Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais

This week’s conversation is with Rebecca Rusch, a 7x-world champion in the ultra adventure/endurance realm and a member of the prestigious international Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.

Rebecca has been recognized by Outside Magazine among the Top 40 Women Who’ve Made the Biggest Impact and by Men’s Journal as one of the 25 Most Adventurous Women.

Known for seeking the toughest challenges imaginable and pushing herself into unknown territory has yielded Rebecca many firsts...

Notably, the first female ascent on Yosemite’s 3000-ft. El Capitan Bermuda Dunes route and a first descent river boarding 300 miles of the entire Grand Canyon in 18 winter days.

On two wheels, she is the only female competitor to win the iconic Leadville 100 four times and is a two time, first female finisher at the Iditarod Trail Invitational, pedaling 350 self-supported miles through the Alaskan wilderness.  

Most recently she completed a previously unattempted North to South route traversing Iceland in winter by fatback alongside Chris Burkard and Angus Morton.  

So I think it begs the question.. why?

Why go to these lengths? What is she searching for? What do these expeditions reveal?

That’s what this conversation is about.

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This week’s conversation is with Zak Williams, the son of the late Robin Williams and co-founder and CEO of PYM, a mental wellness company rooted in the belief that there is a world where someone can be the best version of themselves simply by establishing easy daily rituals that help support their mind and overall wellbeing. 

Zak is a US trustee of the international advocacy organization, United for Global Mental Health, a board member of mental health awareness non-profit Bring Change 2 Mind, an advisor to national policy organization Inseparable, and the mental health tech platform Project Healthy Minds. 

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, so it’s an important time to honor those who have been impacted and help others who might be struggling realize there’s alternative options.

I’ve personally been affected by suicide and Zak opens up about the impact it had on him in this conversation, too. 

We discuss his experience growing up with an incredibly successful parent – the conditions that led to Zak’s mental health challenges, and how the same practices he used to right the ship, can be just as applicable in your own life.

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This week’s conversation is with Dr. Philip Zimbardo, a professor emeritus in psychology at Stanford University, and creator of The Stanford Prison Experiment.

Philip has spent over 50 years teaching psychology - he’s an absolute legend in the field. 

He’s written more than 60 books and has over 600 publications (professional and popular articles, and chapters). 

Among his books are: Psychology and Life textbook, Shyness, The Lucifer Effect, The Time Paradox, The Time Cure, and most recently, Man Interrupted. 

His current research looks at the Psychology of Heroism, asking: “What forces push some people to become perpetrators of evil, while others act heroically on behalf of people in need.” 

As founder and president of the nonprofit foundation, Heroic Imagination Project (HIP), he does trainings globally in schools, institutions, and businesses. 

It would be impossible to cover all his work over the course of an hour conversation, but we discuss what gave him the idea to conduct The Stanford Prison Experiment and how that shaped some his future work which includes studying topics like: shyness, the conception of time, and heroism.

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This week’s conversation is with Katrina Adams, the first African American to lead the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the first two-term Chairman and President of said organization and the first former player to hold that honor. 

Under her guidance, the USTA achieved a number of major milestones, including the opening of the 100 court USTA National Campus in Orlando, the strategic transformation of the $600 million USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. and an unprecedented outreach effort into underserved communities in an effort to share the sport of tennis with more people. 

Prior to this role, Katrina competed for 12 years on the WTA Tour, winning 20 career doubles titles and reaching the quarterfinals or better in doubles at all four Grand Slam events. 

Katrina’s hard work in tennis, leadership and philanthropy has earned her many accolades including: being named on Adweek magazine’s “Most Powerful Women in Sports” list twice (2016 and 2017), Forbes magazine’s “Most Powerful Women in Sports” list in 2017 and Ebony magazine’s “Power 100” list. 

So, in short, Katrina is a flat-out trailblazer, and it’s why I was so excited to have this conversation.

We discuss her journey - the sacrifices she made to become head of the USTA, the obstacles she overcame while successfully leading an organization with 700,000+ members, and why athletes like Naomi Osaka are helping to evolve the narrative around mental wellbeing.

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This week’s conversation is with Aaron Kirman, a prominent figure in the luxury real estate market for the past 20 years.

Aaron is the President of the International Estates Division at Compass and founder, CEO and techpreneur of the eponymously named Aaron Kirman Group, which includes a team of nearly 100. 

With over $7 billion in luxury home sales, Aaron represents the finest estates across the globe and is sought after by the most discerning clients, including titans of industry, celebrities, royal families, major lending institutions and foreign investors.

Aaron was ranked among the top five luxury real estate agents in the U.S. by the Wall Street Journal and is the star of TV's newest hit real estate show, Listing Impossible on CNBC.

What makes this conversation so compelling isn’t necessarily Aaron’s status today, but the challenges he faced from day one - this conversation is about what it feels like to not fit in.

Aaron discusses everything from overcoming dyslexia to hiding he was gay - and - the changes he needed to make to start living more authentically.

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This week’s conversation is with Dr. Stephen Porges, a distinguished university scientist at Indiana University, where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. 

He is also a professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina and professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland. 

Stephen more than 350 peer‐reviewed scientific papers, published across several disciplines, have been cited in approximately 40,000 peer-reviewed papers. 

He holds several patents involved in monitoring and regulating autonomic state and originated the polyvagal theory, which emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral, mental, and health problems related to traumatic experiences. 

So at its core, this conversation is about the triggers that either prompt us to feel threatened or safe… and why social connection or lack thereof plays such an integral role in which state we gravitate towards.

Stephen is a legend in the field so I can’t wait for you to learn from him.

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This week’s conversation is with Anne Morriss and Frances Frei.

Anne has spent the last twenty years building and leading mission-driven enterprises, serving most recently as CEO and Co-Founder of GenePeeks, a computational genomics company developing breakthrough ways to identify genetic risk. 

She has worked with entrepreneurs, companies and governments throughout the United States and Latin America on strategy, leadership and organizational change. 

Frances is a Professor of Technology and Operations Management at Harvard Business School. 

Her research investigates how leaders create the conditions for organizations and individuals to thrive by designing for excellence in strategy, operations, and culture.

Frances regularly advises senior executives embarking on large-scale change initiatives and organizational transformation, including embracing diversity and inclusion as a lever for improved performance.   

She is considered a culture consultant - helped makeover Riot Games, Uber and WeWork when trust within those companies at a low.

So Anne and Frances both have unique perspectives and insight - that’s why I wanted to have them on together.

They share how to get the most out of individuals within an organization… to maximize potential and help each person flourish.

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This week’s conversation is with Chris Bosh, an 11-time NBA All-Star, 2-time Champion and the NBA’s first Global Ambassador of Basketball.

Chris fell in love with basketball at an early age and earned the prestigious “Mr. Basketball” title while still at Lincoln High School in Dallas, Texas. 

A McDonald’s All-American, Chris was selected fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors after one year attending Georgia Tech. 

Chris would eventually leave the Raptors to team up Lebron James and Dwyane Wade with the Miami Heat, where he would win two NBA championships, yet had his playing days cut short during his prime by a freak medical condition. 

His extraordinary career ended not at a time of his choosing but “in a doctor’s office in the middle of the afternoon.” 

Chris was forced to reckon with how to find meaning to carry forward, and that really sets the tone for this conversation.

We discuss what led to his success during his time in the league and how he found meaning in his life post-basketball - something I know many other athletes can relate to.

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This week’s conversation is with Steve Smith, one of America’s most experienced astronauts and spacewalkers, with 4 spaceflights and 7 spacewalks to repair the Hubble Space Telescope and build the Space Station.

Steve dreamed of being an astronaut at age 7. Then he made his dream come true through sheer determination and intelligent risk taking. 

During the 3-decade pursuit of his dream he became a Stanford electrical engineer and MBA, General Motors Fellow, pilot, elite collegiate athlete, and IBM Product Manager.  

At NASA, Steve held multiple senior leadership positions and served as a Diplomat.   

He now uses this one-of-a-kind experience base as a board director, venture capital advisor, and keynote speaker.   

I was so excited to have this conversation - for all the years we’ve been at it with Finding Mastery, we’ve never had an astronaut as a guest so this was such a treat.

We discuss his experience going to space, how it changed his perspective of life on earth, the risks associated with his job, and strategies for living and working in isolation -- something that we all can relate to over these past 18 months.

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This week’s conversation is with Dawn Staley, the University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball Head Coach and Team USA Olympic Head Basketball coach for the Tokyo Olympics.

Catapulting South Carolina into the national spotlight, Dawn has made the Gamecocks a mainstay in the battle for SEC and national championships. 

Under her leadership, the Gamecocks have reached many firsts – National Championship, NCAA Final Fours, No. 1 rankings, SEC regular-season and tournament titles, SEC Player of the Year, National Player of the Year, WNBA No. 1 Draft pick and No. 1 recruiting classes – to name the most notable.

While her coaching career is in full bloom, Dawn is still recognized for her body of work as a one of the most decorated participants in United States women’s basketball history. 

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame solidified that legacy with her enshrinement as part of the Class of 2013.

I wanted to speak with Dawn to understand her leadership style and learn how we can all apply those same insights – inside and outside the world of sport. We discuss the qualities required to become resilient and agile when adversity strikes — and — why relationships are at the center of her coaching philosophy.

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