The Art Of Charm | High Performance Techniques| Cognitive Development | Relationship Advice | Mastery Of Human Dynamics

It’s fair to say that happiness is one of the most important goals we can pursue in life because not much else matters if you’re not deriving some happiness from this journey we are all on - but how do we define happiness, what can we do to improve our overall happiness, and how might we be sabotaging ourselves in the pursuit of it? What to Listen For What is the definition of happiness? What is the difference between contentment and pleasure with how they relate to your pursuit of happiness? How does having meaning in your life weave into your ability to be happy? AJ and Johnny explain the significance of being present and how it demands regular practice in order to make it stick What are the three primary influencing factors in your happiness? How important are the circumstances in which you live when it comes to your overall happiness? Are your genetics the biggest or smallest contributor to our happiness? Why are your mindset and actions the most important factor of happiness even though they’re

You asked and we answered! We took the three highest rated interviews from 2018 and put them into a special New Years Eve episode just for you! We kick it off with the powerhouse David Goggins, the former Navy SEAL, ultramarathon runner, and author of “Can’t Hurt Me.” We think he’s the best voice to listen to when you can’t get your ass out of bed. He has a lot to say about committing to yourself. Next up is our interview with Dr. Steven Hayes, the leading clinical psychologist in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - which is all about authentically accepting who you are and working on the best parts of you. Dr. Hayes dispels the “boosting self-esteem myth” and then offers a great alternative that helps everyone (including us!) work through life’s challenging moments. Finally, we leave you with the crazy conversation we had with power investor and entrepreneur Oren Klaff. He’s going to take you into the “Croc” brain and explain why it has an iron grip on your behavior in social settings - he’ll even let you k

Building new habits is typically not as simple as doing something different each day - sometimes we need to rewrite the stories we tell ourselves, and that’s where neurosculpting comes in, but what is neurosculpting? how can we use it to our advantage? and what can we start doing today to begin removing the barriers in our minds that stop us from developing the habits for the success? What to Listen For Lisa tells the story of how her experience with seizures led her to dive headfirst into neurosculpting What is neurosculpting and how can you use Lisa’s methods to develop healthy habits and rewrite the stories in your life that are holding you back from success and happiness? How can one simple act dissipate the stress & tension throughout your body and allow you to roll with the punches of life? What does it mean to “orient to safety” and how can you use it to help prevent failure in building a new habit? How can you train yourself so fear no longer stands in your way? What are the 5 steps to rewritin

Building a new habit can be difficult if you approach it with the wrong tools and misinformation, but what does the science tell us about forming new habits, what are the right tools you need when it comes to successful habit building, and what can you start doing today to make sure you’re not getting in your own way? What to Listen For Why is the community you surround yourself with so important to the development of new habits and the perpetuation of bad ones? Charles Duhigg explains why standard to-do lists are terrible for productivity and what an effective replacement looks like What is the habit loop and how can you use the knowledge of it to change any habit you want? How can you use the science of small wins to start making changes to your habits immediately? What are some tricks you can use to stay motivated when building a new habit or breaking an old one? How are intentional choices related to motivation when it comes to the psychology of routine and satisfaction? Why is it almost impossible

Building (or breaking) a new habit can effectively be broken into 3 different phases, each with its own challenge which can prevent you from reaching the next one - but what are the 3 phases, how can awareness of each one assist you, and is a new habit locked in once you reach the 3rd phase? What to Listen For What are the three phases of efficiently building new habits? How long is the “honeymoon” phase of building a new habit and what can you do to ensure you don’t fail immediately after? What is the “fight thru” phase of habit building and how can you use knowledge of it to your advantage? What 2 simple questions can you ask yourself everyday to keep you on track? Why are contingency plans vital to developing and maintaining strong habits? How do you make sure the success of building one habit doesn’t lead you to be lazy when it comes to maintaining it? AJ explains how you can actually revert back through the phases of habit building if you’re not careful and intentional about continuing to work on

Building habits is a gradual and effective process that can forever change your life when done right - but what goes into habits in the first place, what is the most effective way to break/build habits, and how can you use science and self-awareness to successfully build life-changing habits? What to Listen For How are willpower and habits related and how can you use one to take advantage of the other? Why is willpower like a battery and what can you do to make sure you use that energy as effectively as possible? Why do so many people fail at accomplishing their New Years Resolutions within the first week and what can you do to avoid that fate? What do many of us do to set ourselves up for failure from the start? What are the two support systems of willpower and how can you ensure they’re working for you rather than against you? What role does self-compassion play in the successful development of habits and how can you start cultivating it today? What is the optimal number of habits to focus on at o

Physical fitness can play a significant role in rebuilding your confidence, but what all goes into achieving a desired level of fitness, how do you set goals to ensure steady progress, and how does the pursuit of health and fitness improve your life overall? What to Listen For What is Barry’s Bootcamp and is it for you? How are fitness & confidence related and how can you rely on exercise to strengthen your confidence? Why is there no single best diet for everyone and how do you figure out what foods work best for your goals? How important are habits when it comes to working out and what can you do to avoid failure? Chris explains why goal setting is important and how you can set goals conducive to success instead of failure How important is it to have an accountabilibuddy and how can you find one if your friends aren’t interested? What is the value of having a coach versus working out with friends or on your own and how can it stop you from failing? How do you reframe small failures to further mot

As we progress further down the path of technology and electronic communication, digital marketing is playing a bigger role than ever, so what is it, how does it affect you in today’s world, and what can you do to make sure you’re using it to help you instead of hinder you. What to Listen For What makes the present the most disruptive time in human history? Why is it important to develop relationships first and then work on marketing second? How do you find alignment with your customer’s values? What are the three R’s Phillip uses to achieve success in business and politics? What are most people doing wrong in their branding strategies? How do you stand out as someone people should pay attention to? Phillip explains how to improve digital communication and develop rapport using technology How do you deal with friends who respond poorly to your emotional bids? Phillip touches on how important vulnerability is in politics What do you do when someone uses vulnerability to control a conversation? We

We are all capable of more than we think because many of us don’t push ourselves beyond the limit our mind tells us we have - so what does it mean to master your mindset, why is it so beneficial to externalize your insecurities and fears, and how can you change your relationship with suffering in order to live the life you want. What to Listen For Who did David Goggins have to invent in order to change his life and how can you do the same thing right now? What excuse are you likely to make when you listen to stories like David’s and how is it stopping you from living the life you want? How do you flip the switch when you’re having an off-day so you can be ON IT whenever you need it? Why is it crucial to change your relationship with suffering if you want to lead the life you dream of? David Goggins explains what the 40% rule is and how it limits us from achieving our potential Why do you revert to old habits when you start taking steps to change your life and what can you do make lasting changes? Davi

Many of us grew up in a world that praised the idea of having high self-esteem - but what exactly is self-esteem, why have we been wrongly focused on it for so long, and what do we need to focus on moving forward? What to Listen For Why is artificially inflating self-esteem dangerous and how can you avoid doing it to yourself and your kids? What is that self critical voice we all hear and how does it affect our self-esteem? What is imposter syndrome and how does artificially inflated self-esteem contribute to it? Dr. Hayes explains the root of the word confidence and why many people who appear confident actually are not How is social media making it difficult for people to be self compassionate and true to themselves? What are the three components of self-compassion and how can you implement them today to improve your confidence and quality of life? Dr. Hayes explains how to strip your inner critic of its power Is there such a thing as too much self-compassion? Why is it important to determine your

If you want to want to flourish no matter what life throws at you, you must develop a solid foundation of resilience - but what is resilience, why is it so important to our overall happiness and success in life, and how do we make sure we have enough of it to get through the unavoidable blows to our confidence and self-esteem we all take throughout our lives? What to Listen For What three myths do we hear about in every Art of Charm Bootcamp? Johnny touches on why it’s important to never get too comfortable about your own level of confidence Why is a heavy focus on self-esteem dangerous for your confidence and what is the science that backs that up? How does bullying start and what can you do to mitigate it in your children? Why is resiliency more important than self-esteem and what can you do to cultivate resilience in yourself and others? What is the operating manual for running our lives and how do we rewrite it to empower us? What do you need to do before you can start feeling confident? How mu

Sugar Ray Leonard is regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, but did you know he battled social anxiety and substance abuse during his career? We all face obstacles in life on our individual paths to success, so how can we take a solid inventory of our strengths and weaknesses, surround ourselves with people who support and encourage us, and outwork everyone around us to ensure we achieve the success we want in life regardless of the hand we’ve been dealt? What to Listen For How did Sugar Ray know he was going to win or lose a fight before it even started and how can you apply that knowledge to the challenges in your life? Sugar Ray’s approach his training compared to his competition Why is it important to remain adaptable throughout your professional and personal lives? When did Sugar Ray realize he was hooked on boxing and why was it related to his brother’s broken nose? How life is similar to a boxing match What can we all learn from getting punched in the face? How do you maintain per

Many of us take listening for granted because we do it all day every day, but did you know there are multiple layers to listening and many of us only focus on one of them - so what does it mean to listen in color versus black and white, how can you vastly improve your listening skills with a few tips you can start using today, and why is effective listening such a powerful skill to have? What to Listen For How can you use silence in conversation to improve your listening skills? What are the four villains of listening and how can you avoid becoming each one? What is the 125-400 rule and why is it so important when it comes to effective communication? What tips can you implement today to become a better listener at work and at home? How can you use body language to improve your listening ability? What does listening for patterns in what people say teach you about what’s important to them? What is the difference between listening with your head and listening with your heart? What are the five levels o

Cultivating empathy is crucial in developing solid relationships in our personal and professional lives -- but what exactly is it, how is it different from sympathy, why did Michael Ventura found a company based on it, and what steps can we start taking today to work on it? What to Listen For Why getting it wrong is human and how it can enable you to embrace making mistakes. How does being vulnerable help to motivate those around you? What is the core principle of empathy? The seven archetypes of empathy as described in Michael Ventura’s book, Applied Empathy, and how knowing them can improve your relationships inside and outside the office. What one exercise can you start doing right now to be more present? How a severe injury and Eastern medicine altered the course of Michael Ventura’s life to lead him to found Sub Rosa and writing Applied Empathy. What empathy is NOT. Empathy versus sympathy and why sympathy leads to disconnection instead of connection. How do sociopaths use empathy against us

Technology in the digital age has made it easier than ever to form new connections and stay in touch with old ones, but it’s also led to increased loneliness and flakiness as people rack up more screen time and less face time, so why is this, why is showing up so important in deepening your connections with others, and what does showing up actually mean? Unfortunately, you may be paying the price of not knowing what that balance looks like if you’re not making a conscious effort to make new connections, deepen your existing ones, and actually show up for the people in your life. What to Listen For: Why is digital communication made to make you feel good and not the person you’re talking to? Why do people flake and how do we overcome that flakiness? How can we deepen the connections we already have? Why do we tend to lose friends over time? The value of getting comfortable saying NO What does “showing up” for your friends actually entail? The tools to turn acquaintances into true connections and salv

In this episode of The Art of Charm, AJ (@AJHarbinger) and Johnny (@AOCJohnny) wrap up September’s month of Emotional Bids. Before answering listener questions, they speak with Andrea Lee (andreajlee.com), an accomplished coach, successful author, and violence prevention expert. From difficult personal conversations to work-related challenges Andrea believes that the RIGHT use of power - “emotional leadership” is crucial as we try to navigate. Without it, we end up with the abuse of power and interactions that can lead to emotional abuse. Andrea draws on her personal experience with difficult conversations from both ends of the spectrum - as both a victim and perpetrator of abuse. She shares what it takes to redeem yourself and rebuild any fractured relationship. Throughout their discussion, AJ, Johnny, and Andrea go in-depth into these moments, discussing the critical turning points in their lives and how they were able to overcome them. And we answer listener questions about emotional bids and persona

On this episode of the Art of Charm, AJ (@AJHarbinger) and Johnny (@AOCJohnny) take emotional bids to the next level by speaking with an expert on validation - one of the most important parts of human connection. That expert is Michael Sorensen, a marketing executive, personal-development junkie, and the author of the best-selling book “I Hear You: The Surprisingly Simple Skill Behind Extraordinary Relationships. Michael shares his own experiences on the job and in his personal life that led him to writing his book and understanding just how important validation is in creating strong bonds with others. WHAT TO LISTEN OUT FOR At the end of the day, it’s all about relationships. So, why is validation such a great tool for managing the important relationships in your life Where is one of the best places to start fostering good validation skills? What are some examples of something meaningful to say to someone that’s seeking validation? Why being silent can indirectly push someone away from you What is one of t

AJ (@AJHarbinger) and Johnny (@AOCJohnny) continue the theme of Emotional Bids by discussing practical ways to deepen and strengthen the connections with the people in our lives. Their source for this week’s discussion comes from a Gottman Institute article by Zach Brittle: https://www.gottman.com/blog/turn-toward-instead-of-away/ Whether it’s reciprocating feelings, talking about your day, or even better understanding physical touch, emotional bids help develop human-to-human connection and build long-lasting relationships. WHAT TO LISTEN OUT FOR * How can the use of emotional bids help us make better connections with the people? * What is the best way to react to an emotional bid? * We might not always be able to respond to someone’s emotional bid right away. How can we respond to someone to still show that we care? *What role does humor play in emotional connection? * What’s an example of an emotional bid that can be easily overlooked? * We know that being too vulnerable can often put someone off. Wha

In this episode, AJ and Johnny speak on the importance of “emotional bids,” and how to successfully identify and respond to them to create a deeper connection with the people around you. We start with a look at the clinical researcher, Dr. John Gottman and the study he conducted that helped define what an emotional bid is and why it is so important. Then, AJ and Johnny describe how we can positively or negatively respond to a whole array of emotional bids – and how that can make or break a relationship. We also learn how you don’t have to tell all of your deepest and darkest secrets to feel like someone truly understands you. WHAT TO LISTEN OUT FOR * What is the simplest way to show vulnerability to someone we’re trying to connect with? * Are emotional bids always easy to spot? * How can you be more actively present in your relationships? * In the moments after you put down your phone, are you truly disconnected from it? * What is “turning towards”, and how can you create more of these positive interactions i

Christopher “Drama” Pfaff (@drama) is an entrepreneur, producer, and reality TV star. He is best known for his roles in the MTV reality shows “Rob and Big” and “Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory”. In addition, he has founded “Young & Reckless Clothing” as well a music production company and a podcast, “Short Story Long”. In this episode, AJ and Johnny ask Drama about his methods for overcoming social anxiety and how to reset people’s first impressions. and how to take advantage of opportunities to expand upon them to create your own entrepreneurial endeavors. WHAT TO LISTEN OUT FOR How can you effectively get over social anxiety? After hearing about how Drama had the courage to skip college entirely and take a chance on LA, how can you transform a burning desire into purposeful action? One of Drama’s biggest tips: Don’t ever be afraid to ask! You never know who will say yes. How can you take this mentality into your life to find success in the career and dating world? What’s one of the best questions to as