Brad Stulberg is a performance and well-being coach, a writer and co-founder of The Growth Equation. He is the author of The Practice of Groundedness, Peak Performance (with Steve Magness) and Master of Change. — Outside: Brad Stulberg, "The Benefits of Daily Movement" (excerpt from The Practice of Groundedness).

Infographic for "Lessons from Brad Stulberg".

On Groundedness and Presence

  1. On What Groundedness Is: Stulberg: "Groundedness is internal strength and self-confidence that sustains you through ups and downs." — The Growth Equation: "A Better Way to Fuel Our Minds and Bodies".
  2. On the Six Principles: Stulberg's groundedness rests on six practices: "Accepting where you are to get where you want to go," "Being present to own your attention and energy," "Being patient to get there faster," "Embracing vulnerability to build genuine confidence," "Building deep community and belonging," and "Moving your body to steady and strengthen your mind." — The Growth Equation: "A Better Way to Fuel Our Minds and Bodies".
  3. On Heroic Individualism: Stulberg calls "heroic individualism" "an ongoing game of one-upmanship against one's self and others, where external measurement is the main arbiter of success." — The Growth Equation: "A Better Way to Fuel Our Minds and Bodies".
  4. On Not Going All-In on Everything: Stulberg: "If you are a driven pusher who likes to go all-in on things, that's great. But you can't go all-in on everything at once." — The Growth Equation: "A Better Way to Fuel Our Minds and Bodies".
  5. On Real Things Providing Gravity: Stulberg: "Doing real things in the world provides gravity, both literally and figuratively." — Outside: Brad Stulberg, "Don't Want to Be a Jerk? Lift Some Weights.".
  6. On Mastery and Mental Health: Stulberg cites self-determination theory: "mastery is a core input to mental health, overall well-being, and life satisfaction." — Outside: Brad Stulberg, "Don't Want to Be a Jerk? Lift Some Weights.".
  7. On Accepting Pain and Fear: Stulberg: "Groundedness does not eliminate pain or fear. It asks you to accept these parts of being human and gives you the skills and resolve to keep living fully anyways." — The Growth Equation: "Motivation is Over-Rated: Here's What Works Instead".
  8. On the Next Right Thing: Stulberg borrows from addiction recovery: "Do the next right thing." Groundedness, he says, needs "consistent doing that is in alignment with a set of core values." — The Growth Equation: "Motivation is Over-Rated: Here's What Works Instead".

On Performance and Growth

  1. On Stress Plus Rest: Stulberg: "Stress + Rest = Growth. It's as simple and as hard as that." — The Growth Equation: "The Simple Equation That Will Make You Better at Everything".
  2. On the Two Failure Modes: Stulberg: "Too much stress without enough rest and you get injury, illness, and burnout. Not enough stress plus too much rest and you get complacency, boredom, and stagnation." — The Growth Equation: "The Simple Equation That Will Make You Better at Everything".
  3. On Just-Manageable Challenges: For career growth Stulberg asks clients to "take on projects that they'd rate a seven" on a one-to-ten scale, assignments they would get right seven or eight times out of ten, "just-manageable challenges." — The Growth Equation: "The Simple Equation That Will Make You Better at Everything".
  4. On Catching Your Breath: Stulberg: "Just make sure you don't go from challenge to challenge without giving yourself some time to catch your breath." — The Growth Equation: "The Simple Equation That Will Make You Better at Everything".
  5. On Hard Days and Easy Days: On progressive overload Stulberg writes: "Hard days are followed by easy days. Prolonged periods of intensity are followed by periods of recovery." — Outside: Brad Stulberg, "The Benefits of Daily Movement" (excerpt from The Practice of Groundedness).
  6. On Breakthroughs Taking Time: Stulberg: "A regular movement practice teaches you that breakthroughs do not happen overnight." — Outside: Brad Stulberg, "The Benefits of Daily Movement" (excerpt from The Practice of Groundedness).
  7. On the Illusion of Arriving: Stulberg: "There is no greater illusion than thinking the accomplishment of some goal will change your inner life. What will change your inner life is the person you become in the process of going for it." — The Growth Equation: "9 Core Principles for Excellence".
  8. On the Climb: Stulberg: "you spend 99.99 percent of your time on the mountain's sides. And it's the climb, not the arrival, that shapes you." — The Growth Equation: "9 Core Principles for Excellence".
  9. On Intensity Versus Consistency: Stulberg: "People overrate intensity and underrate consistency." — The Growth Equation: "9 Core Principles for Excellence".
  10. On a Heroic Body of Work: Stulberg: "The goal is to build a heroic body of work. Show up. Pound the stone." — The Growth Equation: "9 Core Principles for Excellence".

On Mindset and Action

  1. On Caring Being Cool: Stulberg: "Caring is cool. You are not going to be the best anything—including the best version of yourself—with the attitude of nonchalance." — The Growth Equation: "9 Core Principles for Excellence".
  2. On Quiet Confidence: Stulberg: "Arrogance is loud. It comes from insecurity… Confidence is quiet. It comes from evidence." — The Growth Equation: "9 Core Principles for Excellence".
  3. On True Discipline: Stulberg: "True discipline is being the kind of person who shows up and does what you need to do." — The Growth Equation: "9 Core Principles for Excellence".
  4. On the Secret to Greatness: Stulberg: "The actual secret to greatness: Pick your thing. Pick a good system for your thing. Surround yourself with good people who support you in doing your thing. Do your thing for a decade." — The Growth Equation: "9 Core Principles for Excellence".
  5. On Curiosity: Stulberg: "Curiosity, a drive for self-discovery, is the ultimate performance enhancer." — The Growth Equation: "9 Core Principles for Excellence".
  6. On Showing Up: Stulberg: "There is no substitute for showing up. No secret. No supplement. No hack." — The Growth Equation: "9 Core Principles for Excellence".
  7. On Becoming: Stulberg: "Excellence is not a destination; it is a process of becoming. The things that you work on—and the way in which you work on them—also work on you." — The Growth Equation: "9 Core Principles for Excellence".
  8. On Confidence From Evidence: The manifesto: "confidence comes from evidence. If you want to believe in yourself, then you've got to give yourself evidence for that belief. You've got to put in the reps." — The Growth Equation: "Reclaiming Excellence: A Manifesto".
  9. On Small Steps for Big Goals: The manifesto: "The bigger the goal, the smaller the steps." — The Growth Equation: "Reclaiming Excellence: A Manifesto".
  10. On Balance as an Illusion: The manifesto: "'balance,' at least as it has been popularized by the self-help industrial complex, is an illusion. You simply cannot do it all." — The Growth Equation: "Reclaiming Excellence: A Manifesto".
  11. On Outcomes and Process: The manifesto: "Outcomes matter, but they are always the byproduct of a sound and attentive process. Focus on the process. Let the outcomes take care of themselves." — The Growth Equation: "Reclaiming Excellence: A Manifesto".

On Purpose and Motivation

  1. On Not Needing Unwavering Purpose: Stulberg: "Groundedness says that you don't need an unwavering purpose. You need to realize that sort of stuff comes and goes." — The Growth Equation: "Motivation is Over-Rated: Here's What Works Instead".
  2. On Never Sacrificing Values: The manifesto: "you should never sacrifice your values. Your values are your North stars." — The Growth Equation: "Reclaiming Excellence: A Manifesto".
  3. On the Path You Want to Walk: Stulberg: "Instead of thinking about 'this is what I want to accomplish,' think 'this is the path I want to walk.'" — Trail Runner: "Brad Stulberg's Advice for Setting Grounded Goals".
  4. On Values Over Motivation: Stulberg: "Know your values. Show up. Live your values." — The Growth Equation: "Motivation is Over-Rated: Here's What Works Instead".

On Rest and Recovery

  1. On Discipline to Rest: The manifesto: "It takes discipline to keep going. But it also takes discipline to rest." — The Growth Equation: "Reclaiming Excellence: A Manifesto".
  2. On Stalling Out: The manifesto: "If you never step away and allow your mind-body system to recover, then you're guaranteed to stall out long before you reach your potential." — The Growth Equation: "Reclaiming Excellence: A Manifesto".
  3. On Fatigue That Needs Action: Stulberg: "while physical fatigue often benefits most from rest, psychological fatigue—the variety I am describing in this piece—often benefits most from action." — The Growth Equation: "Why is Everyone so Tired (And What to do About It)".
  4. On Standing There: Stulberg: "perhaps better is advice is don't just do something, stand there." — The Growth Equation: "Why is Everyone so Tired (And What to do About It)".
  5. On Space Between Notes: Stulberg: "As in a beautiful song, the rightness of something has every bit as much to do with the space between notes as it does with the notes themselves." — The Growth Equation: "Being More, Doing Better, and the Case for Less".

On Simplicity and Focus

  1. On Too Many Priorities: Stulberg: "Having eight high-priority endeavors ensures that none will actually be high priority, since you won't be fully there for any of them." — The Growth Equation: "Being More, Doing Better, and the Case for Less".
  2. On Doing Less: Stulberg: "The first-pass response is to do more, to try and catch up. It's worth considering the opposite, doing less, being more, and as a result, doing (and feeling) better." — The Growth Equation: "Being More, Doing Better, and the Case for Less".
  3. On Focus: The manifesto: "nothing great happens without focus. You've got to set aside time and space without distraction so the important projects in your life can receive your full attention." — The Growth Equation: "Reclaiming Excellence: A Manifesto".
  4. On Technology: The manifesto: "you should use technology. And that technology should not use you." — The Growth Equation: "Reclaiming Excellence: A Manifesto".
  5. On Positive Freedom: The manifesto: "Prioritizing positive freedom often means sacrificing certain negative freedoms." — The Growth Equation: "Reclaiming Excellence: A Manifesto".
  6. On There Being No Secret: The manifesto: "the secret is there is no secret. The driving force of excellence is hard work done the right way with the right people at the right time." — The Growth Equation: "Reclaiming Excellence: A Manifesto".
  7. On Compounding: The manifesto: "Little by little becomes a lot." — The Growth Equation: "Reclaiming Excellence: A Manifesto".
  8. On Excitement Versus Anxiety: Stulberg: "we need to stop replacing our desire for excitement with anxiety." — The Growth Equation: "Why is Everyone so Tired (And What to do About It)".

On Identity and Change

  1. On Zooming Out: Stulberg: "If you think about growth over a decade, suddenly, a bad training cycle or two doesn't really matter, and you should actually expect them." — Trail Runner: "Brad Stulberg's Advice for Setting Grounded Goals".
  2. On Seasons of Life: The manifesto: "Many of the best lives have a seasonality to them. You can emphasize different pursuits in different seasons of life." — The Growth Equation: "Reclaiming Excellence: A Manifesto".
  3. On Seasons and Trade-Offs: Stulberg: "There are seasons for certain things in life. Trying to be great at everything all the time just leaves you frustrated, fatigued, and burnt out." — The Growth Equation: "A Better Way to Fuel Our Minds and Bodies".
  4. On Showing Up for Decades: Brad Stulberg: "People love to talk about the peak moments, but you don’t get there without the unglamorous work that nobody sees, without the showing up day in and day out for months, years, and yes, even decades." — The Growth Equation: An Ode to Showing Up.

On Community and Vulnerability

  1. On Embracing Vulnerability: Brad Stulberg: "Embrace your vulnerability. Eliminate the cognitive dissonance between your workplace self, your online self, and your actual self." — The Growth Equation: A Simple Solution to Millennial Burnout.
  2. On a Supportive Community: Brad Stulberg: "A huge part of sustaining all the mindsets, skills, and practices above is building a supportive community." — The Growth Equation: 10 Rules for Sustaining Excellence.

Other Key Learnings

  1. On Chronotypes: Brad Stulberg: "Different people have different chronotypes, a term which describes the natural and unique ebb and flow of energy that individuals experience over the course of 24 hours." — The Growth Equation: The Best Routine, According to Science.
  2. On Defining Good Enough: Brad Stulberg: "Define what good enough looks like. Define what surviving looks like." — The Growth Equation: When Good Enough is Good Enough.
  3. On Shedding the Illusion of Balance: Brad Stulberg: "Once you shed the illusion of “balance” you can begin to prioritize." — The Growth Equation: Beyond Work-Life Balance.
  4. On Mind-Body Systems: Brad Stulberg: "We are not minds and bodies. We are mind-body systems." — The Growth Equation: 10 Rules for Sustaining Excellence.
  5. On Heroic Individualism: Brad Stulberg: "Heroic individualism makes you restless and anxious until you are exhausted and sad." — The Growth Equation: The Case for Ambition.
  6. On the Long View: Brad Stulberg: "Take a long view and assume you will fail every now and again." — The Growth Equation: A New Way To Think About Practice.

Learn more:

  1. Brad Stulberg's Advice for Setting Grounded Goals - Trail Runner Magazine