Behind Greatness by Inspire North

Maurizio currently lives in Istanbul where he leads European professional basketball powerhouse Fenerbahce SK as its General Manager. Prior to this he was the first ever non-American VP of an NBA franchise with the Toronto Raptors and one of the most successful GMs ever in Europe. We discuss a journey riddled with serious life-altering, pivotal moments. It all started with a motorcycle dangled in front of him as a “carrot” before he left for the US for a brief stint as a foreign student. After coming back, he soon became GM of the pro basketball team of his home town of Forli, well before the age of 30. This started a decades’ long journey that has brought him to embrace the philosophy of an andrenalinic approach to learning, impacting people around him and networking. Maurizio’s is a life where pivotal moments were faced head on with the blood of his passion. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north.   Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maurizio-gherardini-1246754/

Indre joins us today from San Francisco. Growing up in Toronto she moved to California (for good) as a young adult to figure out her path as an Opera singer, while also on scholarship as a budding neuroscientist. We learn about her evolution as an artist and as a sought-after science communicator … she also hosts two podcasts: “Cadence” since 2017 and the widely acclaimed “Inquiring Minds” since 2013. Indre shares her thoughts on the necessity of facing the “stuck” as part of the creative process and on viewing creativity as a behaviour and an act. Indre addresses how we are all knowledgeable in music in a sense – as either listeners or performers. We also explore her how musicians are able to bend time. And, for good measure, we sprinkle in some talk about remote viewing as a phenomenon she investigated as part of her work on the Oprah Winfrey Network. A melodic discussion to say the least. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north.   Website: https://www.indreviskontas.com Book - How Music Can Make You Better: https://www.amazon.com/How-Music-Can-Make-Better/dp/1452171920/ref=sr_1_1?crid=16URNUUD8YGY7&dchild=1&keywords=indre+viskontas&qid=1633282750&sprefix=indre+%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-1 Inquiring Minds Podcast: https://inquiring.show/ Cadence Podcast: https://www.indreviskontas.com/potowski-av TW: @indrevis IG: @drindredirects TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/indre_viskontas_how_music_makes_me_a_better_neuroscientist?referrer=playlist-itunes_podcasts_music&language=en Behind Greatness website: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north

Anson joins us from London, England. His parents were originally from Jamaica and moved to Canada for a better life. He grew up just outside of Toronto with his sister. He was a natural athlete and in his late teens he found a real passion in sprinting. From there, he took off. Winning most of his competitions in Canada, Anson wanted more. On full scholarship at Washington State in the US, Anson soon became All-American and entered the elite world of top sprinters, keeping that same pace as he went professional. We discuss “elite” and elite “savagery” and the difference between the two. For most of his career, he trained with and raced against the world’s top sprinters. Anson describes how he had a front row seat as an observer while always “having a lane in the race”. We discuss how the importance of telling the story of sport-journey has become Anson’s post-racing calling. We also have fun breaking down the existence of the mind of the sprinter, the altered dimension of emotional existence and the need for athletes to leverage their bodies to attain experiences more other-worldly. Daaamn. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north.   TW: @ansonhenry IG: @anson_henry Podcast: “Unconventional Voices of Track & Field” Podcast IG: @voicesoftnf LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anson-henry-5403ba59/ Behind Greatness website: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north

Carl joins us from Boston University. He shares with us how his path changed from pursuing the field of medicine to that of philosophy and the classics. Ever since that pivot in his life, Carl has been dedicating his life to find the truth to our human existence. Over 40 years ago, he pioneered research on the Dionysian mysteries of ancient and classical Greece. He was shunned and ostracized by some of his peers, but pursuing the truth was always more important to Carl than being relevant to current dogmatic beliefs. In this discussion, Carl brings his decades of learning and wisdom from studying the shamanic roots of Western culture – roots that have been unpopular to discuss until very recently. We discuss what our ancient ancestors were discovering about our existence, the prominence of the feminine divine and the Hellenic and pagan roots of modern Christian religious practice …. And there’s more: learning the reality of being what you are and also being what you think you are not and learning about how psychotropic medicines played an important part in the development of ancient Greek Philosophy, Mathematics and Art. In case you were wondering, we also discussed the dream state and the direct correlation to the out of body experiences that our Greek, Samothracian and Persian ancestors were actively pursuing to uncover their understanding to human consciousness. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north.   So much revealed in this discussion, and so little time …   Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-ruck-90504118/ Website: https://www.bu.edu/classics/faculty-profiles/carl-ruck/ Books: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=carl+ruck&ref=nb_sb_noss_1   Behind Greatness website: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north

Antoni is based in Barcelona. He grew up Lleida, Spain partly under Franco’s totalitarian regime. The harsh political conditions didn’t deter Antoni’s parents, who chose to live lives dedicated to artistic endeavour. Antoni also realized at a young age that he wished to pursue his artistic curiosity and once he left his home town he began to explore his sculpting craft along with exploring the world outside of Lleida. In the early 90s, he left for Banff, Canada for a brief stint. He arrived with measuring tape and materials and left with something called an email address. From that point on, Antoni’s journey took the path of a digital artistic pioneer travelling and showcasing his works all around the globe. Based in Spain, he was also the first to create the world’s first digital “social” network – a network that was predicated on a decentralized-view of communication and a view that paid emphasis on participants, not users. We discuss how building platforms for the marginalized, the displaced, the demobilized - all over the world - has been a calling card for his art. Antoni explains how a “citizen’s network” is more meaningful than a social media network. We also understand that the artist creates the sublime when the artist sees themselves as a true mediator.  To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north.   Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoni-abad-6800bb2b/ Websites: www.blind.wiki, www.megafone.net, www.deaf.city Behind Greatness website: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north The Behind Greatness theme music is provided by e-soundtrax, used under the Non-Commercial and Non-Monetized usage agreement. | Contact: info@esoundtrax.com | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmqmVRMWMj8pIW9K5bfuBjw

Anna joins us from Athens, Georgia. She was born in the Middle East of Indian parents who made sure that her education formally take place in their country of origin. As a student in India, Anna found her comfort zone in sports, non-academic endeavours and in the general exploration of people. She soon became attracted to the social sciences and developed a keen interest in the academic research of a curiosity that always held her: human creativity. Specializing in this ever since, Anna has become a leading researcher in the world in the discussion of the mystery of creativity. We explore exploration, the flow state, the creative impulse, the autotelic experience, human truth and death …. A fun chat discovering discovery. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north.   Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/0-anna-abraham-0/ Website: http://www.anna-abraham.com/ Behind Greatness website: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north

Mike joins us from Southern Ontario. He grew up in a small town near Niagara Falls. As a kid he helped his father deliver milk by horse and cart and was paid in dairy. Finding out later that he was lactose intolerant, he knew this might be a sign. Eventually becoming a CPA and partner at a large firm, Mike spent ungodly hours building his career – putting a strain on his family life. Moving on to work as a CFO for a Multinational firm he lived a life of mergers, acquisitions and cultural takeovers. But we talk about his true passion – working with athletes in the Special Olympics. We discuss true focus, living in the present moment, the love of sharing success with others and the specialness of watching those who live closer to a truth … a truth from which we have all long been detached. A true lesson. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north.   Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-lamontagne-ca-cpa-cbv-icd-d-81613b149/   Behind Greatness website: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north

Bruce grew up in the suburbs of NYC, where his upbringing was rooted both in healthy skepticism and in a strong curiosity about the material world. His father, a chemist, always urged young Bruce to blaze a trail. As a green intern in the 1970s, one of Bruce’s first patients revealed to him a peculiar experience that puzzled him. He habitually wrote off this type of experience with other patients as well - for a little while. Soon enough though, he realized that ignoring these phenomena was a simple choice in taking a dogmatic approach rather than a truly scientific one. So he made a switch. And with that switch he started to blaze a trail – a trail now of 50 years as the globe’s prominent scientist in the research and study of the near death experience (NDE). We hear from Bruce his findings about the brain vs the mind and he shares with us his message about making the big advances in science with things that we don’t understand. Bruce also tickles us with two experiences he had in dream state that spoke to perhaps something greater. What a treat. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north.   To listen to an actual NDE account, we invite you to listen to episode 55 of our podcast with Dr. Tony Cicoria.   Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-greyson-4154b4173/ Website: www.brucegreyson.com   Behind Greatness website: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north    

Cheryl was born in a small city near the Rocky Mountains nicknamed “Swan City” and a place originally settled by First Nations tribe the Danezaa. She grew up in a family where everyone pitched in and learned to do everything needed to get things done. With this example – and a little bit of a perennial impatience – Cheryl threw herself into her sports and finished highschool early. With a fierce determination she started a business in her 20s while her friends were travelling and studying. In her 30s she sold her business and focused on her true sport-love. In her 40s, she brought her team to win an Olympic silver in her home country. We learn from Cheryl the importance of playing to win and not playing not to lose and also not fixating on success as the marker of her identity. And, we discover how her real dream is not so far away from the ancient spiritual essence of her home town. A real-people, real salt of the earth discussion. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north.     Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylbernard/ Website & Book: http://cherylbernard.com/category/between-the-sheets/ Hall of Fame Website: https://www.sportshall.ca   Behind Greatness website: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north    

Originally from Vicenza, Italy, Federico was born during WWII. As a little boy his family moved to a pre-industrial area of his region in order to escape the ravages of war. But there, little Federico soon developed a penchant for creating and building machines. As a young scientist, Federico moved to Silicon Valley where he invented and developed the 1st silicon designed micro-processor that was adopted by Intel to become industry standard. He became an entrepreneur and over the decades he founded widely successful companies where he continued to pioneer and invent, including the technology behind the touch pad and touchscreens for phones and tablets. He recounts an extremely profound out of body moment in his life in 1990 that forever changed the way he viewed the world and how he re-prioritized what was important to him. He has since then dedicated his life to supporting the science of consciousness – the marrying of science with spirituality. Get ready for a talk on the self, the quantum realm, the reality of reality, dreaming and consciousness. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north.   Foundation: www.fagginfoundation.org Book: www.siliconthebook.com & https://www.amazon.com/dp/1949003418 Behind Greatness website: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north