910 The Wim Hof Experience: Mindset Training, Power Breathing and Brotherhood

“The breath is the carrier of consciousness.” If anyone has mastered their mind, it's extreme athlete Wim Hof. Wim Hof got his nickname “The Iceman” by breaking a number of records related to cold exposure. His feats include climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts, running a half marathon above the Arctic Circle on his bare feet, and standing in a container while covered with ice cubes for more than 112 minutes. He developed the Wim Hof Method: a natural path to an optimal state of body and mind. He says that our brains have the power to guarantee us happiness, strength, and health. We can actually regulate our mind and the autonomous nervous system by breathing and being present. I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Poland along several other top entrepreneurs and business owners to experience a week with Wim Hof that I will never forget. As a group, we participated in several different exercises. Some involved meditation and breathing and others involved enduring intense cold and ice water challenges. On this trip, we all learned about the importance of brotherhood. Some of the physical challenges would have been unbearable if we were going at it alone. We all had each other to encourage, to motivate, and to push. We've all been in a place, where we think, "I can't do this anymore."That's a mindset roadblock that we were taught to overcome. Often in the midst of being uncomfortable, our minds and bodies panic. Our top priority is becoming comfortable again. But this is not often the correct way to deal with stress or pain. The mind is powerful, and if you teach it to avoid pain, then you'll never reach your full potential. If anyone has mastered the art of being uncomfortable while releasing stress, it's Wim Hof. He gave all us an experience we will never forget. How deep breathing practices create spiritual experiences in the body and mind (0:45)What Aubrey learned on the trip (2:52)What Steve learned on the trip (5:23)What Humble learned on the trip (6:53)What Mike learned on the trip (11:49)What Jesse learned on the trip (15:19)What Marq learned on the trip (20:59)What Matt (Cesar) learned on the trip (24:20)What Enahm learned on the trip (27:00)What Nick learned on the trip (33:30)Why Mike walked across America (37:14)What Taylor learned on the trip (40:18)What Mitch learned on the trip (41:28)What Matthew learned on the trip (43:45)What Peter learned on the trip (52:05)What Dalton learned on the trip (53:35)What Wim learned on the trip (55:23)Aubrey’s thoughts on the power of breathwork (57:30)Matthew’s thoughts on leadership (1:01:18)Plus much more... Wim Hof EpisodeSteve Weatherford EpisodeHumble the Poet EpisodeMike Posner EpisodeAubrey Marcus EpisodeMatthew Hussey EpisodeJesse Itzler EpisodeNick Symmonds EpisodeMatthew Hussey EpisodeWim Hof appWim Hof InstagramSteve Weatherford InstagramHumble the Poet InstagramMike Posner InstagramAubrey Marcus InstagramMatthew Hussey InstagramJesse Itzler InstagramMarq Brown InstagramNick Symmonds InstagramTaylor Jenson InstagramMitch Matthews InstagramEnahm Hof InstagramMatthew Hussey InstagramDalton Misner InstagramIf you enjoyed this episode, check out the video, show notes and more at http://www.lewishowes.com/910 and follow at instagram.com/lewishowes Get more from Lewis! Get my New York Times Bestselling book, Make Money Easy! Get The Greatness Mindset audiobook on SpotifyText Lewis AIYouTubeInstagramWebsiteTiktokFacebookX

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Lewis Howes?

  This is episode number 910 with Wim Hof.

• 0:07Lewis Howes?

  Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin.

• 0:33Lewis Howes?

  Wim Hof said, "We are so successful at being comfortable that comfort has become the enemy of our success. Your fitness is 100% mental. Your body won't go where your mind doesn't push it." And he also said, "Unless you are willing to experience new things, you'll never eclipse your full potential." Now let me break this down for you for a second. I feel like we broke the internet because I took a group of 13 of some of the most passionate, loving, vulnerable, successful, influential, entrepreneurial, athlete men that I know to Poland. I met with Wim Hof a few times. I've had him on the podcast. They've been massive hits.

• 1:17Lewis Howes?

  A number of our videos have millions of views where I'm doing the breathing exercises. So many people say they they learned the breathing exercises through the videos that we have on YouTube of Wim. And when I met with him about a year ago, I had him on and I said, "Listen, I just love who he is. I love his character. He's a little crazy. He's like a wild man, but he's like an eccentric guy, but he's got a lot of wisdom. He's done some incredible things, some incredible mental and physical feats that I would never even imagine trying to take on." And so after we had him on the podcast last time, I said, "Listen," I was talking with his son who manages his whole business and brand. And I said, "I would love to bring a group of influencers to..."

• 2:01Lewis Howes?

  Poland and actually put us through some extreme, you know, exercises and intensive trainings and do all the ice stuff and everything. And he said, let's do it. My father never does this type of stuff with a group for, you know, a week. They all pay, everyone pays and it's like, you know, 50 to 100 people at a time, but he never does like these private intimate things. So I said, let's do it. Let's figure out the dates. Let's make it happen. I'm texting back and forth with him every couple of months, trying to figure out like when we can do this. How am I going to wrangle, you know, a group of 10, 15 of the busiest guys in the world? How am I going to get them all to one, commit to do anything? It's hard to commit guys to get together in

• 2:43Lewis Howes?

  Los Angeles for a night out, just hanging out as friends, let alone fly across the world, live in bunk beds together and do crazy exercises and experiences. And it got to be around like November, like it was around Thanksgiving and I go, okay, Anam, when are the dates that we can do this? Like I'm trying to figure it out. Is it end of January, February? I need some time. He's like, all we have is January 5th through the 10th. And I go, screw it. Just book it. I'm going to make this happen. So I go confirm the dates, lock it in. This is like five weeks away. Over Christmas, holidays, New Year's, all this stuff happening, right? And I say, screw it. If I don't

• 3:27Lewis Howes?

  do this now, I'm never going to do this. And the beginning of the year, beginning of the decade is the perfect time for us to get together and whoever's in, they're going to have an experience of a lifetime. So I text a bunch of my buddies and a handful of buddies couldn't make it. Unfortunately, I feel like they were kicking themselves later because the whole internet was talking about this experience. We were sharing our experience on our social media and people were just commenting left and right. So I text some incredible men, guys like Steve Weatherford, former NFL, Super Bowl champion, incredible athlete, entrepreneur, father of five. I texted

• 4:08Lewis Howes?

  World-class singer, top charts on Billboard Hot 100. He is a master. He walked across America last year as well. Crazy. Jesse Itzler, New York Times bestseller, founder of Zico Coconut Water, Marquee Jets, one of the co-founders of those companies and also a co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks. Mark Brown, fitness entrepreneur, trainer, extraordinaire, Nick Simmons, Olympian in the 800 meters. And we actually ran against each other in the national championships, D3 National Championships, track and field back in 2005. Shout out, D3. Mitch Matthews, former NFL wide receiver and entrepreneur.

• 4:49Lewis Howes?

  Matthew Hussey, my good buddy here in Los Angeles, who is a New York Times bestselling author and all over the press every single day. One of the most charming men in the world and teaches women how to have the relationship with their dreams. Aubrey Marcus, the founder and CEO of On It, New York Times bestselling author, top podcast, incredible human being. Humble the poet. He is a great author, great guy from Toronto. My good friend and COO, Matt Cesarato, he came. A bunch of other guys came and documented it. We had Taylor. We had Dalton come and document it as well. And there were some people there that made the experience incredible.

• 5:29Lewis Howes?

  We had this incredible chef and it was just, I can't really explain how magical it was. I'm still reflecting back on it, thinking like, this was probably the best week of my life. And I don't say that lightly because I have had some incredible days, some incredible weeks, some incredible years, but stringing together six days with everything that we did for 24 hours each day, it was just like, nothing went wrong. And The brotherhood, the vulnerability, the love, what we shared, what we experienced together, what we overcame together. I'll tell you what, you want to create a bond with someone?

• 6:11Lewis Howes?

  Put yourself through an experience and a challenge that is so mentally, emotionally, physically challenging. It will bring you together or it'll pull you apart, push you apart. And this brought us all together. It's been crazy, the connections we had, the experience we had, and everyone had a different experience while sharing a similar moment. And we sat around one day after doing an hour and a half intensive breathing mindset exercise in a room in the middle of this house in Poland with, you know, with shared showers, with little curtains like separating us, with six guys to a room and bunk beds. Here's

• 6:55Lewis Howes?

  multi gazillionaires, world-class athletes, you know, entrepreneurs and influencers who are used to having five-star everything. Now Matthew Hussey is in a little bunk bed right above me and I'm humble the poet is across the room and you know, I'm just hearing people snore in the next room. It's just like this hilarious experience, but it was the most fun. It was like we were back in summer camp or something. You know, kids just hanging out, jumping off cliffs and diving in cold water. It was an amazing experience. Let me just say that. And I highly recommend if you get a chance to go sign up for a retreat with Wim Hof. It's just mind-blowing. It's going to make you a better human being. It's going to push you. It's going to make you a better human being. And we did a lot of

• 7:40Lewis Howes?

  different things. We jumped off cliffs at like midnight into freezing cold water. We immersed ourselves in water for as long as we could, holding our breath. We sat in a, you know, like 30-degree ice water for 10 minutes. We climbed a mountain for four and a half hours without clothes in freezing temperature. We had just shorts on and gloves and shoes. And you know, locals are up there in full-on ski masks and ski outfits, looking at us like we're crazy and we're acting like it's no big deal because of what we were able to learn through the breathing techniques and through mindset training. We

• 8:22Lewis Howes?

  stayed up till 4:00 AM, listening to Mike Posner sing us his songs in the campfire. I mean, it was just like. The magic that we experienced was once in a lifetime. And in this interview, we sit down and every one of us shares, we all shared after this powerful session we did on breathing. And we talk about what opened up for, for me and the group of these individuals, these men, after we were led through this breathing exercise, which felt more like a spiritual journey. We talked about the power of the mind and the importance of strengthening it for success in all aspects of your life. And everyone in the group shares their purpose for coming to Poland and how this unique experience helped them check in what's really important in their lives and check in with their true mission.

• 9:06Lewis Howes?

  We talk about what brotherhood means to each person and the group, and how grateful they were to have other people around them support them through the tough ice water challenges and extreme cold. We talk about the importance of mental health and how this experience is a great reminder for self-care for business owners and entrepreneurs. I'm so excited about this. I hope you, you enjoy it. You know, we're passing around mics, there's different audio levels and we're doing our best to kind of speak into the mics. So just be aware, this is in the middle of nowhere, literally, and we're just in a circle, a group of men opening up and sharing our hearts. So I hope this inspires you.

• 9:51Lewis Howes?

  I hope you learn something and I hope you share this with a friend because you never know who could truly be inspired by this, who could be needing this message. And you can directly have an impact on changing or saving someone's life today by sharing this link, lewishouse.com/910. So text a friend, share it on social media and feel free to follow some of the men that you'll hear in here as well. You can go to the show notes to learn more about the men who are on this trip. You can follow our social media. I posted a bunch of stuff recently about it all and you can see some of that there also on Instagram and all those places. So I'm very excited about this. And now let's dive into this episode on the Wim Hof experience in Poland.

• 10:44Lewis Howes?

  So to give some context for the audio, we're here with a group of 13, 14 men. We're in a room in Poland. We're sitting with Wim Hof, who just led us through a breathing exercise, if that's what you want to call it, more of a spiritual experience. And we'd just finished, and we wanted to share our experience, what opened up for us. And before we do, can you share in a couple of minutes context of what we actually did, what is the purpose of it, why you do it, and how it helps people heal themselves?

• 11:26Wim Hof?

  Hmm, the breath. We have shown insights as the first ones to reach into the autonomic nervous system, thought of inaccessible by humans. And now we are. So we are using the breath not only to go into these deeper systems of ours, to bring it within our willful control. We are here to show that the breath actually is the carrier of consciousness. And with that consciousness, we are able to go any place in our bodies, in our brain, the seat of the mind. And with that, get a comprehension

• 12:09Wim Hof?

  of what is the soul in the moment, right here, right now. Nothing abstract. A feeling, feeling is understanding. So I see you guys here coming, all big guys and influencers and all. So, great. It is great. I got a new, some new insights. I always keep on learning. I'm very thankful that we have come together to show that we as big men are able to become very vulnerable. There is the strength to not be in need, to stay in control, to go past the control into

• 12:52Wim Hof?

  vulnerability because you want to venture into something else than is given us by our schools, our teachers, our doctors, and so forth. That's why we have come together. Now, I would love to hear what is your experience?

• 13:11Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, maybe we'll go, start with Aubrey first, and maybe what we'll do is we'll just have the same prompt for everyone and share what you're grateful for. The reason you came here for this experience and the biggest thing that opened up for you during either this session or the first two and a half days. So gratitude, why you decided to come, experience with Wim, and what opened up for you so far in this breathing or this time?

• 13:35Speaker 02

  Well, I mean, one of those questions is really easy because this was an easy yes. I mean, this is, not only did I know a couple people here already that I consider friends and brothers, but I've got to spend time with Wim Hof himself and Anam as well, and got to meet his family and have been practicing. The method is not as much as I will after being here because I think this is one of the big lessons that I've learned is, you know, I have a lot of the tools and I've been on the path of learning, discovering my soul, my spirit, like what that essence is, consciousness, your higher self, whatever you want to call it, there's a million words that inadequately describe the ineffable essence of who we really are.

• 14:17Speaker 02

  And I've been on the path of seeking that, but I don't always remember that, I forget it often, and I forget it easily. And to be reminded that it's just a sequence of breaths away. To be able to do that in an environment with people that are becoming brothers, some came in as brothers, like yourself, Lewis, and now everybody becoming brothers, it's...

• 14:42Speaker 02

  I'm happy, I'm happy. And I don't know if I'm always happy, to be honest. You know, and like this now is showing me that happiness is not something that's ephemeral. It's not something that it just, you know, comes to you or it doesn't come to you based on some external thing. Like you can create it and you created the container by bringing all these people together. And then we're creating the internal state with our own breath. And it just gives control back to something that I think society in the world has told us is out of our control. And so we get our control back by using the method. And, um, and it's just the best, you know? And then you look at the priorities of your life and you're like, huh.

• 15:26Speaker 02

  Like what am I doing everything I'm doing for? When everything I'm doing is not yielding this kind of happiness that I've had here. You know, with this group of men and this method in a couple of days. And it's just a great reminder about like what's really important and which way to steer life from here forward. So I'm just incredibly grateful, grateful for life and grateful for our bodies and grateful for teachers like Wim that can help us get back and remind ourselves who we really are and how to get back in touch with the animal and the spirit that's inside all of us. Yeah. Nice, nice. Steve?

• 16:06Speaker 03

  Uh, man, I'm, I'm super thankful for, for tribe. You know, I mean, I grew up my entire life an athlete. And then when you retire, it's not built in for you. So it's just to become here and to, uh, you know, to tribe up with, to tribe up with a lot of people uh, that I haven't met before. I really only needed to know like one guy was coming and that was you, Louis. But it's cool to see what you've created in this tribe. And we'll never have another experience like this. So, uh, for me, um, the actionable steps I'll take, you know, with this experience is, is for me to be better at keeping the main thing, the main thing. Cause I think a lot of us with the big dreams and the big desires of our heart.

• 16:51Speaker 03

  We go so deep and obsessive towards that and as husbands and as fathers. Dude, when I get home and I put my my truck in park, I walk in the door, I'm bringing that stuff with me. You know, I don't want to and I don't want to show up that way, but that's the world we live in, man. We're trying to get things done. We're trying to create legacy and that does create, that does require obsession. But uh just super thankful when you've used your whole life to figure this thing out. And now, you know, it's like a popular, cool thing to to do what you've essentially delayed your entire gratification of your life. And now people are finally starting to listen. So um just honored to be here and and and to help spread the word over on the west side, man.

• 17:35Speaker 03

  Cause we need to help. So thanks for having us.

• 17:37Speaker 04

  Um I'll go the other way. I I I came because I didn't want to come. You sent that text message and you said, hey, getting a bunch of guys and going to see Wim Hof and I Googled Wim Hof. And I'm like, hell no.

• 17:53Speaker 04

  And then in the back of my head, like that, that's a hell yes. Your your fears are a compass, right? So it's gotta let you know where you gotta go. So said yes before I could change my mind.

• 18:03Speaker 04

  Bought the ticket before I could change my mind and it's it's it's been, it's been such an amazing thing. I think the the gratitude I have, and I've heard a lot of people express it, is brotherhood. This is a brotherhood that is being formed, not simply because we're all in the same room together. It's because we're sharing unique experiences together. We've had, you know, you never forget your first. That was the first time I jumped in water ever.

• 18:28Speaker 03

  Water, cold water or water?

• 18:30Speaker 04

  Water.

• 18:30Speaker 03

  Water?

• 18:31Speaker 04

  I've never jumped in a pool.

• 18:32Speaker 03

  What?

• 18:33Speaker 04

  I have never jumped in water. I can't swim.

• 18:36Speaker 03

  Wow.

• 18:37Speaker 04

  And I was telling some of the other guys.

• 18:38Speaker 03

  That's huge.

• 18:39Speaker 04

  And I and I've backed out of it. And I've not regretted backing out of it. And this time was the first time I was in a, I was surrounded by people that were just completely encouraging. Wow. Walking up and, and Mike immediately being like, secret is, don't think about it. Just get to the edge and jump. And I didn't take his advice and I overthought it and I heard your voice like, alright Humble, you can do it. Let's go, three, two, one. And I didn't jump. Okay, Humble, you can do it. And there wasn't any shaming. No, I didn't feel like I was surrounded by a bunch of alpha males who were trying to peer pressure me. And I think that brotherhood, I see in my history, cause I grew up with only sisters, how often I got myself in trouble chasing a brotherhood.

• 19:22Speaker 04

  Looking for it in every, all the wrong directions. And to be in a, in a circle of self-aware, honest, super-strong, and I think as Wim said, true strength is vulnerability. And to be in this room and see stu- super-strong people and have this, these conversations, the spectrum is, is, it crosses everything. We're talking about the silly fun stuff and we're talking about deep stuff and we're shedding tears and we're, we're getting technical. And I think to have access to that is just, I'm forever grateful for it and, you know, I've received so much that it's, it is my privilege but my responsibility to, I, I gotta put it out there now. Yeah.

• 20:06Speaker 04

  You gotta put it out there on a, on a local level with my, my, my peoples, but also with my community and, and, and, and the folks that, that look to me. Yeah. And it's just, it's, it's overwhelming. And this experience of breathing, a- as Aubrey said, it's, it's, it's almost, it's almost unfair how lucky we are to have all these tools. Yeah. And they're there. And it's nothing mystical. I've, I've, I've been in some form of meditation since I was eight. And often it's, sit quietly, close your eyes, cause your mom will slap you because if you, if you, if you move and to see this is, you know, and to hear Wim just say, hey, let it, let it figure itself out. And the pressure, the shoulders relax and the pressure goes away.

• 20:50Speaker 04

  And it makes room and to say even simple things like we're gonna build it up or tear it down, whatever needs to happen. I think so often we're told this is the way to do things and we get in our own way. And I think just I'm so grateful for this opportunity to clear, clear some of that. As I was saying yesterday, the ice melted our anxieties.

• 21:12Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, well, I don't want to speak for you, but I love how you said you've never had, been around a group of guys who were supportive without pressuring you. Or saying like, come on, don't be a wussy or don't be a whatever, like jump in the water, don't be scared. And, and you said you've never experienced that, where it was just like supportive encouragement.

• 21:33Speaker 04

  I mean, even now, I got a message from my friend and, and again, it's tools, not like my friends are back home are assholes. It's just tools. And a friend yesterday, he's like, oh, I see, I see on Instagram, you're, you're with a bunch of interesting guys. Hopefully that makes you interesting. Hopefully that turns you interesting. And I think, you know, and again, it's just, it's how they were raised as tools and I got out of that and I'm grateful for it. But I noticed here too, a lot of people here may be family rich and resource rich and experience rich. But as another much more talented bearded poet said, people don't grow on trees.

• 22:12Speaker 04

  You can't, you can't buy brotherhood.

• 22:14Lewis Howes?

  Right, it's true.

• 22:14Speaker 04

  You can't buy brotherhood and you can't, you can't form a brotherhood by force. You gotta sit in that ice together and let it develop one freezing second by one freezing second. Again, Louis, thank you so much.

• 22:31Lewis Howes?

  Snakebite Posner.

• 22:33Speaker 05

  Snakebite in the building. What's up? Michael Robert Henrietta Posner, Detroit, Michigan.

• 22:40Speaker 05

  I'll start why I came. It's similar to Aubrey. It's an easy, easy yes. And Jesse texts me, he's like, man, it's a once in a lifetime. I was like, I know. And by the way, I was pressuring Jesse to come. I was like, dude, he's like, I got speaking engagement, I gotta move. I go, dude, you gotta move it, dude. I'm in a hundred percent. Come on, you in? And a few days passed and he texts me back, double the insurance policy, I'm coming to Poland.

• 23:14Speaker 05

  But yeah, man, it was a, it was an easy yes, man. I had heard about your work for years, Wim, and the opportunity to come learn from you firsthand in an environment like this, such a small group. It's just, you know, exactly what Jesse said, once in a lifetime opportunity. I knew that the, the practices would help me, like some of the projects I'm working on in the short term, but also in the long term for my whole life. So, um, I would say flipping in the question too, I'm, I'm grateful for the opportunity. Hundred percent grateful for you, Wim. I think Steve said it really well. I mean, you spent decades alone in that fucking ice. Nobody was with you, man.

• 23:59Speaker 05

  And you just figured it out on your own. There was no book. So I think everybody that learns from you could be grateful that, that you had the courage to, to spend that time alone, figure out, figure out your own shit, figure, tear, tear yourself down, build yourself up. Um, cause without that, none of, none of us would be here learning this amazing stuff. And. Biggest lesson for you? Biggest lesson, man, yes, it, it does feel like unfair, almost silly how, how powerful this stuff is that requires no anything. Everybody that's alive has their breath pretty much, unless they're on like a life support.

• 24:40Speaker 05

  So, yeah, the fact that we're able to go that deep as we just went without taking a drug, without fasting, without, it's like, like, like Aubrey said, like a few minutes away, it feels almost like cheating. But hopefully that could be, become a part of more people's daily lives. And myself today, man, yeah, I just, I felt like I went to a whole different state of consciousness, just a different place, different mind state, hard, hard really to explain. Um, when I finished doing the breathing exercise, I start crying, but I couldn't really tell if I was laughing or crying. And it was really interesting because it was absolute, Jesse asked me what. What were you thinking about when you cried?

• 25:24Speaker 05

  I was thinking about absolutely nothing. Was there absolutely no mental story or memory attached with my emotions? Just like, I don't know if that's because it's just pent up in there or what? Maybe Wim could tell us. It just came out. It was really, um, it was really powerful for me. And again, uh, like, um, Humble said, man, this group. And Arby said, man, I feel happy too, bro. Just being around you guys is, it's been amazing, amazing. So, yeah, thank you, Louis. Thank you, Wim. Thank you, all you guys showed up. Appreciate you. Hello.

• 26:04Speaker 06

  Thank you, guys. Uh, first of all, thank you, Wim, for having us and hosting us. Um, and thank all you guys for coming. I don't know, for me personally, I just, I don't want to be the eighty percent version of myself. When I look back, when I'm eighty-five years old and when this thing is all over, I don't want to be like, yes, man. I was eighty percent of what I could have been. And when you have the opportunity to learn from the best in the world at what he does, there's seven billion people on the planet, and one guy stands out. You have to grab that opportunity. And for me, I was, I'm super aligned with the way Wim thinks, as it relates to nature. When I was a kid and I went outside, my mother was like, bundle up, put a scarf on, put a jacket on. My teacher's like, don't go in the water, it's too cold.

• 26:48Speaker 06

  Don't go outside, you're gonna get sick. And here's a guy, through science, innovation, mindset, has proven the opposite. And in a world where everyone's getting sick, following directions of the scientists and the leaders and the pharmaceutical people, whatever, out comes one man who says, there's a different way. And with one out of four American men getting cancer and all the illness, I'm drawn to that energy. I want to learn from that energy. So. That's why I'm here and I'm a big believer, you know, in, in the more you experience, the more you have to offer, the more compassion you have, the more empathy you have, the more you can share.

• 27:32Speaker 06

  I recently sat with a financial advisor and he asked me, if you could leave your kids a boatload of money or a boatload of experiences, what would you want to give them? Of course you want to give them experiences. Man, what in the world is a better experience than coming to Poland with 13 self-starters and 13 guys that are eager to learn? And as you get harder, older, I'm the oldest here, uh, other than Wim, as you get older, it's hard to create newness in your life, man. Like, how do you get newness? You have to work towards newness. And this was something that was new, extraordinary, and to get an opportunity to, to learn from a guy who's, you know, on some ways, a hero and, and someone that's, that's taking on the establishment, you know?

• 28:15Speaker 06

  And for me, that translates beyond cold water. It translates to business, how I raise my kids, what kind of friend I am, what kind of husband I am. And what this man has really done, and I've learned in a short amount of time, it's not about cold water, man. It's about your mind and how can you take that out of the cold water and apply it to your daily life? So the lessons that I've learned are, and I'm on a quest for more. I'm an ultra runner, I'm a dad, you know, I want, I'm on a quest for more. My biggest fear is I don't live up to my potential. And what he has taught me is that the potential is bigger than we all thought, if we tap into what we can control. And for that gift, I thank you, Wim and Lewis, you know, and everybody else.

• 28:58Speaker 06

  And the last thing I just want to say is, you know, this is five days in one. Every one day is like five days. If I stayed here for 40 years, I, I'd live to be, you know, 200 years old. So I might move to Poland and be the oldest man in history to live, but thank you for hosting us.

• 29:15Lewis Howes?

  How does this compare to, for those who don't know, you've done tons of endurance races, you've got your own mountain adventure race, you've done last man standing, you've done so many different challenges, extreme physical, mental challenges. How does these first couple of days compare to all the different challenges you've done?

• 29:34Speaker 06

  They're all unique in their own way. What's special about this is, is what Wim brings to it. And there's so much conviction. And conviction can take you a really long way. I built my career on conviction. And he just reemphasizes that. And what's, but what's different about this is the thirteen guys in this room.

• 29:55Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, it wouldn't be a special if it was just one or two.

• 29:57Speaker 06

  No, and the, the challenge with this for all of us is when we go home and, you know, Audrey's got a hu- you know, guys got big followings in this room. Matt, you, Louis, my, everybody is trying to, how do you even convey the experience? And you, you can't. But what's amazing about experiences is forty years from now, if I see Steve, or I see Humble, Mike, whatever, I'm rooting for all you guys. I'm sure you guys are rooting for me, I hope. It's unbreakable, man.

• 30:28Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 30:28Speaker 06

  It's unbreakable. And.

• 30:30Lewis Howes?

  Remember that time in Poland?

• 30:32Speaker 06

  It's unbreakable, man, it's unbreakable. So I'm just excited to, to stay, answer you too, and you know, you came outside. You'll get your chance, I don't know how to hold the mic here. It's unbreakable and you don't get that in a fucking textbook, man. You don't get that watching the Kardashians. You get that by going out in nature, suffering, experiencing, et cetera. The last thing I want to say is the best part of this is the fear.

• 30:56Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 30:56Speaker 06

  Of go, like, we talk, you know, we talked about the cold water and I was scared to, to, all this stuff, it's the, it's the buildup and then getting over the hurdle. And it's no different than starting a business or, or whatever. It's, it's the fear, getting over it and, and, you know, setting your standards really high. Wim has set his standards higher than, it's high, he hasn't even, there is no, there is no standard. It's just, you know, like.

• 31:20Lewis Howes?

  Keep going.

• 31:21Speaker 06

  If you told me Wim Hof landed on the moon with his own arms because he flapped his arms really fast, I'd be like, I believe that.

• 31:29Speaker 06

  And, and that's the standard we should, we should all strive for. It's like, you know, how, how far can we push the limits before we're in, you know, before it's over? Because nobody here signed up for eighty percent of himself.

• 31:40Lewis Howes?

  Yep.

• 31:44Speaker 07

  I'm grateful for the opportunity and the help to be able to come and be with you guys and uh experiences with you guys. And um I'm also grateful for the fact that all you guys, as we are men and alpha, we thought to be like tough. That you guys have been vulnerable enough to open yourself up to be, you know, not so alpha and just let your your emotions go. And why I came is several reasons, um but all playing into one. Since I was a kid, I've always felt like, you know, I can't explain my journey. I just always feel like, you know, it's just guided by a higher being. For example, when I was a kid, I told my mom I wasn't playing in NFL at eight years old and she said you're gonna. That only one in a million kids play in NFL. I'm like, I'm gonna be that one. Wow.

• 32:27Speaker 07

  At seven years old, you know, it's just uh it's something that guides you. And going to, like when I was younger in my teenage years, um I always knew that I wanted to have twin boys. I didn't, I just like, I wanna have twins. I wanna have twins. And ironically enough, I have twin boys. Wow. And it's just crazy. It's crazy. It's it's insane. Um and uh and also in place, they they play into the reason why I came here is because. You know, as a kid, um I I was teased and.

• 33:00Speaker 07

  And bullied a lot. And as a dad and as a father, you wanna.

• 33:09Speaker 07

  Be able to shield your children away from that. Yeah. So and the scars as a kid, you know, you take that with you as you get older. And I wanna find out my faults so I can teach my kids not to take the same path that I took. You know, my wife called me yesterday, or she texted me yesterday. And she said, one of my boys is at school and a kid at school was teasing him, telling him he had a he had curly hair. And then it wasn't cool and it's only cool that straight here because my wife is white and my kids are biracial. And you know, when I heard that, it incensed me. It it enraged.

• 33:46Speaker 07

  And I want to let him know that, you know, and not to sound boastful, but my kids are very good looking kids and, you know. Very good looking kids and let them know that, you know, it doesn't matter as I've learned in life when people think about you doesn't matter. Cause you only got so many, so much, so much time on this earth. That if you waste your time thinking about what everybody thinks about you, it's not, you're gonna waste your time and your energy. Um, so that's one of the main reasons why I came was that, um. I'm trying to find myself and my faults. So I can, you know, find, see the faults of my kids, cause my kids, my twin boys. One is built like me physically and one is built like me mentally. You know, so I have to, I can see everything in them and I wanna be able to show them the right way.

• 34:30Speaker 07

  And the biggest lesson that I've learned is that you don't need all this crazy stuff. You don't need all this technical stuff to, to advantage yourself and make yourself feel better and to improve yourself, what you need is inside of you. Um, and it's very simple, you know, breathing is, is, is simple, you know, um. So that's the biggest lesson I learned is that. That you already have the tools, God put you into this earth with the tools that you need to be successful. It's on you to find a way to access them and to put it out into the world. So I'm very thankful for that. Yeah, sure.

• 35:02Speaker 08

  Yeah, Mark.

• 35:06Speaker 08

  My name's Matt, um, AKA Caesar, as Lewis calls me. Um, I'm grateful for the opportunity, as simple as that, to be surrounded by a group of guys who are. Passionate, wise, loving, vulnerable. I run Lewis's business, School of Greatness Podcast. I just appreciate. You know, every single one of you just, uh, embracing me, just allowing me to be me on this trip. And, uh, it's been a powerful experience for me. Um, why I'm here? Duty, requirement. At the end of it, Lewis said, you're going, so he's, he's like, there's no two ways about it. My, my mom, my wife, they're all freaking out, you're jumping in the.

• 35:48Speaker 08

  These ice baths, you're gonna be jumping into a freezing cold river, what are you doing? Do we have enough life insurance? Going overseas, medical insurance, all this, you know, craziness and. Lewis just said, you're going and, uh, I, I acknowledge you and appreciate you for pushing me out in the skinny branches. You know, we need friends like that. Uh, we need to support each other and, and allow each other to, to see what's possible in our lives, so. My biggest takeaway is that this method, Wim Hof method is, and I can attest to it in my short experience here, is supportive both mentally for your mental health and also physically for your physical health.

• 36:32Speaker 08

  I had a feeling for mentally because I had done Wim Hof method before in the States with Louis. But physically, you know, I'm sitting here with the dog and my, my dog allergy is gone.

• 36:43Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 36:43Wim Hof?

  Fuck you, yeah!

• 36:45Lewis Howes?

  Wow!

• 36:45Speaker 08

  That's all right, but yeah.

• 36:49Lewis Howes?

  He's never been able to touch dogs.

• 36:51Speaker 08

  And I love dogs. I absolutely adore them. I loved them since I was a kid, but my parents couldn't get one because I was allergic.

• 36:57Lewis Howes?

  He's never been around animals.

• 36:59Speaker 08

  Now I can be around dogs. I can take, I mean, after this exercise, I could take full breaths, whereas I would have had to go outside, get away to the shower.

• 37:07Lewis Howes?

  He couldn't touch a dog without like it swelling his face and sneezing and...

• 37:13Wim Hof?

  That's the same thing with the private meal, yeah. The histamine.

• 37:17Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 37:17Wim Hof?

  He's out of control. Hey, you got him.

• 37:19Speaker 08

  It's incredible.

• 37:20Wim Hof?

  Run. Paid him $500 to say that, eh?

• 37:25Wim Hof?

  Bad joke.

• 37:28Wim Hof?

  So good!

• 37:29Speaker 08

  Yeah, so I'm grateful to be here and I'm gonna pass it to Aynam, my man.

• 37:34Speaker 10

  To me, I could pass it through.

• 37:36Speaker 08

  No.

• 37:36Speaker 10

  What's your experience?

• 37:37Lewis Howes?

  What are you grateful for?

• 37:38Speaker 10

  Wow.

• 37:39Lewis Howes?

  Why are you here and biggest lesson so far from this group of guys being here?

• 37:45Speaker 10

  I'm here because I wanted to protect all of you guys from this man.

• 37:55Speaker 10

  No, no, so with Louis, we have been a couple of times on his podcast. And the last time we were there, there was like Louis, the way he received us, the way he, he let my dad come forward and, and, and it's, it's an art to, to also, to, to have the best come out of someone, right? And, and it's there and I, I, my dad said, hey, let's do some event. And I was like totally open for it because normally I'm very close and behind the scenes. I'm, I built a big wall to, towards these kind of, of things.

• 38:37Speaker 10

  Because yeah, we're busy working with my dad for nine years and, and you get to see a lot of bullshit out there.

• 38:44Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 38:45Speaker 10

  And uh that being said, here I normally never participate in anything. I I wear scarf right now. Work out. It's nice comfy, you know, I don't care about what that says. But yesterday going to the ice bath and I was like also I don't take ice baths. You know, it's like a far uh far off my bad show. Uh with my dad, yeah, is anyone doing here what their dad is doing? I don't know. Oh, me not. And I was there with you guys in the ice bath and I was like insane. When so uh it's it was, I don't know what what happened there, but.

• 39:26Speaker 10

  If I go in two minutes or three minutes, I am with my dad, you know, the biggest motivator and and teacher with with the ice. I get like painful as as F. Wow. But with you guys, it was like a piece of cake. Hmm. And maybe not a piece of cake, but but um I felt confident, I was there, endured it. And and it was a a great feeling. I saw a different Enam yesterday, yes. Yeah. Yeah, amazing, I loved it, yeah. So and also with with this group of of guys, this uh you know, I I've I haven't looked into it too much. Uh but now I'm I'm adding all of you and I'm seeing a certain thing coming forward on on the social media and on.

• 40:10Speaker 10

  And on the anything and and what I see here is is. Man, you guys are great with your social media, but what I see here is even better, man. Hmm. And you guys are the real deal and that's I'm very grateful for that. Mm hmm. So uh it's yeah, it it's just blown my mind. Wow. So uh you guys say it's a once a lifetime experience, fuck that, man. Anytime you guys wanna do something.

• 40:38Speaker 10

  So thank you for being here and opening up. Awesome, thanks, Enam.

• 40:44Speaker 03

  Could you, could you share with us the different, like you said your son was different yesterday? I'm very, uh, I'm very intrigued by that because I have a similar relationship with my son and I try to motivate him. And he's, he doesn't take it from me, but he'll take it from my friends. So what was our tribe able to bring out in your son that you hadn't seen before?

• 41:04Wim Hof?

  Energy, power, empowerment. Uh, uh, uh, just that. He never does this with, with me. He never does it. But that's the only, you know, you can heal anything with this, except for father-son's relationship.

• 41:19Speaker 03

  Trauma.

• 41:20Wim Hof?

  And yesterday you guys brought it to him. Cause you guys are, you know, he, he, he's also a big guy, like, uh, uh, in his way, uh, handsome and things. No inhibitions, making big business and, uh, shutting out everybody with a lot of success. I had 12 managers before him.

• 41:38Speaker 03

  Wow.

• 41:39Wim Hof?

  And I had only a thirty thousand, uh, dollars or euros of, uh, tax, uh, debt. That's what I had of those 12 managers.

• 41:48Speaker 03

  Wow.

• 41:49Wim Hof?

  Then he came in and he, he took it all on. Now we got, uh, so, uh, so much and it's all coming. I don't care, but what I see in him, what he, how he is for the first time, yesterday changed. That, uh, he's a different man now.

• 42:04Speaker 03

  Wow.

• 42:05Wim Hof?

  And I, I think he's gonna take, uh, he wants to take me on. You know, it's good, it's good. If the son wants to take on that, it, it, you know, I got more power. Then I did a good job. So two, two, three minutes, it's gonna be 20 minutes. I don't know what's.

• 42:21Speaker 03

  You just seem super happy.

• 42:22Wim Hof?

  I thank you guys.

• 42:23Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 42:23Wim Hof?

  Because you guys got the quality and the energy, the power, the good looking. So you got him convinced where I could not.

• 42:32Speaker 03

  You also just, you also just looked really happy in the ice. You were just smiling. You were like this energy radiating from your, you know, your chest and your face.

• 42:40Speaker 10

  I normally look at everything from outside, you know, and I like that position. I like to have the, the overview, um, oh, yeah, not used to this stuff, you know? I like to have the overview. I like to see things out, outside. Uh, we had a couple of conversations here and say, why are you not doing the breathing exercise? Oh, fucking man, I need my traumas because I need to.

• 43:02Speaker 03

  You need your traumas?

• 43:03Speaker 10

  I need to, yeah. Why do you need your traumas? Well, um, like I said, um, uh, these things make you like, I don't think fear is a bad thing. It makes you like, uh, cautious about things. And my dad always talks about love and he's, we're creating something beautiful. To break that down, it's like, uh, can go really quickly. Uh, to break, to build something up, it takes years. So I always want to be not in the middle of, I, I need to be outside of that. I don't wanna be walking around like a hippie, hugging everyone. You wanna protect what you thought. That's what this does, man. And it's beautiful, but I need to be like, I have a, a role within all what we do.

• 43:48Speaker 10

  And I need to maintain that role. At least that's the way I feel it and that's why I build these walls. But yesterday I could break that wall down for, for a moment. And that's why I was smiling and being happy. Super happy, yeah. It was, yeah, I, I, I felt like at ease. Wow. And that's, that's priceless. Wow. Yeah. That's great. Thanks.

• 44:12Speaker 11

  Yeah, all right, Nick. Yeah, I'm Nick. Um, I'm here for you guys. Louis texted me and, and said, we're gonna have this retreat in Poland. I'm like, I've been to Poland. And, uh, he said, well, you know, Wim Hof's gonna be there. I'm like, oh, cool. He kinda gave the rundown, like, dude, Louis, you could throw this thing at the LA County dump and I'd be there. Like, I, I'm so grateful for this beautiful setting and I've had a chance to explore the, the, you know, just the beautiful mountains that are around us. But I'm here for you guys and I mean it. If, if this was, uh, if this was anywhere else, I would have been on the next flight because, um, I think I expressed that, you know, I, I struggle with some self doubt frequently. And I'm, I'm on Instagram, I'm stalking you guys and I'm like, God, these guys, not an ounce of self doubt. These are, these are.

• 44:58Speaker 11

  You know, buildings, they're snakebite. These are bigger than white human beings.

• 45:03Speaker 06

  Serial killer.

• 45:04Speaker 11

  And I need to be there to understand why these people are so perfect. Like, talk about be the person that you wanna be. You know, like, imagine yourself in that scenario. Imagine yourself in those shoes. And I'm like, I wanna be like these guys. I need to go and see what makes them tick. And, you know, we're downstairs and there's fifteen of us and energy's going back and forth. And it's easier for me to sit down with Jesse one-on-one or Mike one-on-one and pick up something from you. And then it's almost like it's overwhelming and I have to go process it. So like, just talking with Mike and when he said, you know, I walked across the United States because I wanted to be the version of myself that I wanted to be. I just like, it was so overwhelming, I had to just throw my hiking boots on and go walk for an hour.

• 45:46Speaker 11

  Like, that's, maybe it's the loneliness of the long-distance runner, but that's kinda how I center myself. It's just going out and being in my own head for a little while. And I seriously, for yesterday, for ninety minutes, just thought, what does that mean? And what does that mean for me moving forward? How do I apply it to my own life? So, I feel like I've had a chance to at least sit down with every one of you for, whether it's five, ten, or half an hour. And I've just taken a nugget, you know, one nugget from each of you that is just almost overwhelming. And I have to just throw my hiking boots on and go process it. But I'm so grateful that every one of you came out here, because it's really impacting me and helping me in a major, major way. So, that's the gratitude.

• 46:25Speaker 11

  And if there's one thing that I've really learned in two days here, the commonality between the breathing exercises and the ice baths, is that we've got monkey brains. Like, at the end of the day, we're just, we're animals. And as soon as I go into holding my breath, or the second I went into the ice bath, I'm like, fuck this. This sucks. I want oxygen, or I wanna get out of this cold bath. That's my monkey brain. And then as soon as I push through that first fifteen seconds in the breath-holding, or as soon as I push past the first two minutes in the ice bath, I settle into this really neat, happy, comfortable place. It gets, it gets bad again, like, you know, at three minutes or at seven minutes in the bathtub, it gets bad again.

• 47:08Speaker 11

  But it's maybe a lesson to not always avoid... Painfulness, not always avoid discomfort, that there's a real happy place that can be found if you embrace it initially. So I'm trying to like, I'm trying to apply that lesson in more areas of my life.

• 47:22Lewis Howes?

  Hmm, love that, love that. I love that, I love that Nick was looking at all of us thinking that we're hot shit when he's a two-time Olympian, US national champions.

• 47:32Speaker 11

  I was like, why the is Louis inviting me to this? Did you run out of people to call or something?

• 47:38Lewis Howes?

  No, I love your energy, man.

• 47:40Speaker 11

  Thanks, I appreciate it.

• 47:41Lewis Howes?

  You're an inspiration to me, so.

• 47:42Speaker 11

  Appreciate it.

• 47:43Lewis Howes?

  And before you go, what was the exact line that you said about why you crossed America? We'll pass the mic back to Mike. I think it was a great, because I think it was a great line, and we all really resonated with that. The reason you walked across America.

• 47:59Speaker 05

  Yeah, it's, you know, I had to actually do my walk to get to this answer. When people ask me before I did, I didn't really know what to say, I just knew I needed to do it. But, there's a lot of time to think out there. But, you know, when people ask, you know, why, why did I walk across America? I would say, I walked across America to become somebody I'm actually proud of. You know, the person that I want to be, he did that walk, so let me go try to become him. And it's really the same ideas what Jesse was saying earlier, it's just different words. You know, it's like, if somebody asks me who, who my hero is, or who inspires me, I

• 48:43Speaker 05

  love all you guys, but I don't want to say, all you guys, I love, I don't want to have to say Jesse, I don't want to have to say when, I don't want to have to say, I want to, I want to be able to say, me. I inspire me. So I try to organize my life to where that, that, that dream, that superhero version of me becomes real me.

• 49:03Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 49:04Speaker 05

  It's never-ending mission.

• 49:05Lewis Howes?

  That's great, love that. It's kind of like Snoop Dogg.

• 49:08Speaker 05

  I got tired of watching podcasts and docs of inspiring people and not being one of them. I was like, that, man.

• 49:17Lewis Howes?

  That's great.

• 49:18Speaker 11

  But you are.

• 49:19Speaker 05

  Yeah, I'm trying, trying to, thank you.

• 49:22Speaker 11

  You are.

• 49:23Speaker 05

  Thank you, man.

• 49:24Lewis Howes?

  I love that Snoop Dogg speech where he was like, I want to thank me.

• 49:26Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 49:27Lewis Howes?

  For all the hard, the hard work I put in. For all the late nights I put in. For the effort, I want to thank me.

• 49:34Speaker 11

  That's right.

• 49:36Speaker 12

  Uh, hey guys, I wanna uh definitely thank everyone in this room for like bringing me in and tell you how grateful I am to be here. I, it almost feels like an understatement when I say that because uh I honestly feel like the most fortunate person in this room right now.

• 49:53Speaker 12

  The uh, the talent and inspiration here is like, it's moving.

• 49:59Speaker 12

  And thank you, you know, for probably letting me slip through the cracks on this email and get in here. I don't know how else I would've made it in here.

• 50:09Speaker 12

  So, like being in a room full of guys who like, you know, just wanna see you get better is like, um, worth all the money in the world. So, I appreciate all of that.

• 50:24Speaker 12

  I definitely came here like looking for uh, performance and, and along those lines. Really interested in it and really interested in all the things Wim's done. I think what I got out of it was just how much like baggage I've put up over the years and levels of like stubbornness that I've just layered on. And so after today's session, I feel like I was able to peer into somewhere where I haven't been in a long time. Hmm, great. Yeah, thank you, Wim. Yes, excellent.

• 51:02Speaker 13

  My name is Taylor. Uh, Louis brought me along to help document this experience and uh, help tell the story for you guys.

• 51:11Speaker 13

  It's been incredible to watch all of you, high performers, thought leaders, just incredible human beings, go through this experience and, and rally for each other. Seeing you all chant in the ice bath yesterday and Mike singing with some crazy notes. Everybody smiling and having a good time and pushing through that pain together. And developing that brotherhood in such a natural and powerful way. It's been incredible to watch and I feel so grateful that I'm here to help tell that story and share. I think my biggest takeaway is that this stuff is powerful and we're so privileged and we've been given the responsibility to share this. And it needs to be out in the world.

• 51:56Speaker 13

  And so I'm excited to see, moving forward, watching all of you guys support this mission, support this work and really grateful that we have this experience together to share it with the world.

• 52:11Speaker 14

  So a quick story. Me and Louis and April got a workout in together. And I asked him, I said, you know, who's been inspirational in your life? You know, what are you doing this year that's pretty crazy? And he says, well, someone that I really up to is Wim Hof. And I'm actually gonna go to Poland with him in next January, so now, and do some Wim Hof experience with him. And I let no air in between that sentence and I said, I'm in. Yeah, I didn't even bite you yet.

• 52:41Speaker 14

  I was it. I said, I'm in. I said, I'm in. Because just like you two said, like, there's not gonna be a day or a week or a month that goes by that I'm not gonna see the Mitch Matthews that I know I'm on earth to become. No chance. It's not gonna happen. And so hearing guys who are a little older than me say that, it's like, I'm already there. I'm in. Like, you know, you guys were going on a run yesterday and I was in the bathroom for someone yelled, came up with this idea and I sprint upstairs, I'm in. I'm not gonna let someone twice my age who get a run in, I'm not fucking in, you know? And so I'm here to maximize my potential and give up anything I have to everyone. But I'm grateful for everyone's vulnerability. Like, there's friggin billionaire families here. There's guys that are starting crazy businesses. There's humongous influences in this room.

• 53:26Speaker 14

  But to be able to hold each other in bear hug position and pass out with each other is pretty spectacular. To have that vulnerability is pretty spectacular. And I'm grateful to see that. And in my life, I look for challenges.

• 53:40Speaker 14

  I've created my own challenges with, you know, working out twice a day, healthy eating for ten straight weeks and things like that. And challenges like this, I'm looking for those opportunities. But I'm grateful, Wim, for you in challenging us to create something like an excursion or some record-breaking thing that we're gonna do. I'm in.

• 54:02Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 54:03Speaker 14

  That's what I say to that. I'm in. I want to help you get this out because it's changed me. It's aligned me. Usually when I go on vacations for three or four days, I get like almost anxiety, like I have to get back to work. But I'm gonna go back to work and back to my business and have anxiety that I'm not here with you guys, being vulnerable and change myself.

• 54:20Lewis Howes?

  Sure.

• 54:20Speaker 14

  So it's just realign me to what's really important. So thank you, everybody, for being here and for letting me be all in with you.

• 54:27Lewis Howes?

  Nice.

• 54:27Speaker 14

  Yes, sir.

• 54:30Speaker 15

  I'm Matthew Hussey. In terms of what I'm grateful for, I truly am just grateful to be considered an energy that's worth having on this week. This is rarefied air. And to be around you guys, the greatest compliment I can receive is that you thought I would in some way contribute to this because I know you wouldn't have invited me if you didn't feel that.

• 54:57Lewis Howes?

  Right. It's just the accent.

• 55:00Speaker 15

  Is it when it's somebody who sounds intelligent?

• 55:05Speaker 15

  So I truly am just grateful to be in the company of you guys. In terms of why I came, I had a really difficult year last year. It was really tough. I didn't know what I would get out of this, but I did know for sure it would shake things up. Even if I had a terrible time, I'm like, they can't not shake things up. And I had a pretty terrible time in several ways last year. So I thought, well, it's not gonna, you know, another terrible time. Can't hurt me that bad.

• 55:36Lewis Howes?

  And before you go to the next thing, one of the reasons, you know, I chose each person here for a specific reason, right? You all have an energy or some reason why I thought you would contribute to the group, the collective group. And the reason, one, we're close friends. We've been friends for years and we hang out in L.A. a lot. But two is because I was with you through the pain of last year, many different occasions. And I just knew that if I could get you here. Maybe it's not gonna solve all your problems, but it's gonna give you a lot of tools to support you in overcoming the pain better.

• 56:09Speaker 15

  That's right.

• 56:09Lewis Howes?

  You know, even if it's for a week or two of relief, I knew it would give you something to clear the energy, clear the mind and move into a better year and a better decade without the baggage of the past. And so that's, that's why Matt was in and then he was out and then he, I was like, dude, I want you here because I know this will help you.

• 56:30Speaker 15

  Yeah. Yeah. And the reason though, I was in and then I was out was because, I mean, I literally, Lewis texted me and said, hey, I've got this thing. I was in a, I was in like a happy holiday mindset at the time. I'm like, yeah, let's do it. And then I actually watched some stuff.

• 56:47Lewis Howes?

  Click the link. I sent him a link.

• 56:50Speaker 15

  It's not an exaggeration to say I did not sleep that night. I just thought, what on earth have I done? And now I got embarrassed myself by going back to Lewis and backing out. And now how am I gonna remove myself from this thing? But you know what? The, one of the big reasons I came, and maybe the biggest reason I came was when you said this to me and I had such a visceral, really like deep, deep fear. I didn't just think this would be uncomfortable. It terrified me.

• 57:20Speaker 15

  And that was enough to keep me up at night. And I thought, how often in my life do I actually, genuinely? I'm always telling people, my audience, I'm always doing programs, getting people to go and do things that scare the shit out of them. How often in my life do I actually do something that scares the fucking shit out of me? Really? Like, you know, I, I mean, in my whole life, because the easy answer is, you know, I used to do things that scared me and then I built this successful business and this audience and, you know, I did all these uncomfortable things to get there. And now that I'm here, I've not taken a risk in a while. That's the easy answer. But the truth is, even the things I did to build my business weren't terrifying to me because I was good at them.

• 58:05Speaker 15

  Like, starting business, going out and persuading people, going, giving speeches, going, those were things I knew I could be good at. Even when I wasn't good at them, I had some belief that if I do this, I kinda think I have an ability here. So even those weren't truly scary. This was something I have. I hate the cold. And I grew up, like, we would go on skiing trips where mine, out of my family, my fingers, you know, you nicknamed me Extremities this week.

• 58:37Speaker 15

  My, my fingers were the first thing to send us back at home. Really? To, because they were just numb and white. Uh, and so I thought, this is, this is not something I can go and be like, I'm gonna be one of the best in the group. And I rarely ever, ever, ever put myself in situations that are genuinely terrifying. It's always a fake terrifying. Hmm. Oh, this is uncomfortable, but really, I'm still good at that shit. So that was a big reason I came, uh, was to genuinely scare myself so that I have credibility when I do a retreat this year in going to my audience. And I know they're genuinely terrified of coming to my retreat because they're gonna deal with real vulnerable stuff. That I have credibility standing there and, and telling them to confront that. Hmm. In terms of what I took from it.

• 59:23Speaker 15

  It's a self-help cliche that peer group is important. And I think in a way cliches are dangerous because you forget how true they can be. And to be around you guys, I realized how little of peer group I've genuinely fostered in the last decade of, of my life. I've been working, seeing maybe the same two friends, spending time with family, maybe a girlfriend, and, and that's it. And I tell myself that's enough. And it's a very ignorant perspective because I'm, I'm here and I see just amazing people and insights and people who have done things and people who just put me to shame in all different ways in my life. And I'm like, how ignorant have I been in the last 10 years that I haven't done more of, of this and create and spent more time on peer group?

• 1:00:08Speaker 15

  So it's a cliche. I even talk about it being important when I do programs. How much of it have I really done in ten years? So that's, that's been huge. The importance of physiology and how, you know, we, we always think we're gonna think our way into a better emotion. You know, let me logically process why this isn't a big deal, why I should. But actually, just to change your physiological state with something radical like this and the effect that that can have. Reminds me, sometimes we just overthink everything and we give feelings way too much importance. Instead of just shocking our system, whether it's working out, ice bath breathing. That's gonna change our state automatically without us having to think our way into it. Uh, and lastly, I, there's a, speaking of hypocrisy.

• 1:00:51Speaker 15

  In my own work and things I need to do a better job of living up to. There's a story that I tell on my retreat every time. That this program, this experience has made unbelievably viscerally real to me. There's a moment in the movie Lawrence of Arabia. Where Lawrence is lighting matches. And letting the flame burn all the way down to his fingertips. And when it gets to his fingertips, it goes out. And one of the other officers looks at him. And he can't, he's like, how does he do it? How does he do it? How's he doing that? So when Lawrence isn't looking, he grabs the matches and he lights one up.

• 1:01:33Speaker 15

  And he lets it burn all the way down to his fingertips. When it gets to his fingertips, he goes, and it burns him. And now he's angry. So he looks at Lawrence, angry now, and he says, go on then, what's the trick?

• 1:01:53Speaker 15

  And Lawrence says to him, the trick is not minding that it hurts. And that to me, this week could not have been more of a representation of is that. Uh, we spend so much of our lives trying to avoid pain, uh, but the trick isn't avoiding hurt, it's not minding. That it hurts. So thank you for making that not just a story to me. But something very, very real. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

• 1:02:25Speaker 16

  Nice.

• 1:02:27Lewis Howes?

  You're up.

• 1:02:29Speaker 16

  Really?

• 1:02:29Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:02:30Speaker 16

  I'll hold the camera.

• 1:02:31Lewis Howes?

  And then Dalton will ask.

• 1:02:35Speaker 16

  Alright.

• 1:02:38Lewis Howes?

  Name what you're...

• 1:02:44Lewis Howes?

  Name what you're grateful for, why you're here, and biggest lesson.

• 1:02:49Speaker 16

  Oh, well, I'm definitely grateful to be part of this. I must say, I'm still a little bit starstruck being surrounded by these people. This here, speaking.

• 1:03:01Wim Hof?

  But you are a star of yourself. What is your name?

• 1:03:04Speaker 16

  Peter.

• 1:03:04Wim Hof?

  Hey, Peter, the star.

• 1:03:06Speaker 16

  The camera guy.

• 1:03:09Speaker 16

  This, actually, this talking to like a lot of people is my ice path. Like, I don't really feel comfortable doing that stuff. That's why I chose for a life behind the lens. But we all got to learn and do things that are scary, and this is one of the things. I'm grateful for spending these days with you, and we're gonna climb a mountain tomorrow.

• 1:03:35Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:03:36Speaker 16

  It's gonna be awesome.

• 1:03:39Lewis Howes?

  Big lesson? Big lesson so far for you?

• 1:03:44Speaker 16

  From the last few days.

• 1:03:47Lewis Howes?

  From either what you've witnessed, watching behind the camera, but also you've experienced and participated as well. So both sides for you, maybe?

• 1:03:56Speaker 16

  Well, it's not something from the last few days, but just opening up, being vulnerable has been a thing for the last, from the last few years. I've definitely learned that from working for the company with Wim, and yeah. Vulnerability is key. Yeah.

• 1:04:13Lewis Howes?

  That's great, man.

• 1:04:14Speaker 16

  Thanks.

• 1:04:15Lewis Howes?

  Awesome. Dalton.

• 1:04:20Speaker 17

  Alright, um, my name is Dalton and um, I'm definitely grateful to be here. Um, I actually just met Louis like a week before this trip. Um, so this is definitely like new for me, but I'm super thankful that I got to meet all you guys. I think for me, like, in high school, I heard this quote that was like, uh, "Leave the world a better place than you entered it." And for some reason, I've like always remembered that and it's kind of been my goal in life. So, um, I think being 21 years old, like, I don't really like a lot of kids my age. I think a lot of them are lazy and entitled. So, like, if I can be that example that proves that wrong and um, shows them, you know, like, just how powerful being vulnerable is and how, you know, where hard work can get you.

• 1:05:03Speaker 17

  I would love to leave the world a better place than I entered it and I would love to be an example for my generation. And spreading, you know, just more love and peace and um, I don't know, that's kind of just my mission. And I do that through telling stories through video. Um, I like to capture stories and document experiences like this. And I get to learn a lot by being behind the camera and editing and watching these clips through a hundred times. So, yeah, and I think my biggest takeaway as of now is to uh, be more vulnerable, the power of community and uh, to rest a little more. I overwork myself a lot, so this has given me a lot of anxiety the first few days, like not working at all, but uh, when I get back, I can't wait to like make this a monthly thing where I go with friends and uh,

• 1:05:47Speaker 17

  you know, rest and, and talk and be open. So, yeah, thank you guys and I feel very grateful to be in the presence of all you, so.

• 1:05:54Lewis Howes?

  Awesome.

• 1:05:58Lewis Howes?

  Um, what's, what's opened up for you, Wim, for watching? We're, we're not done, we still have two more days essentially, but what's, you've done a lot of this, you've done a lot.

• 1:06:08Wim Hof?

  I, I think like Aina, I found brothers. They are not looking up to me.

• 1:06:14Lewis Howes?

  Are you still looking up a little bit to here?

• 1:06:17Wim Hof?

  No. No shit, I mean, I'm a simple guy, I'm humble, I wanna change the world. And now I'm going to change the world together with all of you. It's like almost boring because I do it as a mantra. I'm a man on a mission every day. And when I have the ability to reunite with bigger forces, bigger powers, then I'm the first one to take it on and tell the story again. If I go into Uber, I'm into the stories, I'm into the mission. And when he drops us off, it's always embracing, you're always having because we end up in love and changing the world.

• 1:07:01Wim Hof?

  And until it's not done, things like this need to happen. And being vulnerable, I'm fucking vulnerable. I'm getting older and I'm still doing this shit. Yeah, man, I'm still doing this shit. But now, hey, seeing you here empowers me. And thank you, not only from the heart, but yeah, let's make a lot more happening from here. And it's happening already. So actually, sometimes I do not need the need of words to tell that I love this. I love this and the world needs change and we are able to give it.

• 1:07:46Wim Hof?

  So, thank you, thank you very much for kicking my ass too. Because that's what you do too. I'm always on top of it all. And now I'm, hey shit man.

• 1:08:01Lewis Howes?

  The mountain.

• 1:08:04Wim Hof?

  See everybody, man. It's beautiful. Thanks brothers.

• 1:08:08Lewis Howes?

  Aubrey, you wanna, you wanna share anything else or anything else you think we should talk about or open discussion of anything?

• 1:08:14Speaker 02

  I think. One of the, I think a lot of people will look at Wim Hof and they'll look at the cold. And that's an important part. It's an important part to be able to push yourself past your fears and recognize it's something that's good for you. You may be afraid of, but if you push past that thing, it's gonna be good for you and beneficial. And a lot of focus gets put on that, but I think what's really we're seeing here in the breathwork is something else that's really special and powerful. And that's the release of emotions that have been stored and things that have come up. You know, like, I do breathwork a lot. The second round here today,

• 1:08:53Speaker 02

  I was so happy that I started crying because I recognized how often in my life I'm not that happy. You know, right? And like that came up from the breath. And, and why was, why was Mike crying? He doesn't really know, but there was something there to be released. Why did Jesse see his face interposed with his child's face, his younger face? Why are these things happening? There's things that are beyond, you know, just the cold and just the simplicity of pushing yourself past your limits. There's a deep spiritual foundation here. There's some kind of magic that's happening within the, within the consciousness itself. And he's giving access to that through all the means.

• 1:09:37Speaker 02

  And these means are free, you know, free cold, free breath, and like free medicine. And I think that's just beautiful. And I just hope that as everybody shares this message, you share not only the courage to do the things that are hard, because that's kinda easy for a lot of men to do the things that are hard. We've all done things that are hard. But also do the things internally that release and open up those, those spots. Like, you know, hearing Mitch cry yesterday and, and express that he wasn't proud of himself. Like, yeah, man, like, that's amazing. Like, every single person when they do that. Like, Mark, hearing you today, man. Like, that's, that's the shit. Like, I know you've run some long distances. I, I'm not...

• 1:10:22Speaker 02

  That impressed, to be honest. But I'm fucking super impressed with you from what you just said there. Like, I admire you for that.

• 1:10:30Wim Hof?

  Yeah.

• 1:10:30Speaker 02

  Like, I absolutely admire you for that. And the other stuff's rad, too. Don't get me wrong. Like, that's dope. But that's the, that's like the special thing. And I think, so it's just not, not looking at that thing that might be the dazzling accomplishment, but knowing like internally, the diamonds. Always talking about the diamonds. Where's the diamonds? The diamonds in the fucking heart. It's in the heart. How much can you show of the diamond in your heart? Like, how bright can you let that thing go? And if you have anything obstructing it, any kind of mistruth, any deception, any delusion, any projection, you're gonna be clouding that diamonds. Let's polish that fucking thing and let it shine for the world so bright that it's a lighthouse for everybody to see it when ships are cracking. They can look up at the sky and they see it and they know.

• 1:11:15Speaker 02

  They know that the heart is there and the heart is always gonna be there. It's unborn and it's undying. It's untarnishable, it's unbreakable. And we all have it. Nobody's special. We all have it. And that's what we're here to remind people.

• 1:11:29Wim Hof?

  Yeah.

• 1:11:32Speaker 02

  Nice.

• 1:11:34Lewis Howes?

  That was a sermon.

• 1:11:35Speaker 02

  Is there any final thoughts from anyone or anything else that opened up that they didn't get to share? Yeah, right?

• 1:11:43Speaker 04

  He only said it because he meant it.

• 1:11:47Lewis Howes?

  I think, I admire that too. That was great. That was great. That was great.

• 1:11:57Speaker 15

  What Aubrey finished on actually, in terms of no one's special, is actually interesting because there are cer- nobody's special, but there are certain people who kind of take up the mantle to come into a room and change the energy of that room. And anyone could do that. Anyone could come in and change the energy of an entire dynamic if they chose to. That's what leadership is, right? What's really interesting, Wim, about you is there is a-

• 1:12:23Speaker 15

  No matter how afraid everyone is, you walk into a room and everyone sort of feels safer. You're sort of like, oh, we're all right, we're gonna be all right. And it is like, there are certain things we do this week that are terrifying and I've watched, it's fun. One of the things that I, various people have said it this week, has been the most fun, Jesse, you said it, has been to watch all these grown, powerful men terrifying out of their minds at different times. And to see that, that's been cool. But, you know, Wim, you walk into a room and your energy sort of announces you as you walk into a room and you know when you're in that room. And that, I think, is really powerful and I think it's something we, we should all take back to.

• 1:13:05Speaker 05

  You know he's in the house.

• 1:13:07Speaker 15

  You know he's in the house, yeah. And that, you know, whether we go back to, you know, our families, Steve, you know, or our businesses, or our audience, or our colleagues, or our staff, knowing that we are, each individually, these very important centers of energy. And to honor that by, you know, we, we think so much about ourselves and what I'm afraid of, what I'm going through, what I'm dealing with. Uh, and it takes the focus off of how am I changing the energy of the room that I walk into? And what am I bringing to that room? And your leadership, Wim, is what makes this experience.

• 1:13:45Wim Hof?

  The soul, that's it, the soul. The soul is what you are going to bring in every room you're gonna get in. And that's gonna make all the difference. Yes, sir.

• 1:13:57Lewis Howes?

  Nice. Anyone else wanna share a final thought?

• 1:14:00Wim Hof?

  Uh, okay. I don't know. Love of the family, the love of the family is the last bit. I did the Kilimanjaro, as you know, with twenty-six people with the cancer, Crohn's disease, all kinds of things. And, uh, we, we did it, not in three days, we did it in two days, more than successful. We did not hear any physiologists, doctors, could have had a decency at least to ask, how did you do it? How did you do it? Because we are doctors, investigators in life, we want to improve healing and methods and all. No question, no question. So that, that, but we did it. And I, I, I went to, uh, uh, Serengeti.

• 1:14:42Wim Hof?

  Serengeti, after the Kilimanjaro, very successfully done, it was already in the pocket, but I wanted to see the biggest elephant in the world, which is 7.8 tons. It's like 16,000 pounds, is that true? Yeah, something like, no, I mean, huge motherfucker. And he is there, and I'm able to go with the Maasai. The Maasai, they are able to approach the animals, the lions, without fear. They have no religion, they have respect for Mother Nature, and they know how to approach the lion, because they have no fear. They are divine. And I go with them, they are my friends, we go together,

• 1:15:28Wim Hof?

  and they let me approach the biggest elephant in the world. And there it is, with this ultrasound going on there, this presence, it is alive! The being is alive! There you get close, you don't know what's happening, you get these waves over you, the ultrasonic, it gets into your brainwaves, your whole body, you feel it everywhere. And I get close to his legs, even bigger than the building.

• 1:16:01Wim Hof?

  Colin, very Colin, all alive! This belly, it's a gut feeling, man, God is over there. And slowly but surely, I get to the back, and I lift up his tail, and I see a big black hole. It's a vortex, I mean, they can swallow you fully, they can swallow you fully, if you approach it too much. I was struck by arms, completely flabbergasted. Now my yogic control came in, and I just kept the poise and the control within myself, and went slowly but surely away from that massive big being.

• 1:16:46Wim Hof?

  The Luxor Dant Africa. And I came back in the Moshi. And I had reception on the telephone. And I said, "Ain't, oh, ain't no, ain't no. We did Kilimanjaro so successful in two days, not three days. All transformed. And I saw him, the biggest one, the biggest elephant in the world. I saw him and he had a huge asshole. But you motherfucker, you are still the biggest motherfucker."

• 1:17:18Lewis Howes?

  That's the law of the family.

• 1:17:22Lewis Howes?

  That's good. All right, well, I guess that's a good way to end it.

• 1:17:27Lewis Howes?

  We appreciate you. We appreciate you, Wim. Thanks, thanks. We're so grateful for your... More than thanks. Taking the time. Things are going to be done. Exactly, so, thank you so much. I'm so grateful you guys are all here. And we gotta jump in the hot tub now, right? Yeah. Hot tub.

• 1:17:52Lewis Howes?

  My friend, I hope you enjoyed this special and unique episode. Again, the Wim Hof experience. We dove in deep on mindset training, power breathing, brotherhood. Talking about the ICE experience. If you haven't downloaded Wim's app, just go download it for free on the Apple Store. Just type in Wim Hof experience or Wim Hof method and it'll come up. And he'll guide you. I love listening to the app to do it myself in the mornings or whenever I just feel like I need a break. I'll go through it, I'll do the breathing exercises. And man, it just brings me so much energy and life and peace at the same time. Again, you have the power to change people's lives.

• 1:18:34Lewis Howes?

  And this is a powerful resource with some incredible men opening up and sharing. And I would love for you to share this with one friend. You know, if you share this with one person, you never know whose life you can change and save. And you have that capability, you have the power. So text a couple of friends who might be interested. Share it on Instagram, tag me at Lewis Howes, tag the ICE man, Wim Hof. Tag some of these other guys that you'd like hearing from. And let me know what you think. Again, if this is your first time at the School of Greatness, thank you for being here. We've got over 6,000 5-star reviews. I'd love for you to add another one and share your thoughts and feedback on what you enjoyed the most from the School of

• 1:19:14Lewis Howes?

  Greatness podcast experience. We've got some big plans coming up, so stay subscribed, keep listening, because I don't want you to miss out on what we have coming up for you. It's specifically designed for you. Again, I love Wim Hof's quotes. He says, "Your fitness is 100% mental. Your body won't go where your mind doesn't push it." And he also said, "We are so successful at being comfortable. That comfort has become the enemy of our success. Unless you're willing to experience new things, you'll never eclipse your full potential." I hope you know that you are loved, that you are special, that you have an incredible gift within you, and the world is waiting for you to share that gift with us. You have so much

• 1:19:57Lewis Howes?

  talent to give. You have so much that you can contribute, and I want you to start contributing more today in any way that that looks like for you. I love you so very much. I appreciate you. And you know what time it is. It's time to go out there and do something great.