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PodcastWhy We Seek Discomfort

Why We Seek Discomfort

When you do something you thought you couldn’t, you get to tell yourself a new story about who you are. Listen as Matt, Thomas, and Ammar talk about the ways they’ve rewritten their own stories. We also hear from Dianne Bondy, an acclaimed yoga teacher and social justice activist, who shares how Western culture impacts the way we think about physical discomfort. And Aaron Ferguson, a decorated celebrity physical trainer, shares his experience training and competing in an Ironman alongside Matt.

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There's one experience that stands out as the pinnacle of my discomfort seeking career. [Sports Announcer] Last stretch, you're almost there, baby. (crowd cheering) And, while finishing the Ironman may have been what I initially set out to do, to borrow cliché, it was the journey, not the race that really set my experience apart. It was about overcoming that mean voice in my head. We all have one. We usually can drown it out by turning on Netflix or scrolling through our phones. But Ironman training requires me to spend hours alone, running, riding, swimming with no headphones, and so my only company was that voice. And now I'm alone in this apartment talking to a camera and I have to go for a 40 minute run after that five hour and 15 minute bike ride. That's my day. That's my full day is that ride. And now this coming run. But luckily I had a mentor to get me through those dark moments. But these are the moments, right? Yeah. These are the moments where you, you don't wanna do it. You do it anyway. Yeah. That's Aaron Ferguson, a celebrity trainer, notably Will Smith's coach, but he's so much more than that. He's my training partner. And more importantly, my friend. We're just afraid of so many things of like having put in this much work and then my tire popping, you know, on the race. Yep. It's like for what, fucking six months. And then this shit happens. Kidding me. So I think about that a lot. I'm like, Yep. What if it's not worth it? Well, it's always worth it. It's just, you won't want to get attached to the result. The result for us is who we get to be because of it. It doesn't matter if you finish or not, it matters that you put in the work to prepare yourself as best you can. What happens on the day happens on the day mate. Aaron taught me that striving for personal excellence is worth effort. No matter the costs. In terms of having fun, going out with your friends, doing all these things, you kind of lose that. And over the last five months, I just feel so there are moments when you're just like, God, why did I sign up for this? It's just so painful. With each day, I became not just physically stronger, but mentally stronger too. I became better at dealing with that voice and eventually even transforming it into an encouraging positive force. So when I was lagging behind on race day. 'Cause we were having a look at your timing and, and you'd started to really fade towards the last leg. And I was like, oh, he's gone. When you're in an endurance event of that nature, you just don't come back because it's like, it's not like you can grit your teeth and, and knuckle down for the next 60 seconds. Like you gotta knuckle...

Details

TypePodcast
Duration24 min

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  • A former Buddhist monk, Andy has guided people in meditation and mindfulness for 20 years. In his mission to make these practices accessible to all, he co-created the Headspace app in 2010.

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  • Eve is a mindfulness teacher, overseeing Headspace’s meditation curriculum. She is passionate about sharing meditation to help others feel less stressed and experience more compassion in their lives.

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  • As a meditation teacher, Dora encourages others to live, breathe, and be with the fullness of their experiences. She loves meditation’s power to create community and bring clarity to people’s minds.

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  • Kessonga has been an acupuncturists, therapist, and meditation teacher, working to bring mindfulness to the diverse populations of the world.

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  • Rosie Acosta has studied yoga and mindfulness for more than 20 years and taught for over a decade. Rosie’s mission is to help others overcome adversity and experience radical love.

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