Oct 14, 2025

Failing forward, showing up, and finishing strong. - Easy Chicken Teriyaki

Some people see running as a contest measured in seconds or steps ahead of the next person. But for many, the real competition happens inside, testing grit, courage, and the willingness to push past what you thought was possible.

Bill Bowerman, co-founder of Nike and legendary University of Oregon track coach, knew this better than most. His words remind us that the greatest victories are not always the ones you can hang around your neck.

The Warm Up

There’s a difference between being tired and being done. Tired is part of the process—an invitation to dig deeper, to see what’s still there when you’ve already spent a lot. Being done is a choice to step out before the work is finished.

The best athletes, leaders, and teammates know how to recognize the difference. They rest when they need to, recover when it’s time, but they don’t confuse discomfort with the finish. Tired means you’re working. Done means you’ve decided the work is over. Be careful which one you choose.

Show up! Put in the work! Regroup! Put in the work! Don't quit! Believe in yourself! Develop your skills! Process > outcome! Be okay with uncomfortable! Compete!

The Journey

It’s been a busy couple of weeks since my last update. The photo above—taken from Christian Saxon’s drone footage and featured on the AFO website—captures the riders lining up for the start of the AFO 100 on October 4th. It was a perfect early fall day, with more than 300 riders ready to roll. However, you can see in this photo a ton of last year’s kits—because the new ones didn’t make it in time for the ride. Ultimately, that was on me. I missed, and I failed to deliver on time.

Thankfully, everyone—and I mean everyone—was incredibly gracious about it. The shipment left on time, but between FedEx and customs, the delivery was delayed just long enough to show up about 72 hours too late. Since then, I’ve been working hard to get socks to nearly 300 people and full kits to another 85—driving around to local rides, emailing, and arranging meetups to drop off gear wherever I can. It’s been a blur of labels, boxes, and late nights—but in the best way.

I also want to say how grateful I am to the Van Purser Foundation team for choosing me to produce the kits the past two years. Their support has truly been a Godsend for my business. They’ve been kind, patient, and encouraging through every step of this process, and I couldn’t ask for better partners.

As if that wasn’t enough to keep things interesting, I kicked off an End of Summer Sale last week—55% off everything currently in stock as I clear space for the 2026 product line. The response has been amazing! Many of you have already found some great deals, but there are still plenty left. The sale will stay live for another week, so if you need something, grab it while you can.

Use code EOS55 at checkout to save 55% on your order.

Meal Time

If you haven’t figured it out by now, you’re either new to this newsletter or you haven’t been paying attention — my family eats a lot of rice dishes. That means I’m always chasing new ways to mix things up. Same goes for chicken. This recipe lets me combine both, which already makes it a winner in our house.

It’s also one of those meals that’s easy to build on. Some pot stickers or egg rolls on the side make it feel like takeout, and you can toss in whatever veggies you’ve got — onions, bell peppers, broccoli, you name it.

The base recipe originally came from Delish, but I’ve adjusted it to our liking with a little brown sugar and a spoonful of chili garlic sauce since we like a bit more heat in our dishes.

Easy Chicken Teriyaki

Adapted from Lena Abraham, Delish
Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 10 min | Total Time: ~25 min

Ingredients

1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Sliced scallions, for garnish
Cooked rice and steamed broccoli, for serving

Instructions

Make the sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, honey, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, chili garlic sauce, and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
Cook the chicken
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until golden and nearly cooked through, about 8–10 minutes.
Add the sauce
Pour the teriyaki sauce mixture over the chicken. Stir and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the chicken, about 3–5 minutes.
Serve
Remove from heat. Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve over rice with steamed broccoli.

This is What I Heard

A few weeks ago, I shared a story about a little magic shop I used to visit when I was younger, along with a video of a guy who posts clever tricks on social media. Since then, I’ve stumbled onto something way more mind-blowing.

His name is Oz The Mentalist, and he’s performed for NFL teams, major companies, and has been featured on countless podcasts and news outlets. There’s a reason he’s in such demand — the things he does will absolutely mess with your head (in the best way).

Take a few minutes to check out some of his videos on Instagram. Be sure to watch each one all the way through — there’s almost always a twist at the end that takes you from jaw-dropped amazement to total disbelief.

Back to The Journey