Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development

Mayo Clinic On Human Optimization

Education EN ↓ 74 episodes

The bar for human performance is higher than it’s ever been. As a result, we all feel the need to do MORE. At the same time, we are becoming increasingly aware of the value of sleep, rest, recovery, and wellness. Accordingly, we also feel the need to do LESS. If you’re like most people, it can be challenging to reconcile this conflict of feeling the need to do MORE and LESS simultaneously, and that is likely contributing to high rates of burnout and decreased performance. So how do we reconcile these seemingly competing desires? That is where Human Optimization comes in. Human Optimization is...

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Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development

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Education

Latest episode

Nov 4, 2026

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Episodes

E24 How to Run a Meeting: Make Your Meetings Effective, Efficient, and Enjoyable 06.08.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Joshua B. Murphy, Legal Counsel | Mayo Clinic – Rochester, MN   Current knowledge workers are spending an average of 15 or more hours per week in meetings, and for many of us, that number can be doubled. What’s with the meeting mania? With the amount of time we are spending in meetings, it’s critical t...

E23 The Art of Decision Making: How to Make the Right Call at the Right Time 30.07.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Andrew Danielsen, Chief Business Development Officer | Mayo Clinic – Rochester, MN   It has been estimated that the average adult makes over 30,000 decisions per day. Which is a mind-blowing number. While some of these may be small or boring, the majority of these decisions shape who we are and the imp...

E22 Improving Your Resiliency: How to Thrive When Life Gets Messy 23.07.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Anjali Bhagra, MD MBA FACP, Professor of Medicine; Medical Director, Enterprise Automation and Belonging | Mayo Clinic   Data shows that being more resilient can decrease our stress, improve productivity, decrease burnout, enhance our relationships, and even reduce mortality in some situations. However...

E21 Exercise as a Prescription for Life: Why Exercise is the Best Medicine Everyone Should be Taking 16.07.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Edward R. Laskowski, M.D., Sports Medicine Physician | Mayo Clinic – Rochester, MN   We all know what exercise is (or at least we think we do). We are familiar with many of it’s benefits such as getting stronger, improving flexibility, and losing weight. However, there are a number of benefits that mos...

E20 Forming Habits for Success: Creating Productive Consistency in Everyday Life 09.07.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Griffin Jax, Professional Baseball Pitcher | Minnesota Twins Baseball Club     Most of what we are today (our happiness, position, relationships, health, etc.) has come about as a direct consequence of our habits. Good or bad, these habits largely determine who we are, what we do, and how successfully...

E19 Beyond Lifespan: The Pursuit of Healthspan and Vitality 02.07.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Sara L. Bonnes, M.D., M.S., Medical Director, Healthy Longevity Clinic | Mayo Clinic – Rochester, MN   There is increased attention being paid to the concept of longevity recently. People are living longer than they ever have, and the desire to continually extend our lifespan is at an all-time high. Wh...

E18 The Truth About Weight Loss: Breaking Down Misunderstandings and Setting You Up for Success 25.06.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Tara M. Schmidt, M. Ed., RDN, LD, Lead Registered Dietitian – Mayo Clinic Diet | Mayo Clinic – Rochester, MN   Today, we are discussing weight loss and weight management. This is one with relatively universal application as we all would love to optimize our weight for a number of reasons. The potential...

E17 Finding Balance in Emotions: Regulating Your Emotional Flexibility and Rigidity 18.06.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Chris Stephenson, M.D., M.H.P.E., M.S., Internal Medicine Physician, General Internal Medicine, Vice Chair of Practice | Mayo Clinic – Rochester, MN   Our emotions drive so much of what we think, say, and do. For many of us, our emotions are in the driver’s seat, and we often feel like we are just alon...

E16 How to Define and Live Out Your Purpose: Key Steps to Finding Meaning in Life and Work 11.06.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Carlos Coto, MA., CMPC., Head of Mental Performance | San Diego Football Club Right now, we are all living our lives, striving for progress, and generally trying to improve ourselves, others, and the world around us. But how many of us have stopped to think about WHY we do this? What is the purpose beh...

E15 Motivating Others: How to Connect With, Inspire, and Motivate the People Around You 04.06.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Pablo Lopez, Professional Baseball Pitcher | Minnesota Twins Baseball Club If you’ve ever been a part of a team, group, organization, or family, it’s obvious that much of your progress, success, and happiness in heavily influenced by the people around you. This can be a major blessing if you are surrou...

E14 Understanding the Basics of Sleep: What Everyone Should Know about Sleep Needs and Stages 28.05.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Stuart J. McCarter, M.D., Sleep and Cognitive/Behavioral Neurologist | Mayo Clinic – Rochester, MN In the past, we’ve discussed the circadian rhythm and how it sets your clock for the day. Both when you are awake, and when you are asleep. Today, we are going to focus in on what happens to us when we go...

E13 Unwrapping the Truth About Processed Foods: Impact on Your Health and How to Overcome the Temptation 21.05.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Katherine A. Zeratsky, RDN, LD, Assistant Professor of Nutrition, Registered Dietitian | Mayo Clinic – Rochester, MN Would you describe yourself as someone who is busy, wants to save money, and likes things that taste good? That describes a lot of us, and those are some of the most common reasons many...

E12 The Art and Science of Personal Change: Overcoming Barriers to Become Your Best Self 14.05.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Anni Shandera-Ochsner, Ph. D., ABPP-CN, Clinical Neuropsychologist & Medical Director of Joy at Mayo Clinic | Mayo Clinic Health System – La Crosse, WI   We all have areas of our lives that we’d like to improve. In fact, many of us have been at this for years…with varying levels of success. If you’ve b...

E11 Burnout Decoded: Strategies for Individuals and Organizations to Understand it, Prevent it, and Overcome It 07.05.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Colin West, M.D, Ph. D., Medical Director of Employee Well-Being | Mayo Clinic – Rochester, MN This week, we are focusing on a topic that many don’t like to discuss, but we all need to understand better. You may have experienced it firsthand, and it has major implications for all of us at home and in t...

E10 Dealing with Failure: A Discussion About Processing, Understanding, and Growing From Setbacks 30.04.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D. Guest: Carlos Correa, Professional Baseball Shortstop, Minnesota Twins Baseball Club Failure is tough, and if we are honest with ourselves, we all experience some level of failure on a near daily basis. Some of these failings are small, while others are substantial and can have real impacts on our lives. Given how commonly failure occurs, we need to figure out how t...

E9 Cognitive Overload: Overcoming the Modern Epidemic of Mental Exhaustion 23.04.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D.   Guest: Justin Anderson, Psy. D., LP, CMPC Owner/Founder | CEO | High Performance Psychologist Premier Sport Psychology   In our modern, hyper-connected world, our brain is subject to a non-stop barrage of noise, information, stimuli, and inputs. While much of it is necessary and meaningful, a large portion is just unnecessary distraction. With this heavy burden of...

E8 The Power of Connection: How to Communicate Effectively with Anyone 16.04.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D. Guest: Dustin Morse, Senior Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs, Minnesota Twins Baseball Club Connection with other people is the one of the most essential elements to a happy and fulfilling life. In order to connect with others, you MUST COMMUNICATE with others. However, in our hyper-electronic and busy world, effective communication has become a l...

E7 Understanding Your Circadian Rhythm: The Foundation for Healthy, Quality Sleep 09.04.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D. Guest: Michael Howell, M.D. You’ve likely heard of the concept of the “Circadian Rhythm,” but you may not fully understand it. Most people have no idea what their personal circadian rhythm is or how to determine it. Similarly, most of us don’t understand just how our circadian rhythm impacts our energy, sleep, mood, and productivity on a daily basis. Developing a be...

E6 Understanding Calories: What They Are, What They Do, and How to Get Them Right 08.04.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D. Guest: Jason Ewoldt, M.S., RDN There aren’t many words out there than can conjure up emotions, confusion, and frustration quite like the word we are discussing today, and that word is “calories.” However, a discussion on calories doesn’t have to be so complex and loaded with this unnecessary baggage. Today, we are going to bring clarity to the topic by focusing on w...

E5 Moving From Stress to Joy: How to Cultivate Happiness and Joy at Work and Home 08.04.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D. Guest: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. We would all be open to the idea of a little less stress in our lives, especially if we can fill that with joy and happiness. For most of us, this holds true for both our personal and professional lives. But in this age of increasing pressure, demands, expectations, and deadlines, is that even a realistic expectation? Today we are going...

E4 Creating Winning Cultures: Building and Maintaining an Optimal Culture for Teams and Individuals 08.04.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D. Guest: Christina K. Zorn “Culture” is a word that gets a lot of attention, and deservedly so! It is often thought of as the lifeblood of an organization. However, many of us don’t think about the fact that “culture” doesn’t just exist at the level of large organizations. Culture exists for smaller groups, teams, families, and even individuals. In today’s episode, we...

E3 Emotional Intelligence Explained: How to Recognize, Understand, and Use Your Emotions to Be a More Effective Human 08.04.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D. Guest: Mary Ann Djonne, M.Ed. Most of us have heard the term “Emotional Intelligence,” and we understand that it’s generally important to our happiness and interpersonal relationships. However, most of us aren’t able to define it precisely or understand the key components that make it up. While many may think they do a good job of evaluating the emotional intelligen...

E2 Exercise Simplified: Essential Components of an Ideal Workout Plan for You 08.04.2025

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D. Guest: Andrea Hayden MS, RSCC The amount of “exercise” information, recommendations, plans, and opinions out there is greater than it’s ever been. Although our increasing knowledge is generally helpful, it’s easy to get lost in the rapidly evolving sea of information. This is particularly true because much of the information we hear is contradictory, and many people...

E1 The Challenging but Achievable Quest for Accomplishing More while Also Improving Wellness 08.04.2025

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. Guest: Christopher L. Camp, M.D. Being a healthcare clinician is an extremely rewarding occupation, but it can be stressful. Every year, we’re asked to do more and more, the patients seem to get more challenging, and we get less time to spend with each one. A significant number of clinicians report emotional and psychological distress, and burnout remains a major probl...

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