Welcome to the Growth Equation Academy

An audio series outlining the key principles for sustainable performance, wellbeing, and success—and also the application of these principles in diverse contexts.

In this series of brief podcasts, Brad and Steve illustrate the various concepts and tools they write and coach on. Each episode explains a key principle and details how you apply it. Check back, this page will be updated as more podcasts are released over time.

Episode One: Stress + Rest = Growth

It's the universal equation to make sustainable progress in anything. In this episode of the Growth Equation Academy, we review what we mean by "stress" and "rest," and discuss how the growth equation can be a valuable concept across diverse contexts—personally, professionally, and organizationally. Too much stress with not enough rest you get injury, illness, and burnout. Not enough stress with too much rest you get complacency or stagnation.

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Episode Two: Stress Yourself

While there are many definitions of stress, we like to think of productive stress as a stimulus that challenges you in a manner which promotes growth. In this episode of the Growth Equation Academy, we dive deep into productive stress. Topics include just-manageable challenges, how to determine the right amount of stress, what conditions create deep-focus work, and how productively stress yourself on micro and macro timescales.
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Episode Three: Rest and Recovery

Forget about all the products and services that promise to help you recharge. You don't need all (or really, any) of that stuff. In this episode of the Growth Equation Academy, we detail the foundations of how to come down after challenging periods. Topics include breaks, taking an interval training approach to all of work, sleep, and other ways you can mentally and physically recover in a way that promotes sustainable growth.

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Episode Four: Routines

The first rule of routines is to have one and stick to it. The second rule of routines is to be able to let go. We explore the truth of this paradox, how to build the optimal routine for yourself given your current life station, the power of pre-performance priming, and when to use energy on decision versus when to automate them.

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Episode Five: Motivation

Motivation comes from diverse sources, but perhaps none is more powerful than purpose. Why is this the case? What happens in our brain and body when we are driven by a purpose? How can we all create more meaning in our own lives, not just so we can perform better, but also, and arguably more important, so we can be more fulfilled. Listen in to learn more and find out.

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Episode Six: Motivation and Drive

Intense motivation and drive -- what we call passion -- is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it can help you accomplish great things. A curse because it can narrow your world and get you to a point where you lose perspective and burn out. This kind of passion is like rocket-fuel: extremely powerful, but only productive when pointed in the right direction. That's what we'll explore in this episode, drawing from science, history and practice.

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Episode Seven: Obsessive Passion

We go deep on the "bad" kind of passion, exploring how motivation and drive can become destructive -- leading to burnout, angst, unethical behavior, and depression -- and what you can do to stop this from happening in yourself and the teams in which you work.

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Episode Eight: Harmonious Passion

In the last two episodes of the Growth EQ Academy (#6 and #7) we explored the genesis of motivation, drive, and passion, and what happens when it goes astray (and also, how to prevent this from happening). In this episode, we turn to harmonious passion, or the kind of drive that can propel you to great heights -- without losing a sense of yourself and what is important to you.

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