Welcome to Week 16 of the High Performance Playbook. We just passed 3,000 subscribers, so thank you for continuing to share with friends!

If you’re new to the HPP, these are the strategies and frameworks that separate the 1% from the .01%.

If you’re into: health & fitness, personal finance & investing, business growth hacks, and how to optimize all areas of your life, the High Performance Playbook is for you.

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Ready? Start your engines… Let’s GO:

Mindset & Psychology

Comfort Isn’t the Goal… It’s the Warning Sign

Comfort feels good. But if you’re chasing it constantly, you’re probably running from the very things that create growth.

Most people treat discomfort like an alarm; something to back away from. But in reality, it’s often a signal that you’re in the right place. Growth rarely happens inside the boundaries of ease and routine. In fact, the most dangerous thing about comfort is that it’s quiet. It doesn’t scream at you when you’re stuck. It just lulls you into inertia.

Months pass. Nothing changes. The business plateaus. The workouts taper off. The clarity fades. Not because of failure, but because of comfort.

The solution?

Seek out controlled, intentional discomforts. Cold water exposure. Early wake-ups when you don’t have to. Focused deep work. Honest conversations. Long periods without distraction or dopamine. These aren’t acts of punishment, they’re training reps for your mind and your habits.

Discomfort sharpens awareness. Resistance builds resilience. The stronger your tolerance for hard things, the more capacity you unlock in leadership, in health, and in life.

→ Weekly Challenge: Choose one thing that’s mildly uncomfortable this week and lean into it on purpose. Try and do it at least 5 out of the next 7 days. Let discomfort become your edge, not your excuse.

Health & Fitness + Longevity

Many entrepreneurs hit a point where the business is thriving, but their body isn’t.

They’ve scaled revenue, built a team, and hit new levels of external success.

But internally, something’s off…

I’m a member of a Founder & CEO network called Hampton, and I see this all the time.

They feel foggy in meetings and sluggish by 2 p.m., relying on caffeine to push through tasks that used to feel effortless.

This isn’t burnout in the dramatic sense. It’s more subtle and more dangerous.

They’re running a high-performance company on a low-performance system…

Their body.

And the truth is, this pattern is everywhere.

Founders, CEOs, and high-level operators often delay personal health in the name of productivity.

But what they miss is that energy is not a luxury, it’s the foundation you build from.

Elite performers in business and athletics know this. They don’t treat health as a side quest.

They build systems around it just like they do with hiring, sales, and operations.

Because without consistent energy, mental clarity, and physical resilience, even the best strategies fall apart.

Here’s one morning routine used by top performers to start the day with focus and intention:

• 1 to 3 minutes of cold exposure. This triggers a surge of norepinephrine, increasing alertness and mood. I recommend Plunge (*disclaimer, I am in investor in the company), but even if you don’t have a plunge tub, a cold shower works too. It doesn’t need to be 35 degrees for you to get the benefits either. Even water around 55 degrees (which is basically your shower just turned to cold) gives you the same dopamine boosting shock that immediately starts your engines for the day.

• A protein + fat breakfast. Unlike carbs, which spike and crash blood sugar, this combo supports stable energy and sustained focus. Eggs and avocado are gold.

• 90 minutes of deep work. Scheduled before emails, Slack, or social media. This is the prime creative window for strategic thinking and problem solving.

This isn’t about biohacking or chasing the latest wellness trend, but rather about creating predictable performance.

If you want to start your day the correct way and you happen to be in or near Los Angeles, CA, come pop in to Renew Performance Center.

We have a full suite of recovery and performance modalities (Cold Plunge, Infrared Sauna, Red Light Therapy, Lymphatic Drainage, Massage, and more.)

Connected to it, we also own a superfoods cafe and coffee boutique with incredible smoothies, organic cold-pressed juices, kava cocktails, and healthy meal prep.

Starting your day like this is not easy, but it is simple. If you can commit to doing it Mon-Fri for just 3 weeks, you will find that it becomes part of your routine and lifestyle; and your mood, focus, and productivity will skyrocket in the process.

Personal Finance Tip of the Week

One of the most misleading ideas in finance and career advice?

“Follow your passion and the money will come.”

It sounds inspiring, but it’s dangerous if taken literally.

Passion is fuel, not a financial plan. The people who build real wealth don’t just do what they love; they find where their interests, skills, and market demand overlap. That’s the intersection where value gets created; and where money follows.

The smarter path? Follow the opportunity.

Whether you’re picking a side hustle, choosing a degree, or launching a business, don’t just ask, “What do I love?”

Ask, “Where can I solve real problems in a way that excites me and pays well?”

→ Action Item:

Audit your current income streams. Are they aligned with real demand? If not, look for ways to pivot your passion into something people are already paying for.

For me, it was fitness clubs. It was a passion (working out), but more importantly, I found that I had the skillsets needed to operate gyms at a pretty high level, through staffing, sales & marketing, and operations. Plus, there is plenty of demand in almost every major city for good fitness clubs.

For you, that could be something totally different. I’ve seen people start and scale agencies because they were good at social media. I’ve had friends start subscription-based meal prep companies because they were great at cooking and preparing healthy food. I’ve seen people open restaurants, start apparel brands, and so much more.

The key is going one layer deeper than just “what am I passionate about,” and adding in: “what am I also good at and has a lot of market demand?”

Business Playbook

An Unconventional Truth: Founders Don’t Scale by Doing More

If a founder is still in every meeting, reviewing every task, and involved in every decision, they’re not building a company. They’re just managing a job and probably on a B-line to burnout.

This is one of the most common traps in early-stage businesses. Leaders confuse being busy with being essential. But in reality, the more involved you are in everything, the more you’re slowing things down.

You become the bottleneck. And no matter how smart or driven you are, your business will only grow as far as your personal capacity allows.

If you’re serious about scaling, the shift begins with a calendar audit.

Look at where your time is actually going. Are you attending meetings just to feel informed? Are you reviewing work your team could handle without you? Are there decisions being routed through you simply because you haven’t created the system or trust to delegate?

Start by removing just one thing from your plate each week. Delegate it. Eliminate it. Systemize it. The goal isn’t to make yourself irrelevant, it’s to free up the mental and strategic space required to make the few decisions that matter most.

Great CEOs don’t scale by working more hours. They scale by building systems, empowering leaders, and designing themselves out of the day-to-day.

→ Action Item:

This week, ask yourself: “What am I doing out of habit or control that someone else could do 80% as well?”

Then, let it go. Just try it; and trust. You can always reign it back in if it’s not working. Growth doesn’t come from gripping tighter… it comes from learning to release with intention.

Stuff Worth Seeing

🧠 “Distraction Is the Enemy: How Elite Performers Protect Their Focus.” High performers don’t just work hard, they safeguard their attention.

💥 Why Emotional Regulation Is the #1 Leadership Skill. Growing as a leader is less about vision and more about emotional control.

📉 The Perils of Over‑Optimization. Optimization is great… until it isn’t.

DOPAMINE HIT

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this week’s newsletter, please share it with some friends! Leveling up is more fun with you do it with your squad.

🗓️ STAY TUNED:

In next week’s newsletter, I’ll be diving into 7 wealth killing habits that are holding you back from becoming your best self. If you’ve been working hard, but feel like you’re not making progress, I’ve got some gold to share…

Have a great weekend. Try something you’ve never tried before!

Here’s to your success,

Austin Lamar Wright

Join my inner circle - Follow me on X for daily business breakdowns, lifestyle hacks, and a behind-the-scenes look at what I’m doing to build a $100M health and fitness portfolio across the US.

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P.S.

• If the ideas in this newsletter resonate and you’re looking for more personalized support, whether it’s sharpening your systems, scaling your team, starting a business, or leveling up your leadership, I occasionally offer private consulting. Right now, I’m opening a few spots for the first time in a while. It’s high-level, hands-on, and built for operators who want to move faster with more clarity.

  If that sounds like you, click the link here to book a free 30-min consult and we’ll start the conversation.

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_{Disclaimer: The ideas shared in this newsletter are those of the author, and this is in no way intended to be medical, legal, or financial advice. Always do your own research and consult with licensed professionals.}