327 I The Explorer's Gene I Jonathan Goodman and Alex Hutchinson

In today's episode, I'm thrilled to sit down with my long-time friend Alex Hutchinson, New York Times best-selling author of "Endure" and his new book "The Explorer's Gene." We dive into the courage it takes to explore new creative paths rather than getting typecast by your past successes, and Alex shares how his unplanned writing journey led to his most powerful work.Get my friend Alex Hutchinson's new book, The Explorer's Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the MapAlex Hutchinson is the New York Times bestselling author of Endure, a longtime columnist for Outside covering the science of endurance, and a National Magazine Award–winning journalist who has contributed to the New York Times, The New Yorker, and other publications. A former long-distance runner for the Canadian national team, he holds a master’s in journalism from Columbia and a Ph.D. in physics from Cambridge, and he did his post-doctoral research with the National Security Agency. Order my book "The Obvious Choice" here: https://amzn.to/4ghBzceNot sure if you want to get my book, “The Obvious Choice”? Here’s a free sample to check out: https://www.theptdc.com/the-obvious-choice-free-chapterWho Am I?Jonathan Goodman is the creator of the Personal Trainer Development Center and host of the popular Obvious Choice podcast, a top show for coaches, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. Jon’s been featured in most major business and fitness publications including Men’s Health, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Robb Report, Inc., and many more. Over 200,000 coaches and small business owners in more than 120 countries have purchased business development materials from him. Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter "5 Reps Friday" read by 73,000+ each week: https://www.theptdc.com/newsletter-subscribeGet my FREE "Jacked Nerds Reading List" here: https://www.theptdc.com/11-best-books-for-jacked-nerdsJoin my Online Trainer Mentorship program: https://onlinetrainermentorship.com/mentorship/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=OTMEvergreenFollow me on social media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itscoachgoodman/X: https://x.com/itscoachgoodmanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-goodman/Timestamps0:00 Alex Hutchinson Introduction 1:28 Discussing Alex's books, including "Endure" and "The Explorer's Gene"3:12 The evolution of book writing toward self-development and life design4:25 What exploration really means beyond physical travel5:06 The dilemma of being typecast after success6:18 The explore-exploit dilemma: balancing new ventures vs. known success7:49 "It just didn't seem fun to me" - Making career choices based on enjoyment8:50 The challenge of crossing between different professional worlds10:47 How John and Alex first met through a cold email14:00 The challenges of writing: structure vs. crafting sentences17:33 How the interludes in "Endure" evolved organically20:37 The choice not to track book sales and analytics21:23 Injecting personal experience into writing in the age of AI24:32 Writing with "your cup half full" to prepare for life's challenges28:57 - Introduction to the Wundt curve concept