No Days Off with Brian Gubernick

We're taught to set goals, chase the number, and celebrate when we hit it. But what if that mindset is actually limiting your performance?

In this episode, Brian breaks down why traditional goal setting can create an off switch: once the goal is hit, effort drops and growth stalls. Goals focus on outcomes. Standards focus on how you operate every day.

Brian explains why real progress comes from raising standards, building skills, a...

We talk a lot about mindset—discipline, focus, motivation. But if your brain chemistry is off, none of that works.

In this episode, Brian breaks down the four brain systems that drive performance: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. When one is out of balance, you don't just feel "off"—you start blaming your business, relationships, or circumstances instead of solving the real problem.

Feeling flat, anxious, irritable, o...

Most people think progress comes from more hours and more grind. 

Brian breaks down Indiana football's stunning rise to the top and how they did it by practicing less, not more. Short, intentional reps. Zero wasted effort. Total focus on high-leverage moments that actually decide games.

The lesson carries straight into business and leadership. Most teams stay busy. Very few rehearse the moments that truly swing results.

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On his 47th birthday, Brian reflects on what nearly five decades of life and career have taught him and it's not a list of lessons. It's a shift in perspective.

Brian explains why life looks a lot like a great novel. The best stories aren't straight lines. They include setbacks, uncertainty, slow seasons, and moments that only make sense in hindsight. What feels like failure or frustration in the moment often turns out to be a tran...

Brian breaks down the real fundamentals of stock investing: the ones he taught his 15-year-old daughter, Avery, and the ones most adults still overlook. Forget the casino mindset, the hype, and the day-trading noise. Investing isn't gambling; it's owning a piece of a business you believe will be stronger a decade from now.

Brian walks through two beginner metrics every disciplined investor must understand (market cap and price-to-e...

Today, Brian breaks down the Velocity Lie: the trap of mistaking speed for progress. We glorify being busy, moving fast, and piling on tasks, but none of it matters if we're sprinting in the wrong direction. Velocity is how fast you're going; vector is whether you're headed where you actually want to be.

Brian unpacks why disciplined leaders obsess over direction first, speed second, and he delivers a simple framework for resetting...

When a company declares a "Code Red," it's not business as usual, it's existential.

Brian breaks down what a real Code Red moment is, why OpenAI's recent announcement should make every entrepreneur pay attention, and how high-performing organizations use these moments to realign, refocus, and rebuild. From Johnson & Johnson's legendary Tylenol recall to Toyota's acceleration crisis to Intel's near-disaster with the Pentium chip, Br...

Most people don't fail because they lack intelligence, they fail because they chase the wrong thing. In today's episode, Brian breaks down red herrings: the false signals, loud details, and emotional distractions that pull you off the scent of what actually drives results.

From business performance to leadership to investing, red herrings show up everywhere: stealing attention, hijacking decision-making, and giving us an easier pro...

Most people misunderstand how the stock market actually works. Brian breaks down Buffett's famous "voting machine vs. weighing machine" idea and shows why short-term price swings are just noise, and why real wealth is built by those who stay calm, stay disciplined, and let the truth play out over time.

From Amazon to Apple to Tesla, the winners weren't smarter; they simply ignored the votes and trusted the weight. And this mindset ...

The holidays crank up pressure on every front: work deadlines, family expectations, and the constant pull between ambition and presence. Today, we cut through the noise with a simple framework to manage overwhelm: narrow your focus to what matters, set the emotional tone before every transition, build real borders around your time, and ask the two relief questions that create instant space.

Overwhelm isn't about doing too much. It'...

Wealth isn't complicated. In today's episode, Brian breaks down the four goals that actually build it: real cash reserves, growing your net worth, creating passive income, and knowing your retirement number. Hit these four in order and your stress drops, your confidence grows, and your money finally starts compounding. 

This is the simple, proven blueprint for building freedom -- without the noise, hacks, or hype.

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If you want more revenue, deeper relationships, financial freedom, or a healthier body, the game doesn't change: your scoreboard reflects your sacrifice, not your wishes. Entrepreneurs get stuck when they cling to big desires while protecting their comfort. Parents get frustrated when they expect connection they haven't built. Most people want elite outcomes while living at an amateur level.

This Stoic filter forces alignment. Eith...

On today's episode, Brian breaks down a form of pride most entrepreneurs never name, but almost all eventually fall victim to: hubristic pride. It's the ego-driven, inflated, "I'm the exception" kind of pride that blinds leaders, derails decision-making, and quietly destroys wealth.

Brian pulls apart how this psychological pattern shows up in leadership -- leaders who stop listening, who reject feedback, who assume yesterday's wins...

In today's episode, Brian shares a moment with his 13-year-old daughter, Katy, that every entrepreneur needs to hear. She wanted to pick smaller, easier dance competitions -- the kind where the odds of winning are higher. And Brian had to remind her of a truth most adults forget: you don't get better by lowering the competition. You get better by raising your skill.

Brian breaks down how this same pattern shows up in business; when...

Brian Gubernick breaks down one of the most powerful and widely shared pieces of wisdom on wealth: Naval Ravikant's legendary Twitter thread, How to Get Rich Without Getting Lucky. This 24-step framework has influenced countless entrepreneurs, and today, Brian walks through each principle, sharing insights on long-term wealth creation, the power of specific knowledge, and why redefining what you do is key to becoming the best in th...

Thanksgiving traditions are great, but the "What are you thankful for?" circle can get predictable fast. In today's episode, Brian shares nine deeper gratitude prompts he's using with his own family — questions that pull you into reflection, perspective, and the moments that actually shaped you this year.

These prompts will have you thinking about who helped you grow, the hard things you're now grateful for, the moments you'd reliv...

Brian Gubernick shares a powerful question that could transform the way you approach your business: If you only had 5 hours per week to work on your business, what would you focus on?

Brian walks through a structured framework to answer this question, helping you identify your core value drivers, audit your time, and uncover your zone of genius. Learn how to apply...

In this episode, Brian shares Elon Musk's algorithm that he uses to make improvements to anything and everything. Elon leverages this 5-step process to make things simpler or more efficient.

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Welcome to No Days Off with Brian Gubernick. Brian is a visionary leader with over 20 years of diverse business and life experience. Tune in to this podcast every weekday morning for 10 minutes or less as Brian shares lessons and stories abo...

Ray Dalio calls it the midlife squeeze -- that high-pressure season where everything collides at once. Kids still need you, parents may be aging, your business is demanding more than ever, and your energy isn't what it used to be. For entrepreneurs, the squeeze is magnified because there's no clocking out. 

In this episode, Brian unpacks how to recognize this season, manage it with intention, and turn it into a catalyst for growth....