Hi Reader,

Have you ever raced against a horse?

Neither have I. But, it turns out that people do it all the time. At least, the people who enter the Man Against Horse Race in Prescott, Arizona.

This week on episode 301, Mike Reynold shares his journey of ultramarathon running in his 40s.

Mike's story is not about running marathons, or Ironmans, or running against horses for 50 miles, or even about his upcoming 100 mile ultramarathon.

Mike's story is about his commitment to never quitting, no matter how much fear he experiences.

Mike admits that each time he clicks the submit button on a race website entry form, he experiences fear. He wonders if he will finish the race, or if he'll have a health incident, or if something unforeseen will happen that ruins the experience.

Mike has entered many endurance sports events, and finished most of them. Along his journey he has learned a valuable lesson that he shares on episode 301, and it's not about running.

Mike embraces fear because he knows one thing for sure, he won't quit. And, he shares his leadership lesson by sharing his journey and the journey of dozens of others like him who face fear and conquer it.

In this week's episode 301 the main point is this.

"Fear as a compass, not a stop sign. Mike Reynold was told his running days were over after hip surgery in his 30s. Instead, he built a fearless mindset grounded in endurance events, and discovered that leadership is built through thousands of small choices that no one sees."

Did you know that you can watch each week's episode on my YouTube channel? 👇🏼

Each video is produced with visual elements to help bring the story alive beyond the audio. If podcast consumption on YouTube is new to you, give it a try! 😎

The Coach's Corner

Weekly insights and actionable tips from my lens as an executive coach—helping you lead, grow, and thrive.

My Leadership Lessons from Podcasting

Each week I publish a podcast episode featuring a guest with an interesting story to tell, except for those occasions where I solo.

When I agree to feature someone on my podcast, I inform them that I have a process that starts with a prep call. The prep call is non-negotiable.

The prep call is where, in some cases, we meet for the first time. Whether or not we're meeting for the first time, we explore a topic for the podcast. I invite each guest to open up about a meaningful topic and I just sit back and listen. Eventually, in this conversation we arrive at the story arc for the podcast recording. We don't script the conversation. We agree on a general flow of talking points that convey a meaningful story that can impact you.

When the guest's story involves their book or their service, I ensure we build a story that can make a connection with you, so it's not about their book or service. It's about you.

This week you're hearing Mike Reynold's story. We didn't discuss his years of legal experience interacting with governors, attorneys general, state legislators, and regulators.

Mike is writing a book that chronicles more than 50 people he's met across 15 years participating in endurance events such as Ironmans, a 50 mile race against horses, and his upcoming 100 mile race. My knees hurt just thinking about running that many miles.

Mike's leadership lessons are the kind you don't learn in a classroom, a boardroom, a conference room, or even from a mentor. His leadership lessons are grounded in his experience entering races, usually finishing them, falling down and getting back up, and meeting dozens of others like him who face fear and use it as a compass.

As a podcaster, I consider it a privilege to bring you stories like Mike Reynold's. I hope you'll listen to our conversation, or watch it on video to see more images from his endurance events. I'm confident you'll gain your own leadership lesson from his story.

You Can Catch This Week's Episode:

Listen on Apple
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Overcast
Listen on our Website
Watch on YouTube

Leadership Lessons From the Ultramarathon Trail

Most leadership advice is about what you do when people are watching. On episode 301, Mike Reynold’s best lessons came from fifteen years of showing up mile after mile, chasing whatever scared him most.

A doctor once told him his running career was over: no marathons, no fun runs, no running with his kids, or he’d risk a hip replacement before 40. Mike stopped running and even gained a little weight. Then, on a friend’s back porch during COVID, he decided to try again, one slow lap at a time, and started rebuilding more than his fitness.

Fifteen years, a $300 bike, and more than fifty interviews with endurance athletes later, Mike has completed obstacle course races, a full Ironman, and ultramarathons up to fifty miles. The same lesson kept showing up on every course: leadership isn’t a title you’re given. It’s built through thousands of small choices nobody sees while facing your fear head-on.

This episode isn’t about the races. It’s about what a government affairs attorney learned about leading himself, and other people, by talking to firefighters, teachers, recovering addicts, cancer survivors, and world champions, and finding out they were all working on the same thing.

Who This Is For

● Anyone who’s been told by a doctor, a boss, or their own doubts that a chapter of their life is closed

● Leaders who want a definition of leadership that has nothing to do with a title

● People over 40 wondering if it’s too late to start something hard

● Endurance athletes and weekend warriors who want a community, not just a finish line

● Anyone building a demanding career while trying to stay present at home

Five Key Takeaways

Fear works better as a compass than a stop sign.

Mike spent years being told what he couldn’t do: no races, no risks, nothing that might undo a hip repair. When he finally faced the things that scared him most; obstacle courses, open water, a fifty-mile race against horses, fear stopped being a wall and became a signal pointing him toward what actually mattered to him.

Leadership is built through thousands of small choices no one sees.

The discipline it takes to train for an ultramarathon, the early mornings, the meals, the miles logged when no one’s watching, is the same discipline that shows up later in a boardroom or on a Little League field. Mike’s core claim: you don’t build character in the finish line photo. You build it in the choices leading up to it while facing fear head-on.

The community that celebrates last place teaches something most workplaces miss.

In ultra racing, the DFL, dead last finisher, gets a trophy and a crowd, not because of how fast they went, but because of how far they went and how long they refused to quit. Mike sees that as a model for leadership: measure people by their grit and their follow-through, not just their speed.

There’s more than one right way to lead.

Mike interviewed two ultrarunners with opposite styles: Andy Glaze, a battalion fire chief whose motto is “smile or you’re doing it wrong,” and Harvey Lewis, a teacher who ran 250 miles carrying an American flag and says anyone can lead just by showing up and caring. Mike’s take: both are right, because leadership has to fit the person delivering it and the people receiving it.

Your priorities in one part of life protect every other part.

An orthopedic surgeon Mike interviewed put it simply: family first, work second, endurance training a distant third. Mike has carried that ordering into his own life. If the foundation at home isn’t solid, he says, none of the discipline required for the extreme stuff matters.