As the creator of Nothing Much Happens and the author of the audio novel On the Street Where You Live, Kathryn Nicolai has built an interconnected world where listeners can feel safe, soften their guard and step away from the noise of modern life.

In this conversation, Kathryn explains how 20 years of teaching yoga prepared her to speak to millions of listeners, why she created a genre she calls “healing fiction,” and how storytelling can quietly bring people into a state of mindfulness without asking them to meditate.

She also shares the discipline behind her enormous creative output, the role safety plays in making art, the practices she uses to regulate her own mind and why our lives were never meant to be constantly optimized.

This is a conversation about sleep, creativity, community and creating softer places to land—in our minds, our neighbourhoods and our lives.

EXCITING STUFF!

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

Timestamps:

00:00 — Meeting the “Architect of Cozy”

00:39 — Why the Mind Needs to Feel Safe

02:14 — The Hidden Training Behind Kathryn’s Success

05:40 — Becoming a Writer by Creating a New Genre

07:11 — The Bedtime Story That Started Everything

08:41 — Discipline, Writing Sprints and Scheduled Goofing Around

11:37 — Where Kathryn’s Ideas Come From

13:32 — Creating Healing Fiction

18:19 — The Sneaky Power of Storytelling

20:18 — Why Creativity Requires Safety

21:46 — How Kathryn Regulates Her Mind

23:15 — Self-Care as the Bare Minimum

24:50 — Your Life Is Not an Optimization Project

25:44 — Why Audio Became the Perfect Medium

28:37 — Letting Collaborators Make the Work Better

31:20 — Goodness, Community and Belonging

33:38 — Ubuntu, a Smoking Houseplant and Helpful Neighbours

36:06 — Creating a Softer Corner of the Internet

37:53 — Neighbours of Nothing Much

40:14 — The Satisfaction of Useful Work

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Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

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Your operating pattern isn't a personality type — it's the dominant strategy your mind is leaning on right now. Marc walks through all six Blueprint patterns, how each one can distort under pressure, and what actually tends to restore it.

This is episode two of a 7-part series teaching you how to build your own 90-Day Mental Fitness Blueprint by hand. Start with episode one if you haven't yet — this one builds directly on your baseline scores.

Have your plan built for you in 15 minutes → blueprint.mchampagne.com

Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chef and Iron Chef America winner Mark Tarbell opens up about nearly drowning, spending the next three decades sleeping only two to four hours a night, and eventually learning to use breath, meditation, service, and the pause to make better decisions. He also reveals the obsessive preparation behind his Iron Chef victory, why he refuses to live in past glory, and how saying no can become a gift.

Show Partners:

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

Timestamps:

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

00:14 — Mark Tarbell on having the heart of a servant

00:45 — Where Mark’s generosity and humility began

01:33 — The grandmother whose home was always open

02:03 — Nearly drowning and realizing we are one breath away

02:46 — When a high achiever discovers he is not in control

04:30 — Sleeping two to four hours a night for 30 years

05:29 — Why the breath became deeply personal

06:45 — Using breathwork to regulate a driven mind

08:56 — Teaching restaurant teams the power of the pause

09:23 — The three-option method for making decisions under pressure

12:27 — The Jacques Pépin book that changed Mark’s life

14:16 — Fighting for an apprenticeship in Amsterdam

15:41 — Calling a Paris culinary school until they finally said yes

17:22 — Why chaos makes Mark feel calm

18:09 — The real role of a chef, server, or restaurateur

20:56 — How to stop other people’s emotions from sticking

22:59 — Cooking for the Dalai Lama and struggling with meditation

24:28 — Finding stillness inside chaotic environments

25:10 — How preparing food can become a meditation

27:22 — The unexpected call from Iron Chef America

28:48 — Preparing for a 97% chance of losing

30:51 — Recreating the competition before ever entering it

32:28 — Why Mark has never watched his Iron Chef victory

32:58 — Refusing to live in the glory days

34:23 — Creating filters for new opportunities

34:49 — Recovering from “yes-itis”

35:39 — What happens during Mark’s three-day decision pause

36:09 — Why no is the most underused word

36:29 — The gift of goodbye

37:11 — The advice Mark would give his 14-year-old self

37:30 — Living from the inside out

37:49 — Why love anchors everything

38:09 — Discernment versus judgment

39:40 — What Mark hopes his children see in him

41:18 — The ripple effect of following an authentic calling

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Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

Photo credit & feature by: @phensimms / TSG Phoenix & Scottsdale

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Marc breaks down why 90 days is the right container for real change, then walks you through the two-layer exercise that actually anchors a season: your one professional outcome, and how you want to show up while you work towards that outcome. That second layer is the one almost everyone skips, and it's exactly why hitting a goal doesn't always feel like winning.

This is episode two of a 7-part series teaching you how to build your own 90-Day Mental Fitness Blueprint by hand. Start with episode one if you haven't yet — this one builds directly on your baseline scores.

Have your plan built for you in 15 minutes → blueprint.mchampagne.com

Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We were promised that more data would give us more control. Somewhere between the sleep score and the blood panel, many of us stopped asking how we actually feel.

After stepping away from the demanding executive career that had shaped much of her identity, physician and healthcare leader Dr. Nasim Afsar was forced to confront a deeper question: Who are you when the role, schedule, and story that defined you are suddenly gone?

In this conversation, Nasim and Marc explore identity beyond achievement, the danger of trying to fix every uncomfortable emotion, and the growing anxiety surrounding wearables, supplements, testing, peptides, and longevity protocols. They also examine how unified health data and artificial intelligence could create a more personalized and human healthcare system—provided that people remain the owners of their information and the centre of every decision.

This is a conversation about becoming whole, trusting how you feel, and remembering that no technology can replace sleep, movement, purpose, community, and a life you genuinely want to live.

Show Partners:

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

Timestamps:

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

01:41 — Leaving the career that had become part of her identity

04:23 — What story are you telling yourself about who you are?

06:32 — Becoming a more whole human being

08:21 — What a Valentine’s Day disappointment taught Nasim about pain

11:14 — Why fixing the problem can prevent us from understanding it

13:16 — Letting discomfort teach you instead of managing it away

15:38 — How medical training conditioned doctors to disconnect emotionally

18:36 — Feeling difficult emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them

20:03 — Why high-stress professions must teach people how to process trauma

22:17 — The connection between human context and intelligent health

23:47 — The patient labelled “non-compliant” whose real story was being missed

26:06 — Why clinical care represents only part of what shapes our health

26:44 — The three pillars of intelligent health

28:53 — Why modern health optimization has become overwhelming

30:12 — When wearable data disconnects you from how you actually feel

31:58 — The psychological cost of forcing yourself through “healthy” routines

33:34 — The anxiety and stress hiding inside the longevity movement

35:33 — A healthier, seasonal approach to wearables and tracking

37:56 — The simple fundamentals shared by people who live well

39:12 — The dangerous side of rushing into unverified health treatments

40:32 — Returning to the fundamentals before chasing the latest protocol

42:01 — Why fragmented health data prevents personalized care

45:15 — Where to begin when health information feels overwhelming

46:06 — Baseline testing, trusted practitioners, AI, and health-data privacy

47:38 — Why no peptide can replace the foundations of health

48:18 — The personalized health future that may be closer than we think

49:55 — Reclaiming autonomy without chasing every health trend

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Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Most people are functioning but very few are thriving and we all deserve to thrive more days than not.

In ten minutes, Marc walks you through the 7 pillars of the Mental Fitness Assessment — Clarity, Adaptability, Emotional Agility, Focus, Sleep & Recovery, Rumination, and Stress Load — and shows you how to self-score honestly across all seven. More importantly: what the relationship between your highest and lowest pillar actually reveals. Not a weakness to fix but your single biggest opportunity for the season ahead.

This is episode one of a 7-part series teaching you how to build your own 90-Day Mental Fitness Blueprint by hand. Or — if you'd rather have yours built for you based on your actual answers — that option takes about 15 minutes.

Have your plan built for you in 15 minutes → blueprint.mchampagne.com

Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How would your life change if every setback wasn't blocking your path—but redirecting it?

A devastating warehouse fire. Years of uncertainty. A company that nearly didn't survive.

For Barrett Ersek, CEO & Founder of Holganix those moments became the foundation for a mission that's now transforming agriculture, helping farmers regenerate soil, improve profitability, and remove carbon from the atmosphere.

But this conversation goes far beyond business.

Barrett shares the deeply personal experiences that reshaped how he leads—from a life-changing lesson on gratitude to an extraordinary psychedelic journey where he believes his late mother revealed a completely different way to build companies, lead people, and live.

Whether you're building a company, raising a family, or simply navigating uncertainty, this episode offers a refreshing reminder that your greatest obstacles may be preparing you for your greatest contribution.

Show Partners:

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

Timestamps:

00:00 — "Who are you?" beyond the title

02:15 — Building culture instead of hierarchy

06:10 — The 80th wedding anniversary vision

07:00 — Annual entrepreneurial family retreats

08:45 — Family board meetings and raising entrepreneurial kids

11:30 — Why Barrett believes entrepreneurs can change the world

13:00 — Healthy soil creates healthy people

15:45 — The warehouse fire that changed everything

20:00 — Choosing gratitude in the middle of disaster

23:30 — How losing everything accelerated innovation

27:00 — Betting everything on a new idea

30:00 — Why overnight success actually took 17 years

32:30 — Staying mentally strong through years of uncertainty

34:30 — The psychedelic journey that changed his life

37:30 — Meeting his late mother

38:15 — The lesson of "Flow"

40:15 — Why leaders must focus on what they're FOR

42:00 — Becoming the dolphin

44:30 — Richard Branson unexpectedly enters the story

49:00 — The unforgettable Necker Island moment

51:30 — From pushing rocks uphill to effortless growth

54:00 — The dolphin appears at his son's wedding

56:00 — Gratitude, pilgrimage, and living in flow

59:00 — Why entrepreneurship is one of the world's noblest professions

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Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Leo Rossi spent decades behind the scenes with legendary artists including Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Brian Wilson, Prince, Chaka Khan, and many of the musicians who shaped modern music.

But this conversation isn't really about rock and roll.

It's about purpose.

Leo shares remarkable stories from inside music history, the lessons he learned from creative geniuses, how one decision at 15 years old altered the course of his life, and why losing his son ultimately led him toward a mission that's impacting children around the world.

This is a conversation about legacy, generosity, faith, and living the magic of every moment.

Show Partners:

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

Timestamps:

00:00 — "I'm the luckiest guy on Earth."

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Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For years, we've been told burnout is something individuals need to fix with better habits, stronger resilience, or another meditation app.

But what if we've been asking the wrong question?

In this episode, former Deloitte Chief Well-Being Officer and author of Hope is the Strategy, Jen Fisher shares why burnout is often the outcome of broken workplace systems—not broken people. Together, we explore hope as a practical leadership strategy, why organizations continue admiring the data instead of changing behavior, how AI is reshaping humanity at work, and why the next generation may be our greatest reason for optimism.

Show Partners:

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

Timestamps:

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

01:25 — Burnout forced Jen to redefine success

03:40 — Becoming one of the world's first Chief Well-Being Officers

08:00 — Why every large organization needs someone responsible for well-being

12:00 — We've collected enough data. Now we need strategy.

16:15 — Why AI can't replace hope

17:00 — Hope isn't wishful thinking

20:15 — The three components of Hope Theory

23:00 — Burnout is becoming a systems problem—not an individual problem

26:00 — What employees can actually control

31:00 — Building the business case for well-being at Deloitte

36:45 — Which industries are making progress

41:00 — Jen's non-negotiables for mental fitness

42:15 — AI, humanity and the future of work

45:00 — Why young people give Jen hope

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Special props 👇

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why is it that some ideas spread effortlessly while others disappear, even when they're objectively better?

Colin Hodge joins Marc Champagne to explore the psychology behind startup growth, customer behavior, identity transformation, and the lessons learned from building successful companies over the last decade.

They discuss why empathy is the foundation of sustainable growth, how entrepreneurs become trapped by their identities, the surprising role journaling and reflection have played in Colin's success, and what separates products people try from products they keep coming back to.

Whether you're building a business, launching a creative project, or simply trying to create meaningful change in your own life, this conversation offers a powerful framework for understanding how people think, decide, and grow.

Show Partners:

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

Timestamps:

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

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Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.