EP 678: Darin Hardy Level Seven High Terrain

“You can’t half-ass walking on uneven ground—and that lesson translates to everything: relationships, fatherhood, business, life.”

What’s up everyone! This week I’m sitting down with Darin Hardy, and man, this conversation goes places I didn’t expect. Darin is a former Marine Corps special operations guy who spent 20 years and 13 deployments in the military, and now he’s using horses, nature, and even AI to help executives and leaders transform their lives. Yeah, you heard that right—AI and horses. Stay with me here.

This episode sits right at the intersection of ancient wisdom and cutting-edge technology. Darin breaks down how he’s using emotionally intelligent AI to help distill his thoughts and experiences in the field, then using horses as living mirrors to reflect back what people need to see about themselves. It’s wild, it’s different, and it’s honestly one of the most unique approaches to coaching I’ve ever heard.

We dive deep into what Darin calls “window moments”—those rare experiences in nature where you feel like you’re between worlds. He shares two incredibly powerful stories: one about syncing with a horse at 16 years old and losing all sense of where he ended and the horse began, and another about a forked-horn mule deer that walked within arm’s reach and taught him he had permission to forge his own path. These aren’t just cool hunting stories—they’re formative moments that shaped how he shows up in the world.

But this isn’t all woo-woo spiritual stuff. Darin gets tactical too. He talks about hitting the wall on day five of an elk hunt, using “I am” statements to shift from doing to being, and how those three words helped him arrow a bull when he was ready to quit. We also get into the difference between power over versus partner with, why he cried in a pasture when three horses wouldn’t let him catch them, and what that taught him about 20 years of narratives he’d been carrying.

One of my favorite parts of this conversation is when Darin talks about being “porous”—how life doesn’t just happen to you or for you, but through you. And how as outdoorsmen, we’re naturally land-informed and nature-informed, which gives us this unique lens to filter everything else in life. It’s the same reason I believe elk hunting teaches you more about business and life than most MBA programs ever could.

If you’re someone who’s looking for transformation, willing to get uncomfortable, and open to the idea that horses and mountains might teach you more about yourself than any boardroom ever will, this episode is for you. Darin’s work is for people who refuse to live small lives—people who want authentic experiences, not hand-fed success.

https://www.level7highperformance.com/retreats?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Ancient tech meets AI
05:15 – Darin’s military background: 20 years, 13 deployments
11:30 – From infantry to special operations
16:45 – Transitioning out and the two things he promised himself
22:20 – How passion becomes your job (whether you want it to or not)
28:40 – Being “porous” – life flowing through you, not just to you
34:15 – The horse window moment at 16: losing boundaries
40:30 – The mule deer at arm’s reach: permission to forge your own path
46:50 – Hong Kong beach: glowing plankton and Disney magic
52:10 – Flow state in the red zone: from doing to being
58:35 – Using AI to distill “I am” statements
1:03:20 – Day five of the Idaho hunt: hitting the wall
1:08:45 – Three horses that wouldn’t let him catch them
1:12:30 – Power over vs. partner with
1:16:00 – Level Seven High Terrain and authentic experiences
1:20:15 – Cow elk hunts as transformation: range day to butchering

Three Key Takeaways

Shift From Doing to Being – Darin uses AI-assisted coaching to help people create “I am” statements instead of “I do” goals. When he was exhausted on day five of an elk hunt, ready to quit, he repeated “I’m resilient, I’m flexible” as he climbed—pointing himself back to a state of being rather than performance. Ten minutes later, he arrowed a bull at 20 yards. The power isn’t in what you do, it’s in who you are. Those qualities remain true regardless of whether you punch your tag or eat it.
Horses and Nature as Mirrors – Horses don’t lie. When Darin returned to Montana after 20 years in the military with this narrative of “this is my pot of gold,” three well-trained horses wouldn’t let him within 50 feet. He broke down crying in knee-high grass because they were reflecting back his energy—he’d come with an agenda, never asking what the horses’ agenda was. The next day, he left the halter at the gate, walked into the pasture with just a brush, and said “I’m here with fresh, if anyone wants something, come get it.” Within 10 minutes, all three horses were standing around him. Power over vs. partner with—that’s the lesson.
Give Yourself Permission to Feel Something Different – Transformation isn’t about knowing what to do differently. It’s about giving yourself permission to feel something different. When you’re willing to accept the pain of change more than the pain of staying the same, you’re ready. Darin’s “window moments” in nature—with horses, with deer, with glowing plankton on a Hong Kong beach—gave him permission to see himself differently. You can’t half-ass walk...

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Timestamps

Three Key Takeaways