I changed it the day I got tired of living inside the same comfortable loop—same workouts, same routines, same conversations, same safe decisions—and realized that comfort was quietly costing me everything I said I wanted.

Better fitness.

More meaningful work.

Deeper relationships.

A life that actually feels lived instead of managed.

That realization didn’t come during a motivational podcast or some cinematic breakthrough moment. It came during long runs when my mind had nowhere to hide. During Ironman training blocks when quitting would’ve been easier than continuing. During late nights building things that weren’t guaranteed to work, knowing full well I could fail publicly.

Comfort is subtle. It doesn’t ruin your life overnight. It slowly narrows it.

And if there’s one pattern I’ve seen—across fitness, business, relationships, and life—it’s this:

Every meaningful upgrade requires sustained discomfort.

Not reckless chaos. Not burnout. But deliberate, chosen discomfort in the direction of who you want to become.

Comfort Is Not Neutral

We talk about comfort like it’s harmless. Like staying where you are is a safe default.

It isn’t.

Comfort is a decision. And like every decision, it has consequences.

In fitness, comfort looks like:

• Training hard enough to feel good, but not hard enough to change.

• Avoiding the workouts that expose weakness.

• Staying “in shape” instead of seeing how far you can actually go.

In business, comfort looks like:

• Waiting until everything feels aligned before starting.

• Hiding behind planning instead of execution.

• Playing small to protect your ego instead of building something real.

In relationships, comfort looks like:

• Staying surface-level to avoid conflict.

• Avoiding hard conversations.

• Choosing familiarity over growth.

None of these feel dangerous. That’s why they work. That’s why they trap people for years.

But comfort has a cost. It just doesn’t send the invoice right away.

The Physiology of Growth (Why Discomfort Works)

This isn’t just mindset talk. There’s actual data behind why discomfort is necessary for growth.

In fitness, adaptation only happens when the body is exposed to stress beyond its current capacity. This is basic exercise physiology. Without overload, there is no adaptation.

The same principle applies to life.

A large meta-analysis published in Perspectives on Psychological Science (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010) showed that strong social connections significantly reduce mortality risk—by about 50%. But here’s the part people ignore: meaningful relationships require vulnerability, honesty, and discomfort. You don’t get deep connection by staying safe.

Another well-established concept is the Yerkes–Dodson Law, which shows that performance improves with physiological or mental arousal—but only up to a point. Too little stress leads to stagnation. Too much leads to burnout. The sweet spot is controlled discomfort.

Growth lives in that zone.

Not comfort.

Not chaos.

The middle.

Fitness Taught Me This First

Endurance sports stripped away my illusions faster than anything else.

Ironman training doesn’t care how motivated you are. It doesn’t care about your excuses. It only responds to consistency and honesty.

There are workouts you look forward to—and workouts you don’t. The ones you avoid are usually the ones you need most.

Long runs when you’d rather sleep.

Bike sessions when your legs are dead.

Swims where progress feels invisible.

And yet, that’s where change happens.

A study published in JAMA Network Open (2018) found that higher cardiorespiratory fitness (measured by VO₂ max) is strongly associated with lower mortality risk. Even modest improvements had meaningful benefits.

Translation: doing the hard thing consistently pays off more than people realize.

Training taught me something simple but uncomfortable:

• You don’t rise to the level of your goals.

• You fall to the level of your habits.

And habits are forged under pressure.

Business Is the Same Game (Just With Higher Stakes)

When I started building brands, investing in real estate, creating my own private equity firm, starting my own podcast, creating content—and all the things in between—I didn’t feel confident. I felt exposed.

Putting something you care about into the world is uncomfortable. Attaching your name to it is worse. Letting people see the early, imperfect version is terrifying.

But comfort would’ve meant never starting.

Entrepreneurship rewards action, not certainty. The people who win aren’t the ones with the best ideas—they’re the ones willing to take imperfect action repeatedly.

There’s research to support this too. Psychologist Anders Ericsson’s work on deliberate practice shows that expertise is built through focused, effortful practice—not repetition of what you already do well.

In business terms:

• Posting content before it’s perfect.

• Reaching out before you feel ready.

• Launching before you’re confident.

That’s deliberate practice.

And yes, it’s uncomfortable. That’s the point.

Relationships Grow Where Comfort Ends

This might be the hardest area to confront.

Most people don’t avoid growth because they’re lazy. They avoid it because it threatens their identity.

Being honest with someone you care about is uncomfortable.

Setting boundaries is uncomfortable.

Admitting you want more—from a relationship, from life—is uncomfortable.

But stagnation in relationships often comes from emotional comfort zones. Saying what’s easy instead of what’s true. Staying quiet to keep the peace. Avoiding the hard conversations that actually build trust.

Depth requires risk.

And risk requires discomfort.

Travel, Perspective, and Identity Shifts

One of the most underrated forms of growth is environmental discomfort.

New places strip away your routines. They expose habits you didn’t know you relied on. They force you to adapt.

Traveling—especially when paired with fitness and competition—gave me perspective I couldn’t get at home. The Ironmans in Hawaii, Spain, and South of France. The life changing trip to Bali to surf on the other side of the world. Or even just exploring different cities throughout the U.S. to see new run clubs and meet new connections forged through social media.

THAT has elevated my perspective more than anything.

Different cultures. Different priorities. Different definitions of success.

It makes you question the assumptions you didn’t realize you were living by.

And once you see those assumptions, you can choose again.

The Lie of “One Day”

Most people don’t consciously choose comfort.

They choose “later.”

• I’ll start when things slow down.

• I’ll go all-in once I’m more confident.

• I’ll take the risk when I have more clarity.

But clarity doesn’t precede action. It follows it.

Momentum creates clarity. Discomfort creates momentum.

One of the most accurate lines ever written comes from Theodore Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts… The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood.”

That quote isn’t about glory. It’s about participation.

You don’t get credit for thinking about the arena. You have to step in.

Why Most People Stay Stuck

From everything I’ve seen—investing, coaching, training, building, failing, restarting—people get stuck for three reasons:

1. They confuse comfort with stability.

2. They overestimate the risk of action and underestimate the cost of inaction.

3. They wait for confidence instead of earning it.

Confidence is a byproduct of kept promises to yourself. Nothing more.

You don’t become confident, then take action.

You take action, then become confident.

What Choosing Discomfort Actually Looks Like

This isn’t about blowing up your life.

It’s about making small, daily decisions that stretch you:

• Training slightly harder than last week.

• Saying the thing you’ve been avoiding.

• Publishing the post.

• Starting the project.

• Committing publicly.

• Asking for help.

Discomfort doesn’t need to be dramatic. It needs to be consistent.

Why I Coach This Way

I didn’t build Team Kona to sell workouts.

I built it to create an environment where people choose growth—physically, mentally, and personally.

Fitness is just the entry point. Discipline spills over. Confidence compounds. Identity shifts.

The goal isn’t just to finish races or look a certain way.

The goal is to become someone who doesn’t flinch when life asks for more.

A Final Thought

Seneca once wrote:

“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”

Most of the fear around discomfort lives in anticipation—not execution.

The workout is never as bad as you imagine.

The conversation is never as catastrophic as you expect.

The risk is rarely as final as it feels.

But the regret of not trying? That lasts.

And through coaching I’ve been able to see what happens when people stop waiting for permission and start choosing the harder path on purpose.

Working closely with people on their fitness—training, discipline, structure, and consistency—I’ve watched the same pattern repeat itself. When someone commits fully, the physical changes come quickly. But the deeper shift is mental. Confidence sharpens. Decision-making improves. Standards rise.

The people who make real progress aren’t the most talented or the most motivated. They’re the ones who allow structure to replace chaos and accountability to replace guesswork. Fitness becomes the anchor, and everything else starts to organize around it.

Over time, it becomes obvious: most people don’t need more information. They need a system that holds them to a higher version of themselves long enough for it to stick.

Once you invest in that kind of structure—it sets you up for the rest of your life.

STEP INTO THE ARENA

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Whether you’re stepping into your first triathlon or leveling up for a full Ironman, choosing the right bike is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make. Your bike isn’t just equipment — it’s the machine that carries you through the longest part of the race. But with so many brands, setups, and price points, it can feel overwhelming.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know, with a focus on two of my personal favorites — Canyon and Cervélo — while also touching on top options from Trek, Specialized, and a few others worth considering.

1. Road Bike vs. Triathlon Bike: What’s the Difference?

Before you look at brands, you need to choose the type of bike. This decision sets the tone for your whole triathlon journey.

Road Bike

A road bike is versatile, comfortable, and great for group rides, training, and general cycling. If you’re just getting into the sport or want one bike that can do everything, a road bike is a safe starting point.

• Upright position

• Easier handling

• Comfortable on hills and technical courses

• Can be used for triathlons with clip-on aero bars

Triathlon Bike

A tri bike is built for speed and aerodynamics. The geometry puts you into an aero position that lets you conserve energy for the run — which matters big time during an Ironman.

• More aggressive, forward-leaning geometry

• Aerodynamic frame design

• Designed to hold speed on flat and rolling courses

• Best for longer-distance racing or PR-focused athletes

If your goal is faster, more efficient, and Ironman-focused racing, the tri bike is eventually where you want to end up.

2. Why Canyon and Cervélo Are My Top Picks

Canyon

Canyon offers some of the best performance-to-price value in the entire industry. Because they sell direct-to-consumer, you skip the retail markup and get a higher-end build for less money.

Why people love Canyon:

• Exceptional aerodynamics for the price

• Clean, modern designs

• Great entry-to-mid-level options

• Their Speedmax line is one of the most popular tri bikes on the planet

Cervélo

Cervélo is practically synonymous with triathlon. Their engineering is elite, their frames are proven on the biggest stages, and their bikes are incredibly fast.

Why Cervélo stands out:

• Industry-leading aero design

• Trusted by elite triathletes and long-course athletes

• Smooth handling and stable at high speeds

• The P-series is one of the most iconic triathlon bikes ever made

If Canyon is the “value hack,” Cervélo is the “pure performance” choice.

3. Other Great Brands to Consider

Trek

Trek offers a deep lineup and a huge dealer network, which is great if you prefer hands-on support. Their road lineup is elite, and the Speed Concept is a world-class tri bike.

Specialized

Specialized is known for innovation, comfort, and insane aerodynamics. Their Shiv tri bike has been ridden by champions across every distance.

BMC & Felt

Both are respected in the tri world and offer strong mid-to-high-end triathlon bikes with excellent fit and aero performance.

If Canyon and Cervélo don’t have your size in stock — which happens a lot — these brands all make exceptional alternatives.

4. What to Consider Before Buying

Fit Is EVERYTHING

A $3,000 bike that fits you well will outperform a $12,000 bike that doesn’t.

Your position determines power, comfort, and how you feel coming off the bike and into the run.

Budget

Here’s a rough breakdown:

• Entry Road Bike: $1,500–$2,500

• Entry Tri Bike: $2,500–$3,500

• Mid-Range (most athletes live here): $3,500–$6,000

• High-End: $7,000+

• Superbike / Pro-level: $10,000–$15,000

You absolutely do not need a superbike to race Ironman. Plenty of people qualify for Worlds on mid-range setups.

Mechanical vs. Electronic Shifting

Mechanical: Cheaper, simple, reliable

• Electronic (like Di2): Cleaner, faster shifting, worth the upgrade if you can swing it

Wheel Upgrades

Wheels matter more than most people think. Even on a mid-range frame, aero wheels can make your setup significantly faster.

5. Road Bike → Triathlon Bike Progression (Most People Do This)

If you’re early in the sport:

1. Start with a road bike

2. Add clip-on aero bars

3. Dial in your fit

4. Upgrade later to a full tri bike once you’re committed

It’s the safest, most affordable path for beginners — especially if you also want to ride socially.

If you’re in full Ironman mode and already know you’ll stick with the sport, starting with a tri bike can be the smarter long-term move.

6. Putting It All Together

Your first triathlon bike should check three boxes:

1. It fits you properly

2. It aligns with the type of racing you want to do

3. It makes you excited to train

Canyon and Cervélo are phenomenal places to start, but the truth is this:

The best bike is the one that gets you out the door consistently.

Dial in the fit, pick a bike that matches your goals, keep your build simple at first, and upgrade slowly as you grow in the sport.

You don’t need the perfect bike — you just need the right bike for where you are right now, and one that’ll get the job done on race day.

Now get out there, find your bike, and get to riding.

-Levi Johnson

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My name is Levi, and I’m a 27-year-old based in Dallas. I moved here right out of college for a role in Investment Banking—three years of Mergers & Acquisitions, long nights, steep learning curves, and an inside look at how businesses are actually built. It gave me discipline, financial literacy, and an understanding of how capital shapes the world. I’m genuinely grateful for that foundation.

But as I grew, I realized I wasn’t meant to spend my life behind a spreadsheet helping other people build their dreams. I felt this pull toward creating something of my own—toward ownership, not just employment. I wanted to pour my energy into work that actually lit me up, work that made me jump out of bed, not hit snooze. And for me, that spark has always been fitness, storytelling, community, and building things that matter.

Fast forward to the end of 2025, and I’d call myself a beginner entrepreneur—emphasis on beginner, but proud of that. Using the money I earned in banking, I’ve invested in over $1 million worth of real estate, which has been transformational for me financially. I’ve also backed several startups in health, wellness, and media—sectors I genuinely believe in. With my background in finance, I understand how the worlds of private equity and venture capital operate. My long-term vision is to build my own version of a private equity portfolio: part real estate, part businesses I start, and part companies I believe in enough to own equity in. I’m 27. I have a long way to go. But I’m proud of the trajectory.

A huge part of that evolution has come through endurance sports. Since 2022, I’ve raced in over 25 events—Ironmans, marathons, ultramarathons, HYROX, and everything in-between. Nothing has shaped me more. These races have become a pillar of my life—right alongside my faith, family, and closest friends. They’ve taught me discipline, humility, and how capable the human body and mind really are when you stop getting in your own way.

In 2022, I started a brand called Team Kona—originally a fundraiser alongside my first Ironman 70.3 in Hawaii, transformed into an apparel brand and community. A brotherhood. A group of guys from around the world pushing themselves through endurance events in support of mental health. Because fitness isn’t just physical; it truly rewires your mindset. It makes you resilient. It makes you someone who cannot be beaten. After walking through my own seasons of uncertainty, I learned firsthand that life comes down to three pillars: mental, physical, and social. If you’re strong in those three areas, nothing on earth can do more for you. My mission with Team Kona is to inspire men to pursue those pillars and build a life that makes them proud—not just after their race, but in every aspect of their lives.

I’ve also realized the power of a personal brand. In today’s world, the ability to tell your story, influence others, and spread something positive is one of the most valuable assets you can own. So I’m sharing more: the wins, the failures, the lessons, the discipline, the setbacks, and the progress. Not for attention—for impact. Because I truly believe anyone can build a life they love. It takes steps, consistency, and discipline—something I still work on daily. But in a world full of distractions, creating more than you consume is how you stay grounded and move forward.

At the end of the day, though, life is about LIVING.

It’s about saying yes to experiences—running an Ironman in the South of France with your best friends, traveling throughout Bali and seeing new cultures, building a community that fosters growth, and most of all, making time for family and those who matter most. It’s about building a career you actually love, because if you love your life, the work becomes part of the reward. It’s about taking risks while you’re young, getting uncomfortable, and choosing passion over autopilot. It’s about loving people deeply without keeping score. It’s choosing time with family over status, choosing energy over ego, choosing purpose over comfort.

Because 200 years from now, none of us will be here.

But right now—today—we are.

So let’s make it count.

And do it smiling.

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Back on October 19th, 2021 my mom went to the hospital and almost didn’t make it. I’ll never forget being on FaceTime with her as she’s getting wheeled into surgery, telling me how much she loves me and to make the most of every single day like it was the last conversation we were going to have. My mom has always been my biggest inspiration, and long story short, that night was the biggest wake up call of my life.

From then on I made the decision to always take care of my body, live life to the fullest, and never waste a single day. Over the past 4 years, I’ve traveled the world, competed in endurance races, and focused on the only thing that truly matters—the relationships we build and the people we love. It is what led me to start building as well, which has now turned into a team of over 50 men racing around the world in support of mental health.

Every year since that night I’ve taken a 1:1 trip with her. On our most recent one we were talking about my Ironman, and realized it lands on October 19th, 2025… the exact same day 4 years later. It hit me so hard and brought me to tears like no other because I didn’t plan that at all. I was actually signed up to race in Florida 2 weeks later, but something in me knew this was the right move months back.

I’ve spent the last 4 years working for this moment, and I can’t wait for it all to come together and to see my mom waiting for me as I cross that finish line.

This one’s bigger than a race.

Ironman California - 21 Days Out (her lucky number) 💪🏼

So many guys that played sports or were college athletes graduate from school and get jobs where they are chained to a desk. More often than not, working a job they are not truly passionate about. They lost the camaraderie of a team and the motivation that came with competition.

Team Kona is a way for guys to put a jersey back on again. It’s a way for them to step back on the field and work towards a goal bigger than themselves. When guys join the team, they are not only making a commitment to train for a race, but to bettering every single aspect of their life. Committing to something as big as an Ironman doesn’t allow you to stay the same. It forces you to build a routine, grow internally, and learn how to cut things out that don’t push you forward. It forces you to change your life. And when you work towards a goal alongside other high-performing individuals, the results are magnified, and the domino effect it has on inspiring other men to do the same is unstoppable.

The last several years have been some of the best of my entire life. I have been fortunate enough to train with and race alongside over 100 absolute studs.

And for each race, I have been very intentional about choosing unique destinations that make for an incredibly memorable experience, even after we cross the finish line. We have raced in cities like Malibu to New York, Hawaii to Spain, Chicago to Lake Tahoe, and many other incredible destinations in between. For the 2025 trip, we are headed to the South of France for an Ironman 70.3, followed by a week of travels to Saint Tropez, Cannes, Nice and lastly Monaco for the F1 Grand Prix.

I could not be more excited for this race, but am even more excited for the future of the team, because over time I’ve been able to see the way fitness has changed lives, the same way it changed mine.

Overall, my mission with Team Kona over the next several years is to not only grow the team, but to establish a true platform that serves as a hub for growth and accountability, recognizes athletes for their greatness, and most importantly - gives guys a team to put on their back again.

For anyone interested in supporting the team and our mission, please check out the sponsorship deck attached below.

Tk Sponsor Deck (2025)

16MB ∙ PDF file

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During this time I learned an immense amount about running businesses by working directly with founders, CEO’s and CFO’s. I learned the challenges that come with raising capital, generating cash flow, using leverage and the risks involved, and much more.

But my biggest takeaway was that to truly scale wealth, you must own.

When these hundred million dollar businesses would get acquired, it was never the guys on salary that walked away with an island of riches, it was the select few at the top who had put in the work and started it all. It was the ones who made the sacrifices, failed over and over, got back up, and found a way to successfully build their business. The ones who succeeded were the ones who, just like in an Ironman race, have the grit to go the distance.

And when you see someone like that cross the finish line (literally in terms of finishing an Ironman, or metaphorically in terms of exiting a business for millions of dollars) you think how lucky they got to have those genetics or to have locked in that business deal that led them down the path of scaled success.

But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

None of it is genetics or a lucky deal.

For an Ironman athlete, every single aspect of their life is planned and calculated. They have every single workout planned for the next 6+ months, which includes swimming, biking, running, strength training, stretching, time for bike maintenance, and the list goes on. They know what splits they need to hit during that run 4 months from now in order to be on track with performance come race day.

From the time they wake up, to the time they go to sleep, they have a plan.

And it’s the exact same for those business owners and entrepreneurs that “got lucky”. They didn’t just have the will to take action in ways most won’t. They executed too. They knew how to sell, how to lead, how to fundraise, how to operate, how to advertise, how to leverage technology, how to grow, how to manage time, and as you can assume that list goes on and on…

In short, the ones who are successful are the ones who have a vision, make a plan, and execute.

It’s as simple as that.

There are no shortcuts, and yes, there are many mistakes made along the way. Except the difference between someone who fails and someone who ends up “crossing that finish line” is that instead of using those mistakes as a reason to quit, they used them as a lesson and as fuel.

For me, I am in the middle of this incredible journey. I am still investing in real estate, I am still training for Ironmans, and instead of working for the man, I am now on my own mission to build a business. Or as I like to vision it - an Empire.