Jeff Grant on overcoming the struggle
I help people do hard things–like truly believe in themselves.
I am a performance specialist, with a focus on supporting individuals and teams in working through adversity, building bridges and tapping into their flow state performance zone. I have written several books on mind training and running and enjoy swimming in Swiss lakes year-round, even when that means cutting into ice to get in. The thrust of my work today is on working 1:1 with clients to help them change their lives.
I’ve been described as having infectious enthusiasm, relentless positive energy, and always a smile to share. Truth is, I’m just thrilled to be alive and to have the chance to pursue my passions on a daily basis. I love helping people improve their lives and offering them tools and insights for thriving in adversity.
My perspective and coaching approach are not based on elite performances and a career in professional athletics. Rather, they are based on enduring and overcoming the Struggle in myself and others. Personally, this includes the struggle in transitioning from an overweight, sedentary IT professional into an ultra endurance athlete, the struggle of transitioning from a stressed-out corporate worker into a successful business owner, and the struggle of chasing down and making big dreams come true despite the many temptations to remain in a comfort zone.
Do what you love: building a coaching practice
I fully embraced a philosophy of “Do what you love” in 2010 by leaving a successful 18-year corporate career to focus full time on coaching and writing. Professionally, I am a coach, author, motivational speaker, and team builder. Purely for joy, I am an ultra-endurance athlete, musician, and outdoor sports enthusiast. I am also an active supporter of charity work in Malawi and Cambodia as a Board of Directors member at the nonprofit Face-to-Face Project.
In 2010, I founded Hillseeker GmbH, a Switzerland-based firm that delivers coaching guidance, books, and content to a global audience, motivational speaking to groups and companies, team-building experiences and personal development. I launched the Flow State® coaching series of books in 2016, starting with Flow State Runner, the winner of the 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Best Book Award in Health and Wellness.
In 2018, I published Run Faster: Unlock Your Speed in 8 Weeks for SEAL Grinder PT and Hill Running: Survive & Thrive. My two latest writing projects Running Heavy and UltraRunning: Coach’s Guide launched in early 2020.
Mid-2020 brought new challenges and opportunities to us all. For me, that led to co-founding an exciting new company: BridgeX Teams, where we delivered engaging and highly effective virtual team training experiences during the pandemic.
I also placed a major focus on evolving my life coaching business to best support high-performers, those transitioning to new ways of working and new businesses, and those who decide to use this period of uncertainty and discomfort to upgrade their skills, confidence and life trajectory.
Turning experiences into coaching guidance to help others
I have a 28+ years experience in endurance and adventure sports. This includes finishing some of the toughest events on the planet, including the Marathon des Sables (a weeklong stage race through the Moroccan Sahara), the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (a 166KM extremely mountainous run in the Alps), numerous ultra marathons, Ironman Hawaii, ultra distance swims & sea kayak tours, and other long distance adventures.
In 2010, I branched out from traditional endurance sports to complete the grueling SEALFIT Kokoro Camp, a 50-hour non-stop, no-sleep crucible modeled after the US Navy SEAL’s Hell Week and designed to teach mental toughness and test participant’s limits across many spectrums. I eventually earned a unique civilian instructor position in the cadre for this grueling and transformational mental and physical challenge. I coached at 15 of these events over a period of five years, learning an immense amount from the talented team of coaches and the hundreds of athletes I worked with during these crucible moments.
Prior to entering the coaching business full-time, I earned advanced university degrees and worked internationally as an expat, successfully building and leading global teams and delivering complex projects.
I am a qualified yoga teacher, with over 600 hours of teacher education and 20+ years of practice. I ran a CrossFit gym and functional training center for 5+ years, completing numerous training certifications along the way, and studied the Pose Method® directly from Dr. Nicolas Romanov. I built and ran the Hillseeker® online coaching business for 10+ years and have coached hundreds of runners in workshops in Switzerland and the US. I also enjoy playing jazz trombone, blues guitar, and African drums.
Looking for more?
I offer coaching & mentoring, team building and motivational speaking services. Please contact me for more info. I’m here to help!