The Coaching Lab: Health, Wellness & Performance! (Brad Cooper, PhD)

Ice baths, 4 AM wake-up calls, fasts and more are garnering big-time attention on social media and elsewhere as paths to mental toughness, personal success and more. Beyond the 15 minutes of fame garnered by the post, is there any legitimate science behind these and other less dramatic ways to step into and through discomfort? And why, in the midst of the growing popularity of these strategies, do most of us often find it difficult – not to step into an ice bath - but to simply get off the couch and get moving?What does the science – the evidence - tell us? Is an ability to do hard things due to genetics? Habit?  A combination of the two? Are there ways to enhance our ability to step into challenges with purpose? Or are we just stuck with the way we are, with no practical ways in which to enhance our skill set in this realm? In this episode, we’ll dig into these questions and more as we explore the part of the brain that appears to play a significant role in the process of moving outside our veritable comfort zones, and why it’s so important to both our current and future lives. BibliographyFeldman Barrett, Lisa. How Emotions Are Made. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.Baumeister, Roy F., Ellen Bratslavsky, Mark Muraven, and Dianne M. Tice. “Ego Depletion: Is the Active Self a Limited Resource?” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 74, no. 5 (1998): 1252–65. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.5.1252.Chen, Ying‐Chun, Yun‐Hsin Huang, and Nai‐Shing Yen. “Role of Anterior Midcingulate Cortex in Representation and Reward Allocation Judgments within Social Context.” Human Brain Mapping 43, no. 7 (May 2022): 2377–90. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.25793. Touroutoglou, Alexandra, Joseph Andreano, Bradford C. Dickerson, and Lisa Feldman Barrett. “The Tenacious Brain: How the Anterior Mid-Cingulate Contributes to Achieving Goals.” Cortex 123 (February 2020): 12–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2019.09.011. Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/ Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here. YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannel Contact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

Perfectionism. While it may be the obvious answer to the interview question about our “greatest weaknesses,” the potential negative influence it can have on our lives is palatable – and none of us are immune. Today we have the privilege of having Dr. Thomas Curran, best-selling author of the hugely popular book The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough. He is also a professor of psychology at the London School of Economics and author of a landmark study the BBC hailed as “the first to compare perfectionism across generations.” Oh – and by the way, his TED talk on the subject has received more than 3 million views.Thank you for joining us here on the Catalyst 360 podcast - this interview is one we’ve been working on a very long time. I met Dr. Curran over a beer when we were both attending a sports psychology conference in Germany about 5 years ago. I remember being impressed by him at the time and then suddenly started seeing his name everywhere when his book shot to the top of the charts. You’ll see why as we discuss why perfectionists are actually limiting their performance, strategies for harnessing the potential positives without falling prey to the pitfalls, the role sledgehammers can play in the perfectionist’s journey and what parents, educators and leaders can do to turn the tide of perfectionism in a positive direction. Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/ Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here. YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannel Contact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

How does a real coaching session work? What goes into it? What results stem from it? We may hear about health & wellness coaching available through our employer or EAP, see people across various social media platforms claiming to be life coaches or wellness coaches and of course see athletic coaches taking front and center on a regular basis. But what’s the difference between someone who might call themselves a coach and an experienced, nationally board-certified health & wellness coach? And what is it like to be coached by someone who actually knows what they’re doing?These are questions we’re asked regularly. And, while we can spend hours explaining it, the single best way to understand is to experience it in person. The second best way is to listen in on a real, live, unscripted coaching session. That is exactly what you’ll tap into in this episode, as Brian Allen, a nationally board-certified health & wellness coach for Catalyst Coaching 360 will be coaching Suzy Lewis, as she generously allows us a very real, raw, uncensored look into her life and some of the things she’s working through right now. There was no script. This is the real deal. As you’ll hear, every coaching session is unique, and the dance between the coach and the client involves reflection, restatements, silence, intrigue, left turns and some pretty interesting self-discovery. Whether or not Suzy’s journey mirrors your own or is on a completely different path, there is so much for us to glean as we have the opportunity to be a fly on the wall to this magical session. Oh- and by the way – once they wrap up the coaching session, we’ll transition into an incredibly insightful debrief with the two of them, as they discuss some of the things happening behind the scenes while the coaching was taking place.In addition to his work with Catalyst Coaching 360, Brian is also the founder and lead coach of Pursuit Health and Wellness Coaching out of Chattanooga, TN Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/ Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here. YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannel Contact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

None of us like rejection, but what happens when the rejection or perceived failure triggers severe emotional pain? According to the Cleveland Clinic, the condition of Rejection Sensitive Dsyphoria, often linked with ADHD, can be due to differences in brain structure, making it difficult for your brain to regulate rejection related emotions and behaviors, escalating their resultant impact.Today’s guest, Tim Kettenring, brings a unique perspective to this discussion. He has shared very publicly his struggles with this condition WHILE ALSO being a respected expert in training high performance athletes. Our discussion will bridge the gap between the two, what he’s discovered that may be helpful to others AND we’ll also pick his brain about one of your favorite topics: human performance.Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/ Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here. YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannel Contact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

“In the meantime,” is an oft-used phrase describing the moments, weeks, or months between now and an important occurrence in the future (e.g., “We’re moving this fall, but in the meantime we need to get things organized”). The phrase dates to the 14th century referencing an intervening time, building on the assumption that nothing particularly important will occur during “the meantime” (mean as in average or in-between time). But what if “in the meantime” is where the biggest opportunities present themselves in our lives? What if the time I’m wishing away in anticipation of the upcoming “important” time around the bend is actually where the doors will open – but only if I’m tuning in? Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/ Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here. YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannel Contact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

When it comes to food and nutrition, our default is to think of it as a math problem. But what happens when the calculator doesn’t work? What happens when we plug in 2+2 and get 7? Or 3? Or any number of other variable outcomes? When the data collected is off by 20, 30 or even 50%, how can anyone utilize that data to improve their lives?That’s exactly what is happening in the world of food and nutrition. We have piles of studies and endless apps filled with personal nutrition data that is… well… wrong. And that’s what makes the work of today’s guest, professor Janine Higgins from the University of Colorado School of Medicine at Anshutz, so immensely important. She and her team are integrating technology to accurately collect more exact food intake levels, measure chewing rates, movement patterns, and more that is moving food and nutrition science from “best guess” to world-changing accuracy. Today’s interview is a free-flowing discussion about the past, present and very near future of food, nutrition and the impact on our everyday lives.Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/ Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here. YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannel Contact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

In our latest special Bite-sized Boost, Dr. Cooper discusses how to turn information into application!Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/ Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here. YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannel Contact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

In this podcast, Giulia Coletta, a researcher in aging and muscle loss, discusses the impact of sarcopenia on aging and the importance of exercise and protein for maintaining muscle mass. They also explore the benefits of physical activity and protein for older adults, the role of supplements in muscle building, and the significance of social connectedness in the aging process.

Welcome to the kickoff of our regular new feature for 2024: the Bite-sized Boost! We'll be continuing our regular interviews with world-class authors, researchers, coaches and athletes. However, with 300+ episodes now available in our library, we thought you might appreciate the option to get a brief (generally ~3 min) boost of hope, encouragement or an insight to move toward a better tomorrow. Thanks for joining us as our adventure together continues!Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/ Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here. YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannel Contact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

There is a great deal of attention being devoted to extending the lifespan, but what about the “health span” – the period of our lives during which we are not simply continuing to have a pulse, but rather the period during which we are healthy and productive. THAT’s the period we’re most interested in extending – and today we have one of the foremost experts on the subject, the head of the Healthspan Lab at Colorado State University – Dr. Tom LaRocca. He and his team study what is happening beneath the surface as we age and how we can utilize the findings to extend that period of health and impact – the period of life I think we all care most about.Thank you for joining us here on the Catalyst 360 podcast, your source for engaging, evidence-based health, wellness & performance insights. This is such an incredible time of the year with so much energy and engagement around making positive changes in our lives. We appreciate you allowing us to be a part of your journey each week.Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/ Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here. YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannel Contact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.