“Meaningful conversations matter
and help to guide us toward a better version of ourselves.
They are the solution to deepening the effect of our work and creating the impact that
we want to have in the world.”
~Andy Vasily
Upcoming Episodes
George Mumford
Best-Selling Author, Performance Psychologist, Mindfulness Expert
|
|
Recent Episodes
Daniel Pink:
#1 New York Times bestselling author , Speaker, Consultant
December 2022
#1 New York Times bestselling author , Speaker, Consultant
December 2022
|
|
|
Kailee Scales
CEO of Pencils of Promise, Global Strategist, and Public Speaker
May 2022
On today’s show, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview the inspiring Kailee Scales, the CEO of Pencils of Promise. Every organization that strives to do great things in the world, needs a strongly empathetic, compassionate and caring leader who is deeply committed to creating lasting change. Kailee Scales has embodied these attributes from early in her life. She has been devoted to a life of service for years and firmly believes that Every human being was born free. But we know for many people there are barriers to this freedom. She believes there are processes that allow people to either have freedom of action and decisions or not to have freedom over their actions and decisions and this is what devoted her life to figuring out why this is.
Kailee has raised over $100 million and led domestic and international NGOs to address some of the world’s most progressive social and political issues. Most notably, she served as founding national director of Mentor USA and global coordinator of Mentor International, a drug-abuse prevention organization led by Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, working in close conjunction with HMQ Silvia and United Nations leadership.
From 2017 to 2020, Kailee served as the first Managing Director of Black Lives Matter Global Network. In this role, she was responsible for building infrastructure across the global organization.. She launched the Arts+Culture platform and created BLM’s WhatMATTERS2020, a civic engagement campaign targeted towards Black Millennial and Gen Z voters at risk of disenfranchisement. She also served as the executive producer of the viral video, Rest in Power Beautiful, which aired less than 48 hours after the murder of George Floyd. It was seen over 10M times on social media, BET, CBS, Times Square and the Staples Center.
And In June 2021, she was chosen by Adam Braun to serve as the CEO of Pencils of Promise.
Kailee has raised over $100 million and led domestic and international NGOs to address some of the world’s most progressive social and political issues. Most notably, she served as founding national director of Mentor USA and global coordinator of Mentor International, a drug-abuse prevention organization led by Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, working in close conjunction with HMQ Silvia and United Nations leadership.
From 2017 to 2020, Kailee served as the first Managing Director of Black Lives Matter Global Network. In this role, she was responsible for building infrastructure across the global organization.. She launched the Arts+Culture platform and created BLM’s WhatMATTERS2020, a civic engagement campaign targeted towards Black Millennial and Gen Z voters at risk of disenfranchisement. She also served as the executive producer of the viral video, Rest in Power Beautiful, which aired less than 48 hours after the murder of George Floyd. It was seen over 10M times on social media, BET, CBS, Times Square and the Staples Center.
And In June 2021, she was chosen by Adam Braun to serve as the CEO of Pencils of Promise.
Cal Fussman:
Best-Selling Author, Longtime Esquire Writer, Corporate Consultant, and Host of Big Questions Podcast
April 2022
Cal Fussman started his career as a sportswriter for The Miami Herald and The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, then moved to New York, where his work appeared in the magazines Inside Sports and Sports Illustrated. He learned how to interview on trains and buses, when he travelled around the world for 10 years and was constantly in conversation with people from all cultures and walks of life. Fussman's writing during this time and thereafter often revolved around quests.
Fussman began contributing to Esquire when David M. Granger took over as Editor in Chief in 1997. He became the lead interviewer for the magazine's "What I've Learned" column, in which people who have lived extraordinary lives discuss the wisdom they have accrued. Some the "What I've Learned" column, have reissued in two books titled The Meaning of Life, The Austin Chronicle has described Fussman's work in this format as "peerless" and "prolific". Fussman has a chapter giving advice in Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans.
Cal has interviewed some of the very best in the world in their field over the decades and he shares his learning in his Big Questions Podcast.
Fussman began contributing to Esquire when David M. Granger took over as Editor in Chief in 1997. He became the lead interviewer for the magazine's "What I've Learned" column, in which people who have lived extraordinary lives discuss the wisdom they have accrued. Some the "What I've Learned" column, have reissued in two books titled The Meaning of Life, The Austin Chronicle has described Fussman's work in this format as "peerless" and "prolific". Fussman has a chapter giving advice in Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans.
Cal has interviewed some of the very best in the world in their field over the decades and he shares his learning in his Big Questions Podcast.
Charles Feltman:
Executive Coach, Author, and Trust Expert
March 2022
Charles Feltman is an executive coach, consultant and facilitator. he coaches executives and managers in developing the thinking, being and doing that constitute the most effective leadership in their organizations. He also coaches teams and workgroups around issues of trust, commitment, conflict, collaboration, and accountability. In addition to coaching and consulting for Fortune 500 companies since 1990, Charles has served as a community mediator and facilitator for the past 30 years. In all of his work he has helped people successfully confront and deal with issues of trust, betrayal and reconciliation in their work, community and personal lives.
Prior to beginning his coaching and consulting business, Insight Coaching, Charles was part of the early boom in the Silicon Valley high-tech industry during the 1980s. He also held management positions in higher education administration in the 1970s. Charles holds a Masters degree in Organizational Development from USC and a BA in Psychology from UCSC.
Prior to beginning his coaching and consulting business, Insight Coaching, Charles was part of the early boom in the Silicon Valley high-tech industry during the 1980s. He also held management positions in higher education administration in the 1970s. Charles holds a Masters degree in Organizational Development from USC and a BA in Psychology from UCSC.
Todd Herman:
Global Leader in Peak Performance & Best Selling Author
March 2022
This week’s conversation is with Todd Herman, best-selling author, performance coach, and world-renowned speaker. Todd is best known for the work he does coaching top-level people in sport, business, and entertainment. He believes deeply in being a practitioner, so he can create programs, systems, and tools for others, that are proven, practical and precise. He has logged more than 19000 hours working 1-1 with many of the world’s elite in their field.
In our conversation, we unpack the main ideas and themes found in his best-selling book The Alter Ego Effect: How Secret Identities Can Transform Your Life. As well, we take a deep dive into the work he has devoted himself to in the field of performance coaching since he first started up his business in 1997. Todd challenges us all to think differently about what is possible in our lives when we break free from self-imposed limitations, imposter syndrome and we get out of our own way by taking action on the things we genuinely want in life.
In our conversation, we unpack the main ideas and themes found in his best-selling book The Alter Ego Effect: How Secret Identities Can Transform Your Life. As well, we take a deep dive into the work he has devoted himself to in the field of performance coaching since he first started up his business in 1997. Todd challenges us all to think differently about what is possible in our lives when we break free from self-imposed limitations, imposter syndrome and we get out of our own way by taking action on the things we genuinely want in life.
Brittany Wagner: Last Chance U Netflix Series (Seasons 1 & 2)
Author (Next Chance You) and Motivational Speaker
In this episode, Brittany joins me to discuss her book Next Chance You: Tools, Tips, and Tough Love for Bringing Your A-Game to Life. As well, we speak about her role in the popular Netflix series Last Chance U and the work she did helping more than 200 student-athletes academically quality for nationally respected NCAA division 1 schools.
In today's chat, we unpack the themes of resilience, self-belief, overcoming trauma, and finding purpose in life. It was a honor to have Brittany on the show to speak about her amazing work.
In today's chat, we unpack the themes of resilience, self-belief, overcoming trauma, and finding purpose in life. It was a honor to have Brittany on the show to speak about her amazing work.
Click on photo to access episode with Dagur Sigurdsson
Dagur represented his country of Iceland in the Summer Olympics held in Greece in 2004 and over the years developed himself into a world renowned coach in the sport. He spent time in Austria before going on to coach professionally in Germany and lead the German men’s national handball team in the world championships and the Olympics.
Dagur has a distinct coaching style that sets him apart from others and as you listen to this episode, you will learn about what he believe is most important in leading and coaching others and how he strives to deeply connect with those around him in order the lift them up and push them to be their best.
As a family man, he is deeply committed to his loved ones and as a coach/mentor to his athletes, he is equally committed to helping them strive for excellence and through his leadership, he believes that context is everything and that a leader must deeply understand the context of the organization in order to put leadership moves into action that spark continued growth and progress.
Dagur is on a mission as the Japanese men's Olympic handball coach and recently had the opportunity to lead his team in the Tokyo Olympics. He has signed on through the Paris 2024 Olympics and everything he is now doing is helping to plant the seeds for slow and continuous growth over time in order to put his athletes in the best position possible for competition. As well, he is deeply committed to spreading a love of the game of handball in Japan. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.
Dagur has a distinct coaching style that sets him apart from others and as you listen to this episode, you will learn about what he believe is most important in leading and coaching others and how he strives to deeply connect with those around him in order the lift them up and push them to be their best.
As a family man, he is deeply committed to his loved ones and as a coach/mentor to his athletes, he is equally committed to helping them strive for excellence and through his leadership, he believes that context is everything and that a leader must deeply understand the context of the organization in order to put leadership moves into action that spark continued growth and progress.
Dagur is on a mission as the Japanese men's Olympic handball coach and recently had the opportunity to lead his team in the Tokyo Olympics. He has signed on through the Paris 2024 Olympics and everything he is now doing is helping to plant the seeds for slow and continuous growth over time in order to put his athletes in the best position possible for competition. As well, he is deeply committed to spreading a love of the game of handball in Japan. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.
Click on photo to access episode with Rudy Ruettiger
The story of Rudy Ruettiger captured the hearts of football fans across America. He has devoted his life to inspiring others to never give up. He will join me for a discussion to share life lessons learned through his own pursuit of excellence in sport and how he was able to develop the resilience needed to pursue the dream of playing for one of the best university football teams in America. Rudy is a motivational speaker and author and continues to help others strive for greatness in their own life.
Click on photo to access this episode with Andrea Proske
My guest today epitomizes what it means to follow a dream and to completely transform oneself into an olympic champion. Andrea Proske joins me for a discussion about her amazing life journey. At 27 years old, Andrea had very limited experience with team sport and although an active person by nature, she had never pursued excellence in her life through sport, let alone had never rowed in her life.
At 27, She was working in the hotel industry at the time and had the opportunity to compete in her first Tough Mudder race. After this race, she became inspired to change her life and to find something new and challenging to tackle. As she says in this episode, she felt stuck in her life, not sure what to do. She wasn’t sure what this new challenge was going to be, but would go on to give rowing a try and what a story this turned out to be as 3 short years later she earned herself a spot on the Canadian Women’s National Rowing Team.
In our conversation today, we unpack the roles of resilience and determination in Andrea’s life and how she was able to overcome numerous obstacles throughout the 8 years that she took up the sport of rowing, including a serious accident in 2015. In Andrea’s own words, Failing forward quickly became her motto…. she braved injuries, underperformance, the firing of an abusive head coach, falling out of the boat more times than she cares to admit, a global pandemic and a historic Olympic postponement. But along the way she learned valuable lessons on handling failure, burnout, uncertainty… and the power of sisterhood.
On Friday, July 30th, Andre Proske’s dreams came true as her and her team of 9 won Canada’s first gold medal in rowing in nearly 20 years. In this episode, Andrea talks about the Tokyo Olympics and what life has been like since winning gold. She also shares the work she is doing now and what her biggest hopes are in moving forward in her life.
Wherever you are in the world listening to this, I hope you find value in this discussion as there is so much that we can learn from Andrea’s journey.
At 27, She was working in the hotel industry at the time and had the opportunity to compete in her first Tough Mudder race. After this race, she became inspired to change her life and to find something new and challenging to tackle. As she says in this episode, she felt stuck in her life, not sure what to do. She wasn’t sure what this new challenge was going to be, but would go on to give rowing a try and what a story this turned out to be as 3 short years later she earned herself a spot on the Canadian Women’s National Rowing Team.
In our conversation today, we unpack the roles of resilience and determination in Andrea’s life and how she was able to overcome numerous obstacles throughout the 8 years that she took up the sport of rowing, including a serious accident in 2015. In Andrea’s own words, Failing forward quickly became her motto…. she braved injuries, underperformance, the firing of an abusive head coach, falling out of the boat more times than she cares to admit, a global pandemic and a historic Olympic postponement. But along the way she learned valuable lessons on handling failure, burnout, uncertainty… and the power of sisterhood.
On Friday, July 30th, Andre Proske’s dreams came true as her and her team of 9 won Canada’s first gold medal in rowing in nearly 20 years. In this episode, Andrea talks about the Tokyo Olympics and what life has been like since winning gold. She also shares the work she is doing now and what her biggest hopes are in moving forward in her life.
Wherever you are in the world listening to this, I hope you find value in this discussion as there is so much that we can learn from Andrea’s journey.
Click on photo to access this episode with Dr. Gervais
Dr. Michael Gervais' Biography:
As a sport and performance psychologist, Dr. Michael Gervais is one of the world’s leading experts on the relationship between the mind and elite performance. Over the course of a 20-year career working with world class performers and organizations, Dr. Gervais has developed a framework for the mental skills and practices that allow athletes to thrive in pressure-packed environments. Gervais’ influence can be felt across many touch points of popular culture. His clients include the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, world record holders, Olympians, MVPs from every major sport, internationally acclaimed music artists, and Fortune 50 CEO’s.
Gervais has worked across three summer Olympic Games (Tokyo, Rio, London) and two winter Olympic Games. He has served as the Olympic high-performance psychologist for USA Beach Volleyball, USA Beach Volleyball, USA Women’s Indoor Volleyball, and, most recently, USA Surfing in Tokyo. Dr. Gervais is the host of the popular Finding Mastery podcast that explores the psychology of the world’s most extraordinary thinkers and doers.
In 2020, Gervais wrote an Audible Original, Compete to Create: An Approach to Living and Leading Authentically, with NFL coach Pete Carroll. He also created a six-week online course to bring the principles and practices of high performance mindset training into businesses and homes. A published, peer-reviewed author and nationally recognized speaker on optimal human performance, Dr. Gervais has been featured in premier media outlets including NBC, ABC, FOX, CNN, ESPN, NFL Network, Red Bull TV, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Outside Magazine, WIRED, Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine.
Dr. Gervais holds a doctorate degree in psychology, specializing in sport performance, and a master’s degree in kinesiology. He completed his PhD under the mentorship of Dr. Bruce Ogilvie, often referred to as the father of American applied sport psychology.
Summary of this episode:
In this episode Dr. Mike and Andy dive deeply into the themes of personal excellence, vulnerability, self-awareness and pursuing mastery of things that matter most. We begin with a brief discussion about early days in Mike's life and some of the strengths that he had developed that have gone on to serve him well in the work he now does. This helped to set the tone for the rest of the conversation and to open doors into other important themes related to what Michael has come to understand about himself and his craft through his own Finding Mastery podcast as well his amazing online course Finding Your Best: Compete to Create that he co-designed with business partner and friend, Pete Carroll, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. You'll be sure to get some valuable takeaway in this episode that you can hopefully apply in both your personal and professional life.
What others are saying about this episode?
As a sport and performance psychologist, Dr. Michael Gervais is one of the world’s leading experts on the relationship between the mind and elite performance. Over the course of a 20-year career working with world class performers and organizations, Dr. Gervais has developed a framework for the mental skills and practices that allow athletes to thrive in pressure-packed environments. Gervais’ influence can be felt across many touch points of popular culture. His clients include the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, world record holders, Olympians, MVPs from every major sport, internationally acclaimed music artists, and Fortune 50 CEO’s.
Gervais has worked across three summer Olympic Games (Tokyo, Rio, London) and two winter Olympic Games. He has served as the Olympic high-performance psychologist for USA Beach Volleyball, USA Beach Volleyball, USA Women’s Indoor Volleyball, and, most recently, USA Surfing in Tokyo. Dr. Gervais is the host of the popular Finding Mastery podcast that explores the psychology of the world’s most extraordinary thinkers and doers.
In 2020, Gervais wrote an Audible Original, Compete to Create: An Approach to Living and Leading Authentically, with NFL coach Pete Carroll. He also created a six-week online course to bring the principles and practices of high performance mindset training into businesses and homes. A published, peer-reviewed author and nationally recognized speaker on optimal human performance, Dr. Gervais has been featured in premier media outlets including NBC, ABC, FOX, CNN, ESPN, NFL Network, Red Bull TV, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Outside Magazine, WIRED, Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine.
Dr. Gervais holds a doctorate degree in psychology, specializing in sport performance, and a master’s degree in kinesiology. He completed his PhD under the mentorship of Dr. Bruce Ogilvie, often referred to as the father of American applied sport psychology.
Summary of this episode:
In this episode Dr. Mike and Andy dive deeply into the themes of personal excellence, vulnerability, self-awareness and pursuing mastery of things that matter most. We begin with a brief discussion about early days in Mike's life and some of the strengths that he had developed that have gone on to serve him well in the work he now does. This helped to set the tone for the rest of the conversation and to open doors into other important themes related to what Michael has come to understand about himself and his craft through his own Finding Mastery podcast as well his amazing online course Finding Your Best: Compete to Create that he co-designed with business partner and friend, Pete Carroll, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. You'll be sure to get some valuable takeaway in this episode that you can hopefully apply in both your personal and professional life.
What others are saying about this episode?
|
|
Featured Episodes
Click on any of the photos below to listen to the episode
Click on any of the photos below to listen to the episode
Dr. Jim Loehr: Leading with Character-Ten Minutes a Day to a Brilliant Legacy.
"The power broker in your life is the voice that no one hears. How well you revisit the tone and content of your private voice is what determines the quality of your life. It is the master story-teller and the stories we tell ourselves are our reality."
Simon Whitfield: 4-Time Olympian, Gold Medalist, 14 world titles and 12 national championships in triathlon
"I stood there at the start line
for the Sydney Olympic triathlon that would take place 7 years later……I’m the first person there and I’m the first person to visualize…….I believe that it is so critical to see in our mind’s eye that which we want to produce as is what we think we will become. That’s all that I thought about and I believe there was magic there with that win, it wasn’t just a coincidence.”
for the Sydney Olympic triathlon that would take place 7 years later……I’m the first person there and I’m the first person to visualize…….I believe that it is so critical to see in our mind’s eye that which we want to produce as is what we think we will become. That’s all that I thought about and I believe there was magic there with that win, it wasn’t just a coincidence.”
Oshiomoghu Atogwe: Former NFL standout defensive player for the Rams, Redskins, and Eagles
"Growing up the youngest,
part of you has to develop that independent, self-driven will. If you are going to get something accomplished, you have to be the one who is the 'driver' of it. God blessed me with that innate sense of being self-driven, things come from within me to outside of me. So having that faith and conviction in my own self was paramount at a young age."
part of you has to develop that independent, self-driven will. If you are going to get something accomplished, you have to be the one who is the 'driver' of it. God blessed me with that innate sense of being self-driven, things come from within me to outside of me. So having that faith and conviction in my own self was paramount at a young age."
Dr. Nicole LePera: The Holistic Psychologist and Best-Selling Author (How To Do The Work)
“Not everyone wants to get better.
And that’s okay. Some people have an identity tied to sickness. Others fear true wellness because it is the unknown and the unknown is unpredictable. There is comfort in knowing exactly what your life will look like, even if that reality is making you sick.”
And that’s okay. Some people have an identity tied to sickness. Others fear true wellness because it is the unknown and the unknown is unpredictable. There is comfort in knowing exactly what your life will look like, even if that reality is making you sick.”
Margaret Heffernan: Best-Selling Author, Speaker, and Entrepreneur
“The combination of power, optimism and abstract thinking makes powerful people more certain. The more cut-off they are from others, the more confident they are that they are right.”
Co-Developer of Self-Determination Theory, Author and Speaker
"We've always been interested in
factors that facilitate or undermine motivation, and in investigating that, we came on the idea that there are some really basic psychological needs that everybody has, whether they're in the classroom, workplace, or sports field, that help them thrive and have their highest quality motivation. Those basic psychological needs are autonomy, competence and relatedness."
factors that facilitate or undermine motivation, and in investigating that, we came on the idea that there are some really basic psychological needs that everybody has, whether they're in the classroom, workplace, or sports field, that help them thrive and have their highest quality motivation. Those basic psychological needs are autonomy, competence and relatedness."
Striving For Excellence
Welcome to the Run Your Life Show. Each week Andy dives deeply into discussion with high-level performers from the arenas of elite sport, education, mental health & wellness, business and the arts, to better understand how they thrive and flourish within their own unique contexts. These conversations are about exploring human potential, as well as each person's capacity to make a strong and lasting impact in the world through their craft.
Whether it's an Olympian pursuing their next gold medal on the world stage, a professional athlete explaining how they have excelled in their sport, an educational researcher discussing how to cultivate deep learning in the classroom or a best-selling author analyzing their life's work, there are deep lessons that can be learned by any listener of Andy's podcast to improve their performance, sharpen their mindset, and deepen the impact they can have in the work that they do.
This podcast has been downloaded in over 75 countries by thousands of people around the world and the number of listeners is growing steadily! Hope you find value in these discussions.
~Andy Vasily
Welcome to the Run Your Life Show. Each week Andy dives deeply into discussion with high-level performers from the arenas of elite sport, education, mental health & wellness, business and the arts, to better understand how they thrive and flourish within their own unique contexts. These conversations are about exploring human potential, as well as each person's capacity to make a strong and lasting impact in the world through their craft.
Whether it's an Olympian pursuing their next gold medal on the world stage, a professional athlete explaining how they have excelled in their sport, an educational researcher discussing how to cultivate deep learning in the classroom or a best-selling author analyzing their life's work, there are deep lessons that can be learned by any listener of Andy's podcast to improve their performance, sharpen their mindset, and deepen the impact they can have in the work that they do.
This podcast has been downloaded in over 75 countries by thousands of people around the world and the number of listeners is growing steadily! Hope you find value in these discussions.
~Andy Vasily
|
Subscribe to Run Your Life podcast on any of the players below:
|
This podcast started off as a passion project back in 2015, and it has led to me interviewing so many brilliant people from around the world, all of whom are striving to carve out their own unique path of excellence. I'm constantly learning from these discussions and it is my hope that anyone who listens to the podcast will feel inspired to reflect upon their own work and the difference that they can make in the world. THANK YOU for tuning into the podcast and sharing it with those who you feel will benefit from listening to it."
~Andy Vasily
Connect with Andy Vasily on any of the following social media platforms:
Click on photo to connect with Andy on Twitter
|
Click on photo to connect with Andy on Instagram
|
Click on photo to connect with Andy on LinkedIn
|
Transformative Moment: Andy's 2017 TED X Talk
Andy's TED X talk focuses on the importance of mental health, well-being and the positive impact that sport and physical activity can have in a person's life. The talk was given at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
