Show notes
I was greatly inspired by Episode 1 of Luke Storey’s fantastic Life Stylist podcast as he took his listeners through his craaaazy life story with great honesty and vulnerability, and it made for such a riveting show right out of the gate. You know this dude is for real as he really goes there and holds nothing back, and he’s really been bringing his A game to the airwaves.
I think Luke’s kickoff show has really helped form a connection and an understanding of the person from a distance that carries over into all his other interview shows and all the comments and observations he makes on his podcast. Abel James also did a great job on his website giving rich details about his background and life experience that made him who he is today.
I aspire to do the same. Especially since I occasionally get feedback from readers/listeners who wonder about a comment and ask whether I’m either kidding or a cocky obnoxious jerk. So the answer is, if I offend you, I’m definitely kidding.
You can see this written message at bradkearns.com/meet-brad and this podcast might be an added bonus value since I get to editorialize about my own life story whenever possible. You’ll learn about my childhood in Los Angeles and immersion into the world of endurance running and then triathlon, and my brief foray into the accounting profession that ended after 11.5 weeks in favor of the pursuit of a crazy dream of becoming a professional triathlete. Then I cover my time as a parent coaching little kids, how I got into speedgolf and high jumping, all while continuing my pursuit of peak performance goals, and finally, the meaning behind the name of the Get Over Yourself podcast.
One of the things I am most grateful for as I look back on my life is that I grew up before the digital age. It fostered a love for spending time outdoors, going on adventures, and generally just engaging in non-stop physical activity. Sports were always the centerpiece of my life, and I had the good fortune of not being in an overpressurized environment or having to deal with intense helicopter parenting. My school’s coaching system was hardly strict and regimented, but this actually worked out for the best, as I was able to go on my own path and nurture my passion for sports and competitive intensity.
High school days were packed with training. Workouts started super early, and while there was that undeniable intensity that comes with the commitment to training, life was good, and the social aspect of it all made it seem not as rigorous, but something that was really fun. By the time I turned 16, I had qualified for the National Junior Olympics finals in the 1,500 meter category, and by my senior year, I was ninth place in the California State High School Championships in the 1,600 meter category. Yes, I had big dreams of becoming a collegiate Olympic runner then, and off I went to college in Santa Barbara to pursue my passion.
It probably comes as no surprise that after years of intense focus on athletic track, I found that a fair amount of my self-esteem and happiness was tied to the results of my workouts and competitive efforts. But being forced to the sidelines in college really changed my perspective. It opened my eyes and allowed me to see that my greatest strengths - focus, discipline, and competitive toughness - could also easily lead to my downfall! But it is so important to see every you go through as an opportunity for learning and personal growth - especially struggles and setbacks. Realizing that I needed to switch gears at the tail end of my college experience could have been a real feeling sorry for myself moment. But I didn’t want to waste time feeling sorry for myself, so I got back on that bike - literally and figuratively.
Soon after graduating from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in business and economics, I found myself sitting in rush hour traffic, heading to downtown Los Angeles, where I was working for (at the time) the world’s largest accounting firm. I lasted 11.5 weeks.
I set off on a new path, and my days were filled with hours of difficult workouts, napping, eating healthy foods, studying race results, plotting the travel and competitive schedule, and talking training and competitive strategy with my sidekick on the triathlon journey, Andrew MacNaughton. I loved the day-to-day experience of being a professional athlete. The focus I had for my passion gave my life purpose, and even through challenging, frustrating, or exhausting moments, I always carried a sense of deep satisfaction and contentment because I simply enjoyed every step of the process of pursuing my goals and my dreams.
At my peak in 1991, I was two-time US national champion and ended the season ranked #3 in the world. But after 45 races (with 15 victories), a seven-race win streak, and 80,000 miles on Pan-Am airlines over my two best years of ’90-’91, I was exhausted and basically required 12 hours of sleep each night. I was completely exhausted, and it was clear that it was time to call it a day. And while I did find it challenging re-immersing back into the real world, I had learned so much through the process of pushing my physical limits, overcoming my fears, and striving to accept both victory and defeat gracefully. This is why the podcast is called Get Over Yourself: because I deeply believe in cultivating a pure motivation for peak performance goals, releasing the attachment of your self-esteem to the outcome, and thereby unleashing a healthy competitive intensity to be the best you can be.
You can check out the full ‘Meet Brad’ piece here, and thank you for listening to this special episode of the podcast. I hope it inspires you to, as my MOFO partner Brian Johnson of Ancestral Supplements always says, “Do something that scares the shit out of you every day.”
TIMESTAMPS:
Sports have been a centerpiece of Brad’s life. His passion for sports was unpolluted by today’s disturbing influences. [05:10]
Brad was shocked as he branched out from middle school, from being the fastest kid on the block, to finding competition for equally skilled runners. [07:22]
He found that with the influence of his runner friends, he could adopt a serious determination to improve and to enjoy the social aspects. [10:52]
By his senior in high school year, he was ninth place in the California state high school championships. [15:56]
Brad, off to become a college runner at UCSB, learned a big lesson. This was a disaster. [17:29]
Influence of his competitive teammates proved to be Brad’s downfall. Listen to your own voice. [20:31]
It took disappointment with the college career to turn him toward triathlon. [22:16]
I think it's important to see everything that you experienced as an opportunity for learning and personal growth, especially struggles and setbacks. [24:15]
Being an accountant was not a good fit for Brad, so he followed his dream of becoming a triathlete. [26:24]
Every day was filled with hours of difficult workouts, napping, eating healthy foods (that we thought were healthy at the time.) [28:56]
“King of the Desert” was one of the first big victories as a pro. He tells how his career grew. [30:46]
To prepare mentally for his next competition, he embarked on a solo bike ride of 140 miles. [40:42]
Reflecting back on his emerging career, Brad realizes how he struggled to not get swallowed up by competition. [44:51]
The best years of 1990 and 1991 found Brad feeling exhausted that never quite cleared. [48:37]
Get Over Yourself. Release your attachment of your self-esteem to the outcome. [50:17]
Brad learned how to “retire” with grace and dignity and calm competition by watching his Dad. [51:48]
Brad maintained his competitive intensity by coaching little kids! [55:29]
Speed golf, sprinting, and high jumping has kept Brad’s focus on maintaining his skills with enjoyment and passion and personal growth. [59:08]
You will slowly and imperceptibly lose your edge and extinguish your competitive spirit over time if you don’t keep up your passion for activity. Don’t obsess on the trappings of success. [01:08:02]
When we succeed with tangible goals, we create oversized egos. Focus on making an effort towards improvement. [01:12:51]
We become addicts to instant gratification at the expense of that long-term, happiness and contentment. [01:16:34]
Don’t attach parental pride to the child’s accomplishments. [01:18:43]
Cultivate the beautiful passion, curiosity, and competitive intensity that makes us human, but also release the attachment of your self-esteem to the outcome. [01:20:12]
LINKS:
QUOTES:
- “The essence of sport is that while you're doing it, nothing else matters. But after you stop, there's a place generally not very important where you would put it and you can take the word sport and fill in the blank for whatever challenge or peak performance goal you're facing in life.” - (Sir Roger Bannister)
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