The Brain Vault: Where Science Meets Success

Larry R. Olsen
  • 5.0 (30)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Biweekly

Ever feel like you’re capable of more, but something’s holding you back? Yeah, we’ve all been there. Welcome to "The Brain Vault" with Larry Olsen. This isn't some stuffy lecture; it's a deep dive into how your mind actually works and, more importantly, how to get it working for you. We're talking real talk with incredible people – the ones who've been stuck, figured it out, and built something amazing. Larry sits down with trailblazers from every walk of life: athletes who shattered records, entrepreneurs who built empires from nothing, thinkers who revolutionized their fields. They open up about their biggest challenges, their biggest breakthroughs, and exactly what they did to shift their mindset. Larry then helps break down these powerful insights, making them easy for you to bring into your own life. Forget the hype. We're talking genuine stories, actionable insights, and a whole new way to think about unlocking what's next for you. If you're curious, ready to learn, and want to finally break through those mental barriers, then pull up a chair. Together, we will explore your brain's hidden power. About Your Host, Larry Olsen: Larry Olsen has spent years mastering the art of mental optimization, translating complex ideas into everyday breakthroughs. As a world expert speaker, CEO, and relatable husband and father of five, he's dedicated to helping you harness the power of your own mind and apply it to your real life. He's not just talking theory; he lives these principles, which means the insights you gain here are genuinely applicable to your busy, complex world.

  1. 3d ago

    When More Isn't Better for Your Health

    What if the supplements, the tracking, and the protocols you rely on to live longer are quietly draining the life out of you? My guests today are Ramona Roemer and Andreas Heigl, co-founders of Vimed Cell, a private longevity clinic in Switzerland and Germany. They've spent more than twenty years working with people who are already doing everything right for their health, and they're the co-authors of Unlongevity. The pattern they keep seeing is the same one: disciplined, informed people who tell them, "I'm doing so much for my health, but somehow I still don't feel quite like myself." We start with a habit most high achievers share: running their health like a business, with a handful of KPIs. Sound familiar? From there we get into routines that made sense once and may not anymore, why one lab number is never the whole story, and what a hard year can do to your lab work. I think you're going to get a lot out of this one. ABOUT RAMONA ROEMER AND ANDREAS HEIGL Ramona Roemer and Andreas Heigl are the co-founders of Vimed Cell, a private longevity clinic based in Switzerland and Germany. They have worked for more than twenty years with high-performing individuals, including business leaders, public figures, and royal families. They are the co-authors of Unlongevity. Their approach combines school medicine, natural practitioners, and energy medicine, with no branded supplement line behind it. They are parents of three children. ABOUT LARRY OLSEN Larry Olsen is a Two-Time Vistage Speaker of the Year and Fortune 50/500 Executive Performance Advisor with 40+ years of client work at Toyota, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Harley-Davidson, Honda, American Airlines, State Farm, Frito Lay, Lexus, and Tropicana. He is the author of Get a Vision and Live It! and the founder of Performance Driven Neurology. IF THIS LANDED FOR YOU The next step is Larry's Brain Hacks Intensive. It is a guided practice that walks you through the foundational mindset shifts Larry teaches Fortune 500 executives. Brain Hacks Intensive: https://neuromindedcollective.com/brain-hacks-challenge FOR EXECUTIVE LEADERS If you want to find out which patterns are currently running your leadership, take Larry's free 5% Leadership Assessment. Less than 5 percent of leaders operate from the patterns it measures. 5% Leadership Assessment: https://tally.so/r/kde74r CONNECT WITH LARRY Email: success@larryolsen.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/larry-r-olsen CONNECT WITH RAMONA ROEMER AND ANDREAS HEIGL Website: https://unlongevity.com  Book: Unlongevity   SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE New episodes of the Brain Vault Podcast publish every other Wednesday. #BrainVaultPodcast #Unlongevity #LarryOlsen #RamonaRoemer #AndreasHeigl #Longevity

    When More Isn't Better for Your Health

  2. Sep 23

    Know Your People and the Numbers Follow

    Why can intelligent, successful leaders see everything in the room except the one thing holding their company back? My guest this week is Nicolas Pokorny. He trained in neurobiology and neuroscience, then spent more than 30 years leading teams in global business. He's the best-selling author of The Mammoth in the Room and the founder and CEO of Mammoth Leadership Sciences. Nicolas looks at leadership the way a scientist looks at behavior. People do what gets them the outcomes they need, and a good leader works with that instead of pretending it isn't there. We start with how Nicolas got his first leadership job. He was good at building detail aids, so they handed him a team of eight. Sound familiar? From there we get into power plays that pass for strategy debates, why company politics aren't the enemy, and why the best leaders he's known could tell you the names of their people's kids. I think you're going to get a lot out of this one. What you'll hear: The mammoth in the room: the issue everyone in the meeting already knows and no one will nameWhy leadership is really about leading human behavior, not the businessThe evolutionary roots of leadership, and why followers matter as much as leadersWhy span of control should never exceed six to eight peopleThe law of reciprocity, and the difference between appealing to someone and manipulating them  ABOUT NICOLAS POKORNY Nicolas Pokorny is the best-selling author of The Mammoth in the Room and the founder and CEO of Mammoth Leadership Sciences. He has a PhD-level background in neurobiology and neuroscience and more than 30 years of global business leadership. Over that time he has built high-performing teams and helped organizations turn human behavior into a competitive advantage. His approach draws on evolutionary science to explain how people behave in groups, and his philosophy is simple: do the right things rather than simply doing things right. He also hosts The Mammoth in the Room podcast, which looks at leadership lessons from history through the lens of human behavior.   ABOUT LARRY OLSEN Larry Olsen is a Two-Time Vistage Speaker of the Year and Fortune 50/500 Executive Performance Advisor with 40+ years of client work at Toyota, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Harley-Davidson, Honda, American Airlines, State Farm, Frito Lay, Lexus, and Tropicana. He is the author of Get a Vision and Live It! and the founder of Performance Driven Neurology.  IF THIS LANDED FOR YOU Some things in a room are true whether or not anyone says them out loud. Naming what's actually happening, not just what's comfortable, is the same lens Larry brings to every leadership conversation he has. How Leaders Think: https://larry-olsen.kit.com/how-leaders-think CONNECT WITH LARRY Email: success@larryolsen.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/larry-r-olsen  CONNECT WITH NICOLAS POKORNY Website: https://mammothleadershipsciences.com/ Book: The Mammoth in the Room (Amazon) Podcast: The Mammoth in the Room (YouTube, Apple, Spotify)  SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE New episodes of the Brain Vault Podcast publish every other Wednesday.  #BrainVaultPodcast #MammothInTheRoom #LarryOlsen #NicolasPokorny #Leadership

    Know Your People and the Numbers Follow

  3. Sep 9

    Twice the Results In Half the Time

    What if engagement isn't the goal? Dave Garrison says buy-in is a much higher standard, and most leaders are optimizing for the wrong one. Dave Garrison holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and has spent more than 30 years helping CEOs, senior leaders, and organizations create meaningful buy-in across their teams, with executive leadership experience and board roles including Ameritrade. He is the founder of Garrison Growth and author of The Buy-In Advantage. In this conversation, Larry sits down with Dave to talk about why engagement is the wrong finish line, and what actually gets people to bring their full selves to work. What you'll hear: Why buy-in is a higher standard than engagement, and the Friday night football analogy that explains the gapThe real reason people say they're leaving for "more money"The three things employees are actually looking for: purpose, voice, and being seen as a human beingWhy "do you have any questions" is one of the least intelligent questions a leader can ask ABOUT DAVE GARRISON Dave Garrison holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and has more than 30 years of executive leadership experience, including board roles with organizations such as Ameritrade. He is the founder of Garrison Growth and author of The Buy-In Advantage, and hosts free monthly workshops on leadership topics.  ABOUT LARRY OLSEN Larry Olsen is a Two-Time Vistage Speaker of the Year and Fortune 50/500 Executive Performance Advisor with 40+ years of client work at Toyota, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Harley-Davidson, Honda, American Airlines, State Farm, Frito Lay, Lexus, and Tropicana. He is the author of Get a Vision and Live It! and the founder of Performance Driven Neurology.   IF THIS LANDED FOR YOU A new buy-in process won't fix an old operating system. What actually changes outcomes is how a leader makes decisions under pressure, and that's the same lens Larry brings to every leadership conversation he has. How Leaders Think: https://larry-olsen.kit.com/how-leaders-think   CONNECT WITH LARRY Email: success@larryolsen.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/larry-r-olsen   CONNECT WITH DAVE GARRISON Website: garrisongrowth.com Free assessments and monthly workshops available on his website Book: The Buy-In Advantage   SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE New episodes of the Brain Vault Podcast publish every other Wednesday.  #BrainVaultPodcast #SituationalLeadership #LarryOlsen #AdaptiveLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment

    Twice the Results In Half the Time

  4. Aug 26

    Trust First Leadership

    Sam Shriver and Suzie Bishop join Larry Olsen from the Center for Leadership Studies, the home of the original Situational Leadership model. Sam brings more than 45 years of experience and has designed and delivered over 200 leadership and coaching programs. Suzie is Vice President of Product Development at the Center and has spent more than a decade adapting the model for today's modern learner. Together they are co-authors of Situational Leadership: The Model for Leading Others, Navigating Change, and Unlocking Performance.   In this conversation, Larry sits down with Sam and Suzie to talk about why one-size-fits-all leadership fails, and how meeting people where they are unlocks trust, performance, and human potential.   What you'll hear: Why "it depends" is the mantra of situational leadership, not a fixed leadership style The behaviors that run from direction to empowerment, and when each one backfires Referent power: why trust outperforms position power or expertise How a leader's presence alone can stifle honest conversation   ABOUT SAM SHRIVER AND SUZIE BISHOP Sam Shriver has more than 45 years of experience in situational leadership and has designed and delivered over 200 leadership and coaching programs. Suzie Bishop is Vice President of Product Development at the Center for Leadership Studies. Together they are co-authors of Situational Leadership: The Model for Leading Others, Navigating Change, and Unlocking Performance. The Center for Leadership Studies is the global home of the original Situational Leadership model.   ABOUT LARRY OLSEN Larry Olsen is a Two-Time Vistage Speaker of the Year and Fortune 50/500 Executive Performance Advisor with 40+ years of client work at Toyota, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Harley-Davidson, Honda, American Airlines, State Farm, Frito Lay, Lexus, and Tropicana. He is the author of Get a Vision and Live It! and the founder of Performance Driven Neurology.   IF THIS LANDED FOR YOU Leadership isn't one style forced onto every person, it's reading the person in front of you and adjusting from there. That's exactly how Larry thinks through every leadership conversation he has.   How Leaders Think:  https://larry-olsen.kit.com/how-leaders-think   CONNECT WITH LARRY Email: success@larryolsen.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/larry-r-olsen   CONNECT WITH SAM SHRIVER AND SUZIE BISHOP Website: situational.com LinkedIn: Sam Shriver and Suzie Bishop Book: Situational Leadership: The Model for Leading Others, Navigating Change, and Unlocking Performance (Amazon and other major retailers)   SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE New episodes of the Brain Vault Podcast publish every other Wednesday.

    Trust First Leadership

  5. Aug 12

    Knowing Where You Want to Land

    What if the biggest threat to your business right now is not moving too slowly? It is moving boldly in the wrong direction. Michael Hofer is a CFO, transformative executive, author, and advisor with 40 years in finance. He has led more than 30 mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring transactions worldwide, giving him a front-row seat to what happens when bold strategy works and when it turns into costly noise. He is the founder of the Thrive Network, where he connects business performance with human potential and health optimization. In this conversation, Larry Olsen sits down with Michael to talk about how leaders can tell whether their next move (AI, M&A, transformation) is creating value or just creating expensive complexity.   ABOUT MICHAEL HOFER Michael Hofer is a CFO, transformative executive, author, and advisor originally from Austria, now based in Denver, Colorado. With 40 years in finance and 30+ mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring transactions worldwide, he brings a rare combination of strategic finance depth and human optimization philosophy. He is currently CFO of a major energy company, MIT-certified in artificial intelligence, and the founder of the Thrive Network. His work spans thriving with diabetes, thriving in business, and thriving in life.   ABOUT LARRY OLSEN Larry Olsen is a Two-Time Vistage Speaker of the Year and Fortune 50/500 Executive Performance Advisor with 40+ years of client work at Toyota, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Harley-Davidson, Honda, American Airlines, State Farm, Frito Lay, Lexus, and Tropicana. He is the author of Get a Vision and Live It! and the founder of Performance Driven Neurology.   IF THIS LANDED FOR YOU The next step is Larry's Brain Hacks Intensive. It is a guided practice that walks you through the foundational mindset shifts Larry teaches Fortune 500 executives. Brain Hacks Intensive: https://neuromindedcollective.com/brain-hacks-challenge   FOR EXECUTIVE LEADERS If you want to find out which patterns are currently running your leadership, take Larry's free 5% Leadership Assessment. Less than 5 percent of leaders operate from the patterns it measures. 5% Leadership Assessment: https://tally.so/r/kde74r   CONNECT WITH LARRY Website: larryolsen.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/larry-r-olsen   CONNECT WITH MICHAEL HOFER Website: bymichaelhofer.com   SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE New episodes of the Brain Vault Podcast publish every other Wednesday.   Yours in growth, Larry

    Knowing Where You Want to Land

  6. Jul 29

    The Moment You Decide

    What if the reason your business cannot scale is not your team, your strategy, or your market. It is you. Rajesh Nagjee is a business physicist. Over more than 30 years, he has worked with over 350 CEOs across 15 countries to solve what he calls the founder bottleneck. That moment when a company is ready to scale but still depends on the founder for decisions, clarity, and stability. He is also the creator of CEO Freedom OS, a leadership architecture designed to help CEOs scale without losing control. In this conversation, Larry Olsen sits down with Rajesh to talk about how the very person who built the company becomes the one holding it back. Not because they are not capable, but because the way they think, decide, and operate has not evolved at the same speed as the business itself. What you'll hear: • Why Rajesh believes recognition produces a fixed way of being (and how it locks founders into identity traps) • The 1989 breakdown that reshaped Rajesh's entire methodology • The observer effect in quantum physics applied to founder-run businesses • The five default states of survival that keep leaders stuck (cynical, skeptical, resigned, cocky, arrogant) • The two intersections: where whining lives, and where possibilities live • Rajesh's father's line that shaped his life: the moment you decide, you will succeed • What Rajesh learned from meeting Mother Teresa about ruthless compassion ABOUT RAJESH NAGJEE Rajesh Nagjee is a CEO mentor and self-described business physicist with over 30 years of experience and work with more than 350 CEOs across 15 countries. He is the creator of CEO Freedom OS, a leadership architecture designed to help CEOs scale without losing control. His methodology was forged through personal breakdown in 1989 and refined over decades of working with founders and leaders. Based in Dubai. ABOUT LARRY OLSEN Larry Olsen is a Two-Time Vistage Speaker of the Year and Fortune 50/500 Executive Performance Advisor with 40+ years of client work at Toyota, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Harley-Davidson, Honda, American Airlines, State Farm, Frito Lay, Lexus, and Tropicana. He is the author of Get a Vision and Live It! and the founder of Performance Driven Neurology. IF THIS LANDED FOR YOU The next step is Larry's Brain Hacks Intensive. It is a guided practice that walks you through the foundational mindset shifts Larry teaches Fortune 500 executives. Brain Hacks Intensive: https://neuromindedcollective.com/brain-hacks-challenge FOR EXECUTIVE LEADERS AND FOUNDERS If you want to find out which patterns are currently running your leadership, take Larry's free 5% Leadership Assessment. Less than 5 percent of leaders operate from the patterns it measures. 5% Leadership Assessment: https://tally.so/r/kde74r CONNECT WITH LARRY Website: larryolsen.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/larry-r-olsen CONNECT WITH RAJESH NAGJEE LinkedIn: Rajesh Nagjee (posts regularly) Website: RajeshNagjee.com Email: Rajesh@RajeshNagjee.com SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE New episodes of the Brain Vault Podcast publish every other Wednesday. Yours in growth, Larry

    The Moment You Decide

  7. Jul 15

    Aging with Agency

    What if the body you're living in right now is already sending you signals you've been trained to ignore? Dr. Sofia Din is a board-certified MD and anti-aging specialist who spent decades watching what happens when those signals go unanswered. Today she's doing something about it. In this episode, she breaks down the hormonal shifts most people never hear about, why aging is now being treated as a disease you can actually do something about, and why your skin and your brain have been soul mates since the very first cell of your life. Larry brings his own story into this one, sharing what taking ownership of his health at 78 has looked like and what he's discovered along the way. Together they dig into what it really means to age with agency. Once again, science meets success in The Brain Vault Podcast. ABOUT DR. SOFIA DIN Dr. Sofia Din is a board certified MD with over 25 years of clinical experience and decades in geriatrics and hospital care. She completed her medical training twice, once in Pakistan and again in the United States. Her practice sits at the intersection of longevity, aesthetics, health span, lifespan, and what she calls beauty span. She is the author of Do We Really Need Botox?, the host of the Bathroom Diaries podcast, and publishes on Substack under Dr. Sofia Din. Her physical practice is in Westchester, New York. ABOUT LARRY OLSEN Larry Olsen is a Two-Time Vistage Speaker of the Year and Fortune 50/500 Executive Performance Advisor with 40+ years of client work at Toyota, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Harley-Davidson, Honda, American Airlines, State Farm, Frito Lay, Lexus, and Tropicana. He is the author of Get a Vision and Live It! and the founder of Performance Driven Neurology. IF THIS LANDED FOR YOU The next step is Larry's Brain Hacks Intensive. It is a guided practice that walks you through the foundational mindset shifts Larry teaches Fortune 500 executives. Brain Hacks Intensive: https://neuromindedcollective.com/brain-hacks-challenge CONNECT WITH LARRY Website: larryolsen.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/larry-r-olsen SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE New episodes of the Brain Vault Podcast publish every other Wednesday. Yours in growth, Larry

    Aging with Agency

  8. Jul 1

    Human Purpose in the Age of Machines

    What if the real threat of AI isn't that it replaces your job — but that it slowly replaces you? In this electrifying episode of The Brain Vault Podcast, Larry sits down with Derek Rydall — bestselling author, founder of the Whole New Human Movement, and host of the globally recognized Emergence podcast — for one of the most expansive conversations we've ever had about human potential, identity, and what we're really here to become. After a near-death experience shattered his understanding of success, Derek spent decades bridging ancient wisdom with modern neuroscience to answer one question: what makes us truly irreplaceable? In this episode, you'll hear: Why AI is the greatest existential crisis and the greatest evolutionary opportunity we've ever faced What the ancient Sanskrit meaning of "human" reveals about who you actually are How the Oracle of Delphi's "Know thyself" was never an affirmation — it was a warning Why your conditions don't determine your destiny, but your character does The race car driver principle that explains why you keep hitting the same walls Why knowledge is not power — and what to do with it instead This conversation isn't just about surviving the AI revolution. It's about finally becoming who you were always meant to be. Connect with Derek at derekrydall.com and grab his book A Whole New Human on Amazon. ABOUT DEREK RYDALL Derek Rydall is the bestselling author of A Whole New Human, The Abundance Project, and Emergence. He is the founder of the Whole New Human Movement and the host of the globally recognized Emergence podcast. Derek bridges ancient wisdom and modern science, drawing on decades of study in psychology, neuroscience, spirituality, and creativity. His work has been forged through profound personal transformation, not theory alone. ABOUT LARRY OLSEN Larry Olsen is a Two-Time Vistage Speaker of the Year and Fortune 50/500 Executive Performance Advisor with 40+ years of client work at Toyota, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Harley-Davidson, Honda, American Airlines, State Farm, Frito Lay, Lexus, and Tropicana. He is the author of Get a Vision and Live It! and the founder of Performance Driven Neurology. IF THIS LANDED FOR YOU The next step is Larry's Brain Hacks Intensive. It is a guided practice that walks you through the foundational mindset shifts Larry teaches Fortune 500 executives. Brain Hacks Intensive: https://neuromindedcollective.com/brain-hacks-challenge CONNECT WITH LARRY Website: larryolsen.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/larry-r-olsen CONNECT WITH DEREK RYDALL Website: DerekRydall.com YouTube: Legendary Life, Derek Rydall Podcast: Emergence Latest Book: A Whole New Human: 10 Ways We Must Evolve to Survive and Thrive in the AI Age SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE New episodes of the Brain Vault Podcast publish every other Wednesday. Yours in growth, Larry

    Human Purpose in the Age of Machines
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Ever feel like you’re capable of more, but something’s holding you back? Yeah, we’ve all been there. Welcome to "The Brain Vault" with Larry Olsen. This isn't some stuffy lecture; it's a deep dive into how your mind actually works and, more importantly, how to get it working for you. We're talking real talk with incredible people – the ones who've been stuck, figured it out, and built something amazing. Larry sits down with trailblazers from every walk of life: athletes who shattered records, entrepreneurs who built empires from nothing, thinkers who revolutionized their fields. They open up about their biggest challenges, their biggest breakthroughs, and exactly what they did to shift their mindset. Larry then helps break down these powerful insights, making them easy for you to bring into your own life. Forget the hype. We're talking genuine stories, actionable insights, and a whole new way to think about unlocking what's next for you. If you're curious, ready to learn, and want to finally break through those mental barriers, then pull up a chair. Together, we will explore your brain's hidden power. About Your Host, Larry Olsen: Larry Olsen has spent years mastering the art of mental optimization, translating complex ideas into everyday breakthroughs. As a world expert speaker, CEO, and relatable husband and father of five, he's dedicated to helping you harness the power of your own mind and apply it to your real life. He's not just talking theory; he lives these principles, which means the insights you gain here are genuinely applicable to your busy, complex world.

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