David Frost : Coaching Performance That Outlasts the Clock
Time has a way of testing assumptions. It reveals which habits compound and which quietly erode. Many professionals reach midlife carrying decades of experience, responsibility, and ambition, yet find themselves running on systems designed for an earlier version of themselves. Energy becomes harder to sustain. Recovery takes longer. Purpose demands renewal rather than repetition. The question is no longer how much someone can do, but how well they can continue to perform with clarity, strength, and intent.
This is where David Frost and Well Past Forty LLC stand apart. Founded in San Diego in 2012, the organization brings together leadership discipline, physical vitality, and purposeful coaching into a single operating philosophy. Drawing from David’s background in military service, elite athletics, and executive mentorship, Well Past Forty LLC does not promise shortcuts or reinvention through hype. It equips committed individuals with structure, resilience, and practical systems that help transform experience into sustained excellence, long after conventional timelines suggest it should fade.
Leadership Rooted in Care
David’s professional journey spans military service, nonprofit leadership, business consulting, academia, and elite athletic performance. Despite the diversity of these domains, one leadership principle has remained constant throughout his life. He believes that people rarely care how much a leader knows until they know how much that leader genuinely cares.
David describes himself as a service-oriented leader, someone who leads by supporting rather than commanding. Empathy, in his view, is not a soft add-on but a foundational enabler of progress. Across organizations, teams, and missions, advancing care has consistently proven to be the most effective catalyst for trust, alignment, and performance.
A Purpose-Built Operating System
David’s purpose-driven leadership philosophy did not appear overnight. It matured through three deeply influential pillars that shaped how he views leadership, service, and impact.
The first pillar emerged through elders and mentors who instilled a strong belief in possibility. From an early age, David was guided by a yes you can mindset. One Olympic champion in particular introduced him to an operating system triad that continues to guide his thinking. Surround yourself with practical resources. Become a true learner in your endeavor. Always work as if you are number two. This mindset fostered humility, discipline, and continuous improvement.
The second pillar came from youth and college coaches who transformed an unfocused and physically unrefined young man into someone who understood mind-body alignment. Through consistent training, David learned to persevere through adversity, remain steady during uncertainty, and keep moving forward during both success and struggle.
The third pillar was shaped by thought leaders who emphasize the power of purpose. Whether listening to voices such as Simon Sinek, Dr. Gary Sanchez, or Dave Frost himself, David believes embracing one’s why is essential. His personal operating system draws him toward solving complex problems. He breaks down complexity into practical rubrics that empower others to identify and execute meaningful calls to action.
Sustaining Purpose in a High-Churn Reality
With more than twenty-five years in nonprofit leadership, David has seen firsthand the persistent challenges nonprofit executives face. At the top of that list is the ongoing pursuit of financial lifeblood through grants, gifts, and awards.
David emphasizes that effective fundraising requires far more than application writing. It demands disciplined lead pursuit, compelling storytelling, and strong interpersonal communication with both prospective and existing benefactors. Competition is intense, but success is attainable. Studying successful cases and conducting honest post-mortems after unsuccessful bids often creates the learning edge needed for future wins. He also cautions that success itself is not always the best teacher.
A close second challenge is human capital. Recruiting, training, and retaining both paid staff and volunteers is an ongoing struggle. David recalls a university president once stating that nonprofit leadership is more challenging yet more rewarding than leading for-profit organizations. When resources run out, leaders must think more creatively.
David highlights the scale and significance of the nonprofit sector using concrete metrics from San Diego County. Between eight and nine percent of working adults are employed in nonprofits. Ten percent of the region’s economic impact is generated by the sector. More than thirteen thousand nonprofit organizations operate locally. Yet staff turnover is roughly fifty percent higher than in for-profit entities, with even greater losses among smaller organizations.
Addressing lower compensation, burnout, misalignment, and limited career growth is a complex challenge. David acknowledges it as a question whose answer grows more valuable over time. He aligns with the perspective that autonomy, mastery, and purpose form a balanced scorecard for nonprofit workers. For him, listening carefully and acting on concerns remains the most effective retention strategy.
Trust as the Cornerstone of Leadership
David’s service across the military, federal programs, and large institutions profoundly shaped his approach to organizational development and executive leadership. He believes organizational behavior and culture often outweigh even the most well-crafted strategies.
He references a military planning principle that once action begins, plans change, but the planning process itself remains invaluable. Preparation builds adaptability. Failing to plan, in his view, is equivalent to planning to fail.
Trust sits at the center of David’s leadership philosophy. How trust is built, communicated, and sustained determines whether organizations succeed or falter. Leading by example, reinforcing shared values, and aligning behavior with purpose are the foundations upon which effective organizational cultures are formed.
Skills for a World in Motion
As an award-winning adjunct professor and mentor, David emphasizes that success in a rapidly changing environment requires a tailored application of both hard and soft skills. No single approach fits every situation.
He advocates for the Project Management Institute’s talent triangle as a practical framework. Technical skills provide execution capability. Power skills enable communication, teamwork, and critical thinking. Business awareness ensures decisions are grounded in real world context. Together, these competencies form a resilient foundation for leaders and learners navigating constant change.
Athletic Discipline as Leadership Training
David’s life as a Master Fitness Trainer and elite Masters rower deeply informs his leadership philosophy. Physical discipline, he believes, strengthens mental resilience and decision making under pressure.
He describes the transferable power of entering a state of flow, where composure, courage, and preparation converge. Training for high pressure scenarios enables leaders to respond rather than react. The disciplined body supports sustained cognitive performance, allowing leaders to remain decisive and composed in stressful environments.
David believes that while strategic thinking is essential, physical vitality extends leadership capacity over time. A fit body supports a sharper mind, especially when leading through uncertainty.
A Mission That Endures
David founded Well Past Forty LLC in San Diego in 2012 with a clear mission. To educate, train, and support committed athletes of all ages as they reach beyond perceived limits toward extraordinary performance.
Drawing from his background as a Naval Academy graduate, former defense and aerospace manager, retired Navy officer, wellness coach, and rowing champion, David built a purpose-driven enterprise grounded in service, discipline, and lifelong growth. His professional goal remains deeply aligned with the organization’s mission. To help others unlock that extra margin of potential that transforms persistence into excellence.
Across leadership, education, fitness, and service, David’s journey reflects a consistent truth. Purpose, trust, and disciplined care create outcomes that endure long after titles and roles change.
Why Vitality Still Sits on the Sidelines
David believes physical vitality remains overlooked in leadership and business success largely because of the accelerating pace of modern life and the growing number of distractions competing for attention. Wellness, in his view, is often relegated to the background despite its direct connection to sustained performance.
He points to notable exceptions who challenge this misplaced priority. Leaders such as Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Michelle Obama, and Oprah Winfrey exemplify how physical fitness and executive effectiveness can coexist. These figures demonstrate that vitality is not a luxury but a strategic asset.
David emphasizes that the human brain requires precise inputs to function optimally. Adequate oxygen, stable glucose levels, and restorative sleep form the biological foundation for clarity, resilience, and sustained leadership. He believes successful leaders intentionally nourish their cognitive engines, recognizing that mental acuity depends on physical care.
Lessons Forged in Mission-Critical Systems
David’s experience leading research and development teams within defense and advanced C4ISR systems profoundly shaped his understanding of performance under pressure. He asserts that both nonprofit and for-profit organizations must maintain an unrelenting drive to serve stakeholders in the best possible ways.
A pivotal influence in his career was mentor Bob Whalen, who challenged teams to pursue order-of-magnitude improvements in system performance or equally dramatic reductions in lifecycle costs. Whalen believed that Augustine’s so-called immutable laws of procurement were meant to be confronted, not accepted.
David was fortunate to work in advanced development and technology operations during a period when independent research and development efforts delivered bold, audacious systems for national defense. These initiatives were not incremental. They were transformative. From that experience, David carries forward the conviction that leaders should aim for big bet, ambitious goals that stretch imagination and capability alike.
Standing Out Where Everyone Looks the Same
As an entrepreneur and consultant, David helps small businesses and leaders differentiate themselves in increasingly crowded markets by returning to fundamental principles.
He presents a two-sided solution that begins with a triad of business rules drawn from the work of Raynor and Ahmed. First, better comes before cheaper. Second, revenue precedes cost. Third, there are no other meaningful rules. These principles, while deceptively simple, form the backbone of sustainable differentiation.
Complementing these rules is an actionable trio David refers to as the Killer Be’s. Be first. Be better. Be different. He acknowledges that simplicity does not equate to ease, yet these enduring truths can help both market leaders and challengers stand apart.
To operationalize differentiation, David also leans on five strategic questions attributed to Jack Welch. Where are we now? Where do we want to be? What stands in our way? How will we get there? What will we do when we arrive? Together, these questions help leaders translate intent into execution.
Redefining Life Well Past Forty
For David, the concept of well past forty represents a second act defined by resilience, relevance, and fulfillment. His work supports professionals who want their later career chapters to be memorable rather than merely comfortable.
He describes this phase as staying fully engaged in the game of life while strengthening mind-body alignment, investing sweat equity, applying practical processing, and leveraging one’s unique X factor. It is about crafting a second-half performance that exceeds expectations rather than declines with age.
Books That Left a Mark
David’s thinking on leadership, wellness, and life has been shaped by several deeply influential books. Among his top selections are Nuts! by Kevin and Jackie Freiberg, How We Got to Now by Steven Johnson, and Against the Gods by Peter Bernstein. His copies, he notes, are heavily annotated and frequently revisited.
He also adds a fourth title that holds special significance. Raise Heaven and Earth by William B. Harwood chronicles the pioneering achievements of Martin Marietta’s people and serves as a reminder of what disciplined teams can accomplish together.
The Marathon That Changed Everything
One of David’s most formative athletic experiences occurred during a marathon run completed in 1983. Finishing in two hours and fifty-six minutes marked the culmination of a deeply intentional training journey.
The key to achieving his sub-three-hour goal was adapting his preparation to include more speed play during sixty to eighty-mile training weeks. David became a true student of his craft. He invested the work and trained smarter, learning that focused adaptation often separates aspiration from achievement.
Leadership Through the Lens of History
As a lifelong student of history, David identifies Abraham Lincoln as the leader he admires most. While Harry Truman briefly competed for that distinction, Lincoln’s journey ultimately resonated more deeply.
David points to Lincoln’s repeated setbacks before ascending to the presidency, his principled leadership, and his carefully timed bold initiatives. He admires Lincoln’s willingness to surround himself with a team of rivals and his eloquence as a leader who spoke as one of the people.
Lincoln’s legacy of empathy, captured in his call for charity toward all and malice toward none, remains timeless. For David, this blend of resolve and compassion defines enduring leadership.
The Power of Intentional Mornings
David attributes much of his long-term success and vitality to the discipline of well-structured mornings. He believes the start of each day shapes performance across athletics, business, and life.
He follows a mnemonic checklist he calls MORNINGS, outlined in his second book, Strong to Save. Each element reinforces physical, mental, and emotional readiness.
Make your bed to establish early momentum. Observe vital indicators such as heart rate, stress, hydration, and breathing. Reflect on prior accomplishments and upcoming objectives. Nourish the body with balanced nutrients and hydration. Invigorate the system through movement, contrast showers, and breath activation. Note meaningful connections to strengthen social alignment. Gratitude anchors the mindset and moderates stress. Signs serve as visual reminders to remain intentional.
David emphasizes that even those with unconventional schedules can benefit from the principles embedded in this routine.
Recharging Through Connection and Nature
Outside of work and fitness, David finds renewal through nature, personal relationships, and time with family. Laughter, even self-directed humor, provides an immediate reset.
He references the Scandinavian concept of hygge as a source of inspiration, noting how social connection and comfort contribute to contentment despite challenging environments. As a natural extrovert, David believes human connection plays a vital role in longevity and well-being.
Trust, for him, is the ultimate motivator. He defines it as true resilience upheld by sincere teamwork. Through shared trust and connection, David finds both inspiration and enduring energy.
