In this solo episode of the No Days Off podcast, host Brian Gubernick shares a backstage experience before delivering a TED Talk, describing sweaty hands, a pounding heart, and a subtle panic that felt more like being alive than fear. He argues that not all stress is harmful; rather, certain nervous energy signals that we are engaged in something meaningful and aligned with our purpose. Gubernick explains that productive stress indicates stakes, fuels caring, sharpens focus, and expands personal capacity. He illustrates this with a story of a fellow speaker who froze during rehearsal after forgetting a line, using the incident to show how stress can drive relentless practice and improve performance. Concluding with a challenge, he urges listeners to reinterpret nerves as green lights, actively seek at least one high‑stakes, uncomfortable opportunity each month, and embrace the growth that comes from stepping outside comfort zones.
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Thank you for joining me today. It's Brian Gubernick, and welcome to the No Days Off podcast, where we believe that every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. Recently, I was standing backstage and I was about to give a TED Talk, and we're going to talk about this TED Talk in later episodes. It's not so much about the TED Talk itself, but I'm talking about before the TED Talk. I was standing backstage and my hands were pretty sweaty and my heart was pounding. There was this subtle buzz of panic that was creeping in, which was a very unfamiliar experience or feeling for me. But I wasn't scared. What I realized, I was alive and I was being tested. I found that this is the kind of stress we should all be chasing. I think most people avoid stress, but not all stress is harmful. I mean, we've done episodes about how to reduce stress and how to lower your heart rate, but not all stress is harmful. In fact, I think some stress is a sign of alignment. See, the body doesn't always distinguish between fear and excitement. Nervousness oftentimes means you're doing something that matters, at least from my perspective. The pressure of present— the presence of pressure means that there are stakes, that it matters. And that's where I think purpose oftentimes lives. If you've ever been nervous before a big presentation or before a race or some sort of athletic event or even a tough conversation, it's probably because you care. And that caring is in fact the fuel. See, growth doesn't happen in comfort zones. You grow muscles, for example, by breaking them down. right? And then rebuilding them. Same goes for confidence and skill and leadership. Meaningful progress almost always follows discomfort. Think about your world. Whenever you've had stress or you've fallen down or you've failed, meaningful progress almost always follows it, almost always follows that discomfort. Think of any big moment in your life. It was probably preceded by nerves and challenge. You've probably heard a quote, you know, similar to, "You don't rise to the occasion, you fall to the level of your preparation." I think nerves are a sign you've stepped into something worthy of preparation. Now, there are benefits to seeking stress, this good stress that I'm talking about. Number 1, I think it shows you care. Pressure is proof you're playing a meaningful game. Next, I think it sharpens your edge. You pay attention, you prepare, you elevate your game. And then lastly, number 3, it expands your capacity. The more you experience it, the more you grow. The people who regularly seek situations that make them nervous become the people we look to when things get hard. Why? Because they're battle-tested. You know, I had some other speakers alongside me and we had a couple different rehearsals we actually had to run through the day before and the day of. And one guy that I got to know fairly well over about 48 hours, we spent a lot of time together, was reciting his speech and he had it pretty well memorized from start to finish, this 12, 13, 14-minute speech. And in rehearsal, he forgot the next line that he had memorized, and he froze, and he froze. He completely froze, and it was rehearsal. So he called out to someone, "What's the next line?" And they gave it to him. And he and I were connecting afterwards, and it was clear he was stressed. He was a professional, right? But it doesn't feel good to forget your line 18 hours or 24 hours before you're about to take that stage. Side note, it's one reason why I don't recommend memorizing everything from start to finish, but that's a different conversation. Anyhow, you know, he was stressed by it and I said, you know what, this might be the best thing that could have happened to you because now what's going to happen— and I know, I don't know the guy super well, but I could tell what was going to happen— he was going to practice relentlessly until he took the stage the next day because he cared, because he had to sharpen his edge, because he had to expand himself, because the more he experienced, the more he was going to grow. I actually think that forgetting that made his— forgetting it the day before made his speech that much better the next day because he realized what a meaningful game he was playing. So my challenge to all of you: when was the last time you felt nervous in a good way? When was the last time you felt nervous in a good way? And, and that being said, I want to encourage you to say yes to something that stretches you. I want you to stop interpreting nerves as a red flag but start seeing them as green lights into growth. I want to, I want to see you, if possible, to actively seek one challenge this month where the stakes are real, because you don't grow by playing it safe. You grow by being willing to walk into a room where you might fail, but you're gonna try your best anyway. That feeling that I described, that stress, that nervous energy, you know, the sweaty hands, the heart rate up and down, the breathing up and down, I had that feeling and it was such a good one because I haven't had that in a while. And it was a different feeling of being alive than I've than I've had, at least in, in quite some time. And I realized afterwards, gosh, I've got to find more opportunities where I can have that feeling again. In a sick and twisted way, you start to, you start to crave it, especially when you know that that sort of stress or nervousness is, is leading to growth, is helping you expand. Because again, you don't grow by playing it safe. So, the stress I felt before that TED Talk, I'm not going to forget it. But I'm so glad I walked into it. And you will be too, whatever your version of the stage happens to be. That's all I have for you today, the No Days Off Podcast. Thank you so much for listening. And remember, every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. So, let's get after it. [MUSIC] [MUSIC]
