H1B, CEOs, and Ultramarathons

Friday I was at a house as big as my entire block.
It was the setting for our leadership retreat in beautiful San Clemente, CA—complete with lectures, futurecasting about AI in education, and deep pockets of group work.

At dinner, I found myself next to one of our board members, a powerful CEO. We talked about leadership, empathy, and eventually… running really, really far.

He told me about a group of friends who meet every year for an endurance challenge. One year, that challenge was an ultramarathon.

I was hooked.

I’ve run three marathons, but an ultramarathon has always been the Next Big Goal. And not just any ultra—my eyes are set on completing a 100-mile race.

So I shared it with him.

He didn’t blink. He looked me straight in the eyes, and with the calm authority of someone who leads over 1,000 employees, he said:

“You should.”

It wasn’t about fitness. It wasn’t about bragging rights. It was about transformation.

We talked for another half hour, eventually walking out to the parking lot as the night wrapped up. By then, the conversation had circled back to leadership, challenges, and resilience.

Then he gave me a piece of advice I’ll never forget:

“You should do the 100-mile race. You’re the type of person who could finish—not because everything will go right, but because when things go wrong, you’re not surprised. You’re the type who says, ‘Okay, now what?’ and keeps moving.”

Don’t expect things to never go wrong.
Expect that they will.
And when they do, say “Now what?” and keep moving.

Okay, Now What?

That was Friday night.

Saturday morning, I woke up to the news: the Trump Administration had raised the H1B application fee to $100,000.

The first thing that came to mind?
Okay. Now what?

Because let’s be real—this is a gut punch. Thousands of international students suddenly had their plans, dreams, and strategies thrown into chaos. Fear and uncertainty spread instantly. And it’s all valid.

So… what now?

Keep Moving Forward

The first step is staying in the game. One foot in front of the other.

And here’s the encouraging part: as we dig deeper, there may be more options than it first appeared.

After reading the entire presidential proclamation, it seems this increase may only apply to H1B petitions filed from outside the U.S.

Which means F-1 students already here, applying in March, may not be impacted the same way.

We’ll need to watch closely as the administration clarifies how this will be applied. But in the meantime, the principle holds:

➡️ Don’t stop.
➡️ Don’t quit.
➡️ When things go wrong, ask “Now what?”—and keep moving forward.

Always on your side,
Dr. Josh

P.S. Want massive clarity on your next step? Book a free 15-minute Roadmap Audit call, and I’ll help you map a proven path to H1B and beyond.