Showing Up Changes Everything
Showing Up Changes Everything
Some podcast episodes are background noise. Others tap you on the shoulder mid-run and say, Hey…..pay attention. This one matters. Episode 42 of Beyond The Finish Line is absolutely the second kind.
A Conversation That Reroutes Your Thinking
Hosted by Joe Hardin, this episode unfolds like the best conversations always do. It is unrushed, honest, and unexpectedly personal. It doesn’t feel like an interview as much as a shared moment where reflection sneaks in quietly and stays with you longer than planned.
Reinvention Without Permission
Joe’s guest, Jerrod Hardy, isn’t here to impress you with accolades (even though he could). He’s here to remind you that reinvention doesn’t require permission, it requires action.
Jerrod’s background reads like a highlight reel: two decades in mixed martial arts, 21 years as a police officer, and the host of a podcast with more than 350 episodes. And now? He’s training for his first 100-mile ultramarathon at Copper Kings in Montana. Not because everything lined up perfectly but because he committed before doubt could talk him out of it.
Why Showing Up Beats Perfection
That moment becomes the heartbeat of the episode. Because endurance athletes know this truth all too well: the hardest part isn’t the training plan or the miles. It’s the stories we tell ourselves about why we shouldn’t even try.
Joe and Jerrod peel those narratives apart and replace them with something far more useful: presence over perfection.
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The Skill of Being Present
The conversation drifts into intentional listening, something Jerrod has refined deeply through hundreds of interviews. He doesn’t listen to respond. He listens to understand.
That kind of presence—on the mic, on the trail, or at the starting line—is a skill endurance sports quietly demand of us. You can’t rush it. You can’t fake it.
Life Lessons From a 27-Foot Airstream
Then comes the Airstream chapter. For five years, Jerrod and his wife have lived full-time in a 27-foot trailer, traveling coast to coast and spending winters in Mexico.
Campfires replace credentials. Conversations replace assumptions. His takeaway? Most people are good. And when titles disappear, connection shows up. For athletes conditioned to measure worth in splits and results, it’s a grounding reminder.
Challenging the Stories We Carry
And finally, the ukulele. Once told in sixth grade he was “bad at music,” Jerrod carried that belief for decades, until his 50th birthday, when he decided to challenge it.
The lesson lands quietly but firmly: the limits we accept early often outlive their usefulness.
Why This Episode Matters
If you’re training for your next race, standing on the edge of something uncomfortable, or wondering if it’s still okay to begin again…..this episode is for you.
Beyond The Finish Line isn’t about podiums. It’s about showing up, staying curious, and trusting that your story is still unfolding.
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