The Ultimate Achievement Show: Recent Episodes
Dr. Matthew Westheimer
The Ultimate Achievement Show is a podcast for high performers and professionals who are looking at creating extraordinary results in all areas of their life. What good is being wealthy if you aren't happy? How much more would you enjoy life if you had the money to travel around the world and eat at some of the finest restaurants? How much more meaning could you create if you were able to give back to the world in a way that allows you to leave a legacy?
My name is Dr. Matt Westheimer and I am a structural chiropractor and personal growth enthusiast. I have travelled to over 40 countries around the world, ran an ultra busy chiropractic office, read hundreds of books, listened to thousands of hours of audio in areas of leadership, personal improvement, and communication and have dedicated my life to constant growth and learning so I can create a massive impact in the lives of others.
And do you know what? I still don't have it all figured out. I still have so much to learn and that is why I will be bringing on the most successful and interesting people I know onto the show and revealing their rituals, habits, and secrets to living an extraordinary life. I will also be sharing my own lessons, successes, and failures to help bring a higher level of achievement to all areas of your life.
Come join me on this journey!
Abigail Dyson has been training in martial arts with her family for 13 years. She earned her black belt as a young teenager and became one of the youngest certified instructors in the US. Now, years later, she is a 4th degree black belt, runs her own martial arts school, and has taught thousands of families across the world to become Black Belt leaders.
She also is a certified personal trainer and has been an active weightlifter for the past 8 years. She runs a successful fitness Instagram account where she is passionate about women owning their strengths in and outside of the gym.
In this episode we talk about:
- How to build greater confidence in yourself?
- Advice for young girls struggling with self esteem issues, but this can be applied to anyone
- How to develop more consistency and discipline in your life
- The value of martial arts for kids
Abigail is super bright, very well spoken, successful ,and kind. She is the real deal. I think you guys will really enjoy this episode!
If you like it, please consider sharing it and leaving a review on social media!
Jason Stein is a Movement and Mindset coach in Charlotte, NC. His journey began as an accomplished powerlifter and that expanded into a passion for movement and improving the way people think from disempowering self talk to empowering self talk. It is this unique combination that allows him to get amazing results with his clients.
Though in Charlotte, his company, Longevity Movement, is based online where he works with clients across the globe. His goal is to educate and empower the world to improve the way we move and think on a daily basis, effectively improving the quality of life for individuals and society, as a whole.
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What are the top 5 most OVERRATED exercises?
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What are the top 5 UNDERRATED exercises?
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Where does mobility, strength, cardio, flexibility, motor control fall in order of priority?
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The biggest mistakes people make with deadlifts? Squats? Press?
And much more!
Jason is one of the most passionate students I have ever met. He loves to learn and grow and take that knowledge to better the people around him.
Email: longevitymovementforlife@gmail.com
Facebook: Longevity Movement
Instagram: @longevitymovement
You can reach out to me, Dr. Matt Westheimer, at www.precisionchiroclt.com.
On the show today, I have Dr. Bridget Kelly Sinha. Bridget is an orthopedic physical therapist, with specialties in working with dancers, runners, and individuals with vestibular conditions. She does physical therapy, personal training and pilates, and dance conditioning.
In this episode we discuss:
- Her favorite things to do for active recovery
- How to increase resiliency
- Her 5 favorite exercises
- The main issues she sees with the feet and how to correct them
- Her favorite tools as a PT
Bridget attended Elon University where she began training as a BFA Dance Performance and Choreography major. After many dance-related injuries, she began studying dance biomechanics and injury prevention. This interest lead her to develop an independent major in Dance Science. After completing her BA in Dance Science, Bridget worked as a Director of Dance Medicine and Conditioning in a physical therapy practice. While working closely with physical therapists there, it became clear that physical therapy would be a great career path to help both dancers and non-dancers rehabilitate from injuries and improve their quality of life.
Bridget went on to attend the University of Kentucky, where she received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree. Prior to relocating to Charlotte, she has been a practicing physical therapist in Minneapolis, MN where she specialized in working with dancers, runners, and treating chronic low back and neck pain. Bridget has also worked as a personal trainer and Pilates instructor. Her dance biomechanics research has been presented internationally. She is also an active member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science.
You can connect with Dr. Bridget Kelly Sinha at:
Website: www.balancedptclt.com
Instagram: @balanceddancept
Facebook: Balanced Physical Therapy and Dance Wellness
Thank you for listening!
Dr. Matt Westheimer
You can reach out to me at www.precisionchiroclt.com
Tyka Calloway is the founder of Purely Wrapped LLC., an organic skincare and natural pain mediation company that’s affordable for every household income.
Purely Wrapped was born out of love for her children and an allergic reaction that almost claimed the life of her mother.
When her oldest daughter was born, she wanted to only use organic products on her skin. So began her journey with essential oils. She started creating butters and “potions” of her own. Years later her mother was crippled with a bout of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome due to an allergic reaction from a prescribed medication. Her pain levels were off the charts and nothing was working. As her frustrated caregiver, she knew she had to find a natural source of pain mediation. So she created the Pain Salve for her.
For centuries Essential Oils have been used to enhance our body’s natural rejuvenation. The world has used these plant-based oils for a wide variety of emotional and wellness applications, which is why she wholeheartedly believes in what they do. Her favorite quote from Albert Einstein says it all: “Only a life lived in service to others is worth living”.
Enjoy the episode! And we always appreciate a great review and sharing us with others!
On the show today, I have Nate Turner, the executive chef and owner of Your Custom Catering. He has been named one of “Charlotte’s Best Caterers” for two years consecutively. He is also an incredible human being who has dedicated a tremendous amount of time, energy, and money toward feeding the homeless community in Charlotte building up an amazing Food Pantry. His kindness and heart is what makes him so loved by the people close to him and as a successful entrepreneur and amazing chef, he is what we would call in baseball a 5 tool player.
In this episode, we talk about:
- What it is like growing up as a black man in the USA
- How he developed such a high level of self-esteem and confidence
- How pervasive racism is in the US today and what we can do to make a difference
- His passion for taking care of the underserved in our community
- How old he was when he realized he was gay
- And much much more.
He is a native of Maryland, but moved to Charlotte three days after his high school graduation to pursue his degree in culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University. He received his Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University in 2008. Upon graduation, he continued to manage restaurants and hospitality along with offering private chef services in the Charlotte metro area.
In 2012, he opened Your Custom Catering & Events, a full-service catering and events firm. His idea was to offer catering and event management to those who were priced out of the big-name competitors within the industry. Following his first open tasting, which was attended by more than three hundred potential clients, his calendar quickly filled. Five years later, with more than twenty employees and the ability to cater events for 500+ guests, he is considered one of the best in Charlotte. His company has consistently received the Spectrum Customer Service Award for three years as well. Nattiel prides himself in a client centered approach to catering and event management and maintains an “A+ Rating” and is an Accredited Business with the Better Business Bureau and is listed as an accredited business in the North Carolina.
In addition to his culinary prowess, he is also very involved in his community. His philanthropic beneficiaries include the Charlotte Men’s Shelter, Time Out Youth, Urban Ministry, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and The Relatives. In 2017, Nate was honored as one of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce’s 30 Under 30 for his entrepreneurial success and what he has given to the Charlotte community through his business, activism and volunteerism.
Nate is awesome and you guys are going to love him.
On the show today, we have Chad Turner. Chad is President of the Charlotte LGBT Chamber and high level HR executive and consultant. His leadership is extraordinary and you are going to love this interview.
In the interview we discuss:
- The history of the Charlotte LGBT chamber starting in such a conservative area.
- What can people do to enhance equality among the LGBT and POC communities and general population?
- Challenges the LGBT community face that people would not really think about
- What it will take to break down the barriers of judging and excluding people based on their skin color or sexual orientation
- What are the qualities of a great leader
- How we become better communicators
- And much more!
What I found especially interesting about what Chad has created and is continuing to create in the community and as president of the LGBT chamber is that he is working to build up all small businesses and success for EVERYONE in the community and not just the LGBT community.
He is an amazing human being with a heart of gold and a brilliant mind. Under his direction with Chamber, they have received national affiliation with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, established the Aspiring Professionals’ Initiative for local colleges and also created a comprehensive training program for LGBT owned businesses. The Chamber is now one of the largest LGBT chambers in the southeast. In addition to his duties with the Chamber, Chad is a human resources consultant in the Charlotte region assisting businesses and professionals with their human resource needs. Chad has spent the past nine years training and advising small business owners, corporations and individuals in the areas of LGBT workplace issues, diversity, inclusion, equity and policy development. In his endeavor to create more equitable workplaces, he has opened dialogue with businesses by providing specialized training in benefit administration, policy creation and implementation and leadership development. He believes that companies and workplaces will create a new standard and develop best practices that will evolve from the changing perception of the LGBT community and those who support equality for all. In 2008, Chad was designated a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) by the Human Resources Certification Institute. In 2015, 2017 and 2019 he completed certificates with Notre Dame School of Business in the areas of human resources, small business supplier diversity, organizational development and chamber planning. He is a frequent clinician in the Charlotte region on these topics. Chad holds a BA in Music from Lee University and his BS in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. His work has also provided the ability to work with various organizations such as Charlotte Pride, Charlotte Black Pride, Time Out Youth, RAIN and the Charlotte LGBTQ Elders to be a support and resource for development, philanthropy and marketing. He serves on the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance (Charlotte Chamber) Business Leader's Roundtable, the Mecklenburg County Business Roundtable and the Charlotte Small Business Recovery Taskforce. Most recently, as a founding member, Chad and the Charlotte LGBT Chamber formed the Charlotte Small Business Coalition, which he serves as chair. Chad's efforts and strategic planning assisted with the passage of the $50 million dollars of grant funding for small businesses in Charlotte affected by COVID-19. Chad and his husband, Nate, are both small business owners and actively involved in both the business and LGBT community.
Chad has accomplished more in the last 10 years than most people do in 2 lifetimes. It was a privilege to sit down and have this amazing conversation.
On the show today, we have a true superhero in the fitness world - Kelly Fillnow. She is a professional athlete, world record holder, world champion, and an all-around amazing human being.
Her passion and knowledge shine through this entire interview.
In this episode we talk about:
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her recent knee injury a few months ago that took her out of competition for a few months and the lessons she has learned from that experience. THAT alone is worth listening to this episode for.
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where to start if you are a novice at running
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the biggest mistakes people make when training
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top recovery strategies to decrease injury and keep training
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the “junk” zone of training and how it can destroy your progress
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her morning routine
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and much more!
While in college, she discovered a love for running and joined the cross country team. She ended up leading Davidson College to their first ever Southern Conference title and finished her career as a 10 time All Conference Honoree in tennis and cross country, while graduating cum laude..) In 2016, she was inducted into the Davidson College Hall of Fame.
After graduating from Davidson, Kelly ran for Duke University, then ranked #1 in the nation in cross country.
A few years after college, she stumbled into triathlon and finished 3rd in her first triathlon. She went on to win her first half IRONMAN, and then she qualified for the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships in her debut. She finished on the podium in her two IRONMAN World Championship appearances, became a Duathlon Age Group World Champion, a Duathlon National Age Group Champion, and set an American amateur IRONMAN record in her third Ironman in 9:29:49. As a professional triathlete, Kelly has placed as high as 3rd place in both the 70.3 + IRONMAN distance.
Kelly has been working with athletes of all abilities for the last twelve years. She has coached a National Age Group Champion, World Championship qualifiers, and helped athletes who could not run more than 2 minutes to crossing marathon finish lines. She is passionate about helping people achieve their dreams and discovering the greatness within them.
Enjoy!
You can reach me at drmatt@precisionchiroclt.com.
On the show today, I have Bob Barton, a man of many talents. He is a decorated military officer, a pastor, and now a financial advisor.
The first 2/3 of this interview is all about finance and the last 1/3 is about developing a resilient mindset and how to find peace in turbulent times.
I had a blast with this interview.
In this episode, we talk about:
- The biggest mistakes people make when it comes to their finances
- How to balance wealth preservation with wealth creation
- How to build financial resilience
- Developing a powerful mindset
- And much more!
He is a graduate of Marshall University and served as an Officer in the United States Army, spending most of his service with the 10th Mountain Division. Bob also served for many years as a pastor, traveling to more than a dozen different countries around the world as a teacher, coach and advisor.
He was a decorated military officer, received national recognition working for a fortune five company and has almost three decades of experience in various levels of financial coaching.
Bob’s practice is client-centered and service-focused. His two decades of pastoral ministry has produced a heart of service; putting his clients first in all matters. Bob has been married to his wife Pam since 1986 and has one son, Billy who also lives in the Charlotte area.
There are a few things we can do when life gets crazy and throws a curveball at us. Fighting it doesn’t work and neither does ignoring it. There are specific actions we can take that make a massive difference.
Number 1: Practice Gratitude.
Number 2: Connect with people.
Number 3: Strategies for getting back to the breath.
Number 4: Feel the feeling and move on.
Enjoy the episode!
Feel free to reach out to me at www.precisionchiroclt.com or drmatt@precisionchiroclt.com
On the show today, we have Coach George Maoury. In the realm of fitness and movement especially with kids, George is the real deal.
- IYCA Level 3 Youth Fitness Specialist
- IYCA High School Strength and Conditioning Specialist
- IYCA Certified Youth Speed and Agility Specialist
- National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified
- Advanced Golf Fitness Instructor (AGFI) through Titleist Performance Institute
- AND he has an unparalleled experience working with kids as well as elite and professional athletes.
In this episode we talk about:
- Some of his favorite exercises/activities/movements for kids and young adults
- What should parents and coaches stay away from?
- When can weightlifting begin? The answer might surprise you!
- Should exercise be used as a punishment?
- Should we be training kids like adults/pro athletes?
- And much more!
Coach George has appeared on Charlotte News Channel 6, Sports Extra (NBC), Got Game (Sunday Sports Extra on Fox), and his training techniques have been reported in the Charlotte Observer, South Charlotte Sports Report and Pub Link Golf Magazine.
Dynamic sports is a place where kids are having fun, being active and working hard to be their healthiest. One of Coach George’s favorite quotes is: “Any trainer can make you tired, not everyone can make you better”. At Dynamic Sports Performance they guarantee to make you better!
This episode was a blast for me. I think you all are really going to love this one.
You can reach out to Coach George at george@dsp4athletes.com or (704) 841-6108 or Facebook at George Maoury and Dynamic Sports Performance.
On the show today is Tyler Reavis, owner of 9 round Fitness and became the youngest franchisee in the world’s largest kickboxing fitness franchise with over 800 locations in 20 countries and growing.
He is a Man of Faith// Entrepreneur//Life Coach, a follower of Christ and all things health and business.
Tyler has had quite the unconventional career path. From banker, to apprentice plumber, to lineman/car wash entrepreneur side hustler. To now a full time gym owner/operator here in beautiful Charlotte, NC.
He is an incredible guy. Full of passion, insight, and tools to help you grow.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Why “cold cereal is a cold killer.” That one was funny!
- What his personal routines are that he attributes to his success
- How we can all step out of our comfort zone and achieve more
- How to make fitness fun
- Building a community
- And much more!
If you’d like to reach out to Tyler you can reach him at @9roundcotswold on Instagram and your first workout is FREE.
You can find me on Instagram @drmattwestheimer, Facebook at Precision Chiropractic Charlotte, or email me at dmatt@precisionchiroclt.com.
Lieutenant Joe Johnson is from Anderson, SC and currently works for the Rock Hill Police Department with over 25 years of law enforcement experience.
On this episode, we discuss:
- What do you do when you get a cancer diagnosis and only a 5% chance of surviving
- The power of the mind
- Building a community
- And much more…
He has an extraordinary story about an experience that happened to him 5 years ago that he had to overcome and it put a lot of things in my life in perspective.
During his law enforcement career he has worked as a Correctional Officer, Field Training Officer, Shift Investigator, Under Cover Narcotics Officer, Detective, Training Sergeant, Hostage Negotiator, graduate of the Administrative Officers Management Program (AOMP) through NC State University and currently a Patrol Lieutenant and Motivational Speaker.
Motivational Speaker/Leadership Manager
lt.joejohnson50@gmail.com
www.joejohnsonenterprisesllc.com
803-984-5276
You can always reach me at drmatt@precisionchiroclt.com or www.precisionchiroclt.com!
Danny Decker is an entrepreneur, speaker, author, and podcast host.
He co-founded and built Spotlight Branding into a nationally recognized online branding firm for solo & small firm lawyers.
In 2012, he started the business out of a spare bedroom in his apartment, along with his partner Marc. In six years they went from a tiny “two-man shop” to a thriving business with a full-time staff of nearly a dozen generating over $1M in annual revenue.
Now, he coaches and mentors entrepreneurs to build effective and robust marketing systems to grow and scale their businesses.
This episode is full of actionable information that you can use to build a thriving business that does good for the world.
If you would like to connect with Danny, you can reach him at www.dannydeckermarketing.com and Danny Decker on Facebook and Linkedin.
You can always reach me at drmatt@precisionchiroclt.com or FB, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
On the show today is a really powerful individual. Tracy Bria is the owner of Hotworx in Ballantyne. Hotworx is a really unique and exciting concept in the fitness industry where you train inside of an infrared sauna. Yes, you heard that right! You do a combination of cycling, full body machines, and isometrics inside of a 125-130 degree infrared sauna.
It is fun, really good for you, and a great workout. I have been training there since they opened and it has been a blast.
Tracy has an amazing story. She had a long, successful career as a regional director of a medical device company leading a team of 150 people, and she also has a background in exercise and physiology. She is married with two kids, and still finds time to build a fantastic community with a really passionate and strong team.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Optimizing your fitness
- Overcoming fear
- Building a strong community
- And much more…
Reach out to Tracy at https://hotworx.net/studio/ballantyne/ or (704) 942-7444.
You can always reach me at drmatt@precisionchiroclt.com or (980) 202-2890.
This episode is a special Q and A. I asked a friend to provide me with questions that he would love for me to address on the podcast and he came up with some wonderful topics.
I chose three of them for this episode - OCD, Overcommitment, and People Pleasing.
I hope you really like this one. If you enjoy this format or you have questions yourself that you would like for me to address on future episodes, please reach out and let me know.
You can reach me at drmatt@precisionchiroclt.com and at Precision Chiropractic on Facebook.
Enjoy!
On today’s episode, I have the brilliant Dr. Brenda Gajowski. Dr. Gajowski is a doctor of physical therapy who specializes in the pelvic floor. She helps postpartum women and moms of any age return to the activities they love without pain, leaking, or instability.
This episode is NOT just for women. As men, the more we can understand our partners, the more we can support them and some of the principles we talk about can be applied to men as well.
In the episode, we talk about:
- The importance of breathwork and how to breath properly for core stability and control.
- What is the pelvic floor and why it matters.
- How your abs are only a piece of the core and if that is all you are focusing on, you are going to be in big trouble
- The importance of the squat
- How alignment plays into strength and even leaking while working out
- And much more
She takes an orthopedic approach to pelvic health and your body as a whole, with an integrative and holistic mindset, and she has a special love of guiding healing and return to activity in the postpartum period. She has 15+ years of experience in orthopedics, sports therapy, and perinatal health and is a mom who loves working with moms.
Her special passion of working with women in the postpartum period, and throughout the journey of motherhood, began when she had her third baby in 2015 and wound up with diastasis recti (split of the abdominal muscles). Her experience showed her the gap of support and education the traditional model gives to women during the amazing, and often chaotic, transition through pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. A time in a woman's life when learning alignment, muscle control, stability, and optimal healing principles are so important to prevent pain and dysfunction in the future! She wants to be a part of changing the way we look at postpartum health and the return to activity, sports, and life.
She also collaborates in the community as a Simple Wellness Coach and a co-founder of the non-profit Mind Body Baby.
For questions and feedback, you can reach me at drmatt@precisionchiroclt.com or www.precisionchiroclt.com
Lora Solomon is a Nurse Practitioner with a masters in nursing and a member of the Institute of Functional Medicine. She has specialties in family medicine, functional medicine, and hormones.
In this episode, we talk about:
How to achieve optimum brain function and brain health
How our nutrition effects our health and brain function
Best types of movement to optimize your brain
What do our hormones tell us
And much more….
Reach out to Lora at Beautiful Brain Health and www.beautifulbrainhealth.org and you can reach out to me, Dr. Matt Westheimer, at drmatt@precisionchiroclt.com or www.precisionchiroclt.com.
Today's guest, Beth Misner, is an extraordinary individual. She is a TED speaker, Corporate Vice Chair of BNI, Co-Founder of the BNI Foundation, and Director of the Journey Center. She is a certified sports nutritionist, black belt in karate, tai chi/qi gong instructor, ordained minister, and meditation/prayer leader.
She grew up plagued by rage, depression, and anxiety and over the years transformed herself into one of the most peaceful individuals I have ever met. She exudes confidence, presence, and compassion and influences hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
In this episode we cover everything from networking and building relationships to overcoming rage issues to becoming a peaceful and present individual.
Enjoy the episode!
You can look her up at Beth Misner on Facebook or Beth_Misner on IG.
You can reach me at Precision Chiropractic Charlotte on Facebook, Drmattwestheimer on IG, and drmatt@precisionchiroclt.com.
On today’s episode, we discuss the Buteyko Method and how to optimize your sleep, overcome asthma, and support healthy breathing through nasal breathing and other breathwork techniques.
Steven Todd, D.M.D. is one of the foremost authorities on treating snoring and sleep apnea.
Upon retiring from oral rehabilitation and dental anesthesiology, Dr. Todd turned his focus to Dental Sleep Medicine (DSM) treating both adult and pediatric patients..
He realized CPAP therapy and Oral Appliance Therapy just treated the SYMPTOMS of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) – they did not treat the CAUSE of OSA. Then he discovered the Buteyko Breathing Method and knew this was the missing piece of the puzzle to treat patients with Sleep Apnea and Sleep Disordered Breathing. Dr. Todd, with the Buteyko Breathing Method, could now treat the CAUSE of OSA not just the SYMPTOMS. The results his patients have experienced with Buteyko Breathing have changed their lives! He is the only Certified Buteyko Breathing Method instructor in the Gulf Coast of Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi.
For more information and to contact Dr. Stephen Todd at www.gulfcoastsleepspecialist.com.
You can contact me at drmatt@precisionchioclt.com or www.mattwestheimer.com.
The biggest risk to you not achieving your goals when it comes to fitness just behind discipline is going to be injury.
So many people would love to stay healthy, lose weight, and get fit but they fall off the wagon because they get injured along the way.
Here’s how to stay on top of your game.
Prioritize the warm-up. Use full body movements and movements specific to the movements you are going to be focusing on in your workout to sufficiently prepare your body for battle.
Form Over Intensity. Stop making intensity your primary focus. You are not a professional or Olympic athlete. You need to stay healthy above all else.
Never forget the recovery component. Keep your tissues supple and your joints happy. Do not do a movement until you have restored your body to the point that you can sufficiently perform the movement.
There is always time to focus on intensity. Movement first. Then strength. And then intensity.
Keep working hard and stay healthy!
Always here for you at drmatt@precisionchiroclt.com and on Facebook at Precision Chiropractic Charlotte.
Jon is a fourth-generation investor, first introduced to the world of finance by his great-grandfather. Though initially solely a personal pursuit and hobby, Jon turned his passion into a career by joining Morgan Stanley, one of the countries most renowned Wealth Management firms.
We had an amazing conversation that is ESPECIALLY relevant to the current state of affairs with the economy.
We talked about the different vehicles you should absolutely be putting your money into to maximize your long term returns.
We talked about how to save money on taxes.
We talked about how to invest to take advantage of downturns in the market.
And much more.
Reach out to Jon at jonathan.tedesco@ms.com or on LinkedIn or Facebook.
As always, if there is anything I can do for you, reach out to me at drmatt@precisionchiroclt.com or on Facebook at Precision Chiropractic Charlotte.
Most people fall short of their fitness goals or increase their risk of injury because their training focus is too limited.
If you really want to be fit and healthy, there are 5 areas of fitness you must address: strength, mobility, stability, low-intensity cardio, and high-intensity training.
Master these and watch your performance and your health take off.
Enjoy!
For questions or a consultation, you can reach me at drmatt@precisionchiroclt.com or www.mattwestheimer.com
This is a timely episode with all of the uncertainty in the world.
Resilience is the ability to recover quickly and bounce back from difficulties.
We all possess the ability to create powerful resilience but it is a muscle that must be built like your biceps.
Check out the Resilience Doughnut and Resilience Report for more information!
One of the biggest and least known methods for getting better and more restorative sleep is NASAL BREATHING. Mouth breathing deprives us of the oxygen that our tissues need.
How the heck does that happen?
Our ability to extract and utilize oxygen is not so much based on the amount of oxygen we are bringing in but the balance between carbon dioxide and oxygen. We need to retain carbon dioxide to weaken the bond of oxygen to the RBC so we can extract and use it.
Mouth breathing releases way too much carbon dioxide from the body and disrupts this balance. Nasal breathing restores it.
I cover a few more benefits to nasal breathing in this episode as well as some techniques to optimizing your breathing and your sleep.
Enjoy the episode!
Welcome to our 100th Episode!
It has been a labor of love and I feel incredible honored that you have listened to what I have to say about a wide variety of subjects and hope it has added value to your life.
This episode is about developing an outward mindset. An outward mindset is about looking to serve the needs of the people around us as a way to create a bigger impact.
Most leaders fail in that they are so inwardly focused that they are blind to the needs of the people above them, below them, and around them.
If you really want to lead, you have to be focused outward.
It is impossible to be depressed and to truly be of service to someone else.
By definition, depression is all about you and focusing on YOUR situation. You cannot be depressed unless you are thinking about a situation in your life that is bad or hopeless.
If you are in service to someone else, you are focusing on them and since we cannot hold 2 simultaneous conscious thoughts at one time, a powerful antidote to depression is to serve others.
Three of my favorite things to do are coaching, seeing patients, and speaking. That is when I am truly in flow state. When I am coaching, I am fully present and focused on my client and their specific needs. Same with patients. Same with speaking.
Takeaway: Find something you love to do. Throw yourself into it. Find ways to give back and serve others – charity and business. Want to do well in business? Find ways to add massive value to your community.
We are always either repelling or attracting people.
We had a great guest last night at toastmasters who is a professional speaking who travels around the country teaching pubic speaking and communication skills.
He shared a really interesting exercise with us. He had 2 people stand on opposite sides of the room.
Person A had to cue other person whether or not he wanted to speak to him/her based on body language. When Person B interpreted a signal that Person A wanted him/her to come closer, he/she would walk closer. When he got the opposite signal, he would stop.
What the exercise showed is that we are ALWAYS giving signals of repelling or attraction. Almost always it is subconscious. We must learn to be more deliberate with our communication.
Ep 097: Improve Your Sleep
One of the most underrated and important strategies for optimal health and disease prevention is SLEEP.
We have all heard the phrase “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Well there is more and more research to suggest that will be a lot sooner if you neglect your sleep!
“I think that sleep may be one of the most significant lifestyle factors that determines your risk ratio for Alzheimer’s disease.” – Matthew Walker, PhD
When we sleep, we assimilate all of the data and stimuli from throughout the day. We organize that information into different areas of the brain and discard the stuff we don’t need. Our brain also has a glymphatic system similar to the lymphatic system in the rest of the body that clears our metabolic debris and waste products. Sleep also reduces the amyloid plaque and tau proteins that are found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
According to Dr. Walker, there are 4 pillars of sleep – regularity, continuity, quantity, and quality.
- Regularity consists of going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.
- Continuity consists of whether we stay asleep for long periods or have periods of wakefulness.
- Quantity is in regards to the amount of sleep we are getting – 4 hours or 8 hours.
- Quality refers how solid and deep the sleep is.
Everything we do in regards to sleep should be on maximizing the integrity of these four fundamental characteristics of sleep.
And the thing we have to be careful about is confusing sleep with being unconscious. They are VERY different things. If someone were to get knocked out by a baseball bat. We would never say that person is sleeping. When you or someone you know is taking sleeping pills like Ambien, that is the equivalent to taking a chemical baseball bat to the head. We are unconscious but we certainly are not benefitting from the healing processes that deep sleep has to offer.
Humans have 2 stages of sleep – non-REM and REM.
Non-REM has 2 parts consisting of light sleep and deep restorative sleep.
REM sleep or Rapid Eye Movement sleep occurs in 90 minute stages.
Deep non-REM sleep is essentially for protecting new learning from the day before.
“You need to sleep after learning to essentially hit the save button on new memories so you don’t forget.” – Matthew Walker, PhD.
REM sleep is valuable for optimizing mental health and emotions.
Poor sleep has shown to not only be a huge risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, but it is also a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and reproductive function.
One of the studies Dr. Matthew Walker talked about was with premature babies in the NICU. When the hospital went from fluorescent lights at night to darkness, the babies had 50% better oxygen saturation and left the NICU 2-2.5 weeks early!
Some of the biggest factors that affect sleep are light, sound, drugs like caffeine and alcohol, and food.
Top tips for getting better sleep:
- Get on a regular schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every night.
- Keep the room cool. We sleep much better when I core body temperature is lower rather than higher.
- Keep the room dark and quiet. Get black out shades. Sleep with an eye mask. Sleep with ear plugs. If you are in a loud area, get a sound machine to give a constant ambient noise.
- Do not drink alcohol right before bed. Alcohol has been shown to significantly impair our normal sleep cycles.
- Keep caffeine confined to the morning. Caffeine has a half life of 6 hours and a quarter life of 12 hours. This means that even 12 hours after you have consumed caffeine, you still have some in your system.
- Stay away from blue light in the evening. Blue light is found in fluorescent and LED bulbs, TV screens, computer screens, and phone screens. Replace your bulbs with softer yellow or red bulbs. Install an app on your phone and computer that turns the screen yellow at night and removes the blue light, and look into wearing a pair of blue light blocking glasses in the evening time.
- Read before bed instead of scrolling through your phone or watching something so you slow your brain down and prepare it for sleep.
- Practice nasal breathing and even look into getting special mouth tape to reinforce breathing through your nose while you sleep.
I know this seems like a lot but every step makes a big difference so slowly start to implement these strategies over time and definitely utilize these strategies for your kids. It will have a profound on their growth and development.
096: Nutrition Part 3 Supplements
*Greens Powder
*Fish Oil
*Probiotics
*Vit D/K
*Creatine
*Collagen Peptides
*Chlorophyll
*Magnesium
*Dessicated Liver
*Vit C
The holiday season is when people usually fall off the rails when it comes to their health. They eat way too much sugar, put on weight, and get sick.
It doesn't have to happen to you.
In this episode, I discuss specific strategies to stay healthy through the holidays and still enjoy yourself!
Enjoy!
Nutrition Part II:
The last episode was the longest solo episode I have done at a whopping 33 min. It is only a tip of the iceberg when it comes to nutrition but hopefully it is a good start for you.
I realized I covered a ton of stuff in regards to nutrition but I did not cover ideas of what to eat. So today I want to give you some actionable steps when deciding what to eat. If you are looking for some good healthy and tasty recipes Marksdailyapple is a fantastic resource but I like to keep it simple so here we go.
First thing in the morning – a cup or 2 of coffee and a big glass of water with chlorophyll and 3-5 grams of creatine. Creatine has been known to be great for physical performance but it also has shown to be valuable for cognitive improvements.
I always attempt to do at least a 12-hour fast. It depends how strict you are but I do not count coffee so I should so not food for at least 12 – 14 hours.
My first meal is almost always eggs. I alternate between 2 different meals – eggs in a bone broth or over easy eggs with a side of guacamole. I do NOT want to spike my insulin for the first meal of the day so I do not have anything with high glycemic index like fruit or sweet potato unless it is the occasional berries.
Lunch depends on where I am or what I am doing but it might be a salad or just a grass-fed burger with pickles or maybe some chicken thighs in the airfryer with Chulula hot sauce and some avocado mayo.
Dinner is almost always either a naked grass-fed burger with sweet potato pieces cooked in the airfryer and then I drizzle truffle oil on it and eat it with avocado mayo. It is the food I would take on a dessert island for sure!
Then dessert is usually a piece of extra dark chocolate (80-90% dark).
Snacks will consist of nut bars, nuts, or even a can of olives. I know I am weird but I snack on olives like I would on chips. lol
I do have berries, mushrooms, and sautéed spinach on occasion. And while 90+% of my diet looks like this I love the occasional NY style pizza and sushi!
The last thing I love to snack on is something my wife makes which are 4 ingredient almond cookies. All they contain are almond flour, a little bit of maple syrup, baking soda, and vanilla. That is it and they are delicious. She uses only a fraction of the recommended maple syrup so they are not too sweet but you can decide the sweetness for yourself.
Here is the thing, I love food. I love trying new food and I love the taste of food. Everything I eat I enjoy… for the most part. I or more specifically Jen (my wife) just finds healthy ways of preparing it.
094 Nutrition
The only way you could not be confused about nutrition and how to eat is if you have been living under a rock. There are so many diets out there and each one more ridiculous than the other. The cookie diet, tapeworm diet, and the wine diet are just to name a few but a quick search on the internet will show you hundreds more.
Anybody with a modicum of an IQ will be able to see through the craziness of many of the diets but there are a few that are quite a bit more nuanced.
Those 3 that I would like to talk about are the vegan diet, omnivore diet, and carnivore diet.
Vegan diet consumes zero meat or animal products. The really strict ones won’t even have honey because it comes from bees.
PROS:
- Gets people away from processed foods
- Gets people thinking about what they are eating
- More nutrient dense foods …… usually
CONS:
- Very difficult to get the nutrients you need without extreme planning and food combining and supplementation….. essential amino acids and B12 and Omega 3s like EPA and DHA
Carnivore Diet – Only meat
PROS:
- Same as vegan is it gets people away from processed foods and more mindful about what they are consuming
- Eliminates insulin spiking foods like sugar
- True elimination diet for extreme cases – Paleomedicina and Saladino and Mikhala Peterson.
- Very nutrient dense
CONS:
- Phytonutrients
- Fiber
Omnivore is really any spectrum from 95% plant and 5% animal to 95% animal and 5% plant but most people will fall somewhere in the middle.
Explain my N=1
Then talk about what MOST people in the nutrition space agree on:
- Pastured eggs and animals – for the animals, the environment, and health.
- White Oak with regenerative farming and US wellness meats
- Local grocery and farms
- Eat organic as much as possible
- Eliminate dairy or keep it to a minimum and ONLY have organic, grass-fed
- Eliminate grains especially the commercial ones. Sprouted and ancient grains like millet and quinoa seem to be a bit more tolerable but I stay away as much as I can
- NO sugar
- Minimal alcohol – glass of dry wine or spirits BUT do not mix with sugar
- Give your body a break every day from eating. Fasting or time restricted eating.
- Fats are not bad for you. Avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, and even meat from pastured animals are healthy.
- Stop being afraid of cholesterol.
- Stop being in a caloric surplus
- Organ meats are natures multivitamin. Eat it or at least get supplements that contain it.
093: Leadership and Self-Deception
What does it mean to be a great leader? Leadership applies to every aspect of your life and its importance cannot be understated.
Self-leadership as well as leading others are key ingredients to being healthy, happy, and successful.
The book, Leadership and Self-Deception, was a phenomenal book.
In this episode, I share with you some of my most powerful take-aways from the book.
Enjoy!
Welcome to Part 2 of 2 of the Alzheimer's series. Dementia, more specifically Alzheimer's, is a complicated disease that has been plaguing society for far too long.
We have spent way too much money to have made such little progress. At some point, we have to step back and rethink our approach.
I hope you learn something from this episode and apply it to your life. The magic comes from taking action.
Alzheimer’s Disease has been a devastating diagnosis that far too many people have had to suffer through. Billions of dollars have be spent on drug research, what do we have to show for it? A 99.6% failure rate. Of the .4% that have reached the market, they have shown to be of minimal value. In the book The End of Alzheimer’s, Dale Bredesen, MD, demonstrates a step-by-step manual for preventing and reversing the cognitive decline of early Alzheimer’s disease.
Over the next 2 episodes, I will be discussing some of my biggest take-aways from the book as well as the three things that must be addressed if you want to give your body the best opportunity to ward off Alzheimer’s.
Enjoy the podcast. If you have any questions, you can always reach me at mattwdc@gmail.com.
090 Rebuilding the Neck
Your neck is the link between your brain and the rest of the body. The upper neck region is an area rich in mechanoreceptors and neurological activity. The neck is not just a support structure for the skull but neurological superhighway.
In this episode you will learn more about the neck and what it takes to keep it healthy. If you are suffering from headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, or general fatigue and issues sleeping then this is the episode for you.
Please reach out with questions at mattwdc@gmail.com or just email me with what you learned! I always love to hear from my listeners!
Ep 089: A Test that Predicts Early Mortality
Nothing in life is guaranteed, but you want to set yourself up with the greatest opportunity for the greatest health span and lifespan. In order words, you want to live as long as you can as healthy as you can.
One of the most challenging things people face as they age is loss of strength and mobility. Once we reach a certain age, our muscle mass and strength naturally decline unless we do something to oppose it. It takes work and it takes energy. But it beats spending our later years in a wheelchair or worse!
The test I talk about in the podcast has been shown to be correlated with a higher risk of early mortality. Give it a try and see how you do!
If you have any questions or need support, you can always reach me at mattwdc@gmail.com
Almost everyone at some point in their life is going to experience a bout of extreme back pain. I have been fortunate enough to experience it a few times! The reason I say I have been fortunate is because those experiences have made me a much better doctor. They not only helped me to truly empathize with what my patients were going through, but they also inspired me to learn and understand the human body at an even higher level so I can help my patients get better results.
Enjoy this episode of Rebuilding the Low Back. If you have been enjoying these episodes, please share it with your friends and families. We appreciate your support. You can reach me at mattwdc@gmail.com if you have any questions or I can support you further on your journey to better health.
Ep 087: Rebuilding the Hip
How many people do you know who have had a hip replacement? I have had dozens of patients and people in the community that have either had a hip replacement or were recommended one because their condition was so severe. And it doesn’t have to be this way!
Think about it. How many people get double hip replacements? It is not common. Why? Because one hip wears out faster than the other. If it was normal aging, wouldn’t both hips be the same?
Joints wear out due to abnormal wear and tear – abnormal biomechanics and abnormal loading over an extended period of time.
Don’t wait until your time is up. Build the well before you are thirsty.
If you have any questions, you can always reach out to me at mattwdc@gmail.com.
Episode 086: Rebuilding the Knee
If you want to move more like a gazelle and less like a turtle as you age, this is the podcast for you.
In this episode you will learn about a surprising mistake people make when it comes to keeping their knees healthy and rehabilitating bad knees.
You will also learn about what it takes to keep your knees performing at their best.
I hope you enjoy!
If you need anything, please feel free to reach out to me at mattwdc@gmail.com
Episode 085: What is good enough?
“The best decision is the right decision. The second best decision is the wrong decision. The worst decision is no decision.” – Scott McNealy
This was shared with me by my therapist a while back and I think it is super powerful. There is a delicate balance when making decisions. If we rush into an important decision without thinking things through, we risk making irreparable mistakes with catastrophic consequences. But if we overthink things to death, it can rob us of joy and fulfillment.
What is good enough? When do we have enough information to make a decision.
We discuss that in today’s episode.
I hope you enjoy!
If you need anything, please feel free to reach out to me at mattwdc@gmail.com
Hyperkyphosis – Two Tests and Two Fixes
Today we talk about the dreaded upper back hump AKA The Thoracic Hyperkyphosis. It is most noticeable in the elderly when we see our grandparents or people in their 70s and 80s walking around with that big round hump in their upper back. Many people think it is just a sign of aging but that not even close to the whole truth.
The hyperkyphosis is not a genetic condition but one that is acquired due to a unhealthy lifestyle and poor habits. The sad thing is that we are seeing it more and more in the younger generation as early as elementary school. It is devastating to see because hyperkyphosis increases the risk of morbidity and mortality in the aging population but it also has really strong developmental implications in the younger generation.
The best thing is prevention and second best is early detection. Do not wait until this gets out of control because then some of changes might be permanent.
In the podcast, I go over two tests you can do to see if you might have hyperkyphosis. This is by no means a complete list of tests but they are a good start. Then I give you a couple of fixes you can work on to be proactive with your situation.
On top of this, if you feel like you might have a hyperkyphosis, I highly recommend seeking out the care of a great structural chiropractor.
If you need help finding one, please feel free to reach out to me and I would be happy to help.
My contact is mattwdc@gmail.com
We are starting a new series of episodes dedicated to Rebuilding Your Body. The Rebuilding Your Body Series will focus on movements and exercises that will help you to recover from injuries and even prevent them in the first place. Let’s dig in!
Today we focus on an area of the body that we normally don’t pay much attention to - the feet.
We briefly go through the anatomy of the foot, and how the forces in the feet send signals to the brain in a feedback loop for grounding and balance.
How do we injure our feet?
We don’t use them enough. No stimulation, no neuromuscular feedback.
We are literally wearing casts on our feet every day. Shoes are great for skin protection and hygiene. They are, however, not great for moving and activating the intricate musculature in the feet which is an important neuromuscular feedback loop. That’s when injuries start to occur. Wearing footwear that are not too restrictive or padded would be ideal
Exercises for rebuilding the feet:
Walk bare foot more often - Start on dirt, sand or grass. These will mold into your feet and will help in articulation of the muscles and joints in the feet.
Ball exercises – Take a tennis or lacrosse ball under the foot and drive it into the arch, all the way to the different bones underneath the foot. This will help move the bones and the sliding surfaces of the plantar fascia (connective tissue on the bottom of the feet). The goal is to be able to stand on the ball on one foot and wrap your foot and toes around it while rolling it back and forth.
Small foot exercise- With your foot flat on the floor, pretend like your balling a piece of paper under your foot. The foot movement will look like you’re contracting your foot, trying to touch the ball of your foot to your heel. Do not curl your toes, leave your toes flat on the ground and curl in with the ball of your foot.
Single leg balance – balancing on one leg. Good for proprioception and balance. Stacking tasks tip: Do this exercise while brushing your teeth.
Calf stretch- wearing elevated footwear most of the time shortens the achilles and calf muscle which in turn will yank on your heel and create bone spurs and damage your plantar fascia. Some exercises for calf stretch- down dog pose, forward bending, wall push stretch.
Hope you enjoy this podcast!
If you have any questions, you can reach me at mattwdc@gmail.com
One of the most important factors for staying fit and healthy as we age is to NOT get injured. Today we talk about the 2 practices that will maximize your potential to staying injury-free and perform at your best.
Preparation/Prehab is Your Best Friend – Make the preparation and warm up more important than the actual work out. Moving your body through full ranges of motion in preparation for heavy lifts, explosive movements, or movements that require heavy cardiac output will help to fully warm-up and ramp up your system for the strenuous work ahead. The ideal order for a full workout: Preparation -> Intensity/Strength/Power
Create balance in your training program- You want a good mix of longer sustained movement (i.e. jogging, long walks, running), explosive movements (i.e. box jumps, burpees, sprints), weight training, and mobility training (i.e. yoga, pilates). Active recovery days are also part of great balance.
Develop the habit of incorporating these 2 practices into your workouts and daily movement sessions and you will increase your potential for longevity and resilience from injury.
Hope you enjoy this one!
The world of health and fitness has become incredibly confusing. There is so much misinformation out there when it comes to health, it is astounding. The internet has provided us a valuable resource to learn, grow, and share our ideas with others, but with that comes the challenge of knowing what is good information and what is bad information.
There are keys to health that revolve around nutrition, exercise, and a healthy mental attitude, but there is one that supersedes them all - our body's ability to adapt to its internal and external environment.
I hope you enjoy today's podcast!
The most powerful way to start your day is with a morning routine. These are the habits and strategies that juice you up first thing in the morning and get you prepared to crush the rest of your day.
In this episode I share with you some of my strategies and the most powerful weapon I have to master my morning is coffee - the nectar of the gods!
Just kidding, but not really.
The second most powerful strategy is movement. Movement is life.
I share with you some of my favorite movements to do in the morning among other things.
If you enjoyed this podcast, I would love to hear from you. Even if you did not enjoy it, I would love to hear from you anyway with suggestions on how to improve.
Until next time, keep achieving!
Does it ever drive you crazy thinking about the amount of time you wasted doing things that did not matter? And what about all of the important things you have put off doing?
I reached a point a while back where I learned a great technique for getting things done. This is especially effective when it comes to doing things that are really important but you hate doing.
It is called stacking, and I explain how to effectively use this technique in the podcast today.
I hope you enjoy!
When many people think of heroes, they thing of the fairytales and comic books like Superman, Batman, and Spiderman.
The true heroes are not the ones who came out of imagination, but real people risking it all and making a difference in the world like the people in the military, doctors, servicemen and women, mothers and fathers, and even those who come back from the brink of death and show us what it means to have resilience, meaning, purpose, strength and vulnerability.
Janine Shepherd is one of those heroes. Defiant is her autobiography. This podcast contains the lessons I learned from her story.
Enjoy!
Have you ever not confronted someone before because you told yourself that you are just "too nice?"
Or do you just use your dominance to steamroll over people around you?
Being "too nice" or steamrolling over people are NOT strengths. They are both weaknesses!
If you fall into one of these categories or if you deal with people in one of these categories, then this episode is for you.
Enjoy!
Some people go through their entire life just going through the motions.
Don’t be that guy/gal.
Discovering what inspires you is not as difficult as you might think.
In this episode I help you to discover what truly inspires you.
It all comes down to 4 questions:
1) What do you find yourself love doing that you would do even if you didn’t get paid?
2) Who do you admire?
3) What is it about them that you admire?
4) Why do you admire it?
Listen until the end for specific action steps.
Enjoy!
This episode was recorded in Split, Croatia.
It has been said, “If you want to get something done, give it to a busy person.”
Mechanisms to maximize your productivity:
1) Set up a productivity meeting every week.
2) Create a strict morning routine.
3) Commit to a daily physical, gratitude, meditation, and learning practice.
4) Re-evaluate and adapt.
Enjoy!
Life can really suck sometimes. But there is always someone who has it worse.
Maybe you are dealing with an ankle injury and can’t run. There is a double amputee out there wishing they had an ankle injury.
Maybe you are stressed out at work and your boss is driving you crazy. There is a person who lost their job and trying to take care of a family who would trade places with you in second.
Maybe you are angry at your spouse for picking a fight with you. There is a widow out there wishing for one more fight with her husband.
Maybe you are annoyed because your air-conditioner broke or your bed is not comfortable. There is a person out there sleeping on the sidewalk or a park bench who would give anything for a bed and a warm place to sleep.
There are many people in worse shape than us that can really use our love and support.
Many times we can serve our way out of anger, anxiety, and depression.
Become a person of service and watch your life transform.
Enjoy!
Life is made up of choices which lead us down a certain path. Even the refusal to make a choice is a choice in and of itself.
Many successful people I speak with can remember a specific choice in time that lead to incredible results in their life. Others credit where they are to the accumulation of many small choices over a period of time.
The path we lead is largely dictated by the choices we make along the way.
In this episode, I am going to discuss 3 paths that can lead to drastically different outcomes:
1) The Hard Path
2) The Easy Path
3) The Smart Path
Enjoy!
While Romania was gorgeous with some really amazing people, we became a victim of a common crime over there. While our egos were bruised from getting taken advantage of, we learned a lot from that experience.
In this episode, you will learn some tips to protect yourself from con artists as well as how to build trust.
You will learn the power of:
1) Building rapport
2) Service first
Enjoy!
What did we learn about customer service from a shack in the Philippines, a old building in Romania, a small farm in Spain, and an old converted winery in Italy?
#1: It is more about the expectations than reality.
#2: Overpromise and Overdeliver.
#3: Find out what your competitors are doing, and do more.
You will want to listen until the end for some great actionable tips!
All the best!
One of the most powerful skills you can learn is to be a great negotiator.
Negotiation applies to everything in life - work, relationships, family, buying and selling, and just about everything else you can imagine. When it comes down to it, negotiation is the true art of communication.
I read a fantastic book called Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss.
I talk about one of the crucial components of negotiation I learned from the book. It is the power of active listening.
Enjoy!
There are very few things we can control in life. Many of us have chaotic days where we feel like we are juggling a million things at one time.
“If you want to be healthy and live a great life, you have to master your morning.” Simple, right? Yet for most of us, we have yet to do this.
You need to make it a goal to perfect your morning.
Here are the 5 things to perfect your morning.
1 Wake up with gratitude
You can do this with meditation, affirmations, and practicing gratitude.
Sit for 5 – 10 min in silence and just focus on your breath. Practice detaching from your emotions and seeing your emotions as separate from you. You are not your emotions and your emotions are not you.
Have a list of 5 or 10 short affirmations that you repeat to yourself while you are showering or getting ready. Anytime a negative thought or idea pops in your head, accept it, and change it to an empowering belief or idea.
Practice gratitude. When you start to think about what is missing in your life, focus on what you are grateful for. Maybe it is your family, friends, work, or partner.
I had a patient once come into the office and I asked him how he was doing. He said, “Great.” Of course, I followed that up with, “Why are you doing so great?” He said, “I woke up.”
Beautiful.
When expectations for happiness or greatness starts with just waking up, we can handle just about anything with gratitude.
2 Read/Learn
Whatever we don’t strengthen, begins to deteriorate. If we aren’t growing, we are dying. The same goes for our mind. The more we learn the better we become.
Start each day reading a book on spirituality, health, leadership, communication, or an inspiring story. Fill your mind with great stuff so there is no room for it to become polluted by all the meaningless negativity out there.
3 Hydrate
I like to start my day in a fasting state. I just have a little bit of coffee and I drink a big bottle of a special concoction of minerals, spirulina, amino acids, and collagen. It takes about 2 minutes to make and I am off.
4 Plan
This should be prepared the night before or at the latest, first thing in the morning. Create a plan for your day. That which you do not plan does not get accomplished. Plan your meals. Plan your workout. Plan your breaks. Even plan your fun.
Take the time to schedule the most important things or they will not get done. Prioritize yourself before anything else. You are worth it.
It benefits everyone for you to be at your best.
5 Move
By far, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to start your day with MOVEMENT.
Most people go their entire day with no exercise and very little movement.
Take 10 minutes in the morning to move, mobilize, stretch, pull, and compress your tissues. Your body will thank you for it for the rest of the day.
I know what many of you are thinking – “I don’t have time.”
My answer, “Make the time. Get up 10 minutes earlier.”
It is really difficult, and many times impossible, to control our entire day. Life happens. Things come up and get in the way. The unexpected occurs and we are stuck handling a big pile of “you know what.” The one thing we can almost always have full control of is our morning.
Make it count.
The last thing I was expecting when I got inside my Uber the other day was for the driver to be a retired multimillionaire.
He was a really kind 66-year old man who retired 26 years ago. You do the math.
He made a lot of money in his career and did some successful real estate investing and now he was worth millions – but really really bored.
He decided a little while ago to drive his car for Uber a few hours per day to kill some of the boredom and meet new people.
I was really glad he decided to do that because the conversation sparked some interesting thoughts for my life as well as yours.
I share them with you in this episode.
Enjoy!
Matt Westheimer
I ran into a man the other day at the park who is a wonderful 71-year old man who can do full pull-ups, flips over the bar, and 1000 km bike rides for charity.
Of course, I chatted with him for a while about how he keeps so healthy and it inspired me to share with you, my top 10 movements to create a lifetime of health and longevity.
Here they are:
- Push
- Pull
- Squat
- Cossack Squat
- Cross-Legged Squat
- Lying Curl Up
- Twist
- Jump
- Plank/Side Plank
- Table Top
Don’t get lazy on me. Give them a go and make sure you begin to incorporate all of these into your daily routine.
We live in a profoundly sick society. We are so sick as a whole we think the amount of chronic sickness and disease is normal.
We see kids suffering from disorders that no child should have to suffer from. We see adults struggling to sit on the floor and then stand up. We see people younger and younger suffering from arthritis and other chronic lifestyle related problems.
Much of this problem can be solved if we just took better care of ourselves and if we just moved more.
I am going to be sharing with you some keys to move better and more often with WITHOUT taking any extra time out of your day.
You are going to love this episode.
If you would like some more detail on the information I have talked about in this episode, I highly encourage you to check out Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman.
What would you do if you were living in hiding from an almost certain death?
I hope you never have to experience this but this is exactly what Anne Frank and her family had to endure during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
Anne and her family were in hiding for 2 years until they were eventually discovered by the Nazis and she died soon later in the concentration camps.
But Anne left us all a beautiful gift. A copy of her diary.
In today’s episode I share with you 3 amazing lessons from an extraordinary book.
Enjoy!
Many of you suck at movement. You can’t do one of the most basic human movements there is – full range squat. Your range of motion is a mess. You sit all day only to come home and sit more and you wonder why your energy is low and your body hurts.
Today’s episode is going to begin to address that. I am going to give you 3 movement practices that will make a big impact on your life.
It definitely did for mine.
Enjoy the episode
“This completely changed their way of life. We did not domesticate wheat. It domesticated us. The word ‘domesticate’ comes from the Latin domus, which means ‘house.’ Who’s the one living in a house? Not the wheat. It’s the Sapiens.” – Sapiens book
Many of us have not just becomes domesticated by wheat. We are now domesticated my so much more – our phones, bags, homes, cars, jewelry, and our money. We must work every day to afford a lifestyle that is only available if we go to work many hours per week.
We work so hard to make money to buy things that require us to work harder to enjoy those very things that we have no time for because we have to keep working so hard. The more we buy and the more we own and the more our lifestyle grows, the less freedom we have because we must maintain this increased standard of living.
Freedom really comes from simplifying. It comes from living well below our means. It means purging the things we are no longer using or even considering spending time with just the basics.
In this podcast, I uncover some really powerful techniques to getting back control over your life.
Enjoy!
There are 3 constants in life: death, taxes, and making mistakes.
No matter how hard we try, making mistakes are an inevitable part of life.
The one thing we have complete control over is what we do when we make a mistake.
Do you take responsibility when you make a mistake or do you ignore it, defend it, or sweep it under the rug?
There is a recipe for crafting the perfect apology. The first step is to apologize and take full responsibility for your actions with no expectations in return and the next step is the most important. I will be sharing it in this episode.
Enjoy!
The perfect ending to a wonderful book. Sam Walton shares his 10 Rules for Building a Business. How do you stack up?
Rule 1: COMMIT to your business. Believe in it more than anybody else.
Rule 2: SHARE your profits with all your associates, and treat them as partners. In turn, they will treat you as a partner.
Rule 3: MOTIVATE your partners. Money and ownership alone aren’t enough.
Rule 4: COMMUNICATE everything you possibly can to your partners. The more they know, the more they’ll understand. The more they understand, the more they’ll care.
Rule 5: APPRECIATE everything your associates do for the business.
Rule 6: CELEBRATE your successes. Find some humor in your failures. Don’t take yourself so seriously.
Rule 7: LISTEN to everyone in your company. And figure out ways to get them talking.
Rule 8: EXCEED your customers’ expectations. If you do, they’ll come back over and over. Give them what they want – and a little more.
Rule 9: CONTROL your expenses better than your competition.
Rule 10: SWIM upstream. Go the other way. Ignore the conventional wisdom.
In today’s episode, go through his 10 rules and share some insights of my own. Enjoy!
If you ask just about any of the 350+ million people living in the USA if they are familiar with the Walmart greeter, they would say “Yes.” The Walmart greeter is as connected to Walmart as the Swoosh is to Nike or the i… is to Apple.
As many people as there are that know about the Walmart greeter, I am sure there are just a handful of people that know the origin story.
I am about to share it with you today.
I am also going to share 3 big takeaways from the show:
1 Always look at things from the customer’s perspective
2 Always look for ways to add more value
3 Be relentless with your execution
If you would like examples of the 3 takeaways and implementation strategies or if you just want to hear the origin story of the Walmart greeter, which is fascinating in and of itself, enjoy the episode!
Sam Walton was a master of growth and getting extraordinary results from his employees, or associates, as he liked to call them. He boiled it down to 3 basic principles which we talk about in the show today:
1 Keep Your Ear to the Ground
“A computer is not – and will never be – a substitute for getting out in your stores and learning what’s going on. In other words, a computer can tell you down to the dime what you’ve sold. But it can never tell you how much you could have sold.”
2 Push Responsibility – And Authority – Down
“The bigger we get as a company, the more important it becomes for us to shift responsibility and authority toward the front lines, toward that department manager who’s stocking the shelves and talking to the customer.”
3 Force Ideas to Bubble Up
“We’re always looking for new ways to encourage our associates out in the stores to push their ideas up through the system. We do a lot of this at Saturday morning meetings. We’ll invite associates who have thought up something that’s really worked well for their store – a particular item or a particular display – to come share those ideas with us.”
Great lessons. I don’t know about you, but I am going to begin to implement these ideas to a higher level immediately.
Enjoy the episode!
Wal-Mart is the largest company in the world by revenue. They have over 2 million employees and generate over $450 billion a year in revenue (Wikipedia).
It was all started by one man just over 50 years ago – Sam Walton. In this autobiography written in the final years of his life while he was battling sickness, he opened up amazing details about his life and that of Wal-Mart.
In this episode, I discuss from the book:
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Sam Walton’s perspective on communication
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Structured vs Unstructured communication
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3 Types of Structured Communication
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Sam Walton’s view on customer service and what he implemented that skyrocketed their sales
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5 things to create an extraordinary customer experience
Take a listen and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Our ego rears its ugly little head regularly to tell us we aren’t good enough and we have to do certain things to be worthy of love and success. It makes us compare ourselves to others and feel inferior. It destroys relationships and leads to an unhappy life.
In the episode today, I talk about three ways to destroy our ego and make life more enjoyable.
Enjoy!
I have found more and more that Ryan Holiday is correct, “Ego is the Enemy.” It is the enemy of happiness, fulfillment, and deep meaning. It is the enemy of relationships and connection. It is the enemy of so many things.
In this episode, I discuss a great quote from the book by Tony Adams which is “Play for the name on the front of the jersey, and they’ll remember the name on the back.” What does it mean to play for the name on the front of the jersey and how can this simple mindset shift create more joy, happiness, and fulfillment in your life?
Listen and find out. Enjoy the episode!
“It is impossible to learn that which one thinks one already knows,” Epictetus says.
This was taken from the book, Ego is the Enemy, a great new read by Ryan Holiday.
If you go through life either thinking you already know everything, you cease to learn and grow. You never truly reach your potential and instead remain stagnant.
The real formula for life is to constantly learn and take action.
In this episode, I discuss common pitfalls people face when it comes to growth and getting results in life.
Enjoy!
How would you live your life if you were diagnosed with terminal metastatic lung cancer? What would go through your head? How would you spend your remaining time on this earth?
If you are Paul Kalanithi, one of the ways you would spend it is by writing an autobiography about your experience with the intention to inspire and connect with people long after you are gone.
This book had it all. It was well-written. It was interesting. Most of all though, it was truly meaningful.
Pick this one up. I know you will love it.
You can find it at, https://www.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X
Andre Agassi was one of the greatest tennis players to ever play the game. He almost single handedly changed the image of the game and exposed tennis to a much broader fan base. He made millions of dollars, had giant endorsement deals, married a superstar – twice, and was admired by millions of people around the world.
He also dealt with some dark and dirty secrets, battled depression, and hated the game he was so good at. In his book, Open, he reveals so much about his life – good and bad. It was truly an inspiring story of a tremendous individual.
There are many lessons I learned from this book but there is one no greater than the one I am sharing on the podcast today. Enjoy!
Very few people in history have built such an iconic brand as Phil Knight has done with NIKE. Billions of people around the world know about Nike and what Nike represents.
In his autobiography, Shoe Dog, you get a glimpse into the mind of a business legend – a man who built himself from nothing to one of the richest men in the world.
The book was incredible and the lessons learned even better. Today I share a few of those lessons with you.
One of the greatest business leaders in history is Andrew Grove, Co-Founder and CEO of Intel. His leadership helped to create one of the most influential companies in the world.
In his book, High Output Management, he talks about what it takes to manage and run an incredible business. It is a true gift to get to explore the mind and learn from one of the greats in business.
In this episode, I discuss the 2 things you must do to get results from you and your team. You do not want to miss this!
Imagine building a business that people couldn’t stop talking about. Imagine a business where people couldn’t wait to transact with you and tell everyone they know about you. The greatest businesses in the world that have been built to last have done an amazing job at building a fantastic service or product and delivering it in a way that continues to add value to people’s lives.
In this episode, dissect Zappo’s legendary process for creating raving fans that built them a billion-dollar business.
At the end of the book Delivering Happiness, author Tony Hsieh, provides us with a framework for building an elite team. It is the same framework he used to build his billion dollar company.
One the greatest keys to success – personally and professionally – is to build a great support system around you.
I am going to teach you that framework in this episode. Enjoy!
Do you have that one (or more) thing in your life that you aren’t happy with but have not seemed to be able to change it?
Maybe it is the diet you have been meaning to stick to. Maybe it is the workout program that has been eluding you. Maybe it is the business you have wanted to start or improving your performance at your current job. This list could go on and on.
There really is only one reason why you haven’t been able to change that habit, behavior, or thing in your life.
Today’s episode explores that ONE THING.
Enjoy!
What does it take to go from $0 to $1.2 billion in 10 years?
Ex-CEO Zappos, Tony Hsieh, tells us and much more in his book, Delivering Happiness.
What a great book with a plethora of valuable lessons.
I share a couple with you in today’s episode.
Enjoy!
Do you want to know what it takes to be a great speaker and a great communicator?
On the show today, I have Pamela Wigglesworth, CSP who is the recent recipient of the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional Certification which is the highest credential available to working professional speakers. Applicants must have a minimum of 250 speaking engagements within a 5 year period in order to qualify.
She is also an international corporate trainer and Managing Director of Experiential Hands-On Learning which is dedicated to helpings SMEs and entrepreneurs shorten their learning curve and accelerate their business results.
A resident of Asia for over 26 years, she works with companies across multiple industries to enhance their branding, marketing communications to get big results on a small budget. In addition, she assists corporate companies with sales presentation skills and personal communication skills. She has conducted trainings in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Thailand the Philippines and Vietnam.
In this episode, we talk about the keys to being an exceptional speaker, common pitfalls people make when speaking, and how to reach and connect with more people.
We also talk about her childhood and what has made her successful and how she ended up moving to the other side of the world and living in Asia for the last 26 years. Her story is sure to inspire you.
If you would like to connect with Pamela, she can be found at: http://experiential.sg/
What would your life look like if you had a 28-hour day?
Many people think they would get so much more done but I don’t know about that.
I founded a leadership development retreat years ago with my best friend and we would take about 30 people up to the mountains for a weekend of self-improvement, personal breakthrough, and growth.
One of the exercises was an activity to determine how much time they waste every single day. They were horrified to see how much time was left on the table.
The reality is that if you had more time in the day you would not necessarily be more productive. Let’s make valuable use of the time we already have before we ask for more.
In today’s show, I am going to share with you how you can sky rocket your results.
Getting knocked out from what you love to do is a terrible feeling.
Recently, I injured myself working out and could barely move for a couple of days. It was terrible. At the time, I thought it was going to keep me from doing what I love for weeks or even months.
Fortunately, I am on the mend but I learned a very valuable lesson from the experience.
The lessons I am going to share with you will certainly help you bounce back from challenges faster and stronger than ever before.
We spend so much of our life worrying about failure and comparing ourselves to other.
We don’t start projects because we fear we might fail.
We surf social media and see how wonderful everyone else’s life is not realizing they are just showing the “highlight” reel. In many cases, even the highlight reel is just a façade to give the perception of things being great when in reality they are crumbling inside.
Reality is we are going to fail at times – many times. We are going to get knocked down and we have the choice to stay there or get back up.
We can choose to compare ourselves to others or get so busy living our purpose that we don’t have time to compare ourselves to others.
The choice is always yours.
Great leaders are a rarity. They are like finding a needle in a haystack.
“Why is that?” I am glad you asked.
It takes incredible amount of work, dedication, and commitment. As Jocko Willink and Leif Babin state, it means taking extreme ownership over you and your team.
In the show, I will discuss what it means to be a great leader.
I am terrible with being patient. I like to be good at things immediately. I like to see immediate results.
This is not a virtue when it comes to learning high level gymnastics moves that require a high level of preparation and conditioning.
It is probably why I have put off this gymnastics program for so long.
Now that I started, I have already learned a lot about patience and being humble.
Looking forward to sharing these lessons with you today.
Physical challenges are a great metaphor for life. Physical struggle always has a mental component that can permeate to every single thing in our lives.
Flipping monster tires is hard work. It requires an intense focus and the ability to push through pain.
There are many lessons we can learn from that and I am excited to share them with you.
All the greats in the world have a core focus.
For Mother Teresa, it was service to humanity. For Gandhi, it was the fight for freedom of India from Great Britain using non-violence. For Martin Luther King, Jr, it was the fight for equal rights in America. For Lee Kuan Yew, it was to secure the future of Singapore.
Your “core focus” is what drives the direction of your life. It is the rudder of your ship.
It is the most important thing you can do for yourself.
In this episode, I help you to find yours.
Enjoy!
Have you ever met the person that was able to talk to anyone, at any time, about anything, and build instant rapport? It is inspiring to watch.
Part of building rapport, and consequently, being in a position to influence requires you to have a wide range of knowledge so you can be relatable in as many situations as possible.
Today I discuss some the techniques and ideas I have learned from my mentors to do just that.
How many times have you walked by the messy office or table and said to yourself that you will take care of it another day only to watch that space become messier and messier?
Clutter is a distraction. A cluttered external space represents a cluttered internal space and a clutter internal space does not attract abundance.
Literally, this week I cleaned up a couple of cluttered spaces in my life and saw massive growth. It happens ever time.
Give it a try and see for yourself.
Patience is a virtue. It’s a virtue I have yet to learn. I must have missed that day when the virtue of patience was being handed out.
I like to be in control. I like to control my outcomes and when these outcomes are going to occur. I like things to have a certain order to them. This gets me into a lot of trouble within my own mind because life doesn't work that way.
I am learning to take massive action but also be comfortable in the space between the results.
Today I am going to share with you some of the strategies that have been working for me.
Enjoy the show!
I did something the other day I really don't like. It is something I have been avoiding for years - JOGGING.
I love to lift, do gymnastics, sprint, bike, yoga, stand up paddle, rock climb, and pretty much anything that is active - except jogging.
I know that it would be a valuable addition to my exercise routine but I don't like it so I avoid it.
Many people would justify it as I have with the fact that I am doing enough other things to stay healthy so it is not a big deal.
True, but the reason I should be doing it is not so much for the physical benefit as much as it is for the mental benefit.
It takes discipline to do things we don't like to do. It takes effort. It takes a commitment to being uncomfortable.
This skill spills over into all areas of our life.
Enjoy the episode!
Experience has showed me we can all tap into greatness.
We can express greatness whenever we choose in any situation we may find ourselves in.
The question is, “HOW?” How do we tap into this greatness that seems to peak its head at seemingly random and distant times?
The answer is quite simple.
Listen today to a powerful story about a young girl that tapped into her greatness and discover how you can do the same.
The most successful people I know journal and make time to manifest and cultivate new ideas and process and synthesize old ideas.
On a recent Tim Ferriss interview, Seth Godin stated everyone should be writing everyday. If it is good enough for Seth, it is good enough for me.
I love to speak and record podcasts so most days I jot down notes in my journal and use the ideas and brainstorming to create an outline for each of the podcasts. It is a form of broadcast journaling.
It holds me accountable to keep up with it and has the added benefit of improving other people’s lives in the process by sharing my insights.
Enjoy the episode!
Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
Whether you are looking to build the next Apple company or running your household, you are bound to run into things that act as major road blocks to your life.
The more expectations we have the greater our potential for unhappiness.
We have 2 choices:
1 Say "Forget it. This is too hard. I am just going to be miserable."
2 Be mortal and realize that things are going to get tough and we must prepare. If we want to prepare, we need to practice the art of releasing expectations and embracing everything that happens in our life as a gift.
Not sure how to do this?
Perfect. That's what the show is about today.
Enjoy!
What do you do when you are stuck in a situation that scares the "you know what" out of you? How do you know whether it is a success or a giant failure?
A friend of mine is stuck in one of these situations where she bought an investment property and feels like she is in way over her head. She is questioning whether or not she made the right decision and worries that it may all come crashing down.
During this podcast, I discuss some questions you can ask yourself to help create more clarity over what to do in your life. I also share what you can do if you feel like you are in the wrong boat heading in the wrong direction.
Enjoy the show!
Rob Lilwall is a former geography teacher, turned internationally acclaimed adventurer, author and speaker. His two most epic expeditions to date are the three-year 50,000 km Cycling Home From Siberia expedition, and the six-month 5,000 km Walking Home From Mongolia expedition - both were commissioned as television series for National Geographic. Rob’s unsupported and human-powered travels have taken him across the frozen plains of the Gobi Desert and Siberia; through the thick jungles of Papua New Guinea; and over the lonely passes of Tibet, China, Pakistan, Japan, Switzerland, Bolivia, Peru and Afghanistan.
He is the author of two books which have been translated into five languages, and has given his acclaimed motivational talks to more than 40,000 people in over 20 countries around the world.
Asides from his expeditions, Rob has spent over 14 months of his adult life as a volunteer on educational and humanitarian projects in Africa, Central America, and Asia. His expeditions have raised over 100,000 USD for charity. Between 2010-2015 he and his wife Christine founded and ran the Hong Kong office of the children’s charity, Viva. Rob received his education at the Universities of Edinburgh and Oxford, and most recently has been taking a MOOC course in Positive Psychology with UC Berkeley.
You can reach Rob at www.roblilwall.com
There is no greater asset than relationships.
There is no greater capital than your social capital.
Isaac Newton famously once said, "If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants."
Another one of my favorite quotes is by Zig Ziglar: "You can have everything in life you want, if you just help other people get what they want."
In order to maintain healthy relationships you must make a list of the most important people in your life, connect with them, and always look for ways to contribute to their lives.
We can all be selfish at times but it is important to recognize that and get back to serving others. The greatest way I have found to reduce stress, anxiety, and frustration when things just don't seem to be going well in my life is to lose myself in service to others.
Enjoy!
Many times we learn valuable lessons in the unlikeliest of places.
For me, it was walking down the street when a homeless man gave me some wise words of advice.
I am very grateful and I am honoring him through paying it forward and sharing that message with you.
Enjoy!
I share 3 very powerful strategies in this episode to help you overcome stress and anxiety.
I have been on the longest holiday I have taken in over 7 years.
It was stressful and uncomfortable to be away from the office for almost 3 weeks.
Thoughts about how my staff and my patients were doing were constantly running through my mind. I was letting it really affect me.
That was until I received a phone call.
I received a phone call by someone close to me who was really stressing over money and a student loan that was hanging over their head.
My advice was simple: Even if you have the money, don't pay the loan off yet.
My advice was to find out why this was causing him so much stress first.
Then pay off the loan.
Most people think it is the adults teaching the kids how to live a great life but the opposite is also very true!
I have spent the last week with my 10 month old nephew, Grayson, and he has certainly taught me many lessons in living a great life.
In this podcast, I share some of my favorite stories from the few days I have spent with him. These stories are great reminders on how to really enjoy life.
Thanks Grayson! I love you.