Your Armor Is Stopping You | Mat Cashman on Dissolving the Self That's Holding You Back

In this episode of Just Press Record, Matt Ziegler sits down with Mat Cashman for a wide-ranging conversation about practice, performance, mastery, and the pursuit of meaningful work.

Inspired by a clip featuring Jess Bost and Tom Morgan, the discussion explores how identity, ego, and deliberate practice shape personal growth over time.

Drawing on experiences from trading, music, education, and creative work, they unpack the tension between doing what’s comfortable and pushing into the uncomfortable spaces where real growth happens.

The result is a thoughtful conversation about flow states, mastery, and why the pursuit of something meaningful may be the key to a fulfilling life.

• The idea that our “armor” or persona can prevent us from growing into our gifts

• How mastery exists within specific domains and why confidence collapses in unfamiliar environments

• The difference between practice as internal resistance training and performance as external resistance

• Why real growth requires deliberately practicing things that make you uncomfortable

• The tension between repetition and experimentation in the pursuit of mastery

• How identity changes over time and why major career transitions often take years

• The role of practice and performance in building a fulfilling and balanced life

• Why musicians, traders, and creators often experience powerful flow states

• How AI may change the value of mastery, taste, and deep focus

• The importance of pursuing meaningful work even in an uncertain future

0:00 — Introduction and the clip that sparked the conversation
3:00 — Introducing Mat Cashman and the idea behind the episode
5:45 — The CrossFit vs. volleyball story and mastery within domains
8:00 — Your armor is preventing you from growing into your gifts
10:00 — Practice versus performance and internal versus external resistance
15:00 — The pull toward comfortable practice versus real growth
20:00 — Identity change, career transitions, and the three-year rule
24:00 — Pursuit versus running away from something in life
29:00 — Music, trading, and how passions evolve over time
33:00 — AI, creativity, and the expanding gap between good and mastery
40:00 — Choosing what to pursue in an uncertain future
42:30 — Flow states in trading, music, and creative work
45:00 — Why practice and performance both matter for happiness
49:00 — The balance between learning and performing
52:00 — Where to find Mat Cashman and closing thoughts