Win the Day

“Wherever you are, be there.” – Jim Rohn
One of the most common questions people ask me is: “I already know what to do—so why can’t I do it?”
Whether it’s workplace productivity, phone distraction, missed workouts, healthy eating, or simply getting to bed on time, the gap between knowing and doing almost never comes down to willpower.
In this minisode, I break down the core reason behind the "execution gap"—and why underperformance is almost always a structural problem rather than a lack of motivation.
I also walk you through the WIN Method: the exact 3-step framework I use with high-growth organizations to optimize daily performance, eliminate stress, and design an environment where winning becomes automatic.
We get super tactical in this one! Let's go...
Onward,
James
PS —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join 25K+ other subscribers on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🍿
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Links and resources mentioned:
🗝️ If you want to learn more about how Win the Day can help your organization, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠let’s talk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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#WinTheDay

"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it." — Henry David Thoreau
Have you ever tied your self-worth to your career success?
In our fast-paced world, it’s one of the most dangerous traps there is...
Brooke Taylor built her career in the high-pressure hallways of Silicon Valley. Yet, despite the external validation, Brooke found herself trapped in a cycle of "manic ambition" and severe burnout.
It was a profound personal crisis that forced her to dismantle her own definition of achievement.
Today, Brooke is the secret weapon for elite executive women at the world’s most influential organizations, including Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, and Uber.
Her new book Healing the Success Wound has just been released.
In this episode:
• How to build a world-class career without destroying your life in the process.
• Where your Success Wound comes from—and the exact process to heal it.
• Why high achievers mistake success for self-worth.
• How to maintain a high-performing career without turning your home life into a second job.
Let’s WIN THE DAY with Brooke Taylor!
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🎬 Episode website (including 4K video, full transcript, best quotes, etc.): https://jameswhitt.com/294-win-the-day-podcast-brooke-taylor
_
Episode links:
🎯 What’s the ONE thing the world’s top performers do to win their day? Download your FREE playbook “⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠50 Ways to Win the Day⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠” and find out
📚 ‘Healing the Success Wound’ by Brooke Taylor
⚡ Brooke Taylor website
📷 Brooke Taylor Instagram
📱 Brooke Taylor TikTok
🎬 Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Win the Day YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ channel
💚 Give the Win the Day podcast a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠5-star rating on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
🙏 Give the Win the Day podcast a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠5-star rating on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Timemarkers:
00:00 Meet Brooke Taylor: how to untangle your self-worth from your career KPIs
1:45 Interview starts
2:06 Why high achievers tie their self-worth to achievement
3:53 How childhood praise creates a lifelong need for external validation
5:22 Burnout: what high-functioning addiction actually looks like — and Brooke Taylor’s journey with alcoholism
7:32 How to recognize rock bottom in a successful career
8:55 Why addiction isn't about the substance — and what recovery really treats
10:12 How to stop negative self-talk: build self-worth, not confidence
12:27 How to make faster decisions (and stop worrying about not having all the information)
14:06 How to journal daily: the exact prompts that James Whittaker uses to win the day
16:25 How to know if you're on the right career path: 3 signs
18:01 How to find your zone of genius (better than StrengthsFinder)
20:09 How to find fulfillment in a job you can't quit yet
21:28 Secrets carry energy – stop carrying yours (advice from Dr. Gabor Maté)
22:42 Imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and burnout: the real root cause
25:44 Will healing burnout make you lose your competitive edge?
28:01 How to switch off work mode when you get home
30:24 Success wound: The more you achieve, the happier you are
32:00 Harvard Psychologist: How to manage stress and anxiety with one simple question
33:31 Solve burnout by fixing this one thing in your daily routine
35:38 Work-life balance for dual-income parents with young kids
39:29 What women need in the workplace
41:40 Career vs kids: How to decide when you want both
46:32 Why you should never compare your ambition with others
48:54 Affirmation for your worst day (success comes from being, not doing)
50:48 Rocket Round
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Want to support the show?
1. Hit 'Follow'.
2. Leave a 5-star rating.
3. Share this episode with a friend.
This will help the podcast get discovered by more people so they can Win the Day, too.
Thank you for your support! It truly means a lot 💕
Onward and upward always…
#WinTheDay
PS — Enjoyed this episode? You'll love this one, too:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠
Episode 282: The ROI of Calm with Sunaina Sinha

"We do not remember days, we remember moments." — Cesare Pavese
How much of your life have you forgotten?
In our fast-paced, stressed-out world, all the days blur into one.
But what if you had a way to leverage every impactful moment you have into the ultimate compass for your decision making?
All of a sudden the dream life you want becomes a reality.
Onward,
James
PS —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join 25K+ other subscribers on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🍿
_
Links and resources mentioned:
🗝️ If you lead a team and want to learn more about how Win the Day can help your organization, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠let’s talk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
✍️ Journaling app: Day One
_
Listening on Spotify?
Leave a comment to share your thoughts or a question if you need my help.
Want to support the show?
1. Hit 'Follow' and leave a 5-star rating to help others discover the show.
2. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apple.co/3b29Q2U⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
3. Leave a 5-star rating on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3cKIDT6⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
4. Share the episode with a friend so they can benefit, too.
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Your support is greatly appreciated 💜
#WinTheDay

“Until death, all defeat is psychological.” — Marcus Aurelius
How can you make good decisions for your future, especially in a world of noise, overwhelm, and pressure?
Our guest Jon Fussell (known as “Fuss”) is a retired Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander. Over a 20-year military career, he led the most elite special mission units on hundreds of direct-action combat missions across eight deployments.
Fuss served in tactical leadership roles on SEAL Teams 3, 4, 10, as well as SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two. He then served as a Troop Commander at the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (SEAL Team 6).
Today, as founder of Patriot Leadership Development, Fuss uses real-world battlefield scenarios to teach executives how to navigate intense ethical dilemmas and maintain operational clarity under immense pressure. 
In this episode:
• How to install a culture where "calm is contagious", in the office or at home. 
• The exact framework elite teams use to remain at the top of their game.  
• How to make decisions under pressure that maximize your organizational velocity.  
• The best lessons from a 20-year career in the most elite special forces.
Let’s WIN THE DAY with Jon Fussell!
_
🎬 Episode website (including 4K video, full transcript, best quotes, etc.): https://jameswhitt.com/292-win-the-day-podcast-jonathan-fussell/
_
Episode links:
🇺🇸 Patriot Leadership Development website
🌎 Jon Fussell LinkedIn
🎯 What’s the ONE thing the world’s top performers do to win their day? Download your FREE playbook “⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠50 Ways to Win the Day⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠” and find out
🎬 Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Win the Day YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ channel
💚 Give the Win the Day podcast a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠5-star rating on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
🙏 Give the Win the Day podcast a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠5-star rating on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
_
Timemarkers:
00:00 Meet Jon Fussell: the retired Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander teaching leadership under pressure
1:35 Interview starts
1:48 How wrestling with an older brother forged a warrior mindset
2:58 Why 9/11 and a family military legacy led to the SEAL teams
4:50 The mindset to make it through Navy SEAL training (BUD/S)
6:12 Why the biggest, toughest-looking guy often quit first
6:55 The brotherhood forged in BUD/S — and how 178 candidates became 28 SEALs
9:22 Why quitting can never be an option in your mind
10:44 How bad corporate ethics training sparked Jon Fussell’s new mission
12:52 Mentors from Jon Fussell’s military career
13:35 Leaving SEAL Team 6 for corporate America
17:21 Inside the Benghazi case study: training leaders through life-and-death calls
18:58 The truth about leadership in the military
20:08 What it was like to see SEAL Team 6 in action for the first time
22:53 What to do when a teammate's moral compass fails
26:29 What happens when you retire from SEAL Team 6 — and making peace with identity after an elite career
30:38 How a Navy SEAL would fix our broken political system
35:14 The one habit that separates high-performing teams from average ones
37:35 What special forces operators do before an operation
41:05 How people can make good decisions under pressure
43:42 The daily rituals that keep a former SEAL close to peak performance
45:40 Rocket Round
_
Want to support the show?
1. Hit 'Follow'.
2. Leave a 5-star rating.
3. Share this episode with a friend.
This will help the podcast get discovered by more people so they can Win the Day, too.
Thank you for your support! It truly means a lot 💕
Onward and upward always…
#WinTheDay
PS — Enjoyed this episode? You'll love this one, too:⁠⁠ ⁠Episode 250: Masters of Uncertainty with Rich Diviney

"Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes... including you." – Anne Lamott
I'm back from a 10-day trip to Fiji! It was a lot of fun, but also reminded me of something important.
In this minisode, we'll go through why knowing how to disconnect (even when you're disconnecting) is so important, and something simple to set a better example for those around you.
Onward,
James
PS —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join 25K+ other subscribers on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🍿
_
Links and resources mentioned:
🗝️ If you lead a team and want to learn more about how Win the Day can help your organization, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠let’s talk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
_
Listening on Spotify?
Leave a comment to share your thoughts or a question if you need my help.
Want to support the show?
1. Hit 'Follow' and leave a 5-star rating to help others discover the show.
2. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apple.co/3b29Q2U⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
3. Leave a 5-star rating on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3cKIDT6⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
4. Share the episode with a friend so they can benefit, too.
_
Your support is greatly appreciated 💜
#WinTheDay