How to Train Your Mind: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, and the Mindset of Excellence | Brian Johnson

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Jun 3, 2025

In this engaging discussion, Brian Johnson, the Founder of Heroic and a modern philosopher, shares insights on behavior change and the power of ancient wisdom, particularly stoicism. He explains why motivation often falters without structure and how anti-fragility can transform challenges into opportunities. Brian connects physical training to building character and emphasizes that personal responsibility is crucial for excellence. Listeners will find practical wisdom for bridging the gap between potential and action, ultimately fostering resilience and self-improvement.

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ANECDOTE

Serendipitous Meeting Story

Brian Johnson met his future wife before they even met in person through her messaging him online, showing a powerful example of destiny and serendipity.
She moved three blocks away from him before their first date without him knowing.

INSIGHT

Areté: Closing The Gap

The philosophy of Areté means living with virtue, excellence, and being your best self moment to moment.
The suffering comes from the gap between who you are and who you could be, so closing that gap leads to a good life.

INSIGHT

Understanding Anti-Fragility

Anti-fragility means getting stronger through challenges rather than just bouncing back or breaking.
Like a fire fueled by wind, challenges can make us better if we choose to double down on our practices.

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How to think like Leonardo Da Vinci

Michael J. Gelb

This book, written by Michael J. Gelb, draws on Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, inventions, and works of art to introduce the Seven Da Vincian Principles. These principles include curiosità (an insatiably curious approach to life), dimostrazione (the commitment to test knowledge through experience), sensazione (the refinement of the senses), sfumato (the ability to see things in a subtle, nuanced way), arte/scienza (the development of the balance between art and science), corporalità (the cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness, and poise), and connessione (the appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things). The book provides step-by-step exercises and lessons to help readers harness their own genius, mastering skills such as problem solving, creative thinking, self-expression, and harmonizing body and mind.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen R Covey

This book, first published in 1989, outlines seven habits that are designed to help individuals become more effective in their personal and professional lives. The habits are grouped into three categories: Private Victory (habits 1-3), Public Victory (habits 4-6), and Renewal (habit 7). The habits include being proactive, beginning with the end in mind, putting first things first, thinking win-win, seeking first to understand and then to be understood, synergizing, and sharpening the saw. Covey emphasizes the importance of personal integrity, effective time management, empathetic communication, and continuous self-improvement[2][5][4].

FOREVER STRONG

A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well

Gabrielle Lyon

Atomic Habits

James Clear

Atomic Habits by James Clear provides a practical and scientifically-backed guide to forming good habits and breaking bad ones. The book introduces the Four Laws of Behavior Change: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. It also emphasizes the importance of small, incremental changes (atomic habits) that compound over time to produce significant results. Clear discusses techniques such as habit stacking, optimizing the environment to support desired habits, and focusing on continuous improvement rather than goal fixation. The book is filled with actionable strategies, real-life examples, and stories from various fields, making it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their habits and achieve personal growth[2][4][5].

10 To 25

David Yeager

Areté

Activate Your Heroic Potential

Brian Johnson

In *Areté*, Brian Johnson combines ancient philosophy, modern science, and practical tools to help readers activate their heroic potential and live a life of excellence. The book offers 451 short insights across seven disciplines, providing a roadmap for personal growth and transformation. It is designed to help individuals overcome challenges and achieve their full potential.

The Compound Effect

Darren Hardy

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy is based on the principle that everyday decisions shape your destiny. The book emphasizes the importance of small, seemingly insignificant actions that, when repeated consistently over time, lead to significant results. Hardy provides practical advice on creating good habits, eliminating bad ones, and leveraging the compound effect in various areas of life such as finance, health, relationships, and spirituality. The book stresses the need for a new plan of action rather than more information, and it offers tools and strategies for tracking progress, building momentum, and achieving long-term success.

The Second Mountain

The Quest for a Moral Life

David Brooks

In 'The Second Mountain', David Brooks explores the concept of two mountains in life: the first mountain, which represents individual success and ego-driven achievements, and the second mountain, which symbolizes a life of deeper meaning, commitment, and contribution to a greater good. Brooks argues that our society's extreme individualism has torn the social fabric, and the path to repair is through making deeper commitments to a spouse and family, a vocation, a philosophy or faith, and a community. The book is both a personal reflection on Brooks' own life journey and a broader social commentary, offering practical advice and stories of people who have lived joyous, committed lives[2][4][5].

What if your biggest challenge isn’t motivation but missing structure? In this episode, I sit down with Brian Johnson to unpack the science and philosophy of lasting behavior change. We explore the power of ancient wisdom, stoicism, and the neuroscience of excellence, and why most wellness apps fail to deliver real transformation.

Brian shares his personal journey from startup success to creating a global movement around character, discipline, and identity-based habits. We talk about the science of anti-fragility, how muscle mirrors virtue, and why the gap between who you are and who you could be is the true source of suffering. Whether you're a high performer or someone who wants to stop breaking promises to yourself, this conversation will help you build the structure to show up as your best—no matter the circumstance.

What You’ll Learn:

Why most behavior change fails—and what the science says works
The philosophy of Areté: how to close the gap between potential and action
How ancient stoicism aligns with modern recovery, resilience, and muscle
Why building muscle is a metaphor (and mechanism) for building character
The true definition of anti-fragility—and how to train it

If you're ready to bridge the gap between knowing and doing, this episode is the roadmap you've been looking for.

Who is Brian Johnson?

Brian Johnson has spent half of the last 25 years as a Founder/CEO and the other half as a Philosopher. As a Founder/CEO, he’s made crowdfunding history and built and sold two market-leading social platforms. As a Philosopher, he created Philosopher’s Notes, wrote the bestselling book Areté: Activate Your Heroic Potential, and developed a protocol integrating ancient wisdom, modern science, and practical tools that has been scientifically proven to help people change their lives. Brian is featured in the documentary Finding Joe on the modern Hero’s Journey and has trained some of the world’s most elite performers. He lives in the country outside of Austin with his wife and two kids and is all in on fulfilling Heroic’s mission to help create a more noble and virtuous world in which 51% of humanity is flourishing by 2051.

This episode is brought to you by:

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Find Brian Johnson at:

Learn more about Brian Johnson and Heroic and get some free content just for my listeners: heroic.us/drlyon
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heroicbrian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heroicbrian/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heroicbrian/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heroicbrian/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HeroicBrian

Find Me At:

Instagram:@drgabriellelyon
TikTok: @drgabriellelyon
Facebook: facebook.com/doctorgabriellelyon
YouTube: youtube.com/@DrGabrielleLyon
X (Twitter): x.com/drgabriellelyon
Apply to become a patient – https://drgabriellelyon.com/new-patient-inquiry/
Join my weekly newsletter – https://institute-for-muscle-centric-medicine.ck.page
Get my book – https://drgabriellelyon.com/forever-strong/

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction: Philosophy meets behavioral science and the art of heroic living.

01:14 – Welcoming Brian Johnson and his journey into philosophy and personal growth.

03:27 – Brian’s early career and building online platforms pre-Facebook.

05:02 – Discussion about stoicism, virtues, and how Brian became interested in philosophy.

20:23 – The importance of teaching foundational principles like willpower and virtue to children.

22:44 – Identifying behaviors to optimize energy, work, and love.

31:23 – How tranquility, calm, and greatness require intentional thinking and reflection.

41:46 – Balancing ambition, virtue, and influence; discussion on noble motivations and leadership.

53:09 – Using physiology to control psychology, mental resilience, and self-management.

56:21 –The importance of quickly recovering emotional balance and equanimity.

1:01:22 – How recognizing and learning from past mistakes contributes to personal growth.

1:03:11 – Raising heroic children and living against the norms of a "sick society."

1:12:31 – Brian’s mission to help humanity flourish and his personal commitment symbolized by a tattoo.

1:14:36 – Brian discusses his book, Arete, and how to cultivate personal excellence.

Disclaimer: The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Podcast and YouTube are for general information purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast, YouTube, or materials linked from this podcast or YouTube is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professional for any such conditions.