Catalyst: A Podcast of Thought

What if identity isn't something we construct, but something we occasionally recognize? I came across a line in a book about a Vietnam-era Army nurse working in a field hospital: “This is who I came here to be.” After completing her first patient closure following surgery, in the middle of chaos and uncertainty, she had a moment of recognition. Her circumstances were extraordinary. Ours usually ar...

We often misunderstand flow as letting go, stepping back, or simply going with whatever happens. But flow isn’t the absence of effort or agency. It’s a different way of engaging. Flow asks us to stay close enough to reality to respond to what is actually happening rather than forcing what we think should happen. In this episode, I explore the difference between impact and influence, control and pa...

Golf has a funny way of exposing us. For me, it exposed a lifetime habit of equating effort, intensity, and control with performance. The harder I tried to control my swing, the less natural it became. In this episode of Catalyst , I explore the difference between performing and participating, intention and expectation, and force and presence. Golf has taught me that sometimes the best thing I can...

For most of my life, I believed discipline could solve almost anything. If something wasn't working, I assumed I simply hadn't found the right strategy. Work harder. Prepare better. Tighten the routine. Apply a little more force. Then my body introduced me to a lesson that refused to negotiate. In this episode of Catalyst , I reflect on a decade-long journey toward understanding a rare autoimmune...

Every promise creates an opening, whether it's made to someone else or to ourselves. Until that promise is fulfilled, renegotiated, or released, our minds continue to carry it. In this episode, I explore the neuroscience, psychology, physiology, and sociology of "closing the loop," revealing why completion reduces mental load, strengthens trust, and quietly shapes identity. More than a lesson in p...

There comes a point when trying harder no longer produces better results. In fact, it can begin producing the very friction we're attempting to eliminate. In this episode of Catalyst , I explore why force becomes our default strategy, why it serves us so well for so long, and why it eventually reaches a point of diminishing returns. Through stories from the golf course, instructional coaching, lea...

One of the smallest changes we can make in our language may produce one of the biggest changes in our thinking. We often begin conversations with the phrase, "I think..." It sounds harmless because it usually is. Lately I've been wondering what happens when we replace those two words with a different opening: "Could it be that..." The difference seems subtle, yet it may completely change the conve...

Some people become known for their ability to solve problems. They organize. Repair. Clarify. Mediate. They step into uncertainty and help others find their footing. Over time, however, what begins as a helpful behavior can quietly become an identity. In this episode of the Flow with Force series, I explore the origins of the fixer identity, how it develops, why it feels rewarding, and the hidden...

Think about something you're good at. Not naturally gifted at. Good at it because you've done it hundreds, maybe thousands of times. A skill. A profession. A hobby. A relationship. Now think about how you got good at it. Most likely, the answer is some combination of effort, repetition, discipline, and attention. You practiced. You adjusted. You improved. The relationship felt clear. What you put...

For most of my life, I walked past common yarrow without ever really seeing it. It was just another weed. Anonymous. Interchangeable. Part of a collective. Then I became curious. What followed was more than a lesson about plants. It was a lesson about people. In this episode, I explore how familiarity changes perception, how curiosity transforms categories into individuals, and why the people who...

For most of my life, I believed strength lived primarily in effort. Push harder. Prepare more. Control the variables. And to be fair, that approach worked. Until it didn't. In this opening episode of a new sixteen-part Catalyst series, I introduce Flow with Force: A Different Way to Lead, Listen, and Live . Together, we'll explore where we learned force, why we trust it, and why we continue reachi...

Each morning begins the same way. Two cups of coffee. The first arrives alongside word puzzles, nonfiction pages, and the active work of curiosity. The mind wakes up by gathering. The second is different. No agenda. No solving. Just a quiet gaze through a lakeside window and the slow arrival of thoughts that could not emerge in noise. In this autobiographical meditative essay, Dr. G reflects on cu...

Some of us were trained early that when things get hard, apply more force. Hit harder. Push through. Take control. And for a long time that works for me. But now it doesn’t. This episode explores my exploration of the limits of force through three forms of surrender. Surrender two, surrender into, and surrender onto. I take you through the identity. Christ that follows when I stop relying on a str...

We design most conversations to move things forward. Plans. Problems. Predicaments.. But the relationships that last aren’t held together by better answers. They’re sustained by more intentional questions, often simple ones, asked without an agenda. In this episode, I explore relational questions that create space rather than pressure. Drawing on psychology, sociology, and lived experience, I ask...

Modern habit, culture, rewards visibility, intensity, and performance. We track streaks. We announced goals. We optimize and share progress. But learning doesn’t actually work that way. In this episode, I want to contrast performance driven habit culture with a developmental model grounded in learning science. I will propose a different sequence, frequency, consistency, intentionality, then intens...

In this episode, I explore the surprising power of words to shape our lives. From leadership and lifelong learning to aging and thriving alongside AI, the vocabulary we use every day determines how we think, act, and grow. I share practical strategies for turning complex ideas into language anyone can use, explain how small shifts in wording can spark big behavioral changes, and reveal why clear,...

Ever feel that mental leg when you jump for one kind of work to another? Like your brain is still catching up to your calendar? In this episode, I explore how to make those transitions smoother using something as simple as Post-It notes. I exore how our brains respond to color, phrase and environment, and how small physical cues can help us shift gears between strategic, creative, and reflective w...

In this third and final episode of our series on performance and renewal, we turn from diagnosis to design. We move from understanding why we get stuck to learning how to move again. Drawing again on Adam Alter’s research in “Anatomy of a Breakthrough,” we explore the precise strategies that turn stagnation into forward momentum. Through narrative case studies, we see that progress isn’t born of i...

Burnout isn’t a weakness.  It’s the body’s way of demanding realignment. In this episode, we examine Adam Alter's research in his book, "Anatomy of a Breakthrough," which reframes burnout as a forced breakthrough—a system-level reset between your environment and your evolving identity.   Drawing from organizational psychology, neuroscience, and real-world case studies, we explore the six-minute ma...

In this episode, we explore the realm of being stuck and examine the three main types. The ideas are primarily inspired by the insightful work of author and NYU Stern School of Business marketing professor Adam Alter: “Anatomy of a Breakthrough.” You might think that if you're stuck—whether professionally, in relationships, or in a personal project—it's a sign of a character flaw or a lack of moti...

In this episode, we explore the profound question, “How Will You Measure Your Life?” Drawing on the frameworks of late strategist Clayton M. Christensen, this episode looks beyond traditional business metrics and into personal fulfillment and the art of creating an enduring meaningful life. If this conversation helped you think, pause, or grow — share it forward. You’re listening to Catalyst: A Po...

in this episode, I take a deep dive into the word that often gets a bad rap. The word “like”. I’ll explore the word’s linguistic journey, examine the perspective of Noah Webster (the dictionary guy), and share the work of Anne Curzan, author and linguist. If this conversation helped you think, pause, or grow — share it forward. You’re listening to Catalyst: A Podcast of Thought, with Greg Schnagl.

In this episode of Catalyst, I dive into the philosophical and practical aspects of personal growth. I explore the idea of “unbecoming” by synthesizing the work of Dr. Peter Attia and author Olga Khazan, offering a powerful, two-part strategy for self-reinvention. In this episode you will learn how to combine an internal shift in perspective with deliberate, outward behavior to become the person y...

In this episode, we’re exploring the transformative power of shifting from a mindset of doing to a practice of being. Drawing on insights from Dr. Peter Attia, we discussed how mindfulness and conscious, value driven actions can help us overcome suffering rooted in our own thoughts. We’ll explore the idea that true fulfillment isn’t about what we accomplish, but about shedding what we are not, to...

In this episode, I explore a powerful paradox touted from the ages of Aesop to Attia: true longevity isn’t about explosive effort, but the slow and steady work of building a foundation showing us how going slower can make us stronger. If this conversation helped you think, pause, or grow — share it forward. You’re listening to Catalyst: A Podcast of Thought, with Greg Schnagl.