
Episode 405 - Rebecca Rusch. Rusch to Glory Adventure, Risk & Triumph on the Path Less Traveled
11/14/23 • 24 min
There are two ways of looking at the pain of doing something hard; you either see it as a cave that you get into and laid down in a fetal position in the darkness, coming out the same entrance you got in, or as a tunnel, a transformative journey that sees your evolution as you get out of it on the other end a changed person, a victor.
In this episode, you'll get inspired by the extraordinary Rebecca Rusch, Adventure Athlete, World Champion, two-time Hall of Fame Inductee, Speaker, Best-selling Author, and Emmy Award Winner. Among the many accolades of "The Queen of Pain," Rebecca is a 7x world champion in the ultra-adventure/endurance MTB (Mountain Bike), was recognized by Outside Magazine among the Top 40 Women Who've Made the Biggest Impact, set the FKT (Fastest Known Time) on the Arkansas High Country Route, clocking 1,041 miles in 8 straight days of pedaling 12-15 hours per day, wrote "Rusch to Glory: Adventure, Risk & Triumph on the Path Less Traveled," and got an Emmy Award for her film Blood Road, which documents her pedaling of the 1,200-mile Ho Chi Minh trail in search of the crash site that claimed my father's life in the Vietnam War.
Throughout our conversation, you'll hear Rebecca's thoughts on how aiming for peak performance in physical activities motivates us to find our best version in other areas of our lives and how being a high-performance athlete impacted her leadership abilities. We also talk about her nickname, "The Queen of Pain," her unique view of pain's transformational power, her funniest experiences on the bike, the Be Good Foundation, and much more.
Tune in to Episode 405 and get the inspiration you need to, regardless of the mountain you're about to climb, just take the first step.
Some Questions I Ask:
As a world-class, ultra-endurance athlete, what have you learned in all your outdoor endeavors around the world? (7:30)
How have you navigated your career in sports and leadership? How do you combine those all to balance essential areas in your life? (16:00)
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
A bit about Rebecca's background and accolades (3:00)
Rebecca's realization she was training for life, not only the competitions (8:20)
Rebecca explains her nickname's meaning (11:00)
4 simple steps to live like a high-performing athlete (19:20)
Rebecca talks about the funniest experiences she had as an ultra-endurance athlete (21:10)
Connect with Rebecca:
Book: Rusch to Glory: Adventure, Risk & Triumph on the Path Less Traveled
Becoming Your Best Resources:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There are two ways of looking at the pain of doing something hard; you either see it as a cave that you get into and laid down in a fetal position in the darkness, coming out the same entrance you got in, or as a tunnel, a transformative journey that sees your evolution as you get out of it on the other end a changed person, a victor.
In this episode, you'll get inspired by the extraordinary Rebecca Rusch, Adventure Athlete, World Champion, two-time Hall of Fame Inductee, Speaker, Best-selling Author, and Emmy Award Winner. Among the many accolades of "The Queen of Pain," Rebecca is a 7x world champion in the ultra-adventure/endurance MTB (Mountain Bike), was recognized by Outside Magazine among the Top 40 Women Who've Made the Biggest Impact, set the FKT (Fastest Known Time) on the Arkansas High Country Route, clocking 1,041 miles in 8 straight days of pedaling 12-15 hours per day, wrote "Rusch to Glory: Adventure, Risk & Triumph on the Path Less Traveled," and got an Emmy Award for her film Blood Road, which documents her pedaling of the 1,200-mile Ho Chi Minh trail in search of the crash site that claimed my father's life in the Vietnam War.
Throughout our conversation, you'll hear Rebecca's thoughts on how aiming for peak performance in physical activities motivates us to find our best version in other areas of our lives and how being a high-performance athlete impacted her leadership abilities. We also talk about her nickname, "The Queen of Pain," her unique view of pain's transformational power, her funniest experiences on the bike, the Be Good Foundation, and much more.
Tune in to Episode 405 and get the inspiration you need to, regardless of the mountain you're about to climb, just take the first step.
Some Questions I Ask:
As a world-class, ultra-endurance athlete, what have you learned in all your outdoor endeavors around the world? (7:30)
How have you navigated your career in sports and leadership? How do you combine those all to balance essential areas in your life? (16:00)
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
A bit about Rebecca's background and accolades (3:00)
Rebecca's realization she was training for life, not only the competitions (8:20)
Rebecca explains her nickname's meaning (11:00)
4 simple steps to live like a high-performing athlete (19:20)
Rebecca talks about the funniest experiences she had as an ultra-endurance athlete (21:10)
Connect with Rebecca:
Book: Rusch to Glory: Adventure, Risk & Triumph on the Path Less Traveled
Becoming Your Best Resources:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode

Episode 404 - Debbie Collard. The Making of a World-Class Organization
Understanding their values and living in unity with them is one of the smartest moves a leader can make. That will help them identify those values in others with ease and get clarity on why they do what they do.
Leading groups of like-minded people who share core values create the perfect environment for every leader to stay motivated and ask themselves the same question: what does my best look like?
In this episode, I'm joined by the Executive Coach, Speaker, Author, and Leadership Development Expert, Debbie Collard, to talk about excellence in leadership, personal growth, and self-awareness. The oldest of five children born in rural poverty, Debbie had to figure out her path to getting a college education since her parents couldn't afford to pay for it. She figured a military career would open a few doors, so she joined the Air Force. Fast forward many years, Debbie built an astonishing leadership career at Boeing for over 30 years, and after "graduating" from it (retirement), she knew she had more to give, so she started Season Leadership alongside her partner, Susan Ireland.
Throughout this episode, you'll hear about Debbie's fantastic story of resilience, personal growth, and almost obsessive pursuit of excellence throughout her professional life. Debbie shares her thoughts on what becoming her best version means, how accepting jobs no one wanted to take helped her, and what kept her motivated to constantly improve herself throughout her career.
Additionally, you'll learn how to achieve excellence in leadership, Debbie's top leadership tips, what inspired her to write her book "The Making of a World-Class Organization," and much more.
Tune in to Episode 404 and learn how to reach excellence in leadership and transform yours into a world-class organization.
Some Questions I Ask:
Please tell us, what does becoming your best look like to you? (5:00)
What are some of the most important things that make a world-class organization? (13:30)
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
A bit about Debbie's upbringing and background (3:20)
Challenges are opportunities to shine (8:20)
How to reach excellence in leadership (18:00)
Two things every leader should focus on (20:50)
Resources:
Book: Debbie Collard, David Spong - The Making of a World-Class Organization
Connect with Debbie:
Becoming Your Best Resources:
Book: Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders
Book: Conquer Anxiety: How to Overcome Anxiety and Optimize Your Performance
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode

Episode 406 - Coaching Yourself Up. Learn, Grow, and Thrive with Antonia Bowring
Executive coaching is about being courageous enough to raise and have tough conversations, show vulnerability to your coachees, and make it clear that as a coach, you come from humility, kind directness, and a learning mindset.
To our guest, Antonia Bowring, excellence in leading leaders has more to do with internal work than accumulating qualifications, or, in her words, it requires more "mesearch" than research.
In this episode, Antonia Bowring joins us to talk about transformational coaching, leadership, and personal and professional growth. Antonia is a Highly Credentialed Consultant, elected Top NY Coach in 2021, Strategic Facilitator, Sought-after Speaker, and Author of "Coach Yourself! Increase Awareness, Change Behaviors, and Thrive."
Throughout our conversation, you'll hear Antonia's thoughts on executive coaching as a two-way learning experience, what inspired her to write her book, the C.O.I.N. framework, and her work supporting leaders with A.D.H.D. You'll also hear about self-coaching, the importance of conducting tons of "mesearch" to become a great leader, and much more.
Tune in to Episode 406 of and learn how to coach yourself up, and improve your leadership and management skills.
Some Questions I Ask:
Please tell us about your book, Antonia. How did it come about? Why did you write it? (5:00)
What is C.O.I.N.? What's its purpose? How is it helpful to a person or a team? (13:20)
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
About Antonia's background and her first steps in coaching (3:30)
Antonia talks about her real mission as a coach (7:40)
Can someone coach themselves (18:50)
Why do leading leaders require tons of "mesearch" (22:20)
Antonia's final words of wisdom (27:10)
Resources:
Book: Antonia Bowring - Coach Yourself! Increase Awareness, Change Behaviors, and Thrive
Connect with Antonia:
Becoming Your Best Resources:
Becoming Your Best University Website
Email: [email protected]
Book: Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders
Book: Conquer Anxiety: How to Overcome Anxiety and Optimize Your Performance
Facebook Group – Conquer Anxiety
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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