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The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

#34 Amelia Boone: Learning How to Suffer

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

Farnam Street

Business, Investing, Entrepreneurship

4.72.9K Ratings

🗓️ 13 June 2018

⏱️ 69 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Since the popularity of Obstacle Course Racing, or OCR, has exploded onto the scene, there has been one woman who has dominated the sport: Amelia Boone.

Amelia ran her first race in 2011 after some prodding from a co-worker, and though she says she stumbled her way to an unimpressive finish, she was smitten. She has since amassed over 50 podiums and two dozen victories, including the Spartan Race World Championship in 2013, and the World's Toughest Mudder (three times!) in 2012, 2014 and 2015.

Oh, and her 2014 victory came just eight weeks after major knee surgery.

Though she vehemently denies it, Amelia is superhuman.

This interview is a little different than others you may have heard on The Knowledge Project but no less fascinating.

We cover a wide variety of topics including habits, reading, self-reliance, and training.

Specifically, you’ll learn:

  • Why Amelia was drawn to obstacle racing even though running was something she despised
  • The complementary connection between her sport and her professional work and how racing has made her a more effective attorney
  • How Amelia fights physical and mental fatigue when most people quit (she even shares a story of how she dealt with a vacant support station halfway through a 100 mile race)
  • What she does to develop grit and resilience so she knows she can rely on herself when things get rough
  • Amelia’s “to-do list” trick that makes sure she’s productive — you’ll want to steal this
  • How a serious injury taught Amelia some of her most powerful lessons about who she is and what’s important to her
  • What Amelia’s parents did to teach her to be self-sufficient from a very young age
  • How she learned to deal with setbacks, and how careful she is with the language she uses when she speaks to herself when things go wrong
  • Why Amelia runs with a Sharpie and the same playlist she’s listened to for the past 5 years
  • How Amelia transformed herself from a casual weekend warrior to one of the most finely tuned athletes in the world

Whether you’re an athlete, a weekend jogger, or the only exercise you get is the leisure stroll from the couch to the refrigerator, there are lots of insights and plenty of inspiration waiting for you in this interview.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to the Fernum Street podcast called The Knowledge Project.

0:11.8

I'm your host, Shane Parish, the curator behind the Fernum Street blog, which is an online

0:16.6

community focused on mastering the best of what other people have already figured out.

0:21.0

The Knowledge Project is where we talk with interesting people to uncover the frameworks

0:24.3

you can use to learn more in less time, make better decisions, and live a happier and

0:28.8

more meaningful life.

0:30.3

On this episode, I have Amelia Boone.

0:33.5

Amelia has dominated obstacle course racing since its impency.

0:37.0

She's almost superhuman.

0:38.4

A four-time world champion, she's been called the Michael Jordan of obstacle course racing.

0:43.6

She's also known as the Queen of Pain, having once said, I'm not the strongest, I'm not

0:48.4

the fastest, but I'm really good at suffering.

0:51.9

In this conversation, we talk about learning, self-reliance, reading, and a little bit about

0:56.5

training, and so much more.

0:58.5

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

1:06.5

Before we get started, here's a quick word from our sponsor.

1:10.2

Do you enjoy running, swimming, biking, lifting weights, or any other physical activity that

1:15.3

keeps you fit and active?

1:17.6

Is a healthy lifestyle something that's important to you?

1:20.4

Then listen up, this is for you.

1:22.1

You're probably paying too much for your life insurance.

1:24.6

Health IQ is an insurance company that helps health conscious people like you get lower rates

...

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