The Human Optimization Project

For a lot of people, being “ambitious” is kind of synonymous with “doing more.” Work more hours, make more money, win more awards. But then, as we teeter on the edge of burnout, we also get this message to “do less” — make time for relationships, take care of your body, sleep. Which just feels...

People like easily quantified measures of success – money, degrees, awards, followers. They’re simple and straightforward. The more you have, the better you’re doing. At least in theory. Reality is a little more complicated. You can be financially secure but lonely. Highly productive but purposeless. Successful but depleted. So how do we go from looking...

Modern workplaces love their KPIs, deadlines, deliverables — anything we can use to quantify success. And while shareholders might get all fired up when they see those numbers move in the right direction, for the people doing the work, it really isn’t enough. We need more than a number and a target to do our...

Ambitious people often credit their success to a strong inner critic. They take pride in “stayinghungry” and talk about complacency likeit’san existential threat. But that same voice can steal the joy from our happiest moments – moments in life where we should feel proud andaccomplished, but all we can see are the little missteps we...

Do you feel that you’re creating the future for yourself and your team? Or are you spending your time just reacting to the crisis of the day? While it’s critical to keep the ship from sinking, we also need to do some work to ensure that we’re steering the ship in the right direction. This...

Everyone knows that our health is fundamental to our whole experience of life. So why does it always seem like it’s the first thing to get deprioritized when life gets busy? And when we do try to make it a priority, why does it feel like our efforts don’t lead to meaningful change? This episode,...

Youdon’tneedanyoneto tell youthatworking out is hard. That’sthe whole point. But for many of us, the hardest partisn’tphysically liftingthe weightsor running the laps. It’s getting to the gym in the first place. It’sknowing that we can do hard things. It’sstaying motivated to keep working at it, even when day to day progress feels hard to measure. So how do...

New relationships are hard for a reason – no trust. You’restarting from scratchwith nocommon understanding, no established shared goals, or history of goodwill. Everyone’sfeeling vulnerable. Butalsosuspicious. It feels hard to take risks or even just relax and be yourself. So, how do we get past the awkwardness and start building trust? Or rebuild it afterit’sbeen lost? This...

Everyone loves a good leader. But they’re often held up as these singular examples of success, vision, inspiration, and perseverance. And we struggle to learn from their stories and distill them into a practical, repeatable blueprint for good leadership.   This episode, we’re joined by Dr. James Hebl, Medical Director for Leadership and Talent Development at...

Self-care is one of the most commonly used, but poorly understood concepts today. For some, it brings to mind indulgence, luxury, or performative wellness culture. For others, it feels selfish, soft, or unrealistic. However, self-care, when done properly, helps fuel us to be our best selves and will maximize performance gains and achievement.   Our expert...

Life offers plenty of nice, concrete, mostly attainable goals for us to chase and boxes to check – good job, life partner, maybe a house, maybe kids. But that’s also the classic recipe for a midlife crisis: you work your butt off to get a bunch of those boxes checked only to find yourself exhausted...

Imagine: you get yourself a sweet new sports car, hop in for your first drive, only to realize you have no idea how to drive stick. So you drive around town in first gear, going super slow, making tons of noise, stalling out at every stop sign. You finally make it home, hop out and...

 Why is it that the more we think about falling asleep, the harder it becomes? Our mindset around sleep plays a huge role in our ability to fall asleep, the amount of sleep we get and the quality of that sleep. So how can we use our mindset to our advantage? This episode, we speak...

Just having a title that sounds authoritative doesn’t make someone a leader. And you don’t have to be a CEO to lead, either. So what actually inspires people to take action? In this episode, we’re joined by Thom Mayer, M.D., to explore how to stop waiting for authority and start leading. Dr. Mayer is medical...

Hopefully, you’ve experienced getting so absorbed in work or an activity you enjoy that you lose track of time. We tend to be most productive in what is often called a “state of flow.” When harnessed effectively, flow can act like a superpower for personal fulfillment and progress. To help us better understand and maximize...

Today, we are sharing an episode from our sister podcast Tomorrow’s Cure. Produced by our Mayo Clinic colleagues, this chart-topping and Ambie Award-finalist podcast explores the future of medicine – from the rise of chronic disease and autoimmune disorders to innovations in AI, 3D bioprinting, and cancer research. In this specific episode, you’ll hear from...

Host: Cathy Wurzer Guest: Mayo Clinic physician leader Dr. Anjali Bhagra and human centered AI expert Dr. Ravi Bapna   Today, we are sharing an episode from our sister podcast Tomorrow’s Cure. Produced by our Mayo Clinic colleagues, this chart-topping and Ambie Award-finalist podcast explores the future of medicine – from the rise of chronic disease and autoimmune...

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project  Guest: Amit Sood, MD MS FACP, CEO – Global Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing | Fellow, Atria Health and Research Institute | Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Thrive Global | Industrial Fellow, U.C. Berkeley | Professor of Medicine (Retd.), Mayo Clinic    How often do yo...