Episodit
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Mike Rucker, PhD
Dr. Mike Rucker is an organizational psychologist, behavioral scientist, and charter member of the International Positive Psychology Association. He has been academically published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. His ideas about fun and health have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Forbes, Vox, Thrive Global, Mindful, mindbodygreen, and more. He currently serves as a senior leader at Active Wellness.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
Why our approach to happiness is broken (3:45 to 5:45)
How to tell when you’re disconnected from joy and the role of Toxic Positivity on our lives (5:45 to 10:55)
Emotional flexibility and changing the end goal of a successful outcome (10:55 to 16:00)
The connection between oxycontin and finding joy (16:02 to 18:54)
Why fun is such a critical component of our lives, productivity, creativity, and work (18:55 to 23:40)
Tangible ways to focus on leisure that open you up to achieve at even higher levels (23:40 to 28:19)
The concept of thriving versus flourishing and how to create frameworks for your employees to flourish (28:20 to 32:04)
Quick tricks to move toward fun and move through agonizing activities (32:04 to 34:18)
Mentioned in the Podcast:
The Fun Habit by Mike Rucker (or, the first three people who email CJ get a free copy!)
Dr. Paul Zak and his work on happiness and community
Take The Achiever’s Compass for your personalized assessment to start enjoying your journey today!
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Dr. 'Deji Ayoade shares his story from extreme poverty in Nigeria to becoming the first African immigrant to become a nuclear missile operator in the United States Air Force and serve in three U.S. military branches. He’ll walk you through his mindset in the face of extreme obstacles and how he found gratitude along the way.
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Puuttuva jakso?
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How do you build a foundation for a happy and joy filled life, regardless of your circumstances?
Kristi Nelson, author of Wake Up Grateful will help you understand why living gratefully is so difficult in our world, and how gratitude as a habit - not an occasional trick - will change your life.
As always, we’ll leave you with simple, proven tools to get you in the right direction. Thanks for letting me be a part of your journey!
What We Discuss in this Episode:
Kristi’s battle with Stage IV cancer and why such a difficult time moved her to establish a foundation of gratitude (2:00 to 4:15)
Why gratitude is so difficult in our culture and time (4:15 to 10:35)
How to harness comparison to unlock joy (10:35 to 14:10)
How to go from understanding gratitude to practicing gratitude (14:10 to 33:17)
The vision behind Grateful Living (33:17 to 36:26)
Mentioned in the Podcast:
Wake Up Grateful, by Kristi Nelson (email CJ for a free copy!)
Free Wake Up Grateful Discussion and Study Guide by Kristi Nelson
Take The Achiever’s Compass
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Dr. Daniel Z. Lieberman, co-author of the international bestseller of The Molecule of More joins CJ to understand exactly why we believe a Yeti cooler keeps our drink that much colder. Join them to learn the impact of dopamine on your decisions and the tangible ways you can take control from unconscious to conscious.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
What is dopamine and why don’t we talk more about it? Why is it that the people who are most able to afford a beach house are the least able to enjoy it? (6:15 to 12:49) What are the forces influencing the decisions you make and how can we become more aware of them? Why is it that self-development and growth isn’t “10 easy steps”? (13:45 to 17:) How do you control your unconscious mind… and why should you care about it? (23:40 to 34:50)Mentioned in the Podcast:
Email CJ to receive a complimentary The Molecule of More or Spellbound: Spellbound: Modern Science, Ancient Magic, and the Unconscious Mind Take The Achiever’s Compass -
Rebecca Ward is a licensed therapist, executive coach, speaker, and author. Today, CJ and Rebecca will unpack the connection between fear and stress, the impact our thoughts have on our physical well-being, and ways we can start to feel better today.
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In the hybrid world, there are more ways to communicate than ever before, but finding true connection and engagement still eludes many of us. Without the ability to effectively engage an audience and inspire action, new ideas struggle to be implemented, adding frustration and failure to the workplace. Richard shares how to develop your skill to speak and communicate with others to get the results you’ve planned no matter what room – virtual or otherwise – you’re in.
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Kute Blackson has been called the mindfulness guru that billionaires go to for advice. He’s been featured on Larry King Now, Dr. Drew, NPR, Fox and Friends, Mind Body Green, and many more. Listen in as Kute uncovers the possibility that surrender, instead of being passive, is the most courageous act you can do to achieve more joy in your life
What We Discuss in this Episode:
“None of us has control in life. Our demand that life go the way we want is what causes so much suffering. Know that the degree to which you surrender determines the degree to which you are alive, the degree to which life can use you, the degree to which you can enjoy life.” -Kute Blackson’s Mother Understand that the ego is not who you are. It is a process not a thing. Ego is a construct of patterned conditioning. Once we can step back and observe that, we can understand that the ego means well and the mechanisms we’ve built based on fear start to melt away. We have to be willing to feel the feelings that we learned as children to suppress. Then, we can start to identify who we are and what we believe. Three questions to get to truth: What lies am I telling myself? What am I pretending to not know? What is that lie costing me? When we feel pain, we distract ourselves so that we don’t have to deal with it. But the pain is a signal that is showing us a part of ourselves that is out of alignment. Ask yourself, what is the message of this pain? Then, we can course correct and get back in alignment. When you let go, there will be many times that you lose things. But when you follow your soul, you will have the comfort and peace of knowing that you are in integrity of your own self.Mentioned in the Podcast:
The Magic of Surrender: Finding the Courage to Let Go by Kute Blackson Boundless Bliss Bali, a 12-Day Bali Event with Kute Blackson The Surrender Summit – Virtual 5-Day Event, July 12-16, 2022 Take The Achiever’s Compass -
Steve White’s path from the housing projects to president of Comcast was punctuated by defining, and often heart-wrenching, moments. Moments that lead him to associating uncompromising with never giving up, always looking to learn and improve, investing in yourself, and maintaining a positive attitude through it all.
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Peter Block is an author, consultant and citizen of Cincinnati, Ohio. His work is about chosen accountability, and the reconciliation of community. Peter challenges us to get back to the basics of community that will transform how you see your life and purpose.
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Jan Broders went from fast-tracked success in the hospitality industry, to extreme burnout at the age of 27, requiring months of clinical rehabilitation. He then took a journey in exploration of the central question, "How can I live a successful, ambitious and prosperous life without compromising my health and happiness?" Let’s dive in.
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Fear and uncertainty have been undermining performance and well-being in the workplace for as long as we have had workplaces. Gaurav Bhatnagar and Mark Minukas show you how to reframe your ― and your employees’ ― relationship with fear and anxiety to create a learning culture of engaged workers at the top of their game.
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What We Discuss in this Episode:
Fun in the workplace - how can it be cultivated to retain valuable employees? Fun vs Work: Why the meaning of these two terms are commonly blurred How is ‘fun’ defined from the employee perspective, how is it defined from the employer perspective, and how can workplaces achieve a harmonic balance?Mentioned in the Podcast:
Take The Achiever’s CompassBob Nelson
Best-selling Author, Keynote Speaker, Consultant
“Dr. Bob” Nelson is the world’s leading authority on employee recognition, motivation and engagement. He is president of Nelson Motivation Inc., a management training and consulting company specializing in helping organizations improve management practices, programs and systems. Dr. Bob is a much sought-after Keynote Speaker, Consultant and Executive Coach.
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What We Discuss in this Episode:
The BIG THREE life changing habits that ensure business success. Leading a life by design vs. Living a life by default: What’s the difference and how does it affect business success? Why are personal visions crucial to entrepreneurship and how to develop a personal vision you can stick to? What does having both the right mindset and skill set have to do with achieving success and doing what matters most? When the fear of failure hinders success, how to circumvent these fears and create a bulletproof plan for steady growth.Mentioned in the Podcast:
Take The Achiever’s CompassRob Shallenberger Bio
Rob Shallenberger is one of the world’s leading authorities on leadership and execution. He’s trained and coached hundreds of companies around the world, to include many Fortune 500 organizations. He attended Utah State University and went on to earn an MBA from Colorado State University. He served as an F-16 Fighter Pilot in the Air Force for 11 years. He was also an Advance Agent for Air Force One and traveled the world working with foreign embassies and the Secret Service.
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What We Discuss in this Episode:
Why is emotional intelligence important for professional development and team building? How emotions play a pivotal role in our everyday decisions, daily communications, relationship building, and the essence of basic human drive for success. Can we develop emotional intelligence or is it an intrinsic trait that only a select few understand? How can we determine if we have emotional intelligence or not? What constitutes emotional intelligence and how can we use emotional intelligence for positive outcomes in the workplace?Mentioned in the Podcast:
Take The Achiever’s CompassRobin Hills
Business Psychologist, Emotional Intelligence Trainer
Robin Hills is the author of two books in The Authority Guide Series - The Authority Guide to Emotional Resilience in Business and The Authority Guide to Behaviour in Business.
Ei4Change is a company specializing in training, coaching and personal development focused on emotional intelligence, positive psychology and neuroscience.
His experience ranges over 35 years' working with small start-ups to large multinationals in commercial areas, in project management and in line management. He works practically with the business applications of emotional intelligence in leadership and management working independently and with teams of business coaches.
Hills’s specialist interest lies in applying the outputs from personality and behavioral assessments to increase productivity and success at work. These assessments include Myers Briggs Type Indicator (Step I and II), DISC (to an advanced level), and Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0), which includes a 360 assessment (EQ-i 2.0 360). Robin is also a certified TetraMap facilitator.
Since 2013, Robin has delivered keynotes and invited presentations at international conferences on emotional intelligence and neuroscience in the UK, the US, South Africa and India, as well as online.
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What We Discuss in this Episode:
One of our society’s biggest challenges is our lack of emotional intimacy. We learn to replace emotional intimacy with achievement, and we stay there until we realize it’s empty. We live with four emotions: excitement, boredom, fear, and anger. Getting yourself off the achievement treadmill can seem impossible. Try this simple exercise: Rate your calendar on a scale of “I’m really looking forward to this” and “I’m really dreading this.” Then ask yourself, what do the events I’m looking forward to have in common, and vice versa? When you focus on achievement, you’re running on adrenaline, and that is a young person’s game. When you ask someone how they’re doing and they say, “great,” they’re usually good. If they say they’re doing fine, they’re usually not.Mentioned in the Podcast:
Goulston’s TEDx “What Made You Smile Today?” and #WMYST Challenge Take The Achiever’s Compass My Wakeup Call with Chip Conley Daring to Care: How to Build a Heartfelt Company Jason Reid’s TEDx, “The most important conversation you will have with your kids” Defeating Self Defeat by Dr. GoulstonDr. Mark Goulston
Originally a UCLA professor of psychiatry for over 25 years, and a former FBI and police hostage negotiation trainer, Dr. Mark Goulston’s expertise has been forged and proven in the crucible of real-life, high stakes situations.
An influencer who helps influencers become more influential, his unique background has made him an indispensable and sought-after resource and change facilitator to Fortune 500 leaders, entrepreneurs and educators across the nation. He lives with his wife in Los Angeles, California.
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What We Discuss in this Episode:
The only limits we have are the limits we have set in our minds. The Sedona Method helps you unlock the unlimited nature of your life and let go of the obstacles and baggage that hold us back. Letting go and living simply is natural. Children do it all the time. Holding on is hard. Adults do it all the time. That’s why we’re so tired at the end of the day. Experiences and stuff aren’t going to complete you. You are already whole and complete as you are. We often know what the solution is, but we can’t quiet our minds enough to see it. When you let go, you let go of your beliefs of the past that are preventing you from reacting in this moment. When we’re wanting to control the outcome, we are looking to the future or the past and not dealing with what we can deal with now. Now, however, is the only time we can do anything. We either imagine a terrible future, stress about what we this is known about the future, or we’re rehashing the past. We’re not dealing with what is. Responding to uncertainty is something we do all day long. If we handled uncertainty, surprise wouldn’t exist. We need to respond appropriately in this moment. Living in the moment is the natural outcome of two things: letting go and recognizing the truth of who and what you are. The mind is all about the past and future. You can describe what just was, but not what is now. The now is faster than the mind. It’s more immediate. It’s not about getting in the now, you’re already there. It’s about noticing what is now. You don’t need to try to be what you already are. You just need to notice it. Instead of being opposed to the problem, be for the solutions. It’s possible to be ecstatically happy, even when you’re sitting doing nothing.Mentioned in the Podcast:
Happiness is free and it’s easier than you think, by Lestor Levinson and Hale Dwoskin The Sedona Method free resources Take The Achiever’s Compass -
Contrary to conventional wisdom, a legacy isn’t what’s written in your obituary. It’s what you create every day. And with a dark pandemic driving 51% of us to think more about our mortality, it’s high time we started today. Join CJ McClanahan on Success 2.0 as Alan Weiss, PhD, identifies how to create your legacy – today.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
Life is not about a search for meaning, it’s creating meaning. It’s not a search that has a destination, it’s happening organically every day. Creating meaning entails identifying why the world is different because you lived in it. Have you led a trusting life, have you planted a garden, have you impacted someone in your circle? The last 30 years have created enormous pressure to compare to ourselves to others. Further, instead of becoming more knowledgeable, we’ve just gotten louder. In focusing on the needs of others, you help yourself. When you teach others, you learn more than they do. The act of helping others builds you as a person. Celebrate when you identify that you’re drowning in stress and information. Isolate the sources that are the most valid to help you become the person you want to be. Whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist will determine how your life plays out that day. We must train our brains to move toward the positive end of the spectrum more frequently. Part of being alive and finding meaning is being in touch with the physical world around you. We don’t focus on the simple, because we’ve convinced ourselves that the simple can’t be true.Mentioned in the Podcast:
Email CJ McClanahan for the offering mentioned in the podcast. Your Legacy is Now by Alan Weiss, Ph.D Subscribe to Alan Weiss newsletter and video resources Take The Achiever’s Compass AssessmentAlan Weiss, PhD
Alan Weiss is a consultant, speaker, and bestselling author. Described by the New York Post as “one of the most highly regarded independent consultants in America,” his consulting firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc., has attracted clients such as Merck, Hewlett-Packard, GE, Mercedes-Benz, and more than 500 leading organizations. His new book is Your Legacy Is Now: Life Is Not a Search for Meaning from Others—It's the Creation of Meaning for Yourself (Routledge; March 18, 2021). Learn more at alanweiss.com.
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We all struggle with the big question - are you living out your life’s purpose?
Dr. Kenneth Haman is Managing Director of the Alliance Bernstein Advisor Institute and has been a practicing psychotherapist for over two decades.
Join us as Dr. Haman unpacks your purpose and provide you with simple tactics to live your purpose every day.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
High performing professionals can get trapped into thinking that if I can achieve (insert goal), then all my problems will disappear. Only then will they consider pursuing their purpose. The problem is, they never get there. The majority of people are filled with regret at the end of their lives. They are stuck reading the narrative of their lives and they hate what they’re reading. You can trust that the universe is bumping into you all the time. Start paying attention to that, and listen to what your natural inclinations draw your toward. Learned helplessness is the thought that I need something outside of myself to make life happen. To be intentional is to stop waiting for things to happen. Navy Seals are trained that when you have hit a wall, and are completely done, you still have 80% in you.Mentioned in the Podcast:
Take The Achiever’s Compass Assessment Alliance Bernstein Advisor Institute Simon Sinek, Find Your Why Mike Rowe, TED Talk: Learning from Dirty Jobs Ability Potentials: Aptitude Testing and Career Guidance Connect with Dr. Kenneth Haman -
Get 20% off Dr. Jud Brewer's Unwinding Anxiety app Sign up for Unwinding Anxiety online. Fill out your Account Information (Step 1), and enter coupon code SUCCESS2021 under Step 2. Once your account is set up, download the mobile app from Google Play or the App Store.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
Anxiety can be perpetuated as a habit. To break this habit, we have to identify the cycle of anxiety. The “first gear” is to map out triggers, behaviors, and results. If we are not even aware of the habit, we’re actually moving in reverse. The “second gear” is identifying the reward hierarchy of the result. Once you have set the reward, you stop thinking about any of it and merely continue in the result. With bad habits, it is critical to identify what you’re gaining from this behavior. Once you do this, you can drop the bad habit’s reward value and step out of the habit. The “third gear” is the bigger, better offer. In this stage, mindfulness can take the place of the bad habit and become the reward. Curiosity feels better in our brain than worry. Mindfulness helps us switch to being curious about our feelings, instead of avoiding. Further, when we observe thoughts, we are not as attached to them. In modern society, science has become a religion. Putting scientific language behind these ancient philosophies helps people give it a chance. Whether it’s a good habit or a bad habit, mindfulness helps us see very clearly what we get out of the results we’ve hardwired. For example, does it help us feel better to be divisive or work together? We can’t logic through this to change our behavior. It must come from experience. Mindfulness unlocks that ability.Mentioned in the Podcast:
Email CJ to access the offer mentioned in the podcast: [email protected] Unwinding Anxiety book, by Jud Brewer Unwinding Anxiety app Eat Right Now app Craving to Quit appJud Brewer, MD, PhD
Dr. Jud is a thought leader in the field of habit change and the “science of self-mastery,” having more 20 years of experience with mindfulness training with his scientific research therein. Dr. Jud is the director of research and innovation at the Mindfulness Center and associate professor in psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Brown University, as well as the executive medical director of behavioral health at Sharecare, and a research affiliate at MIT. Previously, he held research and teaching positions at Yale University and the University of Massachusetts’ Center for Mindfulness.
As an addiction psychiatrist and internationally known expert in mindfulness training for treating addictions, Dr. Brewer has developed and tested novel mindfulness programs for habit change, including both in-person and app-based treatments for smoking, emotional eating, and anxiety (Eat Right Now, Unwinding Anxiety and Craving to Quit).
Based on the success of these programs in the lab, he co-founded MindSciences, Inc. – acquired by Sharecare in 2020 – to create app-based digital therapeutic versions of these programs for a wider audience, working with individuals, corporations, and hospital systems to put effective, evidence-based behavior change guidance in the hands of people struggling with unwanted behaviors and “everyday addictions.”
Modern Science, Ancient Wisdom
Dr. Brewer has also studied the underlying neural mechanisms of mindfulness using standard and real-time fMRI and EEG neurofeedback, adding to the understanding of the brain’s “Default Mode Network” and the role of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in self-referential thinking. He regularly gives talks on the intersection of modern science and ancient meditative practices, helping to expose a modern audience to specific techniques and insights first discovered 2,500 years ago.
He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, trained U.S. Olympic athletes and coaches, foreign government ministers and corporate leaders. His work has been featured on 60 Minutes, TED (4th most viewed talk of 2016), TIME magazine (top 100 new health discoveries of 2013), Forbes, CNN, BBC, NPR, Al Jazeera (documentary about his research), The Washington Post, Businessweek and others. His work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and American Heart Association, among others. He is also the author of The Craving Mind: from cigarettes to smartphones to love, why we get hooked and how we can break bad habits (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2017).
Jud and his wife Mahri live in Massachusetts where they enjoy biking, hiking, and meditating with their two cats, Ananda and Julian of Norwich.
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What We Discuss in this Episode:
Achieving is an elusive goal. Overachievers thrive on lists, and getting things done. The problem is, we are achieving for an external outcome to validate ourselves, not to fulfill ourselves internally. How much we love ourselves, how secure we are, and how much self-esteem we have is directly correlated to how much we have to augment externally. Most high achievers choose to pursue for one of three reasons: power/authority, desire to win, and drive to be known. The goal is not to stop making the world a better place. The goal is to subtly shift your perspective to change how you fulfill your inner desire and drive. Many of our goals come from what society says we should have or should do. Initiate an internal check, “what is this for?” “What am I trying to create for myself/my business/my family?” “Complacency is the proverbial kryptonite to high achievers.” In other words, ‘satisfaction’ means that I have nothing to do, or accomplish. If I don’t have anything to accomplish, I don’t have a purpose. We create stories of why we behave the way we do. Ask yourself the following questions: “How do I know I am happy? What do I have to observe in my reality?” “How do you want your life to look like going forward personally, with my family?” then, figure out how the business drives that. We spend so much time in our lives that we don’t work on our lives.Mentioned in the Podcast:
Chris Yonker News and Events Take The Achiever’s Compass Assessment Jim Loehr, The Power of Full Engagement The Greatest Years of your Life Workbook - Näytä enemmän
