Behind The Human with Marc Champagne

You Don't Need to Try Harder. You Need to Understand the Patterns Running Your Mind.In this solo episode, Marc breaks down a pattern he’s seen across 500+ conversations, boardrooms, and personal turning points: capable, intelligent people who know what to do, yet still feel overwhelmed, stuck, or out of alignment.This episode introduces a practical framework for designing a Mental Fitness Blueprint. A system that helps you understand your mental operating pattern, align your practices to what you’re actually building, and recover faster when life gets messy.Think of this as a blueprint for your next 90 days, not just what you’ll do, but how your mind will support you along the way.Show Partners:Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip SaunasPersonal Socrates: Better Question, Better LifeConnect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagneTimestamps:00:00 — Why this solo episode needed to be said01:40 — The pattern Marc kept seeing across 500+ interviews03:10 — Why insight alone never creates change04:40 — The hidden cost of running life without a mental system06:30 — Why most mental fitness advice doesn’t work09:00 — The three things every mental fitness system must do10:50 — Mental operating patterns (and why none are “wrong”)13:40 — Designing your next 90 days from the inside out15:30 — Daily rituals that actually match how you work16:40 — The reset protocol: Pause, Reset, Re-enter18:10 — How this expands your operating range over time19:40 — Why self-knowledge is becoming the ultimate advantage21:00 — Building your own system vs. using the Blueprint23:00 — The real risk of doing nothing*Special props 👇Music: Clouds - Joakim KarudSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if grief isn’t something you heal from…but something that teaches you how to love differently?Marc sits down with medium and spiritual guide Michelle Murphy to explore grief not as a problem to solve, but as an experience that reshapes identity, presence, and love itself.Michelle shares what she’s learned from over 20 years of guiding people through loss—why grief lives in the body, why time doesn’t “fix” it, and how moments of joy after loss often arrive wrapped in guilt. Together, they unpack the difference between missing someone and missing their presence, the danger of spiritual bypassing, and how love continues even when form disappears.Show Partners:Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip SaunasPersonal Socrates: Better Question, Better LifeConnect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagneTimestamps:00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?”02:00 — Being a medium: why it’s not something you can turn off04:30 — Grief as an embodied experience (lungs, breath, nervous system)07:15 — Why grief isn’t linear—and never really ends10:30 — The isolation of grief and the healing power of being seen13:45 — The four-year cycle: anniversaries, acceptance, and new reality17:20 — “Grief is the price we pay for love”20:10 — Why joy after loss often brings guilt23:40 — Missing someone vs. missing their presence27:00 — Spiritual bypassing and toxic positivity in grief30:15 — What actually helps people who are grieving34:50 — Love as continuity, not absence38:30 — Final reflections on patience, presence, and living forward*Special props 👇Music: Clouds - Joakim KarudSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if the thing you spend your life trying to avoid (uncertainty) is actually the skill that determines whether you thrive or collapse?Before the success, before the book, before the impact — there was a moment where certainty disappeared, and Scott Stirrett had to decide whether to retreat… or step forward anyway.Scott shares his journey from leaving a high-certainty career at Goldman Sachs to founding Venture for Canada, raising over $80M, and supporting nearly 15,000 young people across the country. The conversation goes deeper into Scott’s lived experience with uncertainty during his OCD diagnosis, the 4:00am walk that marked his lowest point, and how learning to stop seeking certainty transformed his relationship with fear, ambition, and identity.Show Partners:Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip SaunasPersonal Socrates: Better Question, Better LifeGet in Touch:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthehumanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-champagne-🧠💪-14767b17/Website: https://www.mchampagne.com/Timestamps:00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?”02:45 — Leaving certainty behind at Goldman Sachs06:30 — The emotional paradox of excitement and anxiety09:50 — Why uncertainty holds so many people back13:20 — OCD, anxiety, and fear of the unknown17:40 — The 4:00am walk and hitting rock bottom21:30 — Exposure therapy and learning to stop certainty-seeking26:10 — “The only way out is through”30:45 — Relationships as a resilience system35:20 — Strong ties vs. weak ties in an uncertain world38:50 — Designing recovery after intense life sprints42:10 — How Scott wants to feel in his next chapter*Special props 👇Music: Clouds - Joakim KarudSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this discussion, Kyle Austin Young, a business strategy consultant and author, shares his unique perspective on success through the lens of mathematics. He explains how traditional motivation often misleads and illustrates the importance of success diagrams in clarifying goals. Kyle discusses managing overwhelm and decision-making, using personal anecdotes from his career transitions. With insights on probability hacking, he offers strategies to enhance your odds of achieving meaningful goals while maintaining mental clarity.

Anna Severina, a multidimensional practitioner and filmmaker, dives deep into the exploration of consciousness, motherhood, and the role of ancient wisdom in modern society. She shares insights on homeschooling and nurturing 'polite rebels' who embrace discernment. Their conversation meanders through the connections between sacred sites and human consciousness, the implications of AI, and society’s split between fear and curiosity. Anna also reframes death as a transition and emphasizes the potential for children to lead us into a richer future.

Why is it that in the face of the most powerful tool humanity has ever created, so many capable people feel overwhelmed instead of empowered?Marc sits down with serial entrepreneur and AI consultant Mike Schwarz to explore what’s really happening beneath the AI conversation.This isn’t a discussion about tools or trends — it’s about fear, acceleration, mental overload, and the growing divide between those who adapt and those who freeze. Mike shares what he’s seeing inside the top 1–5% of AI adopters, why most people are stuck using AI at the surface level, and why mental fitness may be the defining advantage of the next decade.Show Partners:A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip SaunasPersonal Socrates: Better Question, Better LifeGet in Touch:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthehumanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-champagne-🧠💪-14767b17/Website: https://www.mchampagne.com/Timestamps:00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?”00:02 — Mike’s journey from dot-com entrepreneur to AI founder00:06 — Why most AI adoption is still surface-level00:09 — The growing gap between AI adopters and everyone else00:13 — Neurodivergence, hyper-focus, and rapid adaptation00:17 — Fear, stress, and overwhelm as the real blockers00:20 — AI as a change-management problem, not a tech one00:24 — Automation, professional services, and job displacement00:29 — The runaway train metaphor for AI acceleration00:33 — Leadership responsibility during massive uncertainty00:37 — Mental fitness as a survival skill00:39 — Using AI to free time, not erase meaning00:41 — Final reflections on adaptation and humanity*Special props 👇Music: Clouds - Joakim KarudSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when the strategies that built your success begin to hollow you out?Judi Holler shares the story she never planned to tell: how building a seven-figure business, listening to too many “experts,” and chasing the next level led her into burnout, disconnection, and a spiritual reckoning.This conversation explores identity loss after success, the danger of outsourcing self-trust, the role of spirituality and human design in self-leadership, and how awareness (especially discomfort) can become your most powerful signal back to alignment.Judi's Soul Dives - https://stan.store/HOLLAVERSE/p/soul-dive-with-judiShow Partners:A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip SaunasPersonal Socrates: Better Question, Better LifeGet in Touch:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthehumanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-champagne-🧠💪-14767b17/Website: https://www.mchampagne.com/Timestamps:00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?”02:30 — Why success can make identity more fragile, not stronger05:10 — The moment external advice drowned out inner knowing07:45 — “I was going bankrupt internally while everyone else got rich”10:30 — The dark spiral: money loss, confidence loss, self-loss13:00 — The difference between brain safety and soul truth15:20 — Practical self-leadership when you still have bills to pay18:40 — Scheduling spirituality instead of waiting for stillness22:10 — Finding peace inside chaos (even Times Square)25:30 — Human Design as a map back to alignment29:00 — Why bitterness is a warning signal, not a flaw32:15 — Projectors, decision-making, and riding emotional waves36:40 — Why most leadership cultures block creativity40:00 — Improv, failure, and psychological safety at work44:30 — Recreation as the fastest path to reinvention48:00 — Who Judi is becoming now50:00 — Final reflections on self-trust and expression*Special props 👇Music: Clouds - Joakim KarudSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How different would your life look today if you stopped preparing for “good enough” and started preparing for “extraordinary”?In this conversation, entrepreneur, investor, author, and extreme-preparation evangelist Randall Kaplan opens up about the surprisingly painful origins of his work ethic: childhood bullying, a debilitating stutter, and a long journey toward becoming a clear, confident communicator.Randall shares the exact mental frameworks he used to transform his life — from landing a book deal through a cold email, to becoming a TED speaker, to interviewing some of the world’s most accomplished leaders on his podcast.We explore extreme preparation, the habits that separate average performers from exceptional ones, and why “no” is often just the beginning of the road to “yes.”Timestamps:00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?”02:00 — How photography and beaches shaped Randall’s creative identity04:30 — Building Sandee: cataloging 100,000+ beaches around the world06:15 — How a cold email landed Randall a book deal08:00 — Childhood bullying, stuttering, and the start of extreme preparation10:30 — The breakthrough moment at the McDonald’s drive-thru14:00 — How speech therapy reprogrammed his mind and confidence15:30 — The emotional weight and triumph of giving a TED Talk17:00 — Studying the top TED Talks and dissecting what works19:00 — Cutting a 70-minute keynote into 18 minutes21:15 — Why the painful story had to stay in the talk22:00 — The team behind the TED Talk: coaches, comedians, voice experts26:00 — The Roger Love experience and knowing when not to change28:00 — The balance between outside coaching and trusting your intuition30:00 — Extreme preparation in interviewing: The EPT “torpedo question”32:00 — Why most people aren’t prepared — and how to stand out instantly35:00 — Randall’s research process: thousands of pages, distilled37:00 — “If you’re early, you’re on time; if you’re on time, you’re late.”38:00 — When life derails your plans: broken schedules and mental resets40:00 — Gratitude walks and the 40,000-foot reset42:00 — Never send an email when angry — Randall’s practice46:00 — Why AI should assist your preparation, not replace it47:00 — The small details that cost people opportunities50:00 — A coaching story: preventing a $3M mistake52:00 — The doctor who went from zero net worth to $10M in a year54:00 — The difference between success and stagnation: making a plan56:00 — Closing wisdom: “Why you must do what no one else does”****Get your copy of Personal Socrates: Better Questions, Better Life  Connect with Marc >>> Website | LinkedIn | Instagram |*A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas.🧠  x 🥵 = 😃*Special props 👇Music: Clouds - Joakim KarudSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Humble the Poet (Kanwer Singh) opens up about the years nobody saw — the debt, the failed deals, the fear, the self-judgment — and how these became the foundation for his creative success and his powerful new book, Anxious. We explore his 90-day nervous system reset, what anxiety really is (and isn’t), how to stop outsourcing your safety, and why progress is simple but never easy. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, stuck, or tangled in your own thoughts, this episode will feel like a blueprint for reclaiming your mind and building real inner capacity.This is mental fitness at its most practical, honest, and human.Timestamps:00:00 — Who are you?01:00 — Humble breaks down the mechanics of words, poetry, and meaning02:00 — Childhood creativity: the first book and early signs of a writer04:00 — Performing for the first time and peeling off the layers of insecurity06:00 — The four-year tunnel: debt, denial, and rebuilding from zero10:00 — Extreme frugality and the financial habits that changed everything14:00 — Fear, creativity, and learning to feed the wallet vs. the ego17:00 — Discovering business as a creative art form23:00 — Harmony vs. balance: reframing how creatives work25:00 — Curiosity as courage: shifting away from fear-based judgment27:00 — How anxiety blocks opportunity — and why the pendulum has swung too far30:00 — Why anxiety is a signal, not a disease32:00 — The 90-day nervous system reset: dopamine, abstinence, and awareness37:00 — Identifying real addictions: validation, reassurance, overthinking42:00 — Sitting with discomfort: the foundation of mental fitness45:00 — Redefining freedom and building inner capacity49:00 — The burn of real growth — and why Humble sticks with it51:00 — The simplest mental fitness practice: sit quietly for 10 minutes54:00 — Simple vs easy, slow progress, and compassionate self-talk****Get your copy of Personal Socrates: Better Questions, Better Life  Connect with Marc >>> Website | LinkedIn | Instagram |*A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas.🧠  x 🥵 = 😃*Special props 👇Music: Clouds - Joakim KarudSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Diane Kahn, founder of Humans of San Quentin, shares her transformative experiences interviewing over 3,000 incarcerated individuals. She highlights the power of a simple question—'How are you?'—and how it can break down walls of shame. Diane uncovers the reality that many inmates are victims themselves, pointing out media misconceptions about criminals. She emphasizes the importance of empathy and vulnerability, advocating for second chances and providing insight into the healing power of storytelling.