Two episodes ago I had Talia Fox on the show. The turning point in her difficult life was realizing she had to let go of her identity, meaning, quit identifying as the girl who was a victim and had little opportunity or possibility. She did this. And from it she said, “I became obsessed with human and social behavior and how our identities shape our choices and our lives.” I think most of us never question our identity, we just assume we are who we are and that’s that. We can learn and do differ...
Dec 18, 2024•14 min
I’ve been intrigued by the sudden superhero concept for a long time. Peter Parker gets bitten by a spider and turns into spiderman. Bruce Banner gets exposed to radiation and turns into the Hulk. Some other guy or girl falls into a chemical vat and develops super powers. None of them chose those things to happen. But in our daily lives, seldom do specific and acute things happen to us like that. In most cases, we have choices to make, and I find that in seemingly hard circumstances, we’d rather ...
Dec 17, 2024•13 min
I have a powerful story of drive for you. One that starts with tears and today is an impressive lists of stats. Let’s start with the impressive list. Talia Fox is a leadership strategist. She holds an M.Ed. in counseling psychology from Howard University and she is a Harvard University Fellow. With her extensive background in psychology and education she assists leaders in developing successful strategies for complex missions, ranging from defense systems to healthcare initiatives. As CEO of KUS...
Dec 16, 2024•1 hr 55 min
This is a story of drive. How a guy found his and how he helps others find theirs. Tom Bilyeu describes himself as a scared kid who worked his way out of his fear and ultimately co-founded Quest Nutrition. You’ve likely seen or bought Quest bars from the grocery store wherever you live. In 2017 he started Impact Theory, a media company focused on human potential to address as Tom says, the pandemic of body and mind. Today his Impact Theory podcast is one of the top shows in the self-improvement ...
Dec 13, 2024•1 hr
I recently watched a little of a movie called “Above The Shadows” where after the death of her mother, a girl fades away until nobody notices her and she is in essence, invisible. But she still exists. Still goes about life. As we talk about changing ourselves and who and how we want to be, I intrigue myself with the exercise of considering how you would be if there were not “who.” You were anonymous. There was no persona and no ego, leaving you to only do what your head and heart wanted. You wo...
Dec 12, 2024•15 min
As we look at personal change, I feel it’s an important distinction to consider whether we want to change who we are, or how we are. I think we often feel ok about who we are at heart. We know we are striving to do good and we mean well and we aren’t looking to become some totally different person. However, we also feel dissatisfied with some of the results we are getting and wonder what actions and behaviors might get us better results. Let’s look at some ideas around still being who we are, bu...
Dec 11, 2024•15 min
In my previous episode with Karden Rabin, co-author of The Secret Language of The Body, he told the story of adopting the persona of an a-hole and making fun of others for a laugh, until he was 19 years old. And then, he changed his entire persona. Chances are though, you don’t view yourself as being a jerk. You’re ok with yourself overall, but you’d like better results from your life. You’d like more happiness and peace. So do you really want to change? Or do you just want different results? I ...
Dec 10, 2024•13 min
On September 9, 2024 we published a show titled, Your Nervous System Is Controlling You & How To Master It. My guests were Jennifer Mann and Karden Rabin and my muse was their new book, The Secret Language of The Body. In our long conversation, Karden brought up his “Emotional Cold Plunge” exercise and I was incredibly intrigued. He gave me access to his community at somiainternational.com/ which I joined and went through the exercise. I ended up engaging more and just felt really attracted ...
Dec 09, 2024•1 hr 44 min
Every Monday I bring you an author with a new book. But in my personal studies, I’m just as equally reading and rereading books from years past. Classics, in my opinion. In 2010, Greg McKeown published his book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, and it quickly became a classic. He became an instant guru on looking at our lives and our work and asking, “What is really essential?” I sat down with Greg and Tom Ziglar a few years back to understand essentialism better. You will hear, it...
Dec 06, 2024•1 hr 18 min
I’m wrapping up this series that started with Julia Baird australian journalist, broadcaster, author and host of the Not Stupid podcast. About the message in her brand new book: bright shining: how grace changes everything, and I got to thinking about when I've actually learned something. When I’ve been influenced to make a change. Has it come from war or peace? From everything that is not grace, or…grace? Thinking through it was really convicting for me and leads me to feeling that for the most...
Dec 05, 2024•15 min
I grew up with a mom who said, “Major on the majors, not on the minors.” Meaning to not make a big deal about small things. I ended up being a profound minimizer who was very conflict averse and didn’t make a big deal about anything. Not outwardly at least. But it was a big deal internally and I took myself to burnout and bitterness. It brings into question our personal boundaries, and what is and isn’t important enough to take issue with. Let’s think through it for ourselves here. Sign up for a...
Dec 04, 2024•14 min
In the last episode we talked about grace. I want to give focus to judgment, and I mean towards people. The word in today’s culture has a negative connotation. “Who are you to judge!” is often thrown out. And yet I experience our culture as more judgmental than ever. I know I have been for much of my life, and I don’t see that it improved my life or anyone else’s. What interests me is, what drives judgment in us? What is fueling it? My muse for the topic is Julia Baird, journalist, broadcaster, ...
Dec 03, 2024•13 min
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. You hit me, I hit you back. You disrespect me, I disrespect you. That would be the opposite of grace. Grace is generally considered offering a kindness, anyways. When it’s undeserved. I don’t feel the culture gives much value to the idea anymore. We are afraid that letting a wrong go unpunished will enable others. But as our mental health continues to decline and we find more people in more relational conflict than ever, I wanted to dig into the lost art o...
Dec 02, 2024•1 hr 51 min
As a guy, the concept of compassion has little place in my life. Especially as an athlete, there was no value in compassion. You ignore any pain and keep going. It reminds me of the depiction of the army sergeant yelling at the soldier to suck it up and march on. As a culture, I think we still put more value on sucking it up and keeping going and being indifferent to ourselves, than having compassion. Though we miss that we can still keep going when the circumstances demand it, and have some nee...
Nov 30, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Imaging waking tomorrow for Thanksgiving. You are in a jail cell. You look out the one, small window of your cell where you can see a perfect, Norman Rockwell scene of the holidays. Kids outside sledding, people ice skating. People cooking. Eating. Laughing. And loving. A voice comes over an intercom and tells you to give thanks for all you see outside. You reply and say, OK, but can I please just go out and be a part of it all?” The voice says, “Yes!” So you say, “Well, who is going to let me o...
Nov 29, 2024•11 min
My recent show with Upworthy VP Lucia Knell and head of content and innovation Gabriel Reilich about the book they put together called, GOOD PEOPLE: Stories From the Best of Humanity, has me continually thinking about how much good programming I put in my head. In reading the book which is a compilation of great stories of humanity, I got to considering how much I fill my mind with uplifting messages. The news and most of media focus on bad news. Problems. Drama. Most movies and shows are the sa...
Nov 27, 2024•14 min
What is a worldview? AI defines it as a person's or society's fundamental way of thinking about the world, and it's made up of their values, beliefs, and expectations. I take this one step further to say your worldview ends up being your experience of life. People by far and large think reality makes up their life experience. A reality would be the latest presidential election, but as we all know, the experience people had of it is vastly different. I submit their experience of it is their world...
Nov 26, 2024•15 min
You may well have heard of Upworthy. Upworthy is a media brand that focuses on positive storytelling. They have millions of followers on social media and email subscribers, who tune in to hear good news. Upworthy recently came out with a book, that focused on key areas of human goodness, and it is just stories. Just incredible stories of the best of humanity that people share with them each and every day, at a great amount. The book is called Good People and I was really curious as to what led t...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 33 min
The topic of expectations continues to come up as I talk with people in the human potential movement. As an aspiring person who would be listening to a podcast like this, of course you have some positive expectations for yourself. And yet I’d say the enemy of expectations is disappointment. So how do we have high expectations but not set ourselves up for disappointment? I’m bringing back a podcast from when I did The Ziglar Show, with Christine Hassler. Christine made expectations a focus and wr...
Nov 22, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Wrapping up this series on productivity that started with my conversation with Israa Nasir about the message in her book, Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World That Always Demands More, I’m looking at un-productive activities. But it’s not just idle time and entertainment. Think of it more like play, which may be a foreign term for you at this point in life. I want to look at activities that aren’t necessarily producing anything, you are just doing them to do them...
Nov 21, 2024•17 min
I continue to ponder the message from Israa Nasir in her book, Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World That Always Demands More. And I’m thinking about the people in and around my life and what attracts me to some and not others. And I’m realizing that the really busy people, even if they might seem important, don’t inspire me to pursue them. And the people that are more available, I innately have more respect and desire for. Which has me looking at myself and consi...
Nov 20, 2024•13 min
In my previous episode with Israa Nasir we talked about the message in her book, Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World That Always Demands More. Looking at being addicted to productivity and busyness, I want to look at our motives. To a degree, I feel we are often trying to prove ourselves. Prove our worth. Why? Well, our self-worth must be in question. And who are we trying to prove it to? Others, or ultimately, ourselves? Sign up for a $1/month trial period at s...
Nov 19, 2024•15 min
I think we’re all well aware that our culture has fallen into the idea of being busy is being important. But I’ll admit that even in trying to shed this, I still find myself busy. I just agree to things without counting the cost. But then I find myself struggling mentally with bitterness and burnout and I just want to escape. So when this book, Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World That Always Demands More, came across my desk, I was eager to have the author on. I...
Nov 18, 2024•1 hr 55 min
I pay attention to shows people refer to, and often in talking about spending money on our personal growth, people will ask me, “What was it your Dad used to say? What percent should you spend on your personal growth?” The answer is 3-5%. My Dad was Dan Miller, famed author of 48 Days To The Work & Life You Love. In 2017 he published a blog at 48days.com titled, ““Your Success is Guaranteed – If You Do This.” In it he cited Brian Tracy who turned him on to the idea, saying that successful pe...
Nov 15, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, or uneasiness that can be a normal reaction to stress. So, what is stress? Stress is a natural response to a perceived threat or challenge that can cause mental or physical tension. The only reason we would feel stress and anxiety is because we feel a threat. Threat is when we feel an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action. I’ve been looking at myself for a while and asking why I feel threatened? I expect that very few people liste...
Nov 14, 2024•16 min
I believe this world and this life is at the core, truly beautiful and glorious. And, we have some very concerning trends to address. Health care is the number one GNP in America. We spend more money, not on our health, but our unhealth, than on anything else. Why? Lifestyle. Just do the research. It’s not happening to it, we are doing it to ourselves. A very unpopular perspective, but in truth, isn’t that the best news? You have power, otherwise you are claiming victimhood. Healthcare in Americ...
Nov 13, 2024•14 min
Let’s take a quick look at foods in regards to anxiety. And I’ll admit up front, I don’t like the messages that put the food and drink I like in their cross hairs. Food is just about my favorite drug. I love loving it. And I don’t abstain from the foods I like. But I might moderate the amounts or the timing. Let’s take a quick look at some food and drink issues I’ve experienced causing issues with anxiety. My muse is from the conversation in the last episode with MD, holistic psychiatrist, acupu...
Nov 12, 2024•16 min
Anxiety is the new norm, and conventional medicine tends to view anxiety as a “neck-up” problem - that is, one of brain chemistry and psychology. So all the treatments are focused there. At the mind. At calming our minds. Getting calm. I agree with those, as part of the treatment. But what about our overall health? How does it factor in? My guest cites that the origins of anxiety are rooted in the body. Ellen Vora is an MD with her B.A. from Yale, a holistic psychiatrist, acupuncturist, and yoga...
Nov 11, 2024•1 hr 58 min
We begin life with built in accountability. We have our caregivers, maybe siblings, then we go to school and have teachers. Hopefully we have close friends. Eventually we have bosses. We may have a spouse or significant other. Even our children can be a source of accountability to how we behave and how we live our lives. But at the core, the greatest source of accountability is from ourselves. If the only thing holding us in line is those in our lives, it’s somewhat artificial. Twenty years ago ...
Nov 08, 2024•1 hr 2 min
When I wrote my book, What Drives You, I initially impressed myself with the width and depth of my knowledge, drawing on the messages and resources of the 250 leaders in human development I’d had on this show. This is my 1500th episode. I’d gotten exposed to more incredible information that most will in 5 lifetimes. Then it also dawned on me that with so many of the great messages and insights…I hadn’t done anything with them. It was wisdom I hadn’t implemented. I hadn’t changed. Working with a ...
Nov 07, 2024•12 min
