Podcast
Mayo Clinic On Human Optimization
Hosted by Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development · EN
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 the process of achieving more (however you define that for yourself) while simultaneously improving your wellness and well-being. Although it’s not easy, it’s certainly possible. Not only is it possible, but it is becoming increasingly essential.
On this Mayo Clinic podcast series, we are going to dive into the topic of Human Optimization and will focus on a few key areas including: exercise, nutrition, culture, emotional intelligence, and finding joy in all you do.
Learn more about On Human Optimization at:https://ce.mayo.edu/optimizeInstagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: The Human Optimization Project - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu
Listening is free and no CME Credit is available for this series.
27episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
E66 Become the CEO of your own health with Dr. Shah
6d ago00:40:27Summary readyEveryone knows that our health is fundamental to our whole experience of life. So why does it always seem like it’s the first thing to get deprioritized when life gets busy? And when we do try to make it a priority, why does it feel like our efforts don’t lead to meaningful change? This episode, we’re joined by Dr. Darshan Shah. He’s a surgeon, author, entrepreneur, and host of his own podcast, Extend. And he’s here to help us learn to take control of our health, form healthy habits, and increase our health span. The three big questions we discuss with Dr. Shah are: 1. How much of our health is shaped by our own actions, mindset, and decisions? 2. Why do so many of us fail to take ownership of our health, and what beliefs or habits are keeping us stuck? 3. What practical steps can we take to assume more ownership of our health and start making better decisions? Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at: https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails. Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books. Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.
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E65 The mental game of physical fitness
3w ago00:49:05Summary readyYou don’t need anyone to tell you that working out is hard. That’s the whole point. But for many of us, the hardest part isn’t physically lifting the weights or running the laps. It’s getting to the gym in the first place. It’s knowing that we can do hard things. It’s staying motivated to keep working at it, even when day to day progress feels hard to measure. So how do we work on our mental fitness with the same dedication we bring to our physical fitness? This episode, we’re joined by Jonathan Jenkins, Psy.D., CPMC, a clinical and sport psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He’s also the Team Clinical and Performance Psychologist for the New England Patriots, and Behavioral Sport Psychologist for the Boston Red Sox. And he’s the author of the book “Mentality Wins: The Athlete’s Playbook for Thriving in Sport and Life.” The three big questions we discuss with Dr. Jenkins are: 1. What is the "mental game" of fitness, and why is it just as important as physical training? 2. Why do so many people struggle with the psychological friction of staying physically fit? 3. How can we actively train our minds to overcome these blocks and elevate our physical fitness? Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails. Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books. Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.
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E64 Building trust: A powerful performance multiplier
Jul 1500:51:31Summary readyNew relationships are hard for a reason – no trust. You’re starting from scratch with no common understanding, no established shared goals, or history of goodwill. Everyone’s feeling vulnerable. But also suspicious. It feels hard to take risks or even just relax and be yourself. So, how do we get past the awkwardness and start building trust? Or rebuild it after it’s been lost? This episode, we’re joined by Dr. Karen Mellum. She holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and is a Human Resources Administrator and Executive leadership coach at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. And she’s here to help us stop waiting for others to prove themselves and start being the first mover. The three big questions we discuss with Dr. Mellum are: 1. What is trust? And why is it crucial for high performance teams? 2. Why is trust so hard to build and maintain? 3. How do we move from being "suspicious by default" to "trusting by design" while still maintaining healthy boundaries? Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at: https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails. Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books. Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.
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E63 A framework for understanding good leadership
Jul 100:43:31Summary readyEveryone loves a good leader. But they’re often held up as these singular examples of success, vision, inspiration, and perseverance. And we struggle to learn from their stories and distill them into a practical, repeatable blueprint for good leadership. This episode, we’re joined by Dr. James Hebl, Medical Director for Leadership and Talent Development at Mayo Clinic and a certified executive coach for healthcare leaders. He’s here to break down the somewhat nebulous concept of leadership into something that we can define, measure, and get better at. The three big questions Dr. Hebl is going to help us tackle are: 1. What is leadership really, and how can we move it from a vague concept into something concrete? 2. Why do so many of us struggle to develop ourselves as leaders and to teach others about leadership? 3. How can we use this framework to better lead ourselves and others? Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails. Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books.
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E62 Self-care for busy people: Productivity demands recovery
Jun 1700:54:24Summary readySelf-care is one of the most commonly used, but poorly understood concepts today. For some, it brings to mind indulgence, luxury, or performative wellness culture. For others, it feels selfish, soft, or unrealistic. However, self-care, when done properly, helps fuel us to be our best selves and will maximize performance gains and achievement. Our expert guest for this episode is Dr. Amy Oxentenko. She’s the Vice Dean of Practice and Vice Chair of the People and Culture Committee at Mayo Clinic. She’s an educator, researcher, leader, and avid distance runner who credits much of her success to intentional self-care practices. The three big questions we discuss with Dr. Oxentenko are: What exactly is “self-care” and why do we need it? What do we commonly get wrong when it comes to taking care of ourselves? What practical strategies can we use to take care of ourselves amid our crazy busy lives? Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails. Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books. Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.
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E61 How to define your personal values
Jun 300:46:12Summary readyLife offers plenty of nice, concrete, mostly attainable goals for us to chase and boxes to check – good job, life partner, maybe a house, maybe kids. But that’s also the classic recipe for a midlife crisis: you work your butt off to get a bunch of those boxes checked only to find yourself exhausted and unfulfilled. Or wondering, “Now what?” So, how do we ground our goals to make sure we’re putting our energy into things that really matter? This episode, we are joined by Bridget Berkland, Manager of Employee Well-being at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She’s a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, and she’s here to help us learn to combat burnout by aligning our daily actions with our deepest personal and professional values. The three big questions we discuss with Bridget are: 1. What are personal values and what role do they play in our daily life? 2. Why do so many of us struggle to define our values and put them into action? 3. What practical steps can we take to clearly articulate our values and then use them to drive meaning and inform behavior in our lives? Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails. Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books. Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.
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E60 Unlocking Potential: The Art of Talent Development
May 2000:48:33Summary readyImagine: you get yourself a sweet new sports car, hop in for your first drive, only to realize you have no idea how to drive stick. So you drive around town in first gear, going super slow, making tons of noise, stalling out at every stop sign. You finally make it home, hop out and proclaim, “This car’s a piece of junk!” Well, that’s the challenge we face with talent development, where the ceiling of your potential — or your team's potential — isn't dictated by innate ability, but by your capacity to unlock it. So to help us learn to shift out of first gear, this episode, we’re joined by Adam Thompson. He’s the Vice Chair of Administration for the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Florida. The three big questions we discuss with Adam are: What is talent, and what are we talking about with “talent development?” Why do people and teams fail to develop talent well? What can we do to maximally develop our own talent, as well as that of everyone on the team? Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions here. Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: The Human Optimization Project - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails. Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books. Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.
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E59 The Sleep Paradox: Why Trying Harder Makes It Worse
May 600:43:15Summary readyWhy is it that the more we think about falling asleep, the harder it becomes? Our mindset around sleep plays a huge role in our ability to fall asleep, the amount of sleep we get and the quality of that sleep. So how can we use our mindset to our advantage? This episode, we speak with Bhanu Kolla, M.B.B.S., M.D., the co-author of the Mayo Clinic Guide to Better Sleep. He’s also a professor of psychiatry and psychology with clinical appointments in the Center for Sleep Medicine and the Division of Addiction Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. The three big questions we discuss with Dr. Kolla are: 1. What is the connection between sleep and psychology, and how does that relationship affect our sleep? 2. What are the most common mental traps that negatively impact our sleep? 3. What steps can we take now to optimize our mindset to help us get the best sleep? Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at https://ce.mayo.edu/optimize Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails. Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books. Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.
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E58 Being in Charge vs. Being a Leader
Apr 2200:37:30Summary readyJust having a title that sounds authoritative doesn’t make someone a leader. And you don’t have to be a CEO to lead, either. So what actually inspires people to take action? In this episode, we’re joined by Thom Mayer, M.D., to explore how to stop waiting for authority and start leading. Dr. Mayer is medical director for the NFL Players Association and author of the book Leadership Is Worthless, but Leading Is Priceless. Here are three questions we explore with Dr. Mayer: What’s the difference between being in charge and being a leader—and why does it matter? Why do so many people struggle to move from boss to leader, and where do they fall short? How can you move beyond managing and start leading, regardless of your title? Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions here. Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: The Human Optimization Project - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails. Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books. Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.
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E57 The State of Flow: How to Maximize
Apr 800:40:22Summary readyHopefully, you’ve experienced getting so absorbed in work or an activity you enjoy that you lose track of time. We tend to be most productive in what is often called a “state of flow.” When harnessed effectively, flow can act like a superpower for personal fulfillment and progress. To help us better understand and maximize moments of flow, we’re joined by Biju Samkutty, chief operating officer of international and enterprise automation at Mayo Clinic. Known for aligning people, processes and technology, Biju leads Mayo Clinic’s global expansion efforts, including managing international patients, building strategic collaborations and establishing new international entities. In this episode, we explore three key questions: What is the state of flow, and why is it critical for performance and well-being? Why do we struggle to access flow consistently, and how does that impact productivity and happiness? What proven methods can help us maximize flow in daily life and work? Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod Club questions here. Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails. Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books. Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.
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