In this episode, Brett and I catch up to discuss his background in the military, physical training and reflect on what he has learned over an extensive 20-year coaching career. We dive deep into the philosophy of physical training, how Brett’s coaching style has evolved from being rigid to a more supportive mentor role, and the connection between physical fitness, mental resilience, and spiritual health. Scroll down if you’d like to watch the conversation or if you’re listening on Spotify please visit the Substack page here. Key themes from the episode Lessons from 20 Years of Coaching Brett notes that a primary lesson from his decades of coaching is realizing you don’t know everything, even when you think you do. Self-reflection vs External Validation We discuss the the importance of self-reflection as well as external validation to orient ourselves in the world. Specifically, how the rigorous nature of the CrossFit seminar staff internship process shifted me from a place of blaming outside factors to deeply auditing my own professional capacity and self-reliance. Self-Talk During Training The two of us contrast our internal monologues during intense physical workouts. How I tend to be driven by internal high standards and pushing to absolute physical limits, often blocking out external noise to grind through the hurt. Whereas Brett’s Style is more calculated, logical, and structured. Brett admits he handles training “softly” compared to high-intensity outliers, focusing on pacing and doing what is sub-maximally sustainable. The Connection Between Fitness and Faith Finally, Brett draws a strong parallel between physical fitness and his recent return to Catholicism. He equates fitness to physical health and faith/spirituality to internal, spiritual health. Rather than strictly focusing on granular, rigid rules (micro-rules), Brett highlights the overriding “meta-rules” of both practices. Where in fitness, “something is better than nothing,” and in faith, the guiding principle is love and self-reflection. “One must imagine Sisyphus happy... [Life] is a punishment, and it relates to the human condition because we are the rats in the wheel, and the existential dilemma is: what’s the point of this? ...The trick is to enjoy every moment, be grateful for the things you have.” I hope you enjoyed that conversation, I know I did! Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, I love hearing about what people take away from these conversations! Support the cause If you’re enjoying the podcast, and would like to support men’s mental health, consider leaving a 5 star review on Spotify and sharing the episode on your social media! Stay up-to-date Never miss an episode by subscribing to Taming Thumos on Substack, it’s free! Every new episode and article is sent directly to your email inbox. Or if you’re listening on Spotify hit the notification bell to stay up to date with future episodes! Go deeper If you’re enjoying the vulnerability of the podcast and appreciate introspective, thought provoking content, consider checking out my personal publication Musings On Life and Such Things here. Much love This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tamingthumos.substack.com
