S8E12 -- Ohana Guest : Ted Lomicka | Triple Maui Nui Ultra Swimmer

Send us Fan MailNearly 24 hours in open water changes what you think you know about fear, focus, and what you are capable of. Ted Lomicka joins us from Franklin, Tennessee to tell the story of completing the Triple Maui Nui, a nonstop three channel swim from Lanai to Maui to Molokai and back again. Ted describes starting in a thunderstorm, navigating bioluminescent “stars” below when clouds hide the real ones, then facing cold brackish water near Molokai alongside the threat of a shark fin. At his lowest point, a captain’s short question reframes the choice and gets him moving again. On the final leg, sensory deprivation gives way to awe when a baby humpback whale swims beneath him and meets his eye, a moment that turns endurance into meaning and seals the lesson: dream big, live the dream, and share the dream.Ted is also a healthcare executive and an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University, so we zoom out from the ocean to the real world impact of innovation leadership. We dig into ambient AI scribes in healthcare, how AI drafted notes can improve physician patient communication, and why giving clinicians 30 to 90 minutes back each night can boost satisfaction, retention, and outcomes. Along the way, Ted shares how he evaluates new ideas: technologically feasible, clinically relevant, financially viable, and scalable, then pilot small and iterate fast.The heart of our conversation is mindset. Ted breaks down the framework behind his upcoming book, First Of Five: The Five Hammers Of A Do Anything Mindset, forged in ultra distance triathlon at the Anvil race series. We unpack the hammer of passion, humility, mindfulness, equanimity, and transcendence, plus the idea of overriding the “evolutionary governor” when your body insists it is done. If you care about endurance training, Ultraman, channel swimming in Hawaii, or performing under pressure at work, this one is built to stick with you.Subscribe for more stories like this, share the show with a friend who needs a bigger goal, and leave a review so more athletes and curious minds can find us. What would you attempt if you trusted your mindset as much as your fitness?Reach out to Ted on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tedlomicka/ Resources mentioned in this episode:Ultraman FloridaUltraman World ChampionshipsMammoth Endurance AnvilTriple Maui NuiSebring International RacewayVanderbilt University.Music City TriathlonMemphis in May triathlonIM World ChampionshipsIM ChattanoogaEcuador Eco-ChallengeAlenuihaha channelSnowdrop UltraShout outs and mentions in this episode:Natascha BadmannMichelle LomickaVance PossIvan PancicPlatoMarcus AureliusJosh Kiecker  Michelle CevicherriaJurand CzabanskiNeil DeGrasse TysonAlbert EinsteinLaToscia “LT” JamesTrixie SmithDr. Steven MinagliaAndy JocaKatie BlairTerri DietzTina NeillMichael SpaldingJill SpaldingMichelle SimmonsDr. Harry HuffakerSupport the showShow Contributors:Host : Larry RyanContributing Raconteur : Steve KingAnnouncer : Mary Jo DionneProduction : 5Five EnterprisesMusic  :  Run by 331For show notes and past guests, please visit the Podcast Website: https://515theultrapodcast.buzzsprout.comFacebook: @515TheUltraPodcastInsta : @515theultrapodcastYoutube : @515TheUltraPodcastEmail : [email protected]