Professional triathlete Matti Weitz is our guest today, and he is living the example of what it looks like to answer a calling.

Thriving as an age group triathlete, Matti was also successful in business as a Sports Physiotherapy; he was on route to building an empire, and by all means, society would say he should have continued toward the professional and financial success that was inevitable, but that's not what he did.

As his passion for triathlon was building, his fulfillment in his profession was falling, and he couldn't help but wonder what life would look like if we put 100% of his focus into his sport.

In 2023, Matti took the leap despite his fears and stepped up into a role that he could no longer ignore. He's been documenting his journey on his YouTube channel from mindset to frugality, workout sessions, and recovery; Matti is openly sharing his story.

He is embracing patience, facing fears, and putting himself out there for us all to see as he documents his patient pursuit of becoming the very best in the sport of triathlon. Jess and BJ were thrilled to connect with Matti and look forward to connecting in person this spring at Ironman Oceanside 70.3. Will you be there? Let us know.

In this episode:

- Beginnings started with excelling at Judo
- Not quitting this time 
- Choosing passion over profession
- Growing up in Germany and expectations of the culture
- Shadow careers
- Developing intuition 
- 10-day training cycles
- Having objective people around you for honest feedback
- Living the monk lifestyle
- The central governor system
- Being in the moment
- Journaling - 3 things I’m grateful for
- How did martial arts form your current mindset
- His first pro-race experience
- Comparison is the thief of joy
- Staying process-driven vs outcome-oriented
- Feeling fear vs repressing it
- Building community through Live Q&A on his YouTube
- Staying frugal with triathlon expenses
- What is the big dream and vision
- Growing up in a culture that shares the same mindset
- Learn to dream

Shadow Careers That Keep Us From Our Calling, A Chat With 1st Year Pro Triathlete Matti Weitz

Hello, SPIRITUAL WARRIOR! I love connecting with you! Follow me on social media, and check out my website for more information on how meditation can reduce your stress, help you make more conscious choices and improve your relationships. I have 300+ free guided meditations, educational and inspirational blog posts, my calendar of upcoming events, and much more at davidji.com. Don't hesitate to send me an email if you have questions or need guidance. Peace - davidji

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Transform FEAR into TRUST Guided Meditation

Imagine yourself on mile 5 of an Ironman marathon and you feel great. You are on goal pace.

"It's all coming together, this is THE race I've been waiting for".

Then you look at your heart rate and it's 10 beats higher than what it should be and all of a sudden you don't feel as good and you slow down and your dreams are left to fade away for another day.

Sadly, this is common series of events for athletes who rely too heavily, because they have never trained any other way, on that external piece of equipment called the watch. Data is good, heck yes, but detaching from data to get to know thyself proves far more valuable when it comes down to pivotal moments in training and racing.

By practicing letting go of the watch in training we create space to develop a skillful awareness of our bodies and minds that lifts the limits that numbers can impose. Again data is good, it helps us get a sense of where we are in our pace and exertion levels but it's not the end all and be all of training. Envision going out for a workout and knowing, without question, your heart rate within a beat, pace within seconds and sustained wattage based on your breath and perceived exertion through heightened body awareness. How might that benefit you in a race when your bike computer fails or your watch battery dies?

BJ was introduced to this first hand from our guest today and has relied on it many times when his bike computer has failed and his watch battery has died. In fact, BJ's regular practice is to race without a watch and his times continue to get faster and faster.

Lucho came into our lives a decade ago on a plane ride home from Ironman Arizona. He struck up a conversation with BJ and from that moment on he was a changed athlete. Lucho soon became BJ's coach and has remained his mentor for many years.

Lucho is an accomplished athlete, he was a very active kid. He ran in high school which led to a scholarship to college which led to a unique twist which led to travels which led to a hurricane which led to his introduction to triathlon. In 2000 Lucho was the top amateur at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, HI and 16th overall. It was after this incredible accomplishment that he turned pro. He's a multi-time course record breaker in the sport of triathlon and ultra running. He utilizes his athletic experiences, especially the crummy ones, to self-reflect and learn so that he can rise back up to the next challenge as a better-equipped athlete and human. He is constantly reinventing himself and most recently he's been hitting the track to see what kind of speed he is capable of at this point in his life.

Lucho is so transparent, he's really an open book and I love that about him. We've known him for ten years and even though this is the second time I've met him in person I feel like I've been right by his side through times of joy and otherwise as we've followed his journey through his blog and by listening to him on his Endurance Planet podcast.

This conversation is most definitely one to listen to a few times, there is so much gold in here for athletes from the traditional training standpoint but also in the development of self-awareness and mental strength.

Thank you so much for your support, we couldn't do it with you all. We have a goal of 100 reviews on Apple Podcast by the end of August so if you enjoy today's show please go and leave a few sentences in support of the YTP.

Sit back, unplug and get ready to really plug into an awesome conversation with an accomplished athlete, coach, podcaster, dad, husband, and cake artist.

Podcast 66: Tim "Lucho" Waggoner from All American to Two Packs a Day to Ironman to Leadman

YogiTriathlete and its co-founders, Jess and BJ, are waking up and shaking up the world of endurance sports. Their approach is anything but mainstream and they are known to go deep. Buckle up because jumping on this train has the power to change your life forever.

Shadow Careers That Keep Us From Our Calling, A Chat With 1st Year Pro Triathlete Matti Weitz

YogiTriathlete Podcast

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