Cole Bastian and Phil Dixon host My BrainWise Coach with guest Peter Johnson, a former general and plastic surgeon turned entrepreneur and board member, who recounts leaving a tenured academic surgery career to found and run biotech and consulting ventures, later joining a Fortune 500 company, co-founding a CMO-services firm, leading biotech organizations, and even farming barley for single-malt whiskey on a North Carolina farm. The conversation frames risk as a long-acting performance enhancer when taken in measured amounts, likening it to the heart’s Starling curve, and argues that cognitive dissonance helps people learn from failed risks. Peter contrasts “unitary perfectionism” with building a portfolio of skills and experiences, emphasizes curiosity as a tool for solving seemingly dire problems, describes persistence through energy management and naps, and highlights humor and creativity as ways to navigate change and leave a personal mark.

00:00 Welcome and Episode Theme

01:21 Meet Peter Johnson

03:18 How Phil and Peter Met

05:06 Peter’s Life Flyover

08:54 Risk as Fuel

10:49 Finding the Risk Sweet Spot

11:24 Portfolio of Skills

14:12 The 40 Patterns Idea

16:56 Curiosity as a Superpower

21:29 Facing Fear at the Leap

24:24 Leaving Plastic Surgery

25:33 Starting Selix Overnight

27:56 Persistence and Napping

31:17 Humor as Survival Tool

36:29 Creativity and Marking Territory

39:51 Just Do It Advice

40:37 Wine Courage Stories

43:54 Reframing Risk and Reinvention

46:08 Final Thanks and Takeaways