The Personal Success Podcast with Ryan Watts

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

1 h 10 min · 15. juni 2026
episode #172 - Mental Toughness Is a Skill: 10 Reps to Train Your Mind with Jeff Jones cover

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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.

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episode #177 - From Stage 4 Cancer to No Evidence of Disease: Dale Atkinson on Self Advocacy, Patient Trust, and Fighting for More Time artwork

#177 - From Stage 4 Cancer to No Evidence of Disease: Dale Atkinson on Self Advocacy, Patient Trust, and Fighting for More Time

In this powerful episode of The Personal Success Podcast, Ryan sits down with Dale Atkinson for a conversation about cancer, self advocacy, patient trust, fatherhood, and what happens when life strips away the illusion of unlimited time. Dale’s story is almost impossible to hold lightly. After building a successful career in finance, compliance, governance, and fraud prevention, Dale’s life changed in 2024 when his partner was diagnosed with lung cancer. Soon after, on his youngest son’s first birthday, Dale underwent an endoscopy and was told he had cancer. Days later, his mother passed away. Then Dale was told his cancer was stage 4, inoperable, incurable, and terminal. But this conversation is not only about diagnosis. It is about what Dale chose next. Rather than becoming passive inside the system, Dale became an active participant in his own care. He read thousands of research papers. He pursued deeper testing. He built a multidisciplinary support team. He combined conventional treatment with carefully researched adjunct approaches. He asked better questions. He pushed for more complete answers. Today, Dale is using his lived experience as a stage 4 cancer patient, his professional background in trust and governance, and his deep belief in patient advocacy to help others navigate healthcare with more clarity, courage, and agency. This episode explores what it means to fight for your life without losing your life in the process. It is a conversation about grief, fatherhood, data, faith, healthcare systems, and the quiet force of refusing to disappear. IN THIS EPISODE, RYAN AND DALE DISCUSS: • Dale’s background in financial crime, compliance, governance, and regulated trust • The moment Dale was told he had cancer after years of unresolved symptoms • Receiving a stage 4 terminal diagnosis while raising two young children • Why Dale’s first goal was not a cure, but more quality time with his family • How self advocacy became central to his health journey • Why Dale read thousands of research papers after diagnosis • The role of next generation sequencing and personalized data in his treatment decisions • Building a care team instead of outsourcing responsibility • The difference between trusting doctors and blindly surrendering authority • Why patient experience is often invisible inside healthcare systems • How patients silently disappear when trust breaks down • Dale’s work with Clear Signal Partners and patient trust audits • Why healthcare organizations often miss what patients actually see, feel, and decide • The deeper meaning of success after a terminal diagnosis • How Dale turned despair into purpose • The Life Organic, Peak Health & Fitness, Beyond the Standard, and Pure Serenity Foundation • What Dale wants every patient to understand about self advocacy KEY THEMES SELF ADVOCACY CHANGES THE EXPERIENCE OF HEALTHCARE Dale makes a clear distinction between rejecting medical care and becoming an active participant in it. His message is not to ignore doctors. His message is to ask questions, seek understanding, build the right team, and remember that the person most invested in your life is you. TRUST IS NOT A SOFT METRIC Dale’s work shows how trust is built or broken long before a patient reaches the clinician. Websites, booking systems, follow up, reviews, communication, tone, and clarity all shape whether a patient feels safe enough to continue. THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE IS OFTEN THE MISSING RECORD Healthcare systems record clinical actions, operational costs, and regulatory requirements. But Dale argues that many systems fail to record what patients actually experience, search for, feel, fear, and decide outside the formal pathway. PURPOSE CAN EMERGE FROM DEVASTATION Dale does not romanticize cancer. He does not make suffering sound beautiful. But he does show how crisis can clarify what matters. For him, that meant family, impact, patient support, and helping others see that there may be more options than they first believed. POWERFUL QUOTES FROM THE CONVERSATION “I made a very conscious choice at the beginning of this process not to roll over and die.” “I needed them to see that I was fighting with everything I had to be with them.” “It was never about curing myself. It was about getting myself to a position where my kids could look back and go, my daddy really tried.” “I was the collection point. I was the person coordinating, pulling it all together and overseeing it all.” “The system has a protocol and the protocol doesn’t flex.” “Who else is going to stick up for your health and who else is going to fight for you in the same way that you would yourself?” “The best thing you can do for yourself, be it in a cancer journey or any form of health journey, and generally in life, is to self advocate.” MEDICAL NOTE This episode is shared for education, personal reflection, and inspiration. It is not medical advice. Dale’s story reflects his personal experience and decisions made with his care team. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals before making medical decisions or changing treatment plans. CONNECT WITH DALE ATKINSON Dale Atkinson on LinkedIn https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dalejatkinson [https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dalejatkinson] The Life Organic https://thelifeorganic.com [https://thelifeorganic.com] Clear Signal Partners https://clearsignalpartners.co.uk [https://clearsignalpartners.co.uk] Peak Health & Fitness https://peakhealthandfitness.co.uk [https://peakhealthandfitness.co.uk] Pure Serenity Foundation https://www.pureserenityfoundation.co.uk [https://www.pureserenityfoundation.co.uk] Astron Health https://www.astron.health [https://www.astron.health] How to Starve Cancer by Jane McLelland https://www.howtostarvecancer.com [https://www.howtostarvecancer.com] HIMSS https://www.himss.org [https://www.himss.org] CONNECT WITH RYAN WATTS The Personal Success Podcast https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com [https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com] Ryan Watts Coaching https://ryanwattscoaching.com [https://ryanwattscoaching.com] The Private Leadership Reset Podcast https://privateleadershipreset.com [https://privateleadershipreset.com] Private Leadership Reset For leaders who are carrying responsibility well, but feel the internal cost rising. https://privateleadershipreset.com [https://privateleadershipreset.com] ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT: Steve Lang's Aura Marketing Agency: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelangauraaiagency/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelangauraaiagency/] LISTEN TO MORE EPISODES For more conversations on success, purpose, leadership, resilience, identity, and becoming who you are here to be, visit: https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com [https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com]

Yesterday1 h 4 min
episode #176 - Leaders: Your Nervous System Teaches the Room || Amar Dahll artwork

#176 - Leaders: Your Nervous System Teaches the Room || Amar Dahll

In this episode of The Personal Success Podcast, Ryan Watts sits down with Dr. Amar Dhall for a deep conversation on leadership, coherence, nervous system regulation, power, authenticity, and meaning. Dr. Dhall’s mission is simple, but not small… To support powerful people in becoming good humans. Together, Ryan and Dr. Dhall explore what happens when leaders operate from pressure, stress, survival, and unconscious patterning. They unpack why leadership is never just about strategy or productivity, but about the state a leader brings into the room. This conversation moves through law, psychoanalysis, nervous system science, trauma, flow, coherence, music, and the difference between generative power and extractive power. At the center is one essential question… How do humans and systems stay connected under pressure? This episode is for leaders, coaches, founders, executives, and anyone carrying responsibility who wants to lead with more presence, clarity, and humanity. About Dr. Amar Dhall Dr. Amar Dhall works at the intersection of law, psychoanalysis, neuroscience, somatic psychology, leadership, and systems thinking. A former lawyer and law lecturer, Dr. Dhall now helps leaders and organizations develop greater coherence under pressure. His work focuses on nervous system regulation, trauma wise leadership, psychosocial safety, emotional intelligence, and the human systems that shape culture. His mission is to help powerful people become good humans. What We Discuss • Why leadership begins in the nervous system • How pressure distorts perception • The difference between healthy pressure and dysregulated pressure • What coherence feels like in the body • Why flow and coherence are related, but not the same • How trauma can shape leadership behavior • Why leaders often confuse stress responses with personality • The difference between power over and power with • Why authentic leadership is not simply saying whatever is on your mind • How leaders create either safety or distortion in the room • Why internal negotiation drains so much energy • The difference between generative and extractive leadership • Why music, silence, and art reveal something important about leadership • How Dr. Dhall defines a successful life Key Takeaways Your inner state is not private. The way a leader enters a room affects the system around them. Stress, reactivity, calm, coherence, presence, and fear all communicate before words do. Pressure changes perception. When a nervous system feels unsafe, the leader may feel more certain while actually seeing less clearly. Coherence is not passivity. Coherence is a regulated, connected state where body, mind, emotion, and meaning are working together. Leadership is relational. The point is not just to accomplish more. The point is to hold power in a way that supports the people and systems touched by that power. Generative leadership feels different. A generative leader builds capacity. An extractive leader consumes capacity. The difference eventually shows up in culture, relationships, and results. Authenticity requires depth. Authentic leadership is not unfiltered expression. It is the ongoing practice of knowing what is meaningful, becoming more congruent, and taking responsibility for impact. Success is meaningful living. For Dr. Dhall, success is about living a meaningful life, honoring the mystery of being alive, building good relationships, doing good, and not taking it all too seriously. Memorable Quotes “Your nervous system teaches the room.” “Power is not the problem. Unexamined power is.” “Pressure is not the problem. Unregulated pressure is.” “The nervous system of an organization mirrors the nervous system of its leaders.” “Am I being generative or extractive?” “Success is living a meaningful life.” Key Moments 00:00 Who is Dr. Amar Dhall? 01:00 Why law alone could not answer the deeper question 02:41 Horizontal doing versus vertical meaning 06:06 How humans and systems stay connected under pressure 08:17 How pressure distorts perception 10:29 Healthy pressure versus dysregulated pressure 12:38 What coherence really means 14:03 What coherence feels like in the body 19:30 Flow, coherence, and the body 26:28 Psychological entropy and internal inefficiency 30:58 Why “higher self” language can become hierarchical 35:04 What happens when a dysregulated leader enters the room 39:05 The cost of unrecognized trauma in the workplace 44:00 What leaders miss when they push through instead of settle first 45:35 Generative versus extractive leadership 51:07 Why investing in people creates better systems 54:25 Internal negotiation from a nervous system perspective 59:35 Power over versus power with cultures 01:02:18 What authenticity really requires 01:05:34 What music teaches about leadership 01:10:20 How Dr. Dhall defines success 01:11:44 Dr. Dhall’s final invitation to the audience Links and Resources Dr. Amar Dhall Website: https://www.amardhall.com/ [https://www.amardhall.com/] Dr. Amar Dhall About Page: https://www.amardhall.com/aboutamar [https://www.amardhall.com/aboutamar] Dr. Amar Dhall Research and Insights: https://www.amardhall.com/research [https://www.amardhall.com/research] Neuro Somatic Leadership: https://www.amardhall.com/neuro-somaticleadership [https://www.amardhall.com/neuro-somaticleadership] Book a Complementary Leadership Strategy Call with Dr. Amar Dhall: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/dN3Vk8eLRHzFwO6jLhJx [https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/dN3Vk8eLRHzFwO6jLhJx] Dr. Amar Dhall on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/dramardhall [https://au.linkedin.com/in/dramardhall] Dr. Amar Dhall on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.amar_dhall/ [https://www.instagram.com/dr.amar_dhall/] The Personal Success Podcast: https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com [https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com] Ryan Watts Coaching: https://ryanwattscoaching.com [https://ryanwattscoaching.com] The Private Leadership Reset Podcast: 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/] Mentioned and Related Resources Flow Research Collective: https://www.flowresearchcollective.com/ [https://www.flowresearchcollective.com/] Steven Kotler: https://www.stevenkotler.com/ [https://www.stevenkotler.com/] Huberman Lab: https://www.hubermanlab.com/ [https://www.hubermanlab.com/] Huberman Lab at Stanford: https://hubermanlab.stanford.edu/ [https://hubermanlab.stanford.edu/] Harvard Study of Adult Development: https://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org/ [https://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org/] Rachel Yehuda Lab: https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/yehudalab/ [https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/yehudalab/] Dr. Rachel Yehuda Profile: https://profiles.icahn.mssm.edu/rachel-yehuda [https://profiles.icahn.mssm.edu/rachel-yehuda] Deb Dana: https://www.rhythmofregulation.com/ [https://www.rhythmofregulation.com/] Joel Solomon: https://joelsolomon.org/ [https://joelsolomon.org/] Rick and Morty: https://www.adultswim.com/rick-and-morty [https://www.adultswim.com/rick-and-morty] The Private Leadership Reset If you are a leader who looks steady on the outside but feels the cost of internal negotiation on the inside, listen to The Private Leadership Reset Podcast. It is for leaders who want calm authority, cleaner decisions, and momentum without force. Listen here: https://privateleadershipreset.com [https://privateleadershipreset.com] Closing Reflection This episode invites a different kind of leadership question. Not just… What am I building? But… What state am I building it from? Because leadership is not only what you say, decide, or produce. It is what your nervous system teaches the room.

29. juni 20261 h 5 min
episode #175 - The Three Headed Dragon of Transformation With Misha Saidov artwork

#175 - The Three Headed Dragon of Transformation With Misha Saidov

THE THREE PATTERNS KEEPING SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE FROM FEELING ALIVE In this episode of The Personal Success Podcast, Ryan Watts sits down with Misha Saidov for a deep conversation on psychology, behavior change, mysticism, leadership, identity, and real transformation. Misha’s work lives at the intersection of psychology, behavioral change, and mysticism. He explains how transformation happens when a person begins to shift identity from an old self into a newer, truer one. What begins as a conversation about hypnosis and metacognitive programming becomes a powerful exploration of success, emotional inhibition, leadership, authority, and the quiet emptiness that can follow achievement. Misha shares how his own journey began at 14, when he started studying psychology, NLP, Ericksonian hypnosis, psychoanalysis, and behavioral change in an effort to address his own existential fear. That early search became the foundation for a career helping thousands of people understand the thought patterns that shape their lives. Ryan and Misha discuss what Misha calls the three headed dragon many people face… • the belief that I am not good enough • the belief that I am alone and different from others • the belief that the best things in life are unreachable for me They also explore why successful people often carry three hidden patterns… • emotional inhibition • entitlement or grandiosity • unrelenting standards and perfectionism These patterns can drive achievement. But they can also create a life that looks successful from the outside while feeling empty on the inside. Misha explains why transformation is not only about insight. Real transformation requires an emotional experience that helps the insight become embodied. Without emotion, a moment may be interesting. With emotion and insight together, it can become identity shifting. The conversation also moves into leadership. Misha offers a powerful distinction between belief and knowing. Leadership, he says, is not built by copying other leaders. It is built through lived experience that changes what a person knows to be true. This episode is for leaders, coaches, high achievers, and anyone who has reached a level of success and quietly wondered why it does not feel the way they thought it would. IN THIS EPISODE • Why Misha began studying psychology at 14 • How hypnosis helped him understand the mind • The three headed dragon of insufficiency, isolation, and unreachable desire • What metacognitive programming is • Why successful people often disconnect from emotion • The cost of emotional inhibition • Why achievement can create emptiness • The difference between insight and real transformation • Why emotional experience helps identity shift • The internal negotiation behind leaving a safe career path • Why leadership requires knowing, not just belief • The difference between reluctant leaders and self directed leaders • Why true ambition is about scaling your values • Misha’s definition of personal success • What makes a life well lived KEY IDEAS FROM THE CONVERSATION Transformation begins when we stop treating every thought as truth. Many successful people have learned how to function by disconnecting from what they feel. Emotional inhibition can help a person achieve, but it can also remove access to joy, love, meaning, and inner navigation. A powerful emotional moment is not always transformation. Transformation requires insight and emotion together. Leadership is not a future performance. It is the result of lived experience that changes what you know to be true. The real work is not becoming impressive. It is becoming honest. MEMORABLE MOMENTS Misha describes the three headed dragon many people fight internally. Ryan reflects on the belief that doing more would make him worth more. Misha explains why some people are not ready to stop suffering until they have had enough. The conversation explores why high achievers may protect the very patterns that are causing them pain. Misha shares the heartbreaking story that led him to leave his corporate path and fully commit to his coaching and psychology work. Ryan and Misha discuss leadership as an ontological phenomenon rooted in lived experience. Misha closes with a powerful reflection on ambition, values, and what it means to scale what matters most. GUEST Misha Saidov is a transformational expert whose work integrates psychology, behavioral change, mysticism, metacognitive programming, and identity transformation. He has certified thousands of coaches and worked with thousands of clients around the world. Learn more about Misha’s work: https://imcp.org [https://imcp.org/] Misha’s books: https://a.co/d/0c5vLZVA [https://a.co/d/0c5vLZVA] Recommended starting point mentioned in the episode: Conversations That Change Lives Additional book mentioned in the episode: Mind Your Mind, Heart Your Heart Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mishasaidov_official [https://www.instagram.com/mishasaidov_official] Twitter: https://x.com/MikhailSaidov [https://x.com/MikhailSaidov] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mishasaidov/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mishasaidov/] Website: https://imcp.org [https://imcp.org/] LISTEN TO THE PERSONAL SUCCESS PODCAST The Personal Success Podcast: https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com [https://thepersonalsuccesspodcast.com/] NEW FROM RYAN WATTS The Private Leadership Reset Podcast: 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/]

24. juni 20261 h 6 min
episode #174 - When Success Still Feels Unsafe: Dr. Maria Elena Lukeides on Fear, Flow, and Self Love artwork

#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.

22. juni 20261 h 14 min
episode #173 - Retire, Refire, Rewire: George Jerjian on Purpose After Retirement artwork

#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]

17. juni 202654 min