Entrepreneur Wellness: How Endurance Events Made Me a Better Builder
I’ve always loved athletics, endurance challenges, the mountains, skiing, mountaineering—really anything outdoors. But in 2025, I decided to take that passion to a new level.
The idea came from a Japanese principle called misogi: choosing one thing with a 50/50 chance of failure to push beyond your boundaries. For business, that “one thing” has been Mysa Hus. For my personal life, it was training for and running a 100-miler.
The Events
My journey started in the spring with the 17 mile Zumbro Endurance Run in southeast Minnesota. In June, I ran the Leadville Marathon in Colorado at 10,000+ feet and the Afton 50K (32 miles) in high heat and humidity. In July, I had signed up for the Duluth Marathon, though it was canceled due to Canadian wildfire smoke. I also began the Oregon 100-mile race, which ended at mile 64 due to wildfires.
Each race taught me something. Each training cycle shaped my decisions, my mindset, and my discipline—not just as a runner, but as a business owner, parent, and leader.
How Running Shapes My Leadership
Endurance training has transformed the way I lead and build. The lessons translate directly into the culture and practices of my business:
Just as every race reveals what to refine in training, every project provides lessons that fuel continuous improvement. Success comes from learning, adapting, and moving forward.
Leadership is about modeling the discipline you expect from your team. That’s why we created programs like Curious Builder Boot Camp and Sauna Camp: to show that commitment to wellness and growth starts at the top.
Ultra running might appear solitary, but finishing depends on a crew. The same is true in construction: sustainable businesses are built by surrounding yourself with the right people and leveraging their strengths.
Play the long game. Whether it’s running 100 miles or running a company, endurance is everything. Progress is built on consistency, patience, and the discipline to keep showing up, day after day.
Read more about the Curious Builder bootcamp here!
Building Routines, Building Boundaries
People often ask how I juggle long runs, podcasting, parenting, and running a company. There’s no magic answer. It all boils down to discipline and boundaries.
I wake up around 4:45–5am to run or bike.
I’m back by 7am for kids and breakfast.
Work runs from 8:30 to 4:50.
From 5–8pm, it’s family time.
I’m in bed by 8:45.
I don’t scroll at night and I don’t watch much TV. These boundaries actually create freedom for me to live the life I want to live. Because I committed to one big goal, everything else aligned around it.
The Hardest Part Wasn’t the Race
Most people assume the hardest thing about running is race day. For me, it was the grind of training. By July, after six months of relentless mileage, back-to-back races, and early mornings, I hit a wall. I was burned out. I wanted to quit- not the race, but the process.But commitment, not motivation, kept me moving. During the 100-miler, when I got nauseated from too many electrolytes, I didn’t think about the 70 miles ahead. I just thought about the next aid station.
It reminded me of construction. You don’t build a house in a day. You start with the foundation, then the frame day by day. Projects, races, and businesses all demand the same thing: consistent, incremental effort.
Rethinking Wellness in Construction
Here’s what I’ve learned: wellness isn’t about extremes. It’s not about pushing so hard you burn out or chasing the latest fad. It’s about being a little better tomorrow than you were today.
And in construction, wellness matters more than we realize. Every decision we make, air quality, materials, water systems, sleep environments, directly impacts our clients’ mental and physical health. If we want to build healthy homes, we have to model healthy lives.
That’s why I see entrepreneur wellness and construction mental health as leadership imperatives, not luxuries.
Why Wellness Belongs in Construction
So, should builders care about wellness? Absolutely. When you feel better, you lead better. You become a better parent, partner, friend, and business owner. And that ripple effect transforms not just individuals, but entire industries.
That’s what Curious Builder is all about. We’re not just building homes. We’re building lives.
