The Coaching Lab: Evidence-Based High Performance & Wellbeing

Over the past decade, the importance of sleep has rapidly made it’s way to the forefront of importance for our wellbeing. That attention has been accompanied by a plethora of apps, books, articles and more to provide us with all the tools and knowledge to improve our sleep. But what happens when none of those work? What happens when you try all the tools, follow all of the advice, and STILL can’t...

The words we choose determine the life we live. At a surface level, that may be as simple as trading statements like “I’ve got to” for “I get to” or “I should” for “I could” – both single letter adjustments that can effectively flip our mindset 180 degrees. However, with a little deeper dive along with a willingness to take a peek in the mirror, this concept might just change the trajectory of bot...

The year was 1977. Star Wars made its debut… the Apple II computer was released… Elvis Presley passed away at age 42… our hometown Denver Broncos experienced their “miracle season” on the way to the Super Bowl… Chuck E. Cheese pizza opens their first location…and disco was nearing it’s peak in popularity. But something else happened that year that may have influenced the world more than any of the...

Do you ever feel stretched thin at work? Have you felt stuck in between overworked and underutilized? Do you ever get to the end of what felt like an extremely busy day but struggle to put your finger on any truly productive work that happened in the process? No doubt we all have – and today’s interview welcomes Greg McKeown – author of the million-copy best-selling book Essentialism and the follo...

What is coaching – really? We hear about health & wellness coaching available through our employer, see people across various social media platforms claiming to be life coaches or wellness coaches and of course see athletic coaches taking front and center on a regular basis. But how does it work? What’s the difference between someone who might call themselves a coach and someone with the credi...

360 seconds. 6 minutes. 1/10th of an hour. Just 4 tenths of 1% of our day. Can it make a difference? Can it be THE difference leading toward a life of meaning, purpose & impact? Don’t real life changes involve hours of preparation and ongoing work? Or could a 360 second window of time open us up to a new world of opportunity? Welcome to a special episode of the Catalyst 360 podcast. I’m your h...

What if I were to tell you our conscious thoughts and resultant actions are not a reflection of simple sensory inputs - such as the air temperature as we step outside or the sight of an eagle flying overhead. Instead, it is how we FEEL about those sensory inputs that drives our complex decisions and actions. Your response to an external input may very well differ significantly from mine – not beca...

A symptom is not just a symptom – it is an invitation into someone’s story. Those words, penned by today’s guest, might just have the potential to shift the treatment landscape for physical, emotional and mental health in today’s world. While science and technology continue to provide new windows into the human body, the treatment often involves going deeper – into the story that is unique to each...

Marriage isn't easy and it isn't for everyone. But it doesn't hurt to tap into some guidance occasionally if you've decided it's for you. We’re hoping this special episode will provide a few ideas to tip the scales in a more positive direction for those who are either married, heading that direction, or have friends or clients who are looking for guidance along the way.  S...

Years ago, a hot new book by one of my favorite columnists came out. I was leaving to speak at a conference taking place on a cruise ship (still my fav speaking engagement to date) but I couldn’t wait to dig in. So I contacted the author to see if it was possible to have an advanced copy shipped to the hotel and he made me a deal: he’d send me a PDF if I promised to buy a copy once it was availabl...

What’s your story? It’s a question that opens the door to the story you want to tell. In contrast to a resume review, list of race results, or accomplishments of note, it provides you the freedom to reveal the elements of your life that color your canvas of time. It’s my favorite question to ask “soon to be friends” at a party or networking event and it’s a close cousin to the clear personal visio...

Money. Tough subject. Different circumstances for everyone… critical for everyone. We choose careers and life paths based on it, experience sleepless nights and elevated blood pressure due to it, allow relationships to be influenced – and sometimes ended by it. Sermons are preached about it, countries divided by it and songs written about it, including one of my personal favorites by Chris Jansen,...

When we look at the way in which we’re living our lives, are our hearts and souls engaged? No seriously – are we going through the motions, checking off the boxes, but forgetting to tune into whether those activities and actions stir something inside of us? Think about a typical day – is there a joy? A passion? An deeper level of engagement to our real life field of play? Does the music on our com...

We hear a lot about becoming the “best version of ourselves.” But what version is that? How do we clarify our understanding of who we really are – at our core – and how we can most effectively open that best version up to the world, thus enhancing the positive impact we can have in our families, work settings, communities and world?  Welcome to the latest episode of the Catalyst 360 Podcast – your...

Accompanying video to this episode w/ examples available here: https://youtu.be/nCGMQWctPHw “For many, the big choices in life aren’t really choices; they are quicksand. You just sink into the place you happen to be standing.” Author David Brooks is credited with expressing those words, but we ALL know what it’s like to live them. We move through each day, letting the quicksand around our feet dra...

What do exposing fads and optimizing fitness have in common? Longtime Catalyst 360 listeners know the answer: EVIDENCE!  The world of health, wellness & performance is rife with exaggeration, unsupported claims and charisma-dependent shortcuts. Taking an evidence-based approach to your chosen pursuit doesn’t guarantee results, as the scientific method is all about looking for the hole in the p...

Back in 2016, you & I could be sitting down over coffee and you could say “Coop – we should be health & wellness coaches!” Then we could  give each other a high five, walk out the door and start calling ourselves health & wellness coaches. Or – on the employee wellness side of the equation, a wellness company could hire nice people, place them in a call center with a fine-tuned script...

What if you discovered a 60 second assessment you could do each morning with no special equipment that would essentially let you see how your body is responding to various stressors and changes to daily habits like sleep, alcohol intake, exercise and more? Now there is – and the insights anyone can garner from this info can be a game-changer in our lives, regardless of our focused pursuit.  Welcom...

How’s that “to-do” list looking? What if I were to tell you the single biggest change you could make to the list in terms of your future success would be to subtract? That’s right – while our minds naturally think adding a new exercise or routine is the solution, one of the best ways to make things better actually comes down to one word: subtract. Welcome to the Health, Wellness & Performance...

Being a working parent isn’t easy and it seems to be getting more and more difficult with each passing day. It also is now the norm.  In 2020, 95 percent of married couples with children had at least one working parent, and 60 percent of married-couple families with children were both employed, while 72 percent of parents who lived without a partner were likely to be employed. What if there were e...

Journaling is one of those things - perhaps similar to flossing our teeth - most of us know is valuable... we "should" do it. Yet - we rarely do. What if, instead of guilting ourselves into the process, we were able to tap into the magnetic draw of journaling? What if we were to discover the way in which journaling allows us to draw out the best versions of ourselves, to write and rewrit...

Are you rich? While our default answer likely focuses on the way in which we currently evaluate our financial situation, is money what makes us rich? Is it possible to effectively address realistic short and long-term financial goals without sacrificing our health, relationships, ethics or other elements that are important to living a full life? Or are we stuck having to choose between our money a...

"I'd do anything to be healthy, except eat right and exercise." We laugh when the comedian shares this insight from the stage, but then cringe when we realize the truth of that in our own lives and the lives of those around us. What is going on? Intriguingly, our brains are finely tuned based on a world that for most – no longer exists. Extremely palatable foods combining sugar, sal...

Don’t you just hate it when you don’t get a decent sleep? It seemingly throws off everything and ruins the day before it even gets started. And yes, the data appears to back that up. Sleep loss has been shown to increase inflammatory markers throughout the body. But wait a minute. What if there’s another layer to the discussion (and the data analysis)? What if a positive approach to life, somethin...

Us vs. Them. The “other side” just doesn’t get it. Whether politics, work or even family, the confusion arises because we aren’t seeing how the conflict itself has taken over. High conflict is the invisible hand of our time, creating a good vs. evil type of feud. And it results in our brains behaving differently, crystalizing certainty in our own superiority and a head-shaking about those on the o...