JD Tremblay: Your Potential and the Monster Inside | Episode 185JD Tremblay: Your Potential and the Monster Inside | Episode 185
Brain Shaman
JD Tremblay talks with Michael Waite about how ultra-endurance sport, faith and disciplined daily habits helped him reach extreme goals like the EpicDeca. The conversation focuses on non‑negotiables, taming the inner monster and reducing life’s inflammation to make clearer, stronger choices.
1:10:10•2 Sept 2026
Riding the Inner Monster: JD Tremblay on Discipline, Purpose and Your Non‑Negotiables
Episode Overview
- Identify a genuine non‑negotiable habit that feels like your true self and protect it daily to build real discipline.
- Accept that discipline is a chosen form of pain, and choose it consciously rather than drifting into more destructive discomfort.
- Recognise the inner “monster” as powerful energy and learn to tame and direct it toward constructive goals.
- Audit your sources of inflammation – food, screens, relationships and stress – and reduce the biggest offenders first.
- Use data and feelings together: track what matters, but don’t let metrics replace lived experience and presence.
“You have to pick what is your non‑negotiable. How did God create you to be part of this world?”
What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery? This conversation between host Michael Waite and ultra-endurance triathlete JD Tremblay looks at those questions through the lens of discipline, purpose, and pushing beyond perceived limits.
You’ll hear JD break down how he became one of only three people to complete the EpicDeca – ten Ironman-distance triathlons in ten days across six Hawaiian islands – not as a freak feat, but as the natural result of years of structure, systems and “choosing the pain of discipline.” He contrasts military life, engineering, naturopathy and endurance sport to show how different chapters of life can all feed into one stronger, more focused self.
A big theme is the idea of “non‑negotiables” – those core habits that feel deeply right. For JD, it’s daily fitness: “Within 24 hours, I will be doing something that has to do with fitness, regardless of the situation that I’m in.” For others, it might be reading or cooking. The key is that it’s something you’d still do at your lowest point, because it feels like you. That’s where discipline starts.
JD also talks about the “monster” inside – that intense energy or aggression many people either suppress or let loose in destructive ways. His take? Don’t kill it, tame it. Use that fire for training, service, meaningful work, or even meticulous cooking, not for self-sabotage or harm. The chat drifts into phones, screen time and inflammation – not just in the body, but in life.
JD suggests looking honestly at whatever is flooding your system with stress, whether it’s food, your mobile, or a toxic relationship, and trimming those inputs so you can make clearer, calmer decisions. If you’re trying to rebuild your life, whether from addiction, burnout or just feeling lost, this episode offers a straight-talking look at how structure, faith, and a bit of controlled “monster” might help you move towards who you’re meant to be. What non‑negotiable could you start defending today?
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