Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais

Latest Episodes:

Jake Olson, Speaker, Entrepreneur, and Athlete May 15, 2019

Show notes

This week’s conversation is with Jake Olson, an entrepreneur, athlete, speaker and most recently a graduate at the University of Southern California.

When Jake was 8 months old, he was diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer, retinoblastoma. The disease claimed his left eye at 10 months old and in November 2009, Jake lost his right eye after battling the cancer for 12 years.

He has used his experience to inspire and motivate others by authoring two books, creating a non-profit foundation to help visually impaired children and support cancer research and by sharing his story openly as a motivational speaker.

Jake is also a life-long USC football fan.

While in high school he learned to long snap and was the starting long snapper for his team his junior and senior year.

After being accepted to USC, he was offered a walk on spot with the USC football team and had his first opportunity to snap in a live collegiate game on September 2, 2017 and was named the Pac-12 special teams player of the week.

On May 19, he’ll be participating in the 7th Annual Tour de Pier in Manhattan Beach, raising money for cancer research around the globe and psycho-social support for families battling the disease in the South Bay.

You can learn more at TourdePier.com.

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Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Trauma Expert May 08, 2019

Show notes

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, a clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of posttraumatic stress.

He has spent his career studying how people adapt to traumatic experiences, and has translated emerging findings from neuroscience and attachment research to develop and study a range of potentially effective treatments for traumatic stress.

You might be thinking, “Well I don’t have PTSD, how does this conversation apply to me?”

What you might be surprised to learn is how many of us are affected by trauma but just don’t realize it.

According to Dr. van der Kolk’s research, 75% of Americans suffer from some type of past traumatic experience.

In this conversation, he shares strategies for getting to the root of the trauma.

Trauma comes in many forms and so do people’s responses to it.

What’s important to remember is just because someone looks like they have it all together on the outside doesn’t mean everything’s ok on the inside.

In Dr. van der Kolk’s words:

“Some people adapt amazingly well and win Nobel Prizes or MacArthur Grants because of all the energy they put into just pushing things aside. That doesn't mean that they're necessarily resilient even though they may accomplish amazing things. They may go to bed feeling devastated, lonely, and bereft. Or they may still drink or cut themselves or do other things to manage their body's protesting against stuff. So what you see is not necessarily what you get.”

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Julie Foudy, U.S. National Soccer Hall of Famer May 01, 2019

Show notes

This week’s conversation is with Julie Foudy, a former Captain of the USA Women’s Soccer Team.

Julie had a sensational soccer career while playing on the USA National Team for 17 years. She was a captain for 13 of her 17 years with the team winning two Olympic Gold Medals and two World Cups.

Julie finished her National Team career with 45 goals, 59 assists and 273 international appearances (caps) for the USA.

Her 273 caps rank fourth in the world all-time, male or female.

Julie was inducted in the US National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2007, alongside longtime teammate and friend, Mia Hamm. Julie and Mia were only the 6th and 7th women ever to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and the first and only ALL FEMALE induction class.

Julie is now a television analyst and reporter for ESPN and the founder of the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy.

She also recently launched her new podcast, Laughter Permitted in March of 2019. Author of Choose to Matter: Being Fabulously and Courageously YOU.

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Harry Gregson-Williams, Award-Winning Composer Apr 24, 2019

Show notes

This week’s conversation is with Harry Gregson-Williams, one of Hollywood’s most sought-after and prolific composers whose long list of film and television credits underscore the diverse range of his talents.

His recent projects include Warner Bros summer hit “The Meg” directed by Jon Turteltaub, and the action thriller “The Equalizer 2,” starring Denzel Washington.

He wrote the score for Disney Nature’s “Penguins,” which just opened a few weeks ago and will next score Disney’s live-action feature film “Mulan” scheduled for release in 2020.

Harry was the composer on all four installments of the animated blockbuster “Shrek” franchise, garnering a BAFTA Award nomination for the score for the Oscar-winning “Shrek.”

He also received Golden Globe and Grammy Award nominations for his score for Andrew Adamson’s “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.”

Harry has collaborated with a number of directors, including Ben Affleck on the films “Live by Night,” “The Town” and “Gone Baby Gone”; Joel Schumacher on “Twelve,” “The Number 23,” “Veronica Guerin” and “Phone Booth”; Tony Scott on “Unstoppable, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,” “Déjà Vu,” “Domino,” “Man on Fire,” “Spy Game” and “Enemy of the State”; Ridley Scott on “The Martian,” “Prometheus”, “Exodus: Gods and Kings and “Kingdom of Heaven” and the list goes on and on.

This was one my favorite conversations I’ve had since we started this podcast.

We covered so much: creativity, pressure, authenticity, relationships, failure, and emotion.

I hope this conversation makes you think a pay a little more attention to the score next time you watch a movie.

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Dr. Tim Brown, IntelliSkin Founder/Creator Apr 17, 2019

Show notes

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Tim Brown, the inventor of IntelliSkin.

Tim grew to understand his future creation while working as the medical director on the ASP (association of surfing professionals) and the AVP (association of volleyball professionals) during the 1980’s.

As an early innovator in functional taping, he developed a hybrid kinesiology technique known as SPRT (Specific Proprioceptive Response Taping).

Used on athletes from Olympians to NFL players, the technique quickly became a staple in the athletic world as it allowed athletes to function at a higher level.

Tim’s instinctive techniques got athletes asking for taping remedies so often, that he needed something that could do the job when he wasn’t there.

Many late nights of trial and error using remnants of old wetsuits and rash guards, he devised a wearable technology that mimicked his taping technique.

Tim’s goal was to take what he had learned in designing and come up with a comfortable, Smart Compression shirt that would clinically improve posture and spinal alignment for everyone, whether you’re an elite athlete or a weekend warrior.

I wanted to talk with Tim because not only does he have an incredible understanding of the proper function for the human body (both for professionals, as well as, for the rest of us), but also to get inside the mind of an disruptive product innovator.

Tim believes the paradigm for fitness is broken and it starts with getting posture right.

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Dr. Antonio Damasio, Professor of Neuroscience, Psychology and Philosophy Apr 10, 2019

Show notes

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Antonio Damasio, a Professor of Neuroscience, Psychology and Philosophy, and Director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Trained as both neurologist and neuroscientist, Antonio has brilliantly captured the complicated Interplay b/t biology and psychology and culture — and doing it in a way that provides the highest dignity between each discipline, through a structurally artistic and rigorously scientific process.

His work is built on deep curiosity, deep thinking, and deep contribution to humanity.

Antonio has made seminal contributions to the understanding of brain processes underlying emotions, feelings, and consciousness.

His work on the role of affect in decision-making has made a major impact in neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy. He is the author of several hundred scientific articles and is one of the most eminent psychologists of the modern era.

His most recent work addresses the evolutionary development of mind and especially the role of life regulation in the generation of cultures.

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Paul Rabil, Premier Lacrosse League Co-Founder Apr 03, 2019

Show notes

This week’s conversation is with Paul Rabil, a professional lacrosse player and co-founder of the Premier Lacrosse League – a new professional lacrosse league launched in October 2018, with 160 of the best players in the world and a major media rights deal with NBC Sports Group.

Paul has gone on to influence the sport at every level, winning championships and MVP’s twice in the NCAA’s, multiple times in professional outdoor and indoor lacrosse, as well as becoming a two-time World Lacrosse Champion with Team USA.

I wanted to speak with Paul to understand how he's organized his inner world and his external life.

What was his childhood like? Did he want to be his best, or the best? Did his motivations change once he was recognized as being the best?

And most importantly, after all the success he’s had, why did he want take on the enormous challenge of building a professional sports league from scratch?

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Andy Petranek, Whole Life Challenge Co-Founder Mar 27, 2019

Show notes

This week’s conversation is with Andy Petranek, the co-founder of the Whole Life Challenge.

Andy is also a Marine Gulf War veteran and was the oldest participant, at 43, to qualify for the 2009 CrossFit Games.

He’s participated in dozens of adventure races that have varied in length from three hours to seven days, and became known for his ability to navigate in the wilderness, carry heavy loads, get through obstacles quickly, and persevere in even the worst conditions.

He created the Whole Life Challenge to help people manage real-life challenges; commitments to work and family, time constraints, sleep issues, and stress.

The Challenge is a gamified and community-based initiative to help people stay committed to make better choices each day, outside of the gym, where it really matters.

It grew from 150 players in 2011 to over 22,000 worldwide in 2017.

Now a small, successful start-up company, it has been responsible for changing the fitness, health, confidence, and lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

Andy loves to work on developing and improving himself — physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I think you’ll find it interesting to learn exactly why that drives him.

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brenda Tracy, Survivor & Activist Mar 20, 2019

Show notes

This week’s conversation is with Brenda Tracy, the founder of the national campaign SetTheExpectation which aims to raise awareness around issues of sexual assault and domestic violence -- through the power of sports while also engaging, empowering and educating men as agents for change.

Brenda was gang raped by four men in 1998.

So heavy.

In this conversation, she shares that even though law enforcement collected extensive evidence – including confessions from her attackers – the District Attorney advised against prosecuting her case.

She was never advised of her victims’ rights, nor informed when officials destroyed her evidence three years prior to the statute of limitations.

Sixteen years later, Brenda came forward publicly, and now seeks to make the world a better place for survivors.

Her stance on “men as the solution” has garnered national attention and made her one of the country’s most influential voices on sexual assault.

I wanted to speak with Brenda to better understand courage.

Where did she find the power to come forward, be vulnerable, and not only stand up for what’s right but also strive for change.

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Process: The Finale (Ep. 7) Mar 15, 2019

Show notes

On the final episode of Season 1 of The Process, Alex and Mike reflect on what they've learned over the course of the past year and discuss which skills will be necessary to succeed in a world where automation could soon be the norm.

_________________

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMastery

Get exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/

Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter

Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindset

Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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