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There is No Right Way
We are trained from an early age to look for the way. Corporate Leader Juggling what is possible. The way to win. The way to lead. The...

Stephen
Oct 92 min read


War Between Belief and Action
There’s a war most leaders fight in silence. It isn’t against competition, market shifts, or even failure. It’s the quiet war between...

Stephen
Oct 82 min read


The Leadership Gift of Struggle
Every leader I have admired carried a scar. Some were visible. Some were buried deep inside. But all of them knew that the mark of...

Stephen
Sep 292 min read


Stop Playing the Victim, Start Leading the Ship
There is a moment in every leader’s life where the line blurs between responsibility and resentment. We tell ourselves stories. Stories...

Stephen
Sep 162 min read


The Gift of Feedback
Feedback has long carried the weight of judgment. Up until now, my experience with feedback revolved around the story I told myself, "my...

Stephen
Sep 103 min read


Recovery is Strategy
When the race ended, I thought the hardest part was behind me. But, a new challenge emerged. The Athlete continues, despite what may be...

Stephen
Sep 22 min read


Power of Common Strife
Every great team has its rituals. Some practice until sweat pools at their feet. Some have epic creeds calling on you to shoulder more...

Stephen
Aug 272 min read


Hidden Multiplier in Achievement
Last summer, I crossed the finish line of the Hotter’n Hell Hundred—a grueling 100-mile bike race in the Texas heat. My time: nine hours...

Stephen
Aug 252 min read


Regiment and Art
What if the very system that made you successful is the same one holding you back? For twenty years, my life was regimented. First at a...

Stephen
Aug 213 min read


You Don't Need a New Plan
We love the safety of a plan. Plans make us feel in control. They help us imagine ideal conditions, neat timelines, and predictable...

Stephen
Aug 201 min read


The Hard Thing is the Point
There’s a temptation before any great endeavor to believe the work is about the outcome. We want the medal, the time on the clock, the...

Stephen
Aug 192 min read


Carrying Joy and Loss on the Same Day
Today, our community celebrates the first day of school. My oldest daughter heads into third grade, and the street is alive with the...

Stephen
Aug 131 min read


Playing Big
When I was a kid, my bookshelf was lined with the stories of men who lived at the edge of human possibility—Chuck Yeager, Neil Armstrong,...

Stephen
Aug 122 min read


The Cold, the Calm, and the Choice
There’s a moment, every time I step into a cold plunge, where my mind screams: “Don’t do it.” My feet are submerged, the water bites, and...

Stephen
Aug 51 min read


The Microburst and the Mindset
A surprise storm rolled through town last Friday. We got four inches of rain in 40 minutes. The kind of storm that brings wild winds,...

Stephen
Aug 42 min read


What 8 Weeks Taught Me About Performance
In the quiet hour before the sun rises, I’ve been running a silent experiment. No white coats. No clipboard. Just my body, a WHOOP strap,...

Stephen
Jul 242 min read


The Power of Getting Messy
We talk a lot about courage, but rarely do we define what it looks like in everyday life. I’ve come to believe it looks a lot like being...

Stephen
Jul 232 min read


What If You’re Not Failing—You’re Growing?
For three days, I didn’t journal. I didn’t work out. I didn’t wake up early. And I felt the usual reaction begin to rise: shame,...

Stephen
Jul 212 min read


When You Step Back, Others Step Up
There’s a unique kind of pride that surfaces when someone you love shows you who they are becoming. Mother and Daughter set off on a...

Stephen
Jul 211 min read


Always Rest. Never Coast.
It’s a saying we use at our firm. One that used to feel like a clever phrase, until I found myself living in the space between its lines....

Stephen
Jul 141 min read
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