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

The Power of Pain, Narcissism, and Vulnerability | AMA Vol.6 with Dr. Mike Gervais

There is power in your pain, but how do you use it? Is narcissism required to be successful? Why is vulnerability seen as a weakness? This week, we’re really excited to share the sixth installment of our Ask Me Anything (AMA) series. It’s such a blast filming these and answering your questions.  On AMA #6, we dive into some very real topics like the power of pain as it ignites both purpose and growth, if narcissism is necessary for success, how underdogs make for good company, and why a sim...

Apr 26, 20231 hr 12 min

How To Master Your Money and Live a Rich Life | Ramit Sethi

Why is talking about money so taboo? How does money affect our relationships? What role does psychology play in personal finance? Can you master your money? Ramit Sethi, a personal finance expert and best-selling author, joins the podcast this week to share his insights on the psychology of money, what living your “rich life” means, and the importance of creating systems to achieve financial success. Ramit Sethi is an American entrepreneur and self-proclaimed financial adviser. The founder of Gr...

Apr 19, 20231 hr 26 min

Embrace Your Greatness | Mindset Coach to Michael Jordan & Kobe - George Mumford

George Mumford, a.k.a. The Mindfulness Performance Whisperer, digs into the dynamics of successful teams, the formula for unlocking your potential, and how dark moments can lead to our greatest revelations. George Mumford is a renowned author, coach, speaker, and elite performance expert.  George is a legend amongst… well, more legends. Over his career, George’s clientele has consisted of world’s bests like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, Shaquille O’Neal, countless other NBA sta...

Apr 12, 20231 hr 11 min

How To Live the Good Life - Lessons From The Longest Study On Happiness | Dr. Robert Waldinger

While there are no secrets to living the Good Life, Dr. Robert Waldinger is one of the most - if not THE most - qualified individuals to speak on what living the Good Life really means and how we can all build more meaningful connections. This conversation is so meaningful. Pulling on 85 years of research, we dive deep into what truly makes us happy, fulfilled, and resilient in the face of life's challenges. From the power of relationships and the importance of purpose to the art of mindfulness ...

Apr 05, 20231 hr 13 min

A Masterclass On Honesty, Courage and Perseverance | Charlie Webster

Broadcaster, journalist and endurance athlete Charlie Webster details her near death experience, her process of post-traumatic growth, and how it shaped her perspective on perseverance, mental health and the motivation to keep pushing forward. Charlie is incredible, and her body of work is… extensive, to say the least. She was the first woman to host a televised Boxing World Heavyweight Title Fight, has hosted or produced at least seven different podcasts, created a TV documentary for BBC, has r...

Mar 29, 20231 hr 13 min

Morality, Aggression, and Human Nature with Dr. Richard Wrangham

Violence and virtue. The Goodness Paradox. Why are humans capable of being the nicest, but also the nastiest, of all species? Join host Dr. Michael Gervais as he sits down with Richard Wrangham, biological anthropologist and author of "The Goodness Paradox," to discuss the intricate relationship between violence and virtues, and how understanding this connection can lead to a more compassionate and just society. Dr. Wrangham shares his research on the evolution of human behavior, challenging com...

Mar 22, 20231 hr 9 min

Passion, Therapy, Proving Yourself & More | AMA 5 Vol. with Dr. Michael Gervais

Dr. Mike sits down with actor Michael Rosenbaum to answer YOUR questions on psychological safety, therapy, motivation, passion, and so much more. Welcome back to another Ask Me Anything on Finding Mastery… I keep saying it - but it’s an honor to answer the questions you’re all sending in.  I’m really excited about this one. Michael Rosenbaum - a friend of Finding Mastery - has dropped in for today’s AMA. Michael is an actor, comedian, podcaster, and all-around incredible human. He’s famousl...

Mar 15, 20231 hr 6 min

Former Navy SEAL Teaches Team Resilience | Pete Naschak

Former Navy SEAL Command Master Chief, Pete Naschak, details what it means to be a resilience shepherd, how high performing teams operate, and the importance of an adaptable mindset. More: Pete served for 21 years as a Navy SEAL, where he held various operational & leadership positions and participated in military contingency operations around the world.  Now, Pete has taken what he learned as a leader of one of the most elite & high-performing military units, and founded Performanc...

Mar 08, 20231 hr 14 min

Finding Your Superpower In A World of Adversity | 17-time Paralympic Medalist, Oksana Masters

Paralympic athlete and 17-time medalist Oksana Masters shares her extraordinary journey of perseverance and triumph - from a life-saving adoption to winning Paralympic gold - offering insight and inspiration for anyone seeking to overcome obstacles and discover their own superpowers. More: Oksana Masters is a 17x Paralympic Medalist. Oksana has competed in each of the last six Paralympic Games (both summer & winter), and has brought home medals in four different sports – rowing, cross-countr...

Mar 01, 20231 hr 16 min

Coaching With A People-First Philosophy | MLB Coach of the Year, Donnie Ecker

Baseball America’s MLB Coach of the Year, Donnie Ecker, shares his heart-forward approach to coaching and leadership. Donnie Ecker is a highly respected and accomplished Major League Baseball (MLB) coach who is entering his second season as bench coach and offensive coordinator for the Texas Rangers.  Before his tenure with the Rangers, Donnie was recognized as Baseball America’s 2021 MLB Coach of the Year when he helped lead the San Francisco Giants to a franchise record 107 wins and 241 h...

Feb 22, 20232 hr 38 min

Holocaust Survivor Shares How To Live Free and Happy | Dr. Edith Eger

"I learned how to live, at a death camp." Dr. Edith Eger, a Holocaust survivor, clinical psychologist, and best-selling author shares the powerful lessons she learned from surviving Auschwitz and how she inspires individuals to live a life of fulfillment, happiness, and freedom. More on Dr. Eger: At the age of 16, Edie and her family were sent to Auschwitz – Edie’s parents were killed not long after arriving… but with bravery and incredible courage, Edie helped keep her and her sisters alive. Af...

Feb 15, 202352 min

Confidence, Anxiety, Resilience and More | AMA Vol. 4 with Dr. Michael Gervais

This week, we’re really excited to share another installment of our Ask Me Anything series. In this episode, we cover confidence, anxiety, resilience, self-talk, the art of feedback, and much more. For this AMA, we brought in a friend of Finding Mastery’s to help facilitate the conversation — O'Neil Cespedes. O’Neil is an actor, an improv artist, a former member of the Groundlings Sunday Company, and he's got an epic new podcast called 3 Black Guys on a Couch . O'Neil brings a fresh perspective ...

Feb 08, 202355 min

Upgrade Yourself, Upgrade Humanity - Biohacking with Dave Asprey

This week’s conversation is with Dave Asprey , an entrepreneur & tech innovator, four-time New York Times bestselling author, award-winning podcast host, and pioneer of the Biohacking movement.  For those of you who have listened for a while, you know I’ve had issues with the term “hacking” – and at the same time, I’m fascinated by folks who create and disrupt. Having devoted decades of his life to elevating human performance and creating significant brands like Bulletproof and Upgrade ...

Feb 01, 20231 hr 23 min

ICYMI: The Evolution of Mastery, with Abby Wambach

This week, we’re doing something a little different – we are excited to re-release a fresh version of our 2019 conversation with the US World Cup and Olympic soccer legend, Abby Wambach.  So – why are we re-releasing an episode? And why this conversation in particular? Because transitions are an increasingly prominent part of modern life. As the pace of change accelerates, so does our need to be able to eloquently adapt and adjust. And Abby has demonstrated mastery here.   She is ...

Jan 25, 20231 hr 14 min

Compassion Can Transform The World | Father Greg Boyle

Jesuit priest and founder of Homeboy Industries, Father Greg Boyle, guides us through the Homeboy Way - a life full of love, clarity, and unshakable goodness. More on Father Greg: Father Greg Boyle is an American Jesuit priest and the founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in the world. Each year over 10,000 former gang members and previously incarcerated people come through Homeboy Industries’ doors where they are given hope, training, ...

Jan 18, 20231 hr 1 min

The Mindset Of A Man Who Is Redefining His Sport | Lacrosse Legend, Paul Rabil

Paul Rabil is back! (on the podcast) In this week's conversation, legendary professional lacrosse player Paul Rabil opens about his mindset, his inner critic, starting the PLL, and what it takes to be the best in the world at your craft. More on Paul: Paul Rabil is a former professional lacrosse player and co-founder of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL).  You might remember Paul from his first appearance on Finding Mastery back in 2019 – that’s episode #167 if you want to check it out. For ...

Jan 11, 20232 hr 40 min

The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home | Anne Helen Petersen

In this week's episode, author and journalist Anne Helen Petersen covers some of society’s most pressing workplace trends - like the burnout epidemic and the transition to hybrid work - and how we can all thrive in the modern workplace. This is a conversation for employers, employees, and managers alike on how we can optimize remote work – and re-examine what “work” means in the first place. More on Anne Helen: Anne Helen Petersen is a journalist, author, and cultural critic known for her writin...

Jan 04, 20231 hr 13 min

How to Master Your Memory | 5x Memory Champion Nelson Dellis

The Grandmaster of Memory, Nelson Dellis, details why memory is an important skill to hone in on, and how to do just that. More on Nelson: This week’s conversation is with Nelson Dellis, a competitive memory athlete who is widely recognized as one of the world's leading experts in the fields of memory and mental fitness. Nelson is a 5X USA Memory Champion, a Grand Master of Memory, and holds several world records for memorization – including memorizing the most decks of cards in 30 minutes (9.02...

Dec 28, 20221 hr 6 min

Making Fun a Habit and The Pursuit of Joy | Dr. Mike Rucker

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Michael Rucker,  an organizational psychologist, behavioral scientist, and charter member of the International Positive Psychology Association. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Mike for about two decades and I’m stoked to introduce him and his work to you.  A former corporate executive, Michael found himself burnt out, unfulfilled in his career, and as he states “over-optimized in the pursuit of happiness”. So, he decided to make a change. He quit h...

Dec 21, 20221 hr 9 min

Set Yourself Up for an Epic 2023 | Ask Me Anything (AMA) #3 with Dr. Michael Gervais

Here's the final Ask Me Anything (AMA) of 2022 with Dr. Michael Gervais! A couple weeks back, we took questions from our community on how to best support your life ambitions, resolutions, habits, and goals as you move into 2023. Your questions rocked. Dr. Mike was excited to jump into the studio to film this and we hope this supports your new year. Stay tuned as we'll be back in 2023 with more high-performance and wellbeing content. Let us know—what questions would you like Dr. Mike to answer? L...

Dec 19, 202248 min

How To Unlock the Potential of Our Kids | Dr. Sheila Ohlsson Walker

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Sheila Ohlsson Walker, a Senior Scientist at the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University and a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. Sheila’s work and research interests lie at the intersection of neuroscience, genetics, psychology and social science, with a focus on how we can create contexts in sport, school and nature settings that unlock the potential of our youth. A former profes...

Dec 14, 20222 hr 34 min

Life Lessons from the Winningest Coach in College Sports | Paul Assaiante

This week’s conversation is with Paul Assaiante, one of the most decorated coaches in college sports history.  For those unfamiliar, Paul is a legend – he is a two-time Olympic coach of the year, the “winningest coach in college sports history”, an inductee of the U.S. Squash Hall of Fame, and has won 17 NCAA championship titles at Trinity College where he is still the head coach of the Men’s Squash team today.  You might also recognize Paul’s name from his first appearance on Finding ...

Dec 07, 20221 hr 4 min

Write Your Own Story & Quarterback Your Life | Yogi Roth

This week’s conversation is with Yogi Roth – Yogi is a dear friend of mine, and I’m really excited to finally introduce him to the Finding Mastery community.  At his core, Yogi is a storyteller with a unique focus on seeking and uncovering humanity in sports around the globe. His professional work has ranged from a college football analyst to an Emmy award-winning filmmaker, New York Times bestselling author, media personality, world-traveler, and accomplished coach. Yogi has lived a full l...

Nov 30, 20221 hr 13 min

A Rare Glimpse Into Musical Mastery | Violinist, Elizabeth Pitcairn

This week’s conversation is with Elizabeth Pitcairn, a world-renowned classical violin virtuoso. After making her orchestra debut at age 14, Elizabeth has gone on to travel the globe with her violin, performing as a soloist in various highly acclaimed orchestras at some of the most prolific classical music venues on the planet.  Elizabeth is also known for performing with one of the world’s most legendary instruments – the Red Mendelssohn Stradivarius violin of 1720 – said to have inspired ...

Nov 23, 202253 min

Building World-Changing Products, Vision and Success | Inventor of the iPod, Tony Fadell

This week’s conversation is with Tony Fadell, an entrepreneur, designer, engineer, and investor with a 30+ year history of founding companies and designing some of the most influential products of the 20th century.  Over his remarkable career, Tony has become best known as the inventor of the iPod, the iPhone, and the Nest Thermostat (which eventually sold to Google for $3.2B).  Tony has authored more than 300 patents and was named one of Time's "100 Most Influential People in the Worl...

Nov 16, 20221 hr 12 min

Leadership, Forgiveness, Authenticity and More | Ask Me Anything (AMA) #2 with Dr. Michael Gervais

We got some really excellent questions from our community last week. I love the deep thought, curiosity, and authenticity you all brought to the table. In our second AMA, I answer questions like: When things go sideways at work—and I still have a business to run and bills to pay—how do I think clearly? How do you put a high performance mindset lens on forgiveness? When something's been wrongfully done to you, how do you let go of it? What are the most interesting or unexpected ways you've seen l...

Nov 14, 202255 min

The Groundbreaking Science Behind Reprogramming Your Genetics | Dr. Jeffrey Bland

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Jeffrey Bland, an accomplished and highly respected thought leader who has spent more than four decades studying the improvement of human health. Due to his groundbreaking contributions the field, Jeff is known worldwide as “the founder of the Functional Medicine movement”, which represents his vision for a care model that is grounded in systems biology and informed by research. His pioneering work has created the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute (PL...

Nov 09, 20221 hr 8 min

How to Optimize Your Gut Health for High Performance | Dr. Colleen Cutcliffe

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Colleen Cutcliffe, the CEO and Co-Founder of Pendulum Therapeutics. Colleen’s extensive background includes a doctorate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Johns Hopkins University, and over 20 years of experience managing and leading teams in biotech, pharma, and academia. In 2013, Colleen left her position as Senior Manager of Biology at Pacific Biosciences to start Pendulum, a company on a mission to improve health through first of its kind research...

Nov 02, 20221 hr 11 min

How to Unlock the Power of Emotional Intelligence | Dr. Marc Brackett on the Permission to Feel

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Marc Brackett , the founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and a professor in the Child Study Center at Yale University. Marc’s research focuses on the role of emotional intelligence in learning, decision making, creativity, relationships, health, and performance.  Over his extensive career, Marc has developed a systemic, evidence-based approach to social & emotional learning which has been adopted by over 4,000 schools acros...

Oct 26, 20221 hr 4 min

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