Coach JP’s Blog
The Performance Pressure Cooker
An anonymous $10,000 donation pushed the Solstice Run fundraiser beyond anything I imagined. Alongside relief at exceeding my fundraising target, I found myself facing a different challenge: the pressure to perform. A reflection on expectations, ego, Stoicism, and finding the fun when the stakes feel high.
Always Ready: When Achievement Isn’t Enough
After finishing my first ultra faster than expected, I felt oddly empty. This Always Ready essay explores post goal letdown, why struggle can feel more meaningful than success, and how purpose shifts when training becomes useful, aligned, and bigger than just testing your limits.
Always Ready: Building for the Long Run in 2026
Always Ready is a long-term training project about building durability, balance, and real-world capability. This opening article explores why I’m shifting away from specialisation, what this year’s events demand, and how plans start changing as soon as real life shows up.
When The Work Feels Pointless (And Why You Keep Going Anyway)
When progress feels invisible, doubt gets loud. Coach JP shares what it is like to keep showing up in training, nutrition, and business when results are slow, feedback is missing, and quitting would be easier. A grounded look at integrity, patience, and staying the course without pretending it is fun.
That Moment When January Starts to Wobble
By mid January, the plan that looked great on paper starts colliding with real life. This article shows how to scale back without quitting, build confidence through repeatable training, and stay consistent long after the gyms empty out.
Hard Work Looks Different in the Winter
Winter changes how training feels, but it does not mean progress has stopped. This article explores why motivation drops in winter, how to adjust expectations without quitting, and what hard work really looks like when consistency matters more than intensity.
Unpacking Movember: What I Learned Grinding Through 510 km Last Month
A raw reflection on my 510 km Movember challenge, the emotional and physical toll it took, the small breakthroughs that kept me moving and the questions I am still sitting with as I figure out what the month truly meant.
Do As I Say, Not As I Do: Lessons I’ve Learned The Hard Way About Recovery
This article explores why so many men push too hard, ignore recovery, and break down quietly. Learn how stress, poor sleep, overtraining, and daily pressure affect performance and longevity, and get practical strategies to train smart, recover well, and stay strong for the long haul.
The Pressure to Look “Perfect”: Body Image, Steroids, and the Male Mirror
Many men feel pressure to chase unrealistic physiques shaped by steroids, social media, and the fitness industry. This article explores the mental health impact of comparison, the rise of TRT and PEDs, and how training for capability offers a healthier, sustainable path toward confidence, strength, and lasting wellbeing.
Raising Better Men (By Being One)
A reflective look at modern masculinity, fatherhood, and what it really means to raise better men by becoming one yourself. This article explores healthy male role modelling, shifting provider expectations, supporting diverse identities, and showing up with kindness, responsibility, and integrity in everyday life.
The Cost of Silence: Why Every Man Needs a Brotherhood
Many men feel alone even while surrounded by people. In this Movember reflection, Coach JP explores what brotherhood really means, why so many of us lose meaningful friendships as life goes on, and how simple acts of reaching out, moving together, and talking honestly can help rebuild connection and protect men’s mental health.
The Mask Men Wear: Why Hiding Struggles Makes Us Weaker
Many men still believe strength means silence, but hiding pain doesn’t make us tougher, it makes us weaker. This Mindset Monday explores why vulnerability is real strength, how misunderstanding Stoicism feeds isolation, and what it takes to drop the mask and start living authentically.
This Movember, I’m Moving for Something Bigger
This Movember, Coach JP Siou takes on a 300+ km (MAYBE 600 km?) challenge to raise awareness for men’s health and mental health. Follow his journey of movement, reflection, and healthy masculinity as he shares honest stories, daily updates, and conversations that remind us real strength means showing up and lifting others.
What’s the Story You’re Telling Yourself About Who You Are?
The stories we tell ourselves shape our choices, our identity, and our future. This Mindset Monday explores how old narratives keep us stuck, why identity isn’t fixed, and how reframing, small wins, and intentional action can help you rewrite your story and live with purpose.
What a Backyard Project (And A Decade Of Spartan Races) Taught Me About Real Strength
Strength isn’t just about the mirror or calorie burn. From moving tons of material in my backyard to completing 32 Spartan Races, I’ve learned that real fitness is about capability — resilience, mobility, and durability that carry over into every part of life. Here’s why form follows function, and why that matters for you.
Finding A New Why
From Spartan Races to rediscovering joy in movement, this journey explores overcoming fear, embracing endurance, and confronting burnout after years of relentless competition. With 2025 as a no-race year, it’s a chance to rebuild strength, rediscover passion, and find a new ‘why’ beyond finish lines. A raw reflection on resilience, growth, and the evolving purpose of fitness.
Race Recap: Around The Lake Give'R Take 30K
Read a raw, start-to-finish recap of the 2024 Around The Lake Give'R Take 30K, featuring brutal weather, challenging trails, and mental grit. Join me as I push through fear, anxiety, and pain to beat cutoff times and conquer personal limits. Discover insights on pacing, race-day strategy, and why doing the hard things is always worth it.
Doing Stuff Anyway
I'm facing a tough race with challenging weather and terrain, and I'm not sure I'll make the cutoff. To succeed, I'll need to sustain a pace I've rarely managed before, and there's a real risk of failure or injury. But it's not just about finishing—it's about pushing beyond my comfort zone, testing my limits, and seeing what I’m capable of, even if it scares me. Sometimes you just do stuff anyway.
My Journey To Ultra - The Obstacle Is The Way
Kicking off the 2024 race season and the ultra training plan…and then getting COVID! Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the face, as “Iron” Mike Tyson used to say. Here’s what I’m doing to keep moving forward.
My Journey To Ultra - Baseline (Day 1)
Embarking on a transformative journey in 2024, I'm taking on two monumental challenges: my first 50K mountain ultramarathon and my first Spartan Race Ultra on my 50th birthday. Despite recent health setbacks and injuries, I'm determined to reach peak physical condition. Join me as I document this journey of resilience and self-discovery - it won't be boring!