Run Your Life Show With Andy Vasily

Send us a textIn today’s show, I'll explore the themes of well-being, motivation and fulfillment. As well, I'll share three strategies you can immediately put into action in your own life to seek deeper meaning and purpose. These research-backed strategies have been proven to increase well-being and motivation and are sure to help you continue to move in your desired direction in life. In this episode, I share a special story as a powerful reminder about our own light within and the importance of keeping this light burning brightly. There will be external things that happen in our life, whether it be particular circumstances or people, that cause turmoil and distress. These things can inevitably lead to the light within greatly dimming or being extinguished crushing our own intrinsic motivation to stay on the path of growth, learning and personal development. It can also be far too easy, at times, to succumb to the pressures of life and lose focus on the things that truly matter in our lives. Every time this happens, it becomes our responsibility to stay motivated, intentional, and purposeful in our actions to keep our metaphorical flames lit. And, there are things we can do to increase motivation, well-being and productivity. Hope you enjoy this episode and please be sure to share with anyone who you feel with benefit from listening. Thanks. Connect With AndyTwitterLinkedInWebsiteJoseph Haydn's Farewell Symphony

Send us a textIn today's episode, we explore the life of Alfred Nobel and his special journey of creating the Nobel Foundation and the impact that this had on humanity. This story will challenge you to think about your own legacy and the trace of yourself you want to leave behind in the world. We all strive to make a difference in our lives through our parenting, as a spouse or partner to those we love, and in the workplace. How will we ultimately be remembered and what will our impact be? It is never too late to realize the impact we desire, but it certainly takes deep reflection and an unwavering commitment to be our best in whatever way that means. I hope this episode helps you to reflect on your current path in life and what it is you need to do to continue to move in the right direction, in order to leave the impact that you desire. Thanks for listening folks. Connect With AndyTwitterLinkedInWebsiteDr. Jim Loehr's Leading With Character book can be found HERE

Send us a textToday on the show, a dive into authentic leadership, what this means. As well, we will explore what gets in the way of it. In particular, we’ll explore identity awareness and the impact that this can have on any leader’s ability to lead with authenticity and purpose in order to have the impact they desire.To build trust in the workplace, leaders need to make the first move. However, that is becoming much more difficult for many leaders around the world.  Based on the latest research, two major themes are standing out more than ever in organizations.The first theme is that there has been a precipitous decline in trust in the workplace over the past few years. And secondly, leadership is harder than ever based on a variety of factors including the ever-changing global landscape, the dramatic increase in mental health issues, and the staff retention crisis (there are many other factors as well).True leadership skills are a precious resource in the workplace right now and will continue to be well into the future. So, where do we need to begin to ensure leadership is equipped with the skills necessary to face such turmoil and challenge in the workplace? This and more in today's podcast. Hope you have a listen and share with anyone who you feel will benefit from listening. Connect With AndyTwitterLinkedInWebsiteSpecial Credit to Jim RoussinFind Jim's latest book here

Send us a textOn the show today, the inspiring Scottish poet Donna Ashworth joins us to share life lessons learned from her journey as a poet and best-selling author. Donna has written 8 books and, with a following of more than a million, Donna’s poetry speaks to the hearts and souls of countless people around the world through the themes of love, life, and loss. She has committed herself to helping as many people as possible understand that their imperfections, flaws and failures are all a part of their own journey of learning that ultimately makes them stronger and more resilient and to know that they are capable of so much more than they realize. Donna is a living example of someone who has overcome many obstacles in her own life in order to achieve the success she has by embracing vulnerability in a way that has helped her to develop the courage to speak her truth. Her journey and her work have inspired so many others to find their own truth and authenticity. Themes that we will explore are: Truth and authenticityFulfillment and well-beingThe creative processHow to deal with the inner criticLearning from hardship, failure and obstaclesDeveloping a more resilient mindsetThe power of poetryIt was a joy to interview Donna and I hope you find your own insight and takeaway value from our discussion. Please share this episode with anyone who you feel might benefit from listening. Connect with Donna Ashworth:WebsiteFacebookInstagramAll of Donna's books can be found hereThe BBC Scotland Interview mentioned in this podcastWelsh actors/actresses read Donna's poem 'History Will Remember When the World Stopped'

Send us a textIn today's episode, I share the latest, most relevant research around the themes of mental health, well-being and morale in the workplace and what the best leaders do, with consistency, to be impactful in their actions and words. Creating the conditions for high levels of mental health, well-being and morale in the workplace is no easy task for leaders, but those who do it well are very specific and intentional in their actions and words. We will explore research done by Forbes magazine in relation to mental health in organizations and also share very practical strategies to help leaders better pave the way for greater levels of well-being and morale. Hope you have a listen and share this episode with anyone who you feel will benefit from listening. Thanks. Connect With AndyTwitterLinkedInFacebookEmail: runyourlifepodcast@gmail.comForbes Article: How to Lead for Well-Being

Send us a textDr. Jason Patent, author of Humanly Possible: A New Model of Leadership for a More Inclusive World joins me today on the podcast to share his deep insight in regards to how power can be used to create spaces where people feel they truly belong—leading to less stress and more happiness, to better and more productive workplaces, and ultimately to more fulfilling lives for everyone. It was a joy to have my old friend on the podcast to share his wisdom about what authentic leadership means in this day and age and also provide life lessons learned as an endurance athlete who has completed three 100-mile races along with other ultra events competed in. Jason is an organizational leader, consultant, author, thought leader, instructor, and workshop facilitator in the fields of global leadership and global diversity, equity, and inclusion. He loves partnering with organizations of all kinds to create thriving workplaces and classrooms where people feel they truly belong, and where they can devote their full talents.In his seven years as Director of the Robertson Center for Intercultural Leadership (CIL) at U.C. Berkeley’s International House, Jason, in partnership with Lauren and the CIL team, built out a suite of impactful workshops and courses for students from all six continents, and for organizations from local nonprofits and governments, to top universities, to Fortune 100 companies.Jason has served as American Co-Director of the Hopkins–Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies in Nanjing, China; Inaugural Director of the Stanford Program in Beijing; Consultant at Gap International; and Vice President, Communications & Marketing at Orchestrall, Inc. Fluent in Mandarin, Jason has a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Harvard University, an M.A. in the same field from Stanford University, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from U.C. Berkeley. Jason is passionate about the work he does and is making his dent in the world through his ongoing commitment to provide leaders with the training they need to show up as their best selves every day in order to lead more inclusive, empowering workplaces where all people feel a sense of belonging and trust. Hope you have a listen and share with anyone who you feel will benefit from tuning in.  Connect With Jason: WebsiteLinkedInBuy the Book: Humanly Possible- A New Model of Leadership for a More Inclusive World

Send us a textIn this episode, we will look at the impact that pressure and stress have on the body and mind in high stakes environments when you want to show up as your best selves in order to fulfill your potential and be impactful. We all experience moments in our lives when we face certain challenges. Perhaps it's having to give an important talk in front of colleagues or an audience of strangers. Maybe it's having to do a sales pitch to senior leaders in your company. It could just be having a difficult conversation with someone close to you or a colleague at work or even competing in a sports competition of some sort. Regardless of what the situation is, we all want to be impactful.  During these times, we want to be able to rise to the occasion to be our best in that moment to honor who we are and the impact that we want to have. However, there are times when we let ourselves down and fail to show up as we intended to due to giving into the demons of self-doubt, fear of judgement and a harsh negative inner voice. Although this is a natural part of being human, there are certain skills and strategies we can build and develop within ourselves to be able to face pressure in high stakes environments, when it matters most, to be able to perform to the best of our abilities. This episode will explore what the research around performance psychology has shown in regards what actually happens to the mind and body when under pressure. As well, three research-backed strategies will be shared that are immediately applicable in our own personal and professional lives in order to show up as our best selves when it counts the most. If you have ever caved into pressure or let nerves and anxiety get in the way of performing to the best of your ability on the stage, in the board room, in a sports competition, or any other situation when it mattered, this episode is for you. I hope you find takeaway value and share this episode with anyone who you feel will benefit from listenings. Thanks. Connect With Andy VasilyWebsite: http://www.andyvasily.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyvasilyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-vasily-07b551157/Special Credits in this episode go to: Jimmy Fallon, Brendan Urie and the Roots remix for their rendition of Under Pressure by David BowieDr. Martin Seligman's work in Positive PsychologyDr. Michael Gervais and the Compete to Create online training courseDr. Jim Loehr's workOprah Winfrey's youtube talk

Send us a textToday’s show is a unique one as my good friend, colleague and fellow podcaster, Jorge Rodriguez, takes control of the host seat in today’s episode. In our discussion, we take a dive into the wonderful Winter Enrichment Program held at our university KAUST here in Saudi Arabia in January and what we learned from interviewing some of the amazing keynote speakers and featured presenters. Jorge served as my sound producer for these episodes and also jumped in to ask a few questions. However, in today’s show, Jorge flips the script and interviews me about some of the presentations that I gave during the conference and what it was I wanted each audience member to think more deeply about in regards to the main themes of my presentations. At this conference, I was able to present about peak performance and the necessary conditions needed for humans to flourish and live more productive, fulfilled lives. In my conversation with Jorge, we take a dive into these themes and talk about how these ideas and strategies resonate with each of us based on our own unique contexts. Jorge was a gifted athlete in university and was on a track and field scholarship while attending the university of houston, so he was able to speak about what high performance meant to him during this time and what it was that he had to focus on to be his best. I also share what high performance means to me and what I’ve come to learn through my training as a performance coach. This conversation was very enjoyable to me as Jorge is not only a good friend and colleague but someone who I have developed deep respect for over the years based on his own life’s work and passion he has as an educator. Hope you find value in this discussion and share this episode with anyone who you feel will benefit from listening. Connect With JorgeTwitterPodcastWebsite

Send us a textIn today's episode, Raha Moharrak and I have a discussion about her life as a mountaineer and what she learned from scaling Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world at 29032 feet. When I think of Raha’s story, a quote from Nelson Mandela comes to mind. What Mandela said was this: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers his fear"Raha exemplifies what it means to be courageously bold in one’s life and to take the risks needed to leap into the unknown. For Raha that leap into the unknown led her to scaling some of the most difficult mountain tops in the world. What makes Raha’s story even more inspiring is that she was able to achieve all of this during a time when many young Saudi woman were discouraged from dreaming big and taking on difficult challenges. Having grown up in Jeddah, Raha had never been exposed to mountaineering but she lived a very adventurous and athletic life early on which propelled her on to dreaming big. In order to prepare for her journey to the top of Everest, Raha was required to get as much climbing experience as possible. In the year prior to summiting Everest she challenged herself to be able to scale 7 of the highest peaks in the world, as well she worked on her technical skills in mountaineering at a climbing school in Seattle, Washington. Her story is amazing as is her passion for inspiring all people to better understand that within each of them are limitless possibilities. I hope you enjoy my discussion with Raha Moharrak and share this episode with anyone who you feel will benefit from listening. Connect With RahaInstagramFacebookTwitterRead CNN's Article on Raha

Send us a textIn today's episode, I interview Dr. Paul Sutter. Paul is a theoretical cosmologist, award-winning science communicator, U.S. Cultural Ambassador, author, essayist, podcaster, speaker, TV host, and a globally recognized leader in the intersection of art and science. Paul is a research professor at the Institute for Advanced Computational Science at Stony Brook University and a guest researcher at the Center for Computational Astrophysics with the Flatiron Institute in New York City.Paul has authored two books, Your Place in the Universe and How to Die in Space. In addition to his books, he writes for Space.com, Ars Technica, Nautilus, Undark, Live Science, and more, with his articles syndicating to news outlets worldwide.Paul hosts a variety of science shows across all platforms, including How the Universe Works on Science Channel, Space Out on Discovery, and Edge of Knowledge on Ars Technica. He also writes and hosts his own shows, including his hit Ask a Spaceman podcast, which has been downloaded over 7 million times.Paul earned his PhD in physics in 2011 as a Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellow at the University of Illinois. He then spent three years as a research fellow at the Paris Institute for Astrophysics followed by two years at the Trieste Observatory in Italy. Prior to his current appointment, he held a joint position as the chief scientist at the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio and as a cosmological researcher at the Ohio State University.This conversation dives into the role of curiosity, imagination and the importance of keeping an open mind when it comes to learning. Hope you enjoy it and share it with anyone who will benefit from listening. Connect With PaulPaul's WebsiteTwitterYoutubeFacebook