What if I told you that one secret to success just might be adopting a secret identity?

I know. It sounds weird. I too was skeptical. But today's guest sold me with one unique thought:

What if your alter ego is a more accurate representation of who you really are?

Pondering this left me wanting to learn more. So I invited high performance coach Todd Herman on the show to elaborate.

An author, advisor, and entrepreneur, Todd has spent the last 2 decades helping professional and Olympic athletes, entrepreneurs, leaders, and executives unlock peak performance at the highest level to achieve wildly outrageous goals while enjoying the process.

Featured on the Today Show, Sky Business News, Inc. Magazine and CBC National News, Todd is also the author of the recently released book, The Alter Ego Effect: The Power of Secret Identities to Transform Your Life*. Equal parts instructive and entertaining, it's a provocative exploration of the heroic self within as a means to overcome that which holds you back with one goal in mind — to empower greater expression of your inner best self.

This conversation tracks the viability of Todd's alter ego thesis through the lens of successful case studies who have used this strategy to their advantage. It explores the fraught terrain of actualizing peak performance and the proven strategies to maximize human potential. And it's about how to best confront and overcome the hurdles that unnecessarily prevent the best of us – often repeatedly or in some cases continually – from inhabiting our most expressed selves.

In addition, we explore the why behind Todd’s work. More specifically, Todd relates how confronting a severe childhood trauma helped him overcome profound feelings of guilt and shame that held him back for years. Impactful for anyone who suffers in silence, it's a powerful story of healing and empowerment (but perhaps inappropriate for the little ones among us — so fair warning).

Very much in the vein of my recent podcast with James Clear (RRP #401), I found this conversation both fascinating and entertaining. My hope is that you will too.

To view our conversation on YouTube, visit bit.ly/toddherman422. And don't forget we're also now on Spotify.

Peace + Plants,

Rich