If you're always the one who shows up for everyone else, this episode reveals why that strength can quietly become the very thing holding you back.

In this episode, Baylor exposes one of the most overlooked forms of burnout: being the reliable one. The fixer. The hero. The go-to problem solver.

The people pleaser.

It sounds noble. It feels selfless. And you may genuinely believe you're just "helping." But Baylor breaks down how people-pleasing often turns into a subtle, dangerous cycle where you're pouring into everyone else and leaving yourself empty.

He explains how the biggest question every people pleaser must ask is:
"Is this truly helping, or am I just supplying the fuel for someone else's laziness?"

You'll hear Baylor unpack why lazy people naturally gravitate toward reliable people, how "emergencies" magically become your problem, and why the person who always helps is rarely the one who gets helped in return.

Then he goes deeper:

• How reciprocity reveals someone's true intentions

• Why "thank you" doesn't always mean gratitude

• Why being dependable becomes your identity

• How manipulation hides inside convenience

• Why the fear of disappointing others keeps you stuck

Most importantly, Baylor challenges you to stop making everyone else the priority—and finally make the person in the mirror your first obligation.

When you do that, you don't just help yourself… you actually start helping the right people in the right ways.

• The hidden burnout cycle of people pleasers

• How to identify one-sided and non-reciprocal relationships

• Why lazy or unmotivated people always find "the reliable one"

• How to know if you're genuinely helping or being used

• Why your identity becomes tied to fixing others

• How to reclaim your time, energy, and self-respect

• Why the person in the mirror must get the best of you

• How to set boundaries that protect your peace and purpose

"You are a people too—stop pleasing everyone except the one in the mirror."

If you want a different life in 2026, you can't wait for the calendar to change—your transformation begins with the seeds you plant today.

In this episode, Baylor breaks down why most resolutions fail and why short-sighted intention is the silent killer of people's goals. We love to talk about change, we love to write our goals out, and we even love to visualize perfect futures—but none of that replaces the long-term mindset required for real growth.

Baylor explains the difference between hoping for a goal and becoming the person who achieves it. Instead of only asking, "What do I want to accomplish?" he challenges you to ask, "Who will I be when I get there?" That shift changes everything—your decisions, your discipline, and your ability to push through the inevitable "why am I doing this?" moments.

He shares a story from 2016, when a forgotten poster board reappeared years later—covered in "unrealistic" goals that he somehow hit anyway. Not because he stared at them every day… but because planting the seed shifted the trajectory of how he lived.

From there, Baylor dives into the real formula:

Plant the seed → Water it with action → Grow the garden → Expand the farm.

Dreaming is the seed.
Action is the water.
Consistency is the sunlight.
And when the garden grows, you help others grow theirs.

This episode is your reminder that intention without action is just imagination. But intention paired with action becomes destiny.

• Why short-term resolutions fail

• The psychological power of long-term intentionality

• How to shift from "goal setting" to "identity setting"

• Why planting mental seeds influences future decisions

• How action—not motivation—waters your goals

• The danger of waiting for "the right time"

• Why small actions today create large results tomorrow

• How to scale your success once you learn your personal formula

"You can't plant nothing and expect a harvest."

Somewhere along the way, we stop letting ourselves be kids—yet the freedom we're craving might be buried inside the parts of us we told ourselves to outgrow.

In this episode, Baylor shares a hilarious yet profound moment sparked by McDonald's new Grinch meal. One impulsive run to the drive-thru with his dog turned into an unexpected reminder of something adults forget far too often:

Joy matters. Impulse matters. Fun matters.

Baylor unpacks why so many people lose their spark as they get older, trading curiosity and excitement for seriousness and rigidity. He explains the neuroscience behind behavioral rigidity—the mental shift that happens as we age where the fear of losing what we have outweighs the excitement of chasing what we want.

This episode encourages you to reconnect with the childlike parts of yourself: the dreamer, the explorer, the person who believed anything was possible. Not because you should be childish, but because the energy, creativity, and imagination you abandoned might be exactly what you need to move forward again.

By revisiting the small things that used to bring joy—your metaphorical "happy meal"—you reconnect with a part of your identity that adulthood slowly pushed into hiding.

This is a reminder that growing up doesn't mean growing dull.

• Why adults stop dreaming the way kids do

• The psychology behind behavioral rigidity

• How risk-of-loss thinking limits your potential

• Why playful impulses are actually productive

• How to rediscover creativity and curiosity

• Why narrowing your life with "blinders" keeps you stuck

• How revisiting old joys reignites motivation

• A practical way to reconnect with what made you feel alive

"You didn't outgrow your joy — you just convinced yourself you had to."

What if the difference between staying stuck and leveling up was simply turning your goals into a game you actually want to play?

In today's episode, Baylor dives into a surprising lesson from his first week of Ironman training and his introduction to the Zwift cycling platform.

What was supposed to be an hour-and-four-minute indoor ride suddenly turned into an all-out international competition — flags from around the world on the screen, points on the line, and a virtual character to level up like a real-life video game.

That moment triggered a powerful realization:
If you find a way to gamify the hard things in your life, they stop feeling like chores and start feeling like challenges.

Baylor breaks down why gamification works, how competition wakes up the best in us, and how to build "level-up metrics" for your career, relationships, fitness, finances — anything that matters.

You'll learn why relying on discipline alone isn't sustainable, why some of your goals feel boring or heavy, and the simple psychological shift that can reignite motivation instantly.

This episode is your permission slip to stop grinding blindly… and start competing intentionally.

• Why gamification instantly boosts motivation

• How competing — even virtually — triggers progress

• The importance of tracking your own "levels" in life

• How to create metrics that show you whether you're actually growing

• Why people feel stuck even when they are improving

• How rewards create momentum (and how to pick the right rewards)

• The truth about competitiveness (and why you need some of it)

• A practical framework to make boring tasks enjoyable

• How to build a year that pushes you forward instead of keeping you flat

"When you gamify your progress, life stops feeling like work and starts feeling like a level you're meant to beat."

Before you convince yourself you "aren't ready," ask this: Are you actually unprepared… or just standing in your own way?

In today's episode, Baylor shares a lesson sparked by a blast of cold wind and a long overdue purchase: a bike trainer he knew he needed months ago.

Like many of us, he put it off… not because he didn't need it, but because he didn't want to face the one part he didn't understand.

From that moment comes a bigger truth:
We delay the very things that move our lives forward—not because they're hard, but because we're afraid of the parts we don't know.

Through the story of finally buying the trainer, asking for help, and realizing how many excuses we create once things get "too fancy," Baylor breaks down the three barriers keeping us stuck:

• We don't invest in what we know will help us.

• We avoid anything that reveals what we don't know.

• We wait on perfect conditions instead of taking the first step.

This episode challenges you to stop overthinking, stop waiting, and stop discounting your potential simply because the next step isn't comfortable.

• Why we delay the things we know we need to do

• How adversity can be the wake-up call we shouldn't have needed

• The difference between "expensive" and "an investment that moves you forward"

• Why asking for help is a sign of strength—not incompetence

• How pride prevents progress (and how to fix that)

• Why fancy tools and perfect conditions actually slow you down

• How to build momentum by taking messy first steps

• A simple mindset shift to stop creating excuses and start creating progress

"Most of what holds you back isn't weakness—it's waiting for perfect. Forget fancy. Start moving."

If you spent today hunting for deals, here's the question Baylor wants you to ask yourself: Are you offering yourself at a discount too?

In this Black Friday episode of Shark Theory, Baylor uses the madness of holiday sales to illustrate a deeper, more personal problem: many of us treat ourselves like bargain-bin items.

We discount our value.
We lower our standards.
We let people get the "full version" of us for clearance-rack pricing—then wonder why they don't respect our worth.

Baylor breaks down how this pattern forms, why it sticks, and most importantly, how to stop selling yourself short in relationships, careers, opportunities, and identity.

You'll also hear a surprising lesson from REI—one that proves you don't have to follow the trends, rush the process, or participate in the chaos just because the world tells you to.

This episode will challenge you to raise your value, slow down your decisions, and step into the version of yourself that isn't on sale—because quality costs what it costs.

• Why people expect less from you once you teach them to

• How discounting yourself makes others undervalue your time, skills, and energy

• The difference between humility and self-sabotage

• Why rushing decisions rarely benefits you

• The importance of setting full-price standards in business and relationships

• How REI's Black Friday philosophy can reshape your approach to life

• Why the right people will pay your worth—and the wrong people shouldn't have access to you

• How maintaining your value attracts higher-quality opportunities

"When you discount yourself, people get used to paying less—and they'll never want to pay full price for you again."

Thankfulness isn't just a feeling—it's a responsibility. And when you treat it like one, gratitude becomes a growth strategy, not just a holiday emotion.

In today's Thanksgiving episode, Baylor breaks down the real meaning behind the word "thankful," rooted in its Latin origin: "I will forever remember what you've done for me."

Rather than treating gratitude as a quick "thanks," he challenges us to turn it into action—because true gratitude has three parts:

1. Say it,

2. Show it, and

3. Be better because of it.

Baylor shares why expressing genuine appreciation builds deeper relationships, why showing gratitude (even months later) opens doors you didn't expect, and why the best "thank you" you can ever give someone is leveling up your life in a way that honors what they poured into you.

This episode will remind you that success doesn't happen alone—and that the people who helped you get where you are deserve more than a holiday mention. They deserve to feel your appreciation through your growth.

• The deeper etymology behind the word "thankful"

• Why saying "thank you" and meaning it sets you apart

• How handwritten cards and thoughtful follow-ups create long-term allies

• Why gratitude and reciprocity go hand in hand

• How to turn opportunities into wins that honor the people who believed in you

• Why being better is the highest form of appreciation

• How gratitude strengthens your network, your confidence, and your character

"The best way to thank someone is to become better because of what they did for you."

You don't stumble into a meaningful year—you design one. And your calendar is one of the most powerful confidence tools you have.

In this episode, Baylor shares how—even in the middle of soreness, recovery, and new training cycles—he's already mapping out 2026. Not because every plan will happen exactly as written, but because putting intentions on the calendar forces momentum.

Most people live in "one day." Baylor breaks down why "one day" never arrives unless you schedule it, and why three types of commitments must appear on your calendar if you want next year to look different than last year:

1. Something to train for

2. Something to enjoy

3. Something to grow toward

He explains why training for anything (not just races) gives your life structure, why scheduling enjoyment prevents burnout, and why growth goals require dates—not wishes.

This framework helps eliminate wasted years, align your priorities, and build synergy across every part of your life. Whether it's fitness, finances, personal milestones, travel, or long-term dreams—your calendar will either be your compass or your constraint. You get to choose which.

• Why planning your year in advance increases the odds of achievement

• The difference between "working out" and "training"—and why it matters

• Why you MUST have joy on the calendar (or burnout wins)

• How travel gives you energy, perspective, and renewed creativity

• Why growth goals need dates, not dreams

• How scheduling prevents wasted years

• How aligning training, enjoyment, and growth creates momentum

• The mindset shift that turns your calendar into a confidence strategy

"Putting something on your calendar doesn't guarantee you'll get it done—
but it guarantees you'll get more done than if you planned nothing."