Mayo Clinic On Human Optimization

Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development
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The bar for human performance is higher than it’s ever been. As a result, we all feel the need to do MORE. At the same time, we are becoming increasingly aware of the value of sleep, rest, recovery, and wellness. Accordingly, we also feel the need to do LESS. If you’re like most people, it can be challenging to reconcile this conflict of feeling the need to do MORE and LESS simultaneously, and that is likely contributing to high rates of burnout and decreased performance. So how do we reconcile these seemingly competing desires? That is where Human Optimization comes in. Human Optimization is the process of achieving more (however you define that for yourself) while simultaneously improving your wellness and well-being. Although it’s not easy, it’s certainly possible. Not only is it possible, but it is becoming increasingly essential. On this Mayo Clinic podcast series, we are going to dive into the topic of Human Optimization and will focus on a few key areas including: exercise, nutrition, culture, emotional intelligence, and finding joy in all you do. Learn more about On Human Optimization at:https://ce.mayo.edu/optimizeInstagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: The Human Optimization Project - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Listening is free and no CME Credit is available for this series.

  1. 4d ago

    E70 Human flourishing: What it is and how to do it

    People like easily quantified measures of success – money, degrees, awards, followers. They’re simple and straightforward. The more you have, the better you’re doing. At least in theory.    Reality is a little more complicated. You can be financially secure but lonely. Highly productive but purposeless. Successful but depleted.   So how do we go from looking good on paper to being good for real?   This episode, our guest is Dr. Renae Wilkinson, a sociologist and research associate with the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. And she’s here to help us take a more holistic assessment of our lives and learn to flourish.   The three big questions we have for Dr. Wilkinson are:  1.   What is human flourishing and why do we need it in our lives?   2.  Why do we struggle to flourish and what keeps holding us back?    3.  What clear and distinct steps can people take to increase human flourishing across the major domains of life?     Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails.  Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books. Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.

    E70 Human flourishing: What it is and how to do it

  2. Sep 23

    E69 Inspiring others: How to help people rise

    Modern workplaces love their KPIs, deadlines, deliverables — anything we can use to quantify success. And while shareholders might get all fired up when they see those numbers move in the right direction, for the people doing the work, it really isn’t enough. We need more than a number and a target to do our best work, stay motivated, and prevent burnout. (And no, a boss peering over our shoulder isn’t the answer either.)  So how do leaders go from managing metrics to truly inspiring others?   This episode, we talk to Prathibha Varkey, M.B.B.S., M.B.A., president of Mayo Clinic Health System. She’s a practicing clinician and professor of preventive medicine who leads 14,000 employees serving 16 community hospitals and 40 clinics across Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.  The three big questions we discuss with Dr. Varkey are:  1. What does it mean to inspire others, and why is inspiration so important for performance and human flourishing?   2.  Why do we fail to inspire others well, and what happens when we live without inspiration?  3.  How can we inspire others practically and effectively, regardless of our role?  Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails.  Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books.  Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.

    E69 Inspiring others: How to help people rise

  3. Sep 9

    E68 Quiet the inner critic: Mastering self-compassion

    Ambitious people often credit their success to a strong inner critic. They take pride in “staying hungry” and talk about complacency like it’s an existential threat. But that same voice can steal the joy from our happiest moments – moments in life where we should feel proud and accomplished, but all we can see are the little missteps we took along the way. Or the things we haven’t yet accomplished.    So how do we make room for joy and positivity without eroding our motivation and ambition?   This episode, we’re joined by two experts from the Compassion Institute – Program Director Aproteem Choudhury, and Executive Director Stephen Butler – to talk about how mastering the art of self-compassion can fight burnout, increase satisfaction, and propel sustained achievement.    The three big questions we have for Apro and Stephen are:   1.  What is self-compassion, and why is it important?   2.  Why do we tend to be our own harshest critic, and why is it so hard to be kind to ourselves?   3. How can people develop more self-compassion while maintaining high standards and fueling growth?  Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails.  Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books. Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.

    E68 Quiet the inner critic: Mastering self-compassion

  4. Aug 26

    E67 Forward-thinking leadership: Stop reacting, start leading

    Do you feel that you’re creating the future for yourself and your team? Or are you spending your time just reacting to the crisis of the day? While it’s critical to keep the ship from sinking, we also need to do some work to ensure that we’re steering the ship in the right direction. This requires forward-thinking. This episode, we’re joined by Coen A. Wijdicks, Ph.D. He holds a Ph.D. in biomedical science and an executive MBA with a focus on strategy and leadership. He now serves as the VP of research at Gillette Children’s, where he actively manages more than 100 research studies, many clinical trials, and multisite academic partnerships. The three big questions we discuss with Dr. Wijdicks are: What is forward-thinking leadership, and why is it essential for leading yourself and your team? Why do so many leaders and teams struggle to think forward in a proactive rather than reactive way? What practical steps can we all take to become more forward-thinking to develop ourselves and our teams? Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimization YouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTube Email: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails.  Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books.  Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.

    E67 Forward-thinking leadership: Stop reacting, start leading

  5. Aug 12

    E66 Become the CEO of your own health with Dr. Shah

    Everyone knows that our health is fundamental to our whole experience of life. So why does it always seem like it’s the first thing to get deprioritized when life gets busy? And when we do try to make it a priority, why does it feel like our efforts don’t lead to meaningful change?  This episode, we’re joined by Dr. Darshan Shah. He’s a surgeon, author, entrepreneur, and host of his own podcast, Extend. And he’s here to help us learn to take control of our health, form healthy habits, and increase our health span.  The three big questions we discuss with Dr. Shah are:  1.  How much of our health is shaped by our own actions, mindset, and decisions?  2.  Why do so many of us fail to take ownership of our health, and what beliefs or habits are keeping us stuck?  3. What practical steps can we take to assume more ownership of our health and start making better decisions? Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at: https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails.  Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books.  Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.

    E66 Become the CEO of your own health with Dr. Shah

  6. Jul 29

    E65 The mental game of physical fitness

    You don’t need anyone to tell you that working out is hard. That’s the whole point. But for many of us, the hardest part isn’t physically lifting the weights or running the laps. It’s getting to the gym in the first place. It’s knowing that we can do hard things. It’s staying motivated to keep working at it, even when day to day progress feels hard to measure.   So how do we work on our mental fitness with the same dedication we bring to our physical fitness?   This episode, we’re joined by Jonathan Jenkins, Psy.D., CPMC, a clinical and sport psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He’s also the Team Clinical and Performance Psychologist for the New England Patriots, and Behavioral Sport Psychologist for the Boston Red Sox. And he’s the author of the book “Mentality Wins: The Athlete’s Playbook for Thriving in Sport and Life.”    The three big questions we discuss with Dr. Jenkins are:   1.  What is the "mental game" of fitness, and why is it just as important as physical training?   2.   Why do so many people struggle with the psychological friction of staying physically fit?   3.  How can we actively train our minds to overcome these blocks and elevate our physical fitness?   Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails.  Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books.  Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.

    E65 The mental game of physical fitness

  7. Jul 15

    E64 Building trust: A powerful performance multiplier

    New relationships are hard for a reason – no trust. You’re starting from scratch with no common understanding, no established shared goals, or history of goodwill. Everyone’s feeling vulnerable. But also suspicious. It feels hard to take risks or even just relax and be yourself.     So, how do we get past the awkwardness and start building trust? Or rebuild it after it’s been lost?    This episode, we’re joined by Dr. Karen Mellum. She holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and is a Human Resources Administrator and Executive leadership coach at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. And she’s here to help us stop waiting for others to prove themselves and start being the first mover.    The three big questions we discuss with Dr. Mellum are:   1.  What is trust? And why is it crucial for high performance teams?   2. Why is trust so hard to build and maintain?   3. How do we move from being "suspicious by default" to "trusting by design" while still maintaining healthy boundaries?   Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at: https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails.  Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books.  Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.

    E64 Building trust: A powerful performance multiplier

  8. Jul 1

    E63 A framework for understanding good leadership

    Everyone loves a good leader. But they’re often held up as these singular examples of success, vision, inspiration, and perseverance. And we struggle to learn from their stories and distill them into a practical, repeatable blueprint for good leadership.   This episode, we’re joined by Dr. James Hebl, Medical Director for Leadership and Talent Development at Mayo Clinic and a certified executive coach for healthcare leaders. He’s here to break down the somewhat nebulous concept of leadership into something that we can define, measure, and get better at.   The three big questions Dr. Hebl is going to help us tackle are:   1. What is leadership really, and how can we move it from a vague concept into something concrete?  2. Why do so many of us struggle to develop ourselves as leaders and to teach others about leadership?  3. How can we use this framework to better lead ourselves and others? Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails.  Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books.

    E63 A framework for understanding good leadership
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About

The bar for human performance is higher than it’s ever been. As a result, we all feel the need to do MORE. At the same time, we are becoming increasingly aware of the value of sleep, rest, recovery, and wellness. Accordingly, we also feel the need to do LESS. If you’re like most people, it can be challenging to reconcile this conflict of feeling the need to do MORE and LESS simultaneously, and that is likely contributing to high rates of burnout and decreased performance. So how do we reconcile these seemingly competing desires? That is where Human Optimization comes in. Human Optimization is the process of achieving more (however you define that for yourself) while simultaneously improving your wellness and well-being. Although it’s not easy, it’s certainly possible. Not only is it possible, but it is becoming increasingly essential. On this Mayo Clinic podcast series, we are going to dive into the topic of Human Optimization and will focus on a few key areas including: exercise, nutrition, culture, emotional intelligence, and finding joy in all you do. Learn more about On Human Optimization at:https://ce.mayo.edu/optimizeInstagram: @MayoHumanOptimizationYouTube: The Human Optimization Project - YouTubeEmail: optimize@mayo.edu Listening is free and no CME Credit is available for this series.

Information

  • Creator
    Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    72
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.

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