In this episode, my guest is David Goggins, retired Navy SEAL, highly accomplished ultramarathoner, best-selling author, and influential public speaker.
David explains how he mastered his inner dialogue to build extraordinary levels of discipline and mental and physical toughness.
He describes how confronting his early hardships, including physical and mental abuse, learning disorders, and obesity, became a practice of deep and excruciating self-reflection — eventually allowing him to transmute those experiences into a superhuman work ethic.
This conversation is a unique window into David Goggins’ process in that it focuses both on the underlying science and how David manages and directs his inner dialogue.
It’s a conversation that will inform and inspire anyone wondering how exactly to go about building discipline and confidence and reach their potential.
Note: This conversation includes profanity. Some content might not be suitable for all audiences and ages.
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*Resources*
Joe Rogan Experience #1906 – David Goggins: https://open.spotify.com/episode/69QtiFgM7HP4mK2yZPKiut?si=352a89cf29a3499a
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“Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds”: https://amzn.to/48ezY2R
“Never Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within”: https://amzn.to/3TJTOim
*Timestamps*
00:00:00 David Goggins
00:03:22 Sponsors: Maui Nui, AeroPress & Eight Sleep
00:07:58 Learning, Studying & Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
00:14:59 Writing & Learning, ADHD & Focus
00:20:35 Friction, Focus, “Conqueror’s Mindset”
00:25:16 Early Hardships, “Haunted”
00:30:48 Anger, Social Media; Growth & Challenges
00:36:14 Sponsor: AG1
00:37:11 Stick vs. Carrot, Negative Inner Dialogue, “Stay Hard”
00:42:39 Inspiration, Characters & Self Image
00:46:09 Willpower & Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex
00:53:23 Friction & the “Suck”, Willpower
00:59:14 Building Willpower, Brain & “No Days Off” Mentality
01:08:52 Sponsor: InsideTracker
01:09:54 Losing Weight, Challenge & Willpower
01:18:47 Self-Criticism & Discipline; Recovery; Stutter & Building Confidence
01:26:45 Relationships & Honest Conversations, People Pleasing
01:34:49 Self-Reflection & Empowerment
01:39:06 Unseen Work, Real Passion & Purpose, Medicine Cabinet Analogy
01:46:32 Feeling Lost, Self-Reflection & Individual Process
01:54:11 Challenges & Two Internal Voices, Misunderstood
01:59:32 Running, Smoke Jumping; Success; Willpower & Perishable Skills
02:07:04 Self-Reflection & Action, Distractions
02:15:27 Inner Dialogue; Failing Properly
02:24:59 Introspection & Unconscious Mind, Cleaning “Cupboards”
02:35:19 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter
#HubermanLab #DavidGoggins
Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac – https://www.blabacphoto.com
Disclaimer: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer
50 Comments
2:27:30 this reminds me of Jack Johnsons song "Wasting Time"
I love goggins!
Period
"There's no hacks bro.. It's you againts you. And if you misunderstand that, you have a real problem."
El mejor podcast que escuché hasta la fecha, David Goggins es una persona super inspiracional. Soy una persona que le cuesta mucho salir de su zona de confort pero viendo a alguien como él y ver lo que ha conseguido me obliga a actuar de una vez por todas. Gracias Andrew y David, saludos desde España♥
Goggins said I can't explain this while explaining everything BRILLIANTLY.
Fantastic episode. So much to extract and begin to apply to my life.
You run for hours …
DAAAYYYYYZZZ!
😮
There are so many comments here where people say they feel inspired by this podcast to change their life (I paraphrase this). I just wonder how many people still feel so after several weeks have passed. It's difficult to stay motivated. It would be nice to hear from those who managed to stay motivated how they did it.
Amazing 💪🏽
All you can do is outwork the inner person the woman God created you to be ❤
The big question I have, though, regarding Goggins is balance, and being internally receptive to recovery. He tragically has repetitive motion injuries in his knees, requiring that rather intrusive surgery. I like the messages discipline but there’s a balance of listening to the body for recovery.
Goggins never fails to inspire with such raw, unfiltered responses.
Staring at a paper doesn’t retain information as well as reading out loud to yourself.
David talks about discipline but can’t stop ghetto language?
I wonder if he almost gets addicted to feeling miserable.
27:10 I almost crushed my self with barbell when he said this. Mf the Spanish book do be looking like a forign language.
Anyway, for those who have already watched Shia Labeouf's motivational speech, there's nothing new here.
No, I'm kidding. In fact, David, I'm one of the guys you told to go on this tough path and thus helped me. So it's not for nothing. Way to go!
2:08:08
*Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy
Great Interview. Since the first book I read, Living with the Seal, I cannot express enough how much light David's videos and books constantly bring to my life.
"All Stick no Carrot" is a crazy way of life that i think most people don't realize is a fact of life for almost everyone.
One has to watch this countless times because every other time comes with a new lesson you might have missed previously. One of the key pick-ups for me is you can't beat your 'old-self', you're always in constant battle every single day.
Really just wanted to give him a hug. It's horrible to feel alone. Without another human being to understand and you don't why your treated badly but there is something about you that people want to run from and you don't know why they run and you feel so bad inside you just want someone to hug you and noone trusts you. And you carry a weight so heavy but you know your not who they think you are. Because you have spirit guilds that won't let anyone kill you. But they can test you that is alarmed. I passed my test and I am better off alone than to go out in public cause you have to watch the changes on the faces of people you love. . Because when the face is blank you know they are thinking about a way to hurt you and feel justified in doing it. Sorry I am sad today. I tried to get in touch with the man who wrote mastery because I had not spoken to my oldrst sister and when she found out that my lymph fluid is not taking the toxins out of my body she came and forced me to let her in. And she took care of me the second day i was with her she had a stroke i barely stepped out of the room but the dr took her off water and food and i wanted to ask if that was normal because they did the same to my mom. My sister went into kauss mauls breathing and I laid on her chest and cried sisdy don't leave me please sissy. When my mom died i laid in the bed with her until she took her last breath I have so much love in me. It's more than normal love. And i had to forgive the doctor that killed my son and all of yhis is now not the past
"I have a feeling there's a storm coming. I wanna go through it." 😍
It's the animal inside, waking up and shaking the dust off. 💪
This is the one and only time I have ever heard someone represent the Naval Nuclear community, and it happened 30 secs into the interview! Thanks David for the community reference! STAY HARD MFs!
There’s a lot of cussing in there. He’s totally right about everything he says but also discipline not to cuss.
I can’t describe how much this interview resonates with me. I haven’t managed to stay hard every day but I experienced what he says many times and every time I bitch out and fuck around I hate myself so badly. But doing what you didn’t think was possible, there is no feeling like it, literally
2:15:00 timestamp
8 minutes later, the actual interview. My hubby switched it off at 7:25 … maybe start the podcast sooner and put the ads in the middle.
One thing I’ve learned about myself is that I am still just a big quitter. No matter how hard I train I just become a more well trained quitter. I’m just not sure how to change that about myself.
00:02 David Goggins transformed his difficult past to become a Navy SEAL, ultramarathon runner, and bestselling author.
02:10 David Goggins lets us into his inner dialogue and self-discipline
06:06 AeroPress is extremely easy to use and compact for travel
07:59 David Goggins spends most of his time studying and learning.
12:00 Struggle is an everyday process in life.
14:15 David Goggins discusses his detailed approach to learning human physiology
18:00 Embracing challenges and overcoming learning disabilities without medication
20:01 Friction is growth.
24:08 Inner strength must be experienced and cannot be written about.
26:00 Learning to become a character opened doors for me
30:06 Overcoming judgment and struggles with inner strength
32:02 Finding inner strength through personal adversity
36:01 Live with purpose and be remembered
37:41 Building inner strength requires relentless discipline and self-motivation.
41:38 Building inner strength through self-discipline
43:28 Becoming the person he admired
47:07 Anterior mid-cingulate cortex plays a key role in willpower and the will to live.
48:56 Doing something you don't want to do but doing it anyway grows the anterior mid-cingulate cortex
52:39 Building inner strength through overcoming self-doubt
54:24 Building inner strength requires embracing discomfort and friction.
58:35 Building inner strength through willpower and courage.
1:00:19 Building immense inner strength requires overcoming fear and discovering who you truly are.
1:03:59 The anterior mid-cingulate cortex has neuroplasticity.
1:05:40 Our brain can grow and shrink based on our actions and thoughts
1:09:21 InsideTracker provides personalized guidance for optimizing metabolic factors and health.
1:10:55 Facing adversity builds resilience.
1:14:42 Building inner strength requires relentless determination
1:16:39 Building inner strength through perseverance and creating a false reality
1:20:01 Start no matter what time it is
1:21:48 Building inner strength through hard work and talent
1:24:54 Overcoming challenges to gain confidence
1:26:42 Maintaining discipline in relationships
1:29:58 I prioritize my own needs and goals
1:31:55 Authenticity and willpower are crucial for maintaining relationships.
1:35:30 Being real and honest is key to inner strength
1:37:16 Recognize insecurities to start life and find empowerment
1:40:08 Building inner strength through self-motivation and discipline.
1:42:12 Self-motivation through unseen work
1:45:54 Building immense inner strength requires an unexplainable mindset
1:47:30 Everyone has the capacity to build immense inner strength.
1:51:29 Finding yourself brings a sense of security and strength.
1:53:16 Inner strength is more than just supplements and ice baths
1:57:10 Developing a strong mentality is a learned process.
1:59:26 Setting boundaries to prioritize personal growth
2:02:55 Smokejumping involves parachuting into remote fires to fight them.
2:04:47 Building inner strength through honesty and hard work.
2:08:27 Developing inner strength through self-reflection and action
2:10:17 Pre-planned daily actions lead to internal growth and creativity.
2:13:59 Self-discovery leads to inner strength and clarity.
2:16:01 Building inner strength through mastering the internal dialogue.
2:19:34 Learning to fail properly is essential for eventual success.
2:21:36 Developing inner strength through years of sacrifice and diligent work
2:25:31 Understanding the power of the unconscious mind.
2:27:30 Understanding oneself is a rare endeavor.
2:31:11 Facing and dealing with deep emotional struggles
2:32:57 Developing inner strength through continuous hard work and self-discipline
2:36:55 Huberman Lab provides free podcast summaries and protocols.
Crafted by Merlin AI.
love y boys
What chemical makes the aMCC bigger when we do what we don’t want to? Is it cortisol (stress)? Or myokines? Im interested to know.
Is he a father? He never talks about parenthood.
Timestamp iterations
#1 at 37:40
Amazing podcast. Inspirational. Key message is happiness and satisfaction = suffering and doing hard things.
Why do we celebrate fat people who lose weight but not people who never get fat?
STAY HARD
Might be the best Goggins interview on Youtube
OMG. 2 PPL THAT WAS TRYING TO FIND .FOUND BOTH RN TOGETHER. THAT IS FANTASTIC
13:30 discipline studying regiment 17:30 different kind of suffering 20:40 friction 22:00 Focus 23:37 His mental techs 23:57 barbaric obsession must be experienced 24:40 conqueror's mindset 25:31 lied attention ppls approval 26:25 character 27:00 28:24 29:07 Staying hard 29:50 social media judging 31:05 Between u & the world 31:26 different u's 32:05 no one can save u 32:30 He knows now 32:57 social media no good sides 33:27 ppl hide 34:00 vulnerable, truly look at urself 34:55 life is ugly hell 35:29 jyst did it 35:55 JUST DO 37:25 Stick & Gas pedal R 38:30 conventions 39:00 u alrdy know what to do 40:00 Outwork that negative E defeatist losing voice 40:45 STAY HARD 41:05 Outwork the man in you 41:20 ppl weak questioning 41:45 Looked in the mirror 42:15 checking carrot result, Always working 42:50 ALL IN THE INSIDE 43:29 Use characters qualities43:55 44:55 greatness, no sugarcoat 45:30 dungeon key 46:20 Anterior brain, adding more work that u dont wanna do47:40 49:10 dont wanna do it, but do it anyway 49:57 Willpower is what u build 50:43 POW 51:29 will life 51:55 theres no fking hack, DO IT REPETIVELY 52:45 FIGHT BAD CONVOS IN UR BRAIN 53:45 2 anteriors 54:45 The Suck, The Stick 55:30 purpose aint fun 56:00 rich missing something 56:30 nothing to something Willpower 57:00 You find it in the Suck, they dont know who they are 57:40 So much in you 58:00 Didnt find Willpower, Soul, Guts 58:45 You vs you 1:00:30 Build willpower 1:1:09 Ppl dont wanna know themselves 1:1:40 Why he not retired, willpower speaking 1:2:20 Building blocks 1:2:40 If Body Knows Can, Therefore I Do 1:3:30 Dopamine reward, motivation rewards 1:4:38 neuroplasticity grow & easily shrink1:5:20 1:6:45 1:7:10 Put it into work 1:7:40 too many average ppl 1:8:20 u didnt do shit 1:10:00 ppl look back in the past 1:12:26 nobody1:12:40 1:13:10 horror films 1:13:30 Their will is small 1:13:49 You have to wake up 1:14:00 If You dont wake up, ur done 1:14:40 Examine yourself 1:15:07 We cant give ppl shit, they have to do it themselves 1:15:30 theres no happiness, it just Sucks whirpool ur being sucked & u gotta work ur way out 1:16:00 its gonna suck everyday 1:16:28 Why he cuss 1:17:09 You have to envision something more powerful than you 1:18:00 pile friend 1:18:50 Self critical switch knows what to do, why arebt u doing it 1:19:45 him procrastinating 1:20:30 it has to happen 1:21:20 I gotta start now, I gotta start again 1:23:55 ice bath sauna no time for that 1:25:30 confidence building block 1:25:56 No balance, build confidence everyday 1:27:20 relationship 1:27:59 Ppl that luv us dont understand us 1:28:30 &They want us comfortable 1:29:00 Fam everything they need 1:29:35 Make em realize 1:30:03 Left alone to figure this shit out 1:30:24 say what u gotta say 1:31:00 I'm not what u expect me to be, Let em Know Upfront 1:31:30 He people pleased, they full but u empty 1:32:00 Let ppl know exactly who you are 1:32:22 WILLPOWER WORKED ON EVERYDAY 1:32:40 When willpower gone, 300lbdavid's back
he was controlling his tears .
Круто
Goggins is pure testament that you only have yourself in this world to break through tough barriers and overcome pretty much anything. Fascinating about the anterior mid sing- cortex getting bigger and smaller with doing things you dont like! Brilliant! I would love an episode on AD(H)D versus Dyslexia, because my mum professionally taught kids (in a different way) who were dyslexic, with amazing results and most schooling, esp in UK, doesnt cater for learning more creatively, which a dyslexic brain often is and under appreciated. Sir Richard Branson and Sir Anthony Hopkins both were, who said he had to read his scripts a minimum of 250 to get it into his brain and 'off-book'. We seem obsessed with the ADHD diagnosis, but arent the two massively linked? Kids get left behind and then lose those focus skills and drop-out because they are left feeling stupid. Add to the mix the use of smart phones and too much tv and screen time in young children. Could this be a cause of this 'new' pandemic of attention-deficit-brain and do we really believe sticking everyone on Ritalin is the right choice long term? (alternatively running ultra marathons) … I see mums handing phones to 2 year olds now…where's the public health warnings?! Can you unpick this in an episode..unless I've already missed this? Thanks!
7 mins into the video I’m still listening to ads. Waste of my time. Never again!
David's pullups record is broken i think…regardless he is a beast!
Glaring inaccuracy in your intro advertisement for Maui Venison. Its closer to 1.6g/KG for protein, or 1g per lb of lean body mass, not total body weight
2:23:41
Hardwork looks horrible and its not motivating ✅
MIND BLOWN! Someone please image this guy's brain stat ! He is a case study in sheer grit . I don't think there is anyone else like him out there . Thank you for this amazing podcast!
The best podcast ever