Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and tenured Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

He has made numerous important contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills and cognitive functioning.

He is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award in 2017, which is given to the scientist making the largest discoveries in the study of vision.

Andrew is also actively involved in developing tools now in use by elite military in the US and Canada, athletes, and technology industries for optimizing performance in high stress environments, enhancing neural plasticity, mitigating stress, and optimizing sleep.

In this conversation we discuss the influence of vision and respiration on human performance and brain states such as fear and courage.

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter 

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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

This week’s conversation is with Cal Ripken Jr., baseball’s all-time Iron Man.

Cal retired from baseball in October, 2001 after 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles.

Although he began and finished his career at third base, Cal is still best known for redefining the position of shortstop.

On July 29, 2007 he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Cal received the 4th highest percentage of votes in history, collecting the second highest vote total ever by the BBWAA.

His name appears in the record books repeatedly – he’s one of only eight players in history to achieve 400 home runs and 3,000 hits.

But most notably Cal broke Lou Gehrig’s Major League record for consecutive games played (2,130) playing 2,632 consecutive games before he voluntarily ended the streak.

Think about that for a second – that’s 16 years straight without missing a game.

Imagine not missing a day of work for 16 years… imagine the willpower, the mental fortitude required to keep at it.

We get into that in this conversation.

Cal shares some amazing stories from his career to help illustrate what was really going through his mind during “The Streak,” why he had such a high standard of excellence and cared so deeply about playing the game the right way.

We touch on focus, resiliency, motivation, pressure and more…

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter 

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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

This week's conversation is with Blake Mycoskie, a social entrepreneur and the founder of TOMS.

Blake started TOMS in 2006 and revolutionized the way companies give back by giving shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased.

With all his focus going to TOMS, Blake realized he stopped taking care of himself and was diagnosed with mild depression.

With this diagnoses, he began exploring how he could better show up for himself and others and that ultimately led to his newest venture, Madefor, where he’s helping people gain control of their lives.

We cover so much in this conversation.

Blake shares how he got started in entrepreneurship, what’s been key to his success, and why his initial concept of success proved to be offbase.

The external factors, the money, the fame, the status all came with Blake’s business accomplishments but when he got everything he was chasing, he realized it wasn’t what he was actually interested in.

My hope is that if you only take one thing from this conversation, it’s that none of us have it all figured out, no matter how successful we may appear on the outside.

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter 

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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

This week’s conversation is with Julie Rice, an entrepreneur best known for co-founding the fitness phenomenon, SoulCycle.

She served as Co-CEO at SoulCycle from 2006 to 2015 before serving as a Partner at WeWork from 2017 to 2019.

Julie is currently the Co-Founder of LifeShop, a company developing original concepts in the health and happiness space.

In this conversation, we discuss what inspired Julie to create SoulCyle.

We touch on the key to being a great leader and the right questions to ask if you want to be successful in business.

For Julie, building community is the center of everything she does.

Her thoughts, words, and actions are all focused on helping people creating meaningful relationships… because ultimately we’re all a product of the people that we surround ourselves with.

Julie shares how her approach to creating meaningful relationships has evolved and how you can apply those same lessons to your own life.

We also discuss what the next two to three years will look like for physical, brick and mortar experiences vs. digital and how Julie is adjusting to the pandemic.

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter 

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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

This week’s conversation is with Duane Brown, the starting left tackle for the Seattle Seahawks.

He played college football at Virginia Tech, and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

If you’re not familiar with the role of the left tackle, it’s one of the most important positions on the field, responsible for protecting the “blind side” of the quarterback.

These are big men.

Duane is about 6’3”, 315 lbs.

This conversation is about what life is like for Duane when he’s not on the field.

It’s easy to judge a book by its cover and in Duane’s case, he’s gone through life being judged by both his size and his skin color.

The conversations I enjoy most on this podcast are when the guest is willing to turn off their “marketing mind” and let us in… to really understand what’s at the center of their world.

Duane does just that… he opens up about his experiences as a child and why there were times when he felt his “light was dimmed” because it was easier to be accepted that way.

This is a powerful conversation.

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter 

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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

This week’s conversation is with Shea Serrano, an author and journalist.

His books include The Rap Year Book, Basketball (and Other Things), and Movies (and Other Things), all three of which were New York Times best-sellers

Two of them were number one on the list and one was picked by Barack Obama as one of his favorite books of the year.

Shea is also known for his work with the sports and pop culture websites, The Ringer and Grantland.

This conversation is as real as it gets.

Shea used to be a teacher and he loved it -- but he couldn’t afford to take care of his family.

He had to figure out what else he could do and that led him to writing.

Shea’s story is about perseverance.

It’s about outworking the competition so he could provide for those closest to him.

It’s about pushing fear aside and going for it.

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter 

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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

This week’s conversation is with Kelley O’Hara, who plays soccer for both the US women’s national team and Utah Royals FC.

As a member of the USWNT, she has won two World Cups and an Olympic Gold Medal.

Prior to her professional career, she attended Stanford University, where she won the Hermann Trophy in 2009, awarded annually to the United States' top male and female college soccer players.

We cover so much in this conversation.

Inner Drive. Resiliency. Equality. Authenticity. Impact.

When I think about the challenging times we’re currently facing, those 5 words are just about the most significant words I can think of right now.

Kelley is a tremendous role model for the next generation and I can’t wait for you to learn from her.

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter 

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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

This week’s conversation is with Pete Carroll, the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks and my business partner at Compete to Create.

In this conversation, we decided to do something different -- we flipped the model a bit and for good reason.

I'm incredibly excited to share that my first book, an Audible Original, is coming out on July 9th, titled: Compete to Create: An Approach to Living and Leading Authentically.

I couldn’t be more honored to co-write it with Pete Carroll.

So what’s different about this conversation?

Beyond being overwhelmingly excited to announce our Audible Original release, we invited Sage Steele, ESPN SportsCenter host and recent Finding Mastery guest, to interview both Pete and myself.

We discuss how we first got started working together, what we’ve come to learn about helping others explore their potential, and why we wanted to write a book together.

Our new Audible Original offers an in-depth look at how world-class athletes, artists, entrepreneurs and top business leaders organize their inner lives to explore the edges of their potential – and at the same time live life with purpose and meaning.

This book is about celebrating the insights and practices that are at the center of human flourishing.

We pull back the curtain and reveal the psychological framework and mental skills that are common to great performers and leaders and show you how you can apply those same principles and practices to all areas of your life.

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter 

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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

This week’s conversation is with Travis Pastrana.

If you're a fan of action sports, you know the name.

By four years old, Travis was already riding a one-speed motorcycle.

At the age of 14, he won the world freestyle championship.

Travis continued to display his versatility into the early 2000's racking up numerous Supercross and Motocross podiums as well a Motocross of Nations Championship title.

In 2001, Travis was awarded Motocross Rider of the Year at the ESPN Action Sports & Music Awards.

He has since accumulated 17 X-Games medals, including 11 gold medals, plus five golds from the Gravity Games, as well more wins at other events including Dew Tour and Red Bull X-Fighters.

At the 2006 X Games, Travis redefined what was possible in Freestyle Motocross with his groundbreaking double backflip on a motorbike.

As one of the founders and ringleader of Nitro Circus, Travis is committed to the progression of action sports as a whole and has set his sights on redefining the sport of rallycross with the evolution of Nitro Rallycross.

Travis is highly skilled at risk – and I think you’ll be fascinated to learn why he’s comfortable in high consequence environments.

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter 

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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

This week’s conversation is with Soledad O’Brien, an award-winning documentarian, journalist, speaker, author and philanthropist.

She is dedicated to telling empowering and authentic stories on a range of social issues.

Soledad currently anchors and produces the Hearst Television political magazine program “Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien” and she also reports regularly for HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”

She has anchored shows on CNN, MSNBC and NBC, and hosted projects for Fox and A&E.

At CNN, she was the face of CNN’s morning news shows for many years and a frequent reporter and analyst for breaking news stories and election coverage.

She also anchored the CNN documentary unit, where she created the “In America” documentary series, which includes “Black in America” and “Latino in America.”

Soledad was recognized with three Emmy awards -- for her coverage of the Haiti earthquake, the 2012 election and a series called “Kids and Race.”

So Soledad’s resume speaks for itself-- she has a deep regard for her craft and more importantly: separating right from wrong.

On the surface, this movement, these protests, they’re about highlighting the injustices, the police brutality that many African-Americans have been prone to for far too long.

But it extends further than that.

This conversation is about accountability... we all play a role.

It’s up to us whether we’re the person who chooses to actively make a difference or turn a blind eye.

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter 

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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