The Hidden Cost of Hustle Culture: Strength Coach Rob Tracz's Wake-Up Call

In this heartfelt conversation, high-performance coach Rob Tracz shares his journey from an overworked strength & conditioning coach (12–15 hour days, 7 days a week for years) to becoming a “Prime Performer” coach for young entrepreneurs and side-hustlers. Rob opens up about the personal cost of hustle culture — deteriorating health, lost relationships, and missing precious time with his father during his final months with pancreatic cancer.

Through these hard lessons, Rob discovered that true success isn’t more money or hours worked — it’s living in alignment with your deepest core values, cultivating self-awareness, and building a life that still has room for relationships, joy, and reflection.

A powerful episode for anyone who’s ever felt trapped in “robot mode,” chasing the next milestone while life passes by. Learn practical ways to slow down, reflect consciously, use values as your compass, and build a thriving side hustle without burning out.

0:00 – Intro & casual weather chat

1:07 – Who is Rob Tracz and what he does today

3:25 – Childhood: “Dweeb Rob” discovers personal development through sports

6:53 – Becoming a strength & conditioning coach

7:55 – The dark side: 12–15 hour days, 200 weeks straight, “robot mode”

8:28 – Losing relationships and missing time with his dying father

9:11 – The turning point and redefining success through core values

11:33 – Tying self-worth to achievement & the need for life “brakes”

13:21 – When to intervene vs. let someone learn the hard way

15:54 – Current trends: moving away from “sleep when I’m dead” culture

17:20 – Using AI for deeper self-reflection and gratitude

20:07 – Growth without purpose is cancer — redefining success on your own terms

23:36 – Core values as the map, goals as the mountain

26:21 – Rob’s unique edge: adaptability + radical awareness

28:12 – Turning weaknesses into strengths through conscious reflection

30:20 – One core message: “Reflect more consciously”

32:12 – Wrapping up + Rob’s current work

35:25 – Conflict resolution, power dynamics, and working with pro sports teams

39:06 – Final message: Reflect more consciously

vid version: https://youtu.be/NwOqaslr16M

Main Website — https://robtracz.com

Podcast: Surviving the Side Hustle — https://robtracz.com/podcast (or https://survivingthesidehustle.com)

https://instagram.com/robtracz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tracz-ms-cscs-55a4b3146

Older Training Site (TAPS) — https://taps-training.com (still active but secondary to his current coaching focus)

https://www.facebook.com/robert.tracz.750

https://youtube.com/@coachrobt2143

Want to be a guest on Inner Skilled? Send Josh Dippold a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/innerskilled

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