Ned Phillips has sold horse manure door-to-door, run companies across Asia, and now runs Backyard Ultras for fun — the kind where you loop 6.7 kilometres every hour until everyone else quits. The British-born entrepreneur and former CEO turned solopreneur has built and lost multimillion-dollar startups, led with empathy through failure, and found joy in suffering. In this conversation, Jason and Ned explore how endurance sports and business share the same brutal truths: pain is inevitable, ego is fragile, and resilience is a choice.

Highlights

• Hear how Ned went from selling fertilizer to running a listed financial company in Asia.

• Learn how building and losing a $20M startup reshaped his definition of leadership.

• Discover how he found running through a 100km race — as his first ever run.

• Explore the philosophy of Backyard Ultra and the fine line between grit and madness.

• Understand what “the art of suffering” really means, in running, leadership, and life.

• Find out why empathy and curiosity are the most underrated sales and leadership skills.

Connect with Ned:
→ LinkedIn – Ned Phillips
→ Ned’s Website – teachpeoplesales.com

Connect with Execs Who Run:
→ Website – execswhorun.com
→ LinkedIn – Execs Who Run
→ Instagram – @execswhorun

Connect with Jason Hunt:
→ LinkedIn – Jason Hunt
→ Instagram – @jasonzane_

If this episode resonates, share it with a friend who runs. Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and leave a quick review — it helps more leaders find the miles that matter.