Why Most High-Performing Men Stay Stuck (And How to Break Free Fast)

Why do so many high-performing men feel off-track in their health, energy, and consistency—even when they're crushing it in business and life?

In this powerful episode of The Highly Effective Man Podcast, JP Bolwahnn—13-year Navy SEAL veteran, firefighter, and elite performance coach—unpacks the 3 hidden roadblocks keeping driven men stuck: lack of time, fading motivation, and unsustainable routines.

You’ll discover:

• Why time isn’t the real issue—and how to structure your day for consistent wins
• The truth about motivation (and why it’s sabotaging your progress)
• How to build a new identity that naturally drives results
• The proven system JP uses to help busy men reclaim their strength, energy, and leadership

If you’re a man who leads at work and at home—but you know you’re not firing on all cylinders—this episode is your wake-up call.

🔥 Ready to reclaim control and become the strongest version of yourself?
 👉 Apply for a free strategy call now at www.higherlevelcoaching.co

Send us a text

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to the Highly Effective man podcast, hosted
by former Navy SEAL turned lifeand fitness coach.
I'm your host, jp Bolwan.
This podcast is your resourcefor unlocking the healthiest,
most productive and highlyeffective man within you.
Let's go.
What's up, guys?

(00:31):
Welcome back to the HighlyEffective man podcast.
I'm your host, jp Bolwan,13-year Navy SEAL, veteran
college football player, nowfirefighter and life and fitness
coach, and the founder of theHighly Effective man.
Now, if you're a busy, highperforming guy but you feel like

(00:52):
your energy slipping or yourtraining's inconsistent and you
feel like you're not operatingat full capacity, then this
episode is going to be for you.
All right.
We're going to break down whymen like you might be feeling
stuck and how to break free fast.
Now there's a pain that a lotof men don't talk about.
Right, you've built asuccessful life, you have a

(01:13):
solid career, you know businessis going well, you have a family
, you're doing all the rightthings, but behind the scenes,
you wake up tired.
Even if you've had a fullnight's sleep, you've got that
stubborn 10 to 20 pounds of fatthat you just can't shake.
You say I'll get back on trackon Monday, and that's every week

(01:35):
and maybe worst of all you feellike you're just not yourself
anymore.
Right, that's a pain point thatmost guys never want to admit,
right?
Right, that's a pain point thatmost guys never want to admit,
right, nobody wants to say I'velost my edge and I don't know
how to get it back.
Well, there's three roadblocks,or common roadblocks, that keep

(01:59):
people stuck.
Ok, and I coach guys like thisevery day entrepreneurs,
executives, firefighters, dadsyou know just successful men.
And these are the same three,same three things that come up
again and again and again.
Ok, number one is time.
You're busy, right, you've gotpeople depending on you, you
know.

(02:19):
And the idea of adding an hourlong workout or a complex meal
plan, forget about it, right,but here's what most guys don't
realize you don't need more time, you just need a better system,
right?
I helped one of my clients, paul.
He's the CEO of a large techcompany and he has like five
kids.
Right, we cut his workouts tounder an hour.

(02:40):
He trained a minimum of fourtimes a week and he got leaner
than he'd been in over a decade.
Right, without missing familydinners.
He didn't get more time, hejust got more focused, right?
So just ask yourself what's onehabit right now that's wasting
my energy.
Right and replace it with onethat actually builds you.

(03:03):
Number two roadblock ismotivation.
Because, let's be real,motivation fades and when you're
stressed or you're stretchedthin and you know, it's going to
be the first thing to disappear.
That's why, in the HighlyEffective man system, we don't
rely on motivation.
We build disciplined systems.

(03:24):
Right, you have a simple, no BSroutine.
Right, you plug and playworkouts.
You have clear nutritiontargets that you know.
You don't have to obsess overfood, right?
One of my clients, ben.
He, told me, you know, once Iknew exactly what to do, I
stopped overthinking and I juststarted executing.
Right, so look at your plan andjust start putting together

(03:49):
like a checklist.
Or you know a no BS plan whereyou have like a solid morning
routine or an evening routine.
Plan your day and stick to it,for you know, seven days
straight.
Make it a system Right.
And then number three issustainability.
Right, you've probably done a30-day shred or a hardcore diet

(04:11):
or tried some kind of quick fixand it worked.
Right, it probably worked for alittle while and then life hit.
Like you and me, they're builtfor guys that are 25 year old,
influencers, or guys with nokids or private chef, right.
What I give my clients isstructure that they can actually

(04:33):
live with.
You know one of my clients, eric.
He's a lawyer.
He travels a lot, right, but helost 18 pounds and kept it off
while still eating out four tofive times a week.
How do you do that?
Well, we just simplified itdown to what matters most.
So what you need to askyourself is is what I'm doing

(04:57):
today something I can stick tofor six months?
And if not, then it's notsustainable.
So what actually does work?
What actually creates abreakthrough?
Well, number one is structure,because structure creates
freedom.
When you wake up knowingexactly what you're going to do,

(05:19):
how to train, what to eat, howto reset when life hits, you've
already won.
You eliminate decision fatigue,right.
You don't need a perfect plan.
You need a plan that you'llactually follow, and that's what
I like to build with my clientssomething that's simple,

(05:39):
repeatable and high impact.
Number two is an identity shift.
You don't need workouts andmeal plans.
Everybody knows they need towork out and they need to eat,
right, right, what you need tobecome is a man who leads
himself first, a man whoprotects his health, like his

(06:00):
family depends on it Becausethey do.
Right, that's the shift you gotto make From I try to work out
to I'm a man who trains.
From I'll get back on track toI don't break promises to myself
, right.

(06:20):
Well, what happens if you don'tmake that shift?
Well, shoot, let's.
Let's be real, right, ifnothing changes, your gut's
going to get bigger, the energyis going to dip lower and that
spark that made you feel alive,it gets buried deeper.
Right, I've seen it happen andI've helped men just like you
take it back fast.

(06:40):
All right.
So if this hit home, and ifyou're done winging it or done
starting over and you're readyto lead again, I want you to
apply for a free strategy call.
Okay, this isn't going to belike a sales pitch or anything
like that.
Right, it's a real tacticalsession where we map out like a

(07:00):
personal game plan, one thatfits your life, one that builds
structure and helps you reclaimyour edge.
Okay, you're going to go tohigherlevelcoachingco and apply
now.
Okay, that could be the moment.
This could be the moment thatchanges everything.
Right, and if this spoke to you,send it to another brother who

(07:22):
needs to hear it Hit, subscribe,leave a review and keep showing
up.
Okay, until then, stand tall,train hard, hit, subscribe,
leave a review and keep showingup.
Okay, until then, stand tall,train hard, lead well, I'm JP
Bolwan and you were born to behighly effective.
Let's go.
Thank you for listening to theHighly Effective man podcast.

(07:44):
If you enjoyed or learnedsomething on this episode, do me
a favor and share this withsomebody who you think needs to
hear it.
And one last thing if you wantto work with me as your coach to
help you get fit, be moreproductive and, in general, just
be the most effective versionof yourself, head over to my
site, higherlevelcoachingco Onceagain, that's
higherlevelcoachingco andschedule a call with me there.
Thank you again, let's go.