Episode Theme: Recognizing burnout, protecting your energy, and building sustainable high performance.

In this episode of Be Undaunted, Tara Collingwood and George Dom tackle a topic that affects nearly every high performer at some point: burnout.

Burnout is more than simply feeling tired. It’s the gradual erosion of energy, focus, resilience, and purpose that can leave even the most capable people feeling emotionally exhausted and disconnected.

Drawing from experiences in military leadership, executive coaching, and health performance, Tara and George unpack:

• Why high performers are especially vulnerable to burnout
• The warning signs most people ignore
• What actually helps recovery
• How leaders unintentionally create burnout cultures
• Practical strategies to protect energy and sustain performance

If you are the person everyone relies on, this episode is for you.

George’s Pentagon Burnout Story

George shares a vivid story from his final Navy assignment working in the Pentagon during strategic planning for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

His days routinely looked like this:

• Arriving by 6:00 AM
• Back-to-back meetings all day
• Evening updates for admirals and generals
• Working until midnight or later
• Repeating the cycle six days a week

Despite taking pride in being “the last initials on the sign-out sheet,” George realized that by Thursday and Friday, he was operating on fumes.

Key Insight:

“You’d still get the work done — but they weren’t getting your best work anymore.”

The story highlights an important truth:

Burnout often develops while people are still functioning and performing.

Why High Performers Are at Higher Risk

Tara and George explain why ambitious, responsible, high-achieving people are especially vulnerable to burnout.

Common Drivers Include:

Identity Becomes Tied to Performance

High performers often equate productivity with self-worth.

Fear of Letting Others Down

Many people worry that slowing down will make them appear less committed.

Rewarded for Overperforming

Reliable people often receive more responsibility because leaders trust them.

Addiction to Adrenaline

High achievers can become dependent on the stimulation of pressure, urgency, and constant motion.

Delayed Recovery

People often tell themselves:

• “I’ll rest after this project.”
• “I’ll take vacation next month.”
• “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

But recovery keeps getting postponed.

Burnout Warning Signs

Burnout rarely appears overnight.

Instead, it builds gradually through chronic stress and insufficient recovery.

Physical Signs

• Poor sleep
• Waking during the night
• Brain fog
• Forgetfulness
• Digestive issues
• Appetite changes
• Increased cravings for sugar and caffeine
• Constant fatigue

Emotional & Behavioral Signs

• Irritability
• Short temper
• Loss of humor
• Feeling emotionally flat
• Going through the motions
• Reduced motivation
• Increased cynicism or apathy

Performance Signs

• Declining focus
• Taking shortcuts
• Lower creativity
• Reduced resilience
• “Checking boxes” instead of bringing full engagement

Burnout Isn’t a Lack of Effort

One of the biggest takeaways from the episode:

Burnout is not caused by laziness.

It’s caused by prolonged output without adequate recovery.

George’s Key Insight:

“Burnout isn’t a lack of effort — it’s a lack of recovery.”

Initially, stress can sharpen focus and improve performance.

But chronic stress eventually drains physical, emotional, and cognitive capacity.

What Doesn’t Work

Tara and George discuss several common but ineffective strategies people use when approaching burnout.

These Usually Make Things Worse:

• More caffeine
• Less sleep
• Skipping meals
• Working longer hours
• Ignoring warning signs
• “Pushing through” indefinitely
• Treating exhaustion as a badge of honor

Important Reminder:

Burnout is not solved by “trying harder.”

What Actually Helps Recovery

1. Tactical Recovery Throughout the Day

Research shows that short recovery breaks every 60–90 minutes significantly improve performance and reduce stress.

Examples:

• Going for a short walk
• Getting sunlight
• Stretching or doing squats
• Drinking water
• Talking with a coworker
• Stepping away from screens
• Practicing deep breathing

Tara’s Insight:

Recovery is not just vacations.

It’s small resets throughout the day.

2. Strategic Recovery

Tactical recovery helps during the day.

Strategic recovery means intentionally taking extended time to rest and recharge.

This includes:

• Vacations
• Weekends without work
• Protected downtime
• Recovery after travel
• Sleep restoration

George emphasizes that people often do their best work before vacations because their brain knows recovery is coming.

3. Setting Boundaries

George shares how difficult boundary-setting was during his military career — and how important it became later.

Memorable Quote:

“If you don’t protect your time, somebody else will spend it.”

Healthy boundaries may include:

• Leaving work at a consistent time
• Limiting after-hours emails
• Protecting sleep
• Scheduling recovery after travel
• Saying no to unnecessary commitments

The Power of Habits & Routines

The hosts discuss how sustainable habits reduce reliance on willpower.

George’s Insight:

“You don’t rise to the occasion — you fall to your habits.”

Helpful habits can include:

• Daily movement
• Transition rituals between work and home
• Consistent sleep schedules
• Hydration

High Trust Leadership by George Dom

https://www.georgedom.com/book

More about George Dom:

https://www.georgedom.com/

More about Tara Collingwood:

https://www.dietdiva.net/

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube

Be Undaunted is produced by JAG Podcast Productions: www.jagpodcastproductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode Theme: Leadership, trust, resilience, and high-performance teamwork under pressure.

In this powerful episode of Be Undaunted, hosts Tara Collingwood and George Dom sit down with retired NASA astronaut, naval aviator, and aerospace executive Bill Readdy. From carrier landings to commanding space shuttle missions, Bill shares lessons on humility, preparation, teamwork, and leadership forged in some of the highest-stakes environments imaginable.

This episode is packed with inspiring stories from NASA, the Space Shuttle program, Artemis, and the International Space Station — along with leadership lessons that apply far beyond aerospace.

About Bill Readdy

Bill Readdy graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1974 and became a naval aviator flying the A-6 Intruder aboard the USS Forrestal. He later attended Test Pilot School, became an instructor, and was named Instructor of the Year in 1984.

After serving aboard the USS Coral Sea, Bill joined NASA as a research pilot and program manager working on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft program. He was selected as an astronaut in 1987 and flew three space shuttle missions:

• STS-42 – Mission Specialist
• STS-51 – Pilot
• STS-79 – Commander

Across his career, Bill logged:

• 7,000+ flight hours
• 60+ aircraft types
• 550+ carrier landings
• 672 hours in space

Following his astronaut career, he served as NASA Associate Administrator for Human Space Flight Operations and later held senior executive roles at Boeing and Aerojet Rocketdyne.

From Naval Aviator to Astronaut

Bill shares how his Navy and test pilot background prepared him for NASA, but also how joining the astronaut corps introduced him to an entirely different level of systems thinking, teamwork, and preparation.

He discusses:

• Why he initially flew as a Mission Specialist instead of Pilot
• NASA’s intense post-Challenger return-to-flight efforts
• Working on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft program
• The progression during his three Shuttle flights from Mission Specialist → Pilot → Commander

High-Trust Teams & NASA Culture

One of the biggest themes throughout the conversation is trust.

Bill explains how NASA develops high-trust teams through:

• Constant training
• Integrated simulations
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Open debriefs
• Accountability without ego

Memorable Insight:

“You train and you train and you train some more — and you train with everything broken.”

The crew, mission control, trainers, engineers, and launch teams all trained together repeatedly until coordination became almost instinctive.

Leadership Lessons from Spaceflight

Bill describes how great shuttle commanders intentionally built team cohesion by:

• Encouraging every crew member to contribute
• Cross-training outside areas of expertise
• Creating psychological safety
• Building trust through humility and humor

Bill’s Leadership Philosophy:

“Be humble and be a good listener.”

He also shared the military leadership principle:

“Mission. Men. Me.”

Meaning:

1. Mission first
2. Team second
3. Yourself last

The Reality of Shuttle Training

The episode provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at shuttle mission preparation.

Topics include:

• Simulators connected directly to Mission Control
• Practicing failures repeatedly
• Full launch countdown rehearsals
• Emergency escape procedures
• Quarantine protocols before launch
• Physical and mental preparation

Bill emphasizes that NASA teams didn’t just train for ideal conditions — they trained relentlessly for contingencies.

Launch Delays, Scrubs & Staying Ready

Bill discusses STS-51 and the emotional challenge of four launch delays and countdown scrubs, including one that occurred nine seconds before liftoff!

The crew prepared for launch multiple times over several months before finally lifting off.

He describes:

• The stress of sitting strapped into the shuttle
• Countdown aborts only seconds before launch
• Maintaining focus over long delays
• Continuing flight and night training while in quarantine

Leadership Takeaway:

High-performing teams prepare not only for success — but for setbacks, delays, and unexpected problems.

What Launching Into Space Actually Feels Like

One of the most memorable moments of the episode is Bill’s description of reaching orbit.

He vividly explains:

• The violence and noise of solid rocket booster ascent
• The silence after booster separation
• The sensation of going from 3G acceleration to zero gravity
• Seeing Earth from orbit for the first time

Memorable Quote:

“My commander turned around, hit me on the arm, and said: ‘Look out the window.’”

Bill describes being overwhelmed by the beauty and emotional impact of seeing Earth from space.

Crisis Management: Losing Communication with Houston

During STS-51, the shuttle lost communication with Mission Control early in the mission.

Bill explains:

• Why losing communications was a major threat to mission success
• The detailed procedures crews trained for
• How the crew methodically worked the problem
• Why keeping Mission Control informed was critical
• How trust and preparation enabled the team to recover and continue the mission

Key Lesson:  When challenges arise, disciplined communication and training prevent panic.

The International Space Station Today

Bill also shares insights about the International Space Station (ISS), which has now been continuously crewed for over 25 years.

He discusses how ISS research helps improve life on Earth through studies involving:

• Human physiology
• Bone density and osteoporosis
• Immune system changes in space
• Combustion science
• Pharmaceuticals
• Exercise and long-duration health

Fascinating Fact:

Astronaut Peggy Whitson returned from a six-month mission with increased bone density due to rigorous exercise protocols.

Artemis & The Future of Human Spaceflight

Bill reflects on the Artemis program and the next generation of lunar exploration.

He praises the Artemis crew for:

• Building strong relationships over years of training
• Bringing the broader support team into the mission
• Demonstrating exceptional professionalism and teamwork

He also highlights the importance of making every contributor feel connected to the mission — from astronauts to ground crews.

Favorite Quotes from the Episode

“You train like you fight, and fight like you train.”

“Be humble and be a good listener.”

“Mission. Men. Me.”

“The mission becomes everybody’s mission.”

“You train with everything broken.”

Key Takeaways

1. Preparation Builds Confidence

Elite teams don’t simply hope things go right — they rehearse failure repeatedly until response becomes automatic.

2. Trust Is Built Through Shared Experience

NASA’s culture of simulations, debriefs, accountability, and humility creates extraordinary trust.

3. Humility Strengthens Leadership

The best leaders prioritize the mission and the team above themselves.

4. Communication Matters Most During Crisis

Clear communication prevents confusion and keeps teams aligned under pressure.

5. Great Leaders Bring Everyone Into the Mission

People perform at their best when they feel ownership and purpose.

Connect with "Be Undaunted"

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Leave a review, share the episode, and send suggestions for future guests and topics.

High Trust Leadership by George Dom

https://www.georgedom.com/book

More about George Dom:

https://www.georgedom.com/

More about Tara Collingwood:

https://www.dietdiva.net/

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube

Be Undaunted is produced by JAG Podcast Productions: www.jagpodcastproductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Be Undaunted, Tara Collingwood and George Dom dive into a powerful truth: stress doesn’t break trust, it reveals it.

When deadlines tighten, uncertainty rises, and emotions run high, our habits, not our intentions, take over. So what does that mean for leadership, teamwork, and personal growth?

They explore the 5 pillars of high trust and how each one either strengthens or breaks down under pressure.

Key Takeaways

• Stress amplifies who we already are, it doesn’t create new behaviors.
• Under pressure, people fall back on habits and training, not intentions.
• Trust can actually grow stronger during difficult times if handled well.
• Awareness is the first step to improving how you show up under stress.

The 5 Pillars of Trust (and How They Show Up Under Stress)

1. Character – Do you walk your talk?

Breaks down as:

• Blaming others
• Deflecting responsibility
• Denying mistakes to protect ego

Strong leaders:

• Take ownership
• Admit mistakes
• Lead with authenticity and integrity

“Character is most visible when it’s most inconvenient.”

2. Commitment – Do you put the team first?

Breaks down as:

• Taking shortcuts
• Lowering standards
• Prioritizing self over team

Strong leaders:

• Follow through on promises
• Stay disciplined
• Anchor decisions in purpose (“the why”)

3. Competence – Are you capable and relevant?

Breaks down as:

• Rushing and multitasking
• Sloppy execution
• Reacting instead of following process

Strong leaders:

• Stay calm and disciplined
• Trust their training and systems
• Slow down to execute effectively

“Under pressure, we don’t need more intensity.  We need more discipline.”

4. Connection – Do people feel understood?

Breaks down as:

• Withdrawing or isolating
• Barking orders without listening
• Failing to engage the team

Strong leaders:

• Stay engaged and present
• Ask thoughtful questions
• Make people feel heard (even if they don’t get their way)

5. Communication – Do people understand you?

Breaks down as:

• Being vague or unclear
• Making assumptions
• Thinking “I said it once, so they got it”

Strong leaders:

• Communicate clearly and consistently
• Check for understanding
• Share intent, not just information

Real Talk on Stress

• Stress triggers fight-or-flight responses, physically and emotionally.
• Common reactions include:

Recognizing your personal stress patterns is key to managing them.

Actionable Reflection

Ask yourself:

• Which pillar breaks down for me under stress?
• What patterns or habits do I fall back on?
• What will I do differently next time I feel pressure rising?

Awareness to Intention to Better Behavior

Practical Tips

• “Wind the clock” Pause before reacting and follow your process
• Train consistently during calm periods so you’re prepared for chaos
• Don’t wait until trust is broken, build it daily
• Ask a trusted person for honest feedback on how you show up

Mentioned

• High Trust Leadership by George Dom

Enjoying the Podcast?

Follow, subscribe, and leave a 5-star review on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.
Have a topic suggestion? We’d love to hear from you!

Closing Thought

Never waste a crisis.
Stress is a mirror:  use it to learn, grow, and lead better.

High Trust Leadership by George Dom

https://www.georgedom.com/book

More about George Dom:

https://www.georgedom.com/

More about Tara Collingwood:

https://www.dietdiva.net/

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube

Be Undaunted is produced by JAG Podcast Productions: www.jagpodcastproductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After losing her husband in a tragic accident at just 37 years old, Carolyn turned unimaginable grief into a mission that now supports thousands of widowed women worldwide. Together, they explore the emotional, physical, and societal challenges of widowhood and how resilience, community, and purpose can lead to healing and growth.

This conversation is not just for widows, it’s for anyone navigating loss, identity shifts, or life’s unexpected challenges.

1. The Reality of Widowhood

• Sudden loss can erase memory, identity, and sense of self
• The first year is often marked by shock and survival mode
• Widowhood impacts emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being 

2. The Hidden Struggles After Loss

• Anxiety, PTSD, and panic attacks are common but often unrecognized
• Many widows struggle to find support for themselves after helping their children
• There is a major gap in long-term care beyond initial grief support 

3. From Grief to Growth

• Traditional grief support is crisis-focused, but what comes next?
• Carolyn created a pathway: Hope → Heal → Grow → Lead
• True healing includes rebuilding identity, purpose, and future vision

4. The Power of Community (“Finding Your Tribe”)

• Healing accelerates when you connect with others who understand your experience
• Social support reduces isolation, overwhelm, and loneliness
• Sometimes you need to “borrow courage” from others to move forward

5. Building the Modern Widows Club

• Started with just three women in a living room
• Grew into a global movement supporting thousands annually
• Focuses on post-traumatic growth, not just grief

6. Advocacy & Awareness

• Widowhood affects millions, yet remains overlooked in policy, healthcare, and financial systems
• The average age of a widow in the U.S. is 59, challenging common stereotypes
• Carolyn’s work is reshaping how society supports widowed women

7. A Powerful Perspective on Love & Loss

• “Every widowhood story starts with a love story.”
• Widowhood represents a promise honored--love that continues beyond loss

Memorable Quotes

• “I looked the same on the outside. I was nothing of the same on the inside.” 
• “Widows are true survivors.” 
• “Sometimes you have to borrow courage from someone else.” 
• “No widow wants to stay in grief, they want somewhere to grow.” 
• “Every widowhood story starts with a love story.” 

Resources & Links

• Modern Widows Club:https://modernwidowsclub.org
• Carolyn Moor:  https://www.carolynmoor.com       
• Follow Carolyn Moor & Modern Widows Club on social media
• IG: @carolyncaplemoor
• IG:  @modernwidowsclub

Call to Action

If this episode resonated with you:

• Follow or subscribe to Be Undaunted on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite platform
• Leave a rating and review—it helps others find the show
• Share this episode with someone who may need support or inspiration

Final Thought

Loss may change your life, but it doesn’t end your story. With support, courage, and community, healing can lead to growth, purpose, and even renewed joy.

High Trust Leadership by George Dom

https://www.georgedom.com/book

More about George Dom:

https://www.georgedom.com/

More about Tara Collingwood:

https://www.dietdiva.net/

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube

Be Undaunted is produced by JAG Podcast Productions: www.jagpodcastproductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Recovery: The Missing Link in Sustained High Performance

In Episode 5 of Be Undaunted, Tara Collingwood and George Dom tackle one of the most overlooked drivers of performance: recovery. Using stories from both elite athletics and executive leadership, they explore why high performers don’t break down from a lack of discipline — they break down from a lack of restoration.

“Performance doesn’t grow during stress. It grows during recovery.”

Episode Highlights

Two Stories, One Pattern

Tara opens with two high performers:

• An endurance athlete who trained harder and harder… until performance started going backwards.
• A leader who wore exhaustion as a badge of honor… until he became reactive, impatient, and depleted.

Both were driven and disciplined — but both ignored the same truth:

Chronic stress without recovery creates diminishing returns.

Core Concept: Recovery Is More Than Sleep

Tara and George unpack that recovery isn’t just vacations or “catching up on sleep.” It’s anything that restores you across the four dimensions of energy:

1) Physical Recovery

• Sleep (the foundation)
• Nutrition & hydration
• Exercise and “active recovery” breaks
• Sunlight exposure
• Reducing reliance on “false energy” (caffeine/energy drinks) and alcohol

Tara’s take: caffeine can help short-term, but too much disrupts sleep and creates a cycle.

2) Mental Recovery

• Stepping away from cognitively intense work
• Minimizing task switching and constant pings
• Walking without headphones
• Meditation or deep breathing
• Doing nothing (boredom as a reset)
• Naps (15–20 minutes can be a game-changer)

Key insight: recovery in one dimension can be stress (and growth) in another — exercise is a prime example.

3) Emotional Recovery

• Music (and dancing is a bonus)
• Journaling (pen to paper is especially powerful)
• Human connection instead of defaulting to screens
• Creating space for emotions to settle

Tara’s favorite tool: journaling for emotional regulation and calm.

4) Spiritual Recovery

This isn’t “woo-woo.” It’s meaning, values, and purpose.

• Reflection
• Reading biographies and stories of resilience
• Meditation and journaling
• Faith practices (if applicable)
• Sleep as perspective reset (“it’ll be better in the morning”)

Tara’s Must-Have: Gratitude Practice

Tara shares her daily use of Gratitude 365 app and how it changes the way she experiences her entire day.

Gratitude isn’t just a moment of recovery. It trains your brain to look for recovery.

George confirms he uses a gratitude prompt in his journal.

Signs You’re Not Recovering Well

Tara highlights common markers:

• Poor sleep
• Irritability
• Declining performance
• Frequent illness/injury
• Emotional numbness or resentment

George adds that leaders must monitor the energy of their teams, because:

You will get recovery, but it just may not be on your terms.
(Think: injury, burnout, heart attack, divorce, immune breakdown.)

Effective leaders build recovery intentionally before breakdown forces it.

The Rhythm of High Performance

George emphasizes:

• Stress is not the enemy:  no stress, no growth
• The real problem is unrelenting chronic stress
• High performers must oscillate: sprint + recover, repeat

The Daily Rhythm: 90-Minute Cycles

They recommend:

• 60–90 minutes of fully engaged work
• 5–10 minutes of recovery
• Repeat throughout the day (hydrate, walk, snack, breathe)

Mental Health Days & Leadership Modeling

Tara discusses the growing acceptance of “mental health days” and argues leaders should model recovery:

If leaders don’t demonstrate recovery, teams won’t feel safe doing it.

George agrees: leaders set the standard by what they live, not what they say.

The Work-to-Home Transition Ritual

A powerful segment on “leaving work at work.”

George shares a story from a 360 review where a 5-year-old said:

“I don’t think my dad likes me because when I’m around he’s always angry and tired.”

George’s solution: pick a landmark on your drive home (a bridge, exit, stop sign).
When you pass it, you intentionally shift gears:

• music
• gratitude
• remembering who matters most
• arriving present

Tara shares her own ritual: stopping near a lake to breathe, pray, and reset before stepping into parenting.

Key Quotes

• “Recovery is where growth happens.”
• “It’s not stress that’s stressing you out, it’s the lack of recovery.”
• “You will get recovery, and it may just not be on your terms.”
• “Let’s oscillate and be undaunted.”

Try This This Week

• Work in 90-minute blocks, then take 5–10 minutes to reset
• Schedule one “Sabbath” window weekly: unscheduled time
• Create a work-to-home transition ritual (landmark method)
• Pick one recovery habit in each dimension (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual)

Listen & Subscribe

Follow/Subscribe to Be Undaunted on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
If you enjoyed the episode, leave a rating and review, it helps more people find the show.

Until next time: Be Undaunted.

High Trust Leadership by George Dom

https://www.georgedom.com/book

More about George Dom:

https://www.georgedom.com/

More about Tara Collingwood:

https://www.dietdiva.net/

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube

Be Undaunted is produced by JAG Podcast Productions: www.jagpodcastproductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dr. Jim Loehr: Energy Is the Currency of High Performance

In this powerful episode of Be Undaunted, George and Tara welcome world-renowned performance psychologist Dr. Jim Loehr, co-founder of the Human Performance Institute and author of 19 books, including The Power of Full Engagement, Mental Toughness, and Leading with Character.

Dr. Loehr is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. His groundbreaking work on energy management has shaped elite performers across business, sport, medicine, military, and law enforcement.

This conversation explores a foundational truth:

Energy, not time, is the fundamental currency of performance and life.

Energy Is Life

• Life begins with a pulse of energy and ends when it’s gone.
• Every cell in the body produces energy via mitochondria.
• Energy fuels everything:  physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
• Time alone has no power. It’s the energy you bring to time that creates impact.

Energy Management vs. Time Management

Dr. Loehr challenges the traditional time management model.

“Time has no force. It’s the intersection of energy and time that gives life meaning.”

You can spend hours with family or at work, but without full engagement, the return is minimal or even negative.

The Four Dimensions of Energy

Energy isn’t just physical stamina. It has four dimensions:

1. Physical – Quantity of energy (cellular fuel)
2. Emotional – Quality of energy (positive vs. negative emotions)
3. Mental – Focus of energy (attention and concentration)
4. Spiritual – Intensity of energy (purpose, values, character)

High performance requires training in all four.

The Four Emotional Energy Quadrants

Leaders often live in the High Negative quadrant:

• Stress
• Pressure
• Fear
• Anxiety
• Dread

While this state can drive short-term results, it is toxic over time and leads to burnout.

The key is oscillation:

• Stress + Recovery
• Expenditure + Renewal
• High performance + Strategic disengagement

“Fully engaged when it matters. Disengaged when it doesn’t.”

Recovery Is Not for Wimps

A major myth Dr. Loehr dismantles:

“Recovery is not for wimps. Recovery is for superstars.”

Growth happens during recovery.
Sleep is the most critical recovery window.
Without oscillation between stress and recovery, performance deteriorates.

Corporate leaders often lack an “off season,” making intentional recovery even more essential.

Training Emotional & Spiritual Muscles

Just like physical muscles, emotional and character “muscles” grow through stress and recovery.

Want more:

• Patience?
• Integrity?
• Compassion?
• Resilience?

You must intentionally invest energy in those qualities.

If you don’t train them, they atrophy.

The Tombstone Exercise

Dr. Loehr shares his powerful “tombstone” exercise, used with elite athletes and executives.

When asked what they want engraved on their tombstone:

• No one chooses revenue targets.
• No one chooses accolades.
• No one chooses titles.

Instead, they choose:

• Kindness
• Integrity
• How they treated others
• The impact they had on people

This reveals what Dr. Loehr calls:

“The Hidden Scorecard: How we treat others is the ultimate measure of a life.”

Standout Quotes

• “Energy is the substrate of all the hard sciences.”
• “Where your energy goes, you give life.”
• “Fully engaged when it matters. Disengaged when it doesn’t.”
• “Recovery is not for wimps.”
• “The way we treat others is the ultimate scorecard.”

Practical Takeaways

• Audit where your energy is leaking.
• Build micro-recovery into your day.
• Train in all four dimensions of energy:  physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
• Be aware of the emotional tone you bring into rooms.
• Consider what would be on your tombstone.

Learn More About Dr. Jim Loehr

Dr. Loehr’s work, books, and resources can be found at:  https://www.jim-loehr.com/

If you enjoyed this episode:
Subscribe/Follow on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube
Leave a 5-star rating
Share with someone striving to lead at a higher level

Until next time — Be Undaunted.

High Trust Leadership by George Dom

https://www.georgedom.com/book

More about George Dom:

https://www.georgedom.com/

More about Tara Collingwood:

https://www.dietdiva.net/

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube

Be Undaunted is produced by JAG Podcast Productions: www.jagpodcastproductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rather than adding to the noise of countless books and definitions, Tara and George break leadership down to its core and explore what it really means to lead, whether you're running a company, parenting a family, coaching a team, or simply leading yourself.

What Is Leadership Really?

If you ask 10 people to define leadership, you’ll likely get 10 different answers. George reframes the conversation:

• Leadership is about change.
• If nothing needs to change, you don’t need leadership, you need management.
• Leadership is about going somewhere new, taking new ground, and navigating uncertainty.

Leadership isn’t about titles, rank, or corner offices. It’s about influence.

“It’s not about rank or job. It’s about how your presence influences everyone around you.”

Everyone Is a Leader

Tara shares how she once felt intimidated by the word “leadership,” assuming it applied only to CEOs and executives. But leadership shows up in everyday life:

• Parents leading their families
• Coaches leading athletes
• Teammates setting the standard
• Individuals leading themselves

Leadership begins with the hardest person to lead: yourself.

Are you showing up with integrity? Energy? Discipline? Emotional regulation? That’s leadership.

Leadership at Every Level

Drawing from his experience commanding a Navy squadron, George explains that high performing teams don’t rely on a single leader at the top. They develop:

• Leaders at every level
• Shared vision and responsibility
• Personal accountability
• High trust

Organizations that depend on hierarchy alone move too slowly. Modern leadership requires distributed influence.

The Power of Trust

Trust is the foundation of effective leadership.

• Trust requires vulnerability
• Leaders must walk their talk
• Promises must be kept
• Integrity must hold under pressure

George distinguishes between honesty and candor:

• Honesty: Telling the truth when asked
• Candor: Bringing the truth forward before being asked

And here’s the key:
If you invite truth but react poorly when you hear it, you may never hear it again.

Energy Is Contagious

Leadership energy spreads:  good or bad.

If you show up exhausted, disengaged, or burned out, your team will feel it. Leaders must manage:

• Their own physical and emotional energy
• The collective energy of the team
• The rhythm between stress and recovery

Tara highlights real-world signs of burnout (like emails at all hours) and emphasizes the importance of modeling recovery, rest, and self care.

“Your body is business relevant.”

Without proper sleep, nutrition, movement, and recovery, leadership suffers.

Leadership in Uncertainty

Leadership shows up most clearly in moments of change and crisis.

Change always brings anxiety. Leaders can’t eliminate fear, but they can absorb it.

People don’t follow plans when they’re anxious.
They follow people.

Authentic leaders acknowledge uncertainty while reinforcing shared values and collective strength:

“Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about becoming someone others are willing to follow when the answers aren’t obvious.”

Key Takeaways

• Leadership starts with how you show up.
• You can’t lead others farther than you’re willing to lead yourself.
• Titles don’t make leaders: character does.
• Trust, candor, and integrity are non-negotiable.
• Energy management is leadership responsibility.
• In times of uncertainty, people follow leaders, not strategies.

Reflection Question

If leadership starts with how you show up, not just when the sun is shining, but in the middle of the storm.  How are you showing up today?

Follow and subscribe to Be Undaunted on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen.  Also please rate and leave a comment if you enjoyed the podcast.

Until next time—be undaunted.

High Trust Leadership by George Dom

https://www.georgedom.com/book

More about George Dom:

https://www.georgedom.com/

More about Tara Collingwood:

https://www.dietdiva.net/

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube

Be Undaunted is produced by JAG Podcast Productions: www.jagpodcastproductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Key Topics & Takeaways

1) From “fat and lazy” to the first brave step

Ryan didn’t wake up wanting to be an ice swimmer. He started by joining a client’s swim squad, tried to keep up in a fast lane, and ended up so wrecked he had to stop and vomit. But the real turning point? He showed up again the next day.
Takeaway: The comeback after embarrassment is often the true beginning.

2) The moment a “pedestal” goal becomes possible

Ryan met someone who had swum from Robben Island to Blouberg Beach (South Africa) about 4.5 miles, averaging ~2.5 hours for many swimmers and you have to do it without a wetsuit (to make it “count”). Being in the same lane as “someone who did that” made the impossible feel… reachable.
Takeaway: Proximity to people doing hard things expands your belief in what’s possible.

3) Cold water as a classroom

Ryan didn’t choose cold water.  Cape Town’s waters are cold. Over time he learned the cold isn’t just physical; it triggers a powerful mental alarm system.
Core idea: Humans evolved to avoid cold, not endure it. Your brain will scream “danger—get out” long before you’re truly at your limit.

4) What he thinks about for hours in training

Ryan describes long pool sessions (7–10 km workouts/hundreds of laps) and how his mind stays anchored to purpose: the “why,” the goal ahead, and small motivators (yes, even Strava accountability).
Takeaway: Long endurance is built in boring places, day after day.

5) Fueling an ultra swim (and why marshmallows matter)

Feeding while swimming is a logistical puzzle: you’re treading water, trying not to sink, keeping feeds short, and fighting cold. Ryan explains why marshmallows are a favorite:

• easy to eat fast
• don’t turn into rock-hard toffee like chocolate can in cold conditions
• a “treat” that helps mentally bridge to the next feed
  Takeaway: Perfect nutrition matters, but something you like can be the difference between finishing and quitting.

6) Panic, breathing, and the mind under stress

Tara relates to open-water anxiety where breathing control changes when your face is in the water. Ryan explains how early cold and fatigue can trigger mental spirals and why it helps to expect those thoughts and not treat them as truth.

7) The “pain cave” and staying when it’s awful

George brings up endurance runner Courtney Dauwalter’s “pain cave.” Ryan agrees: the goal isn’t to love pain but rather it’s to recognize it, train around it, and learn its patterns.
Takeaway: Experience teaches you the difference between “this is hard” and “this is dangerous.”

8) The mind’s “end point” vs the real end point

One of the biggest episode mic drops:

• Your brain has an “end point” where it insists you must stop.
• But that point is often far earlier than the body’s true limit.
  Takeaway: Growth lives in the gap between what your mind claims is the limit and what’s actually possible.

9) Failure isn’t automatically valuable

Ryan shares a life-changing failure: during a North Channel attempt, he experienced SIPE (swimming-induced pulmonary edema) and nearly died. But the bigger lesson came later in how he initially mismanaged that failure by blaming everything and not processing it.
He introduces two types of failure:

• Good failure: you get introspective, learn, adjust
• Bad failure: you bury it, blame, quit, or repeat patterns
  Takeaway: Failure only becomes fuel when you extract the lesson.

10) His final challenge to listeners

Ryan’s closing advice:

• Don’t only set goals you know how to achieve.
• Pick the goal one notch beyond certainty—where there’s no roadmap.
• Find your own “classroom” (doesn’t have to be cold water).
• Understand your mind is overprotective, and we can learn to manage it.

Take Home Messages:

• “It’s very commonly known it’s 30% body and 70% mind.”
• “Your mind is designed to keep you safe… and it’s a little overzealous.”
• “Not all failure is good… growth comes from introspection.”

Ryan Stramrood reminds us that being undaunted isn’t about being fearless.  Rather it’s about understanding your brain’s protective instincts, choosing a hard goal anyway, and learning to keep moving when discomfort shows up.

Be Undaunted.

Ryan Stramrood is an ultra open-water and ice swimmer, internationally sought-after speaker, and author of Push Past Impossible. He’s completed extreme swims in places including Siberia, Antarctica, and South Africa’s shark-inhabited waters—and has completed the Robben Island crossing 145 times.

Book:Push Past Impossible — Ryan Stramrood

Ryan Stramrood:  https://ryanstramrood.com/

High Trust Leadership by George Dom

https://www.georgedom.com/book

More about George Dom:

https://www.georgedom.com/

More about Tara Collingwood:

https://www.dietdiva.net/

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube

Be Undaunted is produced by JAG Podcast Productions: www.jagpodcastproductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Being undaunted doesn’t mean being fearless or reckless. Instead, it’s about acting with intention despite fear, leaning into our values, managing our energy, and showing up even when it’s easier not to. We emphasize that undaunted people — and leaders — are not perfect, but they are intentional and resilient.

George shares a framework of three core traits he’s seen in undaunted leaders across high-performing military and corporate teams: clarity, trust, and energy. Clarity means knowing the mission — or, in civilian terms, your purpose. Trust is the foundation of high-functioning teams, and without it, teams become fragile and ineffective. Energy is the third pillar, and it’s not just about managing time — it’s about managing personal energy across physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions.

I expand on energy from a performance nutrition perspective, focusing on four key areas: nutrition (what and when we eat), movement (how inactivity affects our brain and body), recovery (both sleep and true rest), and how our physical state affects our leadership and relationships. Without energy, we simply can’t show up as our best selves.

We also discuss the importance of mindset. Without a compelling why, real change doesn’t happen. Values, we agree, must be more than words — they must be lived and reinforced through culture. George shares how his company created alignment between core values and daily behavior by recognizing team members who exemplified those values each month, turning ideas into action.

We wrap by setting expectations for what’s to come in the podcast: honest conversations between the two of us, practical tools, powerful guest stories, and strategies to help all of us lead more intentionally, recover more deeply, and build trust at every level — in work and in life.

(00:00) – Intro
(00:34) – What Does “Be Undaunted” Mean?
(03:12) – Clarity, Trust, and Energy in Leadership
(06:03) – Defining Mission and Purpose
(08:09) – Why Trust Is the Foundation of Great Teams
(10:21) – Physical Energy and Performance Nutrition
(14:00) – Training Energy Across All Dimensions
(15:26) – The Role of Mindset and Values in Leadership
(17:33) – Bringing Company Values to Life
(18:44) – Creating a Positive Work Culture
(20:34) – Why We Launched This Podcast
(21:13) – Final Thoughts: Be Undaunted

High Trust Leadership by George Dom

https://www.georgedom.com/book

More about George Dom:

https://www.georgedom.com/

More about Tara Collingwood:

https://www.dietdiva.net/

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube

Be Undaunted is produced by JAG Podcast Productions: www.jagpodcastproductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

George Dom is a former Navy figher pilot, Blue Angels flight leader, and corporate executive.

Tara Collingwood has been a performance dietitian to Olympians, CEOs, and everyday people who are under pressure.

We specialize in high-performance leadership and people who want to lead their lives more intentionally.  Instead of trying to get by, we want to help you build the types of energy systems that make life feel doable and exciting again.

In the Be Undaunted podcast, you'll hear stories from the cockpit to the sidelines to the boardroom, and people living every day life at full speed.

We'll talk about resilience, clarity, mistakes, and lessons that make us both better leaders - and better humans.

We aren't just talking about physical energy, but mental and emotional energy too.

In each episode, we'll give you something that you can put into action right away - a mindset shift, skill, strategy, or simply a better way to think about the day ahead.

If you're ready to grow, strengthen your leadership, and reclaim your energy; if you're ready to feel more intentional, and more capable, you're in the right place.

Welcome to Be Undaunted.

High Trust Leadership by George Dom

https://www.georgedom.com/book

More about George Dom:

https://www.georgedom.com/

More about Tara Collingwood:

https://www.dietdiva.net/

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube

Be Undaunted is produced by JAG Podcast Productions: www.jagpodcastproductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.