Win the Inside Game: How to Perform at Your Best Without Losing Yourself

What if the very things driving your success are also preventing you from thriving? In this episode of the Leadership Vision Podcast, Dr. Linda and Brian Schubring and Nathan Freeburg discuss Steve Magness's book, Win the Inside Game: How to Move from Surviving to Thriving and Free Yourself Up to Perform. Together, they explore the tension between pursuing excellence and protecting our well-being. Why do high performers often chase accomplishments that never quite satisfy? What happens when we tie our identity to external measures of success? And how can leaders create environments where people perform at their best without sacrificing who they are along the way? Drawing on Magness's research, work with leaders and teams, and their own experiences as athletes, Nathan, Brian, and Linda discuss what it means to shift from constant striving to a healthier, more sustainable approach to performance. In this conversation, we explore: Why chasing external success can leave even the highest performers feeling unfulfilled. How identity, achievement, and emotional well-being connect. How leaders can create the conditions for success rather than obsessing over outcomes. Why genuine belonging matters more than simply fitting in. The surprising role of love, connection, and joy in sustained high performance. How letting go of a specific outcome might actually help us perform better. As Brian shares during the conversation, "There's greater power in the love of the journey than there is in the power of the outcome." Whether you're leading an organization, developing a team, or pursuing your own ambitious goals, this conversation offers a different perspective on what it means to succeed. The question isn't whether we should stop striving for excellence. It's how we can pursue it without losing ourselves in the process. Resources Mentioned Win the Inside Game by Steve Magness Do Hard Things by Steve Magness Learn more about Leadership Vision Continue the Conversation What does winning the inside game look like for you? How do you balance ambitious goals with the relationships, experiences, and values that make pursuing them worthwhile? If this conversation resonated with you, share it with a leader, colleague, or friend who might benefit. And subscribe to the Leadership Vision Podcast for more conversations about identity, leadership, and building emotionally healthy, mentally engaged teams. - Read the full blog post here! CONTACT US email: connect@leadershipvisionconsulting.com LinkedIn Facebook Leadership Vision Online ABOUT The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in discovering, practicing, and implementing a Strengths-based approach to people, teams, and culture. Contact us to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths. 00:00 What The Show Is About 00:20 Why This Book Hits Now 02:49 Steve Magnus And Performance Culture 05:18 The Outside Game Trap 08:23 Neuroscience Of Striving And Reward 10:45 Teams, Loneliness, And Belonging 13:01 Holding Vision Loosely As A Leader 17:09 Love, Joy, And Letting Go 22:30 Four Practices To Exit Survival Mode 24:02 Next Steps And Closing