Dr. Julie Gurner - How to unlock your peak performance to achieve success!
Jun 9, 2023
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Dr. Julie Gurner, a doctor of psychology and executive performance coach, shares her frameworks for creating urgency and reaching peak performance. She discusses her journey into executive coaching and the struggles faced by VC founders. The podcast also explores the science behind top-tier performance, maintaining confidence, and favorite book recommendations.
Success should be defined based on individual goals and aspirations, not by societal standards or external pressures.
An executive performance coach focuses on personal growth and removing barriers to success, rather than just skill development.
Founders should stay true to themselves, seek personalized guidance, and avoid comparing their journey to others in order to achieve their version of success.
Deep dives
Defining Success on Individual Terms
Dr. Julie emphasizes the importance of being true to oneself and living life on one's own terms. Success should be defined based on individual goals and aspirations, not by societal standards or external pressures. Meeting one's own definition of success is the ultimate achievement, and Dr. Julie strives to support individuals in reaching their unique goals.
The Role of a Coach in Personal Growth
As an executive performance coach, Dr. Julie helps individuals tap into their potential and overcome obstacles. She believes in understanding each person's individual strengths and empowering them to unlock their full potential. Rather than focusing solely on skill development, she focuses on personal growth and removing barriers to success, fostering accountability and helping individuals make progress towards their goals.
The Importance of Personalized Coaching
Dr. Julie acknowledges the prevalence of coaching in the startup ecosystem, but emphasizes the need for personalized guidance. While there are various frameworks and trends in the industry, each founder's journey is unique. Dr. Julie encourages founders to stay true to themselves and avoid comparing their journey to others. By maintaining authenticity and seeking guidance tailored to their specific needs, founders can navigate challenges and achieve their version of success.
Building a Close Relationship with Clients
The speaker emphasizes the importance of building a close and candid relationship with clients. They conduct brief screening calls to ensure a good fit before starting work, setting expectations of candid communication. They ask clients about their preferred communication style and work with them accordingly. The speaker highlights the importance of trust and confidentiality, with clients reaching out in emergencies. This close relationship provides support and a safe space for clients, especially when they face personal or professional challenges.
Cognitive Science and Performance Optimization
The podcast explores the science behind top-tier performance and coaching, particularly focusing on cognitive science. The speaker emphasizes the impact of cognitive processes, thoughts, and behaviors on performance. They mention the significance of foundational issues like good sleep, high-protein breakfasts, and scheduling tasks based on energy levels. The speaker advises optimizing cognitive load by tackling complex tasks during high energy periods, leading to increased productivity and shorter task completion times. They also stress the importance of specificity in goal setting and the power of cognitive habits and language in shaping success.
Julie Gurner (seen in WSJ, Forbes, Vox, and more) is a doctor of psychology and executive performance coach with nearly a decade of experience working with some of the nation's top tech and finance executives and teams.
๐๐ผ About the Host:
Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generates $30k ARR which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 20,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. Currently, he is the Head of Community at Threado and runs a newsletter called Sharath's CliffNotes alongside hosting this podcast.
๐๐ผ Description:
Tune in as Sharath and Dr. Gurner discuss the habits, frameworks, and thought patterns that help founders and startup employees reach their peak performance points!
Timestamps:
0:00 | Episode highlight
1:42 | Intro to Dr. Julie Gurner
2:52 | What does peak performance mean?
4:05 | What does being an executive performance coach mean?
5:43 | Dr. Gurner's recommended frameworks to create urgency in anything you do
8:20 | Dr. Gurner's entry into the executive coaching world
11:05 | How Dr. Gurner picked her niche in tech and finance
14:50 | The struggles of VC founders and why they face difficulties
17:48 | Founder struggles: money, thought patterns, and more
19:30 | Why founders fear failure
21:47 | Why founders hire executive coaches
25:50 | The founder-coach relationship
28:46 | First habits to be fixed as founders
32:39 | Best work time to reach max capacity
35:28 | Habits to implement and ones to avoid
40:16 | Balancing positive and negative motivation as a founder
42:30 | Dr. Gurner's #1 Framework
45:30 | How to define and measure peak success
47:56 | Questions to ask yourself to know your goals
52:00 | Role of AI in coaching
55:30 | Maintaining consistent confidence and conviction as a founder
59:15 | Setting expectations in Startups
1:03:10 | RapidFire 5: From worst founder habit to the best meal and more!
1:06:39 | Closing thoughts
๐๐ผ Resources:
Oprah Winfrey's Stanford Business School Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DlrqeWrczs
Tom House, coach to Tom Brady: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_House
