David Goggins: How to Build Immense Inner Strength

In this episode, my guest is David Goggins, retired Navy SEAL, highly accomplished ultramarathoner, best-selling author, and influential public speaker. David explains how he mastered his inner dialogue to build extraordinary levels of discipline and mental and physical toughness. He describes how confronting his early hardships, including physical and mental abuse, learning disorders, and obesity, became a practice of deep and excruciating self-reflection — eventually allowing him to transmute those experiences into a superhuman work ethic. This conversation is a unique window into David Goggins’ process in that it focuses both on the underlying science and how David manages and directs his inner dialogue. It’s a conversation that will inform and inspire anyone wondering how exactly to go about building discipline and confidence and reach their potential. Note: This conversation includes profanity. Some content might not be suitable for all audiences and ages. Access the full show notes for this episode: Use Ask Huberman Lab, our chat-based tool, for summaries, clips, and insights from this episode: *Thank you to our sponsors* AG1: Maui Nui Venison: AeroPress: Eight Sleep: InsideTracker: Momentous: *Huberman Lab Social & Website* Instagram: Threads: @hubermanlab Twitter: Facebook: TikTok: @hubermanlab LinkedIn: Website: Newsletter: *David Goggins* Website: Books: Merchandise: Instagram: Facebook: X: *Timestamps* 00:00:00 David Goggins 00:03:22 Sponsors: Maui Nui, AeroPress & Eight Sleep 00:07:58 Learning, Studying & Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 00:14:59 Writing & Learning, ADHD & Focus 00:20:35 Friction, Focus, “Conqueror’s Mindset” 00:25:16 Early Hardships, “Haunted” 00:30:48 Anger, Social Media; Growth & Challenges 00:36:14 Sponsor: AG1 00:37:11 Stick vs. Carrot, Negative Inner Dialogue, “Stay Hard” 00:42:39 Inspiration, Characters & Self Image 00:46:09 Willpower & Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex 00:53:23 Friction & the “Suck”, Willpower 00:59:14 Building Willpower, Brain & “No Days Off” Mentality 01:08:52 Sponsor: InsideTracker 01:09:54 Losing Weight, Challenge & Willpower 01:18:47 Self-Criticism & Discipline; Recovery; Stutter & Building Confidence 01:26:45 Relationships & Honest Conversations, People Pleasing 01:34:49 Self-Reflection & Empowerment 01:39:06 Unseen Work, Real Passion & Purpose, Medicine Cabinet Analogy 01:46:32 Feeling Lost, Self-Reflection & Individual Process 01:54:11 Challenges & Two Internal Voices, Misunderstood 01:59:32 Running, Smoke Jumping; Success; Willpower & Perishable Skills 02:07:04 Self-Reflection & Action, Distractions 02:15:27 Inner Dialogue; Failing Properly 02:24:59 Introspection & Unconscious Mind, Cleaning “Cupboards” 02:35:19 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter #HubermanLab #DavidGoggins Disclaimer: