Podcast
Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais
Hosted by Dr. Michael Gervais · EN
Dive into the minds of the world’s greatest athletes, leaders, thinkers, and doers with Dr. Michael Gervais—a high performance psychologist and world-renowned expert on the relationship between high performance and the mind. Dr. Gervais’s client roster includes Super Bowl winning NFL teams, Fortune 50 CEOs, Olympic medalists, internationally acclaimed artists, and more.
On Finding Mastery, Dr. Gervais sits down with the best at what they do, like David Goggins, Brene Brown, Toto Wolff, soccer legend Abby Wambach, neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella — translating their life stories, mental skills, and personal practices into applicable tools you can use to unlock your potential.
Walk with us to the edge of human possibility and learn what you are capable of. New episodes every Wednesday.
56episodes
Episodes
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Robert Greene on Power, Purpose, Struggle, and Love
Feb 26, 202501:18:09Tap to summarizeWhat does it mean to develop mastery of self and mastery of craft? That’s a foundational question.Today, I’m really excited to welcome back to the podcast, one of the great minds of our time—Robert Greene. You probably know Robert as the author of some of the most influential books on human behavior—The 48 Laws of Power, Mastery, and The Laws of Human Nature. Today, we go beyond the pages to dive deep into his unique approach to understanding self-discovery, mastery, and love. We also dig into how he’s navigating his recovery from a major stroke in 2018. It is so inspiring. Robert’s wisdom is practical, sharp, and transformative. In this conversation, he unpacks some of the most important lessons from his life and his work—lessons that can help all of us better navigate the messy, exhilarating, and winding adventure to becoming our best selves.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →The Future of Leadership: Scaling Teams with Empathy & Purpose | Deb Cupp, President of Microsoft Americas
Feb 19, 202501:00:11Tap to summarizeIn this fast-evolving business landscape, how do leaders turn setbacks into opportunities for growth?Today, I’m thrilled to share this conversation with Deb Cupp—the President of Microsoft Americas. Deb embodies the best of leadership – and I don’t say that lightly.I’ve had an up-close view of how she works – she comes alive at the intersection of staying customer-centric while being able to scale teams within highly complex business landscapes. Deb is fun, amazing to be around, brings the best out of her teams, and brings the best out of me as well. She’s earned her resilience… it’s no wonder why her teams perform in a world class way. If you're curious about building a career that's both purpose-driven and high-performing—or how to lead with resilience and empathy—this conversation is packed with actionable insights and wisdom.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →How a UFC Fighter, Olympic Skier, and Extreme Climber Master High-Pressure Moments | The Mindset Roundtable
Feb 12, 202500:53:02Tap to summarizeHow do a UFC fighter, Olympic skier, and extreme climber manage high pressure moments? This is an episode unlike any we’ve done before.Last summer you may remember that a few members of the Finding Mastery Team, along with Olympian and X-Games Champion Kaya Turski, UFC Champion Vitor Belfort, and famed climber Tommy Caldwell, went aboard the USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, while she was on deployment in the Western Pacific. We were there to work with the crew on mindset and high performance. Now these men and women understand high stakes environments. They know what it takes to live on their edge and push the boundaries of what’s possible. They do it everyday, and it was so inspiring. While we were on board, we recorded a podcast with the ship’s Commanding Officer, Captain Daryl Cardone and the Commander of the Air Group - Captain Patrick Corrigan. It’s a great episode. If you haven’t listened to it or watched it, I really recommend you go check that out HERE. Now… before we went onboard, we were stuck at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, waiting out a typhoon that was wreaking a little havoc in the western Pacific. The weather was terrible, and we were all waiting in the hanger for the storm to blow through. We had a high performance psychologist, an MMA fighter, a climber, and a world class Olympic skier… it’s like the start of a bad joke, yet there we were. So, we decided to make the most of our time. We sat down on cases and whatever we could find in the hanger and had a conversation. A kind of roundtable... It was a wide-ranging discussion that delved into adversity, resilience, and high-performance mindset. Each of them has faced extreme challenges, from high-altitude survival to fight-night pressure to life-threatening injuries. And in this conversation, we break down the mental frameworks and strategies that helped them do more than survive; they emerged stronger and more invigorated than ever.If you’ve ever wondered how elite performers navigate fear, setbacks, and the unknown, this is a conversation you will want to take the time to listen to. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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The Death of a Team – What Happens When The Game Is Over | The Game Inside The Games, Ep. 5
Feb 9, 202500:27:45Tap to summarizeThe Super Bowl can mark the pinnacle of a team’s journey—but when the final whistle blows, another game begins: the game of transition.For NFL players, the end of a season isn’t just about the scoreboard—it’s about identity, loss, and what comes next. Some teams prepare for this reality. Others ignore it, only to face the reality later.In this episode of The Game Inside The Games, Dr. Mike and NFL legend Brandon Marshall pull back the curtain on the psychological weight of the season’s end—and how elite teams, like Pete Carroll’s Seahawks, used emotional intelligence, team culture, and mental preparation to thrive under pressure.Brandon opens up about the hidden struggles of post-career transitions, the mistakes most players make, and how studying at Harvard changed his approach to life after football. Plus, Michael shares never-before-heard stories from the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run—including why a locker room fight days before the game wasn’t a crisis, but a sign that the team was right where they needed to be.Because whether you’re an athlete, a leader, or anyone navigating major life shifts—transitions define us.🔥 Don’t miss this masterclass on resilience, leadership, and the psychology of high performance.🎧 Subscribe now and follow along with Finding Mastery all week as we unlock the mindset of high-performance athletes on the world’s biggest stage. Get The Game Inside The Games on Youtube, Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.…This episode is brought to you by…Microsoft CopilotTry Copilot for yourself → https://rb.gy/u8xr9z Find the right Microsoft Partner for your organization → https://rb.gy/xb3kgt Get the playbook for ‘The End of Teams’ → https://www.findingmastery.com./thegame/ scroll to the bottom of this page, and enter your email.Mack WeldonGet 20% off orders $100+ with code FINDINGMASTERY → https://rb.gy/8gsaniSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →‘Best Of’ Finding Mastery – How To Build High Performing Teams
Nov 27, 2023Tap to summarizeTo date, the Finding Mastery Podcast has been running for 8 years and for over 400 episodes. In that time, we’ve gained extraordinary insights and timeless wisdom from some of the top thinkers and doers in the world.While we have come to realize that there is no singular “golden thread” to how the best in the world operate – we’ve noticed some common themes, skills, and insights that many of these people have utilized on their path to mastery. And that’s why we’re so thrilled to bring you the all new Best Of Finding Mastery series. In each episode, we’ll take a deep dive into a specific skill or topic – pulling together the best insights and gems from years of interviews with the best in the world. These are tools and insights that have stood the test of time. For this inaugural episode, we’re highlighting conversations with a remarkable group of leaders who’ve made a game-changing impact leading high performing teams in the worlds of sports, branding, technology, retail, business and the military. You’ll hear from game-changers across industry like Satya Nadella (Microsoft CEO), Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks Head Coach), Jan Singer (former Victoria’s Secret & J.Crew CEO), Toto Wolff (Mercedes Benz F1 CEO), Julie Rice (Co-Founder of SoulCycle), and more. Though each of these individuals comes at leadership with unique personal philosophies, core values, and historical experiences, you’ll hear quite a bit of overlap when it comes to their central drivers for success in building high performing teams. Now, we could have cut this episode a dozen different ways — we’ve had so many incredible leaders on this podcast, it was nearly impossible to choose which conversations to highlight. So, let us know if you like this format and what subjects interest you. There’s plenty more to choose from for a volume two, three and beyond. And with that, we hope you enjoy the first installment of our Best Of series on high-performing teams._________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →A World Without Email? | Cal Newport
Mar 10, 2021Tap to summarizeThis week’s conversation is with Cal Newport, an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University, where he specializes in the theory of distributed systems.Cal is also a New York Times bestselling author who writes about the intersection of technology and culture. He’s the author of seven books, including Digital Minimalism and Deep Work, which have been published in over thirty languages. In his latest book titled, A World Without Email, he makes the case that our current approach to work is broken, then lays out a series of principles and concrete instructions for fixing it.And that sets the tone for this conversation.We discuss how the modern work ecosystem has created the hyperactive hivemind… where everyone just grabs anyone as needed.As Cal puts it, it’s convenient and flexible, but it's melting our brains and it's burning us out._________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →The Psychology of Money | Morgan Housel
Feb 24, 2021Tap to summarizeThis week’s conversation is with Morgan Housel, a partner at The Collaborative Fund and a former columnist at The Motley Fool and The Wall Street Journal. He is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, winner of the New York Times Sidney Award, and a two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism.Morgan recently published a book titled, The Psychology of Money, and it’s the impetus for why I wanted to talk to him.If you’ve listened to this podcast for a while, you know I live by this stance: having a philosophy for your life is imperative...What I hope you take from this conversation is that the same can be said for how you think about money.There isn’t simply one "right" way to manage your money, but it should align with the greater values you live by.At one point in our conversation, Morgan shares that he doesn’t have a mortgage on his house, that he owns it outright.I was a bit stumped at first because it would appear, especially in our current climate with how low interest rates are, that this is foolish.Isn’t there a huge opportunity cost to that?But Morgan is clear on his principles, what makes him feel secure, and what’s “enough” for him... not having to think about a mortgage is something that’s important to him.So this conversation isn’t focused so much on what to do with your money, but the importance of having clarity on the reasons why you choose to do, what you do, with it._________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →What Makes a Great Coach? | Hall of Fame Softball Coach, Sue Enquist
Feb 19, 2020Tap to summarizeThis week’s conversation is with Sue Enquist, UCLA Softball’s first All-American, National Champion, and Hall of Famer.In 2006, Sue concluded her storied 27-year career as head coach of the UCLA Bruins with a 887-175-1 (.835) record, making her the winningest softball coach among all active coaches.She is the only person in NCAA Softball history to win a championship as a head coach and a player.During her career, Sue produced 65 All-Americans and 15 Olympians.She has been inducted into six Hall of Fames including UCLA, Women’s Sport Foundation, USA Softball Hall of Fame, and National Fastpitch Coaches Association..Sue is also the recipient of multiple National Coach of the Year and Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors.This conversation is all about coaching – in any setting.Sue shares her insights on how to connect, inspire, and get the most out of those around you._________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Trauma Expert
May 8, 2019Tap to summarizeThis week’s conversation is with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, a clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of posttraumatic stress.He has spent his career studying how people adapt to traumatic experiences, and has translated emerging findings from neuroscience and attachment research to develop and study a range of potentially effective treatments for traumatic stress.You might be thinking, “Well I don’t have PTSD, how does this conversation apply to me?”What you might be surprised to learn is how many of us are affected by trauma but just don’t realize it.According to Dr. van der Kolk’s research, 75% of Americans suffer from some type of past traumatic experience.In this conversation, he shares strategies for getting to the root of the trauma.Trauma comes in many forms and so do people’s responses to it.What’s important to remember is just because someone looks like they have it all together on the outside doesn’t mean everything’s ok on the inside.In Dr. van der Kolk’s words:“Some people adapt amazingly well and win Nobel Prizes or MacArthur Grants because of all the energy they put into just pushing things aside. That doesn't mean that they're necessarily resilient even though they may accomplish amazing things. They may go to bed feeling devastated, lonely, and bereft. Or they may still drink or cut themselves or do other things to manage their body's protesting against stuff. So what you see is not necessarily what you get.”_________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →David, Special Operations Sniper
Jun 13, 2018Tap to summarizeThis week’s conversation is with David (leaving his last name out for security purposes.)He's been a top special operations sniper for more than 10 years. David has four combat tours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan and one tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.During the last 21 years he has served in a variety of leadership roles that include; Fire Team Leader, Senior Weapons Sergeant, Tactics and Weapons instructor, Team Sergeant Air Operations NCOIC.David’s won countless awards along the way and just won the USASOC Sniper competition (top completion for snipers in all branches of special ops).He’s been asked multiple times how he won and he attributes it to his mental game!This conversation is a treat.We get to learn from someone truly on the razor’s edge; putting his life on the line. We talk about what goes through his mind in the most pivotal moments, where everything is at stake, including his and others’ lives around him.We discuss the difficulties that come with transitioning back and forth between combat and every day life, his addiction to adrenaline, and how he manages dealing with some of the difficult sights and sounds he’s witnessed.I have the utmost respect for the people who choose to serve our country and put their lives on the line to protect others and I hope this conversation gives you a glimpse into what that sacrifice is really all about._________________Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more powerful conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and meaning: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine! https://www.findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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