Finding Mastery: Conversations With Michael Gervais

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

This week’s conversation is with Andrew Zimmern, a four-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, writer and teacher.Andrew is regarded as one of the most versatile and knowledgeable personalities in the food world. As the creator, executive producer and host of the Bizarre Foods franchise on Travel Channel, The Zimmern List and Andrew Zimmern’s Driven by Food, he has explored culture through food in more than 170 countries.He has built a multi-faceted empire that promotes impactful ways to think about, create and live with food.On the surface Andrew is wildly successful – he’s highly ambitious and has an insatiable curiosity for life but in this conversation he pulls back the curtain and we get to learn about a different side of him.Andrew’s affinity for risk taking led him down a path that almost cost him his life.And that is at the heart of what this conversation is all about.Andrew holds nothing back.The pain he endured, what he ultimately learned about himself, and how it’s impacted the work h

This week’s conversation is with Reid Priddy, a 4 time Olympian for the USA Men’s indoor volleyball team, winning Gold in 2008 and Bronze in 2016.Over the past 16 years, Reid has competed at the highest level in indoor volleyball - both on the US National Team as well as on foreign Pro teams in domestic leagues all across the globe.In 2014, Reid suffered a torn ACL during competition, which required double knee surgery.In his late thirties, he defied the odds and worked his way all the way back to the top and helped the US Olympic Team win a Bronze Medal in RioReid is looking to defy the odds once more by switching surfaces to the sand – he’s working towards representing the US in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.As someone who has had the fortune of being involved with multiple Olympic Games, most recently with the 2016 women’s indoor and beach volleyball teams I've seen just how challenging the Olympic quad process is... the rigorous hours and dedication required over a 4 year period to even have a shot at m

This week’s podcast is with Des Linden, a 2x Olympian, running the marathon for the U.S. in both the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.Her most significant achievement to date happened this year (2018) when she became the first American woman in 33 years to win the Boston Marathon.Prior to winning, she came in 4th last year (2017) and finished second by only two seconds in 2011 (a personal record at the time).Two seconds!Think about how crushing that could be. Everything you’ve worked so hard for is in striking distance only to miss by two seconds—if external outcomes are the primary measurement of success.Imagine the persistence and the mental fortitude required just to complete a marathon, then on top of that fight back and win the Boston Marathon seven years after having a PR but coming up just short of first place…That right there sets the tone for what this conversation is all about.We discuss everything from being comfortable with getting vulnerable, why she doesn’t get ner

This week’s conversation is with Peter Park, founder of the Platinum brand and co-owner of the Platinum Fitness Summerland facility in Santa Barbara, California.He brings to this conversation a history rich of stories from the frontier. A blend of his own limit pushing achievements and 23 years of experience training elite athletes, big-screen celebrities, top touring musicians, and recreation folks that are serious about their fitness, mobility, and longevity.Peter has trained the best of the best -- Lance Armstrong, Kelly Slater (11x World Champion surfer), Lakey Peterson (currently #1 in the world right now for professional surfing), 2017 Major League Baseball MVP Giancarlo Stanton, and motocross game changers Chad Reed and Ken Roczen are among the athletes that Peter has nurtured through various stages of their careers.Peter recently authored a book called “Rebound” on Foundation Training, which lengthens and strengthens the back body, equaling out one’s total body strength, postu

On the 4th episode of The Process, Alex Fiance updates us on the latest happenings with Kairos and discuses the challenges they are currently facing: having to make investment decisions at a faster rate than ever before and the pressure that comes with it. We then get to learn from Andres Blumer and Bruno Ocampo-González, co-founders of Mi Águila, a company that is rethinking workforce transportation in Colombia and Latin America. Andres and Bruno believe their technology platform can help solve the transportation issues that plague their local market. They share what they believe are the most important qualities for any entrepreneur: persistence, emotional intelligence and self awareness and also discuss the challenges of building a company in Colombia.Listen to past episodes of The Process 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 David (leaving his last name out for security purposes.)He's been a top special operations sniper for more than 10 years. David has four combat tours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan and one tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.During the last 21 years he has served in a variety of leadership roles that include; Fire Team Leader, Senior Weapons Sergeant, Tactics and Weapons instructor, Team Sergeant Air Operations NCOIC.David’s won countless awards along the way and just won the USASOC Sniper competition (top completion for snipers in all branches of special ops).He’s been asked multiple times how he won and he attributes it to his mental game!This conversation is a treat.We get to learn from someone truly on the razor’s edge; putting his life on the line. We talk about what goes through his mind in the most pivotal moments, where everything is at stake, including his and others’ lives around him.We discuss the difficulties that come with transit

This week’s conversation is with Rebecca Rothstein, a private wealth advisor focused on helping high-net-worth individuals, families and institutions pursue their financial goals through wealth management, tax minimization strategies and legacy planning services.In 2017, Forbes named Rebecca one of “America's Top Wealth Advisors" and this year recognized her as the #1 “Top Women’s Wealth Advisor.”What stands out in this conversation is while Rebecca’s area of expertise may appear on the surface to be wealth management, her true gift is her ability to build relationships with her clients, her team, and her family.One of Rebecca's key indicators for success is maintaining a high retention rate -- which she has.When I asked her why her client retention was so high, it of course came down to quality relationships: her ability to listen, communicate, and develop trust with her clients.In Rebecca’s words, “The most important thing that you learn when you’re taking on someone’s money, is that you have

This week’s conversation is with Brett Campbell, a serial entrepreneur.He’s currently the CEO of Harvey Partners, focused on assisting new innovative businesses move from startup to business ready.Brett knew he wanted to run his own business from an early age and this conversation sheds light on his experiences along the way: from learning the ropes working for his uncle, going out on his own, selling his first business, and mentoring others, Brett has seen it all. Today, Brett has a reached a level of financial security where he need not work another day, but he loves what he does and can’t envision himself waking up without heading into the office.At one point in the conversation I asked Brett what advice he would give someone considering starting their own business.He said: “I get a lot of people coming to me saying, ‘Hey look I’ve got this really good idea and hey here’s an MVP but would you invest in this? I’ve only got part time because I’m still working. I don’t really want to…’ That’s when I turn

This week’s podcast is with Kaskade, a Multi GRAMMY Award-nominated musician who has been a groundbreaking innovator in the dance music world, and a titan in the music industry as a whole.While bridging the gap between old school music purists and a new generation of music lovers, he marries genres and twists labels to stay true to his roots while pushing the boundaries of what’s next.Relentlessly touring the world and playing to millions of people around the globe, Kaskade has been in the trenches for over a decade.His handwriting can be read all over the history of electronic music while his influence maintains an all-time high.Over the past few years I’ve had the fortune of getting to have so many incredible conversations on this podcast.What stands out in this conversation is the challenges of being an artist.The challenge of creating work that comes from a place of authenticity, that is true to who you are, while at the same time wanting to reach as many people as possible and make a living.We talk about

This week’s podcast is unique. It’s a follow up with Rich Roll but it’s more of a casual conversation between friends than an interview. I also speak quite a bit more than a typical Finding Mastery podcast. Rich is a friend and each time we have one of these conversations we always seem to end up taking the discussion somewhere new.For those of you unfamiliar with Rich, he’s a plantpowered wellness advocate, bestselling author, ulltra-athlete & podcast host.Rich inspired me to start my own podcast a few years ago after I had such an enjoyable experience being a guest on his podcast. He was a previous guest on Finding Mastery – episode #018 – where we predominantly discussed how pain was the main catalyst for the positive changes he’s made in his life.In this conversation we share some of our takeaways from guests we’ve both had a chance to interview, discuss how to combat perfectionism and the three pillars of a psychological framework that are really important to pay attention to: optimism