E89: Climb Your Own Mountain with Jonny Pain – What Resilience Really Takes

Guest: Jonny Pain
Released: 19 August 2026
Themes: Resilience · Endurance and mental toughness · Stress and fatigue management · Fear and self-belief · Purpose and community support

We sit down with coach and endurance athlete Jonny Pain to talk about what actually creates resilience, not the social media kind, but the kind that holds up when you’re tired, stressed, and tempted to quit.

Jonny breaks down Project Vertical, his attempt to complete a “vertical marathon” by climbing Ben Nevis again and again until the total elevation gain equals 26.2 miles. He shares what changed between the first attempt and the successful second run, including going self-supported, managing sleep deprivation, staying safe under accumulating fatigue, and learning how quickly anger burns out as fuel. We also dig into how community support can keep you moving when your own thoughts turn against you.

From special forces selection prep to everyday mental health, we get practical about fatigue management, allostatic load, HRV, and why your body just hears “stress,” whether it comes from squats, poor sleep, work pressure, or relationship strain. We push back on arbitrary targets like 10,000 steps and one-size-fits-all coaching numbers, then land on a simple theme: climb your own mountain by taking the next step, even when fear shows up. If you get something from this one, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave us a review.