Dr. Tony Nader (MIT PhD, Harvard-trained physician, NYT bestselling author) brings a framework for human performance that most coaches and leaders have never encountered — and it may be the missing piece in your pursuit of sustained excellence.

In this episode, Ryan sits down with the world's foremost expert on consciousness to unpack why the nervous system is your primary performance hardware, what it actually means to be "in the zone" and how to access it more reliably, the critical difference between caring (which sustains performance) and carrying (which destroys the performer), how stress literally narrows what you can perceive and decide — and what to do about it, why Transcendental Meditation is neurologically different from other meditation forms, and why toughness built from suppression breaks under pressure while toughness built from a rested nervous system lasts decades.

This isn't philosophy for philosophy's sake. Every concept in this conversation has a direct application for how you show up as an athlete, leader, or performer — and for how long you can sustain it.

Chapters / Show Notes:

• 00:00 — Intro & Dr. Nader's background
• 02:13 — From medical doctor to consciousness researcher: the unexpected journey
• 03:46 — Civil war, burnout, and the discovery of Transcendental Meditation
• 06:07 — Psychiatry, MIT, Harvard, and the chain from mind to body
• 08:28 — How Dr. Nader became Maharishi's successor
• 10:11 — The nervous system as a radio: why stress creates perceptual filters
• 13:45 — What "being in the zone" actually is neurologically
• 17:20 — Consciousness as a field: what happens when the physical body ends?
• 22:48 — How TM differs from mindfulness and other meditation forms
• 27:47 — How to learn TM and where to start
• 29:39 — Why Dr. Nader wrote The Power of Caring
• 33:31 — The biology of caring: oxytocin, dopamine, mirror neurons, and vagal tone
• 41:30 — What is mine to do? What is mine to carry?
• 43:19 — A settled nervous system is not soft — it's your highest-performance hardware
• 44:43 — Caring vs. carrying: one ends careers, one sustains them
• 52:33 — The crying person example: why empathy without inner ground doubles the problem
• 57:26 — The biggest lesson from his mentors: life is interconnected at the deepest level
• 59:35 — Book recommendations: Science of Being and Art of Living, Bhagavad Gita
• 01:01:47 — Final words: toughness from suppression breaks; toughness from rest lasts

Links:

• Connect with Dr. Tony Nader
  • The Power Of Caring
  • Consciousness Is All There Is
  • Dr. Tony Nader's website
• Learn Transcendental Meditation (TM)
• Books Mentioned:
  • Bhagavad Gita, Stephen Mitchell translation
  • Science of Being and Art of Living, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
• Connect with Ryan Munsey
  • Website
  • Follow Ryan on Instagram
  • Subscribe to Ryan's YouTube Channel
  • Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
  • Get Your Copy of F*ck Your Feelings
    • Audible
    • Amazon
• Save 10% on your first melin hat, the world's best hats: Use the code MoveTheChains10 at melin.com

Colin Henderson trains #1 NBA draft picks and built the mind gym behind a UCLA national championship. He shares his 3 Rs (Recognize, Reset, Rewire), the Confidence Card exercise, and why fear is proof you're growing.

Mental performance coach Colin Henderson (author of "The Oz Method," trainer of #1 NBA draft picks and the UCLA women's national championship team) breaks down the 4 levels of confidence, the Confidence Card exercise, and how to rewire fear using neuroplasticity — even if you've never felt "confident" a day in your life.

What You'll Hear:

• The childhood stutter that almost kept Colin off the mic entirely — and the moment that changed everything
• Why the mental game separates good athletes from #1 draft picks, and it's not what most coaches teach
• The "Confidence Card" framework Colin uses to rebuild an athlete's self-belief from scratch
• What actually happened inside the room with a UCLA team on their way to a national championship
• The one mental skill scouts can't measure — but pros say determines who makes it
• Why "just believe in yourself" is the worst advice you can give a struggling athlete
• How Colin turned his own biggest weakness into the exact thing that built his career
• Collin's #1 tip to Move The Chains

Links

• Connect with Collin Henderson
  • The Oz Method Book
  • Collin Henderson website
  • Collin on IG
  • Collin on LinkedIn
• Connect with Ryan Munsey
  • Website
  • Follow Ryan on Instagram
  • Subscribe to Ryan's YouTube Channel
  • Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
  • Get Your Copy of F*ck Your Feelings
    • Audible
    • Amazon
• Save 10% on your first melin hat, the world's best hats: Use the code MoveTheChains10 at melin.com

Positive thinking is sabotaging your performance.

Performance psychologist and neuroscientist Dr. Raymond Prior joins the Move The Chains Podcast to break down why "just believe in yourself" backfires under pressure, and what elite athletes and executives do instead.

Drawing on decades of work with Olympians and high performers, Raymond explains the difference between stable and unstable confidence, why acceptance is the launchpad for action, and how to build a mindset that holds up when it matters most.

In this episode:

• Why forcing positivity actually hurts performance
• The 5 sources of unstable confidence
• A-shaped vs. V-shaped thinking
• The RAIN method for managing anxiety: Recognize, Accept, Interest, Now
• Why mental performance is trained in advance, not summoned in a crisis

The through-line: the best performers aren't the calmest: they're the ones who've learned to use their brain instead of fight it.

Links

• Golf Beneath The Surface by Raymond Prior
• Connect with Ryan Munsey
  • Website
  • Follow Ryan on Instagram
  • Subscribe to Ryan's YouTube Channel
  • Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
  • Get Your Copy of F*ck Your Feelings
    • Audible
    • Amazon
• Save 10% on your first melin hat, the world's best hats: Use the code MoveTheChains10 at melin.com

Judd Shaw had the billboards. The yacht. The thriving law firm. And one night he was curled up on his garage floor wondering if it was worth going on.

In this episode, USA Today bestselling author and attorney Judd Shaw tells the story behind How to Live Authentically — the real one, not the polished version. Ryan and Judd go deep on why high performers are often the most disconnected people in the room, how success becomes a coping mechanism for unaddressed pain, and what it actually takes to stop performing and start showing up as who you really are.

In this episode:

• Why external validation is a coping mechanism — not a path to worthiness
• The moment Judd made the call that saved his life (and what his friend Adam did right)
• How the most successful, armored people are often the loneliest
• The CURE framework: Connection, Understanding, Renewing, Expanding
• What authenticity actually costs a leader — and what inauthenticity costs even more
• The "Judd 1.0 vs. Judd 2.0" moment that changed his entire organization
• Why letting people see you struggle is a superpower, not a weakness
• "I mined the jewels of my life from the swamp" — the hero's journey nobody wants to admit they're on

Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicide, addiction, and mental health. If you're struggling, please know help exists. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7.

Links:

• Connect with Judd Shaw:
  • Judd Shaw's website + resources like the Connection Test
  • Judd's book: How to Live Authentically
  • Judd's podcast: Behind the Armor
• Preorder Ryan's new book, What(ever) It Takes
• Connect with Ryan Munsey
  • Website
  • Follow Ryan on Instagram
  • Subscribe to Ryan's YouTube Channel
  • Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
  • Get Your Copy of F*ck Your Feelings
    • Audible
    • Amazon
• Daring Greatly — Brené Brown
• From Strength to Strength — Arthur Brooks
• What Happened to You — Bruce Perry & Oprah Winfrey
• Nicole LaPera's work — theholisticpsychologist.com

What does it take to win an Olympic medal, build a gym named #1 in California, pivot to a multi-million dollar online business when COVID shut everything down — and do it all while homeschooling your kids across three continents? Tony Jeffries has done all of it, and in this episode he breaks down exactly how.

Tony is a bronze medalist from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, founder of Box N Burn, and creator of one of the most successful boxing education businesses on the internet. Ryan and Tony dig into the real psychology of success — why most people have all the information they need and still don't take action, how to break free from the fear of what other people think, and the one mental tool Tony uses to push through when the hardest moments hit.

This episode covers:

• Why the information isn't the problem — self-belief is
• The "gun to your head" reframe for manufacturing motivation
• Why "I can't" almost always means "I won't"
• How Tony and his wife Sarah left LA, sold everything, and built location-independent businesses from Thailand to Japan
• Why Tony quit drinking in 2019 and what that actually cost him socially
• The business model shift that took him from five-figure YouTube revenue to six-figure monthly program sales
• Why perfection prevents productivity
• And how Tony opened his first gym with nothing but med balls and boxing gloves.

One of the most honest, practical conversations the show has produced. Don't miss it.

Show Notes:

• Tony's Guinness World Record: most punches thrown on a heavy bag in 24 hours (set on his 40th birthday)
• Book mentioned: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook — Gary Vaynerchuk
• Ryan's books referenced: F*ck Your Feelings, The Nutrition Blueprint
• Ryan's upcoming book: What(ever) It Takes — releasing April 6, 2027
• Related episode: Dr. Daniel Hochman on addiction and behavior change (MTC Episode #38)

Links:

• Connect with Tony Jeffries:
  • Tony Jeffries on YouTube
  • Tony Jeffries on Instagram
  • Tony Jeffries on TikTok
• Connect with Ryan Munsey
  • Website
  • Follow Ryan on Instagram
  • Subscribe to Ryan's YouTube Channel
  • Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
  • Get Your Copy of F*ck Your Feelings
    • Audible
    • Amazon
• Save 10% on your first melin hat, the world's best hats: Use the code MoveTheChains10 at melin.com

What if you're failing at your habits because you're approaching them completely wrong? Rob Stein is a national speaker, championship bodybuilder, published author, and creator of the "Impossible to Fail" framework. With a Master's degree in education and decades of experience coaching high performers, he's built a system that removes the guesswork from habit formation — and reframes what it actually means to succeed. You'll learn:

• Why "what do you want to accomplish?" is the wrong question — and what to ask instead
• The truth about habits: they don't start as habits, they start as disciplined decisions
• The two factors that determine how long it takes to form a lasting habit
• The "Proof of Concept Moment" — how you know a new behavior is actually working
• Why it is selfish NOT to protect your time (and who's counting on you to do it)
• How to raise your standards without lowering them when things get hard
• The one thing that wins every internal mental battle: verbalize it out loud
• The Impossible to Fail Framework: Blueprint + Massive Action + Relentless Consistency + Time

"Results do not create identity. Identity creates results." — Rob Stein

Links

• Connect with Rob Stein:
  • Rob Stein's website
  • Impossible To Fail by Rob Stein
  • Rob Stein on LinkedIn
• Connect with Ryan Munsey
  • Website
  • Follow Ryan on Instagram
  • Subscribe to Ryan's YouTube Channel
  • Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
  • Get Your Copy of F*ck Your Feelings
    • Audible
    • Amazon
• Save 10% on your first melin hat, the world's best hats: Use the code MoveTheChains10 at melin.com

Most people treat self-sabotage like a willpower problem. Board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Hochman says they're looking in the wrong place entirely.

In this episode, Ryan sits down with the creator of Self-Recovery.org to break down the real psychology behind addiction, self-sabotage, and why high performers are actually more susceptible to destructive behavioral patterns — not less. Dr. Hochman's first-principles approach cuts through the noise around dopamine, habit loops, and treatment dogma to get to what's actually driving the behavior.

You'll learn why dopamine isn't the cause of addiction (it's just "at the scene of the crime"), what the "f*** it moment" really is and how to extend your window before you hit it, why rigidity around identity is one of the biggest hidden drivers of burnout and vice, and how Eastern philosophy gives us the most practical framework for lasting behavior change.

Whether you've struggled with substance use, death-scrolling, emotional eating, or just the 10pm couch collapse — this episode will change how you see your own patterns.

Show Notes:

• Why high achievers have higher rates of addiction than the general population
• The "f*** it moment" — what it is, why it happens, and how to interrupt it
• Why dopamine is at the scene of the crime but not the cause
• The real roots of addictive behavior (it starts long before the first drink or scroll)
• How to build emotional tolerance like a muscle — starting with standing in front of the fridge
• The role of Eastern philosophy (Buddhism, Taoism) in modern addiction treatment
• What true consistency actually requires — and why values alignment is the foundation

If you've ever said "I know what I should do, I just can't make myself do it" — this episode is for you.

Links

• Connect with Dr. Daniel Hochman:
  • Dr. Daniel Hochman's program: selfrecovery.org
  • Dr. Hochman on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/danielhochmanmd
• Books mentioned:
  • Tao Te Ching (Stephen Mitchell translation)
  • Bhagavad Gita (Stephen Mitchell translation),
  • No Self, No Problem by Chris Niebauer
  • Jon Kabat-Zinn's mindfulness work referenced
• Connect with Ryan Munsey
  • Website
  • Follow Ryan on Instagram
  • Subscribe to Ryan's YouTube Channel
  • Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
  • Get Your Copy of F*ck Your Feelings
    • Audible
    • Amazon
• Save 10% on your first melin hat, the world's best hats: Use the code MoveTheChains10 at melin.com

Navid Nazemian is the #1 executive coach in the world (CEO Today), author of "Mastering Executive Transitions," and has 25+ years coaching C-suite leaders at BP, Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, and more.

Nearly 40% of executives fail within their first 18 months. In this conversation, Navid reveals exactly why — and the proven framework to beat those odds.

In this episode: • Why the "first 90 days" rule sets most executives up to fail • The 7 phases of The Double Diamond Framework© of Executive Transitions • The Five C's EVERY leader must master • Why soft skills (not technical ability) determine executive survival • How to map informal power before your first day • Energy management for high-stakes leadership roles • The 6 qualities of extraordinary leaders

Links

• Connect with Navid Nazemian:
  • Navid's book: Mastering Executive Transitions
  • Navid's Website
  • Navid Nazemian on LinkedIn
• Connect with Ryan Munsey
  • Website
  • Follow Ryan on Instagram
  • Subscribe to Ryan's YouTube Channel
  • Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
  • Get Your Copy of F*ck Your Feelings
    • Audible
    • Amazon
• Save 10% on your first melin hat, the world's best hats: Use the code MoveTheChains10 at melin.com

Brad Beeler is a 25-year Secret Service veteran, federal polygraph examiner, and author of "Tell Me Everything." After serving on President George H.W. Bush's protection detail and training agents in credibility assessment and elicitation, Brad now teaches everyday people the same frameworks used in high-stakes investigations.

In this episode:

• Why your first impression is a cognitive trap (the Horns & Halos effect)
• The FEEL method for building real rapport fast
• How investigators use "bait questions" — and how you can use them ethically
• Why "me too" responses sabotage connection
• The counterintuitive reason treating criminals with respect gets results
• What body language and tone actually tell you (and what they don't)

Links

• Connect with Brad Beeler
  • Brad's book: Tell Me Everything
  • Brad Beeler's Website
  • Brad Beeler on LinkedIn
  • Brad on Instagram
• Connect with Ryan Munsey
  • Website
  • Follow Ryan on Instagram
  • Subscribe to Ryan's YouTube Channel
  • Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
• Get Your Copy of F*ck Your Feelings
  • Audible
  • Amazon
• Save 10% on your first melin hat, the world's best hats: Use the code MoveTheChains10 at melin.com

What separates a good leader from an elite one? According to T. Rowe Price CIO Sebastien Page, it's not skill. It's the mental game.

Sebastien oversees over a trillion dollars in assets and has spent decades applying sports psychology to business leadership. In this episode of Move The Chains, he breaks down the mastery vs. ego framework, why eliminating stress is the wrong goal, and the single most powerful thing a leader can say to their team.

In this episode:

• Mastery vs. ego: why elite performers measure themselves differently
• The Yerkes-Dodson curve and your optimal stress zone
• Why "I got it wrong" is a sign of strength, not weakness
• Tom Landry's counterintuitive feedback method that changed the Cowboys
• The daily non-negotiables that keep elite leaders sharp
• How to give feedback without triggering defensiveness

Sebastien Page is the author of The Psychology of Leadership and CIO at T. Rowe Price.

Links

• Connect with Sebastien Page
  • The Psychology of Leadership book
  • Sebastien Page on LinkedIn
  • T. Rowe Price
• Connect with Ryan Munsey
  • Website
  • Follow Ryan on Instagram
  • Subscribe to Ryan's YouTube Channel
  • Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
• Get Your Copy of F*ck Your Feelings
  • Audible
  • Amazon
• Save 10% on your first melin hat, the world's best hats: Use the code MoveTheChains10 at melin.com