Tough Talks: Conversations On Mental Toughness

I met Sumukh a year ago when he was 19 at an international event that is for global thinkers committed to making a difference on the planet. --- He immediately astonished me because of his willingness to so confidently occupy a level of leadership and contribution at such a young age. I knew immediately that I wanted him on the show. --- It took us a year to coordinate it, and it's here now. You're going to love his vibe, his intellect, his humility, his heart, his leadership and his passion/mission. --- Email Address: s@tile.org website: TILE.org Twitter: sumukhsetty --- https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-sumukh-setty-empowering-a-generation-of-leaders/ --- If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting notifications of new posts, then I invite you to signup 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/tough-talks-chris-dorris/message

This is someone's recent reaction to witnessing today's Tough Talks guest for the very first time: “WHO is this raw mass of unbridled brown energy, seething with sweat and love, this oozing cloud of kinetic inspiration dripping with openness and laughter? --- It’s ASHOK!" --- Have you ever been around someone who simply radiates high vibes all the time? Have you ever met someone who truly believes that NOTHING bad ever happens to them? Have you been in the presence of a person whose energy is so rich that you simply want to know them and be around them more? Ask this guy what he's on. He's got a great answer. Well, I asked him for you, and you'll love his response. Feel this dude's vibe. Really pay attention to that. That's his gift to us today. --- Email Address: Athakur@ccninc.com Facebook and IG: ashok.thakur.3194 His book: "Infinite Love, Finite Life" is on Amazon --- https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-ashok-thakur-love-radiator-and-magnet/ --- If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting no

Carolyn Freyer Jones, or CFJ, is a powerhouse coach who has been referred to as a "straight-talking New Yorker mixed with pure compassion." You can tell she's done her work on herself. She has a serenity and a clarity and a confidence about her that is palpable and can only make the experience of working with her so much more profound. --- In our conversation today, CFJ drops a handful of wisdom bombs that will definitely serve you in your professional and personal lives. For example: "Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's moving forward with it." --- She has her own Coaching School now, the CFJ Coaching Success School and you can learn more about that on her website. carolynfreyerjones@gmail.com https://www.carolynfreyerjones.com https://www.facebook.com/carolyn.freyerjones --- https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-carolyn-freyer-jones-executive-and-personal-coach/ --- If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting notifications of new posts, then I invite you to signup to my list. Please also sha

How many people do you know that have spent 3 months in a Nepalese Monastery, then followed that up with another month in a Thai one, 3 weeks in The Amazon in Peru and another 2 weeks in silence at a California retreat to process it all? Oh, and who trains the brains of Olympic medalists and NCAA Champion gymnasts? --- I know one! --- And we have her as our guest today. She's my former business partner and one of my greatest mentors in life, Dr. Alison Arnold. --- Doc Ali, as we more casually know here, is a true Master Mental Coach and I'm proud to say has taught me a lot of what I know and use in my work. Our conversations are always full of depth and practical ideas of how to strengthen the mind. --- You're gonna love her. --- Email Address: docalison@aol.com Website: www.headgamesworld.com Facebook: HeadGames World IG: headgamesworld Parent Bubble: (arriving summer of 2019) TheParentBubble.com ---- https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-alison-arnold-phd-mental-toughness-coach-founder-of-headgames/ ---

Today's guest is Fred Blum and he's back for Episode 2. We had a scintillating discussion a few months back and decided to do a round 2. --- In today's dialogue, we take a deep dive into what it means to be "Energy Rich" or "Energy Poor", why so many of us unconsciously choose energy POOR living, and what we can do when we are energy impoverished in order to enrich ourselves. --- Fred has generously offered The Tough Talks community a complimentary coaching session with him. (That’s amazing.) If you’re interested you can contact him at: Cell: 1 (512) 584-9075 Email: drfred@energyrichliving.net Links: Website: www.energyrichliving.net Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fred.blum.37 His Facebook Live interview we referenced: https://www.facebook.com/fred.blum.37/videos/10157316647734050/?hc_ref=ARRDN2HgbhUrnvDbH257hdOcqm_DG6B0oiF42fpq0UpBzScko0c0-Pc_8Z4PPqLFY5o --- https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-dr-fred-blum-vol-2energy-rich-living-episode-2/ --- If you enjoyed this content and you are not getti

We got him back for round 2! And, Man, does he deliver. Again. David Wood is a master of many things. Among them is pausing before he responds. He's pretty damn mindful, and we learn from witnessing that alone. He's also a master of taking MASSIVE ACTION. --- We discuss the 4 reasons why most of us DO NOT live our best lives. He calls them the 4 Villians. And, naturally, we finish with the antidote - the 4 Heroes. --- He discussed how to work with the fact that our minds are like monkeys on crack! He also teaches us about The Law of Large Numbers and how "yes" lives in the land of "no." --- He also has a remarkably generous offer for certain folks which he articulates at the very end. --- You can learn more about him at www.playforreal.life Email: david@playforreal.life --- https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-david-wood-volume-2international-coach-and-speaker/ --- If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting notifications of new posts, then I invite you to signup to my list. Please also share thi

This week we have our first ever repeat appearance by a guest. We have the amazing Stephen McGhee back for Episode 2. Our first conversation focused entirely upon his remarkable experience and subsequent documentary about climbing Aconcagua with 6 other men 7 or 8 years ago, and more importantly, the profound lessons that they each learned about themselves, their relationships and the ways that they are/were using their lives. If you haven’t seen that episode, please do watch/listen. --- And, I wanted to bring this guy back because he’s just so powerful and I wanted to have another conversation with him, but this time about the magic that he’s creating currently as a Leadership Guide, International Speaker and Author. --- Stephen has a graduate degree in Spiritual Psychology and backgrounds in both investment banking and as an ecumenical minister. He’s just a fascinating dude. --- He’s the author of three books on leadership and has worked with a ton of huge companies like Microsoft, Merck and Firestone. ---

We’re going for a deep dive here today, folks, into the core of the human experience with a New York-style Monk who has studied around the planet with great minds and mentors. He has degrees in Psychology and Chiropractic and his main focus now is coaching folks on living what he calls an Energy Rich Life. That is, living a life of productivity, vitality peace, connection, and happiness. --- His name is Dr. Fred Blum and he will simultaneously mesmerize you, soothe you, confuse the fuck out of you and entertain you. This is why I love him! --- We’ve already decided that we need to do at least a two part series in order to do justice to some of the topics that can really affect the way folks experience peace, or not, and success, or not. --- Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: - The nature of the human ego is that it’s always dissatisfied, but contrary to many ancient philosophies, we do NOT want to kill the ego, we want to utilize it. (Yeah, we’re not easing into this dialog!) - Our True na

You ready to PLAY today?! Because that’s exactly what you’re about to do, and exactly what you’re about to watch me and today’s Tough Talks guest, David Wood, do. --- David is actually a former Actuary for Fortune 100 companies like Exxon and Sony Music and Proctor & Gamble. He bounced from his cushy Manhattan gig to go off and explore the worlds. That is, the actual world, but also his inner world. --- Now he’s an International Coach and Speaker who has coached thousands of hours over 20 years and in 12 countries! --- His tag line, as well as his world view and website name is, “Play For Real.” He points out that 90% of people die with regret and he thinks that’s pretty damn unnecessary. And we’re gonna ask him all about that and how to NOT be one of that 90%! --- This cat is both brilliant AND fun as hell. You’re gonna learn and laugh from this wizard today! --- Here are some highlights: - The real key to success both personally and professionally. - The three keys to make that one key happen (you’re go

How many people do you know that have not only starred on a major reality TV show, but have also been spoofed on South Park?!?! Well, I know one and you’re about to meet her. Her name is Stella Reid, aka, “Nanny Stella” of Nanny 911. --- Nanny Stella moved to the USA 29 years ago from Northern England, became a celebrity and is now coaching parents, matching nannies and families, and offers online training courses for parents and nannies. --- Here are some of the highlights from this most entertaining dialog: - What the hell is Momnesia? - How she’s relied upon “Military Precision” to whip these parents’ asses into shape! - Her own personal transformation from a “Rottweiler with a bee in its mouth” into a….well, she’ll tell you. - The 6 C’s of Mental Toughness! - How a working class girl from the North of England becomes a US celebrity - The Nanny 9-1-1 story. - And, of course, the South Park spoof: how it initially demoralized her and how she’s converted it into fuel! --- Links: Website: www.nannystella.com

Who gathers a group of six NON-mountaineers, trains them mentally and physically for a year and then climbs the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere with them? For personal and professional growth reasons. Who DOES that?! Leadership Guide, Speaker and Author Stephen McGhee does. --- And he’s my guest in this episode of Tough Talks. And what a treat he is! Stephen and I have spent exactly zero hours of time together in the same physical space but I have studied him and followed his work for years in such a way that I feel like he’s a brother. We have also shared the same amazing coaches so we really are kindred spirits. And that made for a really “spirited” dialog on purpose, passion, commitment, mental toughness, success, meditation and jumping into freezing cold water. --- Here are some of the highlights: - Mastery doesn’t mean perfection, it means progression. - Urgency doesn’t mean being in a hurry, it means that since life is so precious, let’s create NOW with what we have. - Getting “soft” as a Man

One of the most important reasons to strengthen the mind is because of its instantaneous, inextricable, and profound relationship with the body. In fact, with the quantity and quality of emerging scientific research these days on the mind-body relationship, I predict there’ll be a new, condensed word soon for “mind-body relationship” and it’ll simply be mind-body. --- Last year a documentary came out on the subject entitled, HEAL. I went to see it in the theaters and was blown away at how many brilliant experts were included and how densely packed the film is with hugely important information and practices for us to understand and integrate so that we can enjoy life with optimal health. --- I am over the moon pumped about the fact that our guest today is the Writer, Director, Producer of the fabulous and fabulously important documentary, Heal, Kelly Noonan Gores. --- There a million highlights from this conversation. In fact, the conversation ITSELF is one big highlight. But here are a few of the moments that

WOW! What an impressive guy, this Mike Haynes. And that he’s an NFL Hall of Famer is NOT the top reason why. In fact, not even close. Rather, it’s his perpetual commitment to serve that makes him so powerful. You’ll notice him use the words “serve” and “service” throughout the entire discourse. --- This dialog rocked me a few times, and those times will be obvious to you. --- Here are a few of the highlights: 8:25: Mike’s experience defeating prostate cancer and how it led to him becoming a national spokesperson for it. 10:15: The importance of being proactive (at this point with respect to getting checked for prostate cancer or breast cancer, but more on being proactive later…) 13:10: What Mental Toughness means to Mike Haynes and why it must fundamentally involve service. 17:25: The difference between talking Mental Toughness and WALKING it. 19:30: You’ll be surprised by his response to the question, “When did you first think about playing professional football?” 22:25: The BIG ASK that opened up his career

Our guest today is a man who definitely walks his talk when it comes to fortifying his mind and living powerfully. You hear it clearly in his language. His name is John Toomey and he is an enormously successful sales leader (SVP North America Sales at NICE Systems), an Ironman and a dedicated husband and father. And he has some true golden nuggets - practical insights and advice - for us in each of those categories that will help us be far more powerful in each of those specific areas of life. --- In our conversation today we touch upon: · The mega-importance of always having a clear “WHY?!” · How “no” in sales doesn’t actually mean no, but rather it’s simply an indicator of a lack of information. · Why Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss is the best sales book EVER! · 2 ways for athletes (and anyone) to tap into extra reservoirs of strength and stamina. · The 3 F’s that are his 3 pillars of life: Faith, Family and Fundamentals. --- This talk is choc-full of laughs and valuable takeaways. You’re gonna love John!

Holistic Nutritionist, Life Coach and former NFL Cheerleader, Taylor Stone is our guest for today’s episode of Tough Talks. --- Taylor’s work far transcends (but most definitely includes) nutritional coaching in her work with women. She refers to herself as a healer (rightfully so) and integrates emotional detoxing and instilling massive self-love and confidence and exercise coaching in her efforts to help women get out of the victim mindset so they can own and create a life they love. --- Taylor is a true student of longevity and health and she walks her talk. She can be unapologetically polarizing when it comes to subjects like the overmedication of the populous and the ignorance we have as a society to our bodies desire to heal itself. Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: 4:15: Taylor’s own history with health challenges 11:30: What if most people on antidepressants don’t need them?! 18:25: and….what if depression in general is “not necessary”? 22:05: “Unconscious Absorption” and “Bi-Neur

It isn’t every day that I get to interview a famous Hollywood Stuntwoman! But I did today. Angela Meryl is our badass guest for this episode and we discuss the unlikely journey she’s had as a model/actress/stuntwoman. --- Angela had a very modest upbringing in Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and decided at an early age that she wanted to go to Hollywood and crush it there (“Decided” is the operative word in that sentence). She has won numerous awards for her work and has appeared in a LONG list of TV shows and blockbuster movies including Kill Bill, Skysong, The Obsessed, Westworld, Pirates of the Caribbean, and has been a guest on shows such as Queen Latifah and this other small one called Oprah! --- A few hit points from our dialog: -9:25 - Getting “Paid to Play” - following your bliss -12:45 - The Psychology of jumping out of a 33rd story window - backwards. -20:45 - Angela’s ONE golden nugget of advice to an 11 year old (she has an 11-year-old daughter) -29:00 - “Watch me!” - The Determination Decisi

Wow! THAT didn’t go the way I thought it would. It went way better. Today’s episode of Tough Talks turned into an impromptu coaching session on making, keeping (or not) and learning from your (sometimes broken) commitments. And that wasn’t even our planned topic du jour. --- The intended topic was the discipline it takes to commit to wholistic wellness. And our guest is an expert practitioner in just that – the study and application of MNB – Mind, Nutrition and Body wellness. Mike Garrick has been a student of health and wellness for the last decade, and his #1 addiction is perpetual growth. Mike is inspiration personified. But beware, he has filthy mouth. He makes ME sound like Mother Teresa (which is not actually possible, but this is definitely PG -14)! --- Here are a few of the hot spots: 5:00: The Information vs. Transformation distinction 9:00: “Sautéing in your shit” (emotionally every bit as gross as it sounds) 10:45: “Crazy 8” The Depression/Anger endless loop 25:20: Pain vs. Suffering and how

The Gallup organization has been doing research on job satisfaction among Americans for decades. The results have been remarkably consistent. And remarkably disturbing. The vast majority of people polled report being dissatisfied with their jobs. Far from in love with them. And “job” is the place where most of us spend most of our lives. --- Our guest today is Chief Strategic Career Advisor at The Bauke Group, Julie Bauke. Julie is a no nonsense, self-proclaimed “Fierce Advocate” for not settling but rather for proactively co-creating your ideal vocation. --- Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: The critical nature of seeing POSSIBILITIES vs. “availabilities” How imperative it is for you to get full clarity on the simple, yet profound, question, “What do you really want?” What Millenials get that the rest of us don’t The death of the “Gold Watch” mission The power of NOT “staying in your lane” Who to be when you get laid off The Deserve, Worthy, CAN attitude What it means to “

In today’s episode of Tough Talks, we are fortunate to have as our guest the former NFL superstar and current NFL Broadcaster, Adam Archuleta. Adam knew from early youth that he wanted to be a professional American Football player. That’s true for a lot of kids. But one of the distinguishing factors about Adam is that he skipped over hoping and wishing and got straight into deciding. --- Not only did Adam simply decide that he would be playing in the NFL, he became a voracious student and devotee to learning and doing whatever it would take to make that his reality. --- Adam treats everything that way. He isn’t interested in being good at things. He’s interested only in being the best. Which is why he overcame his self-reported “extreme introversion” and “near social phobia” in order to be able to manifest one of 16 positions in the world sitting in the booth calling NFL games on live internationally broadcast TV. --- A few of the hit points we cover in our fascinating dialog: The critical difference betwee

How has my life been impacted because of the world that I live in? How do I want to impact the world because I have lived in it? --- These are the questions that today’s Tough Talks guest, Dr. J’Lein Liese, has committed her life to challenging people across the globe to answer. Dr. Liese is an international expert in leadership, strategy execution, communication, change management, and conflict resolution. She works extensively in acute-conflict areas. Most recently, in the Middle East and previously throughout Africa. The bottom line, really, is that J’Lein is a global servant and her mission is to have us live together peacefully and productively. --- J’Lein is about as interesting a person as you can ever meet. She’s a master of distinctions. And that all comes through abundantly clearly, as usual, in this fascinating dialog during which we touch upon: 9:00 – The distinction between Attachment and Preference and how this distinction can govern our happiness 17:30 – The magic of Mirror Neurons en route