I’ve been training for my first half Ironman since the end of June and it has been one of the best decisions of my life. The lessons I have learned along this remarkable journey have changed my way of thinking and I would not be where I am without today’s guest.

I’m so pumped to be bringing you the amazing coach that’s training with me, Brian Clarke. Brian is a certified Ironman triathlon coach with several qualifications and a phenomenal person. With over 30 years of professional experience in a variety of educational settings from all over the world, his leadership skills are at the absolute top of his field.

In this episode, we talk about Brian’s background and journey through teaching, leadership training, competing in triathlons, and coaching athletes. Brain absolutely loves working with people to get the best out of them.

A half ironman is a 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride, and a 21.1km run. The mental strength and resilience that are required when participating in individual endurance sports are absolutely essential in order to hold yourself accountable in training.

One of the biggest lessons that both Brian and I learned was to connect and listen to our bodies when they’re telling us to either keep pushing or rest. This insight is paralleled in both business and life. We all have to build a deep understanding of our bodies and mental energy to ensure we’re slowing down when we need to and avoid burning out.

Brian is an incredible individual leadership coach. He loves working with people who have no sports experience at all. He believes that anyone can compete as long as they put their mind to it, have the desire to improve, and dedicate themselves to their training.

Try to avoid the trap of comparing yourself to others. Sport has the ability to balance out strength throughout your body and mind. Brian wants to encourage all of us to just feel good about ourselves and continuously strive for our best.

Topics discussed and when to find them:

[1:40]: I’ve started training for my first half ironman and Brian is my ironman coach

[3:50]: Brian did his first triathlon 35 years ago and about 15 years ago started coaching others. In Dubai there was a huge community of people into the sport and he got more involved when he was living there, starting to coach international people also.

[5:45]: Brian talks about his background in teaching, leadership training and how he loves working with people to get the best out of them.

[6:24]: A half ironman is a 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride & 21.1km run. Full iron man is 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and a 42.2 run. Jazze talks about coming from team sport into an individual sport but that it’s still a great community.

[8:00]: Brian talks about needing to build your mental strength and resilience in individual sports, even when there are people helping you out. The training is the hardest part because you need to develop your own accountability.

[9:15]: Anyone can do it if they put their mind to it, but how well you do is how you approach your training. Brian praises Jazze for her mental zone to be better than the best.

[10:30]: Brian loves coaching people who have no sports background

[11:00]: Jazze made the decision to not play music when training because she needed to know that she could get herself through. Just like in business, it’s our job to do the work no matter who we have helping us.

[12:00]: One of the biggest things to work on is balancing when to push harder and when to rest.

[13:40]: Brian talks about his first ironman and learning to trust and understand his body to not keep pushing so hard. Quality work is learning how to pace yourself, not going as hard as you can.

[16:00]: Something Jazze has really had to work on is listening to her body. Discerning when to grit your teeth and when to slow down means you have to be really connected.

[17:00]: We often compare ourselves but you need to put the blinkers on and focus on yourself. It’s about your mindset to not look at the finish line but the milestones along the way.

[21:00]: Brian works with athletes who just want to improve themselves, not necessarily race. It’s an incredible sport to work on so many aspects.

[23:00]: Check out my new Unstoppable program

[25:40]: An important aspect is how the sport balances out the strengths of your body. Jazze talks about the huge benefits and that it’s one of the best decisions she’s ever made.

[28:15]: You can train for everything in a gym. You don’t need all the gear and expensive bikes but the potential expense puts a lot of people off.

[32:00]: Some people feel uncomfortable about their weight and compare themselves to others but Brian encourages people to just feel good about themselves.

[33:20]: Where to find Brian