The Personal Success Podcast with Ryan Watts

#174 - When Success Still Feels Unsafe: Dr. Maria Elena Lukeides on Fear, Flow, and Self Love

In this profound episode of The Personal Success Podcast, Ryan Watts sits down with Dr. Maria Elena Lukeides, a clinical psychologist, meditation and mindfulness teacher, speaker, trainer, and psychedelic assisted therapist. This conversation moves through psychology, spirituality, fear, flow, healing, self acceptance, and the deeper meaning of success. Dr. Lukeides shares how one early experience of being truly seen helped shape her path into psychology. From her work in adoption, foster care, psychiatric settings, pain management, private practice, coaching, and psychedelic assisted therapy, one clear thread emerges. People are seeking love, safety, acceptance, and the felt sense that they are okay. Ryan and Dr. Lukeides explore why so much human suffering is rooted in the fear of failure, incompetence, humiliation, exposure, and unlovability. They also discuss how meditation, mindfulness, exposure, and flow can help us stop resisting our own inner experience. This episode helps listeners recognize the internal friction of trying to earn love, safety, and enoughness through achievement. At the center of the conversation is a simple but life changing possibility. What if success is not finally proving you are enough? What if success is becoming okay with yourself while you are still alive? IN THIS EPISODE • Why fear of failure is often fear of losing lovability • How one validating therapy session changed Dr. Lukeides’ life • The connection between psychology, spirituality, mindfulness, and healing • Why flow states can feel like a glimpse of oneness • How music, writing, coaching, crochet, yoga, and work can become portals into flow • Why fear blocks creativity • How meditation can function as exposure and response prevention • Why feelings are survivable when we stop making them mean something permanent about who we are • The difference between symptom reduction and real healing • What psychedelic assisted therapy may reveal about love, safety, and the self • Why set, setting, preparation, screening, and integration matter • How self love is not always liking yourself • Why success may be the ability to die at peace with who you are KEY IDEA So much of life is spent trying to earn the feeling of being okay. Through achievement. Through work. Through approval. Through performance. Through becoming impressive enough to finally relax. But real success may begin when the internal argument softens. When we stop fighting who we are. When fear becomes something we can feel without obeying. When love is no longer something we are waiting to receive before we allow ourselves to belong. MEMORABLE MOMENTS Dr. Lukeides describes the common thread beneath human suffering as the fear of failure, incompetence, and unlovability. She shares how one therapy session as a teenager helped her feel sane, seen, and validated. Ryan and Dr. Lukeides explore flow as a state where the self quiets and the activity begins to move through us. Dr. Lukeides explains meditation as a place where we can practice staying with discomfort long enough to realize it does not consume us. The conversation moves into psychedelic assisted therapy, where Dr. Lukeides discusses how some people experience insights not as ideas, but as embodied truths. Near the end, Dr. Lukeides names success in its simplest form. Being okay with yourself. GUEST LINKS Dr. Maria Elena Lukeides website: https://www.drmariaelenalukeides.com.au [https://www.drmariaelenalukeides.com.au/] Psychedelic and MDMA Assisted Therapy: Learn more here [https://www.drmariaelenalukeides.com.au/psychedelic-mdma-assisted-therapy] Instagram: @drmariaelena_lukeides [https://www.instagram.com/drmariaelena_lukeides/] Book mentioned: No Parts Left Behind by Dr. Maria Elena Lukeides Publication forthcoming Courses mentioned: Foundations of Mindfulness and Pillars of Happiness Waiting list available through Dr. Lukeides’ website RESOURCES MENTIONED Alan Watts: https://alanwatts.org [https://alanwatts.org/] Flow Research Collective: https://www.flowresearchcollective.com [https://www.flowresearchcollective.com/] Steven Kotler: https://www.stevenkotler.com [https://www.stevenkotler.com/] RYAN WATTS LINKS The Personal Success Podcast: https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com [https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com/] Ryan Watts Coaching: https://www.ryanwattslifecoaching.com [https://www.ryanwattslifecoaching.com/] Private Leadership Reset Podcast: https://privateleadershipreset.com [https://privateleadershipreset.com/] LeaderShift Scorecard: https://www.ryanwattslifecoaching.com/scorecard [https://www.ryanwattslifecoaching.com/scorecard] ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT: Steve Lang's Aura Marketing Agency: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelangauraaiagency/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelangauraaiagency/] CLOSING REFLECTION If this conversation moved something in you, take a moment before rushing to the next thing. Ask yourself: Where am I still trying to earn the right to feel okay? That question may be the beginning of a very different kind of success.

#173 - Retire, Refire, Rewire: George Jerjian on Purpose After Retirement

In this episode of The Personal Success Podcast, Ryan Watts sits down with George Jerjian, author, retirement mindset mentor, and creator of the DARE Method, for a powerful conversation about retirement, identity, purpose, and the courage to begin again. George’s life changed when an oncologist told him he may have only six months to live. After discovering he belonged to what he calls “the 2 percent club,” George realized he was living on bonus time. That experience led him to retire at 52, expecting freedom, ease, and fulfillment. Instead, he found himself drifting. For nine years, George lived inside what he now calls the myth of retirement. His identity felt compromised. His energy faded. The question became unavoidable. Who am I now? This conversation explores why retirement is not simply a financial transition. It is an emotional, psychological, and spiritual crossing. George shares how a 30 day silent retreat helped him reconnect with buried parts of himself, how purpose can return after success, and why the next chapter of life requires courage, not comfort. Ryan and George also discuss the difference between success and significance, the danger of drifting into oblivion, the power of desire, the role of gratitude, and why retirement can become a second hero’s journey. IN THIS EPISODE Ryan and George explore: • George’s diagnosis and the moment he was told he might have six months to live • Why retirement can create a deep identity crisis • The danger of sleepwalking into the next chapter of life • Why success and significance require different mindsets • The emotional negotiation many people face after retirement • Why courage is essential for reinvention • The DARE Method…Discover, Assimilate, Rewire, Expand • How a 30 day silent retreat helped George reconnect with himself • Why travel can help reveal who we are not • George’s 80 day journey around the world • The importance of self love, gratitude, and inner authority • Mary Oliver’s question…what will you do with your one wild and precious life? KEY TAKEAWAYS Retirement is not the finish line. For many people, retirement removes the structure, identity, and meaning that work once provided. Without a new sense of purpose, freedom can quietly become drift. Purpose does not end with age. George makes the case that later life is not a time to disappear. It is an opportunity to move from success into significance. Courage is the turning point. George’s DARE Method begins with courage because beginning again requires emotional willingness. It is not only a strategic decision. It is a heart decision. The next chapter requires a new identity. Who you were may not be who you are becoming. That transition can be painful, but it can also become deeply meaningful. Gratitude changes perception. George connects thinking and thanking, reminding us that gratitude is not passive. It changes how we see the life already in front of us. MEMORABLE QUOTES “Retirement is our opportunity to become who we’re meant to be.” “You can retire from work, but you can’t retire from life.” “We’re moving from the concept of success to the concept of significance.” “If you feel that you’ve still got a lot to give, then this is for you.” “Every single day is a lifetime.” “What will you do with your one wild and precious life?” ABOUT GEORGE JERJIAN George Jerjian is an author, speaker, and retirement mindset mentor who helps retirees find a new beginning. After a life changing health scare and his own difficult transition into retirement, George began helping others rethink retirement as a chapter of purpose, passion, and significance. He is the author of multiple books, including Dare to Discover Your Purpose: Retire, Refire, Rewire and Odyssey of an Elder: Around the World in Eighty Days. CONNECT WITH GEORGE JERJIAN Website: https://georgejerjian.com [https://georgejerjian.com] Books: https://georgejerjian.com/books [https://georgejerjian.com/books] LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/georgejerjian [https://uk.linkedin.com/in/georgejerjian] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQAHngaJVQiuQixO6Q01rVA [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQAHngaJVQiuQixO6Q01rVA] GEORGE’S BOOKS Dare to Discover Your Purpose: Retire, Refire, Rewire Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dare-Discover-Your-Purpose-Retire/dp/1774820749 [https://www.amazon.com/Dare-Discover-Your-Purpose-Retire/dp/1774820749] Odyssey of an Elder: Around the World in Eighty Days Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Elder-Around-World-Eighty/dp/1774823438 [https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Elder-Around-World-Eighty/dp/1774823438] LISTEN TO THE PERSONAL SUCCESS PODCAST Website: https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com [https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com] ADVERTISEMENT Steve Lang's Aura Marketing Agency: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelangauraaiagency/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelangauraaiagency/] SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW Subscribe to The Personal Success Podcast for conversations on purpose, leadership, personal growth, self awareness, and what it means to create a life that actually feels like your own. Website: https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com [https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com]

#172 - Mental Toughness Is a Skill: 10 Reps to Train Your Mind with Jeff Jones

In this episode of The Personal Success Podcast, Ryan sits down with Jeff Jones, a strength and conditioning coach, performance coach, speaker, and author of The Intentional Edge: 10 Reps to Mental Toughness. Jeff has spent more than 20 years coaching college football athletes. Early in his career, his work focused on physical performance…speed, strength, explosiveness, and athletic development. Over time, he saw something deeper. Physical talent matters. But what usually limits performance is mental. That realization led Jeff into the world of mindset, motivation, habits, discipline, gratitude, identity, focus, and mental toughness. His work now centers on helping athletes, leaders, and high performers train the mind with the same intention they bring to the weight room. Ryan and Jeff explore the difference between knowing mental performance concepts and actually living them. They talk about why mental toughness is not a personality trait, why motivation is a responsibility, how the brain creates automatic negative thoughts, and why the quality of your daily reps determines the quality of your life. Jeff also shares key ideas from The Intentional Edge, including the importance of talking to yourself instead of listening to yourself, building a stronger identity beyond performance, creating boundaries with your phone, celebrating daily wins, and choosing hard things on purpose. This conversation is for athletes, leaders, entrepreneurs, coaches, parents, and anyone who wants to become more intentional with how they think, act, lead, and live. IN THIS EPISODE, RYAN AND JEFF DISCUSS: • Why mental toughness is trained, not given • The shift from physical performance to mental performance • Why most people are already putting in mental reps without realizing it • The difference between default reps and intentional reps • Why talking to yourself matters more than listening to yourself • How automatic negative thoughts shape confidence and behavior • The “penthouse versus outhouse” mindset framework • Why motivation is your responsibility • How values and identity create stronger performance • The danger of tying self worth only to outcomes • Why achievement alone does not create fulfillment • How progress creates meaning • Why gratitude belongs inside mental toughness • The role of solitude, boredom, and focus in a distracted world • How smartphones steal attention and weaken presence • Why doing hard things builds resilience • The difference between performing toughness and training toughness • How leaders and athletes can become more intentional every day FEATURED GUEST Jeff Jones is a performance coach, strength and conditioning coach, speaker, and author. He has spent more than two decades working in college football, helping athletes develop physically, mentally, and personally. His book, The Intentional Edge: 10 Reps to Mental Toughness, gives readers a practical framework for training the mind through daily intentional reps. CONNECT WITH JEFF JONES Jeff’s Book: The Intentional Edge: 10 Reps To Mental Toughness: https://a.co/d/0inmge95 [https://a.co/d/0inmge95] Website: https://coachjeffjones.com [https://coachjeffjones.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffjones [https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffjones] X: https://x.com/JonesyJeff1 [https://x.com/JonesyJeff1] CONNECT WITH RYAN WATTS Ryan Watts Coaching: https://www.ryanwattslifecoaching.com [https://www.ryanwattslifecoaching.com] The Personal Success Podcast: https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com [https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com] Private Leadership Reset: https://privateleadershipreset.com [https://privateleadershipreset.com] ADVERTISEMENT Steve Lang's Aura Marketing Agency: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelangauraaiagency/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelangauraaiagency/] LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE Listen to The Personal Success Podcast wherever you get podcasts. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-personal-success-podcast/id1682844152 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-personal-success-podcast/id1682844152] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0f9xZkY8gNHSHxWcZy9RrQ [https://open.spotify.com/show/0f9xZkY8gNHSHxWcZy9RrQ] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePersonalSuccessPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@ThePersonalSuccessPodcast] CLOSING Mental toughness is not something you wait to feel. It is something you train. One thought. One choice. One rep at a time.

#171 - Mental Health Is Solvable: Data, AI, and the Future of Care with Nawal Roy

Ryan sits down with Nawal Roy, Founder and CEO of Holmusk, for a powerful conversation about the future of mental health care, the role of data, and why one of the world’s most complex problems may also be one of the most solvable. Nawal brings a rare combination of conviction, humility, and systems thinking to the conversation. With a background in economics, finance, and strategy, he entered the mental health space after recognizing one massive gap…the lack of high quality data needed to improve research, treatment development, care delivery, and patient outcomes. His company, Holmusk, has spent more than a decade building one of the largest behavioral health data platforms in the world. In this conversation, Nawal explains why mental health has remained far behind other areas of medicine, why trial and error still dominates treatment, and what could become possible if society committed to solving mental health as a true healthcare problem. IN THIS EPISODE, RYAN AND NAWAL DISCUSS: Why mental health care is still years behind fields like cardiology and oncology How data became the missing infrastructure in behavioral health Why mental health should be treated as a healthcare problem, not a moral failure or social defect The role of stigma in delaying care and limiting access How AI may help improve mental health treatment and global access Why trial and error remains one of the biggest problems in psychiatric care What Holmusk has learned from millions of patient records Why healthcare payment models are often harder to solve than the technology itself The leadership required to take on a complex, generational problem Why meaningful work often begins with attempting something that may never be fully solved by one person KEY THEMES MENTAL HEALTH IS NOT UNSOLVABLE. Nawal makes a clear case that mental health can be improved in the same way other major health challenges have been improved…through research, funding, measurement, infrastructure, and serious societal commitment. His position is simple and hopeful. Mental health is a health problem. Health problems can be measured. Measured problems can be studied. Studied problems can be improved. DATA IS THE FOUNDATION FOR BETTER CARE. Nawal compares the need in mental health to what Bloomberg created for finance…high quality data at your fingertips. His belief is that better data can reduce trial and error, improve outcomes, support clinicians, help researchers, and eventually give patients access to better treatment earlier in the process. STIGMA CHANGES WHEN THE FRAME CHANGES. One of the strongest moments in the episode comes when Nawal compares the stigma around mental health to the historical stigma around AIDS. His point is not that the problems are identical. His point is that stigma can change when society begins to understand a condition as a health issue and commits real research, funding, public policy, and clinical infrastructure toward solving it. LEADERSHIP REQUIRES SUSTAINED CONVICTION. This conversation is also about leadership. Nawal does not romanticize the work. He names the difficulty clearly. Capital is hard. Talent is hard. Partnerships are hard. Business models are hard. Healthcare payment systems are hard. And still, he continues. For Nawal, the attempt matters. The work matters. The problem is large enough that even solving a small percentage of it would be meaningful. MEMORABLE IDEAS FROM THE CONVERSATION Mental health should be treated as a healthcare problem. Trial and error in psychiatric treatment can and should be reduced. The lack of high quality data has slowed progress in mental health. The future of mental health may depend on better measurement, better research, and better infrastructure. AI can only be as useful as the quality of the data underneath it. Hard problems are hard for a reason. The attempt matters, even when the full outcome is uncertain. ABOUT NAWAL ROY Nawal Roy is the Founder and CEO of Holmusk, a company focused on transforming mental and behavioral health through real world data, analytics, and evidence generation. Before founding Holmusk, Nawal built a career in finance, economics, and strategy. His work now centers on solving one of the most complex and consequential challenges in healthcare…improving mental health outcomes through better data, better research, and better systems. CONNECT WITH NAWAL ROY Holmusk: https://www.holmusk.com/ [https://www.holmusk.com/] Nawal Roy Website: https://www.nawalroy.com/ [https://www.nawalroy.com/] Nawal Roy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nawalroy [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nawalroy] LISTEN TO THE PERSONAL SUCCESS PODCAST Website: http://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com [http://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com] Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-personal-success-podcast-with-ryan-watts/id1699785392 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-personal-success-podcast-with-ryan-watts/id1699785392] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0poXmaxpjA6ViNDy1KOh9c [https://open.spotify.com/show/0poXmaxpjA6ViNDy1KOh9c] YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thepersonalsuccesspodcast [https://youtube.com/@thepersonalsuccesspodcast]  [https://youtube.com/@thepersonalsuccesspodcast] CONNECT WITH RYAN Website: http://ryanwattscoaching.com [http://ryanwattscoaching.com] ADVERTISEMENT Steve Lang's Aura Marketing Agency: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelangauraaiagency/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelangauraaiagency/] CLOSING REFLECTION This episode is a reminder that some problems are too important to avoid simply because they are complex. Mental health care may be fragmented. It may be under measured. It may be far too dependent on trial and error. But according to Nawal Roy, it is not beyond repair. With better data, better leadership, better infrastructure, and a serious commitment from society, mental health can become more measurable, more treatable, and more humane. That is not hype. That is conviction. And it may be exactly the kind of conviction this field needs.

#170 - Spiritual Bodybuilding: Healing Trauma, Masculinity, and the Body with Nahum Vizakis

In this episode of The Personal Success Podcast, Ryan Watts sits down with Nahum Vizakis…also known as The Spiritual Bodybuilder…for a powerful conversation on trauma, masculinity, bodybuilding, nervous system regulation, plant medicine, authenticity, and what it means to build real strength from the inside out. Nahum shares his journey from a difficult childhood marked by foster care, homelessness, gangs, and survival…to military service after 9/11, working in EOD, facing PTSD, and eventually entering a long process of healing, self discovery, and spiritual transformation. The conversation explores how the body can become both a place of discipline and a place of deep emotional truth. Nahum explains his philosophy of spiritual bodybuilding…a way of approaching fitness not only as physical development, but as a path toward self mastery, emotional honesty, nervous system balance, and authentic strength. Ryan and Nahum also discuss the difference between ego driven performance and embodied wholeness, why vulnerability can be a form of strength, how men are often conditioned to reject sensitivity, and how authenticity becomes a deeper kind of leadership. This episode includes discussion of trauma, PTSD, plant medicine, ayahuasca, bodybuilding, performance enhancing drugs, addiction, emotional healing, fasting, nervous system regulation, and the importance of integration after transformational experiences. IN THIS EPISODE Ryan and Nahum explore… • What spiritual bodybuilding means • Nahum’s journey from foster care and survival to military service and healing • How PTSD and childhood trauma shaped his path • Why bodybuilding became a spiritual practice for Nahum • The difference between external strength and internal wholeness • Why vulnerability can be a deeper form of masculine strength • How men often overcompensate for sensitivity with toughness • What happens when identity is built on performance or appearance • The role of nervous system regulation in fitness and leadership • Why hustle culture and sympathetic dominance can exhaust the body • How breath, stillness, and presence change the way we train • The importance of integration after plant medicine experiences • Why authenticity requires accepting the full truth of your life • How the body can reveal emotional patterns • Why true healing requires responsibility, humility, and devotion NOTABLE THEMES Spiritual Bodybuilding Nahum describes bodybuilding as more than aesthetics. For him, it became a way to study discipline, identity, ego, emotional patterns, and self mastery. Trauma and the Body The episode explores how unresolved experiences can live in the body and how healing often requires more than mindset alone. Masculinity and Vulnerability Ryan and Nahum discuss how many men are taught to suppress sensitivity, and how true strength often emerges through humility, honesty, and the willingness to be vulnerable. Nervous System Regulation Nahum explains the importance of training from a balanced nervous system rather than relying only on intensity, stimulants, anger, or force. Plant Medicine and Integration Nahum shares his personal experience with ayahuasca and other plant medicine work, while emphasizing that integration is where the real work happens. Authenticity Nahum closes the episode with a powerful reflection: authenticity is the new currency. Living authentically means accepting your truth, facing the pain in your heart, and allowing that truth to guide how you move through the world. GUEST LINKS Nahum Vizakis…The Spiritual Bodybuilder Website: https://www.spiritualbodybuilder.com [https://www.spiritualbodybuilder.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spiritual_bodybuilder [https://www.instagram.com/spiritual_bodybuilder] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SpiritualBodybuilder [https://www.youtube.com/@SpiritualBodybuilder] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OptimizingHuman [https://www.facebook.com/OptimizingHuman] BOOKS MENTIONED The Indigo Flame https://www.balboapress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/868497-the-indigo-flame [https://www.balboapress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/868497-the-indigo-flame] The Biohacker’s Guide to Spiritual Bodybuilding https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FSF59FSR [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FSF59FSR] RYAN WATTS LINKS The Personal Success Podcast http://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com [http://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com] Ryan Watts Life Coaching https://www.ryanwattslifecoaching.com [https://www.ryanwattslifecoaching.com] Personal Success Podcast Guest Form https://forms.gle/nxKkZw5P3UEaUZ6TA [https://forms.gle/nxKkZw5P3UEaUZ6TA] ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT: Steve Lang's Aura Marketing Agency: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelangauraaiagency/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelangauraaiagency/] LISTENER NOTE This episode includes personal experiences and perspectives related to trauma, PTSD, plant medicine, health, fitness, and healing. Nothing in this episode should be taken as medical advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making decisions related to mental health, physical health, medication, supplements, or psychedelic assisted experiences. CLOSING REFLECTION This conversation is for anyone who has ever chased strength on the outside while sensing that something deeper needed to be healed on the inside. True strength is not just what the body can endure. It is what the heart is finally willing to face.