The Dr. Olafsson Podcast

Bergsveinn Ólafsson
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Deep conversations with extraordinary minds on the choices, crises, and transformations behind who they've become.

  1. 1d ago ·  Video

    #20 Why Your Success Might Not Be Yours - Dr. Richard Ryan

    Richard Ryan is a professor at the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education at the Australian Catholic University, a clinical psychologist, and one of the most cited scientists in the world. Have you ever achieved something, only to realize it wasn't really yours or something you even wanted to keep doing? According to Richard, you might have been driven by introjected regulation: inadequacy, shame, or fear dressed up as ambition. That kind of controlled motivation can absolutely make you successful. But there's a better one - autonomous motivation - that makes you successful and fulfilled. Expect to learn the three universal psychological needs that make you thrive, how to support the autonomy of the people in your life, and why it's essential for their motivation, success, and well-being, why you don't have to be driven by shame or lack to become successful, the real cost of performing your life instead of living it, what's quietly wrong with optimization culture, the type of motivation that best predicts both short- and long-term success and well-being; why the popular advice to "f*ck motivation, just be disciplined" gets it wrong and much more. Get a 140-page workbook with evidence-informed tools that will make your life instantly better https://usa.beggiolafs.com/subscribe Get Unlock, the conversational cards that transform connections: https://shop.lydia.so/products/unlock Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/ Get in touch in the comments or head to: Instagram: thedrolafssonpodcast Email: beggiolafs@beggiolafs.com

  2. Oct 15 ·  Video

    #19 Honesty Is The Only Policy - Cory Richards

    Cory Richards is a keynote speaker, former professional athlete, and author. You hear all the time about reinventing yourself. What if that's not about becoming someone new, but becoming more of who you really are, underneath the fear, the old programming, and the stories you tell yourself? Expect to learn why you should stop lying to yourself and others, how to build a purpose beyond your job title, how relieving your secrets destroys shame, how to be honest without being a dick, how to deal with feeling not good enough, how to feel your emotions authentically without letting them consume you, the skill of authoring the story of your life, why you should choose a partner that feels like home, how to close one chapter of your story to write the next, and much more. Get a 140-page workbook with evidence-informed tools that will make your life instantly better https://usa.beggiolafs.com/subscribe Get Unlock, the conversational cards that transform connections: https://shop.lydia.so/products/unlock Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/ Get in touch in the comments or head to: Instagram: thedrolafssonpodcast Email: beggiolafs@beggiolafs.com

  3. Oct 8 ·  Video

    #18 You Don't Have to Hate Yourself to Win

    Today's guest is... me. At a young age, I learned that I was loved for what I did, not for who I am. For the vast majority of my life, I've been driven by not being enough, always working to validate my existence and prove my worth through something external. That program gave me accomplishments I once only dreamed of. But nothing on the inside ever quite filled up. You have that inner critic too. And if you're like me, at some point in your journey, after trying to fill the emptiness inside with something outside yourself, you get tired of living this way and want to change. But you're scared to, because the old wiring is strong, and some part of you believes that letting go of it means losing your drive, becoming stagnant, going soft. In this episode, I make the case for how you can win without hating yourself by changing, or even letting go of, the inner critic you built to protect yourself, the one that once served you well, but that you've started to question today. Expect to learn how the inner critic forms, why accepting him matters more than fighting him, how to shift your relationship from judge to playful coach, the power of giving him a name, why laughing at him is the final boss of this journey, the difference between self-critiscism and self-reflection, why shame isn't helpful, how self-compassion actually increases motivation rather than killing it, and why loving yourself on the way to something great means you don't have to choose between the two. Through my own story, and the 300+ people I've coached through the same shift, you'll walk away with real insight and real tools for how to win, without hating yourself along the way. Enjoy. Get a 140-page workbook with evidence-informed tools that will make your life instantly better https://usa.beggiolafs.com/subscribe Get Unlock, the conversational cards that transform connections: https://shop.lydia.so/products/unlock Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/ Get in touch in the comments or head to: Instagram: thedrolafssonpodcast Email: beggiolafs@beggiolafs.com

  4. Oct 1 ·  Video

    #17 What Has To Die Before You're Dateable - Blaine Anderson

    Blaine Anderson is a dating coach and matchmaker. Being in love and being loved is arguably the best feeling in the world. But finding that one person seems to be a complex task. And is it even about finding - or simply becoming someone worth choosing? Expect to learn the most common mistakes men make when looking for a partner, why you shouldn't wait to build your life or pursue your goals just because you're single, why you should skip the dating apps and get out of the house, why you should become more interesting, how to approach women, what women actually want in a man, what men seek in women that they shouldn't, how to know if someone is interested in you, when to grit and when to quit when pursuing someone, whether vulnerability is fluff or a strength, how women can increase their likelihood of getting approached, when to ask the big questions while dating, what contributes to a successful long-term relationship, and much more. Get a 140-page workbook with evidence-informed tools that will make your life instantly better https://usa.beggiolafs.com/subscribe Get Unlock, the conversational cards that transform connections: https://shop.lydia.so/products/unlock Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/ Get in touch in the comments or head to: Instagram: thedrolafssonpodcast Email: beggiolafs@beggiolafs.com

  5. Sep 24 ·  Video

    #16 How the Hell Did I End Up Here? (And What I Learned)

    Today's guest is... me. You never really know someone until you know their story - here is mine, from being a football player in Iceland to a psychologist in Los Angeles, and everything in between. It's been a wild journey, to say the least. When I was about 27, I secretly wished for a harder life, where I got tested. I learned that you should be careful about what you wish for, since by far the toughest years of my life were when I stopped playing football, left an 8-year relationship, lost a family member, and left my whole life, packed my bags, and moved to LA. Expect to learn why I stopped playing football, why my relationship ended, how it felt leaving everything in Iceland and starting from scratch, how it feels when life doesn't make sense, the role of resilience in hardships, the road less traveled, the pain of authenticity, how I've consistently turned my pain points into my purpose, and much more. Get a 140-page workbook with evidence-informed tools that will make your life instantly better https://usa.beggiolafs.com/subscribe Get Unlock, the conversational cards that transform connections: https://shop.lydia.so/products/unlock Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/ Get in touch in the comments or head to: Instagram: thedrolafssonpodcast Email: beggiolafs@beggiolafs.com

  6. Sep 17 ·  Video

    #15 - Why You Should Talk to Strangers (and How) - Dr. Nicholas Epley

    Dr. Nicholas Epley, PhD, is a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago and a leading expert on the science of social connection. Social connection is vital to our happiness, health, and meaning. And many of our best connections first start with a conversation with someone who once was a stranger. What if your fear and pessimism are preventing you from not only feeling better, but possibly meeting your future best friend, business partner, or wife? Expect to learn why talking to strangers is vital for our well-being, why humans are terrible at forecasting, how fear and pessimism are preventing us from talking to strangers, why we should make a choice to talk either way, why talking to strangers is a more positive experience than you might think, how overfocusing on competence instead of warmth is making you insecure, why our personality is not fixed but depends on our choices, why you should act more extroverted, why people crave meaningful conversations over small talk, how to talk with strangers and make those conversations meaningful, how much to share versus listen to someone, if physical attractiveness matters when it comes to talking to strangers, and much more. Get a 140-page workbook with evidence-informed tools that will make your life instantly better https://usa.beggiolafs.com/subscribe Get Unlock, the conversational cards that transform connections: https://shop.lydia.so/products/unlock Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/ Get in touch in the comments or head to: Instagram: thedrolafssonpodcast Email: beggiolafs@beggiolafs.com

  7. Sep 10 ·  Video

    #14 Are You Your Genes Or Your Choices? - Dr. Kári Stefánsson

    Dr. Kári Stefánsson is an Icelandic neurologist and the founder of deCODE Genetics - the company that cracked the human genome using an entire nation as its laboratory. Who are we, most fundamentally? Some would say our choices define us. Kári would say it's the interaction between your genes and the environment and he has more data on that question than perhaps anyone alive. Expect to learn why your genes don't determine your destiny but powerfully shape the terrain you navigate, how Icelandic people became genetically distinct over a thousand years of isolation, why genes linked to obesity tend to produce more children while genes linked to educational attainment produce fewer, why older fathers create meaningfully more biological risk for their offspring than older mothers, why loneliness can be one of the greatest sources of happiness, the cost of being different from others, why being abnormal is often the cost of being a genius, how schizophrenia develops and why the same genes that cause it may also produce extraordinary creativity, why happiness is so difficult to measure and even harder to sustain, the dangers of unresearched peptides, what to be genuinely cautious about as AI reshapes human life, why the concentration of power in too few hands may be the greatest danger of our time, and much more. Get a 140-page workbook with evidence-informed tools that will make your life instantly better https://usa.beggiolafs.com/subscribe Get Unlock, the conversational cards that transform connections: https://shop.lydia.so/products/unlock Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/ Get in touch in the comments or head to: Instagram: thedrolafssonpodcast Email: beggiolafs@beggiolafs.com

  8. Sep 3 ·  Video

    #13 The Only Way Out is Through - Andrew Glaze

    Andrew Glaze is an ultramarathon runner, author, and social media personality. Life is difficult - less for some, more for others, like Andy Glaze, who learned that the only way out is through, most often with a smile on his face. Expect to learn the value of the father-son relationship, why grief is the receipt for love, how to face your feelings without being defined by them, what to do when you want to give up, the role of joy and humor in suffering, why being vulnerable is a strength, why writing is therapeutic, the value of not quitting, the power of deciding to have a good day, why you should do the useful thing even when you feel like shit and don't want to, and so much more. Get a 140-page workbook with evidence-informed tools that will make your life instantly better https://usa.beggiolafs.com/subscribe Get Unlock, the conversational cards that transform connections: https://shop.lydia.so/products/unlock Learn more about Dr. Olafsson's story and work: https://usa.beggiolafs.com/ Get in touch in the comments or head to: Instagram: thedrolafssonpodcast Email: beggiolafs@beggiolafs.com

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About

Deep conversations with extraordinary minds on the choices, crises, and transformations behind who they've become.

Information

  • Creator
    Bergsveinn Ólafsson
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    The Dr. Olafsson Podcast

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