The High Performance Life

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Sunita Sah! Sunita is a Cornell professor, former physician, and one of the world's leading experts on compliance and defiance. Dr. Sunita Sah is a national bestselling author, award-winning professor at Cornell University, and expert in organizational psychology. She is a former physician and management consultant whose research focuses on influence, authority, compliance, and defiance. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and Scientific American, among others. Her book, Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes, explores how to reclaim agency and speak up when it matters. The paperback edition, How to Speak Up When It Matters, releases February 24, 2026. Key Takeaways Why we've misunderstood the word defy The hidden cost of always saying yes Compliance vs. true consent What "false defiance" looks like The five elements of a true yes or no How to teach kids (and ourselves) to say no without confrontation

Clifford Stephan is the founder of Booze Vacation, a health and wellness company created for high-performing men who want to elevate their lives and careers by leveraging the benefits of taking a strategic break from alcohol. He is also the founder of OneCompensation, a successful Bay Area compensation consulting firm that has helped Silicon Valley companies—including Google, LinkedIn, Kaiser Permanente, and Motorola Mobility—attract, engage, and retain top talent. In his mid-40s, Clifford realized that his regular, "semi-responsible" drinking was quietly undermining his health and long-term potential. He chose to take a year-long break from alcohol—what he called a "booze vacation." That decision reset both his body and his relationship with drinking, ultimately inspiring him to create Booze Vacation so other men could take a structured break, reclaim their health, and expand their professional capacity. Clifford holds a B.S. in Nutritional Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, has completed more than a dozen long-course triathlons, and is determined to "kick ass and take names" well into his 80s and beyond. Key Points • Booze breaks can upgrade your baseline • Wearables expose alcohol's impact on health • Breaks from alcohol can recalibrate cravings • Sleep, fitness, and mood improve sans alcohol • Life clarity and enhanced performance without alcohol • Clifford's Booze Vacation concept explained Best Quotes 01:45 - 01:58 • "Yeah, in short, scratching my own itch and yeah, I don't like the term cutting. It sounds kind of, you know, negative, harsh, we, we use in term taking an extended vacation from drinking." 02:54 - 03:03 • "I had, I had got sleep apnea, which was a pretty, pretty bad about that. And yeah, just wasn't feeling my best." 05:30 - 05:49 • "I think that when I started wearing the whoop in 2019, it was probably one of the most eye-opening things that I had done because I, I've worn it consecutively for many years now, and you can tell really quickly what alcohol does to your body." 07:58 - 08:06 • "It's a kind of a lifetime lifestyle experiment. And especially men of success. I think it's important that if you make it to the mountain top, you wanna stay there and enjoy it as long as possible." 10:41 - 10:51 • "You're gonna need more, it's gonna be harder on your aging body and you're gonna find yourself continually in lowered and lower states and, and, and kicking the crap outta yourself a lot faster."  

Andrew Brodsky is an award-winning professor, management consultant, and virtual communications expert at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. Recognized by Poets&Quants as one of the "World's 40 Best Business School Professors Under 40," Andrew is widely regarded for his work at the intersection of workplace technology, communication, and productivity. He also serves as the CEO of Ping Group, where he helps organizations improve how people connect and perform in modern, digitally driven workplaces. Andrew earned a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Harvard Business School and a B.S. from The Wharton School. He currently lives in Austin with his wife and two rescue dogs. Key Points • Crafting Effective Virtual Messages • Enhancing Trust in Digital Relationships • Pros & Cons of Remote Communication • Leveraging AI for Productivity • Personal Anecdotes & Communication Research Best Quotes 03:49 - 03:56 • "The old way of the office was if you had a question, you'd go to your coworkers' cubicle or office and ask them." 05:10 - 05:15 • "I was left with an immune deficiency. So I'm often having to communicate with others from a distance." 05:42 - 05:58 • "And if you show up and you have the right energy and you, you're, you're animated, you're, you're empathetically listening, you know, there's so many things and some people, you know, this thing just draws them down like immediately you're on the computer and, and they're shutting down and they're getting uncomfortable." 17:23 - 17:39 • "One of a good example of this is research on the email urgency bias where basically these researchers found that when people receive an email, they ex they think the sender wants a response a lot more quickly than they actually do."  

In this week's episode I am joined by my good friend Stephen Drum! During his 27 years of service, he developed and led high-performance teams in combat at every level and in the most challenging and extreme environments. Stephen was a principal architect and co-creator of the US Navy's Warrior Toughness Program. Stephen is a professional speaker, trainer and author, helping leaders and teams optimize their performance and execution in challenging and high-pressure situations. Key Points • Grasp leadership in high-stress roles • Parenting: Kids, sports & life lessons • Embrace life's imperfect moments • The power of maintaining friendships • Navigating transitions as families grow    

Andrew Herr is the Founder of FlyKitt, a breakthrough travel protocol designed for high performers—from the battlefield to the boardroom—who need to function at peak capacity no matter the conditions. Whether leading teams, competing at elite levels, or making mission-critical decisions, showing up sharp after a flight is essential. Yet among the 10 million+ people who travel every day, few understand the toll flying takes on the body. Jet lag, inflammation, dehydration, gut issues, joint pain, poor metabolism, and brain fog are real, long-lasting risks that quietly erode performance. FlyKitt is changing that. Used by elite special operations forces, Navy SEALs, Fortune 500 executives, and professional athletes in the NBA, NFL, and Olympics, the system is built on more than 1,000 experiments aimed at neutralizing travel stress and protecting performance. Its data-driven supplement and timing protocol has shown a 94% reduction in travel symptoms, with 85% of users reporting improved circadian rhythm alignment. Andrew's innovation stems from his career leading human performance efforts for the U.S. military, where he specialized in optimizing warfighters to perform under extreme pressure. He's also tested his limits personally, completing the Spartan Ultra World Championship in Iceland's brutal winter—twice.   Key Points • Inflammation can lower your immune defense. • Discover how to biohack jet lag. • Tips on diet and sleep for travelers. • Techniques to maintain high performance. • Prevent travel burnout with Fly Kit.   Best Quotes 08:16 - 08:23 • "You're getting flavors of decompression and altitude sickness because of the rapidity with which this is happening." 08:41 - 08:46 • "What I'm saying is the inflammation plus the circadian shift is why jet lag is so bad." 09:37 - 09:52 • "All these things are, you know, gut inflammation we know causes these things. Brain fog. We know that when we're inflamed the actual immune cells and these cytokines, immune compounds transit into the brain and change the way the brain metabolizes energy so you feel more tired." 09:53 - 10:04 • "So all these things are secondary to this flight induced inflammation. And then if you have circadian shifts on top of it and you're flying long distance, then it prevents you from resetting your circadian rhythm." 14:11 - 14:23 • "The air filtration on planes actually quite good. Now they, there's all kinds of problems with the air on planes that I'm not gonna get into around like bleed air coming in through the jet engines, you get exhaust in the plane." 23:42 - 23:50 • "You know, my, my scientific assessment is safe. We do only recommend rates and older, but for younger we have a fly Kitt Junior where we make it with gummies."  

In this week's episode, I am joined by Nick O'Kelly! Nick is a retired Chief Warrant Officer 3 with 13 years of service in the U.S. Army, including 9 years in Special Operations. He is one of the rare individuals to have served both as a U.S. Army Green Beret and as an MH-60M Black Hawk pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Over the course of seven overseas deployments—including three combat tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Philippines—he provided direct support to Tier 1 Special Mission Units in some of the world's most dangerous and complex environments. Nick is now the author of Stigma, a powerful and unflinching exploration of mental health in the military and other high-performance communities. The book breaks the long-standing code of silence around psychological struggle, revealing that strength and struggle can coexist—and that battle is not weakness. Key Points • Life as a high performer and mental health • The impacts of mental health stigmas • Special Forces training mirrors life's battles • Family dynamics of a high-performing soldier • The liberating power of vulnerability  

Sébastien Page has more than two decades of leadership experience and has conducted extensive research in positive, sports, and personality psychology. In addition to The Psychology of Leadership, he is the author of Beyond Diversification (McGraw-Hill, 2020) and co-author of Factor Investing and Asset Allocation (CFA Institute, 2016). He currently serves as Chief Investment Officer and Head of Global Multi-Asset at T. Rowe Price, where he oversees a team of investment professionals actively managing more than $500 billion. Sébastien has earned six research paper awards from The Journal of Portfolio Management and the Financial Analysts Journal, and he serves on the editorial boards of both publications. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Institute for Quantitative Research in Finance (the Q Group). A respected voice in the field, he appears regularly on outlets such as Bloomberg TV and CNBC, and was named one of LinkedIn's Top 15 Voices in Finance. Key Points • Learning from losses is key • Stress can boost performance • Habits can change personality • Empathy improves communication • Parenting parallels leadership Best Quotes 03:54 - 04:00 • "They're all obsessed with sports psychologists with losing and what you do with the loss." 19:00 - 19:11 • "I consider myself an introvert as well. Look, there's a theory behind it that reaches sports psychology life and setting goals in business." 19:37 - 19:46 • "It's hard enough to keep you motivated. It's not so easy that you'll get bored. And it's not so hard that it's impossible." 21:21 - 21:31 • "But if you realize that stress actually fuel for performance up to a point, then you at least stop stressing about stressing, you remove a layer of stress." 43:39 - 43:48 • "I have videos with my daughter out there where I teach her about finance and investing. We started doing this when she was 10."    

In this week's episode, I am joined by Dr. Emily Falk! Emily Falk is a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania with appointments in Communication, Psychology, Marketing, and Operations, Informatics & Decisions. She serves as Vice Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication, Director of the Communication Neuroscience Lab, and Director of the Climate Communication Division at the Annenberg Public Policy Center. An expert in the science of behavior change, Dr. Falk integrates psychology, neuroscience, and communication to investigate what makes messages persuasive, why ideas spread, and how people can become more effective communicators. Her new book, What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice and Change, uncovers the hidden brain processes behind every decision we make—and shows how understanding those processes can help us make more intentional choices in our work, relationships, and lives. Dr. Falk's research has earned numerous honors, including early career awards from the International Communication Association, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the Social and Affective Neuroscience Society, and the NIH Director's New Innovator Award. She is also a Fulbright grant recipient, a DARPA Young Faculty Award winner, and was named a "Rising Star" by the Association for Psychological Science. She earned her B.A. in Neuroscience from Brown University and her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California. Key Points • Insights on choice-making • The brain's social influence • Creating impactful habits • The neuroscience of purpose • Parenting using brain science   Best Quotes 02:59 - 03:08 • "you know, I know that you think that when I come to your house, we're really spending quality time together, but actually we're not." 03:26 - 03:30 • "I wanna spend time with my kids, I wanna be a good boss. There are so many different things." 03:52 - 03:56 • "I wasn't sticking that landing of actually getting over there and spending the time with my grandmother." 10:44 - 10:51 • "People who are feeling more purposeful get a lot of benefits, both in terms of mental health and physical health." 19:24 - 19:33 • "Our brain figures out the things that we're choosing between, it then assigns a subjective value to each one, and then it keeps track of how things went."  

In this week's episode, I am joined by Dr. Bob Rosen! Dr. Bob Rosen is a world-renowned thought leader on healthy people and healthy organizations. A psychologist, New York Times best-selling author, researcher, and preeminent business advisor, his pioneering work on personal and organizational change has earned global recognition.  Each year, Bob speaks to thousands of people around the world and appears frequently in international media. A sought-after media commentator, Bob has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Bloomberg Businessweek, Financial Times, Time, Chief Executive Magazine, and many others. His books include Detach, the New York Times bestseller Grounded®, the Washington Post bestseller Conscious, Just Enough Anxiety, Global Literacies, The Catalyst, The Healthy Company, and Leading People. As a global keynote speaker, Bob is especially known for his insights into the psychology of self-improvement and leadership in a rapidly changing world. Bob holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and is a graduate of the University of Virginia. He teaches in executive education programs and has long served on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University's School of Medicine. His body of work—including books, programs, and resources—is available at bobrosen.com. Key Points • The peril of past & future attachments • Agile living beats stability illusion • Embrace imperfection, discard perfection • Success: balancing aspiration & contentment • Self-awareness: key to high performance   Best Quotes 05:56 - 06:09 • "And so I wanted to identify the common attachments that got in the way. At the same time, Western psychology teaches us about dreams and aspirations and problem solving." 09:50 - 10:00 • "So by not facing the truth inside of us, us and practicing forgiveness of what happened, we risk becoming too attached to the past." 18:02 - 18:06 • "But the present state is where peace lies, and it's the hardest place to be." 32:43 - 32:58 • "We have a choice. So detached, although it might be scary for people who are high performing, it really helps them in the long run with their success and high performance."

In this week's episode, I am joined by Jeanne Sparrow! Jeanne Sparrow is an author, trusted leadership and communication consultant, and graduate faculty instructor at Northwestern University. A 7-time Emmy-winning television host, award-winning radio personality, and podcast host, Jeanne brings more than 30 years of experience in broadcasting and media to her work. Driven by a lifelong passion for amplifying people's stories with clarity and hope, Jeanne's mission is to create connection and community—and to help others do the same. She empowers individuals and organizations to become more adaptable, confident, and successful by teaching them how to deliver authentic value through visionary leadership and inspiring communication. You can connect with Jeanne and join her online community at www.fearlessauthenticity.com, listen to her podcast Fearless Authenticity with Jeanne Sparrow on YouTube or your preferred streaming platform, and find her book Fearless Authenticity: Lead Better, Sell More, and Speak Sensationally at your favorite bookseller. Key Points • Impact of being true to oneself • Legacy tied to authentic living • Midlife: a time for self-realignment • The magnetic vibe of authenticity • Action as an antidote to fear Best Quotes 4:23 - 04:34 • "What do you actually do every day? Like that's the stuff I'm interested in because those, because the way in which we fulfill these roles is actually the thing that shows people who we are." 08:37 - 08:44 • "The saddest thing in the world is for somebody to leave this earth and with music still in their heart, right?" 08:47 - 08:55 • "And sometimes it's in tune with other people and sometimes it's not. But when you find the place where you are reaching that right harmony with other people, it's beautiful." 15:44 - 15:47 • "My mama told me, you always leave people better than you found them. That's right." 27:47 - 27:59 • "I am so passionate about, you know, people taking their authenticity to heart and understanding that they are a gift."      

My guest today is Eddie Pinero — speaker, creator, and founder of Your World Within. Eddie has built one of the most recognizable storytelling platforms in the self-development world. His spoken-word films and reflections on purpose, discipline, and growth have reached hundreds of millions of people online, reminding us that we're always one decision away from a completely different life. But behind all the creative success is something deeper — a philosophy about what it means to live a meaningful life. In this conversation, we talk about the process of becoming, why hardship is essential for growth, and how the pursuit of excellence doesn't have to come at the cost of peace. Eddie's perspective bridges the gap between art and action — between thought and motion. It's a reminder that the life you want isn't waiting for permission; it's waiting for you to begin. Key Points The power of one decision — how small choices can completely shift the direction of your life. Why doing hard things is the fastest way to build confidence and resilience. How to create from a place of meaning rather than validation. The balance between chasing excellence and maintaining inner peace. Why progress isn't about perfection — it's about evolution, one step at a time.

In this week's episode, I am joined by Shira Miller! Shira is passionate about helping people live and lead with purpose, optimism, and sustained energy. A two-time TEDx speaker, Certified Executive Coach, and author of Free and Clear: Get Unstuck and Live the Life You Want, Shira currently serves as Chief Communications Officer for National DCP, the $3 billion supply chain company serving Dunkin' franchisees. Cultivating optimism is her superpower. Having overcome financial hardship, chronic health challenges, and career misalignment, Shira transformed her own life into one fueled by meaning, connection, and impact. Today, she helps thousands of leaders and organizations do the same—activating the remarkable within themselves, their teams, and their cultures. Shira's speaking engagements include events for the Society for Human Resource Management, Women's Foodservice Forum, Emory University, Canyon Ranch, the Women's Leadership Conference–Wisconsin, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and the Public Relations Society of America, among others. Her insights have been featured in Thrive Global, Shape, Health, First for Women, Authority Magazine, Quick & Simple, and the Atlanta Journal–Constitution. Key Points • Optimism: Your Life's Superpower • The Positive Impact of Daily Acts • Relationships Shape Your Path • Reverse Bucket List Confidence Booster • Embrace the "Remarkable" Inside You Best Quotes 10:32  • "You know, the statistic is unfortunately quite high. If I think of the book, positive Intelligence, are you familiar? I've heard It, yes. Okay. It's terrific by, shes, I'm not going to say his name, exact shed shamine, his estimate is that 80% of us are holding ourselves back because of our negative relationship with ourself, and it's with our inner saboteur." 16:05 - 16:18 • "I call it the five things that I did for myself. You can do this in the morning or you can do it in the night. So let's say you're doing it at night and I try to list five things that I did for myself that day." 19:21 - 19:31 • "And people are uncomfortable with that. So when you can really, you know, I talk in the book about taking a pause, it could be for 10 minutes, it could be for 10 days." 31:36 - 31:50 • "The first point I wanna make is that we all already have the remarkable inside of us. And when I'm talking about remarkable, it's the ability to do something extraordinary or to make a big impact." 34:19  • "I call it a reverse bucket list. Would you like to hear about it? Okay. So, you know, the concept of a bucket list, you know, things we wanna do before we kick the bucket, before we, you know, die. So in this case, it's about acknowledging everything that we've already done."  

Tamara Myles is a speaker, author, and professor specializing in the science of human flourishing at work. She helps leaders and organizations—including Microsoft, KPMG, and MassMutual—unlock the power of meaningful work to drive peak performance, innovation, and resilience. A faculty member at Boston College and a researcher and instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, Tamara's work challenges traditional assumptions about work, showing that when leaders cultivate meaning, they create thriving teams and lasting impact. Through her latest book, Meaningful Work (co-authored with Wes Adams), Tamara is redefining what it means to truly thrive at work. The book and its accompanying Make Work Meaningful framework demonstrate how purpose, connection, and contribution can elevate not only organizational success but also individual fulfillment. Her insights offer leaders and teams practical ways to align high performance with genuine well-being, making her a leading voice in conversations about how to live and lead at the highest level. Key Points • "The 3 Cs: Community, Contribution, Challenge" • "Positive emotions coexist with struggle" • "AI's rise altering the work dynamic" • "Youth demanding meaningful work" • "Mutual mentorship and generational bridging"   Best Quotes 02:08 - 02:31 • "And, and so it really, it was transformative in my personal life. And then in my work life I think was a com was an evolution and, and a way of, of like naming sometimes, you know, it's about having language to describe what you already believe in or what things you already do." 02:14 - 02:31 • "And then in my work life I think was an evolution and, and a way of, of like naming sometimes, you know, it's about having language to describe what you already believe in or what things you already do." 13:00  • "My leader cares about what's happening in my life outside of work. And one of the practices that we teach is exactly what, what you said, like at the weekly standup meeting at a weekly one-on-one, just ask, like let people talk about don't, don't be so transactional and go right into like, here are the things that are going on this week who has a question, right?" 34:14  • "So Marty Seligman, who founded the field of positive psychology has told us, you know, everybody who, who is a scholar and, and kind of researcher or works in the field that his moonshot vision, his big goal with the field is to have 51% of the population in the world flourishing by 2051."    

In this conversation, I am joined by Jim Murphy! Jim is the man behind the viral book "Inner Excellence"! Today, we explore the themes of personal growth, the impact of literature, and the journey of young athletes. We discuss the importance of surrendering control, the role of belief, focus, and freedom in achieving excellence, and the influence of parents in shaping children's beliefs. The conversation also touches on the significance of competition, relationships, and creating a positive impact through service, while navigating challenges and learning from failures. Jim shares insights on the future of Inter Excellence and the need to fill the gap in society with a message of love and connection. takeaways The journey of a young athlete can be transformative. Literature can significantly impact personal growth. Survival mentality often hinders true potential. Surrendering control can lead to greater freedom. Belief, focus, and freedom are essential for excellence. Parents play a crucial role in shaping beliefs.

Sherri Coale is a native Oklahoman who grew up in a small rural town just north of the Red River, where she developed a lifelong love for reading, writing, and basketball—not necessarily in that order. After a standout collegiate career at Oklahoma Christian, she traded her high tops for the sidelines in 1987, beginning what would become a Hall of Fame coaching career. For 25 years, Sherri served as the head women's basketball coach at the University of Oklahoma, where she became the winningest coach in program history. Under her leadership, the Sooners appeared in 19 consecutive NCAA tournaments and reached three Final Fours, cementing her legacy as one of the most successful coaches in the sport. Sherri's contributions extend far beyond OU. She has coached on the international stage with USA Basketball, helping lead teams to a bronze medal in 2001 and a gold medal at the 2013 World University Games, where her squad defeated Russia on their home court. Throughout her career, she has been recognized not only for competitive excellence but also for championing academics and community service, always striving to maximize her players' potential both on and off the court. Her impact has been honored with inductions into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame, and numerous others—including the "Home of" signs proudly displayed in her hometown of Healdton. Beyond coaching, Sherri is an author, master motivator, engaging speaker, gifted writer, and thoughtful observer of everyday life. She shares her reflections in her weekly blog, A Weigh of Life (sherricoale.com), and is the author of Rooted to Rise, an Amazon bestseller, and The Compost File. She and her husband, Dane, have been married for 38 years and are the proud parents of two children, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and two beloved granddaughters who now fill their world with joy. Key Points • The importance of coaching beyond the game • Cultural impact of shows like Ted Lasso • Growth in collegiate athletics and its consequences • The allure of writing and life after coaching • The evolution of women's basketball and its icons   Best Quotes 03:23 - 03:28 • "The more curiosity we have, the, the less judgmental we're gonna be and the better off it is." 05:12 - 05:17 • "It's a proven philosophy that if you can connect with someone, you can help shape and change their behavior." 06:59 - 07:03 • "I need that. I need more of that in my life and I'd watch more stuff." 08:16 - 08:20 • "I fell in love with basketball in the third grade. Nobody in my family played." 09:04 - 09:11 • "So I went to college and said, I wanna be a teacher and a coach because I could not imagine a day without a basketball in my hand." 30:44 - 30:53 • "What I wanted them to most leave Oklahoma with what I wanted my children, I have two children. What I wanted them to leave our home with was confidence." 46:38 - 46:46 • "When I first started writing the stories in Rooted to Rise, I had about 15 stories and I thought I didn't, I wasn't writing a book, I was just writing."  

In this week's episode, I am joined by Suzanne Warye! Suzanne Warye is a sobriety influencer and the host of the popular podcast The Sober Mom Life. She is also the founder of The Sober Mom Life Cafe, a supportive digital community where women can explore their relationship with alcohol and discover freedom in sobriety. Her work and personal journey have been featured in Scary Mommy and the Huffington Post. Based on the North Shore of Chicago, Suzanne lives with her husband and three kids. When she's not creating content or connecting with her community, she's likely reheating her coffee and embracing her self-proclaimed "whole heart, half ass" approach to parenting. Suzanne is the author of "The Sober Shift", out September 30th! Key Points • Sobriety shifts life's trajectory • Navigating feelings post-alcohol • Sharing the generational drink culture • The lifelong impact of personal habits • Connection beyond numbing substances Best Quotes 03:50 - 03:56 • "But I too was drinking very heavily early on in my life, like super early." 07:35 - 07:43 • "I, I mean, it's interesting because I grew up in a family where my grandfather was an alcoholic." 11:54 - 12:03 • "I think being bored is like the pathway to creativity. We don't, we don't create anything when we're just like, you know, constantly consuming." 12:04 - 12:17 • "We have a rule in our house, like, you can use, you can be on the screen as long as you want, as long as you're creating and not consuming, because something happens to our mental health when we create." 12:21 - 12:30 • "And so I think just, but first allowing ourselves to feel the feelings of boredom, because generally adults aren't good at being bored either."    

In this week's episode, I am joined by Alex Hutchinson! Alex is a science journalist, author, and former long-distance runner for the Canadian national team whose work explores the limits of human performance and humanity's innate drive to explore. He writes the long-running Sweat Science column for Outside magazine and has contributed to The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Globe and Mail. A Columbia-trained journalist with a Ph.D. in physics from Cambridge, Alex completed post-doctoral research with the National Security Agency before shifting full-time to writing. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance and, most recently, The Explorer's Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map (2025), a groundbreaking look at the science behind why humans are wired to push boundaries. Key Points • How challenges enhance meaning in life • Daily routines can unlock high performance • AI's impact on critical thinking and exploration • The fine balance of parenting and risk • The paradox of effort   Best Quotes 01:29 - 01:40 • "High performance, you know, you can, you can use different words for it, but I think that the concept is, I, I've always liked to, to push as hard as I can, push my limits, see what I'm capable of." 03:50 - 04:03 • "So it's always this, this, it's a delicate dance of trying to, trying to cr create that feeling in other people to try and, you know, have them challenged enough without feeling like, no, you, you, you always have to push harder." 05:21 - 05:28 • "I always wanted them to focus on the effort. I always wanted them to have fun doing what they were doing, not just worried about the end, but actually enjoying the journey." 06:22 - 06:28 • "There's a joy in the, there's a joy in seeing what I, what I'm capable of today. That, and it's, it's fun." 07:58 - 08:14 • "The one strain of res research that I found, you know, really validating to be frank, is on this idea called the effort paradox, which is what psychologists, that's their, their term for this idea that sometimes we do things not in spite of the fact that they're hard, but because they're hard." 10:49 - 11:01 • "Yeah, for sure. I mean, you know, and I'm a morning runner. Like I, when I, you know, when I was competing, going, you know, in, in high school and university practices were after school, after, after classes, and I was used." 12:37 - 13:01 • "So I, like, I really encourage people to figure out what's gonna get them going. And, and don't make it too daunting at the beginning. Don't, don't start with like a 18 step process to get ready for the day, but figure out what's gonna be good for you, do it, and then do it long enough that it eventually, it's no longer optional because then you don't have to waste your time or waste your mental energy to convincing yourself. It's just what you do."  

Joel Goldberg broke into the sports broadcasting scene in the 1990s by knocking on television station doors, cold calling broadcast executives, and sending out resume tapes. His career was not handed to him, it was built on persistence, connection, and years of hard work. Over a 30-year career, Joel has worked in four markets, covering two World Series Championship teams and thousands of baseball games, as well as multiple Super Bowls, NHL playoffs, and NCAA March Madness tournaments. Along the way, he has interviewed countless athletes, Hall of Famers, and celebrities, telling stories that range from the most famous stars to under-the-radar role players. Since 2008, Joel has had the privilege of covering the Kansas City Royals as a host and reporter, a role that allows him to inform, entertain, and connect fans to the athletes they admire. Through his years of storytelling and observing how championship organizations succeed—and fail—Joel recognized that the leadership methods and culture-building strategies used in sports could translate directly into the corporate world. This realization led him to launch a motivational speaking business in 2017. He is also the host of the podcast Rounding the Bases with Joel Goldberg and the author of the books Small Ball Big Results and Small Ball Big Dreams. Key Points • Big dreams & life lessons in baseball • Unlocking success by embracing imperfection • Media's dynamic evolution in storytelling • Balancing high performance with family • Transitioning from sport to speaking stages Best Quotes 08:41 - 08:48 • "My longtime broadcast colleague, Ryan Lafe, who's our play Byplay guy, so I've been with him for 18 years in Kansas City." 17:53 - 18:00 • "When you're a professional and you, you've signed up for something that you love doing and it's your career, he just got on a plane and went and performed." 25:28 - 25:35 • "I always feel good about the guys that maybe met their spouse in college maybe before they were big time or, or in high school." 39:36 - 39:47 • "But like as far as viral content and all that, look, I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a dopamine hit from when a ton of people watch something that I do that goes viral." 46:40 - 46:48 • "There are just like any other profession, there are athletes in, in all sports that, that are doing it for the money. They don't like it so they won't miss it." 48:52 - 49:02 • "I love the, the, the small ball metaphor because in obviously with my baseball ties, the bunts, nobody thinks that a bunt is exciting." 50:34 - 50:49 • "It's not something that ends up in a bio or, or anything like that. But you're doing something to help advance your, cause your team's cause your purpose and you don't get a lot of credit for it publicly."

In this week's episode, I am joined by Rich Christiansen! Rich Christiansen is a globally recognized entrepreneur, author, mentor, and humanitarian. He has founded or co-founded 51 businesses, with 16 of them becoming multimillion-dollar successes, each launched with $10,000 or less, and has conducted business in 14 countries. He is the bestselling author of The ZigZag Principle (McGraw Hill, 2011), which became both a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller, and the co-author of Bootstrap Business. In 2021, Rich launched the Legado Family Framework, a model designed to help families strengthen values, traditions, and governance—positively impacting and stabilizing families worldwide. A natural mentor, he has launched and trained hundreds of young leaders, founded the Entrepreneur Leadership Center, and served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Southern Utah University as well as on the Utah State Board of Higher Education. He also founded Mountain Grabbers, his thought leadership company, and HooDoo Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm. Beyond business, Rich leads an adventurous life. With his family, he has explored slot canyons, summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, and stood at the base of Mt. Everest three times. He enjoys frisbee golf, skiing, golf, cooking, playful music, and makes meditation a daily practice. Together with his wife, he is the proud parent of five sons, ten grandchildren, and a daughter from Nepal. Looking ahead, Rich is committed to using his next chapter of thought leadership to help guide humanity toward a balanced and safe middle way. Key Points • Rich Christiansen's 51-business journey • The Zigzag Principle unpacked • "Fail quickly and efficiently" • Entrepreneurship with a heart • Critical thinking over AI • Personal values define success Best Quotes 03:33 - 03:43 • "It's about 12, 13 years old. I kind went back and rewrote it, updated it last year, and, and it was really fun 'cause a lot of the principles held stronger than ever." 06:07 - 06:13 • "Please put guardrails in your life because it really becomes a at bat game, Scott, it really does." 06:37 - 06:43 • "I think it's always funny to me how movement and action create opportunity." 22:20 - 22:25 • "You show me a family or an organization with a bunch of rules and I'll show you a broken culture." 37:31 - 37:43 • "I think back to that concept of, of I want my sons to be, they know that they're not going to get any of my wealth and they would be offended if I did give them money."  

Dr. Benjamin Ritter is a leadership and career coach, international speaker, and founder of Live for Yourself Consulting. He helps senior leaders and executives gain clarity, confidence, and control over their careers so they can lead with purpose and build work that truly fulfills them. Holding a doctorate in Organizational Leadership, Ben developed two signature frameworks—the LIVE system and the Three C's of Self-Leadership—that combine evidence-based theory with practical coaching strategies. He has worked with professionals at top organizations including Amazon, Google, Mayo Clinic, and Pinterest. A former healthcare executive who once felt stuck despite external success, Ben transformed that experience into a mission to help others learn to lead themselves first. He is also the author of the bestselling book Becoming Fearless and host of The Executive Podcast. Key Points • Clarity, confidence, and control in career • Alignment is key for high performance • Soccer career insights and life lessons • The LIVE model for personal growth • Becoming fearless in professional life Best Quotes 05:44 - 05:52 • "The most important leader is the leader that's inside you. Are you leading yourself as the way that you want your leader to actually show up and lead for you?" 08:35 - 08:42 • "And that belief is gonna allow me to go, to go achieve the things that I want to achieve despite other people's opinions." 21:40 - 21:45 • "You have to make sure it's not draining other critical components of your life and the things that can be important." 40:59 - 41:02 • "If you can have that belief and keep that front and center, then oh, you're gonna be okay."