James & Claudia Altucher Choose Themselves: Musings On Relationships, The Power of Vulnerability & Creating Success Doing What You Love

It's never too late to transform your life. I didn't find my place in the world until my mid-40's. Similarly, this week's guest risked his successful but deeply unfulfilling business to pursue his truth as a speaker and author. I'm glad I took that leap of faith. In truth, I can't imagine my life otherwise. Jon Gordon not only feels the same, he believes everyone holds the power to transcend their circumstances and blaze a purposeful life of meaning. This week I sit down the celebrated bestselling author and prolific keynote speaker to discuss what it takes to cultivate that vision and the commitment required to manifest untapped reservoirs of human potential. What holds most people back. And the specific steps required to break the glass ceiling on performance and potential in career, sport and life. A graduate of Cornell University with a masters in teaching from Emory, Jon Gordon has inspired millions of readers and audiences around the world with highly instructive teachings on the themes of leadership, human potential, teamwork and positivity – principles that have been beneficial to many a Fortune 500 company — such as GE, Wells Fargo, State Farm, Campbell Soup, Dell, Publix, and Southwest Airlines — and a litany of professional and collegiate sports teams, including The Los Angeles Dodgers, The Atlanta Falcons, LA Clippers, Miami Heat, Pittsburgh Pirates, Clemson Football and more. Jon also impacts thousands of teachers and students each year through his work with schools, universities like West Point, hospitals and non-profit organizations. Jon has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, CNBC, The Golf Channel, Fox and Friends, in numerous magazines and newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and he is the author of an astounding 17 books, including 5 bestsellers: The Energy Bus*,The Carpenter, Training Camp, You Win in the Locker Room First and The Power of Positive Leadership.  This isn't just a conversation about success — it's about finding fulfillment and purpose in every hour of every day. It’s about how he cultivates, nurtures and practices the prolific creativity required to write 17 books. It’s about the core leadership and teamwork principles he teaches that have positively impacted a litany of professional athletes, coaches, organizations, students, teachers, schools, corporations, and non-profits. Enjoy! Rich

21 Aug 20172h 17min

Today I am joined by Olympians Chris Hauth and Caroline Burckle for another edition of Coach's Corner – a spin on my typical podcast format where I go deep and get granular on the physical, mental and emotional aspects of sport, fitness, training and lifestyle. A sub-9 hour Ironman, Chris (@AIMPCoach) is the current Age Group Ironman World Champion, a former Olympic Swimmer and one of the world's most respected endurance coaches. In 2006, Chris won the Ironman Coeur D’Alene and went on to be the first American amateur & 4th overall American at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. When he's not training and racing, Chris runs AIMP Coaching, mentoring a wide spectrum of athletes ranging from elite professionals — including Ironman and Western States top finishers, Ultraman winners and Olympic Trials qualifiers — to first time half-marathoners. Whether you are an elite or just starting out, Chris knows how to get the best out of athletes the right way. A friend and mentor as much as a coach, I have been under Chris' tutelage since 2008, during which time he deftly guided me through three Ultraman World Championships ('08, '09 & '11), EPIC5 in 2010 and is currently preparing me for the impending Ötillö Swimrun World Championships in Sweden this September, an event we will race together — literally tethered to each other — as a team. Also joining us today (albeit briefly) is my friend Caroline Burkle (@caroburckle). One of the funnest people you will ever meet, Burks is a former Olympic medalist in swimming from the University of Florida, where she was a 23-time All American swimmer, won 2 individual NCAA titles (200 free & 500 free) and was named 2008 NCAA Female Swimmer of the Year. In addition to breaking the oldest then standing women’s NCAA record in the 500 free (with a blazing 4:33), she earned a Bronze medal in the 4×200 free relay at the 2008 Olympics. Caroline has a Masters of Science in Sports Psychology & Motor Behavior from the University of Tennessee and when she’s not training like crazy, she works with young athletes under RISE Elite Athletes, a company she founded that pairs Olympic athletes with young athletes for mentorship and guidance. Today we sit down for a brief (by the standards of this podcast) check in from Lake Tahoe — site of our recent high altitude training camp — for a state-of-the-union on our preparation for the Ötillö Swimrun World Championsips, just 18 days from the date of this posting. Within the frame of this conversation you also will find a number of helpful fitness, training and general wellness takeaways germane to the listener — whether you are an elite athlete, a weekend warrior or just looking for that nudge to get off the couch. Enjoy! Rich

18 Aug 20171h 4min

Experimentalist. Unconventional fitness junkie. Entrepreneur. Human optimizer. Psychonaut. This week's guest defies any singular title. But the underlying ethos that defines Aubrey Marcus is best captured in one brief phrase: Warrior Poet. On the business front, Aubrey is the CEO of Onnit -- an optimal human performance company he founded just six years ago that has grown to one of the INC 500 top 500 fastest growing companies in America. Offering a wide array of products, Onnit produces supplements for cognition, mood, bone and joint function; fitness equipment such as kettle bells and jump ropes; personal care products; and foods that range from Himalayan salt to coffee. Online, the Onnit Academy boasts copious helpful information on all things human optimization. And if you visit Onnit HQ in Austin (where we recorded this conversation), you'll find a cutting edge training center & ju jitsu studio that many an elite athlete call home, including Super Bowl champion football players, Stanley Cup winning hockey players, Olympic gold medalists, and mixed martial arts champions. On top of being a very active CEO, Aubrey hosts both the Total Human Optimization Podcast as well as The Aubrey Marcus Podcast, both dedicated to exploring and expanding human happiness and consciousness. The accomplishments are impressive. But what truly interests me about Aubrey is his uniquely mystical path to success. His philosophical perspective on the human experiment. His uncommon devotion to continued expansion of consciousness. And his unusual blend of alpha male masculinity with esoteric spirituality. This is a conversation that examines the metaphysical intangibles that catalyzed Aubrey’s unusual path. It’s about self-worth, self-love and self-discovery — and why outward success is always an inside job. But mostly this is a conversation about what it means to be human. To live meaningfully. And with purpose. I think it's safe to say that Aubrey and I are very different people. But I think that makes this conversation special. I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange. Peace + Plants, Rich

14 Aug 20171h 54min

Imagine being the very best in your sport. Undefeated, the future is bright indeed. But deep down the zero sum game of competition just doesn't sit right. Because for you, sport isn't about winners and losers. It's about play. It's about freedom. It's about love. But mostly it's about artistic self-expression. This is the story of Lynsey Dyer. One of the best big mountain skiers on the planet, Lynsey is an extraordinary and most unexpected athletic talent who walked away from competition at the peak of her potential to courageously blaze her own path. A unique path that has helped refine what it means to pursue sport professionally. A path based not on podiums but on adventure. Seeking joy. Empowering others. And expressing one's unique voice. Over the course of a decade long career, Lynsey has won every big mountain competition that she entered. She has also won several freesking competitions and awards including the 2004 International Free Skiers Association North American tour champion. In 2010, Powder Magazine awarded her Best Female Performance for her role in Magic Moments. She has been awarded Female Skier of the year by Powder Magazine, was the first female to be on the cover of Freeskier Magazine and has starred in too many ski films to mention, including projects from legendary filmmaker Warren Miller. Lynsey has starred in or hosted television shows for NBC, ESPN, Bravo, The Ski Channel, Mountainfilm and Outside Television, has appeared on Good Morning America and even produced, directed and starred in her own film, the widely acclaimed Pretty Faces — an all female ski film featuring the best athletes from around the world that beautifully celebrates female empowerment and the transformative power of play. When she isn't crushing powder, Lynsey can be found running her non-profit SheJumps.org, which encourages girls and women to participate in the outdoors through mentorship, and her movie production and apparel company Unicorn Picnic. An unconventional badass, Lynsey is the personification of strength in femininity. A role model for young women across the world with an ethos I'd like my own daughters to emulate. This is a conversation about Lynsey's remarkable life. It's about female impact on a male dominated subculture. It's about courage in defying external expectations to follow your own unique path. It's about the joy and freedom that come from blazing a life of adventure. Simply put, it's a conversation about what it means to pursue sport as art. It was a pleasure connecting with Lynsey. I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange. Peace + Plants, Rich

7 Aug 20171h 59min

Excerpted from the first day of our recent Plantpower Ireland retreat, this special mid-week episode of the podcast is a dynamic Q&A session focused on the process of self-inquiry necessary to objectively asses your life — a condition precedent to birthing expression to an authentic, purpose-fueled path premised on the values you hold most dear. To place this conversation in proper context, the Q&A was preceded by a lengthy discussion (which I decided to not include so as not to overwhelm) on three fundamental questions specifically intended to help frame the assessment process: * Who am I? * If I had just 4 months to live, how would I spend that time? * What would I like to have contributed when life my life is complete? Journaling on the aforementioned is a powerful, highly recommended exercise for anyone seeking greater self-actualization. And this Q&A is an interactive discussion about the hows and whys that underpin these queries. Specific sub-topics include * the power of self-forgiveness * learning to love your faults * how to better align your actions with your values; and * the process of discovering and expressing your authentic voice I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange. Peace + Plants, Rich

4 Aug 20171h 22min

From the outside looking in, he was living the dream. Killer SoHo loft. Private jets to exotic locales. Rolex, cover model girlfriend and cash. Plenty of cash. But ten years living decadently and extravagantly as a nightclub promoter in New York City took it's toll. By 28, Scott Harrison had become the worst person he knew. Utterly lost, mired in a crisis of conscience and desperate to rediscover his sense of purpose, Scott decided it was time for a drastic change. So he left NYC to spend a year volunteering as a photojournalist aboard a hospital ship off the coast of Liberia, West Africa. During this time, Harrison witnessed and photographed levels of poverty and illness he never knew existed. As one year turned into two, he came to understand that many of the infections and diseases their group treated were waterborne, and could have been prevented if people had access to clean drinking water. Scott couldn't understand why nobody seemed to be focusing on solving this important problem at scale. So he decided to tackle it himself. Upon returning to NYC in 2006, Scott turned his full attention to the global water crisis and the (then) 1.1 billion people living without access to clean water. The manifestation of that commitment is charity:water — a revolutionary for-purpose endeavor that to date has raised over $210 million to fund an astounding 20,000+ water projects that deliver clean water to more than 6.3 million people all across the world. Equally impressive is the extent to which Scott has quite literally reinvented and re-energized how we give and how we think about giving. He did it by creating an aspirational brand. He did it by restoring public trust in charity. And he did it by leveraging technology to deeply connect each and every giver with the gift's specific result and impact. Simply put, Scott Harrison is one of the most impressive people I have ever met. His inspiring story from lost to found is legend. I'm thrilled to share it with you today. My hope is that this conversation inspires action. Because each and every one of us holds the power to positively impact the life of another. And because life is more fulfilling, meaningful and rewarding when we are persistently engaged in the pursuit of service and giving. My call to action? The Spring — charity: water's monthly subscription service. I signed up. And you should too. 100% of all Spring donations go directly to the field to bring clean water to those in need, and Spring members will get updates of the impact their donations have. Let's all pitch in together. As a community. Because even a simple $30 gift can provide one person with clean water. And because it's just cool and awesome to do generously for others. For more information and to sign up, visit our special url cwtr.org/richrollspring or click the banner ad below. This is a special one for me. I hope it is for you too. Peace + Plants, Rich

31 Jul 20171h 53min

When did we decide it's “manly” to repress our emotions, oppress the weak and deny our shared humanity? Somewhere along the way the aspirational qualities of masculinity have been denuded by a cultural perversion of the gender norm. Because caring and compassion should not be gender specific. This week on the podcast I sit down with my friend Dominick Thompson to reclaim the best of what it means to be truly masculine. Because there is nothing more manly than demonstrating compassion over dominance. Protection over prey. Restraint over force. Understanding over judgment. And love over bigotry. A leading voice in the vegan & plant-based athlete communities, Domz is an athlete, activist, and the founder of NYC-based start up Crazies and Weirdos — hip, sustainable and eco-friendly clothing made from recycled and organic materials. He is also the founder of Iron Brukal, a sports and fitness brand dedicated to the working professional, with plans to open training facilities in 2019. Prior to becoming a social entrepreneur and activist, Dominick was a healthcare executive responsible for the business development and management of hospital systems and other providers across the eastern region of the United States. A working athlete, Dominick's intense training schedule includes cycling, swimming, running, calisthenics, boxing, cross-fit, cross-training, weight and power-lifting. He competes in 10-12 endurance races per year, including marathons, triathlons, and ultra-races. Dominick has been recognized for his activism across a variety of major news outlets, including NPR News, ABC News, Men’s Muscle and Fitness Magazine, Esquire, Thrive Magazine, Origin Magazine, PETA.com and more. Online, Dominick activates his 159,000+ Instagram followers with a pull-no-punches mix of brutal truth education with relatable, uplifting inspiration Behind the social media and accolades, there is far more to Dominick Thompson than meets the eye. A potent, at times harrowing tale, Domz's narrative is one of unfortunate circumstance. scarring incarceration and a most unlikely redemption. It's also a story never previously told. Until now. I appreciate Dom's trust and the opportunity to help share his life account. A powerful, must listen episode, this is a conversation about hope and belief. It's about a healthy conceptualization of masculinity and the responsibilities that role entails. It's about the resolve required to transcend the victimhood of circumstance. And it's about rebirth into a purposeful life of meaning and service. Survivor. Role model. Hero. Awesome human being. Good friend. Domz is the genuine article. And today he delivers the goods. I sincerely hope you enjoy this powerful, much-anticipated exchange. Peace + Plants, Rich

23 Jul 20172h 35min

This mid-week episode of the podcast is a fun, dynamic Q&A session from our Plantpower Australia event in Melbourne, Australia, recorded March 2017. Big gratitude to everyone who helped produce and support our Australia events, including Mel Nahas, Andrew & Claire Davies of New Normal Project, Claire Jennifer and Gary Gorrow of Conscious Club, Mark Maloney and Luke Baylis of Sumo Salad, Lucy Stegley of Raw Events Australia, Andrew “SpudFit” Taylor, photographer / musician Maclay Heriot, Remedy Kombucha, Loving Earth, photographers Nathan Dunn, Noah Hannibal and Lauren Gray and of course the unnamed dozens who volunteered. These events would not have been possible without all of your hard work and support In further celebration of the 300 episode milestone, I am giving away 9 #BuildTheHouse t-shirts (I only have men's size large unfortunately). To be eligible to win, simply take a screen shot of your favorite RRP episode and share it on social media with a brief explanation of why you found that particular episode meaningful. Tag your post with #RRPFAVE and we will select the winners one week from today (July 26, 2017). Just a small way for me to say thank you — because without you, this beautiful thing would not exist. I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange. Peace + Plants, Rich

20 Jul 201749min