Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais

This week’s conversation is with Bethany Hamilton, a professional surfer and shark attack survivor.

Bethany has become a source of inspiration to millions through her story of determination, faith, and hope.

At the age of 13, Bethany lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark, which seemed to end her career as a rising surf star.

One month after the attack, Bethany returned to the water and within two years had won her first national title.

Think about that for a second. She was back in the water within a month!

We all experience trauma -- some on a greater scale than others, but what's special about Bethany is her response to that trauma -- and that's why I wanted to talk to her.

In 2007, Bethany realized her dream of surfing professionally and since then, her story has been told in a New York Times best selling autobiography and in the 2011 film, Soul Surfer.

Bethany’s latest project, Unstoppable, a surf documentary showcasing her career is in theatres now and I highly recommend checking it out!

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This week’s conversation is with Matthew Walker, a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science.

He is also the lead sleep scientist at Google.

Matthew has received numerous funding awards from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, and is a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences.

His research examines the impact of sleep on human health and disease.

Matthew is also the author of the International Bestseller, Why We Sleep, which has sold over 1½ million copies worldwide, having been translated into 34 different languages.

In this conversation, we focus specifically on Matthew’s deep body of knowledge when it comes to sleep.

I wanted to dig deep and better understand the nuances of sleep… how does it impact our overall health, how can we sleep better, and what can you do if you feel like your suffering from a sleep related disease.

As I’ve mentioned previously, gone are the days in professional sport and business where it’s cool to brag about how little sleep you’re functioning off of and I hope this further brings to light how critical sleep is for just about every facet of life.

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This week’s conversation is with Georges "Rush" St-Pierre, also known as “GSP,” a Canadian professional mixed martial artist and UFC world champion who holds black belts in both Kyokushin karate and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Georges is recognized as one of the planet's best pound-for-pound MMA fighters and all around athlete.

He retired from the sport on December 13, 2013, holding the UFC record for most wins in title bouts.

Georges then returned to the octagon after a four-year layoff, on November 4, 2017 at UFC 217 in New York City, where he defeated Michael Bisping by submission in the third round to win the UFC Middleweight Championship title, becoming the fourth fighter in the history of the organization to be a multi-division champion.

On December 7, 2017, after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, Georges vacated his UFC middleweight title and officially announced his retirement from professional MMA competition on February 21, 2019.

I found this conversation fascinating and I think you’ll be surprised to learn that while Georges may arguably be the greatest MMA fighter of all time, he actually doesn’t really like to fight.

Wild.

Georges also shares why the key to his sustained success is also the same thing that drove him into retirement.

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This week’s conversation is with Dierdre Wolownick, the mother of legendary adventure rock climber Alex Honnold.

You may recognize him from this year’s Academy Award Winning film, Free Solo, where he became the first person to ever free-solo El Capitan in Yosemite.

Alex was a previous guest on this podcast, episode 108.

I wanted to speak with his mother Dierdre for a couple of reasons.

First, Alex was one of the more challenging interviews I’ve ever had on this podcast.

Everything just seemed so matter of fact to him.

One thing I hope you’re noticing from listening to these conversations is how much one’s upbringing (their parenting structure and environment) dictate who they become and why they do what they do so I thought who better to have a follow up conversation with then Alex’s mother.

Second of all, Dierdre’s own story is quite incredible.

Inspired by her daughter, Stasia, Dierdre began long-distance running at the age of fifty-five, and she has since completed several marathons, as well as numerous half-marathons and other races.

At fifty-eight, she took up rock climbing with her son, Alex, and at the age of sixty-six, she became the oldest woman to climb El Capitan, the iconic 3,200-foot granite wall in Yosemite National Park.

Dierdre’s award-winning writing has appeared in magazines, newspapers, and books worldwide, and she created a publishing company that sells internationally.a

She just published her first book, The Sharp End of Life: A Mother's Story, where she shares her intimate journey, revealing how her climbing achievement reflects a broader story of courage and persistence.

I think you’ll be fascinated by this conversation.

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This week’s conversation is with Matthew Futterman, the deputy sports editor of The New York Times.

He has previously worked for The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Star-Ledger of New Jersey, where he was a part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News in 2005.

Matthew grew up in Larchmont, New York, and eventually found his way to Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

One of his deep passions in life is running for long distances.

While we do discuss running, this conversation is more about how he uses his inner life to help others do the same, whether that's through his journalism at the New York Times or through his new book, Running to the Edge.

At its core, the book is more about insights and strategies toward improvement as a human, than it is about running tactics.

I've had the privilege of being interviewed by Matt, when he was at the Wall Street Journal and since then, I've followed his work.

He was one of the rare folks who've been able to capture the spirit of what I want to communicate about how people can flourish in life.

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This week’s conversation is with Jonathan Neman, Co-Founder & CEO of sweetgreen, the destination for simple, seasonal, healthy real food.

Jonathan and his co-founders Nathaniel Ru and Nicolas Jammet started sweetgreen in 2007, opening their first location in Georgetown, DC, just three months out of college.

The mission driven brand's strong food ethos, embodiment of passion and purpose, tech-forward thinking and investment in local communities has enabled sweetgreen to disrupt the fast casual space and grow into a national brand with over 90 locations.

Jonathan passionately believes in the democratization of real food - it should be convenient and accessible to everyone, which is why sweetgreen is on a mission to build healthier communities by connecting people to real food.

He has been recognized as a key innovator in food and business, named to Fast Company's "50 Most Innovative Companies", Inc’s “30 Under 30”, Forbes’ “30 Under 30” and Food & Wine’s “40 Big Food Thinkers 40 and Under,” among other accolades.

I wanted to speak with Jonathan because I went to his restaurant in New York City, loved the vibe.

I wanted to understand how it was built and sure enough, you'll get a feel for just how thoughtfully they've curated their business.

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This week’s conversation is Akshay Nanavati, a Marine Corps Veteran, endurance athlete, philanthropist and creator of Fearvana.

After overcoming drug addiction, PTSD and depression from fighting the war in Iraq with the US Marines, and alcoholism that pushed him to the brink of suicide, Akshay has since built a global business, run ultramarathons, and explored the most hostile environments on the planet, from mountains to caves to polar icecaps.

Combining his life experience with years of research in neuroscience, psychology and spirituality, he wrote a book called “Fearvana: The Revolutionary Science of How to Turn Fear Into Health, Wealth and Happiness.”

About the book, the Dalai Lama said “Fearvana inspires us to look beyond our own agonizing experiences and find the positive side of our lives.”

He is now on a mission to turn Fearvana into a global movement to help others build a positive relationship with suffering.

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This week’s conversation is with Abby Wambach, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA World Cup Champion, and the highest all-time international goal scorer for male and female soccer players.

She is an activist for equality and inclusion, and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller WOLFPACK as well as the New York Times bestseller Forward: A Memoir.

Abby is co-founder of Wolfpack Endeavor, a training program that is revolutionizing leadership development for women in the workplace and beyond.

She also sits on the board of Together Rising, an all-women led nonprofit organization that has revolutionized grassroots philanthropy by raising over $16 million for women, families, and children in crisis.

In this conversation we discussion everything from what drove Abby to be great, how she’s adjusted to life after soccer, and why she cares so deeply about creating a equal playing field for everyone.

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This week’s conversation is with Steven Kotler.

The name may ring a bell because he’s been on the podcast twice before and it’s a joy every time we have a chance to connect.

As a refresher, Steven is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective.

His books include The Rise of Superman, Stealing Fire, Abundance, BOLD, A Small Furry Prayer, and West of Jesus.

He is also the cofounder of the Rancho de Chihuahua dog sanctuary.

If you'd like to learn more about Steven’s journey and framework for how he’s become, check out the first podcast we did – Finding Mastery #017.

The nature of today’s conversation focuses on his new book, The Last Tango in Cyberspace.

It’s a novel about future technology, counter-cultural evolution and the rise of empathy — all wrapped up in a thriller.

While the book is fiction, many of Steven’s ideas for it come from real-world experiences and his outlook on the future of humanity.

We discuss his writing process, which skills are necessary for mastering his craft vs. mastering his own life, and the psychology of how we relate to our environment through plants and animals.

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This week’s conversation is with Jake Olson, an entrepreneur, athlete, speaker and most recently a graduate at the University of Southern California.

When Jake was 8 months old, he was diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer, retinoblastoma. The disease claimed his left eye at 10 months old and in November 2009, Jake lost his right eye after battling the cancer for 12 years.

He has used his experience to inspire and motivate others by authoring two books, creating a non-profit foundation to help visually impaired children and support cancer research and by sharing his story openly as a motivational speaker.

Jake is also a life-long USC football fan.

While in high school he learned to long snap and was the starting long snapper for his team his junior and senior year.

After being accepted to USC, he was offered a walk on spot with the USC football team and had his first opportunity to snap in a live collegiate game on September 2, 2017 and was named the Pac-12 special teams player of the week.

On May 19, he’ll be participating in the 7th Annual Tour de Pier in Manhattan Beach, raising money for cancer research around the globe and psycho-social support for families battling the disease in the South Bay.

You can learn more at TourdePier.com.

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