This week’s conversation is with Matthew Futterman, the deputy sports editor of The New York Times.

He has previously worked for The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Star-Ledger of New Jersey, where he was a part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News in 2005.

Matthew grew up in Larchmont, New York, and eventually found his way to Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

One of his deep passions in life is running for long distances.

While we do discuss running, this conversation is more about how he uses his inner life to help others do the same, whether that’s through his journalism at the New York Times or through his new book, Running to the Edge.

At its core, the book is more about insights and strategies toward improvement as a human, than it is about running tactics.

I had the privilege of being interviewed by Matt when he was at the Wall Street Journal and since then, I’ve followed his work.

He’s one of the rare folks that’s been able to capture the spirit of what I want to communicate about how people can flourish in life.

“Where you’re born and how you’re born is not your destiny.”

In This Episode:

  • Grew up in the suburbs outside of NYC, was bit of a Black Sheep in his family
  • How much work he puts into his writing to get it right
  • Fearing being boring when it comes to writing
  • Wanting to be read and be relevant
  • What makes a story relevant
  • Finding the “third beat” in a story
  • Why he cares about making an impact
  • The most exciting and competitive part of his job: breaking news
  • What pushed him to write his new book, Running to the Edge
  • His big takeaways from the book… why these lesson aren’t just applicable to runners
  • His take on mastery

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