Training For The Unknown

I was standing in the kitchen of a multi-million dollar home in Jackson Hole.

I could see the Tetons glowing gold in the morning sun through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

But inside, a different kind of mountain waited for me…

A room full of engineers, designers, product managers, and biz ops execs—all waiting for me to speak.

I was about to lead my first-ever team-building workshop at a company offsite.

And I hadn’t planned for it.

Yet somehow, I was 100% prepared to deliver it.

As I starred out at the snow-covered peaks, I thought back to something that had happened just a month before…

It was 6 am at the base of Copper Mountain.

I clipped into my skis with my heart racing and nose stinging from the frozen air.

I was about to push my body up a mountain in a way I’d never done before:

My first uphill ski race.

Two different moments. Two different challenges.

Yet both revealed the same truth…

We don’t always know what we’re training for.

But if we stay committed to developing ourselves, opportunities will appear.

And we’ll be ready.

The Onward Offsite speaking opportunity came like a lightning strike.

One moment, I was in my kitchen on an athlete chat.

3 days later, I was standing in front of his startup team, sharing insights on writing, business, and endurance.

No time to prepare. No time to overthink.

Just a quick decision: Yes. I’m in. I can do this.

But how did I know I could?

It wasn’t because I had rehearsed this specific talk—I hadn’t.

It was because, for years, I had been training:

I’ve been learning how to communicate ideas in a way that resonates

So when the offsite opportunity came, I wasn’t scrambling.

I was ready in ways I hadn’t even realized.

The ski race wasn’t in my training plan either.

I hadn’t spent months perfecting my skinning technique or dialing in uphill efficiency.

I had only gone uphill skiing for the first time three weeks prior!

Yet when the opportunity showed up, I jumped on it.

And after climbing up the mountain for 30 minutes at threshold (without a clue how far away the finish line was) I realized…

I had been training for this.

Just not in the way I expected.

All of it had built the foundation for this race.

The skills weren’t new. They were just being used in a different context.

I could have said: I don’t know if I’m ready for this.

But I like to live life answering calls to adventure.

So I stepped in, trusting I could handle the new demands. And I did.

We assume training is for a direct outcome:

But the real magic of consistency is that it doesn’t just prepare us for what we expect…

It prepares us for opportunities we don’t see coming.

(Another example just hit me as I’m writing this. Helping my wife become a doula, build a biz of her own and escape her corporate job)

Every mile I run isn’t just about fitness… it’s about cultivating the endurance and grit to say yes to a adventure.

Every day I write, I’m not just improving my craft… I’m building the ability to share my ideas with clarity.

Every moment I build online… whether it’s a skill, an essay, or a product - creates the option to turn those experiences into something bigger.

There will come a time when you’re given an opportunity you didn’t expect.

A door will open.

And in that moment, you’ll have a choice: step in… or step back

If you’ve been putting in the work—running, writing, building—you won’t hesitate.

You’ll trust the instincts you’ve trained.

You’ll trust yourself to deliver.

And when that moment arrives, you’ll be able to say yes.

P.S. If you’re the kind of person who thrives on challenge, growth, and answering unexpected calls to adventure… you belong in Tribal.

Tribal is where we run, write, and build - not just for the things we know are coming, but for the ones we can’t yet see.

It’s a community of endurance athletes, writers, and builders who are committed to pushing limits and saying yes when opportunity knocks.

Click here to apply.