Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais

How many of us do everything we can to avoid pain and suffering? It’s a natural response, deeply ingrained to protect ourselves. But what if we didn’t run from suffering, and actively engaged and encouraged it to create meaning and purpose in our lives? That’s the philosophy of Akshay Nanavati – Iraqi war veteran, entrepreneur, extreme athlete, and author of Fearvana : The Revolutionary Science of...

What drives us to pursue impossible dreams, fail repeatedly, and keep trying? Our guest, former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, truly embodies the spirit of never giving up. Despite a fear of heights, bad eyesight, multiple rejections from NASA, and other setbacks, Mike's unwavering determination led him to perform heroic spacewalks to repair the Hubble Telescope and to send the first-ever Tweet fr...

Welcome to Volume 16 of Finding Mastery’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) series. The purpose behind these conversations - behind these AMAs – is to hear from you … to explore the topics and questions that you have been wrestling with on your path to becoming. It is your insights and questions that fuel these epic conversations – so thank you again for all the thoughtfulness, honesty, and trust you put into...

What if mastering love is the ultimate high-performance skill? This Valentine's Day, we're taking a deep dive into the heart of relationships with two special guests—our host Dr. Michael Gervais and his wife, Lisa Gervais —a creative powerhouse with a rich background in dance, acting, and truth telling. In this episode hosted by our favorite AMA co-host, O'Neil Cespedes, Mike and Lisa open their l...

In this special LIVE episode recorded at Radio Row in Las Vegas for Super Bowl 58, we had the privilege of sitting down with Lisa McCaffrey, the mother of 49ers star running back, Christian McCaffrey. Despite Christian's status as one of - if not THE - best running backs in the NFL, and his 2023 Offensive Player of the Year Award, Lisa's excitement and nerves during this Super Bowl week are palpab...

How does someone turn a two-bedroom apartment into the world’s largest hedge fund? Our guest today - the one and only Ray Dalio - knows. A master of global macro investing, Ray founded Bridgewater Associates and led it to unparalleled heights, redefining financial excellence along the way. Ray isn't just a finance legend; he's a visionary author and a vanguard in idea meritocracy. With bestsellers...

A couple months back I was in Austin doing some promo for The First Rule of Mastery and had the opportunity to be a guest on Ryan Holiday’s incredible podcast, The Daily Stoic. It’s always such a joy to connect and flow with Ryan – we had a fantastic conversation that I wanted to share here today.  This time around was especially fun… not only was the conversation great, but we also got to re...

Today’s guest needs no introduction – but I’m thrilled to do it anyway. Rich Roll is a world-renowned ultra-endurance athlete, plant-based fitness advocate, bestselling author, host of the hugely popular Rich Roll Podcast, husband, father.... and the list goes on. He's also a good friend – this is Rich’s fourth time on the podcast. His episodes are often our most popular, and there’s a good reason...

Many of us who are seeking optimal health, performance, and wellness take a variety of supplements. And I think it’s only natural to find ourselves questioning— what's really in these supplements? How do we know if those ingredients are actually doing anything for our bodies and minds? Our guest today, Katerina (Kat) Schneider had the same questions – and she took action to get to the truth. What...

Welcome to Volume 15 of Finding Mastery’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) series. In this latest installment, O'Neil Cespedes and I explore the intricate dance between our physical and mental states, especially during times of challenge and change. Key topics covered this week include: The profound connection between our physical and mental health. Strategies for maintaining an optimistic mindset during set...

Imagine standing on the edge of a cliff, facing an inch-wide line of webbing that stretches across a vast expanse. It’s tensioned between two secure anchor points but it’s a dynamic surface that will bounce, sway, and stretch when you step out on it. This line isn't just a piece of equipment; it's a gateway to mastering fear and discovering your true potential. This is the world of highlining, and...

Hey everybody, Mike here… we’re doing something a little different today… If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you probably recognize the name Dan Harris – he’s a friend, journalist, fellow podcaster, and was actually one of our earliest guests on Finding Mastery back in 2016.  We had some fantastic conversations together and I was lucky enough to be an early guest on his incr...

What does leadership look like in the middle of a war zone—one of the most dynamic, agile, and consequential environments on the planet? General Stanley McChrystal knows intimately what it’s like – and is committed to teaching his hard-earned leadership insights to others.  Heading up the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), he led the U.S. military’s most elite special ops teams against...

Imagine this... you're a NASA Astronaut. You're on a spacewalk, floating in the vastness of outer space, and suddenly... you go blind. What do you do? You might recognize today’s guest, Chris Hadfield, from his viral video on the International Space Station, where he performed David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' – a performance that garnered over 35 million views worldwide. But Chris is so much more than...

In a world increasingly obsessed with self-image and social validation, how do we truly understand the role of self-esteem in our lives? Is it merely a reflection of our ego? What purpose does it serve? These questions form the core of our conversation with Dr. Mark Leary, a former professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, who retired after 39 years of teaching, publishing 14 bo...

Today’s podcast is a really special one, as we have on CNN’s 2023 Hero of the Year, Dr. Kwane Stewart, a.k.a. “The Street Vet.” Kwane is a veterinarian who provides free veterinary care for the animals society often forgets—the pets of people living without homes. In this heartfelt conversation, Kwane demonstrates the courage it takes to explore the messy edges of emotion, and he opens up about ho...

Today, we’re super excited to share the 14th installment of our Ask Me Anything series. The purpose behind these conversations - behind these AMAs – is to hear from you … to explore the topics and questions that you have been wrestling with on your path to becoming. The goal is to expand on the themes, lessons, and best-practices we’ve discussed on the Finding Mastery podcast in order to make them...

“Be bold, dream big. Take the risk. Figure out what it takes to accomplish your goals, and then you will win. Or if you don't, at least you'll get damn near close… We all need to take risks to keep growing and to keep learning.” Imagine the possibilities if you were to take radical and relentless action towards your biggest (maybe even intimidating) dreams – defying fear and uncertainty.  Tod...

Where are wearables leading us? In the dynamic, fast-paced world of health technology, what does the future hold? What possibilities can we unlock? How can we leverage the power of wearables to transcend mere physical tracking and genuinely enhance our psychological well-being? These questions form the perfect springboard for our conversation with Dr. Kapil Parakh, a renowned cardiologist and the...

What can we learn about success from the phenomenal growth of digital technology and the extraordinary achievements of Silicon Valley teams? And almost more importantly, what can we learn from the shell-shocking failures of some other seemingly great businesses? Today’s guest has been researching the digital transformation of businesses for three decades, and he’s landed on some fascinating— and e...

To date, the Finding Mastery Podcast has been running for 8 years and for over 400 episodes. In that time, we’ve gained extraordinary insights and timeless wisdom from some of the top thinkers and doers in the world. While we have come to realize that there is no singular “golden thread” to how the best in the world operate – we’ve noticed some common themes, skills, and insights that many of thes...

What would you do in the face of a very public and shocking defeat? Would you crumble, or would you use it to grow and learn?  Today’s guest chose growth, transforming one of the most heart-wrenching moments in NFL history into a profound learning experience. In this episode, I'm thrilled to introduce a friend and former colleague from my time with the Seattle Seahawks — the exceptional Tom C...

Welcome to the 13th installment of our Ask Me Anything series, where your questions take center stage and our answers offer you guidance on the road to mastery. The goal behind our monthly AMA series is to dive deep into the questions that challenge and inspire you on your path to becoming your best. We’re stoked about all the excellent questions we received for this 13th AMA. Our co-host, O’Neil...

"You cannot get to courage without walking right through vulnerability." They say opinions are cheap, but the cost of FOPO – the fear of other people's opinions – is anything but. As many of you already know, I've recently released 'The First Rule of Mastery,' a book dedicated to overcoming what I've come to see as the single greatest constrictor of human potential: FOPO. And so, in celebration of...

For the first time in Finding Mastery’s history, we're going where few other podcasts have ventured:  Outer space. And joining us for this historic and very episode is the remarkable NASA astronaut Dr. Woody Hoburg – tuning in directly from the International Space Station (ISS). How incredible is that? This is Part Two of our 3-part series documenting Woody’s epic journey – from Earth to the...