Heroicminds

First Episode Back!! SFL = Skills for Life. Every episode will be a 5-10 minute journey through articles, movies, client anecdotes, research & more, summarized with actionable takeaways. I call it, enjoyable, self-administered, psychotherapy. Todays Topics: 1. Empty your backpack. 2. Mental health is not as simple as we make it sound. FEEDBACK + FUTURE TOPICS + ANECDOTES + STORIES --> info@heroicminds.live

Eva Holland is an adventure enthusiast, athlete and freelance writer. She is the author of Nerve: Adventures in the Science of Fear. Eva spent a large portion of her life living in fear. It was the fear of losing her mother that transcended many parts of her life and created a constricting grip over her ability to experience life fully. One day in her early thirties Eva’s biggest fear came true. In response was an incredible journey that began as hiding inside and ordering in food day after day, then the socially popularized idea of facing your fears head on, and finally, learning about fear, how it works, the purpose it serves and our ability to change it. Eva Holland faced her fears and that did not work so she took a different point of attack and that incredibly authentic, educating and empowering journey is packaged up into her book which we scrape the surface of in this episode. How love is often the cause of fear, sky-diving, exposure therapy, EMDR eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing and its

Right after graduating from his musical theatre and performance degree from Sheridan college, David became the only amputee to perform on Broadway. For the screen, David has directed and choreographed several series for CBC as well as projects for CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS. David has collaborated with artists including Katy Perry, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Elton John, Sarah Jessica Parker, kd lang, Patti LaBelle, Sarah Brightman and many others. Currently, David Connolly, is the Associate Artistic Director at Drayton Entertainment, one of Canada’s most successful not-for-profit, professional theatre companies. This incredibly exciting and successful career began with the amputation of both of his feet. We will get to that in the episode... David has directed concerts and shows for large organizations across North America such as, The United Nations. What began with Shriner’s hospital turning a broom closet into a nursery because his mom would not take “no” for an answer that they could not care for him, turned into a

The best approach to behavioural change in the inclusion space is often argued and often political. Having the conversation with Mark is a breath of fresh air. It is a conversation with nothing off the table, constructive, honest and most important, creates relatability. Mark Fraser spent 15 years in pro hockey, 8 of those in the NHL. Those years came with being treated differently for the colour of his skin and his cultural differences. Today, Mark has a lead role in Maple Leaf’s Sports & Entertainment, Equity Diversity & Inclusion team. In this episode we point out why the top down approach doesn’t work and why the bottom up approach does. We talk about the power of the minority and the majority working together toward improvement. We reference stories of significant change being made in the sporting world without any governing direction. We also dive into how people can begin creating this change in their own environments/communities without convoluted direction or regulations. Send me an Email Her

For those that watched Eco-Challenge on Amazon Prime you will definitely be familiar with both Travis and his father Mark, the incredible duo exemplified what we know as the hero’s journey and a thirst for living fully. Travis is a professional athlete completing over 120 ultra endurance events in 17 countries, he is a speaker, author and coach. He is the author of The Ultra Mindset: An Endurance Champion's 8 Core Principles for Success in Business, Sports, and Life. He set a record for the 2013 Leadman series epic endurance event consisting of a combination of five trail running and mountain biking events held in Leadville, Colorado over the course of two months each summer, in a combined record time, of 36:20 covering 282.3 miles 10,200 feet up in the Rocky Mountains. I was watching the show, Eco-Challenge and heard the narrator Bear Grillz tell the audience of this Travis Macy guy…. Who decided not to participate with the goal of finishing in a top position, Instead he wanted to do the 500km (or 310 m

Three generations of the Israel family, Carl, Jamie and Brett decided to convert their long standing family farm to Organic, but it came at a high cost. After converting to Organic and taking on millions in debt, the market they were promised, vanished. The family didn’t put blame on anyone else. They dug their feet in. They decided to reinvent themselves. They changed the story of what they create and why they create it. They changed the story they were telling both internally and externally. This is a story of family, trust and willpower. 3Gen Organics In this episode: We run through the family story How the 3rd generation decided to leave the traditional education system to spearhead the family business How getting off the farm is not really a priority How they philosophically changed who their customer is How they identity as Food Producers, not Farmers. The way they approach the physically demanding aspects of their job Send me an email! ben@heroicminds.live  

Dr. Galati is a traumatic brain injury survivor, and medical doctor. He has the goal of making aerobic training a part of brain injury recovery protocol. He is doing this through the Brain Changes Initiative. In this episode we discuss taking control & ownership over the brain injury recovery process with the 5-Pillars of a brain healthy lifestyle. A vital part of this conversation is envisioning the benefits of your interventions. Instead of using rationalized motivation to complete recovery objectives, picture the benefits as you plan & complete your recovery processes. Send me an e-mail: ben@heroicminds.live

Ben Switzer is a disruption architect, community accelerator, and technological storyteller. He is an entrepreneur in the health technology and virtual reality space with his present companies EXAR Studios & True Focus. The connection between imagination and behaviour. The cognitive process of reflecting on behaviour and how this can lead to catalytic change in your life. Determining what is driving the negative behaviours in your life. The process of tying the difficult tasks to the greater future vision of your life, of who you want to be and embodying it in immediate action. Send me an email! ben@heroicminds.live

Lauren Johnson is a Mental Conditioning Coach for the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball. Her goal is to improve the resilience, performance and mental strength of all the athletes in the NY Yankees System.  Lauren does not believe there is a set of tools for in sport and out of sport. You are the same human whether you are at home, on the street, on the mound or on the ice. This episode functions as a guide and self-reflection that asks: Who do you want to be? AND Do your present habits and patterns align with who you want to be? Lauren on Twitter Heroic Apparel Send me an Email: ben@heroicminds.live

Vincent Aiello spent nearly a quarter of a century as a US Navy fighter pilot. He deployed overseas on aircraft carriers numerous times and was selected to attend and instruct at the US Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as TOPGUN. Retired from the US Navy in 2017, Vincent is now the host of the Fighter Pilot Podcast. In this episode we cover a lot of ground, from landing on an aircraft carrier at night, experiencing 9 G’s on your body, leadership in the Navy, heroism, the growth mindset of debriefing, maintaining focus while alone in the cockpit and A LOT more. We conclude with a story of being fired at unexpectedly over Iraq and the most memorable flight of his career, ‘a hero coming home’ is what I would call it. Fighter Pilot Podcast Send me an email! ben@heroicminds.live

Victoria Arlen’s life drastically changed in 2006 at the tender age of eleven when she developed two rare conditions known as Transverse Myelitis and Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis. She slipped into a vegetative state in which doctors had written her off as a lost cause. Victoria spent nearly four years “locked” inside her own body completely aware of what was going on just unable to move or communicate. Doctors believed there was little hope. She could hear doctors say to her family, it may be better off to give up. Nor she or her family gave in. In 2010 after almost four years she began the nearly impossible fight back to life. Learning how to speak, eat and move all over again. Victoria went on to exceedingly defy the odds and not only recovered but has since become an accomplished Motivational Speaker, Television Host and Swimmer. Her swimming resume includes three Silvers and a Gold medal from the London 2012 Paralympic Games as well as multiple World, American and Pan American Records.  In April 2

John Boockvar is the Vice Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery and the Director of the Brain Tumor Center at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. Dr. Boockvar is well known from the incredible Netflix Documentary, Lennox Hill, Where the viewer gets to dive into the lives of four doctors as they navigate the highs and lows of working at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. I encourage you to watch the show because Dr. Boockvar and everyone else in the show, (doctors, nurses, patients and patients families) are everything we talk about in this podcast rolling out in front of your eyes. Without the science, without the complexity, just raw humanity in its most courageous and resilient form. From Michael Jordan to Tom Petty, why you should "never let the holes in the Swiss Cheese align", why performance begins with a mindful minute, and why throwing tennis balls randomly at your kids to catch is an innovative life lesson, hear about all this and much more in this incredible episode. Send me an email! b

Dr. Gale Gazelle is a medical doctor, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, physician coach, mindfulness teacher and author of, Everyday Resilience, released this past august 2020. Growing up, Dr. Gazelle was abused by her father. That is where the episode begins. In this episode we talk trauma, how it hides in our subconscious, how it surfaces and how it can be dealt with. Then we move into a long list of tools and techniques anyone can implement into their life today to increase their ability to sustain the stressors of life.  "Far from being a passive endurance of life’s tribulations, resilience is an active process with which you can choose to engage." I love doctors Dr. Gazelle's approach to awakening resilience because it is simple and easy to implement right away. It is realistic, primitive and not a "life hack" Dr. Gazelle gives story after story explaining how slight adjustment of everyday habits can change your ability to handle stress. This is an episode where you

Jesse Thistle is Métis-Cree, from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He is an Assistant Professor in Métis Studies at York University in Toronto. Honestly, I wanted to name this episode, the toughest man you never met, because when you see this intelligent, well spoken, empathetic, caring, loving person today, it is difficult to image the past he had. Before Jesse landed at York University and became one of Canadas most decorated phD students, he was dealing with mental illness, homelessness, addicted to crack cocaine, paid regular visits to correctional facilities across Ontario, couldn’t read or write, and couldn’t walk because of a staph infection. He says he was the limping homeless person on the side of the road begging for change. Jesses story and his incredible work makes the passed on, intergenerational trauma from generation to generation so tangible and digestible. In hearing his story you begin to understand the pain, the sadness and the emptiness that dominated his nurturing. It was little experiences o

Ryan Straschnitzki was a couple days from his 19th birthday playing for the Humbolt Broncos Hockey Club in 2018 when the bus crashed where 16 people died and left 13 injured. Ryan left him paralyzed from the chest down. In only three months he was getting back onto the ice as a sledge hockey player. His goal is now to represent Canada at the Olympics. This is one of those episodes, similar to many in the past where it is not complex psychological or philosophical ideas but rather a call to action, a positive meditation if you will, on living a resilient and courageous life, no matter what. Send me an email: Ben@HeroicMinds.Live  

Ben Flanagan is an NCAA Champion from the University of Michigan. Ben went into that same race seeded as the 23rd fastest runner out of the 24 who qualified. Ben became the 2018 men’s outdoor 10,000m NCAA Champion with a time of 28:34. Today Ben is a professional Reebok sponsored runner and Olympic hopeful. In this episode we dive into the mind of a long-distance runner and how it all relates to life. How does one go into something THEY know will be uncomfortable and avoid getting caught up in their own head? How do you create a sustainable plan for improvement where your input may not be 100% everyday but your output is? How do you deal with uncertainty? Especially in a sport that is so numbers driven? What doesn’t work from the common narratives around motivation How did Bens parents change the script on how they motivated their son How did his coaches feedback on the night before that big race, give him everything he needed to succeed? One of my favourite topics discussed, I have heard this many times on

Sam Chase delivers programs in mindfulness, yoga and resilience for organizations and high performers, nationwide. Sam teaches the science of the human mind and the tools that help people lead flourishing lives. Sam is certified to teach by the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, the largest yoga center in the nation, he received his Master's Degree at Harvard University's A.R.T. Institute, he has his own private practice in New York City and is the author of the incredible book, Yoga and the Pursuit of Happiness. Heroic Apparel #PayAHeroForward Send me an email: Ben@heroicminds.live

Dr. Cowan is a Board-certified Naturopathic Doctor and leading authority/practitioner of high performance medicine who is most recognized for his work with professional athletes. Dr. Callum clearly explains how food can be something that holds you back or powers you to enhance how you feel, work and recover. We can be performing well below our maximum and not even know it purely due to what we are eating and how we are eating. Get your notebook out… but seriously… From coffee to inflammation, vitamin-D, sleep habits, gut-health, detoxing, hormones, sleep-wake cycle, and more, we cover a lot of ground! Everyday Hero Cap Send me an Email: ben@heroicminds.live    

Matt Nichol received his Bachelor of Education degree (Kinesiology/History) from McGill University and his Masters of Kinesiology & Masters in Coaching Theory from York University. He is the Creator of Biosteel Sports Drink and is a strength coach for some of the best athletes in the world. In this episode Matt defines strength, he debunks myths about what is strong and what is not. In a social media, research driven world, Matt provides insight into how we should approach “exercise” and how we should execute it. We then dive into some specifics, What is the relationship between strength and mobility? What is a strong core? Is HIIT Training as good as “they” say? Should we always train to failure? and MUCH more. Send me an email Ben@heroicminds.live  

This episode has two outstanding guests. Dr. Kim Dawson, professor of sport & exercise psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University and the infamous Joey Hishon past Ontario Hockey League All-Star, and NHL All-Star hopeful until injury pivoted his career path in a new and exciting direction.   Kim’s extensive education and research in psychomotor behaviour and exercise science gives her a deep understanding of the issues that affect performance. Kim also continues to do extensive work on career transition and identity. Working with elite athletes, Olympians and professional sport organizations for over 10 years, Kim developed the principles of Mind2Achieve to support people in their quest for personal success.   Joey is presently the Assistant coach and Assistant GM of the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League while also working with top NHL players and elite NHL prospects through on-ice still development.   In this episode I wanted to facilitate a discussion between the science and the lived experie