This week, Michael Ostrolenk, a master coach at SEALFIT Unbeatable Mind Academy and former Director of Human Resilience. With over 30 years of experience, Michael helps high performers and leaders master resilience and optimize relationships. Marcus and Michael delve into the concept of the 'Relationship Dojo,' where couples learn to communicate and grow together by incorporating principles from martial arts, playfulness, and self-awareness. The discussion also covers the importance of emotional safety, circadian rhythms, and the interplay between physiological and psychological wellness in personal and professional relationships.

 

Episode Highlights:

03:42 The Impact of Circadian Rhythms and External Factors

11:52 The Relationship Dojo: Training for Love and Connection

39:51 The Role of Play in Learning and Relationships

44:41 Morning and Evening Rituals for Couples

01:04:18 Emotional Safety and Masculine-Feminine Dynamics

 

Michael Ostrolenk, MA, MFT, is a Master Coach with over 30 years of experience specializing in resilience, leadership, and elite performance. He has worked with former special operators, executive leaders, and high-performing individuals to help them master self-leadership, expand resilience, and unlock peak potential. Michael integrates psychological, physiological, and tactical disciplines into a holistic system that supports growth across mind, body, spirit, and relationships. Known for his multidisciplinary expertise and grounded presence, he empowers clients to deepen self-awareness, optimize performance, and live with greater purpose and clarity in every area of life.

 

You can connect with him here:https://www.michaeldostrolenk.com/

 

Learn more about the gift of Adversity and my mission to help my fellow humans create a better world by heading to www.marcusaureliusanderson.com. There you can take action by joining my ANV inner circle to get exclusive content and information.

This week, Michael Ostrolenk, a master coach at SEALFIT Unbeatable Mind Academy and former Director of Human Resilience. With over 30 years of experience, Michael helps high performers and leaders master resilience and optimize relationships. Marcus and Michael delve into the concept of the 'Relationship Dojo,' where couples learn to communicate and grow together by incorporating principles from martial arts, playfulness, and self-awareness. The discussion also covers the importance of emotional safety, circadian rhythms, and the interplay between physiological and psychological wellness in personal and professional relationships.
&nbsp;
Episode Highlights:
03:42&nbsp;The Impact of Circadian Rhythms and External Factors
11:52&nbsp;The Relationship Dojo: Training for Love and Connection
39:51&nbsp;The Role of Play in Learning and Relationships
44:41&nbsp;Morning and Evening Rituals for Couples
01:04:18&nbsp;Emotional Safety and Masculine-Feminine Dynamics
&nbsp;
Michael Ostrolenk, MA, MFT, is a Master Coach with over 30 years of experience specializing in resilience, leadership, and elite performance. He has worked with former special operators, executive leaders, and high-performing individuals to help them master self-leadership, expand resilience, and unlock peak potential. Michael integrates psychological, physiological, and tactical disciplines into a holistic system that supports growth across mind, body, spirit, and relationships. Known for his multidisciplinary expertise and grounded presence, he empowers clients to deepen self-awareness, optimize performance, and live with greater purpose and clarity in every area of life.
&nbsp;
You can connect with him here: <a href="https://www.michaeldostrolenk.com/">https://www.michaeldostrolenk.com/</a>
&nbsp;
Learn more about the gift of Adversity and my mission to help my fellow humans create a better world by heading to <a href="http://www.marcusaureliusanderson.com/">www.marcusaureliusanderson.com</a>. There you can take action by joining my ANV inner circle to get exclusive content and information.

ACTA NON VERBA is a raw and real podcast with hard hitting interviews featuring people that live by the Ethos of “Actions, not words.”

Join TEDx speaker, Bestselling Author, Veteran, and Leadership & Mindset Coach Marcus Aurelius Anderson as he goes inside the minds and experiences of the world’s most successful Warriors, Leaders, Entrepreneurs, and Experts to give you the Philosophies, Concepts, Tactics, and Strategies they use to turn Adversity into Victory and live an EXTRAORDINARY life based on ACTIONS not words.

ACTA NON VERBA is a raw and real podcast with hard hitting interviews featuring people that live by the Ethos of &ldquo;Actions, not words.&rdquo;
Join TEDx speaker, Bestselling Author, Veteran, and Leadership &amp; Mindset Coach Marcus Aurelius Anderson as he goes inside the minds and experiences of the world&rsquo;s most successful Warriors, Leaders, Entrepreneurs, and Experts to give you the Philosophies, Concepts, Tactics, and Strategies they use to turn Adversity into Victory and live an EXTRAORDINARY life based on ACTIONS not words.

Acta Non Verba

Michael Ostrolenk on The Relationship Dojo, Playfulness, Curiosity, and Personal Growth in Couples

In this episode, Dr. Megan McElheran, a clinical psychologist and CEO of Before Operational Stress, Inc. discusses stoicism's practical applications and the misinterpretations associated with it. Dr. McElheran shares her extensive work with trauma-exposed professionals, including military personnel and first responders, and highlights the importance of managing stress and trauma. Marcus and Dr. McElheran delve into the concept of post-traumatic growth, the necessity of facing adversities, and maintaining mental health resilience. The conversation also touches on Dr. McElheran's Bataan Death March experience, underscoring the significant lessons in resilience and determination.

Episode Highlights:

02:29 The Misconceptions of Stoicism

08:04 The Impact of Trauma on First Responders

29:32 Stoic Wisdom for Overcoming Hardship

31:10 The Hero's Journey and Personal Growth

32:22 Embracing Pain and Suffering

37:55 Curating Thoughts and Building Confidence

40:20 The Bataan Death March: A Lesson in Endurance

Dr. Megan McElheran, CEO of Wayfound Mental Health Group in Calgary, AB, is a Clinical Psychologist with 16 years of expertise in Operational Stress Injuries (OSI). Specializing in active-duty military, Veterans, and public safety personnel, she focuses on assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Driven by a passion for OSI prevention and resilience enhancement, she developed the BOS program. Exploring innovative approaches, she's delving into psychedelic medicine for psychological injuries. A sought-after speaker and educator, Dr. McElheran shares her insights nationally. Her recent publication in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, "Functional Disconnection and Reconnection," sheds light on novel strategies for public safety personnel's well-being.

You can find out more here: https://www.beforeoperationalstress.com/

Learn more about the gift of Adversity and my mission to help my fellow humans create a better world by heading to www.marcusaureliusanderson.com. There you can take action by joining my ANV inner circle to get exclusive content and information.

In this episode, Dr. Megan McElheran, a clinical psychologist and CEO of Before Operational Stress, Inc. discusses stoicism's practical applications and the misinterpretations associated with it. Dr. McElheran shares her extensive work with trauma-exposed professionals, including military personnel and first responders, and highlights the importance of managing stress and trauma. Marcus and Dr. McElheran delve into the concept of post-traumatic growth, the necessity of facing adversities, and maintaining mental health resilience. The conversation also touches on Dr. McElheran's Bataan Death March experience, underscoring the significant lessons in resilience and determination.
Episode Highlights:
02:29&nbsp;The Misconceptions of Stoicism
08:04&nbsp;The Impact of Trauma on First Responders
29:32&nbsp;Stoic Wisdom for Overcoming Hardship
31:10&nbsp;The Hero's Journey and Personal Growth
32:22&nbsp;Embracing Pain and Suffering
37:55&nbsp;Curating Thoughts and Building Confidence
40:20&nbsp;The Bataan Death March: A Lesson in Endurance
Dr. Megan McElheran, CEO of Wayfound Mental Health Group in Calgary, AB, is a Clinical Psychologist with 16 years of expertise in Operational Stress Injuries (OSI). Specializing in active-duty military, Veterans, and public safety personnel, she focuses on assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Driven by a passion for OSI prevention and resilience enhancement, she developed the BOS program. Exploring innovative approaches, she's delving into psychedelic medicine for psychological injuries. A sought-after speaker and educator, Dr. McElheran shares her insights nationally. Her recent publication in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, "Functional Disconnection and Reconnection," sheds light on novel strategies for public safety personnel's well-being.
You can find out more here: <a href="https://www.beforeoperationalstress.com/">https://www.beforeoperationalstress.com/</a>
Learn more about the gift of Adversity and my mission to help my fellow humans create a better world by heading to <a href="http://www.marcusaureliusanderson.com/">www.marcusaureliusanderson.com</a>. There you can take action by joining my ANV inner circle to get exclusive content and information.

Dr. Megan McElheran: On applying Stoicism to combat PTSD, The Power of Post Traumatic Growth and the Importance of Preparation Before Operational Stress (Replay)

Rick Williams, author and host of the Create the Future with Rick Williams Podcast, joins Marcus Aurelius Anderson to talk about the decisions that shape leaders and the organizations they run. Rick traces his path from physicist at Itek to Harvard Business School, Arthur D. Little, and founding The Equity Company, and explains why leadership and management are two different skill sets. He shares the Johnson & Johnson story that shows why a junior employee has to feel safe saying something is wrong, the Casablanca lunch where he sketched Create the Future on the back of a placemat, and his call to stop racing 100 miles from Bermuda after his boat lost its backstay. Rick also talks about driving donated supplies from Warsaw to Kyiv and what most Americans miss about the war in Ukraine.

 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

6:57: Rick explains why leadership and management are two different skill sets, and why successful leaders need management skills plus the ability to set a vision and build trust.

15:01: Rick shares how a junior Johnson & Johnson employee caught mislabeled bottles before they shipped nationwide, and why that only happens in a culture where people feel safe saying something is wrong.

44:41: Rick describes the lunch in Casablanca where he turned over a placemat and wrote down the title and core idea of Create the Future, that the decisions you make today create your organization's future.

48:09: Rick walks through the Newport to Bermuda race where a failed backstay 100 miles from the finish forced him to choose between crossing the line and protecting his crew and boat.

 

Rick Williams is a keynote speaker, author, and board member who shares his experience as a scientist, management consultant, company founder, and CEO. After studying physics at the University of Pennsylvania, he worked on high-level optics and reconnaissance systems at Itek, then went on to Harvard Business School and spent more than ten years at Arthur D. Little before founding The Equity Company, an award-winning real estate investment and development company. Rick is the author of Create the Future: Powerful Decision-Making Tools for Your Company and Yourself and hosts the Create the Future with Rick Williams Podcast, a forum for leaders to share the tough decisions they have made for their organizations. He is also an offshore sailor who has raced from Newport to Bermuda, and he has helped drive donated supplies into Ukraine. Learn more at rickwilliamsleadership.com.

 

Learn more about the gift of Adversity and my mission to help my fellow humans create a better world by heading to www.marcusaureliusanderson.com. There you can take action by joining my ANV inner circle to get exclusive content and information.

Rick Williams, author and host of the Create the Future with Rick Williams Podcast, joins Marcus Aurelius Anderson to talk about the decisions that shape leaders and the organizations they run. Rick traces his path from physicist at Itek to Harvard Business School, Arthur D. Little, and founding The Equity Company, and explains why leadership and management are two different skill sets. He shares the Johnson &amp; Johnson story that shows why a junior employee has to feel safe saying something is wrong, the Casablanca lunch where he sketched Create the Future on the back of a placemat, and his call to stop racing 100 miles from Bermuda after his boat lost its backstay. Rick also talks about driving donated supplies from Warsaw to Kyiv and what most Americans miss about the war in Ukraine.
&nbsp;
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
6:57: Rick explains why leadership and management are two different skill sets, and why successful leaders need management skills plus the ability to set a vision and build trust.
15:01: Rick shares how a junior Johnson &amp; Johnson employee caught mislabeled bottles before they shipped nationwide, and why that only happens in a culture where people feel safe saying something is wrong.
44:41: Rick describes the lunch in Casablanca where he turned over a placemat and wrote down the title and core idea of Create the Future, that the decisions you make today create your organization's future.
48:09: Rick walks through the Newport to Bermuda race where a failed backstay 100 miles from the finish forced him to choose between crossing the line and protecting his crew and boat.
&nbsp;
Rick Williams is a keynote speaker, author, and board member who shares his experience as a scientist, management consultant, company founder, and CEO. After studying physics at the University of Pennsylvania, he worked on high-level optics and reconnaissance systems at Itek, then went on to Harvard Business School and spent more than ten years at Arthur D. Little before founding The Equity Company, an award-winning real estate investment and development company. Rick is the author of Create the Future: Powerful Decision-Making Tools for Your Company and Yourself and hosts the Create the Future with Rick Williams Podcast, a forum for leaders to share the tough decisions they have made for their organizations. He is also an offshore sailor who has raced from Newport to Bermuda, and he has helped drive donated supplies into Ukraine. Learn more at <a href="http://rickwilliamsleadership.com">rickwilliamsleadership.com</a>.
&nbsp;
Learn more about the gift of Adversity and my mission to help my fellow humans create a better world by heading to <a href="http://www.marcusaureliusanderson.com/">www.marcusaureliusanderson.com</a>. There you can take action by joining my ANV inner circle to get exclusive content and information.

Rick Williams on Leadership vs. Management, Making Difficult Decisions, and Knowing When to Drop Out of the Race

Richard Kaufman, known as The Comeback Coach and host of the Vertical Momentum Resiliency Podcast 2.0, sits down with Marcus Aurelius Anderson to talk about what happens when the identity you built your whole life around is taken away. Richard shares how he went from being thrown out of the military for addiction to being named Soldier of the Year, and how losing his vision and his uniform in 2012 left him asking who he was without it. He opens up about the moment his six-month-old daughter pulled him back from the edge on Labor Day 2012, the lunch with Gary Vaynerchuk that launched his podcast, and the Ed Mylett lesson that everything in his life happened for him. Together they talk about why nobody is coming to save you, how success leaves clues, and why taking full responsibility for your life is where living begins.

 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

13:50: Richard shares how a lunch with Gary Vaynerchuk led to the push to start a podcast and write a book before he had any social media following at all.

18:37: Richard explains that the biggest revelation from 14 years of therapy is that nobody is coming to save you, and how Ed Mylett taught him that nothing happened to him, it all happened for him.

22:34: Richard describes how losing his military ID and his identity as Sergeant Kaufman left him asking who he was, and why so many veterans and first responders struggle after taking off the uniform.

25:53: Richard describes how a George Strait song about a father seeing his daughter for the first time came on the radio seconds before he planned to end his life, and how thinking of his own daughter saved him.

 

Richard Kaufman, known as The Comeback Coach, is a military veteran, author, speaker and host of the Vertical Momentum Resiliency Podcast 2.0, which has passed 1,400 episodes and nearly five million downloads. After being discharged in 1988 for drug and alcohol use, he fought his way back into the Pennsylvania National Guard, was named Soldier of the Year and served more than 20 years before his medical retirement in 2012. Richard has been sober since 1989 and is the author of A Hero's Journey From Darkness to Light, a book about recovery, addiction and depression, and The Podcast Blueprint, a guide to starting and sustaining a podcast. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and three kids.

 

Learn more about the gift of Adversity and my mission to help my fellow humans create a better world by heading to www.marcusaureliusanderson.com. There you can take action by joining my ANV inner circle to get exclusive content and information.

Richard Kaufman, known as The Comeback Coach and host of the Vertical Momentum Resiliency Podcast 2.0, sits down with Marcus Aurelius Anderson to talk about what happens when the identity you built your whole life around is taken away. Richard shares how he went from being thrown out of the military for addiction to being named Soldier of the Year, and how losing his vision and his uniform in 2012 left him asking who he was without it. He opens up about the moment his six-month-old daughter pulled him back from the edge on Labor Day 2012, the lunch with Gary Vaynerchuk that launched his podcast, and the Ed Mylett lesson that everything in his life happened for him. Together they talk about why nobody is coming to save you, how success leaves clues, and why taking full responsibility for your life is where living begins.
&nbsp;
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
13:50: Richard shares how a lunch with Gary Vaynerchuk led to the push to start a podcast and write a book before he had any social media following at all.
18:37: Richard explains that the biggest revelation from 14 years of therapy is that nobody is coming to save you, and how Ed Mylett taught him that nothing happened to him, it all happened for him.
22:34: Richard describes how losing his military ID and his identity as Sergeant Kaufman left him asking who he was, and why so many veterans and first responders struggle after taking off the uniform.
25:53: Richard describes how a George Strait song about a father seeing his daughter for the first time came on the radio seconds before he planned to end his life, and how thinking of his own daughter saved him.
&nbsp;
Richard Kaufman, known as The Comeback Coach, is a military veteran, author, speaker and host of the Vertical Momentum Resiliency Podcast 2.0, which has passed 1,400 episodes and nearly five million downloads. After being discharged in 1988 for drug and alcohol use, he fought his way back into the Pennsylvania National Guard, was named Soldier of the Year and served more than 20 years before his medical retirement in 2012. Richard has been sober since 1989 and is the author of A Hero's Journey From Darkness to Light, a book about recovery, addiction and depression, and The Podcast Blueprint, a guide to starting and sustaining a podcast. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and three kids.
&nbsp;
Learn more about the gift of Adversity and my mission to help my fellow humans create a better world by heading to <a href="http://www.marcusaureliusanderson.com/">www.marcusaureliusanderson.com</a>. There you can take action by joining my ANV inner circle to get exclusive content and information.

Michael Ostrolenk on The Relationship Dojo, Playfulness, Curiosity, and Personal Growth in Couples

In 1 playlist(s)

Acta Non Verba

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips