What if success isn’t personal at all — but mathematical?

Kyle Austin Young reveals why so many intelligent, capable people fail to reach their goals — even when they do everything “right.” Drawing from his own experience of repeated layoffs, personal burnout, and rebuilding his life through consulting, Kyle introduces a powerful framework for rethinking success through probability rather than motivation.

Kyle explains how overwhelm, survival mode, and mental clutter don’t just affect our wellbeing — they distort our ability to make good decisions. Together, Marc and Kyle explore how success diagrams, probability hacking, and intentional reflection can radically improve the odds of achieving meaningful goals — personally and professionally.

This is a conversation about slowing down, reclaiming agency, and learning how to design success instead of hoping for it.

Show Partners:

• A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
• Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life

Get in Touch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthehuman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-champagne-🧠💪-14767b17/

Website: https://www.mchampagne.com/

Timestamps:

00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?”

03:10 — From layoffs to consulting: redefining security

07:05 — The treehouse moment: why we miss what’s right in front of us

11:30 — Presence, overwhelm, and the cost of survival mode

15:20 — What is a success diagram?

18:45 — Why motivation lies and math tells the truth

23:40 — The danger of averaging probabilities

28:50 — Probability hacking: reducing risk creatively

34:10 — Why most advice is actually harmful

39:30 — Designing goals instead of chasing validation

44:00 — Mental fitness, clarity, and decision-making

47:30 — Non-negotiable practices for a clear mind

50:00 — What makes life meaningful now

*

Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How would your life change if you trusted that consciousness itself is guiding this next chapter of humanity?

Marc sits down with Anna Severina to explore motherhood, consciousness, ancient civilizations, AI, fear, and the future of human awareness. Together, they examine how raising conscious children, reconnecting with the Earth, and developing inner stillness may be the real preparation for what’s coming next.

Show Partners:

• A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
• Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life

Get in Touch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthehuman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-champagne-🧠💪-14767b17/

Website: https://www.mchampagne.com/

Timestamps:

00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?”

00:02 — Motherhood as a portal to identity and contribution

00:05 — Why homeschooling became an intuitive choice

00:09 — Teaching children discernment, not conformity

00:12 — Raising “polite rebels” in a structured world

00:15 — The documentary: consciousness, Earth, and ancient sites

00:18 — Pyramids, sacred geometry, and lost technologies

00:20 — AI, silica, and the evolution of intelligence

00:24 — Cycles of collapse, rebirth, and forgotten history

00:26 — Fear, health, and the splitting paths of society

00:29 — Mental fitness as a bridge through uncertainty

00:31 — Insights from Zach Bush

00:35 — Encounters, synchronicity, and soul recognition

00:36 — Conversations with Steven Greer

00:39 — Death as transition, not ending

00:42 — Children, DNA activation, and future leadership

00:45 — Why this moment in history matters

00:48 — Choosing curiosity over fear

00:50 — Earthlings, community, and what’s coming next

*

Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why is it that in the face of the most powerful tool humanity has ever created, so many capable people feel overwhelmed instead of empowered?

Marc sits down with serial entrepreneur and AI consultant Mike Schwarz to explore what’s really happening beneath the AI conversation.

This isn’t a discussion about tools or trends — it’s about fear, acceleration, mental overload, and the growing divide between those who adapt and those who freeze. Mike shares what he’s seeing inside the top 1–5% of AI adopters, why most people are stuck using AI at the surface level, and why mental fitness may be the defining advantage of the next decade.

Show Partners:

• A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
• Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life

Get in Touch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthehuman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-champagne-🧠💪-14767b17/

Website: https://www.mchampagne.com/

Timestamps:

00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?”

00:02 — Mike’s journey from dot-com entrepreneur to AI founder

00:06 — Why most AI adoption is still surface-level

00:09 — The growing gap between AI adopters and everyone else

00:13 — Neurodivergence, hyper-focus, and rapid adaptation

00:17 — Fear, stress, and overwhelm as the real blockers

00:20 — AI as a change-management problem, not a tech one

00:24 — Automation, professional services, and job displacement

00:29 — The runaway train metaphor for AI acceleration

00:33 — Leadership responsibility during massive uncertainty

00:37 — Mental fitness as a survival skill

00:39 — Using AI to free time, not erase meaning

00:41 — Final reflections on adaptation and humanity

*

Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when the strategies that built your success begin to hollow you out?

Judi Holler shares the story she never planned to tell: how building a seven-figure business, listening to too many “experts,” and chasing the next level led her into burnout, disconnection, and a spiritual reckoning.

This conversation explores identity loss after success, the danger of outsourcing self-trust, the role of spirituality and human design in self-leadership, and how awareness (especially discomfort) can become your most powerful signal back to alignment.

Judi's Soul Dives - https://stan.store/HOLLAVERSE/p/soul-dive-with-judi

Show Partners:

• A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
• Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life

Get in Touch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthehuman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-champagne-🧠💪-14767b17/

Website: https://www.mchampagne.com/

Timestamps:

00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?”

02:30 — Why success can make identity more fragile, not stronger

05:10 — The moment external advice drowned out inner knowing

07:45 — “I was going bankrupt internally while everyone else got rich”

10:30 — The dark spiral: money loss, confidence loss, self-loss

13:00 — The difference between brain safety and soul truth

15:20 — Practical self-leadership when you still have bills to pay

18:40 — Scheduling spirituality instead of waiting for stillness

22:10 — Finding peace inside chaos (even Times Square)

25:30 — Human Design as a map back to alignment

29:00 — Why bitterness is a warning signal, not a flaw

32:15 — Projectors, decision-making, and riding emotional waves

36:40 — Why most leadership cultures block creativity

40:00 — Improv, failure, and psychological safety at work

44:30 — Recreation as the fastest path to reinvention

48:00 — Who Judi is becoming now

50:00 — Final reflections on self-trust and expression

*

Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How different would your life look today if you stopped preparing for “good enough” and started preparing for “extraordinary”?

In this conversation, entrepreneur, investor, author, and extreme-preparation evangelist Randall Kaplan opens up about the surprisingly painful origins of his work ethic: childhood bullying, a debilitating stutter, and a long journey toward becoming a clear, confident communicator.

Randall shares the exact mental frameworks he used to transform his life — from landing a book deal through a cold email, to becoming a TED speaker, to interviewing some of the world’s most accomplished leaders on his podcast.

We explore extreme preparation, the habits that separate average performers from exceptional ones, and why “no” is often just the beginning of the road to “yes.”

Timestamps:

00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?”

02:00 — How photography and beaches shaped Randall’s creative identity

04:30 — Building Sandee: cataloging 100,000+ beaches around the world

06:15 — How a cold email landed Randall a book deal

08:00 — Childhood bullying, stuttering, and the start of extreme preparation

10:30 — The breakthrough moment at the McDonald’s drive-thru

14:00 — How speech therapy reprogrammed his mind and confidence

15:30 — The emotional weight and triumph of giving a TED Talk

17:00 — Studying the top TED Talks and dissecting what works

19:00 — Cutting a 70-minute keynote into 18 minutes

21:15 — Why the painful story had to stay in the talk

22:00 — The team behind the TED Talk: coaches, comedians, voice experts

26:00 — The Roger Love experience and knowing when not to change

28:00 — The balance between outside coaching and trusting your intuition

30:00 — Extreme preparation in interviewing: The EPT “torpedo question”

32:00 — Why most people aren’t prepared — and how to stand out instantly

35:00 — Randall’s research process: thousands of pages, distilled

37:00 — “If you’re early, you’re on time; if you’re on time, you’re late.”

38:00 — When life derails your plans: broken schedules and mental resets

40:00 — Gratitude walks and the 40,000-foot reset

42:00 — Never send an email when angry — Randall’s practice

46:00 — Why AI should assist your preparation, not replace it

47:00 — The small details that cost people opportunities

50:00 — A coaching story: preventing a $3M mistake

52:00 — The doctor who went from zero net worth to $10M in a year

54:00 — The difference between success and stagnation: making a plan

56:00 — Closing wisdom: “Why you must do what no one else does”

****

Get your copy of Personal Socrates: Better Questions, Better Life  

Connect with Marc >>> Website | LinkedIn | Instagram |

*

A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas.

🧠  x 🥵 = 😃

*

Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Humble the Poet (Kanwer Singh) opens up about the years nobody saw — the debt, the failed deals, the fear, the self-judgment — and how these became the foundation for his creative success and his powerful new book, Anxious.

We explore his 90-day nervous system reset, what anxiety really is (and isn’t), how to stop outsourcing your safety, and why progress is simple but never easy. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, stuck, or tangled in your own thoughts, this episode will feel like a blueprint for reclaiming your mind and building real inner capacity.

This is mental fitness at its most practical, honest, and human.

Timestamps:

00:00 — Who are you?

01:00 — Humble breaks down the mechanics of words, poetry, and meaning

02:00 — Childhood creativity: the first book and early signs of a writer

04:00 — Performing for the first time and peeling off the layers of insecurity

06:00 — The four-year tunnel: debt, denial, and rebuilding from zero

10:00 — Extreme frugality and the financial habits that changed everything

14:00 — Fear, creativity, and learning to feed the wallet vs. the ego

17:00 — Discovering business as a creative art form

23:00 — Harmony vs. balance: reframing how creatives work

25:00 — Curiosity as courage: shifting away from fear-based judgment

27:00 — How anxiety blocks opportunity — and why the pendulum has swung too far

30:00 — Why anxiety is a signal, not a disease

32:00 — The 90-day nervous system reset: dopamine, abstinence, and awareness

37:00 — Identifying real addictions: validation, reassurance, overthinking

42:00 — Sitting with discomfort: the foundation of mental fitness

45:00 — Redefining freedom and building inner capacity

49:00 — The burn of real growth — and why Humble sticks with it

51:00 — The simplest mental fitness practice: sit quietly for 10 minutes

54:00 — Simple vs easy, slow progress, and compassionate self-talk

****

Get your copy of Personal Socrates: Better Questions, Better Life  

Connect with Marc >>> Website | LinkedIn | Instagram |

*

A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas.

🧠  x 🥵 = 😃

*

Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What changes when you stop looking at someone for what they’ve done—and start asking who they are?

Marc sits down with Diane Kahn, founder of Humans of San Quentin, who has interviewed more than 3,000 incarcerated individuals around the world. Diane shares how a single question—“How are you?”—can break open years of silence, shame, and survival.

Together, they explore the unseen stories behind incarceration, why nearly everyone she meets inside was a victim first, how media narratives distort our understanding of “criminals,” and what it truly means to approach another human being with compassion. This episode challenges assumptions, expands empathy, and reveals the healing power of being seen.

Timestamps:

00:00 — “Who are you?”

01:00 — From teacher to prison educator

04:00 — The moment her perception of “prison” shattered

05:45 — Who we’re really locking up

07:00 — Why the media is feeding us the wrong story

10:00 — The power of asking: “How are you?”

15:00 — Building trust inside a hyper-surveilled environment

17:00 — Planting seeds of change

18:00 — Lives saved through storytelling

20:00 — Teaching empathy to the next generation

22:00 — The big lesson: We are all kinder than we think

28:00 — Holding space for thousands: Diane’s mental fitness practices

35:00 — The final message: vulnerability and second chances

****

Get your copy of Personal Socrates: Better Questions, Better Life  

Connect with Marc >>> Website | LinkedIn | Instagram |

*

A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas.

🧠  x 🥵 = 😃

*

Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens to a society that forgets how to be surprised — and how do we rebuild our capacity to truly see one another?

Andy Mills, award-winning journalist and master storyteller explores the search for meaning, the role of curiosity in modern journalism, and why culture — not legislation — may be the single most powerful force shaping our future.

We talk about Andy’s early years in ministry, his transformative time reporting in South Sudan, and the worldview that emerged from witnessing both the best and hardest parts of humanity. Then we dive into his groundbreaking AI series The Last Invention (Apple | Spotify) and why he believes this moment represents a hinge point in human history.

This episode blends philosophy, journalism, mental fitness, and cultural critique — ultimately reminding us that even in times of rapid technological change, the most important tools we have are still profoundly human.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Identity & Meaning

02:00 – Leaving Religion & Finding Story

05:00 – The Storyteller’s Role

08:00 – Curiosity as a Superpower

10:00 – Reporting Across Extremes

14:00 – The Editing Ethics Test

15:30 – South Sudan

21:00 – Shrinking Global Concern

24:00 – Culture as the Lever

29:00 – Birth of The Last Invention

33:00 – AI Debate: Three Camps

40:00 – What Media Misses

48:00 – Beyond Chatbots

52:00 – Tech, Loneliness & History

56:00 – Mental Fitness & Pressure

59:00 – Crying, Laughter & Processing

1:02:00 – Passing the Torch

****

Get your copy of Personal Socrates: Better Questions, Better Life  

Connect with Marc >>> Website | LinkedIn | Instagram |

*

A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas.

🧠  x 🥵 = 😃

*

Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What do you do when the world starts changing faster than your ability to make sense of it?

Do you hold tighter to what you know… or do you learn how to evolve, let go, and redefine who you are?

In this episode, I sit down with legendary investor and True Ventures partner Tony Conrad, a man who has helped shape some of the most influential companies of the past two decades — and who is now in the most reflective stage of his life and career.

We talk about the quiet side of leadership, the inner work required to stay relevant, why the AI revolution is forcing everyone to rethink their value, and how a surreal moment in a deportation jail in India woke him up to the fragility of everything we take for granted.

Timestamps:

00:00 — Who is Tony Conrad? Identity beyond job titles

02:00 — Building True Ventures & the early days nobody saw

05:00 — The J-curve years: failure, doubt, and patience

08:00 — AI: the biggest shift of Tony’s lifetime

10:00 — How True Ventures stays mentally fit as a team

12:00 — Culture > ego: why they avoid the Midas List

14:00 — Travel, awareness & seeing the world clearly again

17:00 — The India deportation jail story

20:00 — Japan, America & the truth about cultural contrast

22:00 — Why Tony stayed in San Francisco through every cycle

25:00 — Reinventing his role: from “points on the board” to empowering others

27:00 — Being public vs staying private: how the VC world has changed

30:00 — The ancient teachers question & who Tony would speak to

33:00 — Shackleton, survival & the greatest leadership example he knows

****

Get your copy of Personal Socrates: Better Questions, Better Life  

Connect with Marc >>> Website | LinkedIn | Instagram |

*

A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas.

🧠  x 🥵 = 😃

*

Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if one small, curious decision could ripple across generations and change the world?

In this heartfelt episode, Marc sits down with Lindsay Mattick, creative director, entrepreneur, and author of the bestselling Finding Winnie — the true story that inspired Winnie the Pooh. Lindsay shares how her great-grandfather’s compassionate act of buying a bear cub for $20 during WWI led to one of the most beloved characters in literary history.

Their conversation unfolds into a masterclass in creativity, storytelling, and the art of slowing down. From starting her own agency to balancing motherhood and meaning, Lindsay explores how we can all find connection, courage, and calm in a world obsessed with speed — and why she still walks every morning at sunrise to clear her mind and reconnect with her creative flow.

Timestamps:

[00:00] – Who is Lindsay Mattick? Mother, entrepreneur, and creative storyteller.

[02:00] – The leap into entrepreneurship and learning to take risks.

[06:00] – The incredible true story of her great-grandfather and the real Winnie.

[11:00] – Turning family history into Finding Winnie, and the journey to publishing.

[16:00] – The serendipity of finding the perfect illustrator.

[20:00] – Feeling connected to her great-grandfather through storytelling.

[23:00] – How storytelling shaped her creative agency, Pomp & Circumstance.

[28:00] – Lessons from brand storytelling: emotion, depth, and meaning.

[31:00] – Thoughts on AI, creativity, and the importance of humanity.

[38:00] – The art of curiosity: raising kids and thinking deeply in an AI world.

[39:00] – Morning walks and the rituals that spark creative clarity.

[44:00] – “What would Winnie do?” — Finding wisdom in simplicity and calm.

****

Get your copy of Personal Socrates: Better Questions, Better Life  

Connect with Marc >>> Website | LinkedIn | Instagram |

*

A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas.

🧠 x 💪 x 🥵 = 😃

*

Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.