Episode 32: "Heroic Leadership, Anti-Fragile Confidence, and Flipping the Switch” with Heroic CEO Michael Balchan

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Dec 16, 2025

In this engaging conversation, Michael Balchan, a Harvard-trained behavioral economist and CEO of Heroic Public Benefit Corporation, shares insights on fostering flourishing leadership. He combines ancient wisdom with modern science to define what it means to be a flourishing leader. Michael discusses the importance of cultivating anti-fragile confidence, using failure as a growth engine. He also highlights the role of world-class coaching in personal development and offers practical tools like the body-breath-mind-action practice to help leaders thrive in challenging times.

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INSIGHT

Integration Of Self And Collective

Flourishing leadership integrates the individual, the group, and their intersection to enable shared thriving.
Michael Balchan ties ancient eudaimonia with modern science to define leadership as authentic self-expression in service of others.

ANECDOTE

Discovery Of Philosopher's Notes

Michael describes discovering Brian's Philosopher's Notes as an 80/20 shortcut that accelerated his lifelong study of wisdom traditions.
He used the app daily to consume distilled teachings instead of reading every primary source himself.

ADVICE

Protect Your AM/PM Bookends

Prioritize AM and PM bookends and adapt them to your life season to protect energy, work, and love.
Block key family windows first, then schedule deep work and movement around those priorities.

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What does it actually look like to be a flourishing leader in a turbulent world?

In this episode, Dr. Scott Parsons and co-host Jason Viyar sit down with Michael Balchan — CEO and Head Coach at Heroic Public Benefit Corporation — for a rich, practical, and deeply human conversation on how to operationalize flourishing in everyday life and leadership.

A Harvard-trained behavioral economist and psychologist, former options trader, and top 10% Ironman finisher, Michael has spent the last decade helping thousands of people around the world move from Theory to Practice to Mastery. As CEO of Heroic, he’s all-in on a bold mission: to help create a world in which 51% of the population is flourishing by 2051.

In this episode, Michael shares:

His definition of a flourishing leader — integrating the individual, the group, and the intersection where both can thrive
How ancient wisdom (from Aristotle, the Stoics, and spiritual traditions) and modern science (behavioral economics, psychology, and habit design) come together in the Heroic framework
Why Heroic exists, the core problem it’s designed to solve, and how tools like Philosopher’s Notes and the Heroic app help people cut through overwhelm and focus on what matters most
The difference between world-class coaching and merely “good” coaching — including presence, perspective-taking, structure, and spontaneity
How to cultivate anti-fragile confidence so that challenge, stress, and “failure” become fuel for growth rather than reasons to quit

If you care about flourishing leadership, virtue, coaching, or personal mastery, this episode is packed with insights and tools you can start using today.

Connect with Michael & Heroic

Thank you for listening to the Flourishing Leaders Podcast!
Hosted by Dr. Scott Parsons, this podcast explores how character, virtue, wisdom, and purpose can shape a more flourishing life and leadership journey.

Learn more at: Flourishing Leaders Academy
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Share this episode with someone who’s ready to lead with integrity and flourish in every domain of life.
Connect with Scott: LinkedIn | Scott@FlourishingLeaders.us

Flourish with us—because leadership rooted in character changes everything.