Walk In Social Club

The One Where We Talk About Doing Hard Things Again

Episode Summary

This week on The Walk-In Club Podcast, we’re circling back to a big, recurring theme: doing hard things. The kind of hard that stretches you—not breaks you. The kind that asks for vulnerability, effort, and showing up, even when it’s uncomfortable. We talk about what it looks like to expand our comfort zones (not just “leave” them), how strength training is having a moment, and why the hardest part of doing the thing is usually just starting. There’s a surprising productivity hack using TikTok, a vulnerable share from Nick (yes—his first-ever update stays in!), and a conversation about how we can normalize growth that feels good—not punishing. We reflect on play, resistance, and what it means to choose effort with intention. Also: cartwheels, taxes, salami sticks, and how stress can be both helpful and harmful depending on how we carry it. You’ll laugh, you might relate a little too hard, and you’ll definitely feel seen.

Episode Notes

We kick things off with a question we might regret: should we make a Walk-In Club version of 75-Hard? One that's focused on being attainable and fun for friends in our industry to participate in? From there, we dive into the idea of doing hard things—not because we “should,” but because of what we gain on the other side.

Nick opens up with his personal update on the pod (first shared, yes, we kept it in!), and Alex reflects on how hard it is to measure growth in real time—like at summer camp, when the lessons don’t hit until later. We also get into TikTok as a weirdly helpful productivity tool (maybe?), and whether filming your actions can actually keep you present. It’s confusing. We unpack it.

From there, we dive into:

• The “Effort Paradox”—why hard things often feel best after we do them
• The cartwheel challenge, and what it says about our resistance to play and failure
• The stress spectrum—moderate vs. severe—and how knowing the difference can help us grow without burning out
• Vulnerability as a gold nugget of life—if we’re brave enough to step into it
• The simple truth: we can’t control what others do, but we can control how we respond
• Being a teammate in every part of your life, and how small actions add up to something bigger

We close with a few community questions, a status update on our friend’s knees and ankles post-race (spoiler: they survived), and a very real conversation about stress-eating salami sticks. Don’t worry—we’ve got some solid snack swaps from the Meat Stick Masters.