November 3, 2025 • 9 mins
In this episode, Ryan reframes success through the lens of awareness, alignment, and steady effort. Drawing on conversations with high performers and adventurers like Damian Browne—who rowed solo from New York City to Ireland with no prior rowing experience—you’ll hear how the real victory lies in self-realization and inner peace, not outcomes or applause.
Damian’s story reveals a sharper, more useful definition of success: one measured by honesty, courage, and connection. Each day becomes a chance to learn who you are under pressure, to refine your process, and to serve from a place of clarity instead of fear.
Ryan breaks down how to operationalize this mindset so it shows up in your calendar, not just your journal:
- Simple, daily commitments aligned with your core values
- Honest reflection to uncover blind spots
- Small, consistent actions that build inner freedom
When fear stops driving your choices, confidence becomes durable—carried across seasons, goals, and setbacks.
Thank you for tuning in! If you feel led, please subscribe & share the show to others who you believe would benefit from it.
Keep in touch below!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:02):
What does winning actually mean?
Hey guys, we've got a bonus forthis week in that earlier this
year we started the winning isseries, and it's exploring
curiosity as to what winningreally means.
I believe many of us may havehad a definition in our mind
(00:26):
about winning being a binaryoutcome or winning being tied to
a particular result.
And what I'm seeing in highperformers now is more of a
shift in that winning isn't tiedto a particular result, but more
so tied to a level of awareness,a state of mind, a state of
(00:50):
being and process of becoming.
So that's a focal point in everyconversation now is to
understand what winning mean topeople who have achieved feats
that very few people in theworld have, so that we can
collect insights from them andinfluence and perhaps shape what
(01:13):
winning means to us.
And I've found this to be verybeneficial in that winning isn't
so much of a particular result,but it's more so an internal
process and state of being.
So enjoy this one.
Cheers.
SPEAKER_01 (01:30):
Do hard things.
Help one person.
Be good and do good.
Live a life of discipline, andyou'll always win.
You have all of the tools thatyou need to succeed.
Welcome to win today.
SPEAKER_02 (01:47):
Thank you so much for tuning in.
My name is Ryan Cass and I'myour host.
My purpose in this world is tohelp push people further and
harder than they believepossible and become unshakable
in what matters most to them intheir lives.
Every week, you're gonna learnfrom either myself or a renowned
expert in their field, and we'regonna unveil pieces of our
playbook to help you win today.
(02:09):
Please, if you love the show,subscribe and share it with
somebody that will benefit fromit.
Let's dig in.
I have a new closing traditionon the podcast, and it's to ask
high performers what winningmeans to them.
Because one thing that I'velearned over the years
interviewing high performers isthat winning isn't so much
(02:34):
outcome-based as it is a morelikely to be aligned to values
or something deeper than winningequals a bank figure or winning
equals this.
So I'm gonna pose that to you.
What is winning to you?
SPEAKER_00 (03:00):
It is um self-realization and inner
peace.
So it's to make the most of mytime, energy, and efforts to
three things that are finite.
Uh they'll all run out someday,and when they do, I want to be
able to contently feel, youknow, I gave this thing
(03:26):
everything I had.
I tried my best.
Whether I was soaring or in thegutter, every day I got up and I
tried my best.
I tried to move the needle alittle bit in being a better
human, in connecting withothers, in um in knowing myself
a little bit better, um, in umcoaching people, in touching
(03:51):
people in any way I can, andinducing energy in somebody so
that they can go after whateveris important to them in life.
Um so that's the the potentialpiece, trying to make the most
of my time, energy, and effort.
And then if I feel if um Ichallenge myself enough and
(04:12):
deeply enough, um I I get toknow myself on levels that are
um are unknown, like until yougo into them, you didn't know
that was party, or you didn'tsee it, or you didn't feel it.
(04:33):
Um so if I keep challengingmyself, if I keep pushing myself
and unveiling those levels, likepeeling away those layers of an
onion, um eventually, I mean youcan feel it, you get this um you
get this internal freedom fromhaving a map, a very clear and
(04:56):
detailed and broad and deep mapof who you are as a human, and
that brings inner peace.
You know, you you you havenothing to hide because from
yourself, you're not hiding awayinternally, you're not letting
fear dictate your life.
You're living this honest,courageous experience that um
(05:19):
that unveils these levels toyou, and then if you experience
them enough, you know, even ifthey're levels you don't enjoy
like and don't like aboutyourself, over time you can do
something about that, or you canaccept it as somebody, a part of
you, and that's that knowthyself piece.
Um, and that's that that initself, the deeper you know
(05:41):
yourself, the more peace youhave in how you live every day.
So that's it.
Self-realization and innerpeace.
SPEAKER_02 (05:48):
That's captivating.
If I asked you that question adecade or two ago, do you
believe that would still be yourresponse?
SPEAKER_00 (05:57):
I wouldn't have been able to articulate it.
I I would have been operatingout of a similar space, but not,
you know, again, I wouldn't havesaid that the the drive probably
wouldn't have been as deepbecause I wouldn't have had as
uh many experiences that wouldhave brought the humility and
understanding and clarity that Inow have.
Um but I would have felt it forsure.
(06:19):
I I think I locked into thatreally early in life.
I feel I've always had a goodfeel for life and what's
important.
Um, but I wouldn't have beenable to articulate it.
I probably would have and Iwouldn't have had the um I
wouldn't have had theself-understanding to or the
self-confidence to to admit thatI didn't know how to say it.
(06:40):
And I probably would have madeup some, you know, shitty
answer.
Well, appreciate the honestythere.
SPEAKER_02 (06:50):
So really cool definition there from Damian
Brown.
He was on the show recently, andhe is most notably recognized as
being the first man to rowacross the Atlantic from New
York City to Ireland, and he didso with literally zero rowing
experience, but went ahead andjumped right in, committed to
(07:13):
something, and got it done.
But really interesting answerthere.
He didn't say that winning isbecoming a Guinness World Record
holder.
He didn't say that winning israising tons of money, but inner
peace and self-awareness.
So tying it back to a state ofbeing.
(07:37):
Really, really neat.
So it's my wish that hearingthis again influences a
perspective, not that it changesyour existing definition, but
perhaps that it may get you tothink a little bit more if
winning is uh uh in fact aresult-driven response right
(08:00):
now.
So it's uh interesting to seemore of these responses.
We'll continue to bring themforward.
And uh it's my wish that again,this is something that just
provides some useful insights.
So we'll continue to explorethis and ultimately turn this
(08:21):
into something reallymeaningful, whether it's a
collection of responses, like amini ebook or something like
that.
I'm not sure, but I havesomething special in mind with
this.
So with that, make it a greatday, make it a great week,
(08:44):
month, and let's win today.
Thank you so much.
What does winning actually mean?
Hey guys, we've got a bonus forthis week in that earlier this
year we started the winning isseries, and it's exploring
curiosity as to what winningreally means.
I believe many of us may havehad a definition in our mind
(00:26):
about winning being a binaryoutcome or winning being tied to
a particular result.
And what I'm seeing in highperformers now is more of a
shift in that winning isn't tiedto a particular result, but more
so tied to a level of awareness,a state of mind, a state of
(00:50):
being and process of becoming.
So that's a focal point in everyconversation now is to
understand what winning mean topeople who have achieved feats
that very few people in theworld have, so that we can
collect insights from them andinfluence and perhaps shape what
(01:13):
winning means to us.
And I've found this to be verybeneficial in that winning isn't
so much of a particular result,but it's more so an internal
process and state of being.
So enjoy this one.
Cheers.
SPEAKER_01 (01:30):
Do hard things.
Help one person.
Be good and do good.
Live a life of discipline, andyou'll always win.
You have all of the tools thatyou need to succeed.
Welcome to win today.
SPEAKER_02 (01:47):
Thank you so much for tuning in.
My name is Ryan Cass and I'myour host.
My purpose in this world is tohelp push people further and
harder than they believepossible and become unshakable
in what matters most to them intheir lives.
Every week, you're gonna learnfrom either myself or a renowned
expert in their field, and we'regonna unveil pieces of our
playbook to help you win today.
(02:09):
Please, if you love the show,subscribe and share it with
somebody that will benefit fromit.
Let's dig in.
I have a new closing traditionon the podcast, and it's to ask
high performers what winningmeans to them.
Because one thing that I'velearned over the years
interviewing high performers isthat winning isn't so much
(02:34):
outcome-based as it is a morelikely to be aligned to values
or something deeper than winningequals a bank figure or winning
equals this.
So I'm gonna pose that to you.
What is winning to you?
SPEAKER_00 (03:00):
It is um self-realization and inner
peace.
So it's to make the most of mytime, energy, and efforts to
three things that are finite.
Uh they'll all run out someday,and when they do, I want to be
able to contently feel, youknow, I gave this thing
(03:26):
everything I had.
I tried my best.
Whether I was soaring or in thegutter, every day I got up and I
tried my best.
I tried to move the needle alittle bit in being a better
human, in connecting withothers, in um in knowing myself
a little bit better, um, in umcoaching people, in touching
(03:51):
people in any way I can, andinducing energy in somebody so
that they can go after whateveris important to them in life.
Um so that's the the potentialpiece, trying to make the most
of my time, energy, and effort.
And then if I feel if um Ichallenge myself enough and
(04:12):
deeply enough, um I I get toknow myself on levels that are
um are unknown, like until yougo into them, you didn't know
that was party, or you didn'tsee it, or you didn't feel it.
(04:33):
Um so if I keep challengingmyself, if I keep pushing myself
and unveiling those levels, likepeeling away those layers of an
onion, um eventually, I mean youcan feel it, you get this um you
get this internal freedom fromhaving a map, a very clear and
(04:56):
detailed and broad and deep mapof who you are as a human, and
that brings inner peace.
You know, you you you havenothing to hide because from
yourself, you're not hiding awayinternally, you're not letting
fear dictate your life.
You're living this honest,courageous experience that um
(05:19):
that unveils these levels toyou, and then if you experience
them enough, you know, even ifthey're levels you don't enjoy
like and don't like aboutyourself, over time you can do
something about that, or you canaccept it as somebody, a part of
you, and that's that knowthyself piece.
Um, and that's that that initself, the deeper you know
(05:41):
yourself, the more peace youhave in how you live every day.
So that's it.
Self-realization and innerpeace.
SPEAKER_02 (05:48):
That's captivating.
If I asked you that question adecade or two ago, do you
believe that would still be yourresponse?
SPEAKER_00 (05:57):
I wouldn't have been able to articulate it.
I I would have been operatingout of a similar space, but not,
you know, again, I wouldn't havesaid that the the drive probably
wouldn't have been as deepbecause I wouldn't have had as
uh many experiences that wouldhave brought the humility and
understanding and clarity that Inow have.
Um but I would have felt it forsure.
(06:19):
I I think I locked into thatreally early in life.
I feel I've always had a goodfeel for life and what's
important.
Um, but I wouldn't have beenable to articulate it.
I probably would have and Iwouldn't have had the um I
wouldn't have had theself-understanding to or the
self-confidence to to admit thatI didn't know how to say it.
(06:40):
And I probably would have madeup some, you know, shitty
answer.
Well, appreciate the honestythere.
SPEAKER_02 (06:50):
So really cool definition there from Damian
Brown.
He was on the show recently, andhe is most notably recognized as
being the first man to rowacross the Atlantic from New
York City to Ireland, and he didso with literally zero rowing
experience, but went ahead andjumped right in, committed to
(07:13):
something, and got it done.
But really interesting answerthere.
He didn't say that winning isbecoming a Guinness World Record
holder.
He didn't say that winning israising tons of money, but inner
peace and self-awareness.
So tying it back to a state ofbeing.
(07:37):
Really, really neat.
So it's my wish that hearingthis again influences a
perspective, not that it changesyour existing definition, but
perhaps that it may get you tothink a little bit more if
winning is uh uh in fact aresult-driven response right
(08:00):
now.
So it's uh interesting to seemore of these responses.
We'll continue to bring themforward.
And uh it's my wish that again,this is something that just
provides some useful insights.
So we'll continue to explorethis and ultimately turn this
(08:21):
into something reallymeaningful, whether it's a
collection of responses, like amini ebook or something like
that.
I'm not sure, but I havesomething special in mind with
this.
So with that, make it a greatday, make it a great week,
(08:44):
month, and let's win today.
Thank you so much.
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