What if the most important chapter of your life hasn’t been written yet?

In this rare in-person conversation, Patricia Sands opens up about grief, reinvention, aging, creativity, and the unexpected power of starting late.

Patricia published her first novel at 65. Today, at 80, she has written 13 books — many set in France, a country she fell in love with at 21 while backpacking with friends. But before the novels, there was loss. Widowed at 43. Two sons. A life rewritten overnight.

We explore how grief shaped her storytelling, why community saved her creative life, how AI unexpectedly helped her research historical fiction, and what it really means to write from intuition.

This is a conversation about dignity, aging, reinvention, and why it’s never too late to become who you are.

A special shout out to my co-host Valentin Randon.

Show Partners:

• Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! 
• A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
• Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life

Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne

Timestamps:

00:00 — Who Are You, Really?

03:00 — From Photography to Storytelling

05:00 — Sudden Loss

06:30 — Writing Her First Book at 65

08:00 — Dying With Dignity & Difficult Themes

12:00 — How Much of Her Is in Her Characters?

16:00 — The Power of the Writing Community

18:30 — Stephen King’s Advice That Freed Her

23:00 — Turning 80 & Questioning Herself

32:00 — The Invitation That Changed Everything

34:00 — Writing a Novel in Record Time

36:00 — Exploring AI for Historical Research

41:00 — Intuition vs. Structure in Writing

44:00 — France, Culture & Seduction

46:00 — The Origin of Her Love Affair with France

50:00 — The Real Reward of Writing

51:00 — Turning Novels into Real-Life Tours

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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 we train people to survive under pressure… but never teach them how to come home to themselves?

After 20 years serving as a Navy Hospital Corpsman alongside Marines in some of the most demanding environments imaginable, Patrick Nardulli realized something profound: toughness wasn’t the same as resilience.

In this episode, Patrick shares his journey from combat medicine to nervous system regulation — including the moment a heart rate variability monitor revealed he was “thriving” on the outside but dysregulated beneath the surface.

We explore:

• The difference between heart rate and heart rate variability
• Why high performers often live in chronic sympathetic overdrive
• How breath becomes the bridge between mind and body
• The role of coherence in leadership and relationships
• Practical tools to regulate your nervous system in real time

Show Partners:

• Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! 
• A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
• Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life

Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne

Timestamps:

02:00 — A guided coherence exercise to settle the nervous system

05:00 — Growing up in Chicago and the call to serve

07:00 — Combat deployments and the culture of toughness

11:00 — The moment he saw resilience breaking in others

14:00 — The HRV wake-up call: “I thought the device was broken”

18:00 — Why experiential learning beats PowerPoints

22:00 — Breath as the bridge between mind and body

29:00 — Heart rate vs. heart rate variability explained

31:00 — What coherence actually means

34:00 — Why most people never intentionally exhale

37:00 — Preparation, performance, recovery framework

40:00 — When his wife felt his nervous system shift

42:00 — Walking into the moonlight: a realignment moment

45:00 — Simple practices anyone can start today

46:00 — Final message: self-care is not selfish

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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 we chase longevity like it’s a number, yet ignore the daily behaviors that are aging us from the inside out?

Most of us think longevity is about adding years. But what if it’s really about removing what no longer serves you at the cellular level and at the identity level?

Renee Fitton — registered dietitian, longevity specialist, and one of the leading voices in fasting-mimicking science (VP at Prolon) — breaks down the biology of renewal… and the psychology that quietly shapes our habits.

Show Partners:

• Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! 
• A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
• Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life

Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne

Timestamps:

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

03:00 — Perfectionism, ambition, and living in the imperfect

07:00 — Personality tests, self-work, and using tools like ChatGPT for reflection

11:00 — Preparing for the Hoffman Process: deep psychological self-work

15:00 — How to prepare your body for intense personal growth

16:00 — Alcohol, sleep, and energy management before a retreat

18:00 — Why plant-based nutrition supports repair and rejuvenation

21:00 — Growth mode vs repair mode: the biology behind it

23:00 — Autophagy explained: your body’s cellular vacuum cleaner

25:00 — What is the fasting mimicking diet?

29:00 — Why prolonged fasting (3+ days) activates deep repair

31:00 — The mental shifts that happen during fasting

33:00 — Behavior change, food psychology, and identity

34:00 — Type 2 diabetes study: self-initiated behavior transformation

37:00 — Why five days can change your long-term habits

39:00 — Why water-only fasting feels harder

41:00 — How often should you fast for longevity?

44:00 — Gratitude journaling as a daily mental fitness tool

46:00 — The power of daily movement for emotional regulation

47:00 — Renewal at the cellular and personal level

*

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 mental clarity, emotional regulation, and better sleep weren’t about adding another practice—but undoing a hidden one?

In this conversation, Patrick McKeown reveals how chronic over-breathing quietly drives anxiety, rumination, poor sleep, and brain fog. Drawing from decades of research and lived experience, he explains why breathing less (not more) can improve oxygen delivery, blood flow to the brain, and nervous system balance.

This episode challenges modern breathwork myths and offers practical, science-backed ways to retrain your breathing for everyday life.

Show Partners:

• Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! 
• A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
• Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life

Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne

Timestamps:

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

01:20 — Living out of the head vs. living life

03:10 — How stress, sleep, and breathing patterns intersect

05:00 — Discovering breath as a path to presence

07:40 — Why The Power of Now actually worked

10:15 — Walking away from the corporate world

12:30 — The origins of the Buteyko Method

14:40 — Why breathing more air can reduce oxygen delivery

17:10 — Nasal breathing and brain function

19:50 — Rumination, CO₂, and cerebral blood flow

22:30 — Why slow breathing isn’t always good breathing

25:10 — Everyday breathing vs. breathwork sessions

28:00 — Practical exercise: calming the nervous system

32:10 — Clearing a blocked nose naturally

36:40 — Breathing for performance and public speaking

41:30 — How to retrain your breath throughout the day

46:00 — Measuring progress: the BOLT score & breath mastery

50:10 — Final reflections on calm, clarity, and control

*

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 the stories that change our lives rarely begin with certainty, but with curiosity and risk?

Marc sits down with author, ghostwriter, and screenwriter Platte Clark to explore why storytelling isn’t just an art form—it’s a survival tool. From abandoning law school for philosophy, to writing bestselling fiction, to ghostwriting more than two dozen books for thought leaders, Platte shares what he’s learned about creativity, courage, and the quiet mental practices that make meaningful work possible.

This episode dives into the tension between art and business, the myth that creativity must be strategic to matter, and why naivety may actually be the greatest creative advantage we have left—especially in the age of AI.

Show Partners:

• Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! 
• A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
• Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life

Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne

Timestamps:

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

02:10 — Discovering the identity of a humanist

04:20 — Leaving law behind for philosophy and meaning

07:30 — Falling in love with learning (and being a lifelong student)

10:15 — Writing the first book without knowing the rules

13:40 — Why quitting your job to write is usually a bad idea (and why he did it anyway)

17:00 — The bird and the sword: a metaphor for creative balance

20:45 — Why writing the book is the easy part

24:30 — Ghostwriting, abundance, and unexpected opportunity

28:10 — Advice to first-time authors: protect your naivety

31:40 — AI, storytelling, and what machines can’t replace

34:50 — Mental fitness, breathwork, and creative recovery

38:30 — Music, movement, and engineering the creative environment

41:20 — Who reads the first draft (and why honesty matters)

43:10 — Why every human has a story worth telling

45:00 — Final reflections on humanity, story, and meaning

*

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.

You Don't Need to Try Harder. You Need to Understand the Patterns Running Your Mind.

In this solo episode, Marc breaks down a pattern he’s seen across 500+ conversations, boardrooms, and personal turning points: capable, intelligent people who know what to do, yet still feel overwhelmed, stuck, or out of alignment.

This episode introduces a practical framework for designing a Mental Fitness Blueprint. A system that helps you understand your mental operating pattern, align your practices to what you’re actually building, and recover faster when life gets messy.

Think of this as a blueprint for your next 90 days, not just what you’ll do, but how your mind will support you along the way.

Show Partners:

• Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! 
• A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
• Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life

Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne

Timestamps:

00:00 — Why this solo episode needed to be said

01:40 — The pattern Marc kept seeing across 500+ interviews

03:10 — Why insight alone never creates change

04:40 — The hidden cost of running life without a mental system

06:30 — Why most mental fitness advice doesn’t work

09:00 — The three things every mental fitness system must do

10:50 — Mental operating patterns (and why none are “wrong”)

13:40 — Designing your next 90 days from the inside out

15:30 — Daily rituals that actually match how you work

16:40 — The reset protocol: Pause, Reset, Re-enter

18:10 — How this expands your operating range over time

19:40 — Why self-knowledge is becoming the ultimate advantage

21:00 — Building your own system vs. using the Blueprint

23:00 — The real risk of doing nothing

*

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 grief isn’t something you heal from…but something that teaches you how to love differently?

Marc sits down with medium and spiritual guide Michelle Murphy to explore grief not as a problem to solve, but as an experience that reshapes identity, presence, and love itself.

Michelle shares what she’s learned from over 20 years of guiding people through loss—why grief lives in the body, why time doesn’t “fix” it, and how moments of joy after loss often arrive wrapped in guilt. Together, they unpack the difference between missing someone and missing their presence, the danger of spiritual bypassing, and how love continues even when form disappears.

Show Partners:

• Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! 
• A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
• Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life

Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne

Timestamps:

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

02:00 — Being a medium: why it’s not something you can turn off

04:30 — Grief as an embodied experience (lungs, breath, nervous system)

07:15 — Why grief isn’t linear—and never really ends

10:30 — The isolation of grief and the healing power of being seen

13:45 — The four-year cycle: anniversaries, acceptance, and new reality

17:20 — “Grief is the price we pay for love”

20:10 — Why joy after loss often brings guilt

23:40 — Missing someone vs. missing their presence

27:00 — Spiritual bypassing and toxic positivity in grief

30:15 — What actually helps people who are grieving

34:50 — Love as continuity, not absence

38:30 — Final reflections on patience, presence, and living forward

*

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 the thing you spend your life trying to avoid (uncertainty) is actually the skill that determines whether you thrive or collapse?

Before the success, before the book, before the impact — there was a moment where certainty disappeared, and Scott Stirrett had to decide whether to retreat… or step forward anyway.

Scott shares his journey from leaving a high-certainty career at Goldman Sachs to founding Venture for Canada, raising over $80M, and supporting nearly 15,000 young people across the country. The conversation goes deeper into Scott’s lived experience with uncertainty during his OCD diagnosis, the 4:00am walk that marked his lowest point, and how learning to stop seeking certainty transformed his relationship with fear, ambition, and identity.

Show Partners:

• Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here!
• 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?”

02:45 — Leaving certainty behind at Goldman Sachs

06:30 — The emotional paradox of excitement and anxiety

09:50 — Why uncertainty holds so many people back

13:20 — OCD, anxiety, and fear of the unknown

17:40 — The 4:00am walk and hitting rock bottom

21:30 — Exposure therapy and learning to stop certainty-seeking

26:10 — “The only way out is through”

30:45 — Relationships as a resilience system

35:20 — Strong ties vs. weak ties in an uncertain world

38:50 — Designing recovery after intense life sprints

42:10 — How Scott wants to feel in his next chapter

*

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 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.