Finding Mastery: Conversations With Michael Gervais

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Andrew Weil, an internationally recognized expert on medicinal plants, alternative medicine, and the reform of medical education.He is the founder and Director of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, where he also holds the Lovell-Jones Endowed Chair in Integrative Rheumatology and is Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health.Andrew is the founder and Chairman of the Weil Foundation, and the founder and co-Chairman of Healthy Lifestyle Brands.He is also a founder and partner of the growing group of True Food Kitchen restaurants.Andrew is an absolute pioneer in the field…In this conversation, Andrew shares why he’s such an avid supporter of integrative health and his philosophy on healthy aging.-----Please support our partners!We're able to keep growing and creating content for YOU because of their support. We believe in their mission and would appreciate you supporting them in return!!To take advantage of deals from our p

This week’s conversation is with Charles Duhigg, a Pulitzer prize-winning reporter and a former columnist and senior editor at the New York Times.Charles is the author of The Power of Habit, which has spent over three years on the New York Times bestseller lists, and Smarter Faster Better, also a New York Times bestseller.His books have sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.Charles currently writes for The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine, and hosts How To! with Charles Duhigg, a Slate podcast.He is a graduate of Yale University and the Harvard Business School, and a frequent contributor to This American Life, NPR, The Colbert Report, PBS’s NewsHour, and Frontline.In this conversation, we discuss what led Charles to write The Power of Habit and drill down into some best practices to create a new habit or curb a poor habit.------Please support our partners!We're able to keep growing and creating content for YOU because of their support. We believe in their mission and would appreciate y

This week’s conversation is with Tianna Bartoletta, a professional track and field athlete from Elyria, Ohio that specializes in the short sprints, the 4x100m relay and the long jump.Tianna and Jesse Owens are 2 of just 3 athletes in the states history to win four state titles two years in a row.She attended and ran track for the University of Tennessee, but turned pro after her sophomore season when she won her fist world championship title at 19 years old.Tianna’s a two-time Olympian, a 3x Olympic Gold Medalist, a world-record holder, and a 3x world champion.A reigning Olympic Champion and now 35 year old, Tianna is currently training to defend her title at Tokyo 2021.In this conversation, Tianna shares what it’s like to compete on the world’s biggest stage, and how she manages the pressure – one moment to make 4 years of hard work pay off. ------Please support our partners!We're able to keep growing and creating content for YOU because of their support. We believe in their mission and would

This week’s conversation is with Wes Pfiffner, a member of Joovv’s leadership team.Joovv is the first company to develop a modular, full-body light therapy for personal, in-home use.So why am I so interested in light therapy?You probably know that UV light from the sun helps us create Vitamin D, but other colors and wavelengths of sunlight are crucial for our health as well, like red light and near-infrared light.I’ve been hooked on Joovv for a while and I wanted to have Wes on to take a deeper dive into their technology and how it can make a difference for you.In this conversation, Wes breaks down the basics of light and how it works on a cellular level, leading to some commonly known (and some not so common!) ways healthy light exposure optimizes health, and why you should prioritize this therapy the same way you do diet and exercise.Joovv also just launched their next generation of devices – you can learn more and take advantage of an exclusive offer at Joovv.com/findingmastery. ------Please support o

A few days ago I connected with former NFL legend and Seattle Seahawk running back, Marshawn Lynch, to discuss mental health.It was a great conversation - live on Uninterrupted's Instagram page. I wanted to share it here in case you missed it. The audio is a little subpar since its from Instagram but the conversation makes up for it.Enjoy! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Pedram Shojai, a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Master Herbalist and acupuncturist.Pedram is the New York Times bestselling author of The Urban Monk and The Art of Stopping Time.He is an acclaimed Qigong Master and Taoist Abbot with a practical approach to modern living, using Eastern thinking and practices to help himself and others overcome the Westernized challenges of everyday life.His upcoming book, FOCUS: Bringing Time, Energy and Money into Flow, is about bringing your attention in line with your intention to get the life you want, and will release November 10, 2020. In this conversation, we talk about strategies for improving focus and getting the most out of each day.For Pedram, it comes down to prioritizing what's most important and implementing a practice of life gardening.You get a certain amount of plants. You say you want them watered. You say they're important to you. How is the allocation of your water? ------Please support our partners!We're a

This week’s conversation is with Jill Ellis, the former head coach of the U.S Women’s National Team.Jill is the all-time winningest coach in U.S. Soccer History. She led the team to World Cup victories in 2015 and 2019 and was twice named FIFA World Coach of the Year.She completed her time with the National Team with a record of 106 wins, 7 losses, and 19 ties.Previous to the National Team, she was the head coach of the women’s soccer team at UCLA for 12 years.A few weeks back I had the fortune of speaking with one of Jill’s former players, Becky Sauerbrunn, who mentioned the inherent pressure that comes with playing on the National Team.There are so many highly talented individuals vying for so few spots. Competition for playing time is through the roof. There is constant pressure to win.I wanted to speak with Jill to better understand their culture and her process for managing – especially when the culture gets tested. ------Please support our partners!We're able to keep growing and creating content fo

This week’s conversation is with Rich Roll – if you’ve listened to Finding Mastery for a while you know the name – this is his third time on the podcast and he’s someone I just love getting a chance to chat with.For those of you unfamiliar with Rich, he was named one of the “25 Fittest Men in the World” by Men’s Fitness and “The World’s Fittest Vegan” by Men’s Health.Rich is a globally renown ultra-endurance athlete, wellness advocate, bestselling author, husband and father of four.When he isn’t lost on a trail or spending time with his wife Julie, their four children and two Great Pyrenees, he hosts the wildly popular Rich Roll Podcast, one of the top 100 podcasts in the world.Rich also has a new book coming out titled, Voicing Change, set for release in November 2020.It felt very timely to speak with Rich again – he knows what rock-bottom feels like and he found a way to put his life back together.With how much current uncertainty there is in the world, I wanted to get a feel for how he’s approaching t

This week’s conversation is with NASCAR champion, Kurt Busch.In 2019, Kurt made the move to Chip Ganassi Racing to become the driver of the No. 1 Monster Energy Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup SeriesKurt has more than 650 career starts in the MENCS spanning over 21 years of competition.He’s made 12 appearances in the NASCAR Playoffs including six consecutive appearances.In addition to being the 2004 MENCS Champion, he also has marquee wins in the NASCAR All-Star race, Coca-Cola 600 (2010) and the Daytona 500 (2017).Kurt is a fierce competitor and his resume speaks for itself… he understands what it takes to win.In this conversation, Kurt shares how that same mentality that propelled him to countless victories also almost derailed his career.We discuss the importance of relationships and how evolving his approach – from transactional to transformational – has reinvigorated him in the second half of his career.Kurt also describes what it’s like inside a race car traveling at 200mph.The lev

This week’s conversation is with Becky Sauerbrunn, an American soccer player, Olympic gold medalist and two time FIFA Women's World Cup champion.A veteran defender for the United States women's national soccer team, she also plays for the Portland Thorns in the National Women's Soccer League, the highest division of women's soccer in the United States.Becky is a 4-time NWSL Defender of the Year and 7-time NWSL First XI selection.In this conversation, Becky shares what’s it’s like to be at her best… which she describes as fleeting.It’s those moments where everything slows down and she can see the play happening before it actually happens… every decision she makes is the right … and she’s completely present.Those moments are elusive though and so we unpack what gets in her way.------Please support our partners!We're able to keep growing and creating content for YOU because of their support. We believe in their mission and would appreciate you supporting them in return!!To take advantage of deals from

This week’s conversation is with Mark Manson, the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life, the mega-bestseller that reached #1 in fourteen different countries.Mark’s books have been translated into more than 50 languages and have sold over 12 million copies worldwide.He runs one of the largest personal growth websites in the world, MarkManson.net, a blog with more than two million monthly readers and half a million subscribers, making him one of the largest and most successful independent publishers in the world.Mark’s writing is often described as ‘self-help for people who hate self-help’ — a no-BS brand of life advice and cultural commentary that has struck a chord with people around the globe.And the same can be said for this conversation – it’s a no BS, candid look into Mark’s upbringing, what inspired him to start writing, and why he’s a fervent believer of get

This week’s conversation is with Randy Jackson, a world-renowned musician, record producer, A&R executive, and founder of Unify Health Labs.You might be familiar with Randy as one of the judges of the wildly popular “American Idol” but Randy’s roots in the music industry go way back.Randy first entered the music industry in the ‘80s as a for-hire studio session bassist.His skill, easy-going personality, and never-say-die work ethic saw him appearing on stages and records with world-famous acts like Journey, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny G, Aretha Franklin, Maze, Jean-Luc Ponty, Billy Cobham, and Tracy Chapman.He soon made the transition to the production end, working first in mixing and eventually full production.The list of artists he produced include NSYNC, Whitney Houston, Céline Dion, and Fergie.So Randy gets it – he’s been fortunate to work with the best.In this conversation, we discuss the “it” factor – the common trait shared by the best musicians, entertainers and beyond.------Please support o

This week’s conversation is with Jamie Metzl, a technology and healthcare futurist, geopolitical expert, and novelist.Jamie previously served in the U.S. National Security Council, State Department, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and as a Human Rights Officer for the United Nations in Cambodia.In 2019, he was appointed to the World Health Organization expert advisory committee on human genome editing.He is also the recent Founder and Chair of the global social movement One Shared World, which declares our world in deep and fundamental crisis and calls for massive expansion of efforts to meet the emergency needs of vulnerable populations as an act of global self-preservation.In this conversation, Jamie shares which future trends are most imminent and why he believes we all have the power to make a difference – we don’t need to just sit there and watch it play out from the sidelines.------Please support our partners!We're able to keep growing and creating content for YOU because of their sup

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon, a former university professor and researcher who now focuses on helping people make meaningful change through the Precision Nutrition Coaching and coaching Certification programs.Krista was a previous guest on Finding Mastery (#192) and I enjoyed our conversation so much that I wanted to have her back for round 2.If you’re interested in learning more about Krista definitely check that first podcast out.This episode is focused on what actually shapes behavior – just because someone has the knowledge that something is bad for them doesn’t mean they’ll actually stop doing that… so why is that?I find this fascinating.And if you are interested in learning more about behavior change methodology definitely be sure to check out Precision Nutrition’s Level 1 certification program … you can find more on that at precisionnutrition.com/findingmastery.------Please support our partners!We're able to keep growing and creating content for YOU becaus

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and tenured Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine.He has made numerous important contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills and cognitive functioning.He is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award in 2017, which is given to the scientist making the largest discoveries in the study of vision.Andrew is also actively involved in developing tools now in use by elite military in the US and Canada, athletes, and technology industries for optimizing performance in high stress environments, enhancing neural plasticity, mitigating stress, and optimizing sleep.In this conversation we discuss the influence of vision and respiration on human performance and brain states such as fear and courage.------Please support our partners!We're

This week’s conversation is with Cal Ripken Jr., baseball’s all-time Iron Man.Cal retired from baseball in October, 2001 after 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles.Although he began and finished his career at third base, Cal is still best known for redefining the position of shortstop.On July 29, 2007 he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.Cal received the 4th highest percentage of votes in history, collecting the second highest vote total ever by the BBWAA.His name appears in the record books repeatedly – he’s one of only eight players in history to achieve 400 home runs and 3,000 hits.But most notably Cal broke Lou Gehrig’s Major League record for consecutive games played (2,130) playing 2,632 consecutive games before he voluntarily ended the streak.Think about that for a second – that’s 16 years straight without missing a game.Imagine not missing a day of work for 16 years… imagine the willpower, the mental fortitude required to keep at it.We get into that in this conversation.Cal shares

This week's conversation is with Blake Mycoskie, a social entrepreneur and the founder of TOMS.Blake started TOMS in 2006 and revolutionized the way companies give back by giving shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased.With all his focus going to TOMS, Blake realized he stopped taking care of himself and was diagnosed with mild depression.With this diagnoses, he began exploring how he could better show up for himself and others and that ultimately led to his newest venture, Madefor, where he’s helping people gain control of their lives.We cover so much in this conversation.Blake shares how he got started in entrepreneurship, what’s been key to his success, and why his initial concept of success proved to be offbase.The external factors, the money, the fame, the status all came with Blake’s business accomplishments but when he got everything he was chasing, he realized it wasn’t what he was actually interested in.My hope is that if you only take one thing from this conversation, it’s that none o

This week’s conversation is with Julie Rice, an entrepreneur best known for co-founding the fitness phenomenon, SoulCycle.She served as Co-CEO at SoulCycle from 2006 to 2015 before serving as a Partner at WeWork from 2017 to 2019.Julie is currently the Co-Founder of LifeShop, a company developing original concepts in the health and happiness space.In this conversation, we discuss what inspired Julie to create SoulCyle.We touch on the key to being a great leader and the right questions to ask if you want to be successful in business.For Julie, building community is the center of everything she does.Her thoughts, words, and actions are all focused on helping people creating meaningful relationships… because ultimately we’re all a product of the people that we surround ourselves with.Julie shares how her approach to creating meaningful relationships has evolved and how you can apply those same lessons to your own life.We also discuss what the next two to three years will look like for physical, brick and mortar

This week’s conversation is with Duane Brown, the starting left tackle for the Seattle Seahawks.He played college football at Virginia Tech, and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.If you’re not familiar with the role of the left tackle, it’s one of the most important positions on the field, responsible for protecting the “blind side” of the quarterback.These are big men.Duane is about 6’3”, 315 lbs.This conversation is about what life is like for Duane when he’s not on the field.It’s easy to judge a book by its cover and in Duane’s case, he’s gone through life being judged by both his size and his skin color.The conversations I enjoy most on this podcast are when the guest is willing to turn off their “marketing mind” and let us in… to really understand what’s at the center of their world.Duane does just that… he opens up about his experiences as a child and why there were times when he felt his “light was dimmed” because it was e

This week’s conversation is with Shea Serrano, an author and journalist.His books include The Rap Year Book, Basketball (and Other Things), and Movies (and Other Things), all three of which were New York Times best-sellersTwo of them were number one on the list and one was picked by Barack Obama as one of his favorite books of the year.Shea is also known for his work with the sports and pop culture websites, The Ringer and Grantland.This conversation is as real as it gets.Shea used to be a teacher and he loved it -- but he couldn’t afford to take care of his family. He had to figure out what else he could do and that led him to writing.Shea’s story is about perseverance.It’s about outworking the competition so he could provide for those closest to him.It’s about pushing fear aside and going for it.------Please support our partners!We're able to keep growing and creating content for YOU because of their support. We believe in their mission and would appreciate you supporting them