Why Successful People Choose the Hard Path | Tom Otton

Tom Otton's first ultramarathon was horrendous. He finished, but he didn’t feel proud, and he knew that stopping there would leave him with a story that he wasn’t strong enough. So he went back to prove himself wrong. He reveals why the body is often the outcome of where your head is at, why he believes GLP-1s treat the symptom rather than the problem, and how a fake video of Yuval Noah Harari took Harari himself about 90 seconds to spot. Tom Otton co-founded Create in 2010 with little more than a desk and a handful of clients. The business grew to more than 160 people across three countries and was named Campaign Middle East’s Digital Agency of the Year three years running. Nasdaq-listed Stagwell acquired it in 2025, with Tom remaining at the helm. He also co-founded Burj to Burj, which grew from 3,700 runners in its first race to 15,000 in its third and is on track for more than 20,000 in its next. He explains: ◼ Why Burj to Burj took a citywide effort, and how it grew from 3,700 runners to a projected 20,000. ◼ Why GLP-1s can fix the symptom but leave the original problem in place. ◼ Why you need to prepare for life’s hardest moments instead of hoping they won’t happen. ◼ How ultramarathons taught him to filter out noise and make decisions under pressure. ◼ Why confidence comes from “stacking proof points,” and how fear setting makes big risks easier to take. ◼ Why authenticity decides who lasts in content, and what it takes to stand out in the age of AI. ◼ Why every business should create content, and how much of the selling can happen before you enter the room. ◼ Whether a podcast’s name really matters, and why Burj to Burj is the exception. ◼ How he answers the question of whether his business adds fuel to the social media fire. ◼ Who should build a personal brand, and who shouldn’t. Chapters 0:00 - Cold open 1:33 - Six years later: a second conversation 2:33 - The vision behind Burj to Burj 4:58 - From 3,700 runners to 20,000 6:05 - GLP-1s: treating the symptom, not the problem 9:59 - Why ultramarathons are a mental game 10:40 - Life is hard: hope is not a strategy 12:04 - Why people avoid hard things 14:33 - Emotional regulation and building a business 15:36 - Problems on the CEO’s desk: choosing what matters 16:14 - Self-concept: becoming the type of person who gets through it 17:13 - Confidence and stacking proof points 18:46 - Why you don’t want to fit in 19:37 - Fear is a mile wide and an inch deep 20:25 - Fear setting: writing down the worst case 21:51 - Does athleticism shape hiring at Create? 23:56 - Chris Williamson and spotting long-term potential 27:42 - AI slop and how to stand out 29:39 - The fake Yuval Noah Harari keynote 31:14 - Finding your sweet spot: skills, interests and value 32:48 - Which sectors should create content? 35:42 - Selling to people, not faceless organizations 37:46 - People do business with people 38:14 - Doing the work before you walk into the room 39:56 - Should At Length change its name? 42:50 - Why the name Burj to Burj matters 45:17 - Is media adding fuel to the fire? 47:52 - Doing work that actually matters 48:51 - Who should build a personal brand? 50:43 - Fame for the sake of fame 51:50 - Rapid fire: three tips for better content 53:50 - The next decade: a reckoning for content 55:48 - Close Follow Tom Otten: LinkedIn -   / tomotton   Create - http://www.creategroup.me/ Burj to Burj - https://www.burj2burj.com/ At Length Podcast: ◼ Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ae/podcast... ◼ Follow on Instagram -   / atlengthpod   ◼ Watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/033JNbm... Subscribe for long, unhurried conversations with the Gulf’s capital allocators, founders and business operators. #Dubai #Entrepreneurship #Marketing #Ultramarathon #Leadership