Most high achievers won't admit this out loud — but they've felt it. You hit the goal. You got the title. You built the life. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, something still felt off.

That's not failure. That's what Cortney McDermott calls being miserably successful. And it's more common at the top than anyone is talking about.

Cortney is an award-winning author, TEDx speaker, and executive coach whose work has been featured in Inc., NBC, the Huffington Post, and Success Magazine. She's spoken on human potential at Oxford Business School, Mindvalley, and Necker Island. And she's a former C-suite executive who blew up everything she built — and rebuilt it from the inside out.

In this episode, Sean and Cortney go deep on why chasing external success will never get you where you actually want to go, what it means to shift from push energy to pull energy, and why the most powerful thing you can do as a leader is learn to think — really think — on purpose.

What you'll learn:

The difference between push energy and pull energy — and why the highest performers you admire aren't grinding harder, they're operating from a completely different source. Why your identity might be the very thing blocking your next level, and how letting the ego drive is quietly costing you. The real distinction between contentment and complacency — and why you don't have to choose between peace and ambition. Why 95% of people will never learn to actually direct their thoughts — and what it costs them in leadership, relationships, and results. How to stop focusing on what you don't want and start directing your energy toward what's actually possible.

Quotable: "It moves from push to pull energy. There's no making it happen anymore. There is a revealing — an opening to potentials." — Cortney McDermott

Connect with Cortney and explore her work at cortneymcdermott.com. If this episode hit home, share it with a leader in your life who's been chasing the next thing a little too hard.

00:51 — Meet Cortney McDermott
01:51 — What Is "Miserably Successful"?
02:56 — Why So Many High Achievers Feel This Way
03:58 — The Paradox: Still Striving, But From a Different Place
06:28 — Sean's Story: Green Beret to Texting for Tuna Money
08:20 — The Warning Signs You're on the Wrong Path
08:55 — Identity, Ego & The Character You're Playing
12:22 — Letting Go of Control & Learning to Trust
13:04 — The Science of Trust: 99.9% of Life Runs Without You
16:40 — Contentment vs. Complacency
18:04 — Growth Mindset, Love vs. Fear
21:13 — Going Deeper: What's Really Driving You?
23:11 — Why 95% of People Never Truly Think
28:32 — Learning to Think Is the Only Use of Free Will
30:00 — Why We Avoid Our Own Thoughts
30:37 — The 4 Ways of Getting Ice Cream (Brainwave Frequencies Explained)
34:10 — End of Part One

Connect with Cortney McDermott:

🌐 Website 💼 LinkedIn 📸 Instagram

No Limit Leadership is the go-to podcast for growth-minded executives, middle managers, and team leaders who want more than surface-level leadership advice. Hosted by executive coach and former Special Forces commander Sean Patton, this show dives deep into modern leadership, self-leadership, and the real-world strategies that build high-performing teams. Whether you're focused on leadership development, building a coaching culture, improving leadership communication, or strengthening team accountability, each episode equips you with actionable insights to unlock leadership potential across your organization. From designing onboarding systems that retain talent to asking better questions that drive clarity and impact, No Limit Leadership helps you lead yourself first so you can lead others better. If you're ready to create a culture of ownership, resilience, and results, this leadership podcast is for you.