Mountain Talk: The Grit To Heal
Thursday, November 19 | 12:15 pm
About the Event
The Grit To Heal: Why the Toughest People Break, and How To Build Grit Without the Armor
Beau Whitman ’16 was always the comeback guy. A Junior Olympic national team gymnast who had his first surgery at 14, he vaulted for Lehigh through injury after injury and built his whole identity on pushing through. Then he was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. The day after his first round of chemotherapy, he spoke to 500 people at a fitness event, walked off the stage, and threw up behind it. That was when he learned the difference between getting through something and actually healing from it.
In this Mountain Talk, Whitman shares the story behind his book, The Grit To Heal, and the framework at its center: the Grit Triangle of vulnerability, resilience, and courage. He'll explain why the toughness that carries high performers through hard seasons can be the same thing that keeps them from healing. Attendees will score their own triangle live and leave with three simple practices for the week ahead. Whether you're an athlete, a parent, a leader, or someone quietly carrying something heavy, this is a conversation about the part of toughness nobody coaches.
Cost: Free to attend
Staff Contact: Bryce Neff
About the Speaker
Event Details
When: Thursday, November 19, 2026, 12:15-1 p.m. Eastern
Online via Zoom
RSVP by: Thursday, November 19
Beau Whitman ’16 is a speaker, coach, and the author of The Grit To Heal. A U.S. Men's Junior Olympic National Team gymnast, he went on to pole vault for Lehigh Track and Field from 2012 to 2016, reaching the Patriot League podium indoors and outdoors and earning his B.S. from Lehigh University in 2016. He coached track and field at NYU from 2016 to 2019 under two-time Olympian Erison Hurtault and has served as head of coaching education at F13 Performance in the Lehigh Valley.
After ten surgeries as an athlete, Whitman was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering. He kept working through treatment, including delivering the keynote at FLEX on the Beach the day after his first round of chemo. He has served as MC for HYROX's first U.S. events, worked on the head staff of Wodapalooza, and helped lead a Guinness World Record event that raised $50,000 for cancer research. His story has been featured in Men's Health and Authority Magazine. Today he speaks to teams, schools, and organizations about building the kind of grit that heals, not just the kind that survives.
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