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.

Tim Minchin — comedian, composer, lyricist, actor, and accidental marathon trainee — shares the story of how running has been a thread through every stage of his life. From childhood asthma in Perth, to Melbourne’s struggling artist years, through the highs of Matilda, the heartbreak of Larrikins, and his current build-up to the Melbourne Marathon, Tim reflects on how running has given him resilience, self-worth, and perspective at every stage. It’s a conversation about creativity, leadership, and why running continues to shape the way he approaches life and work.

In this conversation, we cover:

• Growing up with asthma and discovering endurance through hockey

• Why running became a coping mechanism in his toughest Melbourne years

• The role running played during creative success and setbacks — from Matilda to Larrikins

• Stories from his 91-minute half marathon in London and a City2Surf PB at 49

• Training routines, favourite Sydney routes, and rediscovering the joy of running

• How running connects to resilience, creativity, and leadership in his life today

• Preparing for the Melbourne Marathon at 50, and what it means at this stage of his life

• Reflections on identity, ambition, and proving things to yourself when no one else is watching

Follow Tim Minchin:

Website: timminchin.com

Instagram: @timminchin

Spotify: Tim Minchin

Stay Connected with Jason & Execs Who Run:

Jason Hunt: LinkedIn | Instagram

Execs Who Run: LinkedIn | Instagram

Website: execswhorun.com

Join the community: Execs Who Run Strava Group

Phoebe Pincus — COO of Startmate, co-founder of Cheeky Run Club, and marathon runner — joins Execs Who Run to share how running has transformed her approach to life and leadership. From ocean swims in Bronte to the cultural boom of run clubs post-COVID, Phoebe shows how running can be more than exercise — it can reshape identity, community, and confidence.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why her Always Swim mantra is about more than just the ocean

• The leap from Startmate Women Fellowship to COO

• The founding story of Cheeky Run Club and the rise of running culture

• Discipline, systems, and the myth of willpower

• How running builds resilience and self-confidence in work and life

• The lessons she’s learned from burnout, overtraining, and recovery

• Her advice on balance, leadership, and doing hard things with joy

  
  

Quote from Phoebe:

“Discipline isn’t forcing yourself to do hard things — it’s building systems so the good things feel easy.” — Phoebe Pincus

Follow Phoebe Pincus:

Instagram: @cheekyrunclub

LinkedIn: Phoebe Pincus

Stay Connected with Jason & Execs Who Run:

Jason Hunt: LinkedIn | Instagram

Execs Who Run: LinkedIn | Instagram

Website: execswhorun.com

Join the community: Execs Who Run Strava Group