Health Mastery Programme
An online group to support the development of your personal health philosophy
I’ve had a little hiatus from writing in this substack - life often takes us on little detours - however, taking the pressure off myself to keep up with writing has given me space to create something that has been in the making for over 20 years as a seed of aspiration.
I feel the time is right to bring together the many threads I’ve been exploring in terms of health, fitness, mastery, and a broader inquiry into what it means to be human, drawing from psychology, sociology, and philosophy. These threads have come together in a programme designed for group exploration, with people who, in their own ways, are seeking a deeper sense of mastery in their approach to health, fitness and wellbeing.
The Health Mastery Programme would be relevant to both people who struggle with sticking to their health and fitness goals, as well as people who are already quite fit who would enjoy the deeper philosophical nature of the material and conversations.
The programme won't involve issuing people with exercises and diet plans, but instead it will be working with mindsets - the attitudes, beliefs and habits we have which determine our behaviour. It won’t be a teacher-student setup, but more of a curated exploration of themes and ideas.
The programme will cover the psychological and philosophical aspects of sticking to daily health practices, from our sense of identity to how we are in constant negotiation with ourselves over whether we'll do our workout and eat right today. It will look at developing self-discipline and consistency, as well as managing our environment and external distractions that derail us.
Participants will offer mutual support and accountability for one another to help build habitual practice over the 12 weeks. Each participant would be challenged to create their own personal philosophy of health with the idea of giving people something far deeper and longer-lasting than the usual quick-fix faddish approaches to health.
The first programme will be at a low cost (£175 per person, approx $230 USD) as I'm seeing this as a beta test for the material. I'd probably cap the group size at 16 people, and would need a minimum of 6 to get it up and running. It would likely involve a 90-minute online session once a week.
I am a qualified personal trainer, sports massage therapist and clinical hypnotherapist - certified over 20 years ago, however, the material would be drawing far more on my personal experience of being someone who has stuck to his exercise routines for 37 years and combined that with loads of experimentation and contemplation.
Full bio and programme description in a downloadable PDF at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pdi9EklK9pEDVdAkTB4BSqQ2eRslyfe6/view?usp=sharing
Here are the programme components, which are the result of my own introspection - breaking down the attitudes and beliefs I’ve developed towards my own health and fitness over time into themes for exploration as a group:
Week 1 - Rhythm:
This first module explores the fundamental principle that everything in life moves in cycles, from the beat of our hearts and the rise and fall of our breath to the changing of seasons and the rhythms of our energy, motivation, and rest. By tuning into these natural ups and downs, we learn to navigate the pendulum swings of effort and recovery, adopting a seasonal approach to wellbeing that balances periods of action with times for repair and reflection. Rather than focusing on short-term fixes, we’ll begin to think in terms of decades, cultivating a sense of timing and rhythm that supports sustainable health and vitality for the long haul.
Week 2 - Practice:
In a world obsessed with instant results and quick fixes, this module invites us to rediscover the deeper meaning and fulfilment found in regular practice. Rather than viewing workouts as a slog or diets as restrictive punishment, we’ll explore how meaningful challenge, ritual, and discipline can bring depth, structure, and even a sense of the sacred to our daily lives. By adopting a systematic, sustainable approach to cultivating an ecology of practices, we can anchor ourselves in daily action and learn to surrender to the process itself, developing reverence for practice, not just fantasising about results.
I have written about this theme previously at: https://ordinarymastery.substack.com/p/snippets-1-practice
Week 3 - Identity:
In this module, we’ll explore together how our sense of identity is shaped, often unconsciously, by our upbringing, culture, and environment, and how these narratives can both help and hinder us on our health journey. Rather than seeing identity as a fixed label or mask we must wear, we’ll question and reflect as a group on how we might deepen and reshape our sense of self to better align with our true values and aspirations. By sharing our experiences and insights, we’ll support one another in loosening rigid self-concepts and discovering how a more flexible, authentic identity can help us stay grounded and resilient, especially when life gets turbulent.
I’ve personally found this idea of identity the most powerful motivating force in compelling me to ‘be someone who shows up and exercises every day’ rather than overly focusing on goals and success - that stuff follows naturally from being a person who tries to align their behaviour with their personal health philosophy.
Week 4 - Tension:
We’ll explore the gap between our current reality and our sensed potential - the inner tension that often manifests as frustration or restlessness when we know we could be more than we are today. Rather than seeing this tension as a problem, we’ll learn to see it as a creative force, much like a sculptor uses a chisel and hammer to reveal a preconceived form within stone. By sharing our experiences and perspectives, we’ll explore the creative tension we feel when imagining our sensed potential and how the urge to resolve this tension naturally pulls us towards our aims.
Week 5 - Challenge:
In a world where comfort is always within reach, we often lose our edge and become less resilient in the face of adversity. This week, we’ll come together to intentionally seek out challenge and step into deliberate discomfort, exploring how growth happens at the boundaries of our current capabilities. By sharing our experiences and supporting each other, we’ll learn to prepare our minds for effort and struggle, recognising that while challenges may sometimes defeat us, with the right mindset and group support, we can rise to meet them and build the resilience for lasting change.
Week 6 – Experimentation:
In this module, we’ll embrace the unpredictability of life by adopting a spirit of experimentation, letting go of the illusion of certainty and instead cultivating flexibility and agility in our approach to health and wellbeing. As a group, we’ll encourage one another to try new routines, incorporate fresh ideas, and adopt a beginner’s mind, recognising that versatility and resilience are built through continual trial and adaptation. By sharing our discoveries and setbacks, we’ll expand our collective toolkit, bringing variety and resourcefulness into our daily habits so we’re better prepared to navigate life’s inevitable changes.
Week 7 – Ecosystems:
This week, we’ll challenge the notion of ourselves as isolated individuals and instead explore how our health is shaped by, and in turn, shapes the complex web of relationships and environments we inhabit. By reflecting on the interconnectedness of our bodies, minds, communities, and the wider world, we’ll consider how context, environment, and social influences play a vital role in our wellbeing. Through group discussion and shared insight, we’ll begin to see health not just as a personal pursuit but as something that emerges from and contributes to the ecosystems we’re part of, inviting us to think more holistically about our practices and their ripple effects.
I’ve touched on this theme previously at:
Week 8 – Negotiation:
This week, we’ll explore how life’s endless distractions, social pressures, and unexpected setbacks constantly threaten to pull us off course, making interruption and challenge inevitable. Health mastery, we’ll discover, is less about rigid discipline and more about the ongoing negotiation, with ourselves and those around us, to maintain the boundaries that keep us aligned with our intentions. As a group, we’ll reflect on the powerful undercurrents and shifting sands that test our commitments, sharing strategies for recognising these forces, navigating them with awareness, and returning to our chosen path with clarity and resilience whenever we’re diverted.
Week 9 – Joy:
This week, we’ll explore the concept of joy as something deeper and more enduring than fleeting pleasure or instant gratification. We’ll reflect on how true satisfaction often arises not from comfort, but from meaningful struggle and commitment - the kind of “Type 2 Fun” that feels challenging in the moment but leaves us feeling proud, alive, and fulfilled in hindsight. By sharing our experiences and insights, we’ll learn to recognise and cultivate the joy that emerges through persistence, effort, and resilience, celebrating the moments of clarity, connection, and awe that can arise unexpectedly on the path of health mastery.
I’ve touched on this theme previously at:
Week 10 – Stewardship:
Here we’ll reflect on what it means to become true stewards of our own health, recognising that as we mature, responsibility for our wellbeing shifts into our own hands. Rather than drifting passively or being swept along by convenience and cultural trends, we’ll explore how to reclaim agency and practise self-reliance, embracing the quiet dignity that comes from living with intention. Through group discussion and shared reflection, we’ll support one another in making conscious choices that shape the bodies we’ll be handing over to our future selves, cultivating a sense of responsibility not just for our present selves, but for the versions of ourselves yet to come.
I’ve written a short piece on Stewardship here:
Week 11 – Meaning:
This week, we’ll come together to explore how a sense of meaning can be rekindled by reconnecting with our physical bodies and taking full responsibility for our health and wellbeing. In a world where many feel isolated, unfulfilled, and disconnected from nature, from each other, and from themselves, we’ll reflect as a group on how mastery over our bodies can serve as a gateway to a more purposeful, embodied life. Through honest discussion and personal introspection, we’ll explore the importance of having our own personal philosophy of health, rooted in our unique values and aspirations, so that our sense of meaning is not borrowed or superficial, but emerges authentically from within.
I’ve previously played with an angle on meaning at:
Week 12 – Integration:
In our final week, we’ll focus on the practical challenge of weaving everything we’ve explored into the fabric of our daily lives, recognising that true change is tested not during a course, but in the return to ordinary routines. Together, we’ll discuss how to sustain the passion, identity shifts, and new practices we’ve cultivated, allowing our personal philosophy of health to be refined and validated through lived experience. Integration is about carrying our insights forward, adapting them to life’s changing seasons, and staying connected to our chosen path, not striving for perfection, but continually returning to what matters most and letting it shape who we are becoming.
Thanks for reading
Thank you for reading, and if you’re curious about this group, I’d be happy to jump on a call with you for an informal chat.
The first cohort will begin around the week of 23rd June 2025, sessions likely to be on a Monday evening, possibly 7 pm GMT, depending on people’s preferences. I may run parallel programmes in different time zones depending on interest, so if you’re interested in joining but the timings don’t work, then please get in touch and register your interest.
Feel free to register your interest via the form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScczf-9_2os9gZV6ud1ERjWCeXrNQm7-VPH81wH2OvDSTpjsw/viewform
Or via a LinkedIn message, see my profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndurrantA downloadable and shareable PDF of this Health Mastery Programme is at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pdi9EklK9pEDVdAkTB4BSqQ2eRslyfe6/view?usp=sharing
My personal aspiration has been to have lifelong healthy activity. Lifelong training and lifelong eating well. I train every day, sometimes I’ll push myself, sometimes I go easy. Over the years, I’ve become better at listening to my body to know what to do rather than sticking to a rigid plan. Being intuitively healthy, intuitive training and intuitive eating.
I sincerely believe that by working through this content, you’ll be equally inspired and equipped to make a lifelong commitment to your own health, fitness and wellbeing.