#1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Murphy is a Performance Coach to some of the best athletes and leaders in the world. In addition to coaching professional athletes and executives, Murphy is the president of the Inner Excellence Freedom Project whose mission is to build communities to alleviate spiritual and physical poverty around the world.
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Episode Cheatsheet
The big takeaway
Performance coach Jim Murphy dives into the counterintuitive secrets of thriving under pressure—not just surviving with grit, but performing with both peace and confidence. Drawing from his own experience in pro sports and coaching elite athletes, Murphy explores how transforming our inner lives and reframing our self-talk can help us respond (not react) to stress, maximize our potential, and find more meaning in everyday challenges.
Performance under pressure: Jim Murphy on inner excellence
Key takeaways:
Your story shapes your state: The ways we label and talk about our past (and present) experiences directly impact our ability to show up calm and confident in high-stakes moments.
Let go to move forward: True peak performance isn’t about clinging to results—it’s about non-attachment, learning, and being present for the process, not just the outcome.
The heart of the matter: Transforming your heart (or spirit/will) is central to inner excellence; a focus beyond ego and toward connection, service, and growth gives you the best shot at performing well when it matters most.
Actionable faith (even for skeptics): Murphy’s tools and perspectives, while rooted in his Christian faith, are accessible regardless of your beliefs. He shows that contemplative wisdom—Buddhist, Christian, or otherwise—is fundamentally practical.
6 practical tips for inner excellence (peak performance under pressure):
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