Finding Human-ness Through The Chaos Of Cancer With Author David Richman

After experiencing trauma and anxiety in the past, it can be difficult to see the bright side of life; you may believe you have the worst life and begin comparing yourself to others. But if you start talking to people and asking them about their lives, you will be surprised to hear that everyone has a story.

Don't lose sight of the fact that life is so short, and if you can't appreciate its beauty, then who will?

In today’s episode, our guest is David Richman, author of Cycle Of Lives and Winning In The Middle Of The Pack. He shares his transformation from being a smoker to an athletic and healthy person. Furthermore, he will share some of the amazing stories written in his book “Cycle of Lives”.

In This Episode

[02:05] No matter which direction you're going: up, down, sideways, left, right, north, south, east, west. The only truth about biking across the country is that the wind is always in your face.

[03:29] David’s first second wind.

[07:06] David stared at himself in the mirror for an hour, trying to figure out who he was, and realized that he had a lot to learn.

[09:34] David didn’t come from a well-nurtured family, which led him to attract problems and fix them on his own.

[13:31] Having a mentor vs. learning things on your own.

[14:21] David’s first marriage.

[16:41] Problems are what they are, and you have to determine if it's worth the effort to try to fix them.

[19:44] David found out his sister was nearing the end of her life.

[23:52] The silver lining of cancer is that it can give you the opportunity to reconcile relationships, wrap your brain around it, to close some boxes.

[25:06] What keeps David going while knowing his sister had cancer?

[27:48] Why and how David lost weight and quit smoking.

[33:16] Healing, learning how to rewire his brain, trying to become a more grounded, authentic, on-purpose kind of person.

[34:19] Relay for Life.

[49:55] What prompted David to investigate how to communicate with cancer patients?

[53:21] “Cycle of Lives”.

[59:19] The reason why David started biking.

[01:23:41] David’s interactions with people became more authentic, deep, and forward-thinking.

About David Richman

David Richman is a businessman, motivational speaker, personal consultant, and athlete. Over the last 10 years, David has completed over 50 triathlons, including 15 Ironman-distance triathlons (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run), more than 50 runs longer than marathon distance, including several 24-hour runs, running 85 miles in Mexico in the heat of the summer, running 104 miles straight from Santa Barbara to Manhattan Beach, and most recently biking 4,700-miles in just six weeks as he met with the participants of his upcoming book exploring the emotional side of cancer.

As a former sedentary, overweight smoker, David knew that he needed to focus not on what others wanted out of him, but on what he wanted out of life. Through lessons learned in business and sport, David introduces the concept of the “Middle of the pack” and discusses how to get more out of ourselves than ever imagined. He wrote two books: “Cycle of Lives” and “Winning in the middle of the pack”.