The Penguin Step

Hey Team!

I feel like yelling from the top of a mountain… the rooftop… heck, even a soapbox: I’m back, baby. It’s been almost two weeks at home, and with a dialed routine, I’m feeling really good. Per my WHOOP recovery and how I’m feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally, it’s been a long time since I’ve had all three in harmony. The key isn’t one great day… it’s stacking “pretty good” days back-to-back. We all have high days, and we all have crummy ones. The win is living around that 85% mark consistently for weeks, knowing what’s working, then honoring it with self-discipline.

I’ve got a ton of travel over the next three weeks. With disrupted routine ahead, I’m staying anchored to the primary pillars: get to sleep within an hour of my normal time, get 20 minutes of exercise daily, and stay mindful while eating… no grazing, no “airport nutrition,” just taking the real-food opportunities when they show up.

A Mental Edge

Today, we’re doing this a bit differently. Let’s talk about the solo penguin walking off into the icy distance. You’ve seen it… it’s been everywhere. The memes are endless, and brands are leaning in hard. The reason it grabbed me is simple: it looks like a creature choosing uncertainty on purpose. A penguin stepping away from the familiar, into the cold, alone… then pausing, looking back, and continuing anyway. No guarantee. No applause. No certainty it’s the “right” call. Just movement toward the unknown.

I believe that’s why it hits. Most people aren’t “stuck” because they lack talent… they’re stuck because the days blur. Same loop, same season, same patterns, and then you wake up and realize time moved faster than you did. The penguin is a symbol of disruption. Not reckless. Not dramatic. Just bold enough to break formation and see what happens when you stop living on autopilot.

Here’s the takeaway I’m sitting with: you don’t need to drag anyone with you. You don’t need to convince the group. Be the lighthouse. Move first. Let your actions do the talking. If you’ve been thinking about a change, try this today: name one “penguin step” you’ve been avoiding… then take the smallest version of it in the next 24 hours. Not the whole leap. Just the first step.

From The Field

On Sunday, did anyone tune in to Netflix live to watch Alex Honnold free solo Taipei 101? I’ve watched Free Solo before, and I still wasn’t ready for how my body reacted. Roughly 1,600+ feet up, heavy wind, no room for error… and my heart rate climbed like I was the one on the wall. It’s wild how your nervous system can’t always tell the difference between witnessing danger and living it.

What I admire most about elite performers is their ability to cut through noise and be violently present. In tennis, golf, business, relationships… the “top tier” isn’t always more gifted. They’re more here. Watching Honnold, it’s obvious: presence is a skill. It can be trained. It can be practiced. And it changes everything it touches.

If you want a simple rep you can steal this week, try this once per day: pick one moment you usually rush through (a meal, a meeting, a workout warm-up, a conversation) and decide you’re going to be fully in it for 5 minutes. No multitasking. No reaching for your phone. Just attention. Let’s all inch towards elite human status… one very present minute at a time.

Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Take the step, cut the noise, and let the consistency do the talking.

Catch you on the Start Line,
—Matty