Explore powerful strategies to conquer public speaking anxiety with Dr. Michael Gervais and O'Neil Cespedes in this insightful AMA episode, delving into personal growth, purpose-based identity, and the untapped potential of the human mind. We also explore topics like: Practical insights for managing anxiety and nerves How to be your own tuning fork of excellence Creating space in your life for experimentation and exploration Putting yourself in positions of power in your own life How to sh...
Apr 15, 2024•50 min
With every season of sport, we witness various feats of greatness -- and getting to witness a true dynasty (and what it takes to get there) can be once in a generation. That’s why I am super excited to share a fresh version of our previous conversation with the 2024 National Championship winning basketball coach, Dawn Staley. As you might know, this past Sunday, Dawn led South Carolina to their 3rd national championship in the past 7 years to top off a perfect, undefeated season. Dawn also right...
Apr 10, 2024•1 hr 16 min
What is the primary driver of effective and impactful leadership? Is it from science—or the soul? Is it a more practical, results-driven organizational practice? Or is it an inner, meditative sense of self? This week’s Finding Mastery guest, Dr. Hitendra Wadhwa, has spent his career exploring these questions… and his answer is, well, both. Hitendra fuses the mystical history of his Indian roots with the more results-oriented needs of Western business -- bridging the gap between spirituality and ...
Apr 03, 2024•1 hr 37 min
Human exploration of space is driven by a deep curiosity and a desire to understand our place in the universe. The individuals - and teams - on the forefront of this exploration are modern-day pioneers, pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and capability. I’m excited to share the final installment of our 3-part series following one of these individuals, NASA Astronaut Dr. Woody Hoburg, on his journey into outer space. In Part 1, we learned about Woody’s rigorous mental and physical preparat...
Mar 27, 2024•1 hr 48 min
Imagine a world where you wake up inspired, feel safe throughout the day, and go to bed at night feeling fulfilled by the work you do. Sounds like utopia, right? Well, Simon Sinek has not only imagined such a world, but he's also dedicated his life to making it a reality. Known for his viral TED Talk on finding your WHY, and his groundbreaking insights on leadership, Simon's ideas have reached millions. As a best-selling author and founder of The Optimism Company, he's on a mission to help us al...
Mar 20, 2024•1 hr 25 min
We're thrilled to bring you the 17th volume of Finding Mastery’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) series. This edition dives deep into the essence of motivation, leadership, and the art of creating a positive work environment, all while emphasizing the crucial importance of self-understanding and authenticity. Joining us - as always - is our insightful co-host, O'Neil Cespedes, ready to unravel another set of thought-provoking topics and questions… In today's conversation, we explore: The inner worki...
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr 4 min
How do you navigate the uncertain terrain of your life? Does uncertainty fuel your drive, or does it bring anxiety that hinders your progress? Our guest today, Amelia Boone, is not only a four-time obstacle race world champion with three World’s Toughest Mudder wins and dubbed “The Queen of Pain” – she also excels as a full-time attorney for a multinational corporation. And, she’s accomplished all this while grappling with not one, but two, lifelong mental health diagnoses -- OCD and an ea...
Mar 13, 2024•1 hr 5 min
We all have many great conversations in life – conversations where we learn, explore, express, question – but there are some conversations that stand out among the rest. Conversations so rich with insights and revelation, that they fundamentally change you. They inspire you to be better. My conversation with Seth Godin was just that. In this episode, we're diving deep with Seth, the mind behind 21 best-selling books including The Dip , This Is Marketing , and Purple Cow . His latest, The Song of...
Mar 06, 2024•1 hr 19 min
How many of us do everything we can to avoid pain and suffering? It’s a natural response, deeply ingrained to protect ourselves. But what if we didn’t run from suffering, and actively engaged and encouraged it to create meaning and purpose in our lives? That’s the philosophy of Akshay Nanavati – Iraqi war veteran, entrepreneur, extreme athlete, and author of Fearvana : The Revolutionary Science of How to Turn Fear Into Health, Wealth and Happiness . His unique take comes out of his military expe...
Feb 28, 2024•1 hr 41 min
What drives us to pursue impossible dreams, fail repeatedly, and keep trying? Our guest, former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, truly embodies the spirit of never giving up. Despite a fear of heights, bad eyesight, multiple rejections from NASA, and other setbacks, Mike's unwavering determination led him to perform heroic spacewalks to repair the Hubble Telescope and to send the first-ever Tweet from beyond Earth’s atmosphere. But how did he maintain his persistence? What psychological skills did...
Feb 21, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Welcome to Volume 16 of Finding Mastery’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) series. The purpose behind these conversations - behind these AMAs – is to hear from you … to explore the topics and questions that you have been wrestling with on your path to becoming. It is your insights and questions that fuel these epic conversations – so thank you again for all the thoughtfulness, honesty, and trust you put into these questions. Keep ‘em coming! Our co-host, O'Neil Cespedes, is back to guide us through another...
Feb 19, 2024•1 hr 3 min
What if mastering love is the ultimate high-performance skill? This Valentine's Day, we're taking a deep dive into the heart of relationships with two special guests—our host Dr. Michael Gervais and his wife, Lisa Gervais —a creative powerhouse with a rich background in dance, acting, and truth telling. In this episode hosted by our favorite AMA co-host, O'Neil Cespedes, Mike and Lisa open their lives and their love to us—sharing the joys, challenges, and profound lessons learned on their journe...
Feb 14, 2024•1 hr 23 min
In this special LIVE episode recorded at Radio Row in Las Vegas for Super Bowl 58, we had the privilege of sitting down with Lisa McCaffrey, the mother of 49ers star running back, Christian McCaffrey. Despite Christian's status as one of - if not THE - best running backs in the NFL, and his 2023 Offensive Player of the Year Award, Lisa's excitement and nerves during this Super Bowl week are palpable. Now, the McCaffrey family boasts an impressive athletic history, with Lisa playing college socce...
Feb 09, 2024•28 min
How does someone turn a two-bedroom apartment into the world’s largest hedge fund? Our guest today - the one and only Ray Dalio - knows. A master of global macro investing, Ray founded Bridgewater Associates and led it to unparalleled heights, redefining financial excellence along the way. Ray isn't just a finance legend; he's a visionary author and a vanguard in idea meritocracy. With bestsellers like 'Principles: Life and Work,' he's influenced minds around the globe. His journey from a financ...
Feb 07, 2024•57 min
A couple months back I was in Austin doing some promo for The First Rule of Mastery and had the opportunity to be a guest on Ryan Holiday’s incredible podcast, The Daily Stoic. It’s always such a joy to connect and flow with Ryan – we had a fantastic conversation that I wanted to share here today. This time around was especially fun… not only was the conversation great, but we also got to record it in Ryan’s epic bookstore, The Painted Porch. If you’re in or near Austin… you have to check ...
Feb 05, 2024•2 hr 2 min
Today’s guest needs no introduction – but I’m thrilled to do it anyway. Rich Roll is a world-renowned ultra-endurance athlete, plant-based fitness advocate, bestselling author, host of the hugely popular Rich Roll Podcast, husband, father.... and the list goes on. He's also a good friend – this is Rich’s fourth time on the podcast. His episodes are often our most popular, and there’s a good reason for that. Rich’s humility and frank discussion of his sobriety and recovery – as well as his courag...
Jan 31, 2024•1 hr 43 min
Many of us who are seeking optimal health, performance, and wellness take a variety of supplements. And I think it’s only natural to find ourselves questioning— what's really in these supplements? How do we know if those ingredients are actually doing anything for our bodies and minds? Our guest today, Katerina (Kat) Schneider had the same questions – and she took action to get to the truth. What she discovered led her to develop a new standard in the world of vitamins and supplements. Kat is th...
Jan 24, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Welcome to Volume 15 of Finding Mastery’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) series. In this latest installment, O'Neil Cespedes and I explore the intricate dance between our physical and mental states, especially during times of challenge and change. Key topics covered this week include: The profound connection between our physical and mental health. Strategies for maintaining an optimistic mindset during setbacks. The role of psychological agility in viewing challenges as opportunities for growth. The chan...
Jan 22, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Imagine standing on the edge of a cliff, facing an inch-wide line of webbing that stretches across a vast expanse. It’s tensioned between two secure anchor points but it’s a dynamic surface that will bounce, sway, and stretch when you step out on it. This line isn't just a piece of equipment; it's a gateway to mastering fear and discovering your true potential. This is the world of highlining, and Faith Dickey stands at its forefront – embodying resilience and mental fortitude. Since 2008, Faith...
Jan 17, 2024•1 hr 31 min
Hey everybody, Mike here… we’re doing something a little different today… If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you probably recognize the name Dan Harris – he’s a friend, journalist, fellow podcaster, and was actually one of our earliest guests on Finding Mastery back in 2016. We had some fantastic conversations together and I was lucky enough to be an early guest on his incredible show – Ten Percent Happier – I’ve been a big fan and follower of his show ever since. A...
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr 4 min
What does leadership look like in the middle of a war zone—one of the most dynamic, agile, and consequential environments on the planet? General Stanley McChrystal knows intimately what it’s like – and is committed to teaching his hard-earned leadership insights to others. Heading up the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), he led the U.S. military’s most elite special ops teams against Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and from there was commissioned to command the war on terror in Afghanistan. That ...
Jan 10, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Imagine this... you're a NASA Astronaut. You're on a spacewalk, floating in the vastness of outer space, and suddenly... you go blind. What do you do? You might recognize today’s guest, Chris Hadfield, from his viral video on the International Space Station, where he performed David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' – a performance that garnered over 35 million views worldwide. But Chris is so much more than a musical talent in orbit. He's not only a retired NASA astronaut but also a skilled engineer, a fo...
Jan 03, 2024•58 min
In a world increasingly obsessed with self-image and social validation, how do we truly understand the role of self-esteem in our lives? Is it merely a reflection of our ego? What purpose does it serve? These questions form the core of our conversation with Dr. Mark Leary, a former professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, who retired after 39 years of teaching, publishing 14 books and 250+ scholarly articles and chapters on topics such as social motivation, emotion, and self-...
Dec 27, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Today’s podcast is a really special one, as we have on CNN’s 2023 Hero of the Year, Dr. Kwane Stewart, a.k.a. “The Street Vet.” Kwane is a veterinarian who provides free veterinary care for the animals society often forgets—the pets of people living without homes. In this heartfelt conversation, Kwane demonstrates the courage it takes to explore the messy edges of emotion, and he opens up about how honoring his feelings propelled him to take life-changing actions. Kwane’s story isn’t just about ...
Dec 20, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Today, we’re super excited to share the 14th installment of our Ask Me Anything series. The purpose behind these conversations - behind these AMAs – is to hear from you … to explore the topics and questions that you have been wrestling with on your path to becoming. The goal is to expand on the themes, lessons, and best-practices we’ve discussed on the Finding Mastery podcast in order to make them even more applicable to your own life. By now, our incredible co-host needs no introduction – we’re...
Dec 18, 2023•50 min
“Be bold, dream big. Take the risk. Figure out what it takes to accomplish your goals, and then you will win. Or if you don't, at least you'll get damn near close… We all need to take risks to keep growing and to keep learning.” Imagine the possibilities if you were to take radical and relentless action towards your biggest (maybe even intimidating) dreams – defying fear and uncertainty. Today’s guest, the remarkable Liz Elting, doesn’t need to imagine. She’s living it. Her story is ...
Dec 13, 2023•1 hr 3 min
Where are wearables leading us? In the dynamic, fast-paced world of health technology, what does the future hold? What possibilities can we unlock? How can we leverage the power of wearables to transcend mere physical tracking and genuinely enhance our psychological well-being? These questions form the perfect springboard for our conversation with Dr. Kapil Parakh, a renowned cardiologist and the Senior Medical Lead at Google. Kapil is more than a doctor, he’s a leader in the wearable movement w...
Dec 06, 2023•1 hr 27 min
What can we learn about success from the phenomenal growth of digital technology and the extraordinary achievements of Silicon Valley teams? And almost more importantly, what can we learn from the shell-shocking failures of some other seemingly great businesses? Today’s guest has been researching the digital transformation of businesses for three decades, and he’s landed on some fascinating— and extremely practical— conclusions. In this episode, I’m thrilled to have Andrew McAfee join us for a d...
Nov 29, 2023•1 hr 4 min
To date, the Finding Mastery Podcast has been running for 8 years and for over 400 episodes. In that time, we’ve gained extraordinary insights and timeless wisdom from some of the top thinkers and doers in the world. While we have come to realize that there is no singular “golden thread” to how the best in the world operate – we’ve noticed some common themes, skills, and insights that many of these people have utilized on their path to mastery. And that’s why we’re so thrilled to bring you...
Nov 27, 2023•2 hr 1 min
What would you do in the face of a very public and shocking defeat? Would you crumble, or would you use it to grow and learn? Today’s guest chose growth, transforming one of the most heart-wrenching moments in NFL history into a profound learning experience. In this episode, I'm thrilled to introduce a friend and former colleague from my time with the Seattle Seahawks — the exceptional Tom Cable. Tom’s coaching journey includes three years as an NFL Head Coach and seven years as an Assista...
Nov 22, 2023•1 hr 46 min
