The Untapped Potential Inside You | Colin O'Brady episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 3, 2026 · 1H 3M

The Untapped Potential Inside You | Colin O'Brady

from The School of Greatness · host Lewis Howes, Colin O'Brady

There's a reservoir of untapped potential inside you right now. The only question is whether you'll reach it. Colin O'Brady is the first person in history to cross Antarctica solo, completely unsupported and unaided, covering nearly 1,000 miles alone in 54 days while pulling a 375-pound sled through temperatures reaching minus 80 degrees wind chill. He's also a world record holder for the Explorers Grand Slam, having completed all Seven Summits and expeditions to both poles in 139 consecutive days -- a project he called The Impossible First. Before any of that, he was a 22-year-old backpacker in Thailand with 25% of his body severely burned, told by doctors he might never walk normally again. What pulled him through was a single visualization exercise, a mother who refused to let him see his own darkness, and a goal set from a hospital bed he had no business believing in. What you'll hear in this conversation is how he trained his mind more than his body, how flow states carried him through 32 consecutive hours on the final push across Antarctica, and what a four-word mantra repeated every morning for 54 days can actually do to a human being. The 12-Hour Walk: Invest One Day, Conquer Your Mind, and Unlock Your Best Life Amazon Ebook Audiobook The Impossible First: From Fire to Ice―Crossing Antarctica Alone Amazon Ebook Audiobook Colin on Instagram In this episode you will: Discover why flow state, not physical fitness, was the deciding factor in crossing Antarctica alone for 54 days Learn the four-word mantra Colin repeated every single morning that kept him moving through frozen tears and impossible conditions Hear how he went from a hospital bed in Thailand, told he would never walk again, to winning the Chicago Triathlon just 18 months later Understand the philosophy of infinite love and why positivity multiplies the more you put it into the world Rethink what it means to be superhuman and why this capacity already lives inside you For more information go to https://lewishowes.com/1949 More SOG episodes we think you’ll love: Alex Honnold Kobe Bryant Wim Hof Get More From Lewis! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Colin O'Brady -- world record holder for the Explorers Grand Slam (all Seven Summits plus both poles in 139 consecutive days) and first person to complete a solo, unsupported, unaided crossing of Antarctica (The Impossible First, approximately 1,000 miles in 54 days) -- discusses flow state training, Vipassana silent meditation retreats, and the daily mantra "you are strong, you are capable." He covers his recovery from severe burns in Thailand that doctors said would prevent him from walking, his path to winning the Chicago Triathlon 18 months after his accident, the philosophy of infinite love and untapped human potential, and the 50 High Points speed record. Also discussed: competing against British explorer Lou Rudd, wife and co-creator Jenna O'Brady's role in strategy and logistics, and the universality of human potential beyond elite achievement.

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The Untapped Potential Inside You | Colin O'Brady

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