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Ambition can build a company, win a race, and change your life, but it can also quietly pull you away from yourself. We sit down with Chris Franks, founder and CEO, University of Colorado faculty member, author, podcast host, and six-time Ironman, to unpack a tension so many high performers live with: the push to achieve versus the pull toward stillness, presence, and peace. Chris calls himself a “cowboy Buddhist,” and he makes a compelling case that calm is not the opposite of drive, it’s what makes drive sustainable.

We talk about the mindset shift from chasing outcomes to focusing on what you can actually control: your effort, your ethics, your relationships, and your day-to-day practice. Chris shares a dark moment from his founder journey, a deal that fell apart and led to a crushing financial and emotional crisis, and how that experience reshaped his definition of success. If you’ve ever felt like you’re only as good as your last win, this conversation offers a more resilient way to lead and live.

You’ll also get practical tools for founder mental health and sustainable leadership: daily mindfulness or breathwork, daily gratitude, compassion practices like metta and Tonglen, and a values-based “zoom out” to reduce restlessness and burnout. We challenge hustle culture myths, talk about diminishing returns, and make the case for rest and recovery as a real performance strategy. If you want to build big goals without losing your center, subscribe, share this with a driven friend, and leave a review with the one practice that helps you stay grounded.

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