Episode description

Today we welcome Steven Kotler, the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective. He is an award-winning journalist and one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. Steven is the author of eleven bestsellers including The Art of Impossible, The Rise of Superman, Bold, and Abundance. His work has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes, translated into over 50 languages, and has appeared in over 100 publications. His latest book is called Gnar Country: Growing Old, Staying Rad.

Our moderator for this live discussion was Dr. Torrie Higgins, the Head Coach of the Flow Research Collective. Dr. Higgins is a deeply passionate, empathetic peak performance coach, consultant and educator whose coaching philosophy is rooted in the deep-seated belief that everyone has the potential to achieve success and growth. In her private practice, she has had the opportunity to coach a diverse range of clientele, from mountaineers preparing to summit Mount Everest and K2 to business leaders of Fortune 500 companies.

In this live discussion, I talked to Steven Kotler about creativity, skill-mastery, and aging. Our society views aging as a process of decline, with our physical and mental capabilities worsening over time. Steve Kotler invites us to challenge our preconceived notions about aging by engaging in “impossible” activities that cultivate mastery and creativity. When we are able to incrementally push past our limits, we change our mindset about growing old which ultimately prolongs our longevity.  We also touch on the topics of exploration, play, social connection, flow, neuroscience, wisdom, and embodied cognition.

Website: stevenkotler.com

Twitter: @steven_kotler

Topics

04:55 Gnar Country: Growing Old, Staying Rad

10:46 Challenging our limiting beliefs

16:12 Narcissism vs mastery

19:40 Curiosity and exploration as motivators

22:24 Approach fear incrementally

27:18 Why we need “replacement friends”

38:44 Finding a training partner

42:54 Creativity and Aging: What We Can Make With What We Have Left

49:38 Intelligence, expertise, giftedness

52:31 “The pursuit of wisdom thrives on joy”

1:02:13 Dynamic deliberate play

1:11:25 Learning through embodied cognition

1:17:06 Flow and peak experiences

1:23:45 Creativity as a way of being

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