greatness

“Face what’s difficult. Don’t run away from it. Use failure as a teacher.”

On Part II of our big 1,000th Episode Special, Lewis continues to revisit the most meaningful episodes in School of Greatness history, discussing the importance of embracing failure, healing from trauma, and being vulnerable in your relationships. We hear from Kobe Bryant, Preethaji, Rob Bell, Laverne Cox, and more.

Kobe Bryant - Mamba Mentality and the Mind of a Champion

Preetha ji - How to Overcome Suffering

Rob Bell - How to Practice and Understand Faith and Spirituality

Laverne Cox - Healing Trauma, Owning Your Truth, and Being Transgender in America

Lewis Howes - What Sharing My Childhood Rape Taught Me About Being a Loving, Vulnerable, Free Man

“My definition of greatness is still evolving, but I have come to grasp a certain set of principles, habits, routines, thought-processes, and actions that lead to a more fulfilling life.”

On today's special Episode 1,000, Lewis looks back on the past 7.5 years by highlighting 10 of his most impactful School of Greatness guests and the lessons they taught him, from facing your fears and mastering your mind to finding your purpose and visualizing your future. Lewis also details the personal journey of growth and success that started while he was hopeless and sleeping on his sister's couch. We hear from Brene Brown, Tony Robbins, David Goggins, and more.

Robert Greene - How to Master Anything and Achieve Greatness

Tony Robbins - The Icon

David Goggins - Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds

Brene Brown - Create True Belonging and Heal the World

Chris Lee - How to Envision and Achieve Your Dreams

"Genius recognizes genius"

Lewis is joined by filmmaker Gotham Chopra, who has worked closely on projects with LeBron James, Tom Brady, Simone Biles, Kobe Bryant, and more. Gotham discusses the distinct qualities shared by the world's greatest athletes, the dark side of genius, and what he learned from his father, spiritual guru Deepak Chopra.

- Kobe Bryant on Mamba Mentality, NBA Titles, and Oscars: https://link.chtbl.com/691-pod

- Sadhguru teaches you how to control your mind: https://lewishowes.com/965

"Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality."

Lewis chats with motivational speaking icon Les Brown to discuss how to define your own reality, why mental resolve is the most important skill there is, and how to use difficult moments as opportunities for growth. Les also recounts impactful stories from his childhood that helped inform his beliefs on racial injustice in America.

-For more: lewishowes.com/971

-Mel Robbins shares the secret mindset habits to build confidence: lewishowes.com/970

-Lisa Nichols on the key to abundance and success: https://lewishowes.com/podcast/lisa-nichols/

BE AUTHENTIC- NO MATTER WHAT. We admire great performers. Whether in sports, business, or any other field, we can all appreciate true greatness. But do you have to be born with unique talents to achieve it? Is there a magical gene lottery? If you take the mystery out of the equation, you are left with a simple truth. That path to greatness requires hard work, dedication, and preparation. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisit a conversation I had with Valentin Chmerkovskiy, where he shares how to achieve your “Personal Greatness.” Valentin Chmerkovskiy is a Ukrainian-American professional dancer, best known for his appearances on the U.S. version of ‘Dancing With The Stars,’ where he won twice. He is a two-time World Latin Dance Champion (Junior and Youth) and a 14-time U.S. National Latin Dance champion. Learn what is needed to be a top performer in Episode 858.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Why authenticity is more important than perfection (2:00)
The importance of being consistent in your preparation (3:00)
The steps to achieving personal greatness (3:30)
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the video, show notes and more at http://www.lewishowes.com/858 and follow at instagram.com/858

THE SCHOOL OF GREATNESS IS TURNING SIX.
I’ve been hosting The School of Greatness for six years.
We’ve done 750 episodes.
That’s 750 conversations with inspiring people like Kobe Bryant, Scooter Braun, Maria Sharapova, Tony Robbins, Sarah Blakely, Maria Shriver and more.
When I started, I hoped it would reach millions of people. Now the podcast has over 90 million downloads.
My life has changed for the better because of The School of Greatness. I hope yours has, too.
Anniversaries are a great time to reflect back on how far you’ve come.
That’s why, for this Five Minute Friday, I bringing back a conversation with Robert Greene from my first podcast episode ever.
Robert Greene is a best-selling author known for talking about strategy, power, and seduction. His books include The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law (with rapper 50 Cent), Mastery, and The Laws of Human Nature.
You can hear the sound quality was different back then. That’s because I started out recording episodes on my iPhone! I now have an entire team that supports me and my business.
Robert discusses the idea of having the discipline to achieve mastery after finding something you’re passionate about. Interestingly enough, that’s why I started this podcast and why I continue to do it.
Thank you for listening and joining me in the pursuit of greatness.
Learn about the concept of mastery and see where it all started in Episode 750.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
What powerful people have in common (3:05)
Why Robert Greene wrote a book with 50 Cent (4:35)
The secret to 50 Cent’s success (5:52)

THERE'S ALWAYS A PRICE TO PAY.
I’ve got a huge sweet tooth.
I’d love to eat candy all day.
But I know that what we put into our body will affect what we can get out of it.
If you want to achieve greatness in your health, you have to keep finding what works and tweak it.
You need to approach nutrition the same way you approach business or athletics.Keep refining until you get to the next level.
Diet is so important.
That’s why, for this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Dr. Peter Osborne where he shared how what we eat affects every aspect of our lives.
Dr. Peter Osborne is the clinical director of Origins Health Care in Sugar Land, Texas. He is a Doctor of pastoral science, and a Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist. Often times referred to as “The Gluten Free Warrior,” he is one of the most sought-after alternative and nutritional experts in the world.
He says that you can cheat on your diet, but if you look at it like getting 6/7 on a test score, you’re only getting a “B.” I think we can all do better than that.
Learn how your diet is affecting your health in major ways in Episode 738.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
The three fundamental rules of nutrition (1:00)
How long it takes to find out if your diet is causing you pain (2:30)
If you can have a cheat day (4:00)
The relationship between food and death (6:00)

There’s hard work, and then there’s HARD WORK.
Some people may be smarter than you.
They may have more resources at their disposal.
They might even have more natural talent.
But the one thing you can do is WORK HARD.
You can only control a certain number of factors. As long as you focus on those, you will become the best version of yourself.
When you get to the end, you need to know that you did everything you could to accomplish your goal.
On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk with an athlete who works tirelessly to be the fittest woman in the world: Katrín Davíðsdóttir.
Katrín Tanja Davíðsdóttir is an Icelandic CrossFit athlete known for her four appearances at the CrossFit Games. She is the women's champion of the 2015 and 2016 CrossFit Games, becoming the second woman to win twice.
Katrin didn’t become Olympic gymnast like she originally wanted. But she went on to become a world-renowned CrossFit champion.
You can’t always be anything you want, but you can be all that you are.
So get ready to learn all about what goes into becoming the Fittest Woman on Earth on Episode 733.
Some Questions I Ask:
Where do you think you’d be if you had qualified for the games in 2014? (22:00)
What does it take to be the best in the world? (23:15)
Do you ever take a day off? (24:00)
What’s your biggest physical weakness right now? (25:00)
What about your mindset do you think still needs work? (43:00)
Do you think intimate partnerships support someone’s drive to be the best in the world or could it hold you back? (48:30)
What are your thoughts on body image and femininity? (51:30)
What’s the biggest lesson your grandmother taught you (55:00)
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Why not qualifying for the CrossFit Games was the best thing to happen to Katrin (6:00)
What Katrin would do if she wasn’t an athlete (23:00)
About the concept of balance when pursuing your goals (24:00)
Katrin’s hardest workout (42:00)
The three lessons Katrin’s coach has taught her (56:30)
Katrin’s greatest fear (59:00)
What caused Katrin to be someone who works hard (1:04:30)

A TRUE LEADER ISN'T AFRAID TO MAKE THE FIRST MISTAKE.
Coach Rick is a former American basketball coach. He’s been head coach of several teams in NCAA Division I and the NBA including Boston University, Providence College, The New York Knicks, University of Kentucky, The Boston Celtics, and University of Louisville. He is the only coach to lead three different schools to the final four.
In 2013, he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is the author of the book Success is a Choice, he wrote an autobiography in 1988 called Born To Coach, and has a new book called My Story.
In this episode, we dive into what it takes to get the most out of someone’s abilities.
So get ready to learn how to be a better coach and a better leader on Episode 689.
Some Questions I Ask:
How do you get people to buy into a system? (12:40)
What’s the speech you give the first day the teams all together? (14:20)
What happened with the Kahwi Leonard situation? (21:00)
Why did you leave Louiseville? (27:00)
How have you been handling the aftermath of Louisville? (33:20)
Do you want to coach again? (35:45)
What’s more important- recruiting great players or having great plays in a game? (47:00)
How do you support your mental health when you’re going through something hard? (1:02:00)
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Why delayed gratification is what we should be looking for (14:00)
College basketball vs. NBA- which Rick enjoyed more (17:15)
The greatest lessons we can learn through losing (17:55)
Mental and emotional ability to rise above (24:40)
How ego can get in the way of greatness (37:00)

“HOWEVER BLESSED OUR LIVES MAY BE, EVERY DAY HA STRESS AND CHALLENGES.”
Sleep is one of the most important things in life. If you’re not getting a good night sleep, it’ll affect every aspect of your life.
Your quality of work will suffer, and you will find that you’re not as productive as usual. You’ll become more irritable, and your relationships will start to strain. Sadly, people won’t want to be around you as much as usual.
When you get proper rest, going through your full REM cycle, everything gets better. You’ll find more light at the end of the road. It can help with depression, lower your blood pressure, and has even been shown to help fight diabetes.
The importance of sleep is something many people underestimate, but it’s an important step to achieving your greatness.
To help you understand good sleeping habits, I wanted to bring you this clip from a previous episode with Arianna Huffington.
Arianna’s 15th book is all about sleep. She sat down and gave me some great tips on ensuring you get a solid night’s rest.
Learn how you can fully recharge your energy, on Episode 672.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Arianna’s sleep routine (00:52)
What’s better: a hot bath or a cold shower (1:56)
What you should wear to bed (2:27)
What to read before bed (2:53)
How you need to think before bed (4:07)

"Repetition led to discipline." - Maria Sharapova
If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes, video, and more at http://lewishowes.com/535

"That light inside of you needs to be shared." - Kyle Maynard
If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes and more at http://lewishowes.com/529

"Greatness is being better than who you were yesterday." - Mark Mathews
If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes, video, and more at http://lewishowes.com/515

“One day or day one. It's your decision."
If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes and more at http://lewishowes.com/496

"There is a way forwards, even if it's backwards." - Erik Weihenmayer
If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes, video, and more at http://lewishowes.com/487

"Greatness is not this wonderful, esoteric, elusive, godlike feature that only the special among us will ever taste. It's something that truly exists in all of us." - Will Smith
If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes and more at http://lewishowes.com/369

"Greatness does not mean perfection." - Lewis Howes
If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes and more at http://lewishowes.com/286

“I think why I’m here right now is to be a symbol of possibilities for people.” - Lewis Howes
If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes and more at http://lewishowes.com/272

"Results will come to you when you are ready for them." - Lewis Howes
If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes and more at http://lewishowes.com/258

"We settle for good and don't go for greatness." - Lewis Howes
If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes and more at http://lewishowes.com/248