Even billionaire tech CEOs have rough mornings. Coinbase (COIN) CEO Brian Armstrong has a go-to solution when he wakes up feeling miserable: YouTube videos of retired Navy SEAL David Goggins yelling at people to stop being soft.

"There are some mornings I've woken up and … like, everything sucks," Armstrong said on an episode of "When The Shift Happens" podcast released on Nov. 20. When those mornings hit, he heads straight to YouTube and searches for "David Goggins."

The 'Stay Hard' Philosophy

"He has some great videos about … have a bad attitude? You know, stop being a little B, I, T, C, H or whatever, and just get going," Armstrong explained. "If you need motivation in the morning, it's a great way to go."

For those unfamiliar, Goggins has built a massive following by preaching the gospel of embracing discomfort and pushing through mental barriers. His credentials back up the tough talk—he transformed himself from a depressed 300-pound exterminator into a Navy SEAL and elite ultramarathon runner. Nicknamed "the toughest man alive," Goggins has completed 70 ultramarathons and previously held the world record for most pull-ups in 24 hours.

Beyond Motivational Videos

Armstrong's morning ritual isn't just about aggressive self-motivation, though. He also recommended exercise, getting outside and spending time with loved ones as ways to combat burnout.

"In 48 hours, you're probably gonna feel better," he said. "You can come back. It's not the end of the world."

This advice comes from hard-won experience. Armstrong noted that many founders who started companies around the same time he did simply couldn't maintain the pace required for long-term success.

"Many of them burned out, like they didn't have the longevity," he said. "Some of them had very unhealthy things that happened too. Like, they gained a bunch of weight, they lost a bunch of weight."

The Fundamentals Matter

Armstrong acknowledged that following his own advice isn't always easy.

"These are easy to say and hard to do, so I have gotten a lot more rigorous over time about the basics, right, which would be like sleep, exercise and nutrition," he said. "I think that helps, but there's still mornings where I wake up and I have a bad attitude, and I gotta, you know, listen to some David Goggins."

Building an Empire Takes Endurance

Armstrong's focus on longevity makes sense given what he's built. A former Airbnb product manager, he co-founded Coinbase in 2012 alongside Fred Ehrsam, who was working as a Goldman Sachs trader at the time. Thirteen years later, Coinbase has become the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S. by volume, sporting a market capitalization of $64.8 billion.

Getting there required surviving the cryptocurrency market's notorious volatility over more than a decade, not to mention navigating countless regulatory challenges.

"You can choose to be in whatever mindset you want," Armstrong posted on X on Nov. 18, sharing a teaser from his podcast interview. "Stay hard!"