#10: Travis Steffen -- Extreme Ownership & Mindset to Power Through an Ultramarathon - a podcast by Chris Ward

Last April Travis Steffen ran his first ultra marathon, the Grayson Highlands 50k. He showed up almost completely unprepared and untrained, he was at the peak of the "weight gaining" phase of a body building cycle which put him about 25 pounds heavier than normal, and he was coming off a couple of rough emotional weeks.

But he finished. All 31 miles of mountain pain. Through the rain and mud, past the giant longhorn bulls, up and down steep hills, showing extreme mental toughness as he marched his way to the finish line.

Throughout the day, as he limped around, painfully grunting with each tiny movement, you could not wipe the smile off of his face.

Why? How did this experience completely change his outlook on himself, his past behaviors, and his previous mentality?

That's what we get into in this episode. And it gets raw. Travis had no problems opening up and sharing the major flaws in his previous mindset (in both his athletic career and in other areas of life) that he has discovered after reading the book "Extreme Ownership" by former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink.

The message is really important "You are responsible for where you are today. No excuses, no pity party. You know what you need to do to be better...so do it. Change the way you perceive obstacles. They are not 'bad' or 'good', they are just there. They are the stepping stones to improvement."

WARNING: One thing I love and respect about Travis (among many) is that he is 100% authentic and unashamed to be who he is and talk the way he talks. That being said, there is a fair amount of cursing in this episode...so be aware if you have innocent ears or kids roaming around. Travis might teach you some new vocabulary.

Further episodes of Like a Bigfoot

Further podcasts by Chris Ward

Website of Chris Ward