The Coaching Lab: Evidence-Based High Performance & Wellbeing

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...

Legends about the Fountain of Youth have existed for millennia. In spite of rumors about discovery in Florida, the real fountain of youth comes from tapping into the growing research on longevity – the practical steps any of us can take to improve the quality – and potentially quantity – of the years we have remaining in this thing called life. Welcome to the Catalyst Health, Wellness & Perfor...

Are you married? Thinking about taking that step? Even for those who see marriage as a generally positive thing know it rarely – ok, it never – matches the fairy tale. Unlike the fairy tale version, there are no magic potions available. However, 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 d...

What does it take to light a fire under our creative potential? What does Risk have to do with luck? And are there practical steps we can take to positively move the dial in each of these? Welcome to the latest episode of the Health, Wellness & Performance Catalyst. Today we’re revisiting a hidden gem to take an evidence-based deeper dive into creativity, risk-taking and much, much more. Our g...

Are you feeling burned out? At the end of your rope? Sick and tired of being sick and tired? It’s a common feeling – one that has only been exacerbated through the confusing, on-again, off-again world we’ve been living in the past few years. If you’re looking for answers to help you in your own journey or perhaps your employee team members or coaching clients, today’s episode is just what the doct...

If you grew up a fan of the Rocky films, you’ll no doubt remember the classic scene in Rocky III when Clubber Lane  (Mr. T) is asked his prediction for the match against Rocky. He glares into the camera and gives a single word answer: “Pain.”  He was talking about the boxing match, but he could have been speaking about life. Pain is universal. For some, it may play a beneficial role – nudging us i...

Over the past century, we have shifted from 50% of the population living in rural areas to less than 17%. Over 50% of us spend more than a TOTAL of 5 hours each week outside, with a large % of that group totaling less than 3 hours/week. Does it matter? Yes – and with each passing year, the research is bringing more data about WHY it matters to the forefront. Our guest today is on the cutting edge...

Breathing. It’s so simple that unless we’re struggling through an asthma attack or drowning, it never even crosses our minds. But what if we’re doing it wrong? No- seriously – what if developing some simple changes to the way in which we breath could improve our health, our energy levels and our outcomes across various aspects of life?  Welcome to the latest episode of the Catalyst Health, Wellnes...

What is it like to be one of the greatest athletes on the planet? What is it like when one of the greatest athletes on the planet suffers an ATV accident that results in paralysis from the waist down? And what impact takes place when that athlete just happens to be outspoken, free spirit and determined to make a difference? Welcome to the Catalyst Health, Wellness & Performance Coaching Podcas...

Are you planning to retire someday? Maybe that “someday” is decades away. Maybe it’s later this year. Regardless of your timeline, this special episode could potentially be among the most important we’ve ever released in terms of impact on the lives and future lives of you and those in your inner circle. In 1960, if you made it to age 65, you could expect to live another 13 years. Today, 1 in 7 of...

I’ve read a lot of bios preparing for the 230+ episodes of this show. They’re all impressive and they set the stage, providing the credibility surrounding their insights. But today’s guest is the first person who’s bio made me look for the “just kidding – obviously no single person could do all of those things” note at the bottom. But there was nothing of the sort. Hold onto your hats folks – we’r...

Happiness. We crave it. We ponder it. We talk about it. We think we know what will bring more of it – but do we really? What if the pursuit of happiness actually makes us LESS happy? But if that’s the case, what’s the alternative outside of giving up? Welcome to the Catalyst Health, Wellness & Performance Coaching Podcast. Today’s guest is Organizational psychologist and behavioral scientist D...

You know how to set goals, right? Well, what if everything you thought you knew about goal setting was wrong?  What if the traditional guidance to dial in specific, measurable, timebound goals was causing many of us to miss out on the opportunities resulting from a completely different approach? Welcome to the latest episode of the Catalyst Health, Wellness & Performance Coaching Podcast. Toda...

Why do so many “other” people believe propaganda, conspiracy theories and statements from various influencers that clearly lack any factual backing? How is it possible to fall prey to misinformation so consistently? And what does any of this have to do with the way in which we learn? (or for the instructors out there – how we teach)? Welcome to the Catalyst Health, Wellness & Performance Coach...

Are you confused by all the claims about the “best” diets, what foods to avoid, and the never-ending list of nutritional fads highlighted in books and headlines? We are too. And in today’s episode, we’re going to do something about it, including a discussion about the nuances surrounding the recent intermittent fasting study that haven't come out in the latest headlines. Welcome to the Cataly...

What's next? It's a question we regularly face as we move through this thing called life.  But how do we do it more effectively? What questions are most valuable as we navigate the journey? In this special Contemplative Catalyst episode, we explore this question and provide the 5 keys to consider as we move forward. Looking for weekly tips, tricks and turbo boosts to enhance your life? S...

What if the foods we put in our mouth could positively influence the struggles related to depression, anxiety, PTSD and mental health in general? And what you discovered this connection wasn’t simply something that fell under the general “eat right and exercise” guidance but rather that the science was clearly demonstrating a measurable impact? Welcome to the Catalyst Health, Wellness & Perfor...

The traditional pattern in life is to hit the ground running when the alarm sounds in the morning, go full speed ahead all day with the possibility of a short break over the lunch hour, cap it off with a session at the gym, kids activities or errands before – if we’re lucky – crashing on the couch for a bit of mindless TV before crawling into bed and then starting the whole process over the next d...