If this past weekend's NYC Marathon taught us anything, it's that success often requires patience and flexibility. Jess McClain spent years away from running before taking second place (and during the race she barely held on, only to finish with a breathtaking final surge). Andreas Almgren missed years of running with stress fractures, and then won in his marathon debut, closing with a 4:30 mile. Whether it's in running or in life, most of what we want won't come right away, despite all the stories about overnight success. So today Steve and Clay explore the tools that can help you hold on through the hard miles, on and off the course.

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How do you want something very badly and still hold the result loosely? Detaching from the outcome is one of the most important skills in performance. It's also one of the hardest. On today's show, we talk about how to detach before, during, and after a high-stakes performance, discuss why it's better to think of detachment as a slider, not a switch, teach you how to match self-talk styles to the appropriate contexts, explain how to know when to trust the process and when to change it, and try to find the ideal performance sweet spot (90% Zen master, 10% Dog?).

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One of the hardest and most important questions to answer if you want to do anything at a high level: Do I need to fix this feeling, or can I forget this feeling and perform anyway? For too long as a society, we pushed the "grind it out" mentality, which led to chronic burnout and exhaustion. Now we take feelings more seriously, but have maybe gone too far, increasing fragility and decreasing our collective ability to handle challenge. Today we talk about how to treat your difficult feelings, emotions, and thoughts as messengers, not dictators, and learn what they're saying so you can respond most wisely.

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We've always been big on recovery. (After all, it is one half of the growth equation: stress + REST = growth.) But knowing how to recover, both physically and mentally, is a skill — and one that needs to be refined as we age and as our world becomes increasingly stimulating. So today we are answering four questions from dear listeners (you!) about how to handle physical changes, cognitive overload, and the sheer velocity of modern life. Plus: some emergency recovery tips for when you're going through a really tough stretch.

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How we should (and should not) use artificial intelligence is a topic we have been frequently and furiously discussing in our group chat. (You too?) These days, it's impossible to avoid its presence in our lives. Nor would we want to! A.I. brings plenty of advantages. But, as always, a tool is only good if you know how to use it — and what trade-offs you're making when you do. On today's episode, we talk about the technology's benefits and its costs, with a particular eye to how it will affect craft, performance, and the future of excellence. So if you're struggling to figure out how exactly to incorporate it into your life — we are too! — this episode is for you.

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"You can just do things" — but should you? The word "agency" has exploded in recent months, but what does it actually mean to be a high-agency person, and when does agency cross the line into recklessness? Today, we're tracing the concept from Aristotle to Nietzsche to Silicon Valley, exploring why agency is core to our humanity in an age of increasing automation. We unpack the tension between people who overthink and never act versus those who act without thinking, share stories of taking big swings (including 25 book rejections), and offer practical tools for building agency as a muscle — whether you need to take more action or learn to pause and reflect before just doing things.

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- Donate at farmkind.giving/excellence and your monthly donation will get a 50% boost to help factory farmed animals

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Today, we're fielding a listener question that every high performer eventually faces: where's the line between passion and obsession? The thing that makes you great can also be the thing that destroys you, and making sure that it doesn't is no simple matter. We'll talk about the research on dopamine, temperament, and addiction and chart the path from healthy drive to destructive spiral — useful for any athlete, entrepreneur, or high achiever trying to tame their demons.

- Get a free LMNT drink mix pack with any purchase: drinkLMNT.com/Clay

- Donate at farmkind.giving/excellence and your monthly donation will get a 50% boost to help factory farmed animals

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- If you are enjoying "excellence, actually," do us a huge favor: text your favorite episode to three people so they can enjoy it, too. Thanks!

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.