“You have to remind yourself that You’re the One.

You have to do it every day. Every single one. Greatness starts with confidence. And confidence starts with doubt. The work quiets that insecurity. But it’s still there. Watching. From a distance. Waiting for the moment when you forget who you are.

In those times, you must remember. Relentlessly. Who you are, what you’ve done, what you’re capable of. You must repeat it in your mind to the point of insanity. Because insane results begin with insane self-belief.

Hold hands with delusion and destiny. Trust them to carry you. Never let go.”

I couldn’t have thought of a better intro to this week’s letter than these beautiful words from Zach Progob. Remind yourself this week - You’re the One.

Thanks to the team at AG1 for sponsoring this week’s newsletter!

Brain - Preparing the Mind for the Marathon (and Everything Else)

This is the week. The race is finally here. In 6 days, I’m lining up for a marathon with one goal: run it in under 3 hours. That’s 26.2 miles at a 6:50 per mile pace. It’s a physical test that I have spent 16 weeks pushing my body for, but now as we transition to race week, we switch to a primary focus on the mental prep it takes to even get to the start line believing that kind of effort is possible.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve focused not just on sharpening my fitness, but sharpening my mindset. As discussed last week, I have been staring doubt in the face, and have at times not been as confident as I would have liked. So I addressed that like I would any other challenge - I worked on it. Because any goal that requires focus, endurance, and courage - whether it’s running a marathon, changing careers, becoming a new parent, or building a business - starts in your head.

Here’s what I’m practicing this week to build mental strength, and how you can apply it to whatever challenge is on your horizon:

1. Rehearse the Hard Parts

   1. Every day this week I will visualize the late miles of the race (miles 20 to 26) where things get foggy, painful, and quiet. I will rehearse the discomfort now, so it doesn’t surprise me later. Whether you’re prepping for a big presentation or pushing into unfamiliar territory, you should mentally walk through the most difficult parts ahead of time. Expect the challenge. Make peace with it.

2. Anchor to Purpose, Not Pain

   1. Why do I want this sub-3? Because it represents discipline, consistency, and the ability to follow through. It’s a challenge that got the better of me last time, and I want to prove I don’t just give up after failure. When doubt creeps in, and oh boy will it, I won’t be thinking about my watch. I’ll be thinking about everything I’ve built leading up to this point. I’ll be thinking about my motivation to do this in the first place - the voluntary effort of choosing this hard. And I will be thinking about the people I represent and who are counting on me to get this done.

3. Set the Narrative Early

   1. In the final week, I will not entertain “what ifs.” I replace them with “I will.” I refuse to let myself think, “What if I blow up at mile 22?” I instead will diligently think, I’m strong, I’ve done the work, I will respond when it gets hard. The same principle applies to anything daunting: shape your internal script before pressure arrives. Confidence is a story you tell yourself and believe.

4. Control the Controllables

   1. I can’t control the weather, other runners, or every mile split. But I can control how I talk to myself, how I fuel, how I breathe, and how I show up. In life and racing, resilience comes from owning what’s in your hands and releasing what’s not.

Running a sub-3 marathon requires a fit body. But executing it requires a trained mind - one that expects the struggle, welcomes the fight, and believes in the finish.

I will never have a career in running. I am not an influencer trying to make money off of my races and my experiences. These feats are about setting out to do hard things, to reinforce discipline, and to provide building blocks to show my kids one day what is possible, as well as the friends around me. We all have hard things we set out to tackle - make sure that you properly address the processing between your ears before you take it on.

Body - Movement is Medicine

Sometimes a topic just injects itself into your weekly conversations in enough instances that you feel obliged to bring it to the surface for discussion with the masses. This is one of those topics.

I found myself having multiple conversations this week about this idea of the foundation of fitness, and the countless times I have talked to someone whose entire life changed because they started getting up early and working out. Stress disappeared. Anxiety faded. Their relationship improved. Their career trajectory raised. Their outlook on life brightened. All from making a small decision to set the alarm a few hours earlier and to start the day with a win.

Most people look at exercise through a narrow lens: calories burned, pounds lost, abs revealed. But that view, one I have often had myself, is incomplete. When we see movement only as a weight-loss tool, it’s no wonder so many people burn out or give up. It becomes transactional, tied to guilt, appearance, or numbers on a scale. Of course it becomes easier to sleep through the alarm when the motivating factor is that surface level.

But what if we flipped the frame?

What if we started to see movement as medicine?

The science is overwhelming. Regular physical activity is one of the most powerful interventions we have for mental health. Aerobic exercise has been shown to significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, often as effectively as medication in mild to moderate cases. Just 20–30 minutes of movement can trigger a cascade of feel-good chemicals like endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. It boosts focus, improves sleep, and strengthens our ability to handle stress.

Movement also sharpens the mind. Studies show that exercise improves memory, cognitive flexibility, and long-term brain health. One Harvard paper even called walking "the closest thing we have to a wonder drug."

And then there’s the structure it creates. A daily walk, a strength session, a yoga flow, these aren’t just workouts. They’re anchors. They bring rhythm to chaotic days. They reinforce discipline. They remind us that we are in control of our time and our choices, even if just for 30 minutes.

We should want to move because it keeps our joints healthy. Because we want to play with our kids or grandkids. Because we want to have energy at 3 p.m. without needing a second coffee. Because we want to feel good in our skin, stand tall, and age with strength and independence. We should get up with the alarm because we want to have control over our emotions. Because we want to build a foundation of discipline. Because we want to be the best version of ourselves for those around us.

Eating well and moving daily should feel less like punishment and more like proactive self-care.

Treating movement as medicine invites a more compassionate, consistent approach to training. It’s not about perfection. It’s about participation. If you are in a funk and are looking for a way out - or are in a good space and looking for ways to make life even better - get up early and move. Win the day before the sun even rises.

Book - Books From Ryan Holiday (Joe Rogan Edition)

One thing that has always fascinated me is the list of books people recommend to their friends and their peers. It has always been so interesting to me what books come to mind, if any, when someone asks for a book recommendation. So much can be deciphered by the short list of books someone encourages you to read, and also the speed and passion of which they share those recommendations.

One of my biggest faults in reading is getting in too narrow of a lane. I know what I like, and I am a creature of habit. Give me motivational - give me hard nosed personal development - give me Sci Fi & Fantasy - and I am good. Which is why I love to come across other reading lists from people who venture out across a wide range of topics.

Ryan Holiday, on a recent appearance with Joe Rogan, shared a list just like that. It’s not just self-help or historical deep dives. It’s a curation of storytelling, struggle, resilience, and unvarnished truth. And if you’re looking to stretch your thinking, this list delivers.

Here are the highlights and reasons the book made the list - a list curated of books from Holiday’s own book store in Austin for Joe himself:

• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Gregory Hays translation) 

  • A Stoic staple. More than philosophy, this is a personal journal from a Roman emperor working through life, leadership, and mortality. Read it slowly—it rewards quiet reflection.

• Discourses and Selected Writings by Epictetus 

  • If Marcus is the philosopher-king, Epictetus is the soldier-turned-sage. Practical, blunt, and foundational to modern Stoic thought.

• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield 

  • A call to arms for creators and doers. Pressfield names the inner Resistance we all face, then teaches you how to punch back. Quick read, lifelong impact.

• The Tiger by John Vaillant

  • A gripping narrative set in the Russian Far East, blending ecology, survival, and revenge. Reads like a thriller, grounded in fact.

• Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford 

  • Not just conquest—this book reframes Genghis as a revolutionary force for innovation and global change. History with a modern lens.

• River of Doubt by Candice Millard 

  • The wild, nearly fatal Amazon expedition of Theodore Roosevelt. A portrait of grit, ego, and near madness in the jungle.

• Letters to a Young Athlete by Chris Bosh 

  • Unexpectedly heartfelt. Bosh writes about ambition, mindset, and identity—on and off the court. Think Stoicism meets NBA.

• Forget the Alamo by Burrough, Stanford, and Tomlinson 

  • A revisionist history that challenges the clean myths we’re taught. Timely, bold, and surprisingly funny.

• Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson

  • Two divers risk everything to solve a WWII mystery off the Jersey coast. A true story that reads like an action movie.

• The Black Count by Tom Reiss

  • Biography of the real Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas’s father, a Black general in revolutionary France. Epic in every sense.

• Wicked River by Lee Sandlin

  • The Mississippi River like you’ve never imagined it—chaotic, deadly, and full of forgotten legends. American frontier meets fever dream.

• What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan

  • A sobering, important read on mental health, perfectionism, and the pressure young athletes face. Tough, necessary, real.

A couple of the ones I have added to my list are What Made Maddy Run, Shadow Divers, and Genghis Khan. Any of these pique your interest?