Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais - podcast cover

Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais

Dr. Michael Gervaiswww.findingmastery.com

Dive into the minds of the world’s greatest athletes, leaders, thinkers, and doers with Dr. Michael Gervais—a high performance psychologist and world-renowned expert on the relationship between high performance and the mind. Dr. Gervais’s client roster includes Super Bowl winning NFL teams, Fortune 50 CEOs, Olympic medalists, internationally acclaimed artists, and more.

On Finding Mastery, Dr. Gervais sits down with the best at what they do, like David Goggins, Brene Brown, Toto Wolff, soccer legend Abby Wambach, neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella — translating their life stories, mental skills, and personal practices into applicable tools you can use to unlock your potential.

Walk with us to the edge of human possibility and learn what you are capable of. New episodes every Wednesday.

Episodes

If You Want To Change the World, Educate the World | Sal Khan

This week’s conversation is with Sal Khan, the founder and CEO of Khan Academy , a nonprofit organization on a mission to provide free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Since its inception in 2008, Khan Academy has helped teach hundreds of millions of students around the world through their adaptive online learning platform. Sal has three degrees from MIT, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and most recently founded the Khan Lab School , a nonprofit brick-and-mortar private school i...

Oct 19, 20221 hr 5 min

Mindset, Mindfulness, and More | Ask Me Anything (AMA) #1 with Dr. Michael Gervais

In this first Ask Me Anything (AMA) with Dr. Mike Gervais, we took your questions and went into the Mastery Lab Studio to answer them. This first one covers high performance routines, mindfulness, mindset, dealing with the fear of other people's opinions (FOPO), and much more. We're excited to be producing these AMAs more frequently. What questions would you like Dr. Mike to answer? Leave your questions for the next AMA on the YouTube version of this episode. Dr. Mike bio: Dr. Michael Gervais is...

Oct 17, 202244 min

The Challenges (and Opportunities) That Come With Mental Health Diagnoses | Sarah Fay

This week’s conversation is with Sarah Fay, an award-winning author and mental health advocate working to improve how we think and talk about our mental health. Sarah’s experience of being diagnosed with six different mental health disorders over the course of 30 years and finding no relief led her to write her best-selling journalistic memoir Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses . As part of her continued devotion to changing the conversation around mental health, Sarah also founded...

Oct 12, 20221 hr 16 min

The Surprising Science Behind Building Deep Relationships | Eric Barker

This week’s conversation is with Eric Barker, a former Hollywood screen-writer turned author whose dedicated following of over half a million people look to Eric for his (often counter-intuitive) insights and research-backed advice on how to be great at life.  In 2017, Eric penned his Wall Street Journal bestseller Barking Up the Wrong Tree , which reveals the extraordinary science behind what actually determines success and most importantly, how anyone can achieve it. However, over the las...

Oct 05, 20221 hr 12 min

How to Enhance Your Memory (and Never Forget) | Gabriel Wyner

This week’s conversation is with Gabriel Wyner, a polyglot, former opera singer, bestselling author of Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It, and founder of the Fluent Forever app, the most funded app in crowdfunding history. Gabe graduated summa cum laude in 2007 from the University of Southern California with dual degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Vocal Arts Performance, and was awarded the Renaissance Scholar’s prize for excellence in unrelated disciplines. Fo...

Sep 28, 20221 hr 9 min

Plastic Recycling Doesn’t Work and Will Never Work | Judith Enck

This week’s conversation is with Judith Enck, a former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, the founder of Beyond Plastics , and a visiting professor at Bennington College.  In 2009, Judith was appointed by President Barack Obama as the Regional Administrator of the EPA, where she oversaw environmental protections in New York, New Jersey, eight Indian Nations, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands – in addition to managing a staff of 800 and a $700M budget. Judith has also s...

Sep 21, 202258 min

Peter Shapiro: The Most Influential Concert Promoter of His Generation

This week’s conversation is with Peter Shapiro, a music industry legend and perhaps the most influential independent concert promoter of his generation.  Over his eclectic career, Peter has produced several acclaimed and groundbreaking projects, and was listed on Billboard’s Power 100 List for “Most Influential People in the Music Business”. Peter is the owner of several legendary music venues around the country which have hosted some of the biggest names in modern music – The Rolling Stone...

Sep 14, 20221 hr 8 min

Unf*cking the World — Radical Hope for the Future | Jamie Wheal

This week’s conversation is with Jamie Wheal, founder of The Flow Genome Project and author of Recapture the Rapture: Rethinking God, Sex, and Death in a World That’s Lost Its Mind . Jamie is one of the most brilliant thinkers I know – he has advised executives at some of the world’s leading companies (Deloitte, Red Bull, Google, Lululemon, Facebook, TD Ameritrade, Nike, and Goldman Sachs), and his work & ideas have been covered in The New York Times, Financial Times, Wired, Entrepreneu...

Sep 07, 20222 hr 42 min

Everything You Know About Longevity is Wrong | Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, a functional medicine physician and the founder of the Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine.  Gabrielle received her doctorate in osteopathic medicine from the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine and is board-certified in family medicine. She earned her undergraduate degree in Human Nutrition where specialized in vitamin and mineral metabolism.  Now, in her private medical practice, Gabrielle leverages evidence-based medicine wi...

Aug 31, 20221 hr 4 min

Owning Your True Identity | Chris Mosier

This week’s conversation is with Chris Mosier, a hall-of-fame triathlete, All-American duathlete, and a 6-time member of Team USA. But Chris is far more than an elite athlete – he is a trailblazer. In 2015, Chris became the first transgender man to represent the United States in international competition – he is also the first transgender athlete to be sponsored by Nike, featured in the ESPN Body Issue, and to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the gender they identify. He continues to be a leadi...

Aug 24, 20221 hr 22 min

The True Meaning of Strength | Chris Duffin

This week’s conversation is with Chris Duffin, a world-record holding powerlifter who is commonly known as the “Mad Scientist of Strength”. Chris is arguably one of the strongest pound-for-pound humans in the world – he is the only person to squat and deadlift over 1,000 pounds for reps, has a Guinness World Record for the sumo deadlift, and was ranked the number one powerlifter in the world for eight years straight.  However, Chris’ strength extends far beyond the physical domain – in his ...

Aug 17, 20221 hr 8 min

Can Science and Spirituality Coexist? | Dr. Mona Sobhani

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Mona Sobhani, a cognitive neuroscientist, researcher, entrepreneur and author. After receiving her doctorate from the University of Southern California, Mona spent the next several years contributing her expertise in neuroscience to fields such as law, business, healthcare tech, venture capital, and research innovation centers.  Then, following what she describes as an “existential crisis,” everything changed. Her strict scientific perspective, framework...

Aug 10, 20221 hr 14 min

How to Change When Everything Changes | Chris Waddell on Resilience

This week’s conversation is with Chris Waddell, a Paralympian who is widely known as the most decorated mono-skier in U.S. history. Chris began ski racing at the age of six, and went on to ski competitively at Middlebury College - where an accident during a freshman year training session left him paralyzed from the waist down. What happens for most of us when we go through a life-altering event, is that it reveals our internal operating system - one’s world-view, personal philosophy, and psychol...

Aug 03, 20221 hr 8 min

How is Your Time Management? Breaking Down the Facade of Productivity | Oliver Burkeman

This week’s conversation is with Oliver Burkeman, a British author and journalist who I’ve really enjoyed his writings on productivity, mortality, the power of limits, and thoughts on building a meaningful life in an age of distraction.  Oliver is the winner of the Foreign Press Association's Young Journalist of the Year award, and for many years wrote a hit weekly column for The Guardian called This Column Will Change Your Life . In this conversation, we dive into Oliver’s newest book, Fou...

Jul 27, 20221 hr 11 min

The Science of Pain: Myths, Truths, and Understanding | Dr. Rachel Zoffness

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Rachel Zoffness, a medical educator and disruptor who is revolutionizing the way we understand and treat pain.  By trade, Rachel is a trained pain psychologist, a Visiting Professor at Stanford, an Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCSF School of Medicine, and a consultant on the development of integrative pain programs around the world. She is also the author of The Pain Management Workbook , which merges pain neuroscience with psychology – brain with...

Jul 20, 20221 hr 2 min

Inside the Mind of Sport's Greatest Teaching Guru | Tom House

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Tom House, a former Major League Baseball pitcher turned world-renowned expert in the biomechanics of throwing.  Often referred to as the “father of modern pitching mechanics” and a “quarterback whisperer”, Tom has coached some of the world’s most elite throwers like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Nolan Ryan, Andrew Luck, Dak Prescott… and the list goes on.  Tom is one of the preeminent pioneers who brought science into the art of coaching – after eight yea...

Jul 13, 20221 hr 11 min

The Heart of a Cowboy | Ty Murray

This week’s conversation is with Ty Murray, one of the most accomplished Roughstock athletes of all time. Having earned a record-setting seven All-Around World Championships, Ty has rightfully earned his nickname in the industry as “King of the Cowboys”. Throughout his illustrious career, Ty competed in three of the rodeo’s most risky and dangerous events – bareback, saddle bronc, and bull riding – dominating all three “rough-stock” disciplines with the singular heart of a champion. At the age o...

Jul 06, 20221 hr 11 min

It’s Time to Change the Way We Teach (and Learn) | Mary Helen Immordino-Yang

This week’s conversation is with Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, a Professor of Education, Psychology, Human Development and Neuroscience at the University of Southern California.  Mary Helen studies the psychological and neurobiological development of emotion and self-awareness of adolescents in educational settings. Since earning her doctorate from Harvard in 2005, she has received numerous awards for her research and impact on education and society, including an Honor Coin from the U.S. Army,...

Jun 29, 20221 hr 22 min

Psychedelics: For Getting Help or Getting High? | Dr. Andrew Weil

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Andrew Weil, a world-renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine. He is a New York Times bestselling author of 15 books, the founder and director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, and has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine – and that doesn’t even begin scratch the surface of Andrew’s accomplishments and contribution to society throughout his incred...

Jun 22, 202253 min

The Lost Art of Asking for Help | Executive Coach, Marshall Goldsmith

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, a world-renowned executive coach and New York Times bestselling author of Triggers and What Got You Here Won't Get You There. Throughout Marshall's career, he has worked with CEOs from over 200 companies, has been named one of the Top Ten Business Thinkers in the World, and in 2018 was inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to the field of business education and leadership coaching.  Marshall als...

Jun 15, 20221 hr 9 min

Finding the Courage to Try Again | Marathon Record Holder, Keira D'Amato

This week’s conversation is with Keira D’Amato , a full-time realtor, mother of two, and one of the most elite female long-distance runners in the United States.  Keira’s running career took off in college where she became a four-time All-American Track athlete at American University. However, just a couple years after graduating, she underwent a major ankle surgery which put a quick - and heartbreaking - end to her post-collegiate running career.  Eight years later, Keira started chas...

Jun 08, 20221 hr 13 min

Redefining Happiness, Acceptance and Manhood | Actor, Josh Peck

This week’s conversation is with Josh Peck, an actor, comedian, author, Youtuber, and television superstar. Josh rose to near-instant fame when he starred for four seasons as the comedic center of Nickelodeon’s hit show Drake & Josh .  Since then, he has spent the last two decades establishing himself as one of Hollywood's rising talents – he has starred in several feature films and is currently on set for other major projects, such as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer alongside industry ...

Jun 01, 20221 hr

What's Wrong With Youth Sports? | NFL Great, Greg Olsen

This week’s conversation is with Greg Olsen, a football broadcaster for FOX Sports and former tight end who played in the NFL for 14 seasons.  During his time in the league, Greg was a three-time Pro Bowler, currently ranks fifth all-time among tight ends for receptions and receiving yards, and left the Carolina Panthers – where he spent a majority of his career – as the franchise’s all-time leading tight end in receptions receiving yards, and 100-yard receiving games.  Now – alongside...

May 25, 20221 hr 15 min

The Truth Behind Early Success | Tara Lipinski, Unfiltered

This week’s conversation is with Tara Lipinski, an internationally acclaimed figure skater who you might recognize from her performance at the 1998 Nagano Olympic games where – at age 15 – she became the youngest athlete to win an individual Gold Medal in the history of the Winter Games.  Tara is also recognized as the youngest competitor to win the World Professional Figure Skating Championships in 1999 at age 17, and the youngest-ever inductee into the United States Figure Skating Hall of...

May 18, 20221 hr 25 min

How to Harness the POWER of Regret, to Move Forward | Daniel Pink

This week’s conversation is with Daniel Pink, the author of New York Times bestsellers A Whole New Mind , Drive , To Sell Is Human , and When . His books have sold millions of copies, been translated into forty-two languages, and have helped readers and organizations around the world rethink how they live and operate. Daniel received a BA from Northwestern University, where he was a Truman Scholar and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and a JD from Yale Law School. He has also received honorary doc...

May 11, 20221 hr 11 min

Get Fit in 5 Minutes? Revolutionizing the Health and Fitness Industry | Ulrich Dempfle

This week’s conversation is with Ulrich Dempfle, the CEO & Co-Founder of CAROL.  Ulrich graduated in mechanical engineering from Germany’s leading tech university and after working with Europe’s top automotive manufacturers, moved to London where he pioneered AI healthcare initiatives, optimizing operational efficiency for the National Health Service. A BBC documentary on reduced exertion high-intensity training (REHIT) made Ulrich realize there was massive potential for a new groundbre...

May 04, 20221 hr 16 min

Find Happiness in Your Melancholy | Susan Cain

This week’s conversation is with Susan Cain , the author of the bestsellers Quiet Journal, Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts , and Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. Quiet has been translated into 40 languages, spent eight years on The New York Times best seller list, and was named the #1 best book of the year by Fast Company magazine, which also named Susan one of its Most Creative People in Business.  Her record-smashing TED talk has been view...

Apr 27, 20221 hr 12 min

What It Really Means to be Purpose-Driven | Dr. Ranjay Gulati

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Ranjay Gulati, the Paul R. Lawrence MBA Class of 1942 Professor and the former Unit Head of the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School.  Until recently, he chaired the Advanced Management Program, the flagship senior leader executive program, at the school.  Ranjay  studies how “resilient” organizations—those that prosper when it’s smooth sailing - and when the seas are wild —drive growth and profitability.  His work bridg...

Apr 20, 20221 hr 20 min

Becoming Unbreakable - The Fight Against Anxiety and Depression | Jay Glazer

This week’s conversation is with Jay Glazer, best known as a National Football League insider and TV host for FOX Sports’ award-winning NFL pregame studio show, FOX NFL Sunday.  The entire cast, including Jay, became the first sports show inducted into the Television Hall Of Fame in 2019. He is also part of FOX’s Thursday Night Football.  Jay was one of the first ever minute by minute breaking online news reporters in the NFL.  In 2014, he co-founded the Unbreakable Performance Ce...

Apr 13, 202259 min

What Can We Learn From Animals? | Dr. Laura Stokes-Greene:

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Laura Stokes-Greene, one of the best equine sports medicine doctors in the world. Laura is also an avid entrepreneur, focusing on the intersection of medicine, technology, and creativity.  She’s utilizing cutting edge biotech to help competing jumper and dressage horses maximize their performance.   Creating innovative therapeutic programs to optimize strength and mobility, Laura emphasizes regenerative medicine with bio-logics such as PRP and ...

Apr 06, 20221 hr 1 min