Hunting Discomfort in Life with Sterling Hawkins

In his early twenties, Sterling Hawkins and his father sold the company they built to a Silicon Valley group and raised over $550 million. When the housing market collapsed, so did the company, and Sterling went from a penthouse to his parents' house. At rock bottom, he chose to turn toward discomfort. Now the bestselling author of Hunting Discomfort and creator of No Matter What Adventures, Sterling joins host Dan Ambrose as the first non-lawyer guest on Trial Lawyers University. He shares how discomfort is a muscle that can be exercised and explains how to take that first step with a “no matter what” commitment. Tune in for insights on how a pattern interrupt can reignite a lawyer's spark. Train and Connect with the Titans ☑️ Sterling Hawkins | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | X ☑️ No Matter What Adventures ☑️ Trial Lawyers University ☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos ☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 2026 & 2027 Programming ☑️ Eric Oliver: Case Story Bootcamp, Oct 20–24, 2026, Hermosa Beach, CA ☑️ Joe Fried & Joe Camerlengo's Trucking Bootcamp, Dec 8–12, 2026, Hermosa Beach, CA ☑️ TLU AI Conference, February 18–19, 2027, Huntington Beach, CA ☑️ Phillip Miller's Advanced Deposition College, Feb 18–20, 2027, Huntington Beach, CA Episode Snapshot After selling the company he built with his father in his early twenties, Sterling went from a penthouse to his parents' house when the housing market collapsed. Terrified of public speaking, Sterling replied to junk mail for a conference in Singapore, landed the keynote, and rehearsed for five months to get ready. Citing University of Michigan research, Sterling explains that the brain and body process mental, emotional, and physical discomfort identically. During the 2020 shutdown, Sterling broke out of a slump by taking on David Goggins' 4x4x48 challenge of running four miles every four hours for 48 hours. Sterling contrasts working harder and working smarter with what he calls the real work: making what was formerly uncomfortable, comfortable. Even very successful lawyers can lose their spark to routine, and Sterling explains how a pattern interrupt reconnects them with themselves and a community. Produced and Powered by LawPods, a podcast marketing agency for law firms