Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais

This week’s conversation is with Max Lugavere, a filmmaker, health and science journalist and author of the The Genius Life and the New York Times best-seller Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life.

Max appears regularly on the Dr. Oz Show, the Rachael Ray Show, and The Doctors.

After his mother was diagnosed with a mysterious form of dementia, Max put his successful media career on hold to learn everything he could about brain health and performance.

For the better half of a decade, he consumed the most up-to-date scientific research, talked to dozens of leading scientists and clinicians around the world, and visited the country’s best neurology departments—all in the hopes of understanding his mother’s condition.

Sometimes with the non-traditional route of education, I have my doubts, as there's something to be said about formal training.

But Max’s purpose is clear – he knows what he’s talking about and offers some very practical strategies that you can begin implementing today.

We discuss how critical diet is for both brain health and longevity – Max shares his nutritional recommendations and some tips for preparing healthy meals regularly.

-----

Please support our partners!

We're able to keep growing and creating content for YOU because of their support. We believe in their mission and would appreciate you supporting them in return!!

To take advantage of deals from our partners, head to http://www.findingmastery.net/partners where you'll find all discount links and codes mentioned in the podcast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week’s conversation is with Dr. Eric Johnson, a Norman Eig Professor of Business, and Director of the Center for Decision Sciences at the Columbia Business School.

He has been the President of the Society for Judgment and Decision-Making and the Society for Neuroeconomics.

His academic awards include the Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award of the Society for Consumer Psychology, Fellow of the Association of Consumer Research, and an honorary doctorate in behavioral economics from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Eric’s research examines the interface between Behavioral Decision Research, Economics and the decisions made by consumers, managers, and their implications for public policy, markets and marketing.

Among other topics, Eric has explored how the way options are presented to decision-makers affect their choices in areas such as organ donation, the choice of environmentally friendly products, and investments.

I wanted to have Eric on because I read his latest book, “The Elements of Choice: Why the Way We Decide Matters” – Decisions and microdecisions are one of our greatest human privileges. It is our choices that ultimately reveal who we are. Eric has spent his life understanding the frameworks for decision making – how we set conditions, and how conditions influence us.

You’ll be fascinated by what Eric has to share about decision making.

----

Please support our partners!

We're able to keep growing and creating content for YOU because of their support. We believe in their mission and would appreciate you supporting them in return!!

To take advantage of deals from our partners, head to http://www.findingmastery.net/partners where you'll find all discount links and codes mentioned in the podcast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week’s conversation is with Scott Barry Kaufman, a humanistic psychologist exploring the depths of human potential.

He has taught courses on intelligence, creativity, and well-being at Columbia University, NYU, the University of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.

In 2015, he was named one of "50 Groundbreaking Scientists who are changing the way we see the world" by Business Insider.

Scott was a previous guest on Finding Mastery (#078) where we spent time diving into his journey and what made him the man he is today.

I wanted to have him back on because he just published a new book titled, Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization... a bold reimagining of Maslow's famous hierarchy of needs--and new insights for realizing your full potential and living your most creative, fulfilled, and connected life.

And that’s what we discuss in this conversation.

If you’re not familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, definitely check it out.

The needs are: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.

The interesting thing with this conversation is the timing.

As Scott mentions, right now our focus is on more pressing needs at the potential sacrifice of realizing our full potential.

------

Please support our partners!

We're able to keep growing and creating content for YOU because of their support. We believe in their mission and would appreciate you supporting them in return!!

To take advantage of deals from our partners, head to https://www.findingmastery.net/partners where you'll find all discount links and codes mentioned in the podcast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How can something as simple as your breath unlock greater resilience, enhance performance, and transform how you navigate high-stress moments?

Our guest today is Brian Mackenzie, a human performance expert and pioneer in the field of breathwork, endurance, and stress adaptation. And he’s back for the second time on the podcast.

As the founder of Shift Adapt, Brian's innovative training methods blend breathing protocols, movement, and mindset strategies to optimize health, performance, and resilience for athletes and everyday individuals alike.

In this conversation, you’ll learn how mastering your breath can be one of the keys to unlocking your potential. But it’s not just about performance; Brian shares how breath control is a remote control for your nervous system, helping you manage high-stress situations and live with greater clarity and presence.

If you’re looking to deepen your understanding of how to harness your breath for both high performance and everyday well-being, this conversation is packed with insights.

With Fire,

MG

-----

WATCH this episode on our YouTube channel.

Connect with us on our Instagram.

Order my book, "The First Rule of Mastery" HERE!

For more information and shownotes from every episode, head to findingmastery.com.

To check out our exclusive sponsor deals and discounts CLICK HERE

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week’s conversation is with Dr. David Fajgenbaum, a groundbreaking physician-scientist and disease hunter.

The timing of his insights is incredibly relevant for us right now.

David is best known as the ‘doctor who cured himself’ – he received his last rites while in medical school and nearly died four more times battling Castleman disease.

To try to save his own life, he spearheaded an innovative approach to research through the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network and discovered a treatment that has put him into his longest remission ever.

Now, he is spreading this approach to other diseases like COVID19.

David is also one of the youngest individuals ever appointed to the faculty at Penn Medicine and the top 1 percent youngest grant awardees of a highly-competitive National Institute’s of Health grant.

As someone who’s been on the verge of death multiple times, David has a unique perspective... he shares how it’s altered his approach to life.

David likes to refer to it as playing in “overtime.”

In his words:

I’ve been in overtime ever since I had my last rights read to me. Think about overtime in sports. In overtime, all of a sudden there's this incredible clarity and purpose that comes with every tick of the clock. You can make a mistake in the first quarter of a game and you can make up for it, but if you make one wrong move in overtime the game's over. And I think that's the perfect analogy for how I feel every day of life. It’s not that I'm afraid to make a mistake or a paralyzing feeling, but it actually gives me clarity. I can hear the clock ticking, I know that I have this awful disease, but it helps me to focus on what's important and what's not important.

And that really sets the tone for this conversation.

We discuss the preciousness of life and why it really comes down to having clarity of purpose and making sure you take the proper actions to back it up.

David also shares how his lab is approaching finding a cure for COVID-19.

------

Please support our partners!

We're able to keep growing and creating content for YOU because of their support. We believe in their mission and would appreciate you supporting them in return!!

To take advantage of deals from our partners, head to https://www.findingmastery.net/partners where you'll find all discount links and codes mentioned in the podcast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.