You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

Strong Hope has three things firing: Goals + Agency + Pathways. We need to futurecast a goal that fires us up, believe we can have it and be willing to take infinite Pathways to rock it! Plan A to Z.

Here are Neil Pasricha's 7 favorite scientifically proven ways to boost our happiness.

The All Blacks are all about getting better all.the.time. Can you find 100 things you can improve 1%? Marginal gains, baby!

Here are the four psychological assets you need to grow your grit: Interest + Practice + Purpose + Hope.

We want to be RATIONAL optimists--not irrational optimists. Here's the difference. (And, how it's kinda like irrational vs. rational visualization WOOP style.)

One way to turn a disadvantage into an advantage? Run a full-court press!

Want to be a great leader? It starts with trust--which starts with character. Here are 3 ways to chisel your goodness.

Growth does not occur in a straight line. Time to embrace the zigs and the zags that are part of mastery as our highs get higher and our lows get higher.

Nassim Taleb tells us how to become more anti-fragile. Here's a quick look at his "barbell strategy." Key: Be BOTH super aggressive AND super conservative.

When we see an iceberg, we're tempted to think it's just the tip, but we KNOW there's a lot going on beneath the surface. Same thing with world-class performance.

Robin Sharma is one of the world's top leadership experts. He's also an extraordinarily inspiring guy. This is an inspiring fable about a disillusioned former veteran (Blake) who meets a mysterious mentor (Tommy) who introduces him to four exceptional leaders who change his life. Via this fun cast of characters, Robin downloads his ENORMOUS array of wisdom on leadership + personal greatness. Big Ideas we explore: the four keys to leading without a title, how to flip the leadership switch, the power of moving thru fear and embracing adversity, a simple way to optimize your relationships, and training like an athlete to achieve your personal greatness.

Pixar execs say they take their films from suck to unsuck. (Hah.) We need to do the same. (Did you know WALL-E had 98,173 (!!!) storyboards? Yep.) That's a lot of little bets.

How would the boldest, most authentic, best version of you act? Now a good time to be that? (A: YES! "Fake it until you become it.")

Cal Newport is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Dartmouth who went on to MIT for his Ph.D. and is now a Professor at Georgetown. In this book, Cal shares the top ideas he gleaned from interviews with non-grind Phi Beta Kappa members at elite schools across the country. They had to perform well AND they had to achieve those results without grinding away. Their practices, although discovered independently, reflect the same wisdom shared in the science books. It's great to see the overlap. Big Ideas: pseudo-work vs. real work (and a secret formula), conquering procrastination, when/where/how long should you study?, #1 way to learn (and #1 trap), the importance of spacing out your work and the power to choose your future via excellent grades.

Nutrition. It's easy to get lost in the labyrinth of conflicting science. In this class, we focus on the 2 facts Michael Pollan tells us we can all agree on and then look at how to eliminate the primary causes of disease caused by our modern diets. Optimizing our health, energy and happiness starts at the end of our fork!

Shawn Stevenson is a health coach who has one of the most popular health & fitness podcasts out there called The Model Health Show. This is a short, quick-reading, funny and practical little book featuring 21 tips on how to optimize your sleep. Big Ideas we cover: #1 tip: value your sleep (it's the secret sauce), avoid the blue lights, adenosine (did you know how caffeine really works?), staying cool, getting your vitamin G and creating PM rituals.

Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher, novelist, playwright, and critic. He was a leading intellectual of the 20th century and the leading proponent of existentialism. This short book is a transcript of a speech Sartre gave in 1945 to address many of the critics of existentialism. It's a *remarkably* lucid, concise exposition on the primary tenets of existentialism—even more remarkable given the fact that Sartre gave this lecture without notes. Big Ideas we explore: Anguish + its antidote, passion vs. choice, quietism vs. commitment, the stern optimism of existentialism and moral choices as a work of art.

Unless you're looking to be mediocre, focus more on your talents than your weaknesses. Forget about being well-rounded and focus on being the best version of you.

Christopher McDougall is a brilliant story teller (and author of Born to Run). In this great book, he weaves together a number of different narratives, with an emphasis on two: one about an extraordinary wartime adventure on Crete and the other about Natural Movement. In the process, he shares a ton of Ideas on how we can each tap into the extraordinary superpowers latent within. Big Ideas we explore include the ancient Greek meaning of the word "hero," the mantra of the hero, why weeds + fat are optimal fuel and a great test.

This is the classic text on the psychology of persuasion. Robert Cialdini is a professor of both psychology and marketing at Arizona State University. He's one of the world's leading experts on the psychology of persuasion. The book is simultaneously kind of a consumer protection guide (how not to be duped) AND a manual for marketers (how to sell your stuff!). Cialdini has identified six core psychological principles of persuasion. We take a quick look at each, how they can be used for good or ill and how to apply the wisdom to our lives today.

You know how long Google kept Gmail in Beta mode? 5 years. Only after MILLIONS of people used and loved it did they declare beta complete. We need to put ourselves in permanent beta mode!

Katy Bowman is the world's leading biomechanist—helping us apply wisdom from that domain to optimizing our lives. This is a great, quick-reading, smart and funny look at how we can optimally transition from sitting all.day.long to creating a standing and dynamic (

Katy Bowman is one of the world's leading biomechanists—helping us integrate proper body movement to optimize our well-being. She has a great podcast + blog you might enjoy as well. This book is packed with a ton of exercises and plenty of info on the science of biomechanics to help us pay more attention to the loads we're putting on our bodies throughout the day so we can get in harmony with how our bodies were designed to move. Big Ideas we explore include moving your TRILLIONS of cells, why movement > exercise, why walking is the secret sauce, and how to take a forest bath.

Here's a quick look at some of Warren Buffett's thoughts on goal setting. In short: Identify 25 important life goals. Identify the top 5. Throw away the rest and get to work!

When you look at EXTRAORDINARY performers do you find yourself saying, "Wow. They must have been born with something special?" If so, remember: SO WERE YOU.

John Maxwell is one of the world's leading authorities on leadership. He's trained millions (literally) of leaders and has written over 50 (!) books that have sold over 13 million copies—this one alone has sold over 3 million copies. After a super quick look at the 21 Laws, Big Ideas we explore: The Law of Process (aka: Leaders are learners), the foundation of leadership (= trust), leaders are practical AND visionary, the law of victory (!), and your legacy—what will people say when you die? + What's your "life sentence"?

Epictetus is known as one of the world's leading Stoic philosophers. (Along with Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, the three make up a very interesting bunch.) Epictetus was a former slave turned philosopher who lived from 55-135 (a little later than Seneca and before Aurelius). This book is a transcription of the informal lectures Epictetus gave to his students. It's awesome. Big Ideas we explore: why Hercules needed challenges (and so do you), what figs can teach us about greatness, the good + the bad + the indifferent and how to tell the difference, "impressions" and the tricks they play, and the fact NOW is the time to live this stuff.

Did you know there's a science (+ art!) to learning? Yep. In this class, I'm excited to share some of my favorite Big Ideas on how to learn + make things stick–efficiently! Whether you're a student, parent or life-long learner, I hope you enjoy!

Eric Goodman is the creator of Foundation Training. If you've ever had back or neck or other physical pain, this book might be just what your doctor forgot to order. And, of course, if you're just looking to take your energy to the next level, this is a gem. In the Note, we take a quick look at why gravity + sitting/bad posture = compression and why that's so bad plus how to deal with it as we become fluent in a new movement language and have fun becoming perpetual motion machines.

Wonder what the iconoclast's brain looks like? Well, that's what this book is all about. Our guide is Gregory Berns, one of the world's leading pioneers (iconoclasts?) in the field of neuroeconomics. Berns is a professor in the department of Psychiatry and Economics and at the Goizeta Business School at Emory University. This book is a fascinating look at the three primary facets of the iconoclast's brain (perception + courage + social skills), brought to life via research studies and biographical sketches of modern iconoclasts. Big Ideas we cover: how to change the way you see the world, how to control your fear and how to build your social skills (hint: be a good human).

Dallas and Melissa Hartwig tell us good food passes four tests. Here they are.

The Purpose Formula has three parts. How do you fill in the bubbles? Where do your skills and joy meet the world's needs?

Warren Bennis is one of the world's leading authorities on leadership. This is, as Peter Drucker puts it, his "most important book." Big Ideas we explore include the basic ingredients of leadership (#1 = Guiding Vision!), the importance of self-invention (hint: write your own story!), the power of trusting ourselves, choosing to express ourselves rather than prove ourselves, how to cultivate trust, and becoming a world-class leader.

Welcome to OPTIMIZE Airlines. Please fasten your seatbelts and... remember that if cabin pressure changes you need to give yourself oxygen before trying to help others!

Here's the definition of the Common Denominator of Success: Successful people make a habit of doing the things failures don't like to do.

Vice Admiral James Stockdale is an American hero. Stockdale spent nearly eight years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. He spent four of those years in solitary confinement and was repeatedly tortured. He was the commanding officer of hundreds of other U.S. soldiers and received the Medal of Honor for his service beyond the call of duty. This is an incredibly inspiring look at the powerful mind and equally powerful moral commitment of a hero. Big Ideas we explore: Being our brother's keeper, chiseling our integrity to achieve delight with life, courage as endurance of the soul and heroes vs. bums.

Pete Carroll and Michael Gervais made mental training as important as the physical training with the Seahawks. One trick? They'd have their players imaging their peak performance. Then think about what gets in the way of that. Then they'd systematically remove those obstacles.

Phil Knight created Nike. This book is a *phenomenally* well-written, funny, tear-jerking, inspiring look at how he and his eclectic team of misfit geniuses made Nike one of the most iconic brands in the world. If you're into sports, business and hero's journeys, you'll love it. I highly recommend it. Big Ideas we explore include: Crazy Ideas, victory, billionaires getting their credit cards declined (before they're billionaires), optimal business, gratitude, luck and answering your calling.

Jocko Willink and Leif Babin were two of the most senior (and decorated) SEALS on the ground in the most intense battles of Iraq. In this book they share their leadership lessons on how U.S. Navy SEALs lead and win. It's an intense, impactful read. Big Ideas we explore include a definition of Extreme Ownership, the fact that there are no bad teams, only bad leaders, how to prioritize and execute and remembering that discipline = freedom.

Here's an awesome standard: Outperform your contract. At work. At home. Let's astonish.

Movement. It's about more than just exercise. Did you know you can be active *and* sedentary? Yep. In this class we'll take a look at how to optimize your energy, genes, mind, mood, and body as a perpetual motion machine!

David Ludwig has both an M.D. and a Ph.D. and is a professor and researcher at both Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health. He's overseen dozens of diet studies, authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles, and supported thousands of patients looking to optimize their weight. In this book, we learn how to conquer cravings, retrain fat cells, and lose weight permanently.

What's the #1 rule of confidence? "The *actions* of confidence come first; the *feelings* of confidence come later."

Did you know the word "character" comes from the Greek word for "chisel"? Yep. Just as you chisel away at a marble statue to create a work of art, we need to chisel away at everything that gets in the way of making our lives a work of art.

Michael Phelps tells us there's a big difference between "Can't" and "Won't." His coach, Bob Bowman, told him, "'Can't'–that's a tough word." Let's preserve our power and quit throwing around "can't" when we really mean "won't"!

The Spartan Race tagline is "You'll know at the finish line." But getting to the STARTING line is way more important.

This is a *super* popular book in the Paleo movement that, as the sub-title suggests, introduces us to the Whole30 and can change your life in unexpected ways. Dallas Hartwig and Melissa Hartwig created the Whole30 that has inspired tens of thousands of people to follow their plan and change their life. I'm one of those people. I talk more about how my life changed as a result in the Note. Big Ideas we explore include +1 or -1 bite by bite, the experiment of ONE, the four tests of Good Food, are grains necessary? and your personal health equation.

Joe De Sena is the founder of the Spartan Race. He's also, as Angela Duckworth, author of Grit, tells us: "a paragon of grit" who "shows you how you're capable of so much more than you think." A paragon of grit. That's the perfect description. After inspiring us with stories of real-life heroes and ancient Spartan lore, De Sena walks us through the seven pillars of Spartan training + a 30-day plan to get Spartan Fit. Big Ideas we explore include getting to the starting line, developing obstacle immunity, making thousands of small decisions and your gritty oath.

Want to know what happens when we industrialized our food. Here are 5 key things to keep in mind.

Michael Pollan is one of the world's leading thinkers on nutrition. Time magazine voted him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He's also a Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley. One of the things I most love about him and his work is that, as a journalist, he takes a much wider, more objective view of the nutritional landscape—which can often be dominated by (and muddled by) individuals with *very* strong, dogmatic, inflexible ideologies. Big Ideas we explore: Nutritionism (vs. food), the big experiment (that failed), the Aborigine in all of us, the 5 fundamental transformations of industrializing food and Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puff and Trix cereals as health foods as per the American Heart Association. (