Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais

This week’s conversation is with Travis Pastrana. If you're a fan of action sports, you know the name. By four years old, Travis was already riding a one-speed motorcycle. At the age of 14, he won the world freestyle championship. Travis continued to display his versatility into the early 2000's racking up numerous Supercross and Motocross podiums as well a Motocross of Nations Championship title....

This week’s conversation is with Soledad O’Brien, an award-winning documentarian, journalist, speaker, author and philanthropist. She is dedicated to telling empowering and authentic stories on a range of social issues. Soledad currently anchors and produces the Hearst Television political magazine program “Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien” and she also reports regularly for HBO’s “Real Sports...

This week’s conversation is with Michael Bennett, a defensive end in the National Football League. Michael signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and was an instrumental member of the 2013 team that won the Super Bowl. He's also a 3x Pro-Bowler. While Michael’s craft is football, there is so much more to Michael the human being. He’s an advocate for social justice and...

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Melanie Joy, a Harvard-educated psychologist specializing in relationships, communication, and social change. Melanie is best known for her groundbreaking theories on the psychology of violence, nonviolence, and building healthy relationships. Her analyses have helped explain why people engage in “nonrelational” behaviors—behaviors that harm other people, anima...

This week’s conversation is with Deepak Chopra, a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Deepak is the founder of  The Chopra Foundation , a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a modern-day health company at the intersection of science and spirituality TIME magazine has described Deepak as “one of the top 10...

This week’s conversation is with Dr. David Fajgenbaum, a groundbreaking physician-scientist and disease hunter. The timing of his insights is incredibly relevant for us right now. David is best known as the ‘doctor who cured himself’ – he received his last rites while in medical school and nearly died four more times battling Castleman disease. To try to save his own life, he spearheaded...

We are in a unique moment in world history. From the devastating loss of life to the financial fallout to the closing of borders, businesses, industries and schools, we are collectively confronted by a reality few of us could have ever imagined. Decision-making leans on precedents and guiding principles, but how do leaders react when there are no precedents to follow? I had a series of conversatio...

This week’s conversation is with George Karl, the 6th winningest coach in NBA basketball history. George coached the Cavs, Warriors, Sonics, Bucks, Nuggets and Kings over the span of 1,999 NBA games. He was also an All American player in college at the University of North Carolina and played in the ABA for the San Antonio Spurs. At UNC, George had the fortune of being mentored by the late Dean Smi...

This week’s conversation is with Trent Dilfer, a 14 year NFL veteran and Super Bowl Champion. Trent played for five teams during his career, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, and San Francisco 49ers. He led the Ravens to a 34-7 victory over the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV (35). Trent has now made it his mission in life to “give back” and has be...

This week’s conversation is with Sage Steele, one of ESPN’s most popular and respected commentators. Sage joined ESPN in 2007 and currently serves as the co-anchor for ESPN’s flagship show, SportsCenter, weekdays at 6 p.m. ET. She has served as the lead host for SportsCenter on the Road, since 2016, a role that includes on-site, day-long and pre-event coverage for the...

This week’s conversation is with Marc Randolph, a veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneur, advisor and investor. Marc is the co-founder of Netflix, served as their founding CEO, as the executive producer of their web site, and as a member of their board of directors. Although best known for starting Netflix, Marc’s career as an entrepreneur spans more than four decades. He's founde...

This week’s conversation is with Dan Quinn, the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Dan became the head coach in 2015 and has compiled a 43-37 regular season record. In 2016, he led the Falcons to an NFC title and its second Super Bowl appearance. Entering 2020, Dan ranks second in the organization’s history among coaches with at least four seasons with a winning percentage of .538 and fourth in fr...

This week’s conversation is with Scott Barry Kaufman, a humanistic psychologist exploring the depths of human potential. He has taught courses on intelligence, creativity, and well-being at Columbia University, NYU, the University of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. In 2015, he was named one of "50 Groundbreaking Scientists who are changing the way we see the world" by Business Insider. Scott was...

Welcome to Decoding Disruptors, a special edition of the Finding Mastery podcast presented without interruption by Microsoft. Decoding Disruptors takes a deep dive into the minds of extraordinary women who have disrupted the narrative in their businesses, industries, and communities.  Every conversation was filmed and is currently available at decodingdisruptors.com . This conversation i...

This week’s conversation is with Hilaree Nelson. With a career spanning two decades that includes dozens of first descents through more than 40 expeditions to 16 different countries, Hilaree is the most prolific ski mountaineer of her generation.  Some of these ‘firsts” in the world of ski mountaineering include linking two 8000m peaks (Everest and Lhotse) in one push, first ski descents on B...

This week’s conversation is with Chip Conley, a boutique hotel entrepreneur who helped Airbnb's founders turn their fast-growing tech start-up into a global hospitality brand. After selling Joie de Vivre Hospitality, the company he started as a rebel entrepreneur at age 26, Chip wasn't sure what was next. He could have retired at age 52 but the young founders of Airbnb came calling. Chip served as...

This week’s conversation is with snowmobiling legend Levi LaVallee, a 13 time X Games Medalist, Snocross Champion, and World Record holder Levi first tasted podium success in 2004 when he won the HillCross snowmobile event at the Winter X Games, in Aspen, Colorado and then made the switch to Freestyle competition. At the 2008 Winter X Games, Levi took gold in both the Speed & Style and Freesty...

Welcome to Decoding Disruptors, a special edition of the Finding Mastery podcast presented without interruption by Microsoft. Decoding Disruptors takes a deep dive into the minds of extraordinary women who have disrupted the narrative in their businesses, industries, and communities.  Every conversation was filmed and is currently available at decodingdisruptors.com. This conversation is...

This week’s conversation is with Garrett McNamara, an international big wave explorer known for discovering, pioneering and surfing the biggest wave in the world - The Everest of the Oceans - Nazaré, Portugal. Garrett also lead the iconic two-man team who rode tsunami waves generated by a 300ft calving glacier in Alaska and is the first and only foreigner to receive the Vasco da Gama Medal of...

This week’s conversation is with Jeremy Jones, an accomplished filmmaker, entrepreneur, environmentalist and snowboarding pioneer. Jeremy is widely regarded as one of the most legendary big mountain riders and explorers of all time. Named a National Geographic “Adventurer of the Year” and ten times voted “Best Big Mountain Rider of the Year” by Snowboarder Magazine, Jeremy has starred in over a hu...

Decoding Disruptors takes a deep dive into the minds of extraordinary women who have disrupted the narrative in their businesses, industries, and communities.  The team at Finding Mastery , Compete to Create , and Microsoft worked together to bring this series to life.  I had the chance to interview 9 amazing women, every conversation was filmed, and is currently available at decodi...

This week’s conversation is with Sue Enquist, UCLA Softball’s first All-American, National Champion, and Hall of Famer. In 2006, Sue concluded her storied 27-year career as head coach of the UCLA Bruins with a 887-175-1 (.835) record, making her the winningest softball coach among all active coaches. She is the only person in NCAA Softball history to win a championship as a head coach and a player....

This week’s conversation is with Chris McNamara, a Big Wall Climber and ex-wingsuit BASE jumper. He is also the founder of OutdoorGearLab, one of the most popular outdoor gear review sites in the world. Outside Magazine has called Chris one of the world's finest climbers. Climbing Magazine once computed that three percent of Chris's life on earth had been spent on the face of El Capitan, an accomp...

I'm excited to introduce you to our new series,  Decoding Disruptors , a special edition of Finding Mastery, presented by Microsoft.  For the past 8 years,  Compete to Create  and I have had the privilege of working with Microsoft, beginning with their CEO, Satya Nadella, and his executive team -- and then an additional 30,000 people across the company. Microsoft has radically...

This week’s conversation is with Mark Mathews, a world-class big wave surfer, Red Bull Athlete and Surf Contest Director. He’s made a living at the intersection of danger and excitement and knows all too well the crippling grasp of fear. While in Tasmania, fifteen feet in front of a cliff in cold, shark infested waters, Mark hit a reef and instantly blacked out. Terror engulfed every inch of his b...