier when you occasionally make things a little harder on purpose.

Murph

Lieutenant Michael Murphy was a former United States Navy SEAL who sacrificed his life for his teammates during an operation in Afghanistan in 2005. Due to his heroic actions on that day, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2007.

Having been familiar with his name and story due to the book Lone Survivor, I was excited to read SEAL of Honor, which was one of the featured books available for trainees, when I attended Officer Development School in Newport, Rhode Island in September 2013. I ended up reading through the incredible life biography of Michael Murphy twice over the five weeks I was in that training program.

If you aren’t familiar with his name, do yourself a favor and go read both of those books. Lone Survivor was also made into a movie back in 2013. Excellent film but the books are even better as they reveal what is impossible to capture in a film - the character of the man and the admiration all of his teammates and family had for him throughout his life.

Michael Murphy was a man of virtue. His biography demonstrates the will he possessed since childhood to protect and serve others. To do the right thing regardless of adversity. To sacrifice for the greater good. To lead by character. To be the best that he could be.

One of his favorite workouts was called “Body Armor.” Unmodified, the workout consists of wearing a 20-pound weight vest and then completing:

• 1-mile run

• 100 pull-ups

• 200 push-ups

• 300 air squats

• 1-mile run

Following his death, this workout became known as Murph and is done by thousands of people every year on Memorial Day - a United States holiday that honors those who have sacrificed their lives in support of their country.

The daily challenge this month is designed to help you practice the standard approach many people use to break up the movements between the runs. Rather than doing all the reps straight, many do twenty sets of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats.

The Murph is a whole-body functional fitness workout. It tests your mind, body, and spirit regardless of modifications.

Watch the technique video above to learn about modifications so you can start at a manageable level based on experience and proficiency with movements.

This daily challenge is intended to help you develop the proficiency to perform The Murph if you so choose. If not, you’ll be developing several skills to enhance performance in all life domains.

Productive skill development within fitness makes the task exponentially more beneficial.

Stacking valuable inputs in training adds quality to the limited quantity of time we have throughout the day.

This is self-care.

The primary purpose of all of this - resilience development physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Get Ready

I’m posting this a day early so everyone, including my international friends, can prepare to start strong on day one at their own skill and comfort level.

Track your times and modifications only to set a goal for the following day. The outcome doesn’t matter as long as you show up and put out.

Consistent effort leads to improved performance over time.

How will you respond when you don’t feel like it?

These are the days that matter most.

These are the moments you see what you’re made of.

This is a transformative opportunity.

This is how resilient mental states are developed.

Embrace the challenge of discipline to optimize the skill of resilience.

Deliberate discomfort daily can cause improved satisfaction elsewhere forever.

By the end of May, if you consistently complete this challenge regardless of modifications, your neuromuscular strength and endurance for pulling, pushing, and squatting will be enhanced.

Use a brief fitness routine to insert control and success into every day.

Self-care through self-challenge.

A few minutes a day can change your life.

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*Special Offer*

Join our community and earn a 15-min phone call with me to discuss your fitness or life goals:

• Complete the challenge for more than half the month.

In our community chat, we’ll hold each other accountable by posting a ✅ after completing each day’s challenge. Timing and modifications don’t matter—just show up and do your best.

To claim your 15-min call, share your story at the end of May:

Share a reflection on your progress (either in the community chat or privately with me) and then I’ll confirm your ✅ count.

Join our community, and let’s improve together.

Disclaimer:

The content provided is intended for general knowledge and informational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to making any decisions or changes relating to your health. Kyle Shepard is not responsible for any adverse effects resulting from the use of information in this publication.

Kit is one of the most brilliant writers and speakers I know. She developed Grey Cell Protocols to assess human conditions and systems to detect vulnerabilities and opportunities. While her work and all of her credentials are impressive, it’s the experiences behind them that make her truly interesting, credible, and inspiring.

In this conversation, Kit shares the history behind her Why. From the military, to abuse, loss, militias, the dark web, reorientation, transformation, and faith, she doesn’t hold back. We discussed trauma, healing, growth, vulnerability, validation, weirdness, communities, and interconnectedness.

Kit’s story demonstrates the power of resilience and how adversity can be used to elevate your purpose and life. Anything is possible for those who are willing to endure, explore, and evolve.

On April 30th, Kit’s newest book she co-authored with Donald Vandergriff, a retired US Marine and Army Officer who specializes in military leadership, decentralized command, and maneuver warfare, will be released. It is titled Mission Command & The Grey Cell Protocols. Pre-order here.

Kit’s Substack and podcast will sharpen your thinking and orientation to reality. I highly recommend both.

Some of her recent written work includes:

• The Discipline and Process of Synthesis

• Spotting Deception Under Pressure

• Orientation is the System

• Why I’m Leaving the Three Percent (a powerful article she wrote ten years ago)

• Why Good People Become Infiltration Vectors

• Personality vs. Pathology

• Pornography and Orientation: An Operational Hazard

There may be no word more ripe for a reframe than stress.

Stress is inevitable. It is also invaluable.

Stress narrows focus, increases energy, and is required for growth. Chronically mismanaged stress, on the other hand, causes countless problems such as increased all-cause mortality risk and decreased performance in any domain.

Aspects of life are undoubtedly difficult yet we often make it much harder than it needs to be. Unproductive beliefs, false assumptions, irrational fears, resistance to change, prolonged rumination, access to information, and temptation indulgence are just a few of the reasons we struggle to stay regulated in the modern world.

We know chronic stress without recovery can have detrimental effects on your health. Avoidance of stress, however, produces the same effect.

Stress is a physiologic prediction of or response to something you care about. If it doesn’t perceptually matter or affect you, it doesn’t stress you. This is true of the mind, body, and soul. Stress is neither good nor bad. Stress becomes harmful when you think it is or aren’t able to recover from it.

Your understanding of and belief about stress ultimately determines whether or not it can be used to your benefit.

The brain is a predicting mechanism that is continuously attempting to keep us alive and well through a process called allostasis - the central adjustment of internal systems based on need anticipation to meet demands. Once signals are received, the brain either matches predicted needs based on past experience or reorients to help us effectively respond to any situation. Following the event, the mind continues to encode and recode as a result.

The process of allostasis and the stress response are extremely prone to adaptation based on continued experience.

The mind can be trained to better predict and effectively respond to adversity by intentionally using stress as a stimulus. Cultivate new experiences with stress to create productive predictions and subsequent responses.

I’ve been teaching resilience for more than ten years. Initially trained in stress management, I quickly determined that simply managing stress is insufficient. Rather than teach methods to effectively respond to stress, how can one proactively prepare to leverage its benefit? The answer is simple - use it.

Resilience is the ability to effectively function with, recover from, and improve because of stress.

We all have the capacity to be resilient.

To train the skill of resilience, you must induce stress intentionally at a manageable level with prepared strategies for the purpose of getting more comfortable at what initially caused discomfort.

Your attitude toward stress dictates your resilience in response to it. The more you attempt to avoid stress, the more significant mild stressors become. The more you embrace stress, the more significant your response to any stressor becomes.

Resilience isn’t possible without stress just as courage isn’t possible without fear.

At the beginning of every month, I create a fitness challenge to build resilience. Physical training is one of my favorite ways to gain wisdom from intentional stress. It is, however, just one of the many ways you can leverage the stress response for growth.

The mission of this series is to explore methods of training mental, social, and spiritual resilience without physical exertion.

Last time the focus was on creating a mission statement. While drafting a mission statement can be challenging, determining how to consistently execute it is where the real work begins.

Subscribe now

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Now offering Left of Bang Strategic Briefs and advisory work focused on preparedness as a capability, he has made getting left of bang actionable beyond military operations.

In this conversation, we discuss his strategic framework for getting left of bang, preparedness vs. readiness, experience-based vs. proactive preparation, patterns in preparedness, the value of projects, personal preparedness, and much more.

Patrick Van Horne is one of the best writers and speakers on applying strategic thinking.

Being a paid member of The CP Journal has been one of the best investments I’ve made over the past two years.

Use links below to access his work that inspired this podcast:

• Preparing the Organization You Will Need

• The Three Levels of Left of Bang

• The Four Preparedness Personas: Where Your Organization Fits

• The Individual Readiness Playbook

In this conversation, we discuss many of the interesting aspects of and lessons from Peter’s life.

After nearly drowning as a one-year-old, Peter’s mother forced him to learn how to swim by the age of two. Despite wealthy parents and access to privileged societies, Peter was drawn to the water and the life of a surfer. Traveling the world, involvement in marijuana trade, learning to fight, near death experiences, heartbreak, and forced blue-collar labor led Peter to pursue a doctorate in history in New York. It was here he became committed to serving others. As a war-crimes investigator and professor of law and war theory at Columbia University, Peter began publishing books based on his work:

Law and War

Facing Death in Cambodia

Thai Stick: Surfers, Scammers, and the Untold Story of the Marijuana Drug Trade

Peter trained various martial arts throughout his life earning black belts in multiple disciplines, including one from the greatest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter of all time - Rickson Gracie. Through their friendship, Peter authored both of Rickson’s books, which are two of my favorites:

Breathe: A Life in Flow

Comfort in Darkness: The Invisible Power of Jiu Jitsu

Peter continues to write and mentor in many domains, including his Substack, Sour Milk.

To continue his life of service, Peter founded The Fainting Robin Foundation which provides financial support to independent scholars, writers, and thinkers whose work falls outside the mainstream.

To hear more about Peter’s interesting story, check out his appearance on the Jocko Podcast. As a longtime Jocko Podcast fan, Peter’s episode remains one of my favorites.

As a husband, father, and military leader, Will has grown to use virtue — excellence of character grounded in reason — as a core standard for all actions within each role of life.

In this conversation, we discussed the history, principles, and practical insights from Stoicism in extreme environments and everyday life. We also cover teaching virtue, cosmopolitanism vs. military duty, moral clarity, eclecticism, attitude, and much more.

This was one of the best conversations I’ve had on philosophy. Will has a unique ability to make concepts actionable based on his understanding of philosophers throughout history.

If you enjoy Stoicism, I strongly recommend getting his book. Military or civilian, Will’s writing makes Stoic principles relevant to all roles in life: Stoicism as a Warrior Philosophy

Will just began writing on Substack. His first on James Stockdale, who we also discuss in this episode, is well worth your time. Get more from Will on Substack at: Officium: Stoicism and Military Service

You can also find him on LinkedIn.

Two must-reads from James Stockdale released through the Naval Academy:

• Stockdale on Stoicism I: The Stoic Warrior’s Triad

• Stockdale on Stoicism II: Master of My Fate

As a functional fitness coach of several years, I run a community-based fitness group outside of my gym. We discuss goals, meet weekly for outdoor workouts, and tackle a new daily chal…

Read more

Chris is uniquely skilled in making the conceptual practical. He’s open-minded, curious, and deeply passionate about helping others become the best versions of themselves to live a fulfilled life.

In this conversation, we dig into spiritual growth, internal excavation, differentiating calm and peace, the connective power of vulnerability, reframing the word surrender, and much more. Chris explains how his philosophy has continued to evolve since publishing his first book which is now becoming a trilogy.

Beyond the Battlefield is a quick and outstanding read. There is also a link at the end of the book for a free call with Chris. This is how we initially met and I’m grateful I made that choice.

For more from Chris, check him out on Instagram and MCHN Mentality.

He also published a 90-Day Performance Workbook titled Legacy Forged full of challenges, journal prompts, and operating systems to take ownership of your life.

The podcast I first heard him on was ’s Mindset: Lessons from the Field episodes 13, 29, and 53. It was listening to Chris talk on this show that prompted me to buy his book.

For indeed a house is a little church.

- St. John Chrysostom

I love this little sentiment so much, I embroidered it to display it in our home. It serves as a beautiful, physical reminder to us all tha…

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Conor’s work focuses on the origins of fitness including the prominent figures, equipment, supplements, and programs that influence today’s fitness culture. Willing to be brutally honest, open-minded, and hilarious, his writing reveals there is often much more to history than we assume.

In this conversation, we discussed:

• Definitions mattering

• Adaptation specificity

• The fitness industry

• Good enough metrics

• Progressive variability

• And much more

Conor is as entertaining as he is brilliant. This was such an interesting, fun, and funny podcast. He’s been on many more shows diving into the fascinating personalities, systems, and origins of fitness and they’re all great. Search his name on Apple and they’ll pop up.

Shout out to , my favorite personal trainer, whose name came up several times throughout the podcast.

Read a fantastic interview of Conor by my buddy here.

If you’re interested in learning more about historical figures and programs, Conor recommended visiting strongmanproject.com which is an online library of resources and articles focused on the origins of strength training.

There may be no word more ripe for a reframe than stress.

Stress is inevitable. It is also invaluable.

Stress narrows focus, increases energy, and is required for growth. Chronically mismanaged stress, on the other hand, causes countless problems such as increased all-cause mortality risk and decreased performance in any domain.

Aspects of life are undoubtedly difficult yet we often make it much harder than it needs to be. Unproductive beliefs, false assumptions, irrational fears, resistance to change, prolonged rumination, and temptation indulgence are just a few of the reasons we struggle to stay regulated in the modern world.

We know chronic stress without recovery can have detrimental effects on your health. Avoidance of stress, however, produces the same effect. Stress cannot be escaped, nor is it the enemy.

Stress is a physiologic prediction of or response to something you care about. If it doesn’t perceptually matter or affect you, it doesn’t stress you. This is true of the mind, body, and soul. Stress is neither good nor bad. Stress becomes harmful when you think it is or aren’t able to recover from it. Your understanding of and belief about stress ultimately determines whether or not it can be used to your benefit.

The brain is a predicting mechanism that is continuously attempting to keep us alive and well through a process called allostasis - the central adjustment of internal systems based on need anticipation to meet demands. Once signals are received, the brain either matches predicted needs based on past experience or reorients to help us effectively respond to any situation. Following the event, the mind continues to encode and recode as a result.

The process of allostasis and the stress response are extremely prone to adaptation based on continued experience.

The mind can be trained to better predict and effectively respond to adversity by intentionally using stress as a stimulus. Cultivate new experiences with stress to create productive predictions and subsequent responses.

Stress is natural. Your response is nurtural.

I’ve been teaching resilience for more than ten years. Initially trained in stress management, I quickly determined that simply managing stress is insufficient. Rather than teach methods to effectively respond to stress, how can one proactively prepare to leverage its benefit? The answer is simple - use it.

Resilience is the ability to effectively function with, recover from, and improve because of stress.

We all have the capacity to be resilient.

To train the skill of resilience, you must induce stress intentionally at a manageable level with prepared strategies for the purpose of getting more comfortable at what initially caused discomfort.

Your attitude toward stress dictates your resilience in response to it. The more you attempt to avoid stress, the more significant mild stressors become. The more you embrace stress, the more significant your response to any stressor becomes.

Resilience isn’t possible without stress just as courage isn’t possible without fear.

At the beginning of every month, I create a fitness challenge to build resilience. Physical training is one of my favorite ways to gain wisdom from intentional stress. It is, however, just one of the many ways you can leverage the stress response for growth.

The mission of this series is to explore methods of training mental, social, and spiritual resilience without physical exertion. For the first one, we will be working to define your mission.

Subscribe now

Read more

On January 14th, 2022, James Freitas’s car was hit by an 18-wheeler forever altering the course of his life. Suffering a diffuse axonal brain injury, a severe form of traumatic brain injury causing tearing of nerve fibers throughout the brain, James had to relearn all the basic functions most take for granted. Rather than succumb to his condition, he progressively reclaimed his life through his love of birding.

James embodies resilience and his story demonstrates some of the most beautiful aspects of life can be found in response to unexpected adversity.

In this conversation, we discussed:

• Capacity

• Gratitude

• Slowing down

• Vulnerability

• Acceptance

• Leaning into discomfort

• And much more

As you will hear in this podcast, James has and continues to overcome significant hardship. His inspirational experience only adds power to his beautiful writing and photography.

Adaptation is always possible.

Purpose provides perspective to overcome life’s greatest challenges.

For more of James’s work, I highly recommend checking out his Substack Rock & Hawk, as well as his website www.james-freitas.com.

I once told my daughter that I won’t just get her anything she wants. But if she asks for a book, I’ll say yes every time. Sometimes we check it out at the library, sometimes I’…

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