16 Brutal Life Lessons for Ambitious People - Michael Smoak - #1083
About this episode
Michael Smoak is a mindset coach, entrepreneur, and podcaster. What does it actually cost to live a great life? From the outside, top performers seem to have everything we want, but the story isn’t that simple. Behind every extraordinary life is a series of trade-offs, sacrifices, and unseen costs. So what is the true price of ambition, and are you willing to pay it? Expect to learn what high-performance actually looks like, what the number one fear that holds people back is and how to get over it, how to face and overcome your fears, why the path to being the best version of yourself should feel somewhat lonely, why most of the things you want in life has an opportunity cost attached to it, why you should always prioritise physical health and much more.. Timestamps: (0:00) The Power of Celebrating Small Wins(11:05) Can Sharing Your Struggles Actually Heal You?(19:41) What Grief Taught Michael(25:54) Why Rock Bottom Can Lead to Your Biggest Wins(34:56) Chris's Health Battle: The Biggest Lessons(39:32) How to Stop Letting Words Control You(42:33) The Moment Michael Nearly Got Cancelled(58:07) Why Fear of Judgement is Holding You Back(01:04:31) Scarcity vs Abundance: Which Mindset Wins?(01:10:47) Why We Chase Feelings, Not Things(01:19:13) Does Feeling Alone Mean You’re On the Right Path?(01:37:48) Why Perseverance is Vital to Succeed(01:47:00) Communication is Your Most Powerful Tool(01:55:35) What Your Etiquette Reveals About You(02:00:42) Where to Find Michael Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get up to 20% off Timeline powered by Mitopure (now at a lower price) at https://timeline.com/modernwisdom Get up to $50 off the RP Hypertrophy App at https://rpstrength.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get 15% off your first order of my favourite Non-Alcoholic Brew at https://athleticbrewing.com/modernwisdom Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins #712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson #700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman - Get In Touch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Listen to this episode in English to learn English
Podcast episodes are one of the highest-density ways to absorb English at native pace. 16 Brutal Life Lessons for Ambitious People - Michael Smoak - #1083 from Modern Wisdom gives you natural dialogue, unscripted speech, and vocabulary that actually appears in real conversations.
In the Hinto app, every word in the transcript is tappable. Tap an unknown word, see the translation in your language instantly, and keep listening without breaking flow.
Episodes to Learn English
- Your Home Might Be Destroying Your Health (& how to fix it) - Michael Feldstein - #1173 Nov 7, 2026
- How War Shaped Human Evolution - David Geary - #1172 Nov 5, 2026
- How To Make Better Decisions (with way less uncertainty) - Joe Hudson - #1171 Nov 2, 2026
- The Art Of Growing Up (just enough) - James Smith - #1170 Oct 31, 2026
- 35 Emotions Explained By Evolutionary Psychology - Rob Kurzban - #1169 Oct 29, 2026
- Crypto Scams, Dopamine Websites, Tasteful Slop & Vape Shop Energy - Rabbit Hole #6 - #1168 Oct 26, 2026
- Positive Psychology Founder: How To Stop Your Negative Thoughts - Martin Seligman - #1167 Oct 24, 2026
- Why Men & Women Are Giving Up On Each Other - Daniel Cox - #1166 Oct 22, 2026
- The Most Hardcore Military Stories In History - The Fat Electrician - #1165 Oct 19, 2026
- Why Pessimism Makes Dumb Ideas Sound Smart - David Deutsch - #1164 Oct 17, 2026
- 9 Harsh Truths No One Wants To Admit - Shaan Puri - #1163 Oct 15, 2026
- “This Is The Most Important Subject I’ve Ever Covered” - Robert Greene - #1162 Oct 12, 2026
- The Only 12 Lessons Buried In Every Self-Help Book - Spencer Greenberg - #1161 Oct 10, 2026
- CIA Whistleblower: Who Actually Runs The US Government? - John Kiriakou - #1160 Oct 8, 2026
- 4 Men Share How They Hit Rock Bottom (and got out) - Dr K, Joe Hudson & Connor Beaton - #1159 Oct 5, 2026
- Willpower Expert: The Secret To Effortless Discipline - Angela Duckworth - #1158 Oct 3, 2026
- How To Go Hard, Even When You Don’t Want To - Sam Sulek - #1157 Oct 1, 2026
- James Sexton, Matt McCusker & Rick Glassman - Mostly Wise #4 - #1156 Sep 28, 2026
- How To Make Your Creativity Beat The Algorithm (Live Performance) - Dylan Gossett - #1155 Sep 26, 2026
- “This Will Be The Most Violent Election Of Our Lifetime” - Robert Pape #1154 Sep 24, 2026
- The New Way For Ordinary People To Build Wealth - Tony Robbins - #1153 Sep 21, 2026
- Why Sydney Sweeney Has Two Big Targets On Her Chest - William Costello - #1152 Sep 19, 2026
- The Brutal Reality For Most Men Today (& how to fix it) - Dr K HealthyGamer - #1151 Sep 17, 2026
- “This Is The Culmination Of Everything I Know” - Dr Andrew Huberman #1150 Sep 14, 2026
- Raccoon Wars, Lindsay Clancy, NFL Scammers & Past Crimes - Matt McCusker #1149 Sep 12, 2026
- Best Peptides, Stem Cells, Testosterone & Exercise Hacks - Biohacking Roundtable - #1148 Sep 10, 2026
- The Hidden Psychology Of Highly Sensitive People - Dr Sasha Hamdani - #1147 Sep 7, 2026
- Couples Therapist: Why Your Brain Turns Your Partner Into An Enemy - Stan Tatkin -#1146 Sep 5, 2026
- Why Working Harder Won’t Make You Rich - Codie Sanchez - #1145 Sep 3, 2026
- WW3 DEBATE: “We’re On the Brink of Global Collapse” - #1144 Aug 31, 2026