Finding Mastery: Conversations With Michael Gervais

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Amishi Jha, a professor of psychology at the University of Miami. She serves as the Director of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative, which she co-founded in 2010. Amishi received her Ph.D. from the University of California–Davis and postdoctoral training at the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University. Her work has been featured at NATO, the World Economic Forum, and The Pentagon. Amishi has received coverage in The New York Times, NPR, TIME, Forbes, and more. Her TED Talk on “How to Tame Your Wandering Mind” has over 5 million views and she is the author of Peak Mind, which came out on October 19th. You can probably guess where this conversation is headed – it’s all about awareness, focus, and how you can train your brain to pay attention more effectively.----Please support our partners!We're able to keep growing and creating content for YOU because of

This week’s conversation is with professional volleyball players and Olympians Alix Klineman and April Ross. Otherwise known as, The A-Team.On August 6 of this year, Alix and April captured the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, after winning in straight sets versus Australia. In the entire tournament, they went undefeated in match play, only losing one set throughout seven matches. Two weeks later, the pair won the AVP Manhattan Beach Open, their second time winning this tournament together.I’ve had the privilege to work with both of them - Alix while she was a member of the USA women’s national team for indoor volleyball and April throughout the 2016 Olympic Quad.It was an absolute joy to watch them come together to grab the gold in Tokyo.In this conversation, we discuss their journey to Gold… the formation of their partnership, their process for building trust, and what goes into performing at their best when the stakes are the highest.----Please support our partners!We're abl

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Gil Blander, an expert in nutrition, biomarker analytics, athletic performance, biochemistry, and aging research.Gil holds numerous patents and has published peer-reviewed articles in these fields. He received his PhD in biology from the Weizmann Institute of Science, and undertook postgraduate research on aging at MIT. Gil is also the Founder and CSO of InsideTracker, a personalized health and performance analytics company created by a team of scientists, physicians, nutritionists and exercise physiologists from MIT, Harvard, and Tufts University.InsideTracker has been a longtime partner of ours and I love the actionable insights I’ve gathered from the personalized data they've provided me to help optimize my health.InsideTracker has been a longtime partner of ours and I love the personalized data and actionable insights they support me with to optimize my health.I wanted to have Gil on to learn more about why he founded InsideTracker and the differenc

This week’s conversation is with trailblazing psychologist and author of the New York Times bestseller Emotional Intelligence, Dr. Daniel Goleman.Daniel has transformed the way the world educates children, relates to family and friends, and conducts business.Well-known for his work in leadership and education, Daniel is also a distinguished voice in the field of meditation. A meditator since his college days, Daniel spent two years in South Asia, first as a Harvard Predoctoral Traveling Fellow and then again on a Post-Doctoral Fellowship. His first book, The Meditative Mind: The Varieties of Meditative Experience, was written on the basis of that research, offering an overview of various meditation paths.Daniel’s other books include:  A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World and Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain and Body.In this conversation, we discuss his key findings, frameworks, and insights around why emotional intelligenc

This week’s conversation is with Rebecca Rusch, a 7x-world champion in the ultra adventure/endurance realm and a member of the prestigious international Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.Rebecca has been recognized by Outside Magazine among the Top 40 Women Who’ve Made the Biggest Impact and by Men’s Journal as one of the 25 Most Adventurous Women.Known for seeking the toughest challenges imaginable and pushing herself into unknown territory has yielded Rebecca many firsts...Notably, the first female ascent on Yosemite’s 3000-ft. El Capitan Bermuda Dunes route and a first descent river boarding 300 miles of the entire Grand Canyon in 18 winter days.On two wheels, she is the only female competitor to win the iconic Leadville 100 four times and is a two time, first female finisher at the Iditarod Trail Invitational, pedaling 350 self-supported miles through the Alaskan wilderness.  Most recently she completed a previously unattempted North to South route traversing Iceland in winter by fatback alongside Chri

This week’s conversation is with Zak Williams, the son of the late Robin Williams and co-founder and CEO of PYM, a mental wellness company rooted in the belief that there is a world where someone can be the best version of themselves simply by establishing easy daily rituals that help support their mind and overall wellbeing. Zak is a US trustee of the international advocacy organization, United for Global Mental Health, a board member of mental health awareness non-profit Bring Change 2 Mind, an advisor to national policy organization Inseparable, and the mental health tech platform Project Healthy Minds. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, so it’s an important time to honor those who have been impacted and help others who might be struggling realize there’s alternative options.I’ve personally been affected by suicide and Zak opens up about the impact it had on him in this conversation, too. We discuss his experience growing up with an incredibly successful parent – the

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Philip Zimbardo, a professor emeritus in psychology at Stanford University, and creator of The Stanford Prison Experiment.Philip has spent over 50 years teaching psychology - he’s an absolute legend in the field. He’s written more than 60 books and has over 600 publications (professional and popular articles, and chapters). Among his books are: Psychology and Life textbook, Shyness, The Lucifer Effect, The Time Paradox, The Time Cure, and most recently, Man Interrupted. His current research looks at the Psychology of Heroism, asking: “What forces push some people to become perpetrators of evil, while others act heroically on behalf of people in need.” As founder and president of the nonprofit foundation, Heroic Imagination Project (HIP), he does trainings globally in schools, institutions, and businesses. It would be impossible to cover all his work over the course of an hour conversation, but we discuss

This week’s conversation is with Katrina Adams, the first African American to lead the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the first two-term Chairman and President of said organization and the first former player to hold that honor. Under her guidance, the USTA achieved a number of major milestones, including the opening of the 100 court USTA National Campus in Orlando, the strategic transformation of the $600 million USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. and an unprecedented outreach effort into underserved communities in an effort to share the sport of tennis with more people. Prior to this role, Katrina competed for 12 years on the WTA Tour, winning 20 career doubles titles and reaching the quarterfinals or better in doubles at all four Grand Slam events. Katrina’s hard work in tennis, leadership and philanthropy has earned her many accolades including: being named on Adweek magazine’s “Most Powerful Women in Sports” list twice (2016 and 2017), Forbes m

This week’s conversation is with Aaron Kirman, a prominent figure in the luxury real estate market for the past 20 years.Aaron is the President of the International Estates Division at Compass and founder, CEO and techpreneur of the eponymously named Aaron Kirman Group, which includes a team of nearly 100. With over $7 billion in luxury home sales, Aaron represents the finest estates across the globe and is sought after by the most discerning clients, including titans of industry, celebrities, royal families, major lending institutions and foreign investors.Aaron was ranked among the top five luxury real estate agents in the U.S. by the Wall Street Journal and is the star of TV's newest hit real estate show, Listing Impossible on CNBC.What makes this conversation so compelling isn’t necessarily Aaron’s status today, but the challenges he faced from day one - this conversation is about what it feels like to not fit in.Aaron discusses everything from overcoming dyslexia to hiding he was gay - and - the cha

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Stephen Porges, a distinguished university scientist at Indiana University, where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. He is also a professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina and professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland. Stephen more than 350 peer‐reviewed scientific papers, published across several disciplines, have been cited in approximately 40,000 peer-reviewed papers. He holds several patents involved in monitoring and regulating autonomic state and originated the polyvagal theory, which emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral, mental, and health problems related to traumatic experiences. So at its core, this conversation is about the triggers that either prompt us to feel threatened or safe… and why social connection or lack thereof plays such an integral role in which state we gravitate towards.Stephen is

This week’s conversation is with Anne Morriss and Frances Frei.Anne has spent the last twenty years building and leading mission-driven enterprises, serving most recently as CEO and Co-Founder of GenePeeks, a computational genomics company developing breakthrough ways to identify genetic risk. She has worked with entrepreneurs, companies and governments throughout the United States and Latin America on strategy, leadership and organizational change. Frances is a Professor of Technology and Operations Management at Harvard Business School. Her research investigates how leaders create the conditions for organizations and individuals to thrive by designing for excellence in strategy, operations, and culture.Frances regularly advises senior executives embarking on large-scale change initiatives and organizational transformation, including embracing diversity and inclusion as a lever for improved performance.   She is considered a culture consultant - helped makeover Riot Games, Uber

This week’s conversation is with Chris Bosh, an 11-time NBA All-Star, 2-time Champion and the NBA’s first Global Ambassador of Basketball.Chris fell in love with basketball at an early age and earned the prestigious “Mr. Basketball” title while still at Lincoln High School in Dallas, Texas. A McDonald’s All-American, Chris was selected fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors after one year attending Georgia Tech. Chris would eventually leave the Raptors to team up Lebron James and Dwyane Wade with the Miami Heat, where he would win two NBA championships, yet had his playing days cut short during his prime by a freak medical condition. His extraordinary career ended not at a time of his choosing but “in a doctor’s office in the middle of the afternoon.” Chris was forced to reckon with how to find meaning to carry forward, and that really sets the tone for this conversation.We discuss what led to his success during his time in the league and how he found meaning in his life post-basketball - s

This week’s conversation is with Steve Smith, one of America’s most experienced astronauts and spacewalkers, with 4 spaceflights and 7 spacewalks to repair the Hubble Space Telescope and build the Space Station.Steve dreamed of being an astronaut at age 7. Then he made his dream come true through sheer determination and intelligent risk taking. During the 3-decade pursuit of his dream he became a Stanford electrical engineer and MBA, General Motors Fellow, pilot, elite collegiate athlete, and IBM Product Manager.  At NASA, Steve held multiple senior leadership positions and served as a Diplomat.   He now uses this one-of-a-kind experience base as a board director, venture capital advisor, and keynote speaker.   I was so excited to have this conversation - for all the years we’ve been at it with Finding Mastery, we’ve never had an astronaut as a guest so this was such a treat.We discuss his experience going to space, how it changed his perspective of life on ea

This week’s conversation is with Dawn Staley, the University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball Head Coach and Team USA Olympic Head Basketball coach for the Tokyo Olympics.Catapulting South Carolina into the national spotlight, Dawn has made the Gamecocks a mainstay in the battle for SEC and national championships. Under her leadership, the Gamecocks have reached many firsts – National Championship, NCAA Final Fours, No. 1 rankings, SEC regular-season and tournament titles, SEC Player of the Year, National Player of the Year, WNBA No. 1 Draft pick and No. 1 recruiting classes – to name the most notable.While her coaching career is in full bloom, Dawn is still recognized for her body of work as a one of the most decorated participants in United States women’s basketball history. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame solidified that legacy with her enshrinement as part of the Class of 2013.I wanted to speak with Dawn to understand her leadership style and learn how we can all apply tho

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Jud Brewer, a New York Times best-selling author, neuroscientist, addiction psychiatrist, and thought leader in the field of habit change. He is the Director of Research and Innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center, the executive medical director of behavioral health at Sharecare Inc., and a research affiliate at MIT. Dr. Jud has developed and tested novel mindfulness programs for habit change, including treatments for smoking, emotional eating, and anxiety. You may be familiar with him from his first appearance on Finding Mastery a few years ago - episode #66.I wanted to have Jud back on to discuss his new book titled, “Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind.”You can probably imagine where this conversation is headed - we discuss some of his new findings around working with anxiety, in any walk of life.-----Please support our partners!We're able to keep growing and creating content for&nbs

This week’s conversation is with Adeline Gray, one of the top professional freestyle wrestlers in the world, male or female. She is a 2016 Olympian, five-time World Champion (2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019), seven-time World Championship medalist and went undefeated in international competition from 2014-2016.  Adeline’s 2019 World title and fifth World Championship win gave her the title of the most decorated female American wrestler in history. I wanted to speak with Adeline to understand how she became a trailblazer for her sport - how did she stay the course when there wasn’t one, when there were few role models to look up to?Adeline’s story isn’t all roses - after going undefeated from 2014-2016 in international competition, she wasn’t able to get it done at the 2016 Rio Olympics, finishing in 7th place.We discuss what went wrong at those Games and how’s she’s adjusted her mindset heading into the Tokyo Olympics.I think this is a perfect conversation with the Games only a few weeks out...&n

This week’s conversation is with Matteo Franceschetti, the CEO of Eight Sleep.Matteo has always been obsessed with performance. Athletic performance, business performance, and now sleep performance.His drive to succeed propelled him from sports podiums to the top tier of the international legal world and to start starting up two clean-tech companies on two different continents, all before age 30.Not surprisingly, sleepless nights were a way of life.It was Matteo’s quest for more restorative sleep, in fact, that led him down the path to launch Eight Sleep, a company dedicated to fueling human potential through optimal sleep, and to turning the bed into a seamless health platform for improved health, performance, and longevity. Eight Sleep has been an amazing partner to us for a few years now and I wanted to speak to Matteo to understand both his entrepreneurship journey and his insights on sleep. What’s the key to getting a great night’s sleep? I think you’ll be surprised to learn about some common s

This week’s conversation is with Jordyn Wieber, a member of the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame and the “Fierce Five” United States gymnastics squad that won team gold at the 2012 Olympics.Jordyn was a two-time U.S. all-around champion (2011 and 2012) and the 2011 World all-around champion. Her illustrious Elite Career included three medals at the 2011 World Championships (all-around and team : gold, and a bronze on beam), and four U.S. senior national titles (all-around, bars and floor in 2011 and all-around in 2012). She officially retired from competitive gymnastics in 2015.In 2019, Jordyn was introduced as the head coach of the Arkansas Women’s Gymnastics program making her the youngest NCAA head-coach in history. Jordan has been a vocal advocate for safe sport, has won several awards in the past year, including the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs, the Rising Star Award by the Los Angeles Business Journal, and the Giant Steps A Hero Among Us Award.In this conversation we cover so much -

This week’s conversation is with Darin Olien, who you might be familiar with as the co-host of the widely popular Netflix docu-series “Down to Earth with Zac Efron”. Darin is a highly recognized exotic superfoods hunter, supplement formulator, and author of the New York Times bestselling book, “SuperLife: The five fixes that will keep you healthy, fit and eternally awesome.He’s worked with the fitness-company Beachbody to formulate one of the top superfood shakes in the USA a whole-food supplement called, “Shakeology”, as well as the plant-based, “Ultimate Reset 21-day” detoxification program. Darin is also one of the founders of Barukas™, a new super nut from the Savannah “Cerrado” of Brazil.  So you can probably imagine what this conversation is about - we dive into Darin’s passion for nutrition - what makes a great superfood, the importance of proper hydration, and so much more. -----Please support our partners!We're able to keep growing and creating content for YOU becau

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Richard “Harry” Harris, an Australian anesthetist and cave diver who played a crucial role in the Tham Luang cave rescue. For those of you unfamiliar, it’s an incredible story… In June 2018, Harry was about to depart on a cave diving holiday to the Nullarbor Plain.He and dive partner Craig were requested by the Thai government, on the advice of British cave diving experts attempting to rescue twelve Thai children and their soccer coach who were trapped in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system… to provide assistance with the rescue efforts.They were jointly awarded 2019 Australian of the Year as a result of that rescue.I wanted to speak with Harry to understand how he did it… what gave him the courage to put his life on the line on a whim for strangers?I think you’ll be fascinated to not only hear about Dr. Harry’s first hand experience but also the mental skills he utilized – imagery, calm, confidence, focus… it’s all there.-