Max Out

Tony Blauer is a pioneer of self-defense and combat systems around the world. As the founder and CEO of Blauer Tactical Systems, Tony has taught performance enhancement and fear management to the US Special Forces, Navy Seals, Secret Service and many others. The ability to know and manage fear is not just critical for professional fighters, but anytime that your dream or maybe even your life is on the line.

Tony is full of wisdom and practical insights on protecting your dreams, life, and loved ones, so this is an episode you don`t want to miss!

Max Out Insights:

If your life or your dream is on the line, you MUST know how to deal with fear

Practicing something over and over again thickens the myelin sheaths of the neurotransmitters, which predisposes you to move or act a certain way

In a high-stress situation, your executive functioning can be hijacked by your emotional system

The closer you can practice to reality, the more it will help you when it matters

Max Out Quotes:

“The buffer of making the right decision is your ability to manage fear between stimulus and response.”

“Any obstacle and any moment of hesitation in life can be tracked back to a fear spike that made you stop and not think or stop and overthink what`s going on.”

“The biggest fight you will ever have is the fight in your head.”

“You can`t be brave if you`re not afraid.”

“If we change our relationship with fear, we change our life.”

“There`s no downside to choosing safety. But there`s a severe downside to ignoring it and finding out your intuition was right.”

Nicholas Janni is a world-renowned transformational coach and leadership expert. For the last 50 years, Nicholas has explored personal development through many lenses, whether at Buddhist Monasteries, the wildernis in Poland, or making music in the Ivory Coast. We had a great time diving deep into peak performance presence and what it takes to level up your game as a leader and human being!

Max Out Insights:

We live in a culture of absence, where it`s normal not to be present and available to life around us

Oftentimes, the reason we stay checked out is because we aren`t able to live with our emotional experience yet

As Einstein said, we need to know whether our mind is our master or our servant

Max Out Quotes:

“Presence is multi-level connectedness. Connectedness to my body. Connectedness to my emotions. Connectedness to all parts of my mental capacity. Connectedness to my passion and purpose. And all of that held in a connection to a more deeper and transcendent space.”

“True presence means I am here and I am available.”

“We live in a myth of connectivity that covers the fact that there is actually very little connection.”

Jeremy Ryan Slate is founder of the Create Your Own Life Podcast, which is one of the most popular shows in the world. Jeremy was named a Top Influencer by Forbes, and has interviewed over 600 of the world`s most inspiring people, including Super Bowl Winners and billionaires, which makes him a role model to me and a source of wisdom to everyone listening to this.

Max Out Insights:

Not all near-death experiences are the same - some of them change us, while others don`t

Relationships are everything - make sure to surround yourself with people that want the best for you

Athletics teaches us the competitive spirit, which can be powerful for business as well

Max Out Quote:

“If I don`t change where I`m going, I might actually end up there.”

“You can put lipstick on a pig, but it`s still a pig.”

“If you`re not serving the people listening to you, then you won`t be in it for very long.”

Welcome back to another episode of Mental Mastery, where today I am joined by one of the world`s leading authorities on brain fitness and neuroplasticity, Dr. Michael Merzenich. He is not only the brain behind Brain HQ, a leading brain fitness program, but also the author of Softwired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life. In nearly 50 years of world-leading research on how our brains can change, Dr. Merzenich has helped invent the cochlear implant, published over 150 scientific papers on brain plasticity, and helped people all over the world to build better brains.

Max Out Insights:

Out brain`s adaptability//plasticity is our greatest gift that allows us to thrive in virtually any environment

There is usually no management of brain health, people simply wait for disaster and then try to heal it

The more demands you place upon your brain, the stronger and more effective it will become

Max Out Quotes:

“The brain changes physically and functionally as a result of how you use it. It`s a very modestly formed machine when you`re born, and then improves its processing capacity.”

“One of the ways in which brain differences are expressed is in the very elemental processing ability that the brain is capable of achieving. How reliable is it? How fast is it? How accurate is it? Reliability, accuracy, and speed are an indication of how healthy your brain is physically.”

“If your brain is healthy and active, one of the first things it does is upregulate the brightness and aliveness that commands your day. You wake up in the morning, you`re eager for life, and you live life with the lights on. You control the dimmer switch.”

“Everything positive and negative in life shouldn`t be limited to what we see on a screen.”

Kenny Weiss is the Founder of the Greatness Movement and author of the highly reviewed book Your Journey to Success. After suffering from trauma early in his life, Kenny struggled for years with divorces, addictions, bankruptcy and suicidal thoughts. While writing a suicide note to his children, he realized that he couldn`t justify his choice because he had learned too much about psychology, and instead decided to create a process that would help him and later thousands of others to heal from their pain and move towards greatness.

I was blown away by Kenny`s insights on dealing with trauma, overcoming fears, and chasing greatness, so I`m excited to share this episode with you!

Greatness Insights

We`ve been taught to pursue external success, which we use to validate ourselves and medicate intolerable pain. Instead of success, pursue greatness by becoming an expert at something and taking your pain, trauma, and struggles head on rather than hiding from it.

Finding your greatness is a lifelong pursuit

The Worst Day Cycle: Trauma, Fear, Shame, Denial

2 basic human needs: Attachment and authenticity

Trauma happens when we deny our authenticity because we are afraid of losing attachment. This denial leads to low self-esteem because we aren`t willing to show our true nature

When we experience fear, we create an emotional and chemical reaction in our brain, which our brain seeks to repeat because it does not know right from wrong, only known from unknown. Because it`s comfortable to stay in the known, we tend to repeat behaviors that don`t actually serve us simply because we`ve become used to them

When we deny our authenticity, we tend to create false personas to get our need for attachment met (Kenny played two pro sports he never wanted to play). In addition, we victimize ourselves and seek out situations that hurt us to attract attention from others. This and the fact that we now choose to victimize ourselves instead of having others victimize us gives us power because we are now in charge. This process leads to self-denial though because we don`t want to face that we`re living as a false persona and are responsible for our own misery.

The moment you accept total responsibility for your situation is the moment you regain your power because now you can fix it

When we criticize and blame others, all we`re doing is face our own Worst Day Cycle and our own inadequacies and projecting them on others

Change starts with massive awareness: How do you ACTUALLY feel? “Good”, “bad”, or “okay” don`t count. Time to go deeper.

The fear of failure is a myth because all of us know what it takes to make our life better, we just choose not to do it because chasing our success would force us to be our authentic selves, which may cost us our attachment to the people we love

Dean Karnazes is an icon of the athletic world that has managed to push the human limit over and over again. On his 30th birthday, Dean decided to leave a job that made him rich but miserable to become a runner, and he hasn`t looked back since. Dean has won the Badwater Ultramarathon, considered the toughest race in the world, and set a world record for the longest distance ever run without stopping, 350 miles. Time Magazine named him one of the most influential people in the world and Men`s Fitness called him one of the fittest athletes on the planet, so we`ll take a deep dive into dealing with pain and what it takes to become the best version of yourself!

Max Out Insights:

You could listen to others talk about running all day, but you will never fully grasp it until you tie your laces and head out there

If your motivation lies in gaining something (dream body, fitness, etc), you will have a harder time doing it than if you just enjoy the experience itself

Just focus on being your best today

You can`t control circumstances or your competitors, but you can control yourself

Racing for times and places can take the fun out of running

Every morning, before you do anything else, do 10 burpees

Max Out Quotes:

“Running, and especially ultramarathoning, teaches you that you`re better than you think you are and that you can go further than you think you can.”

“Failure doesn`t stop people. It`s the fear of failure that stops people.”

“If you don`t make it, die trying. Leave it all on the track. Don`t quit until you`re in the hospital.”

“Suck it up, buttercup.”

“Find what you love and let it kill you.”

Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar is an absolute superstar in the fields of happiness, positive psychology, and peak performance. After graduating from Harvard with a PhD in Organizational Behavior, Tal went on to teach the most popular course in the history of Harvard University, write multiple groundbreaking books, and speak to 1000s of people around the world on what it takes to bring happiness to life. We took a deep dive into what happiness really is, the most effective ways to reach it, and why it`s a skill that takes work just like running a marathon.

Max Out Insights:

Hedonic adaptation: Success and things can`t lead to lasting happiness

Relationships are the #1 predictor of happiness

Embracing painful emotions is a key component of a happy life

Lifelines vs. deadlines: Goals are about lifelines because they provide us with meaning and enliven us in many ways, but only if they are self-concordant goals, meaning goals that are personally meaningful

Journaling through asking yourself deep questions is a powerful way to gain self-awareness and pursue the right goals

Max Out Quotes:

“There`s a reverse relationship between happiness and success. While success does not lead to lasting happiness, happiness does lead to more success.”

“What are the things that are really meaningful in my life?”

“Stopping and thinking, that is a key element of a happy life. And after stopping to think, then going into action.”

“Somehow people think that if they decide to be happy, they can just be happy like that without planning and working hard.”

“People say they want to live happily ever after, but that decision is not enough. You have to invest in your relationship just like you need to invest at work or playing music or running a marathon.”

“When it comes to psychological skills, people have a deep misunderstanding of what it takes to excel in these areas.”

“Learn to fail, or fail to learn.”

Chris Cook is a British Olympian and 2x Commonwealth Champion and Record holder who now teaches a new generation of kids to swim and live at their best. On this episode, we discuss how to perform at your best when it matters most, focusing on two laps at a time, and what it`s like to trip on stage in front of 2000 people.

Max Out Insights:

Share your mission to get support

Fear is a stepping stone to success

If you want to fly, learn to let go of your handbrake

Max Out Quotes:

“Follow the things that make you lose track of time.”

“Your vices are just a distraction, not a solution.”

“Is this gonna help me swim 2 lanes faster? If not, I`d get rid of it.”

“Mastery is boring. It requires monotony, and it requires you to constantly show up and do the basics better than anybody else.”

Marc Lesser is a Zen Priest, mindfulness teacher, and executive coach that helps people bring the Zen mindset to work and life. After 10 years of living in a monastery, Marc has gone on to lead world-renowned programs on mindfulness and emotional intelligence around the world, and now discusses finding joy and becoming mindful on this show.

Max Out Insights:

Life is not about finding the big treasure, but experiencing the joy along the journey

Accepting what is includes accepting the pain of what is

Relationships are key to team performance

If you don`t have 10 years to live in a monastery, make your home a monastery and take time each day to sit in stillness

The 7 Practices of the Mindful Leader

Love the work

Do the work

Don`t be an expert

Connect to your pain

Connect to the pain of others

Depend on others

Keep making it simpler

Max Out Quotes:

“Does it really matter if I win if I don`t let myself really give it my best?”

“In order to improve, you need to let go of the way you are doing it now.”

Matthew Dicks is an international best-selling author, expert storyteller, wedding DJ, minister, 6-time GrandSlam champion, and coolest of all, Lord of Sealand. Against unbelievable odds (such as being falsely accused of a crime he didn`t commit and almost dying twice), Matthew managed to overcome adversity over and over again and now lives his childhood dream of being a fantastic teacher and writer.

If you want to learn how to maximize your productivity, become a more interesting person, or be named Lord of Sealand, this show is for you!

Max Out Insights:

Just say YES! Often, the things we don`t think we`ll enjoy end up being our favorite things

A real story is not just a recollection of events from your life, but a moment of insight or transformation

Homework for life: At the end of every day, ask yourself: What is the most story-worthy thing that happened today?

Without journaling/a way to keep track of our lives, it`s easy to forget what we did last Tuesday, let alone months or years ago

Remembering the past to see how far you`ve come can make the weight of today much lighter – Reminds me of Dan Sullivan`s concept of Gap vs. Gain: By always focusing on what`s missing (the gap), we often make ourselves miserable. But focusing on how far we`ve already come (gain), we get to appreciate how much better things are now or how we might have grown until now

Instead of juggling several balls at once, place them on the ground while focusing on one. Once you`re done with it, take the next one

What would the 100 year old version of me want me to do?

Training yourself to avoid instant gratification goes a long way in living a truly fulfilled and productive life

Celebrating and honoring the little steps along the way makes the whole journey more enjoyable

Max Out Quotes:

„If someone forced me to go on stage right now and tell a story about something that happened today, even if the whole day was boring, what is the item I would pick?“