In Search of Mastery 

with Michael Gervais

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What does it mean to self actualize? To become your personal best at whatever it is you do?

For most of us, these questions conjure up images such as a finish line, a retirement, an award, or a specific bank balance. Most of us equate mastery with goal achievement, but ironically, those who have achieved real masterly tend to be laser focused on the process and the practice, not the outcome. On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet a high performance psychologist who shares his mental model for traversing this path of personal greatness.

Listen & Learn:

• How purpose, principles and vision can guide you
• Why fulfilled lives usually involve grappling with life’s biggest questions 
• Mastery of self vs. mastery of craft
• The hero trap

Links & Resources: 

• Compete to Create (Michael’s site)
  
  

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Michael is a high performance psychologist. He is the co-founder of Compete to Create, a digital platform to helpS people become their best through mindset training. He works with professional athletes and CEOs.

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

• Old Spices

Got Questions?

• Submit your question: yogabody.com/asklucas/

Like the Show?

• Leave us a Review on iTunes

Get To Know Your Genes
with Dr. Yael Joffe
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Have you done a DNA test to discover your true ancestry? Tens of millions of people give up their genetic information in exchange for a fun pie graph that attempts to detail their ethnicity.

It’s not too expensive, and it’s fun to learn - so why not?

If you’re concerned about personal privacy, there is real cause for concern. The data Facebook or Google have on you pales in comparison to your DNA data. Your favorite online videos and political preferences might change with time, but who you are, from a genetic perspective, is forever. Private companies are stockpiling genetic data, and in some cases, sharing it with both public agencies like the FBI and private pharmaceutical companies. On this week’s podcast, we’ll explore genetics, epigenetics, testing, and what all this data means. 

Listen & Learn: 

• Why you and I are 99.9% similar, and how we share 50% of our DNA with a banana
• Nature vs. nurture from a genetic perspective
• The future of DNA test, tracking, and tracing
• Why data means nothing without interpretation and education 

Links & Resources

• 3X4 Genetics
• Are companies selling your DNA data?

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Yael Joffe is a dietitian with a PhD from the University of Cape Town where she explored the genetics and nutrition of obesity in South African women. She is the co-author of three books, It’s not just your Genes, The SNP Journal, and Genes To Plate. She is the founder of 3X4 Genetics.

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

• Juice Fasting

Got Questions?

• Submit your question: yogabody.com/asklucas/

Like the Show?

• Leave us a Review on iTunes

Fantastic Fungi 

with Eugenia Bone

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It’s mushroom season in Cataluña, so the markets are filled with orange, white, and even jet black “setas” that are almost all wild harvested. They're delicious and packed with a unique micronutrient profile that is great for your immune system. On this week's show, you´ll meet a mycophagist, writer, and teacher on all things fungi.

Did you know… 

• A single Portabella mushroom can contain more potassium than a banana
• Fungi are believed to cover the earth’s surface before the first trees
• A 2,400 year old fungus in Oregon is believed to be the largest organism in the world covering 2,200 acres (8.9 km2?
• Psychedelic mushrooms, including microdoses, have shown efficacy for for depression, PTSD, and other mental health challenges

LInks & Resources

• Eugenia’s site

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Eugenia’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Saveur, Food & Wine, Gourmet, and The National Lampoon. She is the author of six books including her most recent award-winning Fantastic Fungi.

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

• How to Not Gain Weight - Holidays

Got Questions?

• Submit your question: yogabody.com/asklucas/

Like the Show?

• Leave us a Review on iTunes

Happy Pessimist
with Mattias Lundberg

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Has your life been turned upside down in 2020? How are you feeling? Positive thinking and optimism are often considered one and the same, but you can be simultaneously positive and pessimistic - and it might be the smartest way to plan for 2021. You can gameplay the worst case scenario with a smile, prepare for the worst, and set yourself up to be pleasantly surprised.

On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet a psychologist and author whose work focuses on the possessive,  productive value of pessimism in certain situations. 

Listen & Learn:   

• How negative thinking can help you with preparedness
• When optimism is becomes avoidance 
• Adaptive vs. non-adaptive responses   
• How to be positive but pessimistic at the same time

Links & Resources: 

• Mattias’ website

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Mattias Lundberg is a Licensed Psychologist and an Associate Professor of Psychology at the Department of Psychology at Umeå University. He is also an author and has published eight books. Mattias is known for his ability to explain complex psychological questions in an easy and often entertaining way. 

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

• No Added Sugar Chocolate

Got Questions?

• Submit your question: yogabody.com/asklucas/

Like the Show?

• Leave us a Review on iTunes

Overcome Fear  

with Kristen Ulmer

Extreme skiing is defined by an ever-present risk of death. It’s a sport that demands a deep relationship and acceptance of fear. An avalanche can bury you, a deadly fall down a sheer rock wall is just one wrong turn away, and there are times when the only chance of survival is from an emergency airlift to safety.

Why would you do this? 

The answer is, “I wouldn’t do it!” But my guest on this week’s podcast used her extensive experience in the world of extreme sports to learn to harness fear and develop a system for teaching this to others. Whether you’re scared of public speaking or simply too nervous to ask that guy or girl for their number, Kristen Ulmer’s approach to fear is unique and effective. 

Listen & Learn:

• Step 1: acknowledge fear as normal and natural
• Step 2: touch your body where you feel the fear bubbling up
• Step 3: let go for resistance to fear
• Suffering = discomfort x resistance 
• How to achieve a flow  state 
• Understanding the lure of extreme sports

Links & Resources

• Kristen’s Website 

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Kristen Ulmer is a fear and anxiety expert who draws from her experience with extreme skiing, studies of Zen, professional facilitation with 1000s of clients. She is the author of, The Art of Fear; Why Conquering Fear Won’t Work and What to Do Instead. Kristen’s work has also been featured in such media as NPR, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USA Today, The Megyn Kelly Show, The Robb Report, and Tim Ferriss’s Tribe of Mentors.

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

• Cannot Digest Nuts

Got Questions?

• Submit your question: yogabody.com/asklucas/

Like the Show?

• Leave us a Review on iTunes