Founder · Action Over Obstacles
Jarrod Lentz
Diploma in Coaching & Positive Psychology · Triple-accredited by the ICF, AC, and EMCC
Founder of Action Over Obstacles Lifestyle Performance Coaching. Host of the podcast Action Over Obstacles — Stories of Peak Performance, Growth, and Resilience. Keynote speaker for corporate teams, conferences, and retreats.
Mission & Approach
Solutions Based. Forward Focused. Built to Last.
I am a Certified Alcohol-Free & Positive Psychology Performance Coach and hold a Diploma in Coaching & Positive Psychology from The Coach Business School — triple accredited by the ICF, AC, and EMCC, the three leading global coaching bodies.
My mission is to help clients break through personal barriers and create lasting lifestyle improvements through 1:1 coaching, group coaching, and transformational challenges. I utilize a Solutions Based Forward Focused Coaching approach grounded in Positive Psychology and the 6 Pillars of Optimal Lifestyle Performance:
- Optimized Sleep
- Alcohol Awareness
- Consistent Movement
- Quality Nutrition
- Meaningful Connection
- Quiet Reflection Time
"Micro actions, implemented with intention, consistency and accountability compound to create long term, life changing Macro results."
— Jarrod Lentz
This philosophy drives every coaching engagement — not dramatic overnight change, but deliberate, compounding progress built one action at a time.
Who I Work With
One mission: unlock your next level by Optimizing your Lifestyle Performance.
Whether you're a high-output professional, a "middle lane" drinker, or a corporate team looking for a keynote that lands — My coaching meets you exactly where you are.
The high-output professional
I coach clients and help them break through personal barriers and create lasting lifestyle improvements through 1:1 coaching, group coaching, and transformational challenges — using a Solutions Based Forward Focused approach grounded in Positive Psychology & the 6 Pillars of Optimal Lifestyle Performance.
- Clarify values, goals, and purpose
- Build accountability and momentum
- Create a personalized lifestyle performance framework
- Compound micro-actions into macro results
Alcohol-Free Performance Coaching
As an Alcohol-Free Performance Coach, I work with clients who drink consistently but are not dependent — helping them reclaim what alcohol has quietly been costing them: sleep, clarity, energy, time, and money.
- Change their relationship with alcohol
- Optimize physical performance and mental resilience
- Gain clarity in their values and purpose
- Recapture time, energy, and money
- Envision — and build — a life they didn't know was possible
Teams, conferences & retreats
Four keynotes available in-person or virtual for corporate teams, sales organizations, wellness conferences, universities, summits, and retreats. Every talk is evidence-based, relatable, and immediately actionable.
- High-performance sales teams & revenue organizations
- Corporate executive leadership offsites
- Health, wellness & lifestyle conferences
- Universities, associations & professional summits
My Call To Action
The obstacles and the path forward.
A significant injury — and the acceptance of mediocrity
In 2014, I sustained a significant back injury that sidelined me from consistent exercise for an extended period of time. This injury set in motion my acceptance of mediocrity. By the time I began to recover, I had become comfortable no longer exercising. Consistent movement was no longer a priority and ultimately faded away for five years.
Recognizing the wrong path — and taking the first steps back
In 2019, overweight and out of shape, I knew I had to make a change. As a husband, father to three young kids, and a busy professional, I encountered many obstacles: work, family, daily commitments, and distractions. But there was also another kind of obstacle working in the background — one far more powerful.
That obstacle was the stories and beliefs I was telling myself to reinforce that I was fine moving along in life on default. "I'll start next week." "It's too hot, too cold, it's raining." "You really don't need to get off the couch." "Have another drink." And the worst: "Do you really think you're going to change the trajectory of your life at this point?"
Discovering what high performers actually do
Over years of reflection and self-improvement, I found myself studying and implementing the philosophies surrounding 1% better daily improvement, encountering and overcoming internal resistance, finding flow states, self-reflection, positive psychology, and the practice of reframing perspective on life events.
The great Stoic philosopher Epictetus (55–135 AD) said: "It is not external events themselves that cause us distress, but the way in which we think about them. We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them."
Mark Twain observed: "I am an old man and have known many troubles, but most of them never happened." Whatever we tell ourselves about the future is completely made up — and we can choose what we tell ourselves.
Compounding micro-actions into a transformed life
Over six years, I committed to improving my health and built consistency through compounding micro-actions that stacked up to eventually create long-term, life-changing results. I began walking — then added running, weightlifting, rucking, and martial arts. I shifted to whole foods and started cutting back on alcohol.
For 28 years I was a "middle lane" drinker — not dependent, but consistent. A couple of drinks on weeknights, more on weekends, overdoing it from time to time. I began to notice when I drank that I was not fully present with my family, sleeping poorly, feeling lazy and anxious, settling for mediocrity.
The Turning Point
The question that changed everything.
I had made many lifestyle improvements over the years — but alcohol was the last obstacle I wanted to acknowledge. For 28 years it had been central to friendships, family gatherings, and social events. I began questioning what it was still doing for me. Over time, I realized it may no longer be beneficial or serving me the way it once did.
Author Steven Pressfield describes "Resistance" as a universal, impersonal force whose entire mission is to stop you from becoming the highest version of yourself. Alcohol, I realized, had become my primary source of Resistance.
The final turning point came after listening to neuroscientist Andrew Huberman's podcast on alcohol's true effects — and hearing ultra-endurance athlete Rich Roll share a quote on the Tim Ferriss podcast. Tim asked Rich: if you could put one quote on a billboard for the world to reflect on, what would it be? Rich explained that his first instinct was: “Who Are You?”. But after further thought, he realized there was a more powerful version which was: “Who Are You Becoming?”
Rich Roll on the Tim Ferriss Podcast — the question that changed everything
"Who Are You Becoming?"
— Rich Roll · Ultra-endurance athlete & podcast host
For a split second the question seemed so simple — but when I thought further, it created a very deep reflection. "Who Are You Becoming?" didn't just illuminate what I was building toward. It also forced an honest look at what aspects of my life were contributing to a person I did not want to become.
I began asking myself that question every single day — as a form of personal inventory and accountability. A check-in to know where I was and ensure I knew where I was going.
Feb
2
2025
Groundhog Day — My last drink.
Fitting, because drinking had become a Groundhog Day loop for me: wash, rinse, repeat. On February 2, 2025, that loop ended. What came next arrived faster than I expected.
The benefits came fast
Deep, restorative sleep — every night
Significantly more time and energy to invest in new goals
Hangovers and anxiety eliminated completely
Clear and immediate financial savings
Most importantly — showing up fully present for my family, with a powerful sense of clarity and purpose I had never experienced before.
Five months later, I had an internal calling to become a coach — to help others navigate their own turning points. This was not a quiet call. It was a loud, door-kicking-down moment. I knew that if I didn't take action, that feeling might never return. So I did.
The Coaching Approach
Forward focused. Solutions based. Built on what works.
My coaching is grounded in Positive Psychology and the 6 Pillars of Optimal Lifestyle Performance — not therapy, not clinical treatment, not a recovery program. It is solutions-focused, results-driven coaching designed to move high performers forward.
I coach across the full lifestyle performance spectrum — from alcohol awareness and sleep optimization to movement, nutrition, connection, and reflection. Coaching is conducted via Zoom, in-person in the Apex / Raleigh NC area, or on the move through ruck and walking sessions.
Solutions Based Forward Focused
We don't dwell on the past. We clarify where you want to go and build the path to get there — session by session.
Micro-actions compound into macro results
Lasting change doesn't come from dramatic overnight shifts — it comes from small, deliberate, consistent actions that stack over time.
Daily accountability between sessions
Every package includes daily WhatsApp check-ins — because the work doesn't stop when the session ends.
Non-judgmental, non-clinical
There is no shame, no AA. Just an honest, empowering conversation about who you are — and who you're becoming.
Philosophical foundations & influences
Epictetus
Stoic philosopher, 55–135 AD
"We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them."
Martin Seligman
Father of Positive Psychology
The PERMA model of flourishing — the scientific framework for sustainable well-being.
Steven Pressfield
Author, The War of Art
"Resistance" — a universal, impersonal force whose entire mission is to stop you from becoming the highest version of yourself.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Psychologist & Author
The architect of the notion of "flow" — a state of deep focus and intrinsic motivation linked to creativity, productivity, and happiness.
James Hollis
Jungian psychoanalyst , Author
"Finding meaning in the second half of life." Embracing the second half as a time of deeper authenticity and meaning.
James Prochaska
Behavioral change researcher
"Stages of Change Model." Six steps people go through when changing. Change is not a single event but a cyclical journey. People often slip up and cycle back through earlier stages before achieving lasting change.
Charles Duhigg
Author, The Power of Habit
"The Habit Loop: A neurological pattern consisting of three elements: a cue (a trigger that initiates the behavior), a routine (the behavior itself), and a reward (the benefit that reinforces the loop).
Carol Dweck
Author, Mindset
"Fixed Vs. Growth Mindset". A fixed mindset believes abilities, intelligence, and talents are static traits that cannot be changed. A growth mindset believes abilities can be developed through effort, learning, and persistence.