Finding Mastery: Conversations With Michael Gervais

This week’s conversation is with Andy Petranek, the co-founder of the Whole Life Challenge.Andy is also a Marine Gulf War veteran and was the oldest participant, at 43, to qualify for the 2009 CrossFit Games.He’s participated in dozens of adventure races that have varied in length from three hours to seven days, and became known for his ability to navigate in the wilderness, carry heavy loads, get through obstacles quickly, and persevere in even the worst conditions.He created the Whole Life Challenge to help people manage real-life challenges; commitments to work and family, time constraints, sleep issues, and stress.The Challenge is a gamified and community-based initiative to help people stay committed to make better choices each day, outside of the gym, where it really matters.It grew from 150 players in 2011 to over 22,000 worldwide in 2017.Now a small, successful start-up company, it has been responsible for changing the fitness, health, confidence, and lives of hundreds of thousands of people around th

This week’s conversation is with Brenda Tracy, the founder of the national campaign SetTheExpectation which aims to raise awareness around issues of sexual assault and domestic violence -- through the power of sports while also engaging, empowering and educating men as agents for change.Brenda was gang raped by four men in 1998.So heavy.In this conversation, she shares that even though law enforcement collected extensive evidence – including confessions from her attackers – the District Attorney advised against prosecuting her case.She was never advised of her victims’ rights, nor informed when officials destroyed her evidence three years prior to the statute of limitations.Sixteen years later, Brenda came forward publicly, and now seeks to make the world a better place for survivors.Her stance on “men as the solution” has garnered national attention and made her one of the country’s most influential voices on sexual assault.I wanted to speak with Brenda to better understand courage.Where did she find the pow

On the final episode of Season 1 of The Process, Alex and Mike reflect on what they've learned over the course of the past year and discuss which skills will be necessary to succeed in a world where automation could soon be the norm.All episodes available here: https://findingmastery.net/kairos/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 Stephen Rollnick, the co-founder of Motivational Interviewing.The Motivational Interviewing style, strategies and skills have been used to address a wide range of challenges, including those very tough conversations in which there seems little hope of making progress in helping people.I doubt there’s many of us that enjoy having these difficult conversations, but what if there was a better approach to getting the outcome you wanted in these moments?Stephen has found that when conversations about change go poorly, it’s because the more you try to insert information and advice into others, the more they tend to back off and resist.Understanding optimal ways to communicate with one another is at the heart of this conversationMotivational Interviewing can be used to enhance your ability to listen with skill in any situation, and to help people, young and old, to adapt and to develop their potential.Its use has spread into health care, criminal justice, education and most recently

This week’s conversation is with Cliff Avril, a former NFL defensive end.Cliff played college football at Purdue and was drafted in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.He also played for the Seattle Seahawks, where he won Super Bowl XLVIII and made a Pro Bowl.Cliff and I met at the Seahawks and I had the pleasure of catching up with him at the NFL Combine this past week in Indianapolis.He recently retired after a great 10-year run in the league and is searching for what to do next.What’s his purpose now that the craft he’s dedicated more than half his life to is no longer the priority?Transitions can be tricky for all of us so I think you’ll really appreciate Cliff’s honesty, his willingness to be vulnerable, and his overall approach to life.This episode is brought to you by:Athletic Greens: The most complete supplement for a better you. With 75 ingredients covering 11 areas of health, it gives you the optimum nutrition you need to

This week’s conversation is with Kevin Harlan, a well renowned sports television and radio broadcaster.If you’ve watched just about any sporting event over the last few years, you’re familiar with Kevin’s voice.This is his 34th consecutive season broadcasting the NFL and his 31st season broadcasting the NBA, currently as a play-by-play announcer for the NBA on TNT.Kevin is in his ninth season as the full-time voice of Monday Night Football on Westwood One and recently called his ninth straight Super Bowl for the network.He also currently calls play-by-play for CBS Sports’ coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.Kevin is one of the best in his field yet he’s no stranger to criticism.As someone who works in a very public line of work, he’s constantly hearing it from fans and his peers.We discuss how he manages that criticism – the delicate balance between being open to feedback and caring too much what others think.What stood out to me in this conversation is Kevin’s ability to separate who he is from

This week’s conversation is with Soren Gordhamer, the founder and host of Wisdom 2.0.He's a friend, incredibly purposeful with his life efforts, and what he's created is amazing.Wisdom 2.0 brings together leaders in technology, including the founders of Facebook, Twitter, and Paypal, along with wisdom teachers, entrepreneurs, activists and others to explore how we live consciously and wisely in a digital-rich age.Prior to Wisdom 2.0, Soren taught mindfulness programs to a variety of groups around the world, including youth in New York City’s juvenile halls, trauma workers in Rwanda, teachers in Nigeria, and employees at Google.He spent a year walking through parts of the United States, India, Pakistan, and Japan as a part of the Global Walk for a Livable World and he later founded The Lineage Project, a New York City-based nonprofit that offers awareness-based practices to at-risk and incarcerated teens.Soren cares about helping individuals and groups live with greater mindfulness and purpose, especially in o

Dr. John Berardi is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Precision Nutrition, the largest private nutrition coaching, education, and software company in the world.John has advised top organizations like Apple, Equinox, Nike, Titleist, the San Antonio Spurs (as NBA champions), Sloane Stephens (as US Open Champion), George St. Pierre (as 2-division UFC Champion), and numerous Olympic teams.His work and research has been widely cited in the media, from the New York Times to the Harvard Business Review and he's been named one of the 20 smartest coaches in the world and 100 most influential people in health and fitness.In addition, Fast Company named Precision Nutrition one of the most innovative companies in the world.The focus of this conversation extends beyond nutrition.It’s about the process by which people get better at anything.It’s about what motivates people to change. This episode is brought to you by:Athletic Greens: The most complete supplement for a better you. With 75 ingredients covering 11 areas

This week’s conversation is with retired U.S. Army Major Matt Brady.Matt is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point where he was ranked #1 of 940 cadets in leadership for 7 consecutive semesters and graduated in the top 5% of his class overall.While serving in the Army on active duty, Matt flew over 2,000 hours in the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior (Reconnaissance), MH- 47D, and MH-47G Chinook helicopters (Army Special Operations).A seasoned combat veteran, he has deployed 12 times to both Iraq and Afghanistan and commanded forces during multiple high stakes/pressure conflicts including the 3rd Infantry Division charge to Baghdad in 2003 and “Operation REDWING,” the tragic SEAL mission depicted in the movie “Lone Survivor.”His awards include the Air Medal for combat Valor in both Iraq and Afghanistan and the Bronze Star Medal.Matt retired from the U.S. Army in late 2016 after two decades of service to the Nation.There is so much to unpack in this conversation.I’m sure many of you are familiar wit

This week’s conversation is with Suzy Whaley, the PGA of America's first female President.Prior to being elected President last November, Suzy served for two years as PGA Secretary, and two years as Vice President.She is also the PGA Owner of Suzy Whaley Golf in Cromwell, Connecticut and the PGA Director of Instruction at the Country Club at Mirasol in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.Suzy is recognized as one of the country’s top golf instructors and has won numerous teaching awards including: Golf Digest Top 50 Instructor, LPGA Top 50 Instructor, Connecticut PGA Two-Time Teacher of the Year, Golf Digest State Teacher of the Year 10 times, and she’s instructed more than 300 children to collegiate golf.A dual member of the PGA of America and LPGA Teaching & Club Professional division, Suzy was a LPGA Tour member in 1990 and 1993.She famously qualified and participated in the 2003 Greater Hartford Open, becoming the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to qualify for a PGA Tour event.We discuss what that exp

This week’s conversation is with Steve Kerr, head coach of the Golden State Warriors.Currently in his fifth season as head coach, Steve has guided the club through four of the most prolific seasons in NBA history with a list of accomplishments that includes:Three NBA championshipsFour-straight NBA Finals appearancesThe NBA’s single-season wins record (73)An NBA Coach of the Year award (2015-16)Four of the five winningest seasons in franchise historySteve, who won five NBA championships during a 15-year playing career, now owns eight championships as either a player or coach, becoming the first to win three NBA titles as a player and three as a coach.So I think it’s clear – Steve understands winning but he’s searching for something beyond that.He has made it a point to revolve the Warriors’ culture around joy.In this conversation, we discuss how Steve went about building the Warriors’ culture, what he’s most hungry for, and his biggest challenge at the moment – finding a way to keep the Warriors motivated

This week’s conversation is with Kevin Carroll, an author, speaker and creative catalyst.It is Kevin’s job to inspire businesses, organizations and individuals - from CEOs and employees of Fortune 500 companies to schoolchildren - to embrace their spirit of play and creativity to maximize their human potential and sustain more meaningful business and personal growth.He has helped turn creative ideas into reality for organizations such as Nike, Starbucks, Adidas, Walt Disney, Target, Proctor & Gamble, Under Armour, Mattel, the NBA and many others.The focus of this conversation is much more about how Kevin became the man he is today rather than the “what” of his accomplishments so I want to give a quick rundown of Kevin’s stops along the way.Raised by his grandparents in Philadelphia, Kevin spent endless hours at the neighborhood playground where he found his calling: a red rubber ball.His subsequent pursuit of play and his ‘red rubber ball’ took him overseas with the Air Force, where he served as a languag

This week’s conversation is with Herbert Wigwe, a Nigerian banker, entrepreneur, and the Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank.He is an Alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Executive Management Programme.From his early 20’s, Herbert began what would become a successful career in banking and finance, and his first entrepreneurial venture, would be his most successful.In 2002, Herbert and his long-time partner were presented with the prospect of acquiring a small-scale commercial bank, Access Bank.Herbert had spent over a decade at Guaranty Trust Bank and was in-line to becoming the Executive Director in charge of institutional banking.To have even considered such a decision of obtaining what was then ranked the 65th largest bank in Nigeria seemed like career suicide but Herbert seized the opportunity.In 2016, The Banker Database ranked Access Bank in the top 1,000 banks in the world.Today, Access Bank is one of the largest Banks in Africa, a feat which is attributable to his ingenuity and ex

This week’s conversation is with Scott Kriens, chairman and former CEO of Juniper Networks.Scott has been in the technology industry for more than 35 years.Holding early roles at Burroughs Corp and Tandem, Scott moved to EVP of Sales and Operations at StrataCom before helping found Juniper Networks in 1996.During his tenure, he served as chairman and CEO, growing the company to more than 10,000 employees in over 100 countries worldwide and $4 billion in revenue, and remains chairman today.In 2010, Scott and his wife Joanie founded 1440 Foundation and recently completed 1440 Multiversity, a state-of-the-art immersive learning destination set on a 75-acre redwood forest near Santa Cruz County, CA.What really stands out in this conversation is Scott’s authenticity, his willingness to be vulnerable, and how much he genuinely cares about getting to the center of what’s real.While Scott appears wildly successful on the surface, the passing of his father made him rethink how he was living his life.He

This week’s conversation is with Annabel Anderson, the world #1 female SUP athlete from 2012-2017.Annabel has won the biggest titles in the sport of stand up paddling multiple times – She’s a 5x world champion, has beaten the best men in the sport, and orchestrated the campaign that resulted for equal pay and opportunities for female athletes globally.She is also an elite cyclist & mountain biker, skier, sailor, and surfer.If there was ever anyone who lived up to the moniker of versatile – Annabel Anderson is it.Career ending injuries curtailed a promising ski racing and triathlon career as a young athlete resulting in 11 major surgeries by the age of 24.Versatility, adaptability, and a relentless pursuit for marginal gains became common themes.But maybe the greatest challenge lies yet. This past year, she's had multiple freak accidents resulting in an extremely broken body. The challenge is now to return to normal function and to face what ever the next chapter holds.This conversation cuts right to the c

This week’s conversation is with Brian Mackenzie, an expert in the development and application of custom protocols to optimize human health and performance.His work harnesses and integrates respiratory, movement, strength and endurance-based training approaches to elicit positive results.His protocols have been used to accelerate and raise both mental and physical performance in world-class Olympic and professional athletes, top executives, and elite military operators, as well as to improve the health for everyday people to those suffering from various chronic illnesses.Along with innovating the endurance, strength and conditioning paradigm, he has studied altitude, heat & cold exposure and breath work.Brian co-founded and created Power Speed Endurance (PSE), an online programming, coaching and educational platform that specializes in movement & skill development in sport.He also co-authored the books Power Speed Endurance, NYTimes Best Seller UnBreakable Runner, and most recently UnPlugged.This epis

This week’s conversation is with bestselling author, Dr. John Ratey, an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and an internationally recognized expert in Neuropsychiatry.He has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles, and 11 books published in 17 languages, including the groundbreaking ADD-ADHD “Driven to Distraction” series with Ned Hallowell.With the publication of "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain," Dr. Ratey has established himself as one of the world's foremost authorities on the brain-fitness connection.His most recent book, “Go Wild” explores how we can achieve optimal physical and mental health by getting in touch with our caveman roots, and how we can “re-wild” our lives.Recognized by his peers as one of the Best Doctors in America since 1997, Dr. Ratey was recently honored by the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society as "Outstanding Psychiatrist of the Year" for advancing the field.John is an expert in human focus and especially in this

This week’s conversation is with Bobbi Brown, a beauty industry titan, world-renowned makeup artist, best-selling author and serial entrepreneur.As a professional makeup artist, Bobbi created 10 simple lipsticks that evolved into a global beauty empire.At a time when stark contours and shiny red lips were in fashion, Bobbi designed cosmetics to highlight a woman’s natural look, and introduced Bobbi Brown Essentials in 1991.This line of color cosmetics revolutionized the industry.In 1995, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics was acquired by The Estée Lauder Companies, where Bobbi served as Chief Creative Officer, building a billion-dollar brand.Unwilling to rest on her laurels, Bobbi has returned to her roots as an entrepreneur.Her latest endeavor is EVOLUTION_18, a line of lifestyle-inspired wellness products that launched in the Spring of 2018.What’s been the key to her success?Bobbi just goes for it. She has an optimistic framework and isn’t worried about things not working out.You don’t need to have the slightest bit of

This week’s conversation is with Forrest Griffin, a retired mixed martial artist and a UFC Hall of Famer.A former Georgia Police Officer, Forrest got his shot at UFC Stardom on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter.He won the first season in a fight against Stephan Bonnar that helped put MMA on the map.The Ultimate Fighter Finale was a wild success and brought a lot of new attention to the UFC at a time when the sport was at a make or break point.Forrest went on to become a UFC Light Heavyweight World Champion and eventually was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.I had the pleasure of meeting Forrest for the first time at an event this past July - “Evel Live,” where motorsports icon Travis Pastrana honored legendary daredevil Evel Knievel by attempting three of his most dangerous feats in Las Vegas.We had a great conversation around what it takes to be mentally prepared inside the Octagon and I knew we needed to follow up with a podcast.Fighting can be a great metaphor for life.You get hit, you g

On the 6th episode of "The Process," Alex shares how Mike's interview on the last episode shaped their investment decision and why creating the right culture at a company is vital to its longterm success.Alex and Mike also discuss Kairos' upcoming K50 event and what to look for when assessing if an entrepreneur has the right mindset to go the distance.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.