Uncommon Life Podcast Stuart McConnell

As a personal trainer, body builder, national level swim coach Lisa Amo Kerr knows what it takes to push through our perceived limits. She joins me this week to talk about the importance of pushing your limits in everyday life and why you should focus on You first before trying to help others.

Here’s a sneak peek:
- When you give your all in training all you’re left with is your mindset
- When the body says stop the sport/ goal cries never
- Sometimes the conscious mind doesn’t know what the body is capable of
- Stopping the competition with everyone else and competing with yourself
- Changing your attitude when you’re dreading pushing that extra mile
- Doing the best for yourself so you can motivate others to do their best
- Being grateful you have the ability to do what you do
- Making sure you’re setting goals that are authentic to you and not just trying to please others

For Gregg King fighting is his life. He lives, eats and breathes Jiu-Jitsu. He has turned it into a career and a business so that he can share his passion with the world. We sat down to have a great conversation about the competition mindset of a martial artist and how that translates to his businesses.

Here’s a peek:

- Fighting for the goal that you set - staying focused during your training so you are prepared for the competition
- You either win or learn not win or lose – not winning will always teach you something
- Going deeper into your thinking when you lose
- In business, with a thousand things to do, whatever you do you’re never going to be good enough
- Keeping on yourself to push that extra 10%. Don’t just talk about it, be about it
- Adapting to being under pressure, so as you get to your next level of training you’re already conditioned to keep going and exceeding
- Keeping ‘sharpening your blade’ so you don’t get to a point where you stagnate and lose your edge - someone else is always getting better
- The boulder just gets heavier as you keep putting things off which makes it harder to get back up
- The underlying mindset that believes you can’t have what you want
- Using your excuses to fuel your drive instead of letting them sit on you and drag you down
- Difference between excuses that hold you back vs something good on TV
- Listening to your body when you do need to rest and what to do to keep progressing while you rest

Trainer, author, mother and body builder Deirdre Slattery seems to do it all. As she prepares for her first body building competition she stopped in to chat about what it takes to be successful in multiple areas of life – that last 10% that so many of us avoid. If that last 10% is the place that has us getting what we want in life and we tend to avoid it how do we push through to ultimate success? Listen in to find out! 

Here’s a sneak peak:
- Strengthening yourself as an entrepreneur related to being a pro athlete
- People are drawn to you as they watch you transform
- Pushing yourself through perceived limits and stress
- Using your physical training as one tool to see if you’re pushing and giving that last 10%
- That last 10% is achieving the goal, don’t be good with the 90%
- Developing the confidence to say no I want that last bit
- Developing the mindset to keep yourself pushing a little bit more
- The power of surrounding yourself with people that are lifting and pushing you, keeping you on track
- Choosing to move forward with big goals – by opening one door many more open
- Being bigger than who you are to get out of being in your comfort zone
- Calming the nerves around the doubt for your end goal and focusing on the day to day steps
- Not beating yourself up day to day if some things don’t get done
- Having the resilience to keep getting up and not dwelling in the feeling of defeat

NOTE: I screwed up the audio on this really great interview and so the audio quality isn’t up to the usual standards of the show. I’m posting it anyway because the information is far more important than the recording quality.

Jonathan Hood is a man that doesn’t stand still. Constantly pushing himself to be better in all areas of his life not to be better than others but to be better than he was yesterday. This former CFL defensive back, business coach, youth mentor and PHD candidate and I sit down to have a conversation about how to live to your fullest potential.

Here’s a peek:
- Doing the things you love not for wealth, career or status but because it's a part of you. Something that helps drive you every day or when you get knocked down.
- Continually refine your craft in your off time so you can stay ahead of the game for when you need it.
- The power in looking beyond your own surface and identifying with the deeper parts of who you are.
- Living up to your own expectations VS living up to those of others.
- Pursuing what inspires you will always help to keep your options open.
- The importance of finding something you love to do that inspires that 'winning' mentality despite any hardships you may be going through
- Getting comfortable communicating to others when you are going through something to get the support you need to handle it powerfully.

Former pro athlete, producer and author Ryan John Phillips know a thing or 2 about adversity. From the spotlight of the big show in the NHL to working with people in need in 3rd world countries Ryan is a master at reinventing himself. Listen in to our conversation on how to achieve your dreams using the power authenticity.

Here’s a sneak peek at our talk:
- Being authentic to yourself and knowing you have everything you need.
- Never giving up despite the day to day adversity.
- What is really driving our resistance and fears.
- We know what we need for our wellbeing and that is the fear.
- The link between mental health and social media and how it affects the way you feel about yourself.
- Once you feel like you've achieved all you can achieve, feelings of fidgeting, laziness and depression can come on.
- Constant goal setting is to drive you forward.
- The difference it makes when you feel a sense of purpose everyday through your work.
- The importance of making sure you're good with your well-being.
- The power of starting small with your goals and build a foundation
- Being able to find the joy even in the times of adversity
- Act as though it were and let the unseen be seen
- Making sure you have a good daily regimen that you can stick to
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help – we all need it!

When the opportunity came up to interview 8 time Canadian national boxing champion Ibrahim Kamal I expected this super tough alpha male too walk through my door who only wanted to talk about pounding people. What I got was the exact opposite – an amazing, kind human being who loves his sport for the competition and what that entails not for the glory of hurting others. We had a great time really digging into the mindset that made him a great boxer and how it can benefit everyone.

Here’s a sneak peek:
- Don’t allow others to sway your emotions too easily. Maintain confidence, take things with a grain of salt and move on. 
- Tapping into an outlet for your stored emotional energy or frustration. 
- Expecting the unexpected 
- Leaving it all on the table
- Mental preparation before ‘game time’ and thinking on your feet without thinking
- Remaining hyper focused in the moment to be able to react to the next move. Other dimension of thoughts that come and go quickly in flow state
- If nothing else is working, try something new