The Dr. Olafsson Podcast

Today's guest is... me.

At a young age, I learned that I was loved for what I did, not for who I am. For the vast majority of my life, I've been driven by not being enough, always working to validate my existence and prove my worth through something external. That program gave me accomplishments I once only dreamed of. But nothing on the inside ever quite filled up.

You have that inner critic too. And if you're like me, at some point in your journey, after trying to fill the emptiness inside with something outside yourself, you get tired of living this way and want to change. But you're scared to, because the old wiring is strong, and some part of you believes that letting go of it means losing your drive, becoming stagnant, going soft.

In this episode, I make the case for how you can win without hating yourself by changing, or even letting go of, the inner critic you built to protect yourself, the one that once served you well, but that you've started to question today.

Expect to learn how the inner critic forms, why accepting him matters more than fighting him, how to shift your relationship from judge to playful coach, the power of giving him a name, why laughing at him is the final boss of this journey, the difference between self-critiscism and self-reflection, why shame isn't helpful, how self-compassion actually increases motivation rather than killing it, and why loving yourself on the way to something great means you don't have to choose between the two.

Through my own story, and the 300+ people I've coached through the same shift, you'll walk away with real insight and real tools for how to win, without hating yourself along the way.

Enjoy.

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Blaine Anderson is a dating coach and matchmaker.

Being in love and being loved is arguably the best feeling in the world. But finding that one person seems to be a complex task. And is it even about finding - or simply becoming someone worth choosing?

Expect to learn the most common mistakes men make when looking for a partner, why you shouldn't wait to build your life or pursue your goals just because you're single, why you should skip the dating apps and get out of the house, why you should become more interesting, how to approach women, what women actually want in a man, what men seek in women that they shouldn't, how to know if someone is interested in you, when to grit and when to quit when pursuing someone, whether vulnerability is fluff or a strength, how women can increase their likelihood of getting approached, when to ask the big questions while dating, what contributes to a successful long-term relationship, and much more.

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Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/

Get in touch in the comments or head to:

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Today's guest is... me.

You never really know someone until you know their story - here is mine, from being a football player in Iceland to a psychologist in Los Angeles, and everything in between.

It's been a wild journey, to say the least. When I was about 27, I secretly wished for a harder life, where I got tested. I learned that you should be careful about what you wish for, since by far the toughest years of my life were when I stopped playing football, left an 8-year relationship, lost a family member, and left my whole life, packed my bags, and moved to LA.

Expect to learn why I stopped playing football, why my relationship ended, how it felt leaving everything in Iceland and starting from scratch, how it feels when life doesn't make sense, the role of resilience in hardships, the road less traveled, the pain of authenticity, how I've consistently turned my pain points into my purpose, and much more.

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Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/

Get in touch in the comments or head to:

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Dr. Nicholas Epley, PhD, is a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago and a leading expert on the science of social connection.

Social connection is vital to our happiness, health, and meaning. And many of our best connections first start with a conversation with someone who once was a stranger. What if your fear and pessimism are preventing you from not only feeling better, but possibly meeting your future best friend, business partner, or wife?

Expect to learn why talking to strangers is vital for our well-being, why humans are terrible at forecasting, how fear and pessimism are preventing us from talking to strangers, why we should make a choice to talk either way, why talking to strangers is a more positive experience than you might think, how overfocusing on competence instead of warmth is making you insecure, why our personality is not fixed but depends on our choices, why you should act more extroverted, why people crave meaningful conversations over small talk, how to talk with strangers and make those conversations meaningful, how much to share versus listen to someone, if physical attractiveness matters when it comes to talking to strangers, and much more.

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Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/

Get in touch in the comments or head to:

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Dr. Kári Stefánsson is an Icelandic neurologist and the founder of deCODE Genetics - the company that cracked the human genome using an entire nation as its laboratory.

Who are we, most fundamentally? Some would say our choices define us. Kári would say it's the interaction between your genes and the environment and he has more data on that question than perhaps anyone alive.

Expect to learn why your genes don't determine your destiny but powerfully shape the terrain you navigate, how Icelandic people became genetically distinct over a thousand years of isolation, why genes linked to obesity tend to produce more children while genes linked to educational attainment produce fewer, why older fathers create meaningfully more biological risk for their offspring than older mothers, why loneliness can be one of the greatest sources of happiness, the cost of being different from others, why being abnormal is often the cost of being a genius, how schizophrenia develops and why the same genes that cause it may also produce extraordinary creativity, why happiness is so difficult to measure and even harder to sustain, the dangers of unresearched peptides, what to be genuinely cautious about as AI reshapes human life, why the concentration of power in too few hands may be the greatest danger of our time, and much more.

Get a 140-page workbook with evidence-informed tools that will make your life instantly better https://usa.beggiolafs.com/subscribe

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Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/

Get in touch in the comments or head to:

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Andrew Glaze is an ultramarathon runner, author, and social media personality.

Life is difficult - less for some, more for others, like Andy Glaze, who learned that the only way out is through, most often with a smile on his face.

Expect to learn the value of the father-son relationship, why grief is the receipt for love, how to face your feelings without being defined by them, what to do when you want to give up, the role of joy and humor in suffering, why being vulnerable is a strength, why writing is therapeutic, the value of not quitting, the power of deciding to have a good day, why you should do the useful thing even when you feel like shit and don't want to, and so much more.

Get a 140-page workbook with evidence-informed tools that will make your life instantly better https://usa.beggiolafs.com/subscribe

Get Unlock, the conversational cards that transform connections: https://shop.lydia.so/products/unlock

Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/

Get in touch in the comments or head to:

Instagram: thedrolafssonpodcast Email: [email protected]

Today's guest is... me.

I didn't plan on doing a solo episode. But a good man encouraged me to do it, as I have so many perspectives to share. I like podcasters who mostly listen, shut their mouth and ask questions, and I didn't want to make this podcast about me. Also, I guess I had some limited belief that what I had to offer might not be enough. But screw that, we made it happen.

Expect to learn the goal and reality of the podcast, why you should have a bold vision, what I think will be our biggest regret, why to speak from the heart instead of the head, the value of analysing less and experiencing more, why you shouldn't wait to become happy, why you are living the good old times, why there is no difference between self-consciousness and suffering, why you have no idea what you are capable of, why transitions are hard, how to function well within them, how I've changed, the value of consistency, and much more. Get a 140-page workbook with evidence-informed tools that will make your life instantly better https://usa.beggiolafs.com/subscribe

Get Unlock, the conversational cards that transform connections: https://shop.lydia.so/products/unlock

Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/Get in touch in the comments or head to:

Instagram: thedrolafssonpodcast Email: [email protected]

Dr. Mike Israetel is a sport scientist and the co-founder of Renaissance Periodization.

Look at someone obsessed with how they look, and it's easy to assume it's shallow. Dr. Mike argues that's usually the wrong read - the real question isn't whether you're chasing aesthetics; it's what's driving the chase.

The difference between superficial and meaningful motivations for changing your body, what it means to run toward something versus running away from something, why people judge those who look great, why high expectations can be a faster road to misery than low ones, the dark side of chasing greatness, the fallacy of manifesting success without action, how to actually change behavior long-term, why process goals beat outcome goals almost every time, and much more.

Get a 140-page workbook with evidence-informed tools that will make your life instantly better https://usa.beggiolafs.com/subscribe

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Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/

Get in touch in the comments or head to:

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Magnús Scheving is an entrepreneur, actor, and the founder of LazyTown.

Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one. Most people specialize in one thing. Magnús, shaped by a small town in Iceland, did the opposite: he owned, led, directed, and acted in LazyTown, building one of the biggest children's brands in the world without ever choosing just one role.

Expect to learn what it actually takes to build something extraordinary over decades, the pros and cons of being a generalist in a world built for specialists, how to stay firm in your values when an attractive offer doesn't align with who you are or what you're building, how losing everything that defined you for decades reshapes your identity, how to find a deeper sense of purpose in the middle of a transition, how to become more whole instead of task-oriented, how to be connected to your own heart instead of just your head, the sweetspot of having vision and goals and focusing on the present moment, why Magnús's sense of happiness has grown thicker, most important skills to develop in the age of AI, why we need to take personal responsibility in the world we live in, what the future of LazyTown looks like, and what Magnús wants the next generation of children to grow up with.

Get a 140-page workbook with evidence-informed tools that will make your life instantly better https://usa.beggiolafs.com/subscribe

Get Unlock, the conversational cards that transform connections: https://shop.lydia.so/products/unlock

Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/

Get in touch in the comments or head to:

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Bruce Feiler is a New York Times bestselling author of multiple books on human experience and a beloved TV personality.

Ever felt like your life is falling apart? Maybe you feel lost, your future is uncertain, you just made a big change, or you know you have to make one? You are not the person you were, but yet not the person you are becoming. This might have happened because you made a voluntary change, or life hit you in the face with a storm. What you are probably going through, alongside millions of others, even billions, is what Bruce calls transitions. And while they can be tough, they could be guiding you to the exact person you were meant to become.

Expect to learn what transitions are, why expecting a linear life when the reality of it is nonlinear is causing you suffering, what you can do if you feel left behind, what lifequakes are and how they can alter your life forever, Bruce's two biggest lifequakes of becoming a father of twins and getting cancer at the same time, Beggi's biggest lifequakes, the difference between disruptors and lifequakes, how to navigate through transitions with the ABC framework of meaning, why writing your life story is the most important thing you can do, the power of rituals in transitions, when to know you are not in a transition, and much more.

- Get a 140-page workbook with evidence-informed tools that will make your life instantly better https://usa.beggiolafs.com/subscribe

Get Unlock, the conversational cards that transform connections: https://shop.lydia.so/products/unlock

Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/

Get in touch in the comments or head to:

Instagram: thedrolafssonpodcast Email: [email protected]