Ep 51: Discipline Over Motivation | How to Do Hard Things Without Burning Out with Shaun Bemis

Episode Summary

Shaun Bemis spent 20 years in Naval intelligence, primarily sitting in front of computers finding the enemy. Late in his career, something shifted during a Thanksgiving run in New York City, and he decided to run the NYC Marathon before turning 40. That simple goal spiraled into ultramarathons, including a 75K race on Mount Kilimanjaro and countless DNFs that taught him more than any finish line ever could. In this conversation, we explore the difference between grind culture and strategic difficulty, why the white belt mentality is essential for growth, and how stacking small consistent efforts beats intensity every time. This is about finding joy in the process of doing hard things, separating your self-worth from achievement, and understanding that hard is deeply personal, whether it's running 100 miles or learning to speak Hebrew with your in-laws.

 

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Guest Bio

Shaun Bemis joined the Navy right after 9/11 and spent twenty years leading in high-pressure environments, from combat zones in Iraq and East Africa to intelligence centers, SEAL team intelligence operations, and ships at sea. The military taught him how to stay calm under fire, build systems that work when conditions don't, and push past whatever feels comfortable.

Near the end of his Navy career he discovered ultramarathons, which became his favorite lab for testing how far we can stretch. His last race was a 75K on Mt. Kilimanjaro. Living in south Florida at sea level with zero elevation, he had to get creative to find solutions to be prepared for that race. His next is an Ironman, even though he doesn't own a bike and hasn't swam seriously in over a decade. He's racing with Team RWB to raise money for veterans and to put purpose behind the effort.

He's carried the lessons from both his military career and endurance athletics into startups and executive roles. He's helped companies scale, coached young athletes, provides leadership training, and now works as a Fractional COO for teams that need clarity and execution, not more noise.

 

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Links

• Shaun Bemis on LinkedIn: Primary platform for connection and speaking inquiries

• Shaun Bemis on Instagram: Follow his ultrarunning journey

• Shaun's Substack: Weekly articles diving deep into doing hard things and personal growth

• Relentless Running

 

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Three Actionable Takeaways

1. Start where you are and stack those bricks consistently. Don't jump to the end because skipping the white belt portion and those foundational steps means you won't get there at all, and the process will become a miserable grind instead of sustainable progress.
   
   

2. Find a hard thing where you genuinely enjoy the process. You're not going to be motivated every day, so if you don't enjoy the actual doing of the thing, you'll burn out before you reach your goals, and discipline won't be enough to carry you through.
   
   

3. Look for joy in the journey, not just the achievement. Whether it's finding that bakery in Barcelona, seeing the full moon in the Everglades, or having moments with your kids, the experiences along the way are what create a fulfilled life, and those moments only happen when you're out there doing the thing.
   
   

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Key Insights from the Conversation

• The doing of hard things is alluring and appears noble, but you must be clear on what you're actually seeking because achievement alone won't give you fulfillment

• There's a critical distinction between grind culture (making everything as hard as possible all the time) and strategic difficulty (being intentional about when and how you push your limits)

• The central governor theory suggests your brain has a safety mechanism that limits how far you can push, and you must regularly approach that limit to extend it, but avoiding discomfort will actually cause it to down-regulate your capacity

• Hard is deeply personal and everyone has their own level of difficulty, meaning doing hard things isn't just for superheroes or elite athletes but for ordinary people at their own edges

• Difficult easy is pushing limits in areas where you're already comfortable, while difficult difficult is the stuff you don't want to do, and both are necessary for growth

• The fear that holds people back is often judgment from others or self-judgment rather than the actual difficulty of the task itself

• The white belt mentality means approaching everything with fresh perspective and vulnerability, accepting that you won't be good at new things immediately

• Zone 2 running can feel harder than redlining because you have to walk to keep your heart rate low, making you feel judged and slow, but it's essential for building aerobic base

• Visualizing the bad times and mistakes is just as important as positive visualization because you'll never have a perfect race or performance, and you need tools for when things go wrong

• Comparing yourself to the old you can be motivating now, but eventually you need to appreciate whatever your current hard is rather than mourning past capabilities

• Instagram and social media fill your algorithm with elite performers, creating unrealistic comparisons when you're trying to learn something new as a beginner

• The ultra community has a respect for just completing the distance regardless of time, unlike marathon culture where people immediately ask about your splits

• Running or doing hard physical things allows you to explore parts of cities and have experiences you'd never find otherwise, from bakeries in Barcelona to moonrises in the Everglades

• Starting with intensity rather than consistency leads to burnout within a week, but nobody ever got in shape in a week regardless of workout perfection

• Listening to your body and adjusting your workout when you're not feeling it is smarter than forcing a prescribed grind session and risking burnout