Why not you with John OBrien

John OBrien
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Self-Improvement

Why Not You with John O'Brien What if the only thing standing between you and doing something extraordinary… is the decision to start? Do hard things. Turning motivational interviews into personal action Why Not You with John OBrien is a podcast that turns curiosity into courage. Each episode features genuine, down‑to‑earth people who have achieved remarkable things—Olympic gold medalists, world champions, Guinness World Record holders, ultra‑distance race winners, Leadville Trail 100 finishers, backyard ultra champions, and founders of successful businesses. Conversations with ordinary people who did something extraordinary — ultrarunners, Ironman finishers, rebuilders, and people who bet on themselves when it didn’t make sense. The question isn’t why them. It’s why not me. The goal isn’t to impress you. It’s to challenge you to ask a powerful question: Why not you? Want to share your story with me, send me an email at: Johnobie2468@gmail.com Text me: (563)-468-3692 IG: @jjob123 TikTok: johnobrien5854 #whynotyou #authentic #Running #dontquit #hardwork #determination #discipline #motivation #ultrarunning #family #therapy #mentalhealthawareness #training #selflove #selfcare

  1. 7h ago

    Phil Young - 3 quick clips - Winning Tunnel Hill 100 multiple times Tunnel Hill 100: 1st in 2021, 2022 and 2025 (12:03:27), and 2nd in 2023 and 2024

    ***2026 World Champion 100K - TEAM USA WINS!!! Davenport, Iowa ultrarunner Phil Young sits down with John OBrien to talk about what it takes to win 100 milers. He talks about why he's happy to build his season around "flat, fast, not sexy" races, and about the "what if" that keeps pulling him toward the front. Phil's record on Ultra Signup: 33 finishes and 19 wins. He has won the Tunnel Hill 100 three times: 2021 (12:44:08), 2022 (13:32:49, the snow year) and 2025 (12:03:27). He finished second there in 2023 (12:27:36) and 2024 (12:48:45). He's a five-time Hennepin 50 Mile champion and won the Kettle Moraine 100K in 2022 and 2023. He also holds course records at the Runner's Flat 50K and the Lost Roads 28 Miler. We recorded this before Tunnel Hill 2025. In it, Phil talks about wanting to break 12 hours. He went on to win the race in 12:03:27. #Ultrarunning #TunnelHill100 #100Miler #TrailRunning #WhyNotYou

    Phil Young - 3 quick clips - Winning Tunnel Hill 100 multiple times Tunnel Hill 100: 1st in 2021, 2022 and 2025 (12:03:27), and 2nd in 2023 and 2024

  2. 2d ago

    “What’s up, it’s me, and I am fully solo today. No co-host, no guests, just me, a microphone, and a foot that has been personally victimizing me for months.

    “What’s up, it’s me, and I am fully solo today. No co-host, no guests, just me, a microphone, and a foot that has been personally victimizing me for months. First order of business: plantar fasciitis update. Yeah, it’s still a problem. I finally got the MRI. And because I know half of you have no idea what actually happens inside that giant metal tube, I’m going to break it down. Magnets. Radio waves. Your body basically getting scanned like it’s a suspicious package at the airport. Science is cool. My heel is not. Then we’re talking race format. I’ve decided. Backyard Ultras are the move from here on out. One 4.167-mile loop. You start every hour on the hour. If you’re still standing, you go again. Spectators can actually sit in one spot and watch the whole damn thing. Crews don’t have to drive across three counties just to hand you a gel. It’s simple, it’s brutal, and you get a clear ‘still in / already dead’ update every 60 minutes. I’m done with the chaos. Loops only. And then… the part some of you are going to hate. I talked about politics. Not candidates. Not parties. Not who you should vote for. I talked about the ads. The endless, soul-crushing, mailbox-stuffing, every-single-screen political ads that show up like a biblical plague the second an election gets close. How is this legal? How are we not all collectively losing our minds? I’m ranting. You’ve been warned. That’s the episode. Injury science, backyard loop supremacy, and a full meltdown about political junk mail. Let’s get into it.”

    “What’s up, it’s me, and I am fully solo today. No co-host, no guests, just me, a microphone, and a foot that has been personally victimizing me for months.

  3. 2d ago

    Curt Johnston - Leadville Trail 100 Run from DNF to FINISHER - "Train Really hard!"

    He didn't finish Leadville the first time. His son made sure he remembered. Curt Johnston went from a 225-pound 25-year-old to a Leadville finisher, but not without heartbreak along the way. In this episode, Curt shares: - The linebacker friend's marathon that got him started, and why you should tell everyone your goal - A fall at mile 8, a busted knee, and a DNF at Hope Pass - Coming home to Pita Pit, and what his son Nick said at bedtime -"If you go dark, you're done": sideways rain at 2 a.m., "give it 10 minutes," and a fellow runner's "Finish for me" -The one secret he swears by: train really freaking hard If Curt can go back and finish, why not you? Hashtags: #leadville #ultrarunninglife #trailrunning #bixrun #whynotyou

    Curt Johnston - Leadville Trail 100 Run from DNF to FINISHER - "Train Really hard!"

  4. 3d ago

    Pat Miletich: "I Created the World Champion... and the Alcoholic" | Why not you with John O'Brien

    Pat Miletich says he created the world champion he became, and he also created the alcoholic. Now 20 months sober, the Quad Cities fight legend gets brutally honest about the power of your own mind, for better and for worse. In this conversation from April of 2025, Pat shares: The farm-tough mom who raised him alone, and the day he told her "You won the war in 1986"Training at 2 a.m. so his body was ready to fight in JapanThe three voices in your head, and why you have to trust your intuitionHot sauce parenting, and the daughter who looked him in the eye and said "bring it"Why he thinks the future is healing the soil: 300 acres, not 3,000I also share what it's like to run a backyard ultra, where there's no finish line, and what I saw when John Deere decided to become a tech company. Raw, funny, and real, this one will make you rethink what you tell yourself every day. Why not you? #PatMiletich #MMA #Sobriety #Mindset #WhyNotYou

    Pat Miletich: "I Created the World Champion... and the Alcoholic" | Why not you with John O'Brien

  5. 3d ago

    Before he was "famous" hear Mark Dowdle - His plan on making it as a pro - Backyard Ultras - Advice

    Hear Mark talk about his win at the Wausau Limitless Backyard Ultra - his strategy to "break" the last runner. He's always been super competitive and when you have that competitive mind set combined with a plan, a strategy and his consistency, it's going to work! He is a prime example of putting in the work and getting the results but with laser focus. He just "WON" the Bigs Backyard Ultra World Championships for TEAM USA with 107 yards = 445 miles...basically ran for 4.5 days straight.

    Before he was "famous" hear Mark Dowdle - His plan on making it as a pro - Backyard Ultras - Advice

  6. 5d ago

    Jonathan Milkovich - Sound Bite - In his own words - Operation Warrior Fit

    If you want to get a good idea of what this full episode is and don't have a lot of time, here are the best sound bites from it. 1 Her ultimatum got me running again 6:08 55s 2 What if a race fee stopped them? 8:17 35s 3 I never deployed. It still hurt. 22:18 42s 4 Go to the VA. Let them tell it. 23:02 29s 5 1,500 applications. One car wash job. 36:52 29s 6 Rule #1: Don't quit in the dark 54:50 44s 7 One bad night doesn't define you 1:15:24 54s 8 A high five got her to the finish 1:24:20 38s

    Jonathan Milkovich - Sound Bite - In his own words - Operation Warrior Fit

  7. Oct 21

    Operation Warrior Fit - Jonathan Milkovich - Runner - Veteran - 700 mile run attempt

    Jonathan Milkovich. https://www.operationwarriorfit.org/ Who is he and why did he start this charity? Listen to this episode of "Why not me with John O'Brien" to find out. Jonathan in his own words: When I transitioned out of the military, I thought I was prepared. I had served for years and built skills, discipline, and leadership I was proud of. But nothing truly prepared me for what it felt like to step away from the uniform and into the unknown. Suddenly, the structure I had relied on was gone. The routine. The accountability. The sense of purpose that drove me every single day was no longer there. And maybe the hardest part of all, I didn't feel like I belonged anywhere anymore. But something changed when I found racing. What started as a simple way to stay active turned into something much more. Training for races gave me back my discipline. Pushing through long runs gave me time to clear my head. And every finish line gave me a small but powerful reminder that I still had something in me worth fighting for. That spark turned into a fire. And that fire became Operation WarriorFit. I built OWF not just as a fitness program, but as a mission for others like me. For veterans, service members, and first responders who are navigating the after-service fog. For those who want to be part of something again, something that challenges them, supports them, and helps them grow. This community is full of people who show up not just for themselves, but for one another. I've seen veterans finish their first 5K and light up with pride. I've seen first responders who carry the weight of their communities finally find space to focus on themselves. Operation WarriorFit is proof that you don't have to be in uniform to live with purpose. That fitness can be more than a goal, it can be a lifeline. If you've ever struggled with what comes next, you are not alone. This movement is here to prove that. And if you believe in that mission too, then you belong here. With purpose and pride, Jonathan Milkovich Founder and Executive Director, Operation WarriorFit

    Operation Warrior Fit - Jonathan Milkovich - Runner - Veteran - 700 mile run attempt

  8. Oct 20

    Bigs Backyard Ultra World Championships TEAM USA vs the world- Currently in 2nd place

    Day 3 recap with stats on who's left etc. Check it out. Also, go to my YouTube Channel to see my video about this and more. Why not you? https://youtu.be/J-A6R_8SVEI

    Bigs Backyard Ultra World Championships TEAM USA vs the world- Currently in 2nd place
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Why Not You with John O'Brien What if the only thing standing between you and doing something extraordinary… is the decision to start? Do hard things. Turning motivational interviews into personal action Why Not You with John OBrien is a podcast that turns curiosity into courage. Each episode features genuine, down‑to‑earth people who have achieved remarkable things—Olympic gold medalists, world champions, Guinness World Record holders, ultra‑distance race winners, Leadville Trail 100 finishers, backyard ultra champions, and founders of successful businesses. Conversations with ordinary people who did something extraordinary — ultrarunners, Ironman finishers, rebuilders, and people who bet on themselves when it didn’t make sense. The question isn’t why them. It’s why not me. The goal isn’t to impress you. It’s to challenge you to ask a powerful question: Why not you? Want to share your story with me, send me an email at: Johnobie2468@gmail.com Text me: (563)-468-3692 IG: @jjob123 TikTok: johnobrien5854 #whynotyou #authentic #Running #dontquit #hardwork #determination #discipline #motivation #ultrarunning #family #therapy #mentalhealthawareness #training #selflove #selfcare

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