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#28 - Stride for Stride with Something Greater
42 Plays3 months ago
I went out for a run in Mexico just to clear my head—and ended up having the most profound experience of my life.
A barefoot stranger. No words. Just presence.
He didn’t just run beside me—he brought me back to life.
And then a man named Benny sealed it with a message in the sand that shattered me in the best way.
This wasn’t just a run.
It was a divine checkpoint.
A reminder that the mission matters. That I matter.
And maybe… that you do too.
If you’re lost, heavy, or doubting everything—this one’s for you.
You don’t need a plan.
You just need to move.
And let the world meet you in stride.
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Transcript
Introduction to Mindset Mutiny
00:00:20
Mike Ivanov
Welcome to the Mindset Mutiny. I am your host, Mike Ivanov. Join me as we challenge the status quo, break free from self-imposed limits, and redefine what's possible.
The Challenge of Sharing Emotional Experiences
00:00:30
Mike Ivanov
What's up, everybody?
00:00:31
Mike Ivanov
Today, I have a little bit of a story that's going to be hard for me to kind of capture... the moment um that I'm going to talk about.
00:00:43
Mike Ivanov
And I'll have to work on telling this story ah over the years because it was one of the most emotionally moving experiences I've ever had in my entire life. So I want you to picture the most emotionally charged experience, right? Good emotion.
00:00:59
Mike Ivanov
where you know you so you started crying with joy um or started crying with understanding. I want you to picture that because that's what happened to me. um Very, very interesting. And and it was happened in a place I never would expect, um but it was very confirming and it felt like the universe sent it to me um because i needed I needed to experience it to to make some deeper decisions on on where I was going.
00:01:24
Mike Ivanov
In my life. So being as real as possible, you know, this episode isn't super easy for me because not only am I, you know, afraid that people aren't going to feel the weight of the story, um, or are going to think it's silly. Uh, but I have to sit here in front of you and say, I know how I felt in that story and in that situation. And it's something I've never felt before.
00:01:52
Mike Ivanov
Um,
00:01:55
Mike Ivanov
So it's something that i need to share. So when i thought about telling this story or not, based on how people would receive it i was like, you know what, it doesn't matter because I knew how, and know how I felt in that situation and it doesn't matter how anybody else feels about how I felt.
A Life-Changing Experience in Mexico
00:02:09
Mike Ivanov
um But I feel that the story needs to be told because I think maybe people can resonate with it because they've had moments in their lives um or need to be prepared for this moment that I had to be open to receive it, right? So, whew.
00:02:25
Mike Ivanov
mean, I'm getting just choked up thinking about it because it was it was special. um So let's get started here. You know, few days ago, experienced something that changed me at a level that, you know, I didn't know was possible.
00:02:40
Mike Ivanov
um Dug out some emotion that I didn't know was there. And it didn't happen to me in a therapy session. And it wasn't a big life event. It happened on a beach in Mexico on a run.
00:02:52
Mike Ivanov
And it wasn't just a run. It was a moment that fueled me, brought me back to life, right? So the day before that run, I was in a shitty place in my head for some reason.
00:03:07
Mike Ivanov
So here I am on a beautiful trip, surrounded by paradise, sun, sand, beach, laughter, everything you would ever want.
Realizations and Actions to Overcome Emotional Struggles
00:03:17
Mike Ivanov
But inside was fucking miserable.
00:03:22
Mike Ivanov
I wasn't showing up as the best me. I was disconnected, which was then confusing. i just didn't feel any joy. I was in a place where I should be experiencing the most amount of joy. And I just wasn't, no matter how hard I tried.
00:03:37
Mike Ivanov
And it's, it's really scared me because for some reason, I haven't felt that way in forever. You know, maybe it was because I was outside my routine in a place I was unfamiliar with.
00:03:49
Mike Ivanov
I don't know. And i still haven't figured out why I was feeling like that. But I know that when I feel like that, I need to do something. So I went to bed that night, feeling bad for myself, heavy heart, sad, upset, wondering why I was so off, right? When everything around me was so perfect.
00:04:13
Mike Ivanov
And you know, I knew i was off because You know, starting like fights with my wife that on stupid shit that never would ever matter. I was nitpicking, you know. um I know we can all kind of relate to that when we're upset with something, we don't know where it's coming from.
00:04:29
Mike Ivanov
And then we lash out at others. Right. so Got be really careful about that stuff, man, you know, because the the loved ones take a beating for for things that, you know, maybe we're not right within ourselves or we're not right with the world on.
00:04:43
Mike Ivanov
And those are the last people that should ever have to experience that. So I'm working on that. I've been working on that for many years, trying to be the best partner I can. and um But in that moment there, you know, I popped up as a warning sign to myself that, oh, shit, tomorrow morning, I need to take some serious action to to solve this. Right.
00:05:00
Mike Ivanov
So I woke up the next morning and I just I just knew ah could feel myself kind of slipping mentally. Right. Because I woke up feeling the same way.
00:05:12
Mike Ivanov
So I know when I feel that way, it's fuck this. I need to move. Yeah.
A Profound Encounter on the Beach
00:05:19
Mike Ivanov
That's a technique that I learned when I was at my worst, right? When I was facing those thoughts of taking my life, you know, I would always get that rush come into my head and say, fuck this, I got to move, right?
00:05:31
Mike Ivanov
um So a thing that worked for me for many years, I took and i executed, right? and So I got up, I hit the gym, had a great fucking lift, if I remember.
00:05:45
Mike Ivanov
hammered out lats, right? Which is awesome. And I felt great. And you know, as I'm lifting, I'm looking in the mirror, right? Not because I'm vain. Well, maybe I am, maybe I'm not. I love the mirror.
00:05:57
Mike Ivanov
Always have. Goes way back to when I was a kid. I loved looking in the mirror at myself. But hey, if you can't love yourself, you're not ready to love anybody else. Um, but looking in that mirror, keeping that form, right?
00:06:10
Mike Ivanov
Just seeing the body working out. I'm like, all right, man, like here, I'm getting feeling better. I'm moving like I'm supposed to be right. So it's like looking in the mirror is confirmation for my mind that like, all right, here we are putting in the work. We're going to feel better. We're going to feel better.
00:06:23
Mike Ivanov
So I felt great. Right. Started feeling better. I'm like, all right, this is the momentum I need. I got to carry this. So i'm like all right, I'm going to go hit the beach and I'm going to run. Right. didn't want to run just like I always talk about. I never want to fucking run. Who likes to run?
00:06:37
Mike Ivanov
i don' i mean, nobody except for um except for Ben Kelly. he He I think he truly likes to run. i always talk about how much I hate running. He's like, I just love it, dude. So anyway, everybody except for Ben hates running.
00:06:49
Mike Ivanov
Right. So I go out and I run on that beach. Right. So hit my run just, you know, the first bit of the run always sucks. Right. ah Still in my head, still feeling sorry for myself or just wondering why I'm not feeling a hundred percent better. Right. I'm carrying this invisible weight on my back and then out of nowhere.
00:07:11
Mike Ivanov
Right. it's It's fucking hot too. Right. So, you know, I got a black shirt on, which is like the dumbest decision to go run in Mexico on a beach with a a black shirt on. um And I'm a pretty pale skin guy. So, you know, taking my shirt off and running down the beach, knowing that the rest of the day i'm going to spend on the beach, probably not a good idea either. So, so there I am running down the beach, black shirt on, ah you know, enjoying the view, trying to be happy.
00:07:38
Mike Ivanov
Right. And then out of nowhere, literally out of nowhere, this guy shows up on my left shoulder.
00:07:48
Mike Ivanov
Like, what the fuck? Where did this guy come from? I didn't hear him coming up on me. I didn't see him.
00:07:55
Mike Ivanov
What's going on here?
00:07:58
Mike Ivanov
So he's a local guy. Barefoot, no headphones, no gear, no shoes. Just him in the sand. So he looks over at me. We happen to look over at the same time.
00:08:10
Mike Ivanov
And he smiles at me. So I smile back. And I'm sitting here thinking like, all right, yeah, this guy's going to show me that I am running too slow he's just going to blow past me.
00:08:21
Mike Ivanov
And he just wants to rub it in or something, right? So I'm like, right, it's all good. I've been working on my ego, right? Jiu-jitsu's been helping me with that, trying to keep the ego in check. So like, whatever, this guy's going run faster than me. I'm not going to chase him. I'm out here running for a different reason.
00:08:37
Mike Ivanov
But he doesn't do that. He didn't fall back. He didn't peel off. He just stayed with me. Stride for stride. No words. We were just there together.
00:08:50
Mike Ivanov
It was crazy. I just am still thinking back like, you know, as a human being, you're pretty aware of like things around you, right? Most of the time people can't sneak up on you. You know, you've got like this eye in the back of your head where you can feel this shit.
00:09:04
Mike Ivanov
This guy just showed up. Like he wasn't there. And then all of a sudden there he is like,
00:09:14
Mike Ivanov
Like the universe put them there. Okay. Don't get lost on me when I say that. But it was so wild. And the inside, the feeling that I was experiencing, that I still cannot put into words today.
00:09:27
Mike Ivanov
How I felt when he just showed up there. I can't explain it. I think that's what's so powerful about it too. I can pretty much put most things into words. No words.
00:09:38
Mike Ivanov
But that presence, something in me cracked open. right It hit me like a wave. Because that's when I realized that we didn't speak the same language. We didn't need to come from the same place.
00:09:51
Mike Ivanov
We were just two men, two souls running together. And we were the same. I swear to you. It felt like a dream.
00:10:03
Mike Ivanov
i don't even know if I'm explaining it right.
00:10:07
Mike Ivanov
But it literally felt like something divine. It's crazy. This man, this barefoot stranger who pulled up beside me, smiled and then fucking locked in stride for stride.
00:10:27
Mike Ivanov
It was a special moment. And I know he felt it too. He didn't just run with me. He appeared for me. He showed up out of nowhere. No footsteps. No warning.
00:10:38
Mike Ivanov
Boom. He's there. Moving like he belonged in my story.
00:10:49
Mike Ivanov
And for a few miles, it felt like time bent.
00:10:55
Mike Ivanov
Like we were the only two people on that beach. No crowd, no noise, just the crash of the waves, our breath, the beat of our heart.
00:11:10
Mike Ivanov
And what I believe, the rhythm of two lives intersecting for reasons I still can't fully understand.
00:11:21
Mike Ivanov
It was mythical.
00:11:24
Mike Ivanov
Like something ancient. Like this was bigger than just two men running. It was the kind of moment you hear about in legends. that The guide showing up when the student is ready.
00:11:39
Mike Ivanov
The silent warrior appearing just long enough to remind you who you really are. And then vanishing back into the world. Because that's what he did.
00:11:50
Mike Ivanov
Just as fast as he showed up, he was gone. No goodbye. No closure. No see you around.
00:12:00
Mike Ivanov
Just a glance. A shared silence.
00:12:04
Mike Ivanov
Quick hug.
00:12:07
Mike Ivanov
Turned and disappeared down the beach.
00:12:10
Mike Ivanov
If I'm being honest with you, even now,
00:12:17
Mike Ivanov
I question if any of it even happened. Was he real? Was I hallucinating? Was that the universe showing me a piece of my soul i hadn't met yet?
00:12:31
Mike Ivanov
The only reason I know it wasn't a dream is because as I reached for his hand right before we locked up for a half hug,
00:12:42
Mike Ivanov
I could feel the sweat of his palm in mine. I could feel the sweat on his shoulder when I reached around and give him a hug.
00:12:51
Mike Ivanov
But explain that to me. Two people run on a beach, can't speak the same language.
00:12:57
Mike Ivanov
Complete strangers from different walks of life. Different beliefs. Different everything.
00:13:07
Mike Ivanov
meet each other for the first time, run, and it ends you know with a hug, and it leaves me walking away with the emotion that I've never felt before.
00:13:17
Mike Ivanov
What the fuck is that?
00:13:21
Mike Ivanov
It's something special.
00:13:24
Mike Ivanov
But that heat in his hand, that contact, that human confirmation, that's how I know it was real. And it's burned into me forever.
00:13:34
Mike Ivanov
That wasn't just a workout. It wasn't just exercise. It was a visitation. A moment when something divine reached into my life. At the exact second I was doubting my mission, my calling, my purpose, questioning everything and whispering to myself, maybe I'm not built for this.
00:13:53
Mike Ivanov
And instead of giving me a sign, a billboard or a quote in a book, the universe sent me that man. Barefoot, silent, unapologetically real.
00:14:04
Mike Ivanov
A fucking mirage that breathed fire back into my chest and then gone. Just me standing there, hands still warm, tears in my eyes, knowing with everything in me that I just lived through something sacred.
00:14:21
Mike Ivanov
That man didn't just run with me.
00:14:25
Mike Ivanov
He gave me back a piece of myself.
00:14:30
Mike Ivanov
I'm still shook over it.
00:14:34
Mike Ivanov
So i sat down afterward. was renting
Encouragement from Benny and Emotional Growth
00:14:39
Mike Ivanov
one of the beachfront cabanas, right? And I sat down. ah and needed something to drink, right?
00:14:47
Mike Ivanov
Still kind of shaking. you know, i still got tears in my eyes. And I start to think about it.
00:14:56
Mike Ivanov
And I'm still thinking about it right now. Even decide if I'm even doing the story justice for all of you.
00:15:03
Mike Ivanov
And I just start to break down. I start crying. Like tears of joy, tears of like confirmation, just tears of the whole moment. Like how special was that? How could this happen for me when I was needing something from the world that delivered?
00:15:20
Mike Ivanov
um I knew it was like a once in a lifetime thing. that I could have hit that beach tomorrow to go find that person. And I'd run for 30 miles and never find him, you know, just two stories collided and it's just so special. So yeah, there I was crying for quite, you know, for, for a decent amount of time.
00:15:37
Mike Ivanov
Um, this emotion hung around, um, you know, and it's hard for me to tell you, like I'm sitting there crying and people, maybe some of you like, Hey, this guy went for a run. Now he's crying. Oh, fuck's wrong with guy. Um, but then others are sitting there saying, Mike, I had that moment or,
00:15:52
Mike Ivanov
I'm ready for that moment to appear in my life. And it will. You to be open for it. So, you know, I sat down and i'm and I'm going through all the emotions and starting a journal about it, to be honest. And the universe shows up again.
00:16:09
Mike Ivanov
Benny.
00:16:12
Mike Ivanov
He works at the resort. So he walks up to me. We start chatting.
00:16:19
Mike Ivanov
Amazing English. So we were able to communicate quite quickly. We connected over running. He was telling me his story about running showing me one of the runs he did in Cancun that he loved. Talked about wanting to do you know, the Cancun half marathon, you know, and then he had said some things to me a little bit about his journey.
00:16:37
Mike Ivanov
You know, he's on a weight loss journey and he's on a, on a growth journey. And, you know, you mentioned that stuff to me and I'm just going to open up immediately about it. Right. So we started talking about mindset. You know, and I had mentioned to him, you know, one of the runs I have that's coming up to scaring the shit out of me. I told him about the 20 mile trail race that I got to do with Ben.
00:16:56
Mike Ivanov
know, he thought that was cool, um but we didn't hang on it for too long. You know, we just kind of started talking a little bit further and and getting to know each other and and whatnot. And about an hour later, you know, which is wild because I'm still sitting after he left, I'm still sitting there and all these emotions still, you know, still getting waves of emotion coming back, tears coming back, you know, all these things. And I'm just sitting there saying, wow, I'm so thankful to have been able to receive these moments.
00:17:22
Mike Ivanov
And then it was so great to build this quick connection with Benny, you know, which I thought was just kind of kind of over, you know, um but it wasn't. So about an hour later, I see Benny walking like down the beach with another guy and they're carrying a chair and, uh, he comes up, it's like a lounge chair with a towel on it, you know, and it's, it's reclined.
00:17:43
Mike Ivanov
Um, so it's like a nice kind of surface, um, to, you know, you know, to to do something with. Right. So he brings his chair over, puts it right in front of me. He's like, Hey, this is, uh, it's just something I wanted to share with you.
00:17:55
Mike Ivanov
Um, and on it says, you know, let's go for those 20 miles. Um,
00:18:01
Mike Ivanov
And it was done beautifully, just the way that he wrote it all out in the sand. You know, so was written in sand. There's a couple like finish line flags. There's ah a guy kind of running and it just says, let's go for those 20 miles.
00:18:14
Mike Ivanov
um
00:18:18
Mike Ivanov
You know, so. I didn't know what to do at that moment. Right. Cause I was, you know, Benny didn't know all the emotions I was experiencing up until that, right. After this run with this, with this barefoot guy on the beach, right. With the, this divine angel that was sent down to run with me. Right. Um,
00:18:34
Mike Ivanov
He didn't know all all that emotion was in me. He brought this over to me and I just, again, was like the tears started coming harder. Thank God I had glasses on, you know, because they were like dripping down my face.
00:18:47
Mike Ivanov
um And that might've been a lot for somebody to experience that didn't know me or what I was carrying or my journey or where I've been or the struggles I've been through um and the growth that I've had, all these things.
00:18:58
Mike Ivanov
um But that meant so much to me. So all I could do was I stood up I gave him a hug. Uh, that's it.
00:19:10
Mike Ivanov
And then, you know, I told him my story, the story of the darkest moments of my life and how I dug out of them.
00:19:27
Mike Ivanov
And, uh, he shared with me that he, you know, it was on a similar type of journey. Um, told me that fitness saved him. Mindset changed his life.
00:19:41
Mike Ivanov
So I'm sitting there, two strangers, but the same fire, the same battle, the same resurrection.
00:19:50
Mike Ivanov
And here's the thing. Benny didn't owe me anything. Could have gone on with his day. Could have smiled, been polite, walked away. But he didn't. He saw me.
00:20:03
Mike Ivanov
He heard me. He took my pain and he handed me a message in return. Let's go for those 20 miles. It wasn't just encouragement. That was a challenge. That was a belief. A belief in me. A belief in my purpose.
00:20:17
Mike Ivanov
A belief that I still have more inside of me. In that moment,
Transformation and Embracing Life's Moments
00:20:22
Mike Ivanov
standing there with the sun in my eyes looking at Benny, my soul cracked wide open.
00:20:32
Mike Ivanov
I knew I wasn't just being comforted. I was being called.
00:20:39
Mike Ivanov
Called to keep pushing. Called to stop doubting. Called to rise. Called to face what I'm meant here, what I'm put here and meant to do.
00:20:53
Mike Ivanov
So Benny, a stranger just hours before becomes a brother, a lighthouse, a mirror. That reflected back the strength that I had forgotten.
00:21:06
Mike Ivanov
Benny did. Benny gave me something.
00:21:12
Mike Ivanov
I didn't even know I still needed. it
00:21:16
Mike Ivanov
Gave me hope. Gave me confirmation. He saw me and said, Mike, the work you're doing. That fucking matters.
00:21:27
Mike Ivanov
And I love him for that. I'll remember him forever.
00:21:32
Mike Ivanov
This wasn't about running. It wasn't about vacation. This was about being seen. About presence. About showing up in your pain and finding life waiting for you.
00:21:44
Mike Ivanov
Waiting for you in the stride.
00:21:49
Mike Ivanov
That barefoot man didn't just run beside me. He reminded me who the fuck I am.
00:21:57
Mike Ivanov
And Benny... He delivered the confirmation I've been searching for. You can't plan moments like that.
00:22:08
Mike Ivanov
You can only be open to receive them.
00:22:13
Mike Ivanov
Because when you're chasing a mission bigger than yourself, when you're pouring your heart into something you believe in,
00:22:23
Mike Ivanov
there are going to be moments of doubt. Moments when the path looks blurry, when the fire you carry starts to feel like a burden instead of a gift. And in those moments, you don't need a motivational quote.
00:22:35
Mike Ivanov
You need a miracle in motion. That's what this was. The universe didn't just whisper, it fucking roared at me. It used two men, one silent, one smiling, to remind me that the work I'm doing fucking matters.
00:22:52
Mike Ivanov
That the energy I'm putting into the world is real. That the way I show up, broken and honest, still moving is exactly right. This wasn't a sign to keep going.
00:23:04
Mike Ivanov
This was a confirmation that I already am. It was a divine checkpoint.
00:23:12
Mike Ivanov
A reminder that I don't need to become someone else. I just need to keep becoming more of who I already am.
00:23:26
Mike Ivanov
It was just special. It brought together everything I believe in. Movement, mindset, presence, discipline, connection.
00:23:37
Mike Ivanov
And it reflected it back to me through two strangers. Who I now call brothers.
00:23:47
Mike Ivanov
It was special because it came when I didn't expect it. I didn't ask for it. And almost didn't show up for it. I almost didn't go on that fucking run. Imagine that one choice to go on that run changed so many things for me.
00:24:03
Mike Ivanov
It gave me a story I will tell for the rest of my fucking life.
00:24:09
Mike Ivanov
One small, tiny choice, and this all happened because of it.
00:24:16
Mike Ivanov
It was special. It reminded me that even after years of healing, years of growing, years of fighting, there's still more waiting for me.
Conclusion and Gratitude
00:24:27
Mike Ivanov
more connection, more clarity, more purpose.
00:24:32
Mike Ivanov
And now I carry that moment with me.
00:24:36
Mike Ivanov
Not as a memory, but as proof.
00:24:46
Mike Ivanov
Proof that I'm not just on the right path.
00:24:51
Mike Ivanov
I am the path.
00:24:56
Mike Ivanov
So to anyone who feels numb, lost, heavy, you need to hear this.
00:25:05
Mike Ivanov
You are not alone.
00:25:08
Mike Ivanov
You don't need all the answers. You just need to move. Because when you move, the universe moves with you. And maybe, just maybe, a barefoot stranger will show up.
00:25:23
Mike Ivanov
Or maybe
00:25:26
Mike Ivanov
A man named Benny will leave you a message in the sand.
00:25:31
Mike Ivanov
But you won't find it sitting still.
00:25:35
Mike Ivanov
Move. Run. Show up broken.
00:25:41
Mike Ivanov
And let the world show up for you.
00:25:46
Mike Ivanov
Thanks everybody.
00:25:50
Mike Ivanov
This felt very special.
00:26:00
Mike Ivanov
Have a great day.