Brian Mazza on the Power of Pushing Limits — and Finding Yourself

High Performance Life Time summits aren’t for the faint of heart. The multiday HPLT events are immersive, intense, and intentionally designed to push participants’ physical, mental, and emotional limits. Think high-intensity workouts in ­uncomfortable environments programmed alongside mobility, recovery, and breath work. There are also educational sessions and fireside chats led by thought leaders and health experts — plus plenty of good food and company.

“It’s all about bringing together like-minded individuals and helping them tap into certain sides of themselves in order to progress in life, to achieve certain goals, and to live their best life,” explains founder and health and fitness entrepreneur Brian Mazza.

A lifelong New Yorker, Mazza spent the first 15 years of his career in the Big Apple’s hospitality industry.

“Throughout that time, I was figuring life out — what I wanted to do, who I wanted to be. I was always an athlete, but I felt like I had lost that side of myself,” the former Division 1 soccer player recalls. “I was partying, I was drinking, I was living that New York life. Something had to give.”

So, in 2017, Mazza stepped away to focus on “becoming better every day.” He began taking what he describes as a 360-degree approach to performance.

“To me, it’s who you surround yourself with, what you take in, what you listen to, what you watch, how you train, how you eat. It’s about all of that working together.”

He leveraged connections from his hospitality days, reaching out to contacts in different sectors and industries.

“Selfishly, I wanted to create an environment where I could be around people who were better than me so I could learn from them,” he says. “I was in a transition period in my life where I was a new dad and my second child was on the way, and I needed people around me who were going to push me in a ­direction that was all about progression, self-fulfillment, and becoming better.”

The result? HPLT, which launched in 2018. Since then, Mazza has seen countless individuals go through the experience and come out on the other side with fresh perspectives and renewed energy for living their most meaningful, fulfilling lives. In early 2025, Life Time purchased the HPLT event series.

We recently sat down with Mazza to talk about what he means by “high performance” and how we can all tap into our potential, whether or not we ever attend an HPLT summit.

Q&A With Brian Mazza

Experience Life | When people hear “high performance,” physicality often comes to mind. But your definition is broader than that — tell us why.

Brian Mazza | High performance means something different to everyone — and athleticism and fitness are a ­sector of it. To me, it’s about showing up as the best possible version of myself every single day. How am I being the best friend, best parent, best partner, best colleague for people? In doing that, I’m going to have to sacrifice certain things to achieve high performance.

And that’s where a lot of people get caught up. They don’t want to look in the mirror and see the things they’re doing incorrectly or face that noise that something has to change if they want to make any progress in life. It’s consistent, small wins every single day that are going to lead to success.

EL | You’ve described HPLT as creating a community for like-minded people. Can you say more about that? What qualities and values do they have in common?

BM | When I created HPLT, it brought me back to being a kid again — to being on a team and the camaraderie of chasing a common goal. My dad always says, “Hang out with people who are smarter and fitter and all these things, and your life will get better just by the people you surround yourself with.”

So, a lot of participants are regular people who want to level up in some way. They want to change their job or relationship or do something that makes them happy, but they don’t know how to do that yet. So they come to a summit, hear from different experts, train in uncomfortable environments, and then leave having a whole new perspective on who they are as an individual and what they’re capable of.

EL | Let’s talk about those uncom­fortable environments. Why do the events often start with a Navy SEAL–style activation?

BM | No matter how fit you are, [this activation is] not something you can prepare for. And an intense physical ­experience like this requires being vulnerable and open. You’re doing it alongside people who start off as strangers but whom you quickly come to rely on because you all have to work together.

It sets the stage for a weekend of growth, because you’ve surrendered. It’s in that unknown moment where you meet a version of yourself that you have not seen before. And you’re standing there with 30 or 40 other people in the same rawness.

EL | How do you counter that physical intensity?

BM | Since the start, we’ve incorporated breathwork sessions and recovery experiences like sauna and ice baths — it’s when our bodies and minds get to process what they’ve experienced.

HPLT was recently acquired by Life Time, so we’ve incorporated more mind-body training focused on mobility and building neuroplasticity through MB360 in our most recent events. That — along with other relevant Life Time offerings — will be part of every experience going forward.

EL | On a more personal note, how do you balance the pursuit of self-­optimization and avoid burnout in fitness and in life?

BM | In all honesty, I don’t think there is a balancing act in something that you’re super passionate about. If you’re dialed in and it’s for the right reason, I don’t feel like burnout is going to creep into your life.

Now, there are times when you obviously have to disconnect from things — you can’t have a mindset of no days off. That’s old school. Maybe you didn’t get a good night’s sleep because your kids were up last night. So you give what you can give, and that’s good enough.

You have to understand that there are levels to this. Some days you give a little more, some days you give a little bit less. My kids keep me grounded in this too.

EL | What’s next for you?

BM | With the Life Time and HPLT collaboration, we’re focusing on creating more versions of HPLT, including half- or single-day opportunities for people to experience our events, which is exciting. It’s opening the door to scale up and help more people discover what they’re personally capable of. And it’s an opportunity to amplify the amazing talent and programs in the Life Time ecosystem.

I’m also working on a book that will come out in 2027 — it’s all about high performance. I want it to be a playbook that people can refer to when times are good, when times are bad, or when they need a little pick-me-up.

And, you know, just being a good dad, coaching my kids and being there for them. So long as I can continue to do that, I’ll be a happy camper.