Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais

This week’s conversation is with Colin O'Brady, an explorer and elite endurance athlete, who has set multiple records and pushed the boundaries of what we understand to be possible. He was a previous guest on Finding Mastery – episode 36 – and I’m excited to have him back on to talk about his latest feat, the world's first solo, unsupported and completely human powered crossing of Antarctica. Prev...

This week’s conversation is with Coach Tony Blauer, who’s been in the martial art, self-defense, defensive tactics, and combatives industry for over four decades. Tony founded Blauer Tactical Systems (BTS) in 1985 and it has grown into one of the world's leading consulting companies specializing in the research and development of performance psychology, personal safety, and close quarter tactics &...

This week’s conversation is with Chase Jarvis, an award-winning artist, entrepreneur, and one of the most influential photographers of the past 20 years. His expansive work ranges from shooting advertising campaigns for companies like Apple, Nike, and Red Bull; to working with athletes like Serena Williams and Tony Hawk, to collaborating with renowned icons like Lady Gaga and Richard Branson. In 2...

This week’s conversation is with Katie Arnold, a longtime journalist and an elite ultra runner. Katie was the 2018 Leadville Trail 100 Run champion. For those of you unfamiliar with Leadville, it’s an Ultramarathon held annually on rugged trails and dirt roads near Leadville, Colorado, through the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The race course climbs and descends 15,600 feet, with elevations rangin...

This week’s conversation is with Jim Zorn, a former NFL quarterback and coach who currently serves as head coach and general manager of the Seattle Dragons of the second incarnation of the XFL. Jim was the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks during their first eight seasons as a franchise and is a Seattle legend. He’s known as one of the more prolific scrambling quarterbacks of his day a...

This week’s conversation is with Raja Dhir, the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Seed Health, a microbial sciences company pioneering applications of bacteria to impact human and environmental health. Now some of you may already be familiar with what the microbiome is but for those who aren’t, I’ll share a brief summary of it via Harvard’s School of Public Health. Picture a bustling city on a weekday morn...

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist, better known as the “Sleep Doctor.” Michael is both a Diplomat of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He was one of the youngest people to pass the Board at age 31 with a specialty in Sleep Disorders. Michael was also recently named both the Top Sleep Specialist in...

This week’s conversation is with Missy Franklin, a five-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FINA World Swimmer of the Year. Missy retired from swimming in December of 2018 after an incredible career. In 2011, she established herself as one of the top swimmers in the world when she won five medals – three of them gold – at the 2011 FINA World Championships in Shanghai. At the 2012 Olympic Games...

This week’s conversation is with Stephan Moccio, a producer, composer, recording artist and musician behind some of music’s most massive, inescapable global hits. In 2013, Stephan co-penned the quintuple-platinum song “Wrecking Ball” with Miley Cyrus. Following the song’s success, Stephan quickly became one of the industry’s most sought-after and in-demand producers and songwriters,...

This week’s conversation is with NFL Hall-of-Famer Ronnie Lott. Ronnie has been a champion and a leader his entire life. After graduating high school in 1977, Ronnie went on to the University of Southern California where he helped his team win the 1978 national championship. He was a unanimous All-American and team captain in 1980 and graduated in 1981 with a degree in public administration. Short...

This week’s conversation is with Mick Fanning, a professional surfer from Australia, regarded as one of the best surfers ever. Mick won the ASP World Tour in 2007, 2009 and 2013 and is the living embodiment of professional surfing. He’s spent the better part of two decades as one of the biggest gravitational forces on the Tour, racking up 22 Tour wins, 11 Top 5 finishes in addition to those t...

This week’s conversation is with Angela Naeth, currently ranked among the top triathletes in the world with 3 sub 9-hour Ironman performances. Angela is a multiple 70.3 and Ironman Champion and has 30+ podiums at the 70.3 and Ironman distances. If you're not familiar with the 70.3, that's the total distance in miles for what's considered a half-ironman. A full ironman triathlon is 140+ miles...

This week’s conversation is with Brian Volk-Weiss, the founder and president of Comedy Dynamics. Brian stands at the forefront of comedy’s evolution in the 21st century. Since the launch of Comedy Dynamics in 2008, he has guided the award-winning brand to becoming the nation’s largest independent producer and distributor of one-hour comedy specials, while initiating innovative partnerships with Am...

This week’s conversation is with Tyler Lockett, a football player who currently plays Wide Receiver for the Seattle Seahawks. Tyler was drafted by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft, and played college football at Kansas State, where he broke multiple records. This is the first time I’ve had a current member of the Seahawks on the podcast and it was a special conversation. Both...

This week’s conversation is with Corey Rich, a director and photographer. Corey has built a life and career around his passions for travel, adventure, and telling stories with his camera. With a background in rock climbing and photojournalism, Corey’s work spans a range of genres, from iconic still imagery for leading editorial publications, to television spots and films, to directing high-product...

This week’s conversation comes from the Finding Mastery Live that we recently hosted in Seattle with Seattle Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll. In 2009, a mutual friend put Coach Carroll and I together for dinner and instantly, I knew it was right. We were talking about ancient principles, we were talking about modern science, we were talking about really collectively, how do you help people pursu...

This week’s conversation is with Apolo Anton-Ohno, an eight time Winter Olympics Medalist and a flat out legend in short track speed skating. . With two gold, two silver, and four bronze medals, Apolo is the most decorated American Olympian at the Winter Olympics. Apolo remains involved in the Olympic movement as an ambassador to the Olympic Games, the Special Olympics, and also serves as a broadc...

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon, a former university professor and researcher who now designs curriculum for Precision Nutrition. She focuses on helping people make meaningful change through the Precision Nutrition Coaching and coaching Certification programs. Krista is also the author or co-author of several books, with the latest being Why Me Want Eat: Fixi...

This week’s conversation is with Dr. David Sinclair, a professor in the Department of Genetics and co-director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging at Harvard Medical School, where he and his colleagues study longevity, aging and how to slow its effects. More specifically, their focus is on studying sirtuins—protein-modifying enzymes that respond to changing NAD+ levels and to calo...

This week’s conversation is with 2016 Olympian Katie Zaferes, the #1 ranked triathlete in the world. Katie recently captured her first ITU World Triathlon Series title. The world title is years in the making for Katie, who finished fifth in the ITU World Triathlon Series in 2015, fourth in 2016, third in 2017 and second in 2018.  A native of Hampstead, Maryland, Katie began her career as a cr...

This week’s conversation is with Tero Isokauppila, the founder of Four Sigmatic , a wellness company helping people nourish their bodies inside and out. Tero grew up in Finland working on his family’s farm. He earned a degree in Chemistry, Business, and a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition at Cornell. I’m stoked to be partnered with Tero and Four Sigmatic and I think you’ll see why in this podca...

This week’s conversation is with Meb Keflezighi, the only runner in history to win the Boston Marathon, the New York City Marathon and an Olympic medal. Known all over the world by his first name, Meb is a four-time Olympian and history’s oldest marathoner to qualify for the US Olympic team. Meb was born in the East African nation of Eritrea, a beautiful land torn by war at the time of his birth....

This week’s conversation is with Emmy Award winning journalist, Jemele Hill. Jemele is the co-founder of Lodge Freeway Media and a Senior Staff writer for The Atlantic. She was previously the chief correspondent and senior columnist for The Undefeated, ESPN’s content initiative exploring the intersections of sports, race and culture. Prior to joining The Undefeated, Jemele co-anchored SportsCenter...

This week’s conversation is with inventor and entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell. In 1972 Nolan Bushnell created an industry when he founded Atari and gave the world Pong , the first blockbuster video game. Today his design credo—that games should be “easy to learn and difficult to master”—is inspiring a new generation of developers. A prolific entrepreneur, Bushnell has started more than 20 companies, i...

This week’s conversation is with NBA stars DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love and it’s unique. It comes from a live panel we did at Aspen Ideas Festival a few weeks back. Presented by the Aspen Institute in partnership with The Atlantic, the Aspen Ideas Festival is the nation’s premier, public gathering place for leaders from around the globe and across many disciplines to present and discuss the ideas...