The Inner Armor Podcast

NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins (Washington Commanders, Minnesota Vikings, and featured in the new Netflix series "Quarterback") has been working with Dr. Royer for 13 years, since he was the starting QB at Michigan State. Kirk pulls no punches: he says that without Dr. Royer, he wouldn't be where he is today. In this episode, Kirk talks about how the work he has done with Dr. Royer can benefit every...

NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins (Washington Commanders, Minnesota Vikings, and featured in the new Netflix series "Quarterback") has been working with Dr. Royer for 13 years, since he was the starting QB at Michigan State. Kirk pulls no punches: he says that without Dr. Royer, he wouldn't be where he is today. In this episode, Kirk talks about what it takes to be a QB in the NFL, what it took to get...

We continue our conversation with Dr. Paul Gammage, exploring how visual acuity affects children's capacity to learn to read, and how different rates of ocular muscle development in children can often lead to misdiagnosis of learning disorders. Inner Armor can help you perform, and even thrive, at your potential. Learn more at ForgeInnerArmor.com .

One of the three pillars of the Inner Armor program is visual precision, which impacts neurological performance. In this interview with Dr. Paul Gammage, Doc explores how this impacts athletes at the highest levels, in very surprising ways. Inner Armor can help you perform, and even thrive, at your potential. Learn more at ForgeInnerArmor.com .

We naturally adapt to our environment. Part of that adaptation is learning, both passive and active. We learn how to do or react, we learn what things mean, and why they are the way they are. But not all learning is positive: we can learn bad habits, misinformation, and to interpret things through faulty lenses. In this second episode on learning, Doc and Greg explore how to use opportunities to l...

We naturally adapt to our environment. Part of that adaptation is learning, both passive and active. We learn how to do or react, we learn what things mean, and why they are the way they are. But not all learning is positive: we can learn bad habits, misinformation, and to interpret things through faulty lenses. In this first of two episodes, Doc and Greg explore what learning is, where it begins,...

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder isn't as prominent in the media as it was 20 years ago, but a surprising number of children and adults are still diagnosed with ADHD and are on medication to treat it. Doctor Royer spent years researching and treating ADHD. He discovered an epidemic of misdiagnosis, in which legitimate symptoms were misattributed to ADHD, and the stimulants prescribed were...

Human thriving requires openness to relationships, experiences, and learning. We build internal walls to protect us from harm, but those walls can shut us out from possibilities for growth and sources of energy to sustain and nurture our humanity. Doc and Greg talk about these walls, and how they put a cap on our potential. Inner Armor can help you perform, and even thrive, at your potential. Lear...

Presence is one of the most powerful tools in our performance arsenal. Disengagement from the place we are, the people we are with, or the task in front of us robs us of power and potential. In this episode, Doc and Greg explore what it means to be present and why it is the key to human thriving (or not). Inner Armor can help you perform, and even thrive, at your potential. Learn more at ForgeInne...

We usually talk about "performing at our potential," but there is something more valuable than performance: thriving. In this episode, Doc and Greg talk about what it means to thrive as a human being. In fact, thriving might mean performing in all aspects of your life, not just in your sport or work. Can we "thrive at our potential?" What would that look like? How would we measure it? What stands...

The science that Inner Armor uses to improve human performance is built upon the work of pioneers in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and digital technology. In this episode, Doc and Greg discuss these innovators and how their work made possible the advances of the early 21st century. Learn more at forgeinnerarmor.com

Our culture idolizes collegiate athletes. We watch them on TV, fans wear branded gear, and booster's donate billions to the universities. They appear to be in the prime of life, physically and mentally gifted, with promising futures. How do we avoid turning them into idols, or performers, and preserve and develop their humanity during these few years they are on that stage? In the second of two ep...

Student athletes face unique developmental challenges. In many ways, they at the peak of their physical prowess, but they are still learning and maturing intellectually, emotionally, and relationally. Moreover, they have multiple roles or jobs as full-time students and (often) nearly full-time athletes. How can colleges and universities help these young people to reach their potential without bein...

In the second of two episodes on overcoming anxiety, Dr. Royer talks about the "alligators," or potential threats, that lurk around us. Often, they are right in front of us, blocking our path. But just as often, we exaggerate the threat level, allow them to dominate our thoughts and restrict our freedom. Grounding ourselves in the tangible world, measuring our thoughts, and properly regulating our...

Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health issues of our time, especially for younger people. Your brain has an amazing capacity to analyze and conceptualize, which is how we accomplish so many fantastic things. But with that comes our ability to overthink, worry, and fear ideas that exist more in our minds than in reality. In this episode, Doctor Royer shares a powerful antidote to...

After winning ten collegiate titles and the NCAA national championship at San Jose State University, Tracy Hanson played on the LPGA Tour for 16 years, including 10 top-10 finishes and a career-low round of 63. After retiring from the tour, she has dedicated her time to philanthropy and ministry, starting her own ministry mentoring young female athletes to achieve their potential. Recently, she ha...

After winning ten collegiate titles and the NCAA national championship at San Jose State University, Tracy Hanson played on the LPGA Tour for 16 years, including 10 top-10 finishes and a career-low round of 63. After retiring from the tour, she has dedicated her time to philanthropy and ministry, starting her own ministry mentoring young female athletes to achieve their potential. Recently, she ha...

In our last episode we talked about what sleep is and why we need it. It turns out that those are very complex questions, because sleep is very complex. It’s not just shutting down the body and resting. In many ways, our bodies are as active during sleep as they are when we are awake, but the brain and body have an agenda, a structured set of tasks and processes that it must accomplish in sequence...

Before the 1950s, most people believed sleep was a passive activity during which the body and brain were dormant. Over recent decades, science has proven that the brain and body are remarkably active during sleep. Muscles and organs repair and regenerate tissues. Toxins are cleared, and the immune system fights disease, restoring homeostasis. The brain reorganizes memory storage and restores neura...

Throughout most of modern medical history, specific illness or symptoms were assumed to have specific causes. If your throat hurt, it was an infection or injury to the throat. But Hans Selye (1907 - 1982), who was nominated for the Nobel Prize 17 times, made important scientific research that gave new insights into the non-specific responses of an organism to stress (or “stressors”). Using experim...

Dr. Royer has helped some of the world’s best professional golfers, on the PGA and LPGA tours, to maximize performance under tournament conditions by aligning their brains and bodies. In the first of two episodes on the neurophysiology of elite golf, Doc explains the unique challenges that tournament level golf places on the human system, and how technology and training can give a player a competi...

Dr. Royer has helped some of the world’s best professional golfers, on the PGA and LPGA tours, to maximize performance under tournament conditions by aligning their brains and bodies. In the first of two episodes on the neurophysiology of elite golf, Doc explains the unique challenges that tournament level golf places on the human system, and how technology and training can give a player a competi...

To perform to our potential requires us to actually show up. In fact, Woody Allen once said, “Ninety percent of success is just showing up.” But too often, we fail to show up and really be present, focusing on where we are, what we’re doing, and who we’re with. Often what keeps us from showing up and being present is that we are obsessing about the past and the future. We get caught up in the “Wha...

It's Super Bowl Week! To prepare for watching the big game, Dr. Royer shares his insights into what it took for these two teams to get here, what they need to be doing in the days and hours before the kickoff, and what it will take to win. Having worked extensively with NFL and NBA teams, as well as champions from other sports, Doc knows just how hard it has been for these organizations to survive...