Inner Excellence: Jim Murphy On Overcoming Mental Blocks, Mastering The Ego, Success Through Selflessness & The Pillars of Extraordinary Performance

The Rich Roll Podcast

Rich Roll

Health & Fitness, Education, Self-improvement, Society & Culture

4.8 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 4 August 2025

⏱️ 133 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Jim Murphy is the author of "Inner Excellence," a book compelling enough that NFL players read it during playoff games. This conversation explores Jim's counterintuitive thesis that selflessness, not ego, is the foundation of fearless performance. We discuss his journey from mental breakdown to spiritual awakening, his five years of solitude in the desert, and why self-centeredness is our greatest obstacle to both peak performance and fulfillment. Along the way, Jim reveals my own attachment to outcomes and the transactional relationship I have with love. Jim's wisdom is hard-won. This conversation is powerful. Enjoy! Show notes + MORE Watch on YouTube Newsletter Sign-Up Today’s Sponsors: Bon Charge Get 15% OFF all my favorite wellness products w/ code RICHROLL 👉https://www.boncharge.com Squarespace: Use code RichRoll to save 10% off your first order of a website or domain 👉https://www.squarespace.com/RichRoll BetterHelp: Get 10% OFF the first month👉 https://www.betterhelp.com/richroll On: High-performance shoes & apparel crafted for comfort and style 👉https://www.on.com/richroll Seed: Use code RICHROLL25 for 25% OFF your first order👉https://www.seed.com/RichRoll Rivian: Electric vehicles that keep the world adventurous forever👉https://www.rivian.com Check out all of the amazing discounts from our Sponsors 👉 https://www.richroll.com/sponsors Find out more about Voicing Change Media at https://www.voicingchange.media and follow us@voicingchange

Transcript

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0:00.0	Are you willing to face your fears?
0:04.0	And then, this is a big one.
0:06.0	Am I willing to face any feeling?
0:09.0	Because most people are not willing to face any feeling.
0:13.0	They're willing to physically do a lot of hard things, and we've got to look for those feelings that we're afraid of, because that's our teacher.
0:20.0	Because when you come to the edge of your feelings where you're most uncomfortable, that's where you can grow and that's where you can become someone you've never been before. And that's the limiter. We come to these feelings. We're like, no, I don't want that feeling. And so are you willing to face those feelings? One, you're going to look for that feeling. You're going to embrace it. And the way you're going to do is, say, am I willing to face my fears today? Am I willing to face any feeling? If you're
0:42.1	willing to face any feeling, now you've got some control, some power.
1:02.9	Hey, everybody. Welcome to the podcast. My name is Rich Roll. Rich Roll here. Is it weird to say that?
1:11.1	Is it weird when podcasters introduce themselves by name, especially when those shows are in their name? I kind of think it is, which is why I never do it.
1:14.4	So I don't know why I did it today.
1:15.9	Anyway, never mind.
1:17.7	90 days today, not 90 days sober, been sober for a long time,
1:23.1	but 90 days post-spinal fusion surgery. And I bring that up because I've gotten a lot of
1:30.9	messages from all of you wanting an update on the recovery. I assume because, at least in part,
1:38.0	because I've been a bit quiet about it on social media, sort of fallen off posting those
1:43.1	morning walks that I was doing a couple weeks
1:45.9	back because, well, look, there's a few reasons for that. One of which is that part of the whole deal
1:52.5	when it comes to those walks is that I'm trying to be, you know, present, available, quiet, attuned.
2:02.4	That's really the whole promise and premise of these things.
2:07.1	But when I'm like, hey, let's capture this on video for a story
2:10.6	or thinking about, hey, that would be cool for a photo.
2:14.6	It just takes me out of the central conceit of the entire enterprise. So I just kind of
	...

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