Finding Mastery: Conversations With Michael Gervais

This week’s conversation is with Brendan Kane, a business and digital growth strategist for Fortune 500 corporations, brands, and celebrities.Brendan’s greatest strength is unlocking value. He transforms complexity into simplicity with tools and methods that amplify growth and enable execution.He thrives on helping his clients systematically find and engage new audiences.Brendan's success stories include massive global brands like Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Jason Statham, Katie Couric, MTV, Vice, Lionsgate, and Yahoo.This conversation has something for everyone: whether you own a business, are considering starting one or are just thinking about your personal brand.The power of social media allows you or your organization to impact many, to get your message in front of the right people, but in today’s world capturing someone’s attention is not an easy feat.More than 60 billion online messages are sent into the world every day, and only a select few companies can succeed in the mad scramble for customer attention.T

This week’s conversation is with Marty Callner, an award winning Producer and Director.His diverse resume includes specials starring Chris Rock, The Rolling Stones, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Bette Midler, Jerry Seinfeld, Will Ferrell, Garth Brooks, Diana Ross, Britney Spears, and Robin Williams, to name a few.He is also the creator of the immensely popular and Emmy award winning HBO series, Hard Knocks, which gives viewers a look into the inner workings of NFL training camp.Marty has directed over 200 music videos, including such classics as Aerosmith’s ‘Crazy’ starring Alicia Silverstone and Cher’s ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ filmed aboard the historic USS Missouri.He’s earned five MTV Music Awards including ‘Video of the Year’ and forty-three Emmy nominations including Callner’s back-to-back directorial nods for “Bette Midler: Diva Las Vegas” and “Garth Brooks: Live From Central Park”.For Marty it all started with his learning to “dream big.”His mom taught him that, “A man who doesn’t bui

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation – Brené Brown Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work.She has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness and her latest book Dare to Lead, which is the culmination of a seven-year study on courage and leadershipBrené’s TED talk – The Power of Vulnerability – is one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world with over 35 million views.The relationship between vulnerability and courage is a focal point of our conversation.In Brené’s words: “You cannot get to courage without walking right through vulnerability.”So what is courage all about and when is it the right time to be vulnerable?Whether it be with a loved one or in the corporate world, do you have the courage to say or do th

This week’s conversation is with John Brenkus, who has spent the last decade studying and popularizing the unique characteristics of the world’s greatest athletes.A co-founder of BASE Productions, he is best known as the on-air host, co-creator and executive producer of ESPN’s Emmy Award-winning show Sport Science, appearing in and producing over 1500 segments that have been featured on ABC and ESPN's enormous sports platform.John has been featured in coverage of The Super Bowl, Monday Night Football, the NBA Finals, Sunday Night Baseball, and The Masters just to name a few.Through Sport Science, John has appeared before 80 million people annually for the last decade, has won 6 Emmys, and has written a New York Times Best Seller "The Perfection Point."When John has an idea he goes for it.It makes sense then, that his philosophy is to: “Make something out of nothing.”In this conversation we discuss what gives him the confidence to go for it and not let a fear of failure get in the way of pursuing his dreams.&n

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Daniel Chao, co-founder of Halo Neuroscience.Dr. Chao’s whole life has been dedicated to understanding the brain and its function — specifically, how electrical stimulation can help the brain more rapidly improve performance, cognitive function, and overall happiness.As some of you are already probably aware, we recently partnered with Halo Neuroscience because I’m bullish on their technology, Halo Sport, which accelerates movement based learning through transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS).I wanted to have an in-depth conversation with Daniel to learn more about how scientists are using brain stimulation to optimize neurological function and go deeper into what’s possible with this technology.I think this technology is right on the frontier, backed by about 15 years of research and currently used by the best athletes in the world – US Olympic teams, players in the NFL, MLB, NBA, PGA Tour, and more.In a previous Finding Mastery podcast (#045), psychologist Anders

This week’s conversation is with John Donovan, CEO of AT&T Communications.He’s responsible for the bulk of AT&T’s global telecommunications and video services businesses, including AT&T’s Business, Entertainment, and Technology & Operations groups.AT&T is a global leader in telecommunications with 100 million U.S. consumer connections and millions of businesses, from the smallest companies to nearly all of the Fortune 1000.John manages over 250,000 people. Think about that for a second.What’s the key to running an organization this large?For John, it starts with knowing his values and what he stands for.This creates a certain space that allows him to be grounded and present more often.In this conversation, John shares how he got so clear on who he is and what he’s striving for.It took some difficult, lonely work to sort it out and I hope you are currently embracing that same process.This episode is brought to you by:Athletic Greens: The most complete supplement for a better you. With 75 in

This week’s conversation is with Matt Jacobson, Head of Market Development at Facebook.In this role, he focuses on strategic partnerships that connect people to some of the world's most recognized brands.Facebook may be one of the world’s largest companies today, but it wasn’t when Matt joined as employee number 8 over 13 years ago.He took a leap of faith at the time – he believed in their mission and their founder, Mark Zuckerberg, and began working for no salary, only equity.You could say that bet paid off.What gave Matt the confidence to join Facebook?His intellectual curiosity has been a driving force for him for since he was young. In this conversation, we discuss how that intellectual curiosity has allowed him to stay ahead of the curve, take risks and opened up new opportunities.Matt understands, values, and invests deeply in relationships so it’s no surprise that his philosophy is: “To be the best part of another person’s day.”What a cool thought.This episode is brought to you by:Athletic Greens: The

This week’s conversation is with Michael Murphy, co-founder and chairman emeritus of the board of the world famous Esalen Institute, tucked away on the coast of Big Sur, in California.Michael and Esalen have been ground zero for the human potential movement: exploring everything from consciousness, Eastern philosophies meeting Western frameworks, the birth place of Gestalt therapy, to generating scores of mind body interventions.In 1950, Michael was a premed student at Stanford and wandered into a class discussing Eastern and Western philosophies and religions.The miscue changed his life.Soon he was meditating and, after earning a bachelor of arts in psychology and serving in the U.S. Army, he lived on an ashram in India for 18 months.Upon returning to the United States, he and the late Richard Price started Esalen on property the Murphy family owned. Over its 50-plus years of existence, it has been described as a “personal growth think tank.”The organization is focused on personal growth, meditation, ma

This week’s conversation is with Javier Gómez, a Spanish triathlete.Since 2006, Javier has accumulated one of the best records in triathlon history.Javier is a 5x International Triathlete Union (ITU) World Champion, 2x Ironman 70.3 World Champion, a 9 time world ITU number 1, and won a Silver medal for Spain at the 2012 Summer Olympics in men's triathlon.Simply put, he is a legend in the sport.Javier is currently in the final stages of training for the Ironman World Championship, which will take place on October 13 in Kona, Hawaii. You can learn more about Javi's pursuit to win Kona here.For those unfamiliar with the Ironman, it consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile marathon run.No matter how you slice it, this endurance event is rugged, and that’s why I was so excited to talk with Javier about his experience preparing and training for it.Last year’s winner completed the race in just over 8 hours.That’s a lot of time for your mind to wander if you aren’t disciplined - a

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Mark Goulston, a Board Certified Psychiatrist, a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a former UCLA Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry.Mark has specialized in psychotherapy for more than thirty years focusing on suicide prevention, death and dying, depression, anxiety, personality disorders, PTSD and marital therapy.After a recent string of high-profile suicides in America, death by suicide is a topic that's on a lot of our minds. Most of us are likely to know or love somebody who has been affected by a suicide.Since September is Suicide Prevention Month, this is a good time to seek understanding about these tragic experiences.You might be surprised by the global rate of suicide:According to the World Health Organization, "Close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds. Many more attempt suicide. For every person who commit suicide, there's another 20 who attempted."My family has been impacted by suicide -

This week’s conversation is with Mark Healey, a professional big-wave surfer, award-winning spear-fisherman, free-diver, photographer, filmmaker, and part-time Hollywood stuntman.Mark’s made no shortage of major achievements in his career as a waterman. Earning his first surf sponsorship at age 13 and going pro at 17, the 31-year-old has racked up victories at big-wave events like Todos Santos and—in 2008—nabbed the Spearfishing World Cup. While he’s encountered his share of close calls—from shark attacks to blackouts—Mark thrives on the elements of danger inherent to his work. And that is a central part of this conversation. We discuss embracing challenges and why it’s important to face adversity head on rather than run from it. When you get to that edge, that point where you’re uncomfortable, that’s where you really learn what’s possible for yourself.Mark is wise beyond his years and I can’t wait for you to learn from him.This episode is brought to you by:Athletic Greens: Receive a free 20-count travel pack

After taking a break for summer, “The Process” is back! Alex and Mike discuss the latest with Kairos: how their recent investments have fared and what’s in store for their upcoming K50 event in late November.The K50 program is a global recognition of the 50 most-innovative startups from around the world, with young founders tackling global challenges. Companies are awarded at the top of the World Trade Center in front of 100 of the most influential CEOs, investors, media, and leaders of today. Alex then invites on Michael Wong, founder of Homevest, a company they are considering investing in.Alex wants Mike to get a chance to meet a founder pre-investment and assess whether he has what it takes to execute on his ambitious vision.Homevest is a service helping homebuyers purchase their first home by contributing to the down payment. They don’t lend money - instead they invest with you in a new home, sharing ownership, the mortgage and expenses proportionately. Homevest creates a halfway point bet

This week’s conversation is with Aaron Bruno, best known as the founder and lead singer of AWOLNATION.Formed in 2010, AWOLNATION crafted one of the most influential songs in years with the chart-topping, record-breaking track “Sail.”The first single off the gold-certified full-length debut Megalithic Symphony, “Sail” was certified 6x platinum in the US and holds the record for the most weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart by an independent artist, the second longest for any artist.Sail had a profound impact on me.We talk about that in the podcast - how his music helped me get the vibe right for a mindset training project that I was working onIt’s amazing how music can do that. The same song can mean so many different things to so many different people.Different emotions, feelings, memories - and that’s something we discuss - why music means so much to Aaron and why he’s so passionate about it coming from an authentic place.It’s clear how much Aaron loves music, but he wasn’t always destined for stardom.H

This week’s conversation is with Tom Bilyeu, the co-founder of Quest Nutrition — a unicorn startup valued at over $1 billion — and the co-founder and host of Impact Theory.Why did I want to sit down with Tom?Tom is driven to help people develop the skills they need to improve themselves and the world.It’s not every day that we get to learn from someone who created a billion dollar business.I wanted to understand his mindset, his approach to leadership, and what he’s most hungry for.Tom is very clear about what he wants and what he believes in and that definitely is apparent in this conversation.In Tom’s words, “What I do is with a very high degree of intention. I am very much not stumbling my way through life.”I hope Tom’s clarity inspires you to spend your own time getting clear on what you want and what you stand for, if you haven’t done so already.This episode is brought to you by:Athletic Greens: Receive a free 20-count travel pack of Athletic Greens (valued at $99) with any purchase!Claim here: athl

This week’s conversation is with Michael Rosenbaum, actor, producer, and comedian.The diverse actor has worked in over twenty films, such as Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, Hit and Run, Urban Legend, Sweet November, Bringing Down The House, Pool Hall Junkies and Sorority Boys.Michael has worked with everyone from Bradley Cooper and Sylvester Stallone to Christopher Walken and Clint Eastwood.He portrayed Lex Luthor on the smash hit Smallville for seven years and voiced The Flash on the hit animated series The Justice League Unlimited.In this conversation Michael shares the highs and lows of being an actor in Hollywood – how he’s had to work on caring less what others think and focus on getting to the center of who he truly is and what matters most to him.I appreciated Michael willingness to show vulnerability.This episode is brought to you by:Athletic Greens: Receive a free 20-count travel pack of Athletic Greens (valued at $99) with any purchase!Claim here: athle

This week's conversation is with Erik Vendt - a 3x USA swimming Olympian.He won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Olympics in the 400-meter individual medley. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Vendt won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. 4×200-meter freestyle relay team.This is a fantastic conversation that shines light on some of the core themes that have emerged from Finding Mastery.Erik grew up loving swimming - so much so that he pushed all his chips in - and was determined to become an Olympian.And while he did in fact achieve his "goal" there was a cost to it.When swimming was over he felt void of passion and purpose - something all too familiar for many athletes when they reach the end of their playing days.For anyone who's gone through difficult transitions in life - I'm sure you'll be able to relate and for those currently facing a transition in your life - this is definitely a conversation worth your time.Erik's quest to find a new passion

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Marco Cardinale, the Head of Sports Physiology of Aspire Academy in Doha (Qatar).He started his career in sports science as a Strength and Conditioning Coach and went on to lead the sports science activities for the preparation of Team Great Britain at the Beijing, Vancouver and London Olympic Games.He has been an advisor to various companies (e.g. Polar Electro, Medisport and Technogym), government agencies (e.g. the European Space Agency) and professional sport organizations and national governing bodies in 5 countries (USA, Italy, Spain, Sweden, UK) before working in Qatar.In this episode we discuss making the most of opportunities, how to avoid self-imposter syndrome, and his evidence based approach to coaching.There’s a lot to learn from Marco – he has a unique perspective that only comes from working all over the world, immersing himself in different cultures along the way.WHOOP: Starting today you can join WHOOP for $30 a month, six month minimum to begin.

This week’s conversation is with Bob Wright, who served as vice chairman of General Electric and president, CEO, and chairman of NBC and NBC Universal from 1986 to 2007.Prior to that, he served as president of General Electric Financial Services and before that as president of Cox Cable Communications.Bob’s had a diversified career in law, general management, marketing, and television and has been inducted into the Advertising, Broadcasting and Cable Halls of Fame.He is also the co-founder of Autism Speaks and founder of The Suzanne Wright FoundationBob’s major focus right now is on The Suzanne Wright Foundation and his CodePurple campaign which are both fighting pancreatic cancer.In this conversation we touch on leadership, passion and accountability.This episode is brought to you by WHOOP and Athletic Greens.WHOOP: Starting today you can join WHOOP for $30 a month, six month minimum to begin. The WHOOP membership service includes the WHOOP Strap 2.0, professional analytics via its mobile and web a

This week’s conversation is with Rich Froning Jr., dubbed the Fittest Man in History after winning four back-to-back individual CrossFit Games championships (2011-2014).He also won the worldwide Open for three consecutive years (2012-2014), and when he retired from individual competition after the 2014 season, he captained his affiliate’s team, CrossFit Mayhem Freedom, to two back-to-back Affiliate Cup championships in 2015 and 2016.When I mentioned to a couple of my friends that Rich was coming on, they raised their eyebrows and nodded, "That’s going to be a great one.”Rich’s point of view comes from being recognized as the best in the world at his craft.It’s clear Rich understands winning – and the costs associated with it.In Rich’s words: “To be the best in the world at anything, you’re not balanced. You can’t be balanced.”So if you knew that ahead of time, would you still pursue it? It’s a great question and why I love these conversations so much.They really make you think about who you are and what

This week’s conversation is with Bob Hurley, founder and chairman of the global apparel brand, Hurley.Something I love about these Finding Mastery conversations is we get to learn from people at all stages, across unique fields of expertise.And in this conversation we get to learn from someone who built a globally recognized brand, which was acquired by Nike in 2002.Bob has made his work his play from the beginning.He started as a surf shop kid in Huntington Beach, shaping surf boards before acquiring the license to Billabong USA in 1982.In 1999, he started his own clothing brand embracing the spirit and creativity of youth.Bob has a phenomenal story to share and he opens up about how he built Hurley into the company that it is today, what his process looks like for making big decisions, and why he has a burning desire to be around “magic.”He remains deeply involved in company operations today, except when “product-testing” in Indo or Fiji.This episode is brought to you by WHOOP and Athletic Greens.WHOOP: Sta