EP 3609, They stab you and pretend they're bleeding, is a straight talk about one of the ugliest games people play: hurting you, then flipping the script so you're the villain for reacting. It shows up in relationships, families, workplaces, and teams. Someone crosses a line, you finally call it out, and suddenly they're the victim, you're "too sensitive", and everyone is asked to comfort the person who caused the damage.

In this episode I break down how this pattern works, why it hooks good people, and what to do when your empathy is being weaponised against you. If you've been stuck in the loop of explaining yourself, defending your intentions, or trying to "fix it" with someone who refuses ownership, this will feel uncomfortably familiar.

We talk about:

• the difference between a mistake and a strategy

• Why integrity feels like aggression to someone who lives on manipulation

• how guilt, obligation, and fear keep you silent

• What boundaries actually are (and what they're not)

• how to respond without getting dragged into chaos

This isn't about becoming cold. It's about becoming clear. High performance is a conscious decision, and clarity is part of it. If you want better outcomes in your life, you need better standards in your relationships. That includes who you let close, what you tolerate, and how quickly you address behaviour that poisons trust.

You'll leave with practical language you can use, a simple "do not engage" framework for circular arguments, and a reminder of a core principle of this show: stop just surviving and take responsibility for your life.

Ask yourself: what's the pattern, what's the cost, and what would change if you stopped negotiating with nonsense today alone.

If you're done bleeding quietly while someone else tells the story, press play.

EP 3608 is a blunt reminder that comparison does not motivate you, it corrodes you.

Most people do not lose their joy in one big moment. They lose it in a thousand little audits. Someone else's body. Someone else's relationship. Someone else's business. Someone else's confidence. And without realising it, you start living like your life is failing because it is not identical to someone else's highlight reel.

In this episode I unpack what comparison really is. It is a nervous system threat response dressed up as "standards." It is your brain trying to keep you safe by measuring where you sit in the tribe. The problem is, the scoreboard you are using is usually fake, incomplete, and brutal.

We talk about the two traps.

Upward comparison makes you feel behind, even when you are building something solid. It turns progress into pressure, and it trains your brain to ignore wins.

Downward comparison makes you feel superior for a moment, but it keeps you small. You do not grow when you need other people to be worse than you.

I give you a simple reset you can use today.

Step one, name the trigger. Who are you comparing yourself to, and where are you doing it.

Step two, define your lane. What are the values you are building your life on, not the outcomes you are chasing.

Step three, set your daily scoreboard. Three behaviours you can execute today that prove you are becoming the person you say you want to be.

If you are sick of feeling like you are never enough, this is your circuit breaker. Stop watching other people live. Start doing the work. Quietly. Repeatedly. On purpose.

If you want more structure, grab the free Life Basics PDF and get the weekly newsletter for practical tools and sharp reminders.

In Episode 3607 of The Strong Life Project, Shaun O'Gorman breaks down a line that matters: a soldier follows orders, a warrior follows their heart. This is not about disrespecting discipline or teamwork. It is about noticing when you have handed your life over to other people's expectations, conflict avoidance, and the need to be liked.

Soldiers wait for the next instruction. They outsource responsibility. They do what is required, then wonder why they feel flat, resentful, or stuck. Warriors honour their commitments, but they lead from an internal code. They do the hard thing because it is right, not because someone is watching. Under pressure, they do not rise to potential. They fall to preparation.

Shaun unpacks how this shows up: the leader who avoids tough conversations, the partner who shuts down instead of speaking truth, the man who keeps saying yes while his health and family pay the bill. If you feel trapped, it is not the job. It is the choices you keep making to stay comfortable.

He also clarifies what following your heart is not. It is not impulsive emotion or chasing the next dopamine hit. It is values in motion. It is regulating your nervous system, telling the truth, and acting with conviction even when your old patterns want you to comply.

This episode is a reset. You will be challenged to define your standards, tighten your boundaries, and stop confusing comfort with safety. Pressure does not build character. It reveals it. The question is simple: who are you when it does.

Practical tool: take 60 seconds, breathe, then answer: "What am I avoiding, and what would aligned action look like?" Write your non negotiables for health, relationships, and work, then pick one action this week that proves you mean it. No speeches. Just behaviour.