#359 Dr. Michael Gervais: Breaking the Invisible Barriers to Mastery & Fear of Other People's Opinion
What Got You There with Sean DeLaney
Release Date: 11/05/2023
Where Courage Lives, Life Awakens — Beneath The Surface
What Got You There with Sean DeLaney
Your life expands with every act of courage. In this episode of Beneath the Surface, we explore one of the most essential, misunderstood, and transformational inner capacities: courage. We’re not talking about the kind of courage that looks heroic or loud. We’re talking about the kind that shows up in unseen moments. The courage to tell the truth. To make a hard change. To say “I love you” first. We’ll explore: Why courage requires fear—and why that's exactly the point How your most courageous acts might never be visible to anyone but you What it...
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Awareness: The Beginning of Everything — Beneath The Surface
What Got You There with Sean DeLaney
In this episode of Beneath the Surface, we explore the foundational force that sits quietly beneath every transformation: awareness. Without it, we’re just rearranging surface symptoms and never addressing the root. You’ll hear about: Why awareness is the beginning of every habit, relationship, pattern, and belief shift The difference between mental recognition and embodied awareness How unconscious emotional loops control your life until you illuminate them This isn’t an episode of answers. It’s an invitation to stop running, pause, and see. Because you cannot change what you...
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How Are You Measuring Your Life? — Beneath The Surface
What Got You There with Sean DeLaney
The question hit me at a funeral: If I keep living exactly as I am… what will my life add up to? This episode isn’t here to give you answers. It’s here to help you ask better questions. How are you measuring your life? Are you chasing a scoreboard someone else created? Or are you living in alignment with what your soul knows to be true? You’ll hear reflections from the Stoics, wisdom from David Brooks and James Hollis, the ache behind Rumi’s poetry, and the quiet clarity of your own heart. I walk with you through the dangerous gap between what society tells us to want… and...
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You Can’t Grind Your Way Into Joy — Beneath The Surface
What Got You There with Sean DeLaney
We’ve been taught to sacrifice joy now in hopes of earning it later. But what if that entire model is broken? In this episode of Beneath the Surface, we explore one of the most important truths about performance, presence, and fulfillment: 👉 You don’t train joy by training stress. 👉 You don’t arrive at peace by living in tension. 👉 The nervous system doesn’t wait for success to feel safe — it adapts to what you repeat. So if you're constantly grinding now, hoping for joy “someday,” your system is only learning one thing: how to live in stress. And that becomes your...
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The Hidden Cost of Trying to Be Enough — Beneath The Surface
What Got You There with Sean DeLaney
What if the version of you the world rewards isn’t the version that makes you feel alive? We’ve been taught that we have to earn love. Earn rest. Earn our right to belong. But what if the model is backwards? What if Being is the starting point — not the reward at the end of striving? In this episode, I unpack the hidden cost of tying your worth to outcomes, approval, and perfection… and explore what becomes possible when we finally come home to ourselves. This is not a self-help checklist. It’s an invitation to slow down, to examine the identity you’ve built, and to consider who...
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The Unobstructed Way: Why Being Fully Yourself Is Your Greatest Advantage — Beneath The Surface
What Got You There with Sean DeLaney
What if the key to your highest performance, deepest peace, and most alive life… wasn’t about doing more, but about being more you? In this episode of Beneath The Surface, explores what he calls The Unobstructed Way—a path where your essence, your expression, and your environment come into full alignment. This isn’t self-help fluff. It’s a wake-up call. A return to truth. A mirror that reflects the cost of living out of sync with who you are and the immense power of reclaiming it. You’ll discover: Why most people don’t fail from lack of ability, but from inner obstruction The...
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When Do You Perform & Live at Your Best? — Beneath The Surface
What Got You There with Sean DeLaney
We’ve all been taught that in order to succeed, we need to push harder, grind longer, and sacrifice joy now in hopes of earning it later. But what if that model, the one most high performers live inside, is the very thing keeping us from our best? In this episode, unpacks one of the most powerful, paradoxical truths about performance: You don’t perform at your best by gripping harder. You perform at your best when you’re free. This isn’t about throwing out discipline or abandoning your goals. It’s about releasing the identities, fears, and outcome attachments that block your...
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Trailer: Welcome to Beneath the Surface
What Got You There with Sean DeLaney
This is Beneath the Surface — a new solo series from Sean DeLaney, creator and host of What Got You There. This series is a place where I bring you the ideas I’m sitting with most — the ones that challenge me, change me, and bring me back to what actually matters. These episodes aren’t about adding more to your to-do list. They’re about going deeper into what it means to live, lead, and create from a place of truth. In this short trailer, I’ll share: What this series is (and isn’t) The kinds of questions we’ll explore Why I believe high performance and aliveness belong in...
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Brian Dawkins: Philadelphia Eagles Legend on Growing Through Adversity - Classics Series
What Got You There with Sean DeLaney
Brian Dawkins is an NFL Hall-of-Famer who played 16 seasons in the National Football League, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. Brian is regarded as one of the greatest safeties of all time and during his illustrious career was named to nine Pro Bowls and five All-Pro first teams. Brian was the heart and soul of the Eagles defense and on this episode he discusses what it takes to become great, that challenges he faced that lead to his growth and what each of us can do to uncover and ! Brian’s Book Blessed by the Best: My Journey to Canton and Beyond - I am , the...
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Paul Black - CEO of WCM Investment Management on Empowering People and Building a High-Performance Culture *Classics Series
What Got You There with Sean DeLaney
Paul Black is Portfolio Manager and Chief Executive Officer at WCM Investment Management. As a member of the Investment Strategy Groups for the firm’s global, fundamental growth strategies, his primary responsibility is portfolio management. In more than 30 years in the investment industry, he has served previously as a portfolio manager with Wells Fargo Private Banking Group and Bank of America. After joining WCM in 1989, Black took $200 million under management and turned it into $100 Billion at the start of 2022. In this episode Paul hits on the crucial component understanding a...
info_outlinePrepare to elevate your performance with Dr. Michael Gervais, a revered high-performance psychologist who has become the go-to expert for top achievers in various fields seeking to surpass the boundaries of potential. Dr. Gervais brings his wealth of experience to our conversation, providing insights into the invisible boundaries that hold us back.
In this episode, we dive into his latest work, "The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying What People Think of You," exploring the foundational principles that allow the elite to thrive under pressure. Dr. Gervais shares actionable strategies to shift your focus inward, cultivate resilience, and silence the external noise that often hinders greatness.
Whether you're an athlete, entrepreneur, artist, or simply someone who aspires to break through personal limits, this discussion will guide you toward mastering your mind and ultimately your craft.
My new book, Masterpiece in Progress: A Daily Guide to a Life Well Crafted, is out now!
Order HERE
Find out more - MasterPieceInProgressBook.com
Inside the pages of Masterpiece in Progress, you'll find 365 motivational passages, one for each day of the year, carefully designed to challenge, inspire, and create personal and professional evolution in your life. But that's not all!
In Masterpiece in Progress, readers will find:
- 365 motivational passages: Daily insights to challenge, inspire, and instigate personal and professional evolution.
- Timeless wisdom: Life lessons that serve as the foundational stones for a future sculpted by dreams, authenticity, and unwavering passion.
- Practical tools & insights: A treasure trove of strategies tailored to awaken the dormant potential that rests within every individual.
Masterpiece in Progress is more than a book; it's your daily companion in the art of living magnificently. Are you ready to begin crafting your masterpiece? The journey starts now.
I’ve poured everything I have into this book, with the aim of making it your go-to resource in the art of living a magnificent life.
Checkout what people are saying about the book:
"Intensely positive and upbeat, Sean DeLaney crafts a master class in personal development. This book is about the art of AMPing up your life." - Frank Slootman, CEO, Snowflake and author of Amp It Up
"The brilliance of Masterpiece in Progress is its ability to impact us all and in all aspects of our lives, whether you're an athlete, entrepreneur, author, aspiring executive, parent, friend, coach or mentor. Sean's insights light your path as he delves deep, providing not just inspiration but tangible tools to help you craft the life you envision. A masterclass in self-growth and a must read." - Scott O'Neil, CEO, Merlin Entertainments and former CEO of Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils
"Operating in some of the world's most challenging environments, I've seen firsthand the importance of grit, resilience, and relentless pursuit of excellence. Masterpiece in Progress embodies these principles, offering a roadmap to all who aim to conquer their personal and professional battles."— Michael Burns, US Navy SEAL (Retired), Bronze Star Medal with Valor
"Sean's beautiful, thoughtful writing reminds you what's important and calls your attention to a perspective that lifts your spirit each day. Highly recommended." - Derek Sivers, author, sive.rs
"In Masterpiece in Progress, Sean DeLaney invites us to become the architects of our own lives. Reading it is like undergoing a transformation, and it offers sustainable inspiration. Sean's words resonate deeply, urging one to craft a life that is your masterpiece." - Dr. Tara Swart, neuroscientist, Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan and author of bestseller The Source.
"Sean masterfully weaves personal stories, evidenced back solutions, and practical application so well that you're sure to get better if you put in the work to implement all that he's teaching you. Read this book and then take action. You'll be better for it." - Ryan Hawk, Host of The Learning Leader Show, Author of Welcome to Management and The Pursuit of Excellence
"Sean DeLaney's Masterpiece in Progress is a playbook for life. Dive in, train hard, and see results." - Monica Seles, former World No. 1 Tennis Player and Nine-Time Grand Slam Champion
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