Foxhole Friday: Vol. 2

Welcome to Hook & Barrel Magazine’s “Foxhole Friday.” This email is brought to you by our CEO, John Radzwilla, delivered to your inbox on the first Friday of each month. It’s motivation. It’s inspiration. It’s damn solid advice. All wrapped up in one email from John and those in his foxhole.

The purpose? To equip our H&B tribe to be the best versions of “you” you can be. You may feel like you’re on an island by yourself or don’t have a mentor, let H&B fill that gap. Know someone who would benefit from this email? Share it now - scroll ALL the way to the bottom to refer a friend.

Do hard things. You are more than capable.
words from John Radzwilla

I race HYROX, a global hybrid fitness race. But, before every race my anxiety rages. Did I train well enough? Is my nutrition perfect? Am I hydrated sufficiently? Who are we racing? Will my knee hold up? Will I let my partner down? All the things. It truthfully gets the best of me.

My race partner and author of the section below, Talon Smith, has repeatedly advised the following, post-race, countless times and verbatim:

“Mentally recognize you are a beast and not hyper-focusing on the small things. Be comfortable being physically uncomfortable. Clear your mind, don’t overanalyze your workouts, have fun, use this training to clear your mind, have a goal, but remember, it’s not your job—it’s your fun and passion.”

HYROX Elite 15 Champion, Dylan Scott just recently posted, “You are not anxious, you are excited. Those emotions are siblings and a race is a performance. You are displaying to yourself and others what you have built. Be proud of your product.”

For the last 30 days, I have been studying stoicism. It’s starting to help me in so many different ways. But I never expected it to help me in HYROX.

Between Talon’s coaching and this weekend’s race, I have started to finally recognize:

I don’t need to be anxious; I’ve proven myself time and time again. Every time we race, we are on the podium. We run an hour time in one of the hardest fitness competitions on the planet in the highest division in the toughest age bracket. I am 40 years old but I have to drop down to the 30 to 39 bracket because of Talon’s age, so I’m competing with guys 10 years younger than I am who I’m still outperforming.

Here’s the moral of the story:

Know your worth. Remember all of your successes and keep them in the back of your mind anytime that you feel attacked or doubt yourself.

When Dylan won the race in Vegas, after he crossed the finish line, he yelled out to the crowd. Many have been giving him flack online for the outburst, but it spoke differently to me:

When you are anxious, less than, or in doubt of of your strength, in your mind repeat what he shouted, just in your head this time, please 😉.

“Do I have to remind you who the f*ck I am?!”

Never forget who you are and how hard you fought to get there! You got this and don’t let that little voice in your head ever tell you otherwise!

The First Thought
from Talon Smith
Chief Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpsman, Owner L3 HYROX

This isn’t about gym motivation but just a life lesson I learned the hard way, like most things.

As a newer nurse in the ER, I started to feel the weight of the job. At a busy county hospital, I had seen more than I ever expected. People often ask about my funniest stories, and while I have plenty, there’s another side to the work. The ER is chaotic, and when you’re overwhelmed, it’s easy to forget that every patient walking through those doors is seeking help.

One holiday shift, I was completely stretched thin. I was seven hours into a 12-hour shift, my fourth in a row, and I hadn’t eaten or even had much water. I had several very sick patients, including one in another room who was in serious condition and required constant attention. The previous day we had lost two patients. I was used to that experience, but it can still weigh on you.

In the middle of this chaos, a man came in with “abdominal pain for six months.” My first thought was, six months? And you pick today? I wasn’t judging him, but I did question in my head why he would come in now, on a holiday, when the ER was already so overwhelmed.

I walked into his room, introduced myself, and asked about his pain. He rated it a “3 out of 10” and said it hadn’t worsened over time and he hadn’t sought care before. The stress of the day was catching up to me, and while I remained professional, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of my workload. As I went through my assessment, I finally asked, “If it’s been six months and hasn’t gotten worse, why come in today, especially on a holiday?”

What he said next stopped me in my tracks. Fighting back tears, he explained that six months ago, he had lost a great job and was now working two low-paying jobs, seven days a week, to support his family. He didn’t have health insurance and had lost his father to pancreatic cancer. He was terrified that he might have something serious. This holiday was his only day off in months, and he was sacrificing precious time with his family to make sure he was healthy enough to keep providing for them.

Hearing his story completely shifted my perspective. I realized how quickly my exhaustion and stress had overshadowed the humanity of his situation. Here I was, overwhelmed and hungry, but I had job security, health insurance, and time off. Meanwhile, he was doing everything he could to take care of his family while carrying the weight of his fears.

Thankfully, the man was okay—the doctor determined his pain was caused by stress. I apologized for seeming short and thanked him for sharing his story. He was gracious and kind, and I walked away with a renewed sense of purpose.

This experience taught me lasting lessons: it’s easy to lose sight of the challenges others are facing. Pausing to ask questions and listen can transform frustration into empathy. It’s also easy to react to the first thing we see, hear, or read, but actually taking time to gain understanding before reacting can change how you view a situation.

Now, I remind myself and others to approach situations with curiosity and compassion, even in the most stressful moments. Giving people the benefit of the doubt, and not jumping to conclusions often leads to understanding, connection, and a more grounded perspective—both in nursing and in life.