
My Wakeup Call with Dr. Mark Goulston
I’m Dr. Mark Goulston, and this is My Wakeup Call. Everybody has personal wakeup calls, but not everybody wakes up. In this podcast, we speak to people who did. In fact, they not only woke up, but their wakeup calls changed their lives, often helped them discover their purpose and then changed how they would spend the rest of their life. In most cases, the wakeup call was not pleasant, sought-after, and often shook people to the core of their being. But in every case, it made our guests more authentic, better at life, better in life and better human beings. I hope you will listen in and become as inspired as I am from every episode. I also hope it will help you persevere if you are going through a wakeup call and haven’t yet gotten through the pain of it, or landed in your future as the better person you’re meant to be, with the better life that you’re meant to have.
DISCLAIMER: Any information or advice I give is purely based on my own experience. Comments made are as a coach- this is not medical or psychiatry advice. There is no guarantee as there are many variables that will impact outcomes. Everything stated should be taken as opinion.
Latest episodes

May 8, 2022 • 1h 10min
Ep 334 - Susan Cain
In this episode I speak with Susan Cain, NY Times #1 best selling author of: "Quiet" and her recent book, "Bittersweet," whose wakeup call was being passed over for partner in her law firm and realizing that she always wanted to be a writer and also discovering that some things in life that the world views negatively, can often be the source of creativity AND happiness. https://susancain.net/

May 5, 2022 • 50min
Ep 333 - Brian Bogert
In this episode I speak with Brian Bogert who has been helping the world turn pain into strength and commitment and whose wakeup call was having his torn off left arm be reattached at age 7 and his journey to heal physically and psychologically from that. https://brianbogert.com/

May 3, 2022 • 40min
Ep 332 - Robert Waldinger M.D
In this episode I speak with psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, Harvard Medical School Professor, Director of their Study of Adult Development and Zen priest, Robert Waldinger, M.D. whose through line has been a lifelong fascination with the human psyche and what makes for a happy and fulfilling life. https://www.lifespanresearch.org/

May 1, 2022 • 54min
Ep 331 - Whitney Johnson
In this episode I speak with Whitney Johnson, CEO, Disruption Advisors and author of, "Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company," whose wakeup call was to always progress in life and help others do the same after being born to an unmarried couple. https://whitneyjohnson.com/

Apr 28, 2022 • 53min
Ep 330 - Scott Keller
In this episode I speak with Scott Keller, Senior Partner at McKinsey, and co-author with Carolyn Dewar and Vikram Malhotra of "CEO Excellence," whose wakeup call was personally, the birth of his second child with severe brain damage and his single minded dedication to his development and professionally, his research and realization that CEO excellence came down to six mindsets. https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/scott-keller

Apr 26, 2022 • 57min
Ep 329 - Tommie Breedlove
In this episode I speak with Tommie Breedlove, transformational coach, speaker, and best selling author of, "Legendary," whose wakeup calls was going to prison after a violent youth and then again discovering the emptiness of becoming highly successful and almost destroying his life. https://tommybreedlove.com/

Apr 24, 2022 • 45min
Ep 328 - Hakan Bulgurlu
n this episode I speak with Hakan Bulgurlu, CEO of Arcelik, parent company of brands including Beko and Grundig, and author of: "A Mountain to Climb - The Climate Crisis: A Summit Beyond Everest" whose wakeup call was climbing Mt. Everest during very dangerous conditions, being close to dying and realizing how important climate change is. https://www.arcelikglobal.com/en/company/about-us/management-team/hakan-bulgurlu/

Apr 21, 2022 • 1h 1min
Ep 327 - Karen Hinton
In this episode I speak to Karen Hinton, author of "Penis Politics," former press secretary to former Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo and former NYC Mayor Bill di Blasio, whose wakeup call was the suicide of a childhood friend and rape survivor at age 50, and how women need to speak out about abuse. https://penis-politics.com/about-karen-hinton/

Apr 19, 2022 • 1h 1min
Ep 326 - Steven Kotler
In this episode I speak to Steven Kotler, Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective, multi-NY Times best selling author and journalist and author of the new book, "The Devil's Dictionary," whose wakeup call was starting out as a poet before transitioning to science based journalism and now combining his research with his love for fiction in creating series of sci-fi books and thrillers. http://stevenkotler.com

Apr 17, 2022 • 54min
Ep 325 - Ryan Jenkins and Steven Van Cohen
In this episode I speak with Ryan Jenkins and Steven Van Cohen, authors of "Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams from Isolated to All In," whose wakeup call was discovering through their research how pervasive loneliness is in the workplace especially among Gen Z. https://lesslonely.com/