The art, science, and practice of
peak performance and sustainable excellence.
THE GOAL
The Growth Equation redefines success as an ongoing path of peak performance, fulfillment, and well-being. It starts with a strong base of physical health, mental health, and community. The next step is cultivating and practicing skills such as drive, toughness, resilience, self-awareness, stress, rest, and self-compassion. With those in place, it is possible to unlock a more nourishing and enduring kind of excellence, one that is energizing, sustainable, and gives your life meaning.
Our goal is to walk with you on this path and help you grow along the way. We'll do this through our books, essays, articles, newsletter, podcast, speaking, workshops, and coaching. Consider this your one-stop shop for all things related to genuine success and excellence. Don't wait any longer to reach your potential in a sustainable way. Start now.
The Growth Equation Newsletter
Receive weekly insights on the art and science of success from Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness. Join over 40,000 subscribers and unlock your full potential with our weekly newsletter. Every Thursday, we share original articles and links on cultivating a more enduring and fulfilling kind of success and excellence, along with practical tips for day-to-day application.
The Growth Equation Newsletter Network
We also offer a monthly reading list (the best books), a monthly science digest (the best research) and a bi-weekly newsletter focused on relationships. Sign up for these offerings below.
5 Principles for More Excellence With Less Angst
As an executive coach, I saw a troubling trend among my clients even before Covid-19: Many were exhausted and on a path to burnout, if they weren’t already there. The chief physician of a large healthcare system came to me because he wanted to “feel more stable and have more control over how he spent…
Read MoreNailing the Basics is Simple Not Easy—The Growth Equation Manifesto
If you are overwhelmed and exhausted by competing information, claims, purported secrets, and so-called biohacks in health, fitness, and performance, you are not alone. We are tired too. In this post, we are going to go deep on debunking myths, explaining why they are pervasive, and then getting to what actually works for sustainable excellence…
Read MoreRedefining Success So It Doesn’t Crush Your Soul
Conventional thinking about success is dumb. Here’s a better way.
Read MoreThe Key to Sticking to an Exercise Program? It’s Supposed to Feel Easy!
Grind culture is stupid. Lots of easy movement combined with a dash of hard work goes a long way.
Read More13 Rules for Life
The secret is there is no secret. What follows are 13 rules—supported by ancient wisdom and modern science—to help you feel better and be better.
Read MoreWhen a Stress Expert Battles Mental Illness
Last August, I was in New York City doing media spots for my book, Peak Performance. In between interviews, I went on a long run in Central Park and didn’t eat or drink enough afterward. I went to meet a friend for dinner, but the place turned out to be a bar without a real kitchen.…
Read MoreConsistently Good Enough Beats Occasionally Great
“Good is the enemy of great” is one of the most popular self-improvement expressions there is. It’s the first sentence of an international bestselling business book, the title of another self-help book, and a mantra that NFL superstar J.J. Watt has used in press conferences. It sounds appealing and rolls off the tongue nicely, but there’s a good chance it’s downright…
Read MoreGood Vibes Are Contagious
This science all points toward the same basic truth: we are mirrors reflecting onto each other. The people we surround ourselves with shape us, and we shape those around us, too. The implications of this truth are important and actionable.
Read MoreBOOKS
The Practice of Groundedness
A Transformative Path to Success That Feeds--Not Crushes--Your Soul
THE PASSION PARADOX
A guide to going all in, finding success, and discovering the benefits of an unbalanced life.
PEAK PERFORMANCE
Elevate your game, avoid burnout, and thrive with the new science of success.
Speaking
Speaking, Workshops, And Coaching
Brad and Steve specialize in cross-domain thinking on success and excellence, weaving together ideas from psychology, biology, philosophy, neuroscience, and athletics to help you better understand cultivate a more fulfilling and enduring kind of success in all aspects of life.
About Brad and Steve
Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness research, write, coach, and speak on the art and science of success, peak performance, genuine excellence, and well-being. They are the bestselling authors of the books Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox. Their work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Wired, NPR, Outside, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Forbes and many other national and international outlets. They coach fortune 100 executives, entrepreneurs, and world-class athletes, and have spoken at diverse organizations ranging from NASA, to Bank of America, to AmeriSourceBergen, to The University of Michigan, to Kaiser Permanente, to the NBA, NHL, and MLB.
Community
A supportive community is a key pillar for achieving a more sustainable kind of success and well-being. The Growth Equation Patreon Community creates a supportive space for individuals as they strive on their ongoing paths of peak performance, lasting fulfillment, and true well-being.
Here's a snapshot of that we do in this community:
- Host book clubs, where we are periodically joined by the authors of the books we read for live video discussions
- Facilitate intimate quarterly mastermind groups, where we solve our most thorny performance problems
- Provide exclusive guides to implementing the principles and practices we write about
- Signed copies of new books (for upper tier members)
- And much more!