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I make it a habit to read and listen to everything published by entrepreneur and serial acquiror Brad Jacobs. He is the author of two best selling books, and has appeared on several of my own favorite podcasts, including Invest Like The Best hosted by Patrick O'Shaugnessy, and Founders hosted by David Senra.

Brad has talked extensively about the personal and commercial importance of entrepreneurs keeping their minds healthy and clear. In his most recent book, he outlined a “toolkit” of sorts that he has leaned on for decades to help him do just this. The 5 tools in his toolkit included meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, positive psychology, and rational emotive behavior therapy ("REBT").

It was this last tool, REBT, that was largely unfamiliar to me, so naturally I bought a few books to learn more about it. Those books introduced me to a structured, highly logical, but ultimately very simple way to identify and challenge the hundreds of irrational beliefs and thoughts that present themselves to each of every day. I found the tool to be so compelling that I went searching for some of the world’s leading REBT experts.

That search led me to Dr. Michael Bernard, a leading REBT practitioner, and entrepreneur and CEO himself. In our discussion today, we cover the basics of REBT, how to identify our own irrational beliefs, how to apply the tools of REBT to our daily lives, and the practical impacts of distorted thinking on our decision making at work.