What is it?

This is a 2-hour workshop that helps teams break through mental barriers and build resilience using principles from David Goggins' philosophy of mental toughness. Participants explore the limits they place on themselves, learn practical techniques for pushing past discomfort, and create accountability structures to sustain their growth. The session blends reflective exercises with physical challenges to give participants a real experience of what it feels like to go beyond what they thought possible. This isn't about becoming an ultramarathon runner; it's about discovering that you have more capacity than you've been using.

Why is it useful?

Most people operate well within their actual capabilities. We stop when we feel tired, not when we're done. We avoid discomfort rather than learning from it. This workshop gives participants a direct experience of pushing past their perceived limits, along with practical tools they can use when facing difficult projects, setbacks, or challenges at work. Teams that complete this session together build a shared understanding of what real effort looks like and create mutual accountability for not settling for "good enough." The result is greater individual resilience and a team culture that supports people through hard things rather than letting them quit early.

Target Audience

• Teams facing a demanding project or challenging period ahead
• Groups recovering from setbacks or failures who need to rebuild confidence
• Leadership teams wanting to model resilience and mental toughness
• Sales or client-facing teams dealing with rejection and pressure
• Any team where comfort has become the enemy of growth
• Individuals who feel stuck or limited by their own self-image

Workshop Objectives

• Experience pushing past a perceived personal limit in a safe environment
• Learn practical techniques for managing the voice that tells you to quit
• Build a personal "Cookie Jar" of past wins to draw on during hard times
• Create accountability partnerships for ongoing growth
• Develop shared team language for supporting each other through challenges

Summary

Duration: 120 mins
Group Size: 8-16 people
Format: In-person, highly interactive with physical elements

Materials Needed

• Open space where participants can move (outdoor area or large room with furniture cleared)
• Flip chart paper and markers
• A4 paper for each participant (at least 3 sheets per person)
• Pens for each participant
• Timer visible to all participants (large screen or projector works well)
• Printed handout: The Accountability Mirror (one per person)
• Printed handout: Cookie Jar Builder (one per person)
• Printed handout: 40% Rule Action Plan (one per person)
• Stopwatch or phone timer for facilitator
• Water bottles available (physical activity involved)
• First aid kit (standard precaution for physical activities)
• Optional: exercise mats if doing floor-based exercises

Process

Step 1: The Comfort Confession (10 mins)

Goal: Surface the ways participants limit themselves and establish honest self-reflection as the foundation for the session.

Activity:

1. Welcome the group and explain that this workshop is about discovering you have more in the tank than you think. It's not about becoming an elite athlete; it's about learning to push past the mental barriers that keep you operating at 40% of your potential.
2. Ask everyone to stand. Explain that you're going to ask a series of questions, and if the answer is yes, they should raise their hand and keep it raised until you say to lower it.
3. Ask: "Raise your hand if you've ever quit something before you absolutely had to." (Almost everyone will raise their hand. Let them see they're not alone.)
4. Ask: "Keep your hand up if you've done this in the last month." (Hands stay up or go down.)
5. Ask: "Keep your hand up if you did this in the last week." (More hands may drop.)
6. Have everyone lower their hands and sit down. Ask participants to take 2 minutes to write down one specific example of when they quit something before they had to. What was the voice in their head telling them at the time?
7. In pairs, share not the full story, but what the voice said. Allow 3 minutes.
8. Bring the group back. Ask for a few examples of what "the voice" typically says. Capture these on a flip chart under the heading "The Governor."

Debrief Questions:

• What do you notice about the kinds of things the voice says?
• Where do you think this voice comes from?
• What would change if you could turn down the volume on that voice?
• How might this voice be showing up in your work right now?

Step 2: The 40% Rule (15 mins)

Goal: Introduce the concept that when we feel done, we're usually only at 40% of our actual capacity, and give participants a direct physical experience of this.

Activity:

1. Explain the 40% Rule: When your mind tells you you're done, you're actually only about 40% of the way to your true limit. Your brain is a survival machine that wants to keep you safe. It throws up warning signals long before you're in real danger. The gap between 40% and 100% is where growth happens.
2. Tell participants they're about to experience this directly. Have everyone stand and find a space in the room.
3. Explain the exercise: "We're going to do a wall sit. You'll put your back against the wall and slide down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. When your mind tells you to stop, I want you to notice that voice, acknowledge it, and stay for another 30 seconds. We'll do this together."
4. Have everyone get into position against the wall. Start the timer and display it where everyone can see.
5. As people begin to struggle (usually around 45-60 seconds), coach them verbally: "Notice the voice. It's telling you to quit. That's normal. You're not injured. You're uncomfortable. Stay with it."
6. At the 90-second mark, tell them: "You've hit what feels like your limit. Now we find out what's beyond it. 30 more seconds."
7. At 2 minutes, have everyone come out of the position and shake it off. (Some may have dropped earlier; that's fine.)
8. Have participants sit down and take 2 minutes to write: What did the voice say? What happened when you stayed past it?

Debrief Questions:

• What surprised you about that experience?
• How long did you think you could hold it before we started?
• What was different about the discomfort at 30 seconds versus 90 seconds?
• How might this apply to a challenging situation at work?
• What does this tell you about the gap between "I can't" and "I don't want to"?

Step 3: The Accountability Mirror (20 mins)

Goal: Help participants confront the honest truth about where they are falling short and create specific commitments for change.

Activity:

1. Explain the Accountability Mirror concept: Goggins wrote Post-it notes with hard truths and goals on his bathroom mirror so he had to face them every day. The mirror doesn't lie. Most of us avoid looking honestly at where we're not measuring up. This exercise is about facing the truth and deciding to do something about it.
2. Distribute the Accountability Mirror handout. Walk through the sections:
   • "What am I avoiding or making excuses about?" (The hard truth)
   • "What is this costing me?" (The consequence of staying comfortable)
   • "What would change if I stopped avoiding this?" (The prize)
   • "What is one thing I commit to doing about it?" (The action)
3. Give participants 8 minutes to complete the handout individually. Encourage honesty. This is for them, not for sharing.
4. When time is up, ask participants to find a partner (someone they trust in the room). Each person shares one thing from their mirror: the truth they've been avoiding and the commitment they're making. Partners don't give advice; they simply witness and acknowledge. Allow 6 minutes total.
5. After pairs finish, ask partners to make a concrete agreement: "When and how will you check in on this commitment?" Have them exchange contact details if needed and set a specific check-in time.

Debrief Questions:

• What was it like to write down something you've been avoiding?
• How did it feel to say it out loud to another person?
• What's the difference between knowing something and admitting it?
• How might regular accountability change your follow-through?
• What support do you need to keep this commitment?

Step 4: The Cookie Jar (20 mins)

Goal: Help participants build a personal inventory of past wins they can draw on when facing future challenges.

Activity:

1. Explain the Cookie Jar concept: When Goggins is in the middle of a brutal challenge, he reaches into his mental "cookie jar" and pulls out memories of past obstacles he's overcome. These aren't just happy memories; they're proof that he's done hard things before and can do hard things again. The cookie jar is fuel for the moments when you want to quit.
2. Distribute the Cookie Jar Builder handout. Explain that participants will create their own inventory of wins. These don't have to be dramatic. They need to be real moments when the participant pushed through something hard.
3. Walk through the categories on the handout:
   • Physical challenges you've overcome
   • Professional obstacles you've pushed through
   • Personal difficulties you've survived
   • Times you did something despite being afraid
   • Moments you kept going when you wanted to quit
4. Give participants 10 minutes to fill in at least 5-7 "cookies." Encourage them to include specific details: what was hard about it, what they felt, what they did.
5. In groups of 3-4, have each person share their single most powerful cookie: the one that, if they remembered it in a hard moment, would give them the most fuel. Allow 6 minutes for sharing (about 90 seconds per person).
6. After sharing, ask participants to write one sentence on their handout: "When I want to quit, I will remember _______________."

Debrief Questions:

• What was it like to make an inventory of your hard moments?
• Did you discover wins you had forgotten about?
• Which cookie surprised you as being more powerful than you expected?
• How might you use this list in a real challenging moment?
• What would happen if the team knew each other's cookies?

Step 5: Callousing the Mind (25 mins)

Goal: Give participants a longer physical challenge that allows them to practise the techniques learned so far in real time.

Activity:

1. Explain that the techniques only work if you practise them under stress. This next exercise will give participants an opportunity to use the 40% rule, their accountability mirror commitment, and their cookie jar in a real challenge.
2. Describe the exercise: "We're going to do a team challenge. You'll work in pairs. One person will hold a plank position. The other person will coach them using what we've learned today. Then you'll switch. The goal is not to 'win.' The goal is to stay longer than you think you can and to practise using these tools."
3. Have participants pair up. Designate who goes first.
4. First person gets into plank position. Start the timer. The coach's job is to:
   • Remind them of the 40% rule ("You're not done. You're at 40%.")
   • Ask them what their cookie jar voice would say ("What's one hard thing you've already done?")
   • Keep them focused on one more breath, not the total time
5. Let the plank continue until the person comes down. Record their time somewhere they can see it.
6. Switch roles. The second person does a plank while the first person coaches.
7. After both have gone, give pairs 3 minutes to debrief with each other: What worked? What helped? What did you learn about yourself?
8. Bring the whole group back together.

Debrief Questions:

• What was different about being coached versus doing it alone?
• Which technique (40% rule, cookie jar, or just one more breath) was most helpful?
• What did you notice in yourself when you wanted to quit?
• How did it feel to stay past that moment?
• How could you coach each other through hard things at work?

Step 6: Taking Souls Together (15 mins)

Goal: Translate individual mental toughness into team accountability and mutual support.

Activity:

1. Explain the concept of "taking souls": In Goggins' world, taking souls means outworking someone so completely that they can't help but respect you. In a team context, we're going to flip this: instead of competing against each other, we're going to take souls together by committing to a standard that's higher than comfortable.
2. Ask the group to discuss: "What is one area where this team has been settling for 40%? Where have we been comfortable when we could push harder?"
3. Facilitate a brief discussion. Capture ideas on flip chart paper. Don't let the group off the hook with vague answers. Push for specifics.
4. Once 2-3 areas are identified, have the group vote on one area to commit to as a team.
5. For the chosen area, facilitate the group in creating a "Team Accountability Statement." Format: "As a team, we commit to [specific behaviour]. We will hold each other accountable by [specific mechanism]. When one of us wants to quit, we will [specific support action]."
6. Write the statement on a flip chart. Have each person initial it.
7. Discuss: Who will own reminding the team of this commitment? When will you review progress?

Debrief Questions:

• Why did we choose this area?
• What will be hardest about keeping this commitment?
• How will you respond when someone on the team wants to give up?
• What will success look like in one month?
• How will you celebrate when you achieve it?

Step 7: The 40% Rule Action Plan and Close (15 mins)

Goal: Lock in individual commitments and ensure participants leave with a concrete plan for continuing the work.

Activity:

1. Distribute the 40% Rule Action Plan handout. Explain that the workshop is a starting point, not the finish line. Real change happens in the days and weeks after.
2. Walk through the handout sections:
   • One area of my life/work where I've been operating at 40%
   • What 100% would look like in this area
   • My first action to move from 40% toward 100% (specific, within 48 hours)
   • My accountability partner and check-in date
   • One cookie I will reach for when I want to quit
3. Give participants 6 minutes to complete the handout.
4. Go around the room. Each person shares in one sentence: "I've been at 40% in _____________, and my first action is _____________." Keep this moving briskly.
5. Before closing, ask participants to stand. Lead them in one final exercise: 30 seconds of holding their arms straight out to the sides. When the voice says to drop them, stay for 10 more seconds. (This is a quick reminder of the 40% rule they can repeat any time.)
6. Close by acknowledging that today was uncomfortable. That was the point. The goal isn't to suffer for its own sake; it's to expand what you believe you're capable of. Encourage participants to revisit their Cookie Jar and Accountability Mirror regularly.
7. Final invitation: "What's one word that describes how you're leaving this session?"

Debrief Questions:

• What will you remember most from today?
• How has your sense of what you're capable of shifted?
• What support do you need to follow through on your commitment?
• How will this team be different because of what we did today?

Secret Sauce

• Screen for physical limitations: Before the workshop, ask if anyone has injuries or conditions that prevent physical activity. Have alternative exercises ready (e.g., chair-based arm holds instead of wall sits). Never force anyone to do something physically unsafe.
• Model vulnerability: Share your own example of quitting before you had to, or a time you discovered you had more capacity than you thought. This gives permission for others to be honest.
• Watch for competitive override: Some participants will turn the physical challenges into competitions and push to genuine injury. Remind the group that the goal is personal growth, not beating each other. If someone is clearly in distress (not just discomfort), give them permission to stop.
• Distinguish discomfort from danger: Teach participants the difference. Discomfort is muscles shaking, wanting to stop, feeling tired. Danger is sharp pain, dizziness, or genuine physical warning signs. We push through discomfort. We stop for danger.
• Hold space for emotion: These exercises can surface strong emotions, including memories of past failures, shame, or grief. If someone becomes emotional, normalise it: "This stuff matters. Take a moment if you need it." Don't rush past it, but don't make it the centre of attention either.
• Don't let the debrief become therapy: The Accountability Mirror can surface deep personal issues. Keep the focus on the commitment and action, not extended processing of the past. If someone needs more support, offer to connect them with resources after the session.
• Prepare for the "this is toxic" pushback: Some participants may resist the Goggins philosophy as unhealthy or extreme. Acknowledge the concern: "Goggins' methods aren't for everyone, and you don't have to run ultramarathons. The question is whether there are areas where you've settled for less than you're capable of, and whether these tools might help." Don't force buy-in.
• Hydration and breaks: Physical activity requires water. Make sure bottles are available. If the room is hot, build in a short break after Step 5.
• Follow up is everything: The team accountability statement and individual action plans only matter if someone follows up. Assign an owner for the team check-in. Encourage accountability partners to set a specific calendar invite before leaving the room.
• End on energy, not exhaustion: The final 30-second arm hold should feel like a victory lap, not a punishment. Coach with encouragement, not drill sergeant intensity. The goal is to leave people feeling capable, not broken.
• Have a first aid kit handy: This is standard practice for any session with physical activity. Unlikely to be needed, but essential to have available.