Tough Talks: Conversations On Mental Toughness

First off, Brian Tracy is a titan in personal development, and his insights on mental toughness are pure gold. He's written 94 books on success, leadership, personal development and goals. 94! And he's working on 6 more to get to a nice round 100!We discuss the art of transforming rejection into resilience—an absolute game-changer for anyone in sales. Brian shares his legendary "Psychology of Selling," a seminar that has literally created millionaires worldwide. It's all about harnessing mental fortitude to turn setbacks into setups for success.Brian's relentless pursuit of excellence is infectious. At 81, he's still reading three hours a day, constantly evolving and sharpening his skills. We explore his journey from seminar attendee to a global influencer, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and self-improvement.One of the standout moments is Brian's take on "Eat That Frog," a concept inspired by Mark Twain, and the title of one of his best-selling bo

Hey Tribe,In this latest episode of Tough Talks we're exploring the intriguing intersection of mental toughness and the transformative power of psilocybin with none other than Cate Ritter, a licensed psilocybin facilitator and a beacon in the wellness community. Join us as we delve into the profound insights and personal experiences Cate brings to the table, illuminating the impactful role of psychedelics in fostering mental health and mastery.In our conversation, Cate unpacks the meticulous preparation required for psychedelic sessions, emphasizing the necessity of a safe and nurturing environment. She shares her wisdom on crafting personalized playlists and the thoughtful inclusion of personal comfort items, all aimed at enhancing the psilocybin journey.We also get a glimpse into Cate's recent feature in Golf Digest magazine and her pioneering research into microdosing for athletes, particularly golfers. She talks about the financial support available through the psilocybin access fund and the dive

How many people do you know who were inducted into TEN - yeah, you heard it - TEN different Halls of Fame?! How many coaches do you know who were the National Coach of the Year 8 times? Or won 6 National Championships? Coached the ONLY undefeated team in NCAA Division 1 Golf history? Is the PAC 12 Conference Coach of THE CENTURY?!?! And the list goes on. Well, you're about to meet her. Coach Linda Vollstedt is her name and I sat down recently with her to have an epic conversation during which she was remarkably generous with sharing her secrets to extreme success. And you might be surprised by some of the methodologies that she relied upon to win so damn much. LOVE is one of them. LOVE. And she preaches that unapologetically. When someone says to her, "Oh you used 'soft skills'?" she just points to the trophy case and says, "If those are soft, I guess." Don't miss this episode. 01:04 Introducing Linda Volstead 02:00 Linda's Achievements and Contributions 03:00

I interviewed my dear friend and mentor, Dr. William Maxwell. We delved into EQ (emotional quotient) and its relevance in predicting success. We talked about the power of thinking and its impact on our lives. Dr. Maxwell shared how he initially became fascinated with thinking and the importance of addressing the falling IQ of children. The conversation touched on the potential for humans to evolve beyond racism and the role of travel in broadening perspectives. Dr. Maxwell emphasized the importance of family strength and the impact it has on a child's success, the idea that every child is a potential genius, and we explored ways to strengthen the mind, such as listening to great music and playing games. Dr. Maxwell shared the Inventive Quotient, a series of games he designed to enhance intelligence and problem-solving skills. And we wrapped our conversation with his belief in the evolution of the human race toward universal thinking. Here are some highlights and key takeaways you can expect: - How we

In our latest installment of Tough Talks, we’re going ALL IN! with our awe-inspiring guest - the inimitable Guru Ganesha. Take a deep dive with us into the realm of business challenges and the critical need for innovative solutions. We talk about the dual commitment necessary in the sales process, compelling us to recognize if potential buyers are truly all-in for finding a solution. We’re also delving into the might of personal presence in achieving professional victory and how nurturing a serene confidence can revolutionize our existence. But hold tight, we’re just warming up. Guru Ganesha escorts us through his own life odyssey, from scrubbing dishes to recording in the Big Apple with a dream band, leading all the way to his spiritual enlightenment. Brace yourself for an enthralling dialogue that will motivate you to confront challenges head-on and discover your own inner sage. So let’s plunge right in and unearth the pearls of wisdom bestowed by Guru Ganesha in this illuminating episode of Tough Talks

In this episode of Tough Talks, we have back with us a truly remarkable guest, Jeff Nyce, a retired SWAT team commander and a two-time survivor of terminal illnesses. Despite being diagnosed with his third terminal illness ALS also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, Jeff continues to choose to live and embrace a positive mindset as he keeps pushing forward. Jeff's story teaches us that Mental Toughness is about creating from all circumstances, even those most would consider tragic. He has overcome the odds twice, and is looking to make it three times now as he continues to choose to live every day. Due to his physical limitations, we have utilized artificial intelligence to recreate his voice and convey his powerful message. Join us as Jeff shares his insights on the mind-body relationship, the importance of exercise, and the factors that contribute to sustained health in the face of a devastating diagnosis. Prepare to be inspired by Jeff's incredible resilience and determination.  #ToughTalks #Je

What's the most important trait/skill of a CEO? Why is it so much more important to hire the RIGHT person vs the "best" person for the job? What does it mean to not let perfection be the enemy of good? How does a corporate culture empower its people to feel safe enough to make mistakes? What does it mean to "execute with extreme prejudice"? These are some of the questions we explore with our guest and CEO of the technical education industry leader Career Certified, Gary Weiss. Gary is a remarkable leader who understands what most leaders do not regarding how to get the most out of your people. "Enable and Empower" is one of his mottos - values, actually. He knows how to build and sustain a culture characterized by trust (can you confirm that, X-Man?). He creates a space where great thinking is nurtured. All of that has a lot to do with why his company is absolutely demolishing it in their industry. And he's got Philly roots! And at the very end of our dialog, we

I'm so thrilled to be able to introduce you to an absolute Powerhouse (in every way). His name is Siavash Fashi. He's the owner of the enormously successful small gym (very very small, and apparently wonderfully high-vibe and chaotic!) in Culver City, CA named SixPax Gym.Siavash left Iran, where bodybuilding was illegal and where he dealt with cancer, poverty, and political turmoil. After seven years as a refugee in England and a year in a U.S. prison for using a fake passport, he headed to SoCal to achieve his dreams. With nothing to his name except grit and determination, he was able to build one of the most profitable small gyms in the country.In our Tough Talks conversation today, we only get through 1/3 of the originally intended content because his story is SO compelling and chock-full of Mental Toughness GOLD.This guy is a Master Mental Coach and he doesn't even know it!His story is mesmerizing. Prepare to be in rapture and to be mind-blown by this guy who totally gets the power of using yo

"We are on a mission to move minds with mushrooms." That's a quote from his website, www.getumbo.com. His name is Jake "The Snake" Plummer and he is a former NFL quarterback turned mushroom farmer. His new chosen assignment in life is to remind us here in the Western cultures about the profound healing qualities of functional (and hopefully soon-to-be-legalized) psychedelic mushrooms. Join us for a deep dive into the magical nature of "The Fungal Queendom"! p.s. Jake even offered The Tough Talks Tribe a discount on any products. I share that discount code at the very end. Watch the episode on: https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-moving-minds-with-mushrooms-with-jake-the-snake-plummer/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mental-toughness-podcasts/message

His speaking career started at age 8 when his iconic minister father had him speak before a church congregation of thousands in his native Ghana. He himself was ordained a minister at age 14. He didn't ask for any of that. So at age 18 he won a green card in the Ghanaian lottery, followed his intuition, and moved to LA, alone, knowing no one, with $800 in his pocket. He is now one of the world's most recognized leaders in the world of personal development and his name is Kute Blackson. In our remarkable conversation today, Kute blesses the Tough Talks Podcast Tribe with some legit wisdom pearls! When I asked him to tell us what he does, his response was, "I don't do. I undo." And he elaborated beautifully upon that. He also gives us a series of profound questions that we can ask ourselves to help free ourselves from the conditioning of our pasts that governs us. And he makes clear what it means to "surrender" - and it ain't what most think. In fact, he went on to say, &qu

From Physical Therapist to Co-Owner of the Philadelphia 76ers NBA team to Zen Monk, our guest today is NOT TYPICAL! He IS, however, something very few people ever achieve which you can argue is far less likely than any of the above. He is a Philadelphia LEGEND! His name is Pat Croce and I have known about him for most of my life (having grown up in the Philly area and being a Philly sports fanatic). As a serial entrepreneur, Pat has created many business ventures including my former favorite bar in Key West, Florida (he sold it off and I am not one bit pleased about that!) as well as restaurants and museums in St. Augustine. FL. He's always been fascinated with Pirate Life! He even wrote a kick-ass book on it entitled, The Pirate Handbook. About eight years ago, Pat embarked on a deep inward journey where he unplugged and immersed himself in reading, woodworking, Chinese calligraphy and stillness. A cancer diagnosis inspired his reemergence and we got him back now. And our wildman Philly Boy ain

Who has won MVP of The Super Bowl AND had a movie created about his life story? My latest Tough Talks Podcast guest, that's who. Kurt Warner. Kurt's Cinderella story is easily one of the best in NFL history (that's why they made the movie, American Underdog, about it). Through countless trials and tribulations, Kurt and his remarkable wife, Brenda, continuously chose to believe in his passion and his dream until he pulled it off. From food stamps to the Hall of Fame. And according to him, they're just getting started! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mental-toughness-podcasts/message

Who says that real personal growth and healing need to be gradual?! Well, not this guest. Today we have World Renowned Therapist and Best Selling Author, Marisa Peer, on the show. Marisa is the founder of Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT). RTT is a massively disruptive approach to helping people heal and grow. Because it's - well - RAPID! She explains to us how our suffering arises from weak thinking and the terrible stories (that are lies) that we tell ourselves all day long. AND, how to stop doing that by reauthoring profound stories and replaying those over and over to become our truths. She also tells us about a beautiful project she started to help youth create and keep confidence for themselves (this is dear to my heart). I am beyond thrilled to be able to share Marisa and her expertise with you today! About Marisa: Website: https://marisapeer.com Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMarisaPeer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marisapeertherapy --- Link to the episode: https:

What do you do when the wolf knocks on your door? What if the wolf is already inside?? In light of the mass layoffs rippling through the economy, it's particularly important for us all as leaders, employees, business owners, and coaches to be in the practice of Mental Toughness. This week my team and I have put together a special highlight reel. This collection of poignant and practical tools from world-class leaders and coaches can help us (remember) to use our minds to survive THRIVE during these times. As William Arthur Ward said, "The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails." Let's start adjusting. Here are all the guests from this highlight reel and the links to their full episodes: Garry Ridge CEO & Chairman, The WD-40 Company Iyanla Vanzant Author & Spiritual Life Coach Jon Hunter CRO, Advisor, Coach, Podcaster Helen Appleby Author, Speaker & Coach Reggie Marable Head of Sales, CMT, for Slack Phil Gallagher CEO at Avnet,

Have you ever met someone who is perpetually driven by both the creation of excellence AND fun?! Well, whether you have or you haven’t, you’re about to. His name is Reggie Marable and he is a big-time Sales Exec with a fan base larger than the Atlanta Braves! (He's from Atlanta, aka the ATL.) Reggie truly gets what Mental Toughness means. He has applied Mental Toughness practices to everything he's done in life. He played professional football. He was recently named to the prestigious 100 Black Men of Atlanta organization which creates educational and economic opportunities for African American youth in the ATL. And after Salesforce (where he has been a sales leader for the last 6 years) acquired Slack for $27B (yes, with a "B") in the summer of 2021, they offered Reggie the enormous responsibility to run one of its largest orgs, CMT (Communications, Media, and Technology). For good reason. In our convo, we discuss some of the practices that he uses to keep himself perpetually inspired and some stellar leader

Attracting and retaining top talent, helping that talent be and stay clear on their "WHY", maintaining a "healthy paranoia", and demonstrating authentic humility are a few of the most important things that the CRO of Black Swan Data, David Delnero, identifies as keys to success in these challenging times.   I have had the privilege of watching David ascend in the ranks over the course of the last decade and it came as no surprise when he was chosen to lead the sales organization at Black Swan. He is as high as they get when it comes to integrity and you don't need to be in the tech sales industry to benefit from the wisdom he drops here.   More about David:   Website: https://blackswan.com/  Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-delnero-48b99a/  Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/black-swan-data/mycompany/  https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-sales-leadership-gold-with-silky-d/  ---   If you enjoyed this content and you are not get

People in the industry make a pretty convincing argument that the Enterprise Software Industry is the most competitive industry on the planet at the moment. And that means, if you’re interested in creating excellence in that realm, Mental Toughness is mighty handy.   Just canned my latest episode of the Tough Talks Podcast with guest, Larry Shurtz, Chief Revenue Officer at Confluent.   Larry is an icon in the industry known for his firm, predictable and supportive leadership style.   We take a good deep dive into what some of the most important things are these days for sales leaders and salespeople to be practicing these days – both professionally AND personally.   More about Larry:   Website: www.confluent.io/  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/larryshurtz/  ---  Link to the episode: https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-mindset-the-1-variable-in-sales-success-with-larry-shurtz/ ---  If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting notifications of new posts,

Have you ever heard (or said), "There's just not enough time in the day." Or, "I just wish I had more time." Or, "There's a time for work and a time for play."   Our Tough Talks Guest today, Joe Perrone, Time Wizard (as I like to call him), is here to debunk all of that. Joe made the decision several years ago after a medical emergency to reorganize and reprioritize the way he uses time. Now Joe NEVER complains about not having enough time for the things that matter most. In fact, tomorrow he has a 9:30 am appointment on a Tuesday morning to rake and play in leaves with his 3 year old son.   More about Joe:   Website: https://joeperrone.biz/ Facebook:www.facebook.com/joe.perrone.jr  LinkedIn business page:www.linkedin.com/in/joeon34/   Link to 'The 5 Keys To Time Freedom Free Download': joeperrone.biz/5keys   Link to 'Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing Paperback': https://www.amazon.com/Top-Five-Regrets-Dying-Transformed   Link to the f

This week we have put together another highlight reel from 8 more of our amazing guests who blessed us with their presence and amazingness on the show. Have a look/listen, and take some tools or tips or reminders away from it that can help you continue to strengthen your mind and build more Mental Toughness. Guests in this Highlight Reel: Dan O'Brien John Kriesel Sam Calagione Greg Head Jon Hunter Jonathan Keyser Mary Bea Porter-King Troy Melendez, PhD --- Link to the episode: https://christopherdorris.com/best-of-tough-talks-7/ --- If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting notifications of new posts, then I invite you to sign up to my list.   Please also share this with the people in your world that would also dig this post and benefit from it. --- https://christopherdorris.com/lists --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mental-toughness-podcasts/message

"Demolish what you've created!" "Demolition is messy!" "Discover where you suck!" "Settle into the fact that you're not in control!" These are just a few of the wisdom bombs that our repeat guest drops for us today. Welcome back to Jonathan Keyser, Founder of KEYSER Commercial Real Estate. This is JK and CD do Tough Talks 2.0. And in our episode, we discuss how - specifically how - JK reinvented his thriving business in the midst of the pandemic AND how he reinvented himself as well! KEYSER 2.0 and JK 2.0! "We are in constant disruptive innovation. And we are asking ourselves, where do we need to break something?!" More about Jonathan: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathankeyser/ LinkedIn business page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/keyser/ --- Link to the episode: https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-destroy-what-you-have-created-with-jonathan-keyser/ --- If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting notifications of new posts, then I invite you to sign up to my list. Please also