The School of Greatness Hall of Fame

I am stoked to bring my man Aubrey Marcus back on The School of Greatness. Aubrey is one of the smartest business leaders I know, as well as a huge inspiration to me for fitness, mindset, and excellence. Since he was in LA writing his book, we decided to record a podcast about something Aubrey knows A LOT about. He has studied the champion’s mindset extensively and has incredible insight into what makes a champion from talking to his friends, who are world-class athletes. This time around, Aubrey is sharing the 8 major characteristics that create a champion – and they are gold. Get ready to take notes and be hugely inspired by my good friend Aubrey Marcus in Episode 273. In This Episode, You Will Learn:About Aubrey’s new book he’s working on8 Characteristics of ChampionsChampions utilize belief to their advantageChampions are great studentsChampions are toughChampions master their mindsChampions have ritualsChampions are absolutely relentlessChampions are in a serious relationship with their bodyChampions have a great teamPlus much more…

Yes, we are talking about relationships again on  The School of Greatness. Partly because I love learning as much as possible about how to create and maintain healthy, amazing relationships (and I need a lot of coaching in my love life). But partly because I heard today’s guest speak at Summit at Sea in November and I knew I had to have her on the podcast. Esther Perel is a world-renowned relationship therapist, bestselling author, and sought-after speaker who has focused her career on exploring the role of sex and eroticism in making and breaking intimate relationships. She has an incredible world-view of relationships in many different cultures, which has allowed her to see what works and what doesn’t on a bigger level. I asked her a ton of questions in our interview and she had answers. You may already have set ideas about what intimate relationships should look like, but I know you’ll get some new perspective from listening to this interview. Get ready to get vulnerable with yourself as you take a look at your relationships in Episode 285 with Esther Perel. In This Episode, You Will Learn: Why Esther was inspired in her work by the Clinton sex scandalThe cultural differences in how adultery is viewed around the worldThe effects in the U.S. of how sex education is presentedIndifference, contempt, neglect, and violence are the main issues in any intimate relationshipWhy people often treat their partner worse than anyone else.The impact our parents have on our relationship skills (this is big)Women get bored with monogamy sooner than men (because the romance usually dies after marriage)A better question than “What turns me off” is “When I turn myself off is”Why investing in being your best self and pursuing what lights you up keeps you interested in a monogamous relationshipThe relationship between emotional risk and desireWe now expect our partner to be a whole village for us since we live much more private livesThe 4 Pillars of Modern Relationships: Trust, Affection, Intimacy, DesireThe idea that your marriage can have different phases (like a new marriage each time) with the same personThe value of yearly check-ins with your partner (not when a crisis is happening) to see what’s going onWhy it’s important to separate the idea of failure from divorceThe Millenial generation are the children of the divorced and disillusionedThe influx of couples who are married but live apart aka LAT couples (more common in the older generation)What originally attracts you to someone is often what eventually drives you crazy about themPlus much more…

If I were to ask you what one characteristic makes the biggest difference in how you deal with and get through hard things, what would you answer? Maybe strength or faith or perspective? Would you have thought of resilience? I wouldn’t have, until I talked to today’s guest on The School of Greatness, the incredible Eric Greitens. Eric’s list of accolades is long, but among some of them are that he is a Navy SEAL, a PhD, a Rhodes scholar, an author, and a hopeful for Missouri governor. His newest book is all about how resilience is the characteristic that gets us through the hard stuff – how we process pain in the moment and after. Eric is no stranger to this, as he recounts in our conversation Navy SEAL training, his travels around the world photographing war torn areas, and working with veterans with PTSD. I could have talked to Eric for hours and took plenty of notes, so I expect you to do the same. Get ready to have your eyes opened and learn life-changing insight about resilience in Episode 157 with Eric Greitens. In This Episode, You Will Learn: Navy SEAL training – what it’s really likeThe power of taking the focus off of yourself and onto your purpose during a challengeThe idea of segmenting an overwhelming challenge: breaking it down into small enough pieces that you have one you can start with right nowMental rehearsal: teaching yourself how to worryResilience is the virtue that helps you get better when things are hardThe difference between pain that distracts you and pain that helps you growWhy the first step towards resiliency is taking responsibilityThe downside of making excuses to deal with pain (you can’t run in a suit of armor)The power of breathing to help you get through pain (yes, this is for real)How writing a fear down takes away some of its power over youWhy you need to build a system to remind yourself of the things you knowPlus much more…

The words “peaceful” and “warrior” don’t usually go together. In fact, they seem to be opposites. But if you’ve read the international bestselling book or seen the movie Way of the Peaceful Warrior, you know there’s something powerful about this idea. Dan Millman is the author of this (and 16 other books) and an incredibly wise teacher. He was an early guest on the podcast, back in Episode 193, and I was excited to have him back on since he just released a new book. When I watched the movie based on his hit book, it was hugely influential to me and became one of my favorites. Sitting down with him 11 years later to discuss the wisdom behind this story was powerful. Dan is the kind of guy who has a quiet way of speaking, takes pauses, and thinks about his answers. But I was hanging on every word. There were times in this conversation where I almost felt like I was in a dream, learning things that he wasn’t even saying. And that was after just an hour of talking together. I loved what Dan taught about what it means to live a good life, why greatness is apparent in every single one of us, and how life teaches us exactly what we’re ready to learn. Whether this is your first experience with the peaceful warrior mindset or you are a fan already, be prepared for some spiritual weight training during Episode 554. In This Episode, You Will Learn:How to practice lucid dreaming (10:30)Why comparison is actually a form of suffering (14:30)The 12 courses that life teaches us (17:20)Why Dan doesn’t encourage anyone to be grateful (29:06)How to take care of your health when you’re young (54:07)Plus much more…

Most of us have strong feelings about habits. We love the ones that help us be better and we hate the ones that hold us back. But have you ever thought about how habits affect our happiness? Today’s guest on The School of Greatness has thought a lot about this. Gretchen Rubin is a hugely successful author and blogger (and former attorney) who researches the best ways to create happy, healthy lifestyles. In her newest book, she studies how to use your personality strengths and weaknesses to mindfully create habits that work to your advantage. On a deeper level, she talks about how all of the small daily choices we make add up to our whole lives, and how we can save energy by making good choices a habit. I loved connecting with and learning from Gretchen in this conversation and can’t wait for you to as well in Episode 187 with Gretchen Rubin. In This Episode, You Will Learn: The 4 Tendencies of How We Meet ExpectationsObligers – people who meet others’ expectations but not their ownUpholders – people who meet others’ and their own expectationsQuestioners – people who question every expectation – they need reasons for everythingRebels – people who resist all expectationsHabits are all about decision-making: behaviors that are on auto-pilotWhy life transitions are the best times to make new habits (even when things are crazy)What kind of lifestyles cause unhappinessPlus much more…

Ok. This is big. And it’s not just for parents. I got so much out of this interview and I’m not a parent yet. In fact, I believe in this message so much, I want EVERYONE to hear it, whether they are a parent, a child, or an adult child (that covers all of us). Dr. Shefali Tsabary is one of the world’s leading experts in parenting. As a clinical psychologist, she is well educated in this topic. But that isn’t what’s made her a multiple NYT bestselling author or a favorite of Oprah. Dr. Shefali has spent her life learning from both Eastern and Western philosophy about the relationships between parents and children. This includes learning about how our egos respond to creating life, why we struggle so much with trying to control our children, how we project on them all of the things we didn’t get from our parents, and so much more. In our conversation, we dove deep into why it’s so important to become a conscious parent – beginning well before you decide you are ready to have a child. I was on the edge of my seat during this whole interview because I was learning so much (that made so much sense about my own experience of being a child). I can’t wait to have Dr. Shefali back on the show, but for now, get ready to upgrade your level of consciousness in Episode 526. In This Episode, You Will Learn:The biggest difference between Eastern and Western philosophies of parenting (3:32)The mental illness running through so many parents in our society (6:40)How children are actually our teachers (7:26)The question every person should ask themselves before choosing to become a parent (9:01)Why we need to think of children as coming through us instead of us creating them (14:15)What needs to shift inside women for them to own their power (28:59)How parenting can be a mask (32:40)Why parenting is a “being” more than a “doing” (48:40)Plus much more…

Before you decide that you don’t believe in this kind of stuff, listen up. I met today’s guest, Nick Ortner, years ago in NYC during a mastermind. I have watched his career, success, and the impact he’s making (teaching people how to heal themselves from all kinds of issues) over the years since then. And I know he’s the real deal. But I was especially excited to sit down with him on the podcast to hear about the science behind the method he uses — and he explained it all. If you’ve never heard of tapping, let me introduce you to the technique. Tapping has been around for a long time. It’s a very simple method to calm the mind and body by tapping on the acupressure points around the body that are connected to our meridians. But it has as much to do with slowing down and tuning into what your mind and heart are telling you as it does with touching pressure points. What I didn’t expect during this interview, which was really amazing, was when I asked Nick to do a demo of what tapping looks like on my friend Cesar, who had been suffering from a super stiff neck for days. Cesar happens to be a pretty analytical and skeptical guy when it comes to this kind of stuff. But after spending 5 minutes with Nick (all recorded on the podcast), he was pain free and able to turn his neck freely. It was awesome. Beyond that once instance however, I truly believe that what Nick is up to is valuable, important, and powerful. Let me introduce you to tapping and the power you have to heal yourself in Episode 547. In This Episode, You Will Learn:Why we are walking around every day so stressed (7:30)How trauma (even small stuff) affects our subconscious (10:00)How to deal with the issues on the edge and stay safe (15:20)The process of tapping for healing of any kind (live example on Cesar!) (30:23)Why we have a natural bias for negative thoughts (46:15)Plus much more…

Coach Chris Lee is a longtime podcast favorite (this is his 12th episode on the show!) and there’s no mistake about why. Not only has he had a massive impact on my life as my coach, from the first time I took his workshop through today, but he has generously shared his wisdom with us on the show for years. There’s a reason I keep bringing him back on. Chris knows the human psyche and heart really well. He understands why we do what we do and how to elevate our whole lives to the next level. That’s what he’s been coaching me on for years. So when I got the chance to sit down with him last week to record this episode, I was excited to see the topic he had ready. He was fresh off of training an intense 5 day workshop so he had a lot of insight to share around how to create a life and mindset that is unstoppable no matter what comes up. By breaking it down into 7 steps, we really got to go deep into each one. I can definitely stand by each of the steps Chris coached since I’ve seen the effectiveness of them in my own life time and again. If you’re ready to live in consistent greatness, it starts with these steps in Episode 503. In This Episode, You Will Learn:The connection between life and energy (6:20)The biggest way people give their power away (7:30)Why having a purpose is so powerful (8:31)How responsibility is actually an interpretation (17:05)The simple exercise that will shift your entire perspective on your life (22:50)How to trust the process when you don’t want to (32:54)How Chris has taken on something in his life that he was resisting (36:34)The secret behind creating consistent enthusiasm (49:06)Plus much more…

As you’ve heard me say often, I wholeheartedly believe in the power of good coaching. In fact, it’s one of the most powerful tools I’ve invested in during my athletic and business careers. So whenever I get the chance to talk to high-level coaches, I jump at it. Recently I got to talk to one of the very best. He coaches not only elite level athletes, but also top CEOs, performers, celebrities, musicians, and more. Dr. Michael Gervais has worked on some of the most ground-breaking projects in the world. So he knows a thing or two about how to get the best performance out of people. Not only is he a high-performance psychologist, he understands the power of our minds to accomplish the extraordinary firsthand. I loved learning his story, how he got into this field, and what he has discovered about our true potential over decades of coaching top performers. What especially struck me was that he acknowledged how we all struggle with the same fears — no matter what the stakes are. Regardless of what level we are starting at, we can begin to develop a high-performance mindset right now. Because life is now. There’s no reason to wait to try your best in Episode 533. In This Episode, You Will Learn:How to manage anxiety so it doesn’t hold us back (10:23)Why the “being” is more important than the “doing” of high performance (12:40)The natural state of our mind (a drunk monkey) (14:25)What we are most afraid of today versus centuries ago (18:50)The 3 ways to create your personal philosophy for life (26:15)The best way to train mindfulness (32:00)How to deal with the loneliness that comes from pushing your edges (39:25)Plus much more…

Brendon Burchard, a renowned high-performance coach, speaker, and author, shares his insights on elevating personal and professional success. He discusses the six habits that define high performers and reveals surprising truths about energy management, likening executives' daily output to that of elite athletes. Burchard emphasizes the importance of intentionality, vulnerability, and emotional connections in leadership. He also shares his daily reflective questions that set the tone for achieving greatness. This conversation is a treasure trove of actionable wisdom for anyone aiming to excel.