Behind The Human with Marc Champagne

Marc Champagne
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  • Mental Health
  • Updated weekly

Unpacking the stories and mental fitness practices of people living at the top of their game personally and professionally.

  1. 2 days ago

    What If Your Fears Didn’t Start in This Life? (Ft. Ainslie MacLeod)

    Ainslie MacLeod spent much of his life as a skeptic and professional illustrator before an extraordinary encounter with his deceased uncle in a Hawaiian bookstore changed the direction of his life. Today, Ainslie works as a psychic and spiritual teacher exploring past lives, reincarnation, purpose, intuition, and what he describes as the soul’s journey. In this conversation, we explore Ainslie’s belief that some of our unexplained fears, talents, relationships, and deepest callings may have roots beyond our current lifetime. We also unpack why so many people feel an increased urgency around purpose as they approach 40, how overthinking can drown out intuition, why journaling creates space to hear what we already know, and why community and belonging matter deeply during uncertain times. Whether you believe in past lives or simply remain curious about the mysteries behind who we become, this conversation asks a fascinating question: How much of who you are can actually be explained by the life you remember? EXCITING STUFF! My second book now available for pre-order! You're Invited: A Life-Changing Conversation with History's Greatest Wisdom Teachers Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas   Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne   Timestamps: 00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?” 05:43 — The bookstore encounter that divided Ainslie’s life into “before” and “after” 08:37 — From illustrator and atheist to exploring psychic abilities 12:46 — The eerie coincidence minutes before Ainslie saw his deceased uncle 16:07 — What Ainslie believes past lives can reveal about who we are 17:36 — Could unexplained fears originate in another lifetime? 22:30 — The astral plane, life review, and what happens between lives 24:14 — Young souls, old souls, and the journey from “me” to “we” 28:11 — How Ainslie says his system was revealed to him 29:09 — Ainslie reads Marc’s soul age and life pattern 32:59 — The surprising connection between premature death and fear of failure 35:32 — Why purpose can suddenly feel urgent around age 40 37:36 — Past-life talents, healing, creativity, and meaningful work 42:52 — How do you trust an inner knowing when the outside world remains uncertain? 43:25 — Why modern life can make it harder to become who we actually are 49:01 — Is humanity going through another shift in consciousness? 53:29 — How Ainslie navigates uncertainty and what still keeps him curious 57:41 — A practical exercise for strengthening intuition 58:57 — Why journaling clears the mental noise 60:10 — Community, belonging, and navigating a stressful world together 63:22 — The ripple effect of choosing to follow an unexpected calling * Special props 👇 Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    What If Your Fears Didn’t Start in This Life? (Ft. Ainslie MacLeod)

  2. 5 days ago

    The Blueprint (EP 4 of 7): Your Practice Stack - The Three Habits Actually Built for Your Season

    Most self-improvement plans fail from the wrong structure, not a lack of discipline — too many generic habits with no connection to what actually works for you. In this episode, Marc breaks down the difference between daily anchors and weekly rituals and why you need both, then walks through how to pick your three practices by pulling directly from your lowest pillar (episode one), your operating pattern's restoration list (episode three), and your outcome and mantra (episode two). The episode closes with Mental Nutrition — auditing what you're listening to, watching, and reading, and making one deliberate swap in each for the next 90 days. This is episode two of a 7-part series teaching you how to build your own 90-Day Mental Fitness Blueprint by hand. Start with episode one if you haven't yet — this one builds directly on your baseline scores. Have your plan built for you in 15 minutes → blueprint.mchampagne.com Use code POD50 for 50% off while this series airs. Special props 👇 Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    The Blueprint (EP 4 of 7): Your Practice Stack - The Three Habits Actually Built for Your Season

  3. 9 Aug

    The $5 Million Mistake That Taught Him How to Live (Ft. Randy Cohen)

    Randy Cohen is the founder and Chief Energizing Officer of TicketCity, which he started as a university student with $1,200 and six basketball tickets. Four decades later, he is an author, entrepreneur, connector, father, grandfather and the heart behind the Loop of Love—a philosophy centred on giving back, bringing people together and helping them leave a room feeling better than when they entered. For the discount at TicketCity use code: COHEN1403 - https://www.ticketcity.com/ EXCITING STUFF! My second book now available for pre-order! You're Invited: A Life-Changing Conversation with History's Greatest Wisdom Teachers Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas   Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne   Timestamps: 00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?” 00:45 — Randy’s Loop of Love and the identity beneath his title 02:47 — Starting TicketCity with $1,200 and six basketball tickets 03:20 — “Heart of a cougar, soul of a lion” 06:18 — The early role model who taught Randy to light up a room 07:32 — Risk, the circle of life and entering a different season 09:13 — The LAYER model: listen, acknowledge, explore and respond 11:10 — The books and practices helping Randy learn to simply be 13:02 — Getting 1% better and shifting from winning to giving back 13:56 — The $5 million restaurant mistake 14:25 — Why you cannot own a business without showing up 15:23 — Closing the restaurants and discovering that less is more 18:44 — COVID, lost identity and watching his life force disappear 20:07 — How Randy began getting his colours back 21:16 — Small relationship practices that restore energy 24:09 — How gratitude creates a loop that interrupts overthinking 25:19 — Joseph Campbell, dragons and the Mental Fitness Blueprint 26:21 — Stop slaying dragons and start flying with them 29:28 — Randy’s hot-tub ritual and morning hummingbird report 29:56 — Creating enough space to notice what others are carrying 31:49 — What a life well lived really means 33:01 — The people and principles that shaped Randy’s swagger 36:49 — Final reflections, TicketCity and living the dash * Special props 👇 Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    The $5 Million Mistake That Taught Him How to Live (Ft. Randy Cohen)

  4. 2 Aug

    The Architect of Cozy: How Kathryn Nicolai Built a World Millions Return To

    As the creator of Nothing Much Happens and the author of the audio novel On the Street Where You Live, Kathryn Nicolai has built an interconnected world where listeners can feel safe, soften their guard and step away from the noise of modern life. In this conversation, Kathryn explains how 20 years of teaching yoga prepared her to speak to millions of listeners, why she created a genre she calls “healing fiction,” and how storytelling can quietly bring people into a state of mindfulness without asking them to meditate. She also shares the discipline behind her enormous creative output, the role safety plays in making art, the practices she uses to regulate her own mind and why our lives were never meant to be constantly optimized. This is a conversation about sleep, creativity, community and creating softer places to land—in our minds, our neighbourhoods and our lives. EXCITING STUFF! My second book now available for pre-order! You're Invited: A Life-Changing Conversation with History's Greatest Wisdom Teachers Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas   Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne   Timestamps: 00:00 — Meeting the “Architect of Cozy” 00:39 — Why the Mind Needs to Feel Safe 02:14 — The Hidden Training Behind Kathryn’s Success 05:40 — Becoming a Writer by Creating a New Genre 07:11 — The Bedtime Story That Started Everything 08:41 — Discipline, Writing Sprints and Scheduled Goofing Around 11:37 — Where Kathryn’s Ideas Come From 13:32 — Creating Healing Fiction 18:19 — The Sneaky Power of Storytelling 20:18 — Why Creativity Requires Safety 21:46 — How Kathryn Regulates Her Mind 23:15 — Self-Care as the Bare Minimum 24:50 — Your Life Is Not an Optimization Project 25:44 — Why Audio Became the Perfect Medium 28:37 — Letting Collaborators Make the Work Better 31:20 — Goodness, Community and Belonging 33:38 — Ubuntu, a Smoking Houseplant and Helpful Neighbours 36:06 — Creating a Softer Corner of the Internet 37:53 — Neighbours of Nothing Much 40:14 — The Satisfaction of Useful Work * Special props 👇 Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    The Architect of Cozy: How Kathryn Nicolai Built a World Millions Return To

  5. 30 Jul

    The Blueprint (EP 3 of 7): Your Operating Pattern: The Strategy Your Mind Runs on Under Pressure

    Your operating pattern isn't a personality type — it's the dominant strategy your mind is leaning on right now. Marc walks through all six Blueprint patterns, how each one can distort under pressure, and what actually tends to restore it. This is episode two of a 7-part series teaching you how to build your own 90-Day Mental Fitness Blueprint by hand. Start with episode one if you haven't yet — this one builds directly on your baseline scores. Have your plan built for you in 15 minutes → blueprint.mchampagne.com Use code POD50 for 50% off while this series airs. Special props 👇 Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    The Blueprint (EP 3 of 7): Your Operating Pattern: The Strategy Your Mind Runs on Under Pressure

  6. 26 Jul

    The Iron Chef Who Prepared for a 97% Chance of Losing (Ft. Mark Tarbell)

    Chef and Iron Chef America winner Mark Tarbell opens up about nearly drowning, spending the next three decades sleeping only two to four hours a night, and eventually learning to use breath, meditation, service, and the pause to make better decisions. He also reveals the obsessive preparation behind his Iron Chef victory, why he refuses to live in past glory, and how saying no can become a gift. Show Partners: Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life   Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne   Timestamps: 00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?” 00:14 — Mark Tarbell on having the heart of a servant 00:45 — Where Mark’s generosity and humility began 01:33 — The grandmother whose home was always open 02:03 — Nearly drowning and realizing we are one breath away 02:46 — When a high achiever discovers he is not in control 04:30 — Sleeping two to four hours a night for 30 years 05:29 — Why the breath became deeply personal 06:45 — Using breathwork to regulate a driven mind 08:56 — Teaching restaurant teams the power of the pause 09:23 — The three-option method for making decisions under pressure 12:27 — The Jacques Pépin book that changed Mark’s life 14:16 — Fighting for an apprenticeship in Amsterdam 15:41 — Calling a Paris culinary school until they finally said yes 17:22 — Why chaos makes Mark feel calm 18:09 — The real role of a chef, server, or restaurateur 20:56 — How to stop other people’s emotions from sticking 22:59 — Cooking for the Dalai Lama and struggling with meditation 24:28 — Finding stillness inside chaotic environments 25:10 — How preparing food can become a meditation 27:22 — The unexpected call from Iron Chef America 28:48 — Preparing for a 97% chance of losing 30:51 — Recreating the competition before ever entering it 32:28 — Why Mark has never watched his Iron Chef victory 32:58 — Refusing to live in the glory days 34:23 — Creating filters for new opportunities 34:49 — Recovering from “yes-itis” 35:39 — What happens during Mark’s three-day decision pause 36:09 — Why no is the most underused word 36:29 — The gift of goodbye 37:11 — The advice Mark would give his 14-year-old self 37:30 — Living from the inside out 37:49 — Why love anchors everything 38:09 — Discernment versus judgment 39:40 — What Mark hopes his children see in him 41:18 — The ripple effect of following an authentic calling * Special props 👇 Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud Photo credit & feature by: @phensimms / TSG Phoenix & Scottsdale   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    The Iron Chef Who Prepared for a 97% Chance of Losing (Ft. Mark Tarbell)

  7. 23 Jul

    The Blueprint (EP 2 of 7): Set the Season - One 90-Day Outcome Beats a Dozen Good Intentions

    Marc breaks down why 90 days is the right container for real change, then walks you through the two-layer exercise that actually anchors a season: your one professional outcome, and how you want to show up while you work towards that outcome. That second layer is the one almost everyone skips, and it's exactly why hitting a goal doesn't always feel like winning. This is episode two of a 7-part series teaching you how to build your own 90-Day Mental Fitness Blueprint by hand. Start with episode one if you haven't yet — this one builds directly on your baseline scores. Have your plan built for you in 15 minutes → blueprint.mchampagne.com Use code POD50 for 50% off while this series airs. Special props 👇 Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    The Blueprint (EP 2 of 7): Set the Season - One 90-Day Outcome Beats a Dozen Good Intentions

  8. 19 Jul

    The Longevity Trap: When Optimizing Your Health Backfires (Ft. Dr. Nasim Afsar)

    We were promised that more data would give us more control. Somewhere between the sleep score and the blood panel, many of us stopped asking how we actually feel. After stepping away from the demanding executive career that had shaped much of her identity, physician and healthcare leader Dr. Nasim Afsar was forced to confront a deeper question: Who are you when the role, schedule, and story that defined you are suddenly gone? In this conversation, Nasim and Marc explore identity beyond achievement, the danger of trying to fix every uncomfortable emotion, and the growing anxiety surrounding wearables, supplements, testing, peptides, and longevity protocols. They also examine how unified health data and artificial intelligence could create a more personalized and human healthcare system—provided that people remain the owners of their information and the centre of every decision. This is a conversation about becoming whole, trusting how you feel, and remembering that no technology can replace sleep, movement, purpose, community, and a life you genuinely want to live. Show Partners: Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life   Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne   Timestamps: 00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?” 01:41 — Leaving the career that had become part of her identity 04:23 — What story are you telling yourself about who you are? 06:32 — Becoming a more whole human being 08:21 — What a Valentine’s Day disappointment taught Nasim about pain 11:14 — Why fixing the problem can prevent us from understanding it 13:16 — Letting discomfort teach you instead of managing it away 15:38 — How medical training conditioned doctors to disconnect emotionally 18:36 — Feeling difficult emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them 20:03 — Why high-stress professions must teach people how to process trauma 22:17 — The connection between human context and intelligent health 23:47 — The patient labelled “non-compliant” whose real story was being missed 26:06 — Why clinical care represents only part of what shapes our health 26:44 — The three pillars of intelligent health 28:53 — Why modern health optimization has become overwhelming 30:12 — When wearable data disconnects you from how you actually feel 31:58 — The psychological cost of forcing yourself through “healthy” routines 33:34 — The anxiety and stress hiding inside the longevity movement 35:33 — A healthier, seasonal approach to wearables and tracking 37:56 — The simple fundamentals shared by people who live well 39:12 — The dangerous side of rushing into unverified health treatments 40:32 — Returning to the fundamentals before chasing the latest protocol 42:01 — Why fragmented health data prevents personalized care 45:15 — Where to begin when health information feels overwhelming 46:06 — Baseline testing, trusted practitioners, AI, and health-data privacy 47:38 — Why no peptide can replace the foundations of health 48:18 — The personalized health future that may be closer than we think 49:55 — Reclaiming autonomy without chasing every health trend * Special props 👇 Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    The Longevity Trap: When Optimizing Your Health Backfires (Ft. Dr. Nasim Afsar)
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Unpacking the stories and mental fitness practices of people living at the top of their game personally and professionally.

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