Ep. 193: Deciding to Push Past Impossible | Ryan Stramrood on Extreme Ice Swimming & Mental Grit

What happens when a self-proclaimed couch potato decides to plunge into some of the coldest waters on earth? You get Ryan Stramrood, world record ice swimmer, Antarctic adventurer, and performance coach who’s redefined what it means to push past impossible.

In this episode of Decidedly, we dive deep (literally and figuratively) into Ryan’s journey from ordinary beginnings in Cape Town to becoming one of the world’s most acclaimed extreme swimmers. Along the way, Ryan shares how the freezing waters of Antarctica, the English Channel, and countless Robben Island crossings taught him the truth about fear, resilience, and decision making under pressure.

If you’ve ever wanted to know where real growth happens – in business, leadership, and life – this conversation will change the way you think about your limits.

KEY TOPICS

• Why cold water exposes the real limits of the human mind and body

• The difference between your “mind’s endpoint” and your true endpoint, and where the magic happens

• How to train your brain to stay calm under extreme stress and discomfort

• What endurance swimming teaches us about leadership, decision making, and business growth

• The importance of finishing the process, and why the hardest part comes after the swim

CHAPTERS

• 00:00 Introduction

• 06:30 The Mental and Physical Impact of Cold Water

• 13:00 Pushing Past the Mind’s Endpoint

• 17:30 Lessons from the Robben Island Swim

• 21:00 English Channel vs. Everest

• 25:40 Training the Body & Mind for Extreme Cold

• 30:00 Finding Flow and Spiritual Connection

• 37:00 Lessons in Decision Making from Extreme Swimming

• 40:00 Near-Death Experiences and Respecting Limits

• 45:00 Swimming Antarctica: The Coldest Challenge

• 52:00 The After Drop and Recovery

• 57:00 Business Takeaways: Growth Happens in Discomfort

If you’ve ever wondered how to face fear, embrace discomfort, and discover what’s possible beyond your limits, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

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• Website: https://ryanstramrood.com/ 

  
  

Ryan Stramrood is a world-renowned extreme swimmer from Cape Town who has completed 144 Robben Island crossings, the English Channel, and the first official “Ice Mile” in Antarctica. Once a self-described couch potato, his journey from everyday beginnings to record-breaking cold-water feats reveals the extraordinary power of grit, mindset, and pushing past perceived limits. Today, Ryan shares his story as an inspiring speaker, showing audiences that growth begins where comfort ends — and that the impossible is often closer than we think.