There’s a moment when everything clicks. Time dissolves, distractions vanish, and you become one with whatever you’re doing—whether it's writing, coding, competing, or creating. It feels effortless, but it’s far from accidental. Flow State is the pinnacle of human performance where focus, creativity, and productivity align in perfect harmony.

We’ve all tasted it. Few know how to find it again. Even fewer understand how to control it.

For decades, scientists and peak performers have sought to demystify the concept of Flow, turning what was once seen as a rare gift into a repeatable process. But hidden beneath all the talk of peak performance lies a truth most people never hear:

The name of the game is struggle. Flow begins in Struggle. In other words, the task at hand must be challenging. If you are a skilled painter, writer, or public speaker and don’t test your skills with uncomfortable challenges, you diminish the odds of entering the flow state.

If you avoid or don’t know how to handle that struggle, you’ll never reach the state where your best work and self come alive.

Today, we will explore what legends like Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Steven Kotler revealed about Flow. But more importantly, we’ll uncover how Dr. JC Doornick’s Interface Response System (IRS) could be the X-Factor. This conscious tool helps you navigate adversity, shift your perspective, and hack into Flow on demand.

Because once you understand how to change the way you look at struggle, the struggle becomes your gateway, and life starts to Make Sense.

Episode 90 Resources:

Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - https://amzn.to/3F4NvAP

Rise of Superman - https://amzn.to/4kcMdmd

The Power of Full Engagement - https://amzn.to/437GUxs

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MAKES SENSE PODCAST

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Kwik Learning: Many people ask me where i get all these topics for almost 15 years? I have learned to read nearly 4 times faster with 10X retention from Kwik Learning. Learn how to learn and earn with Jim Kwik. Get his program at a special discount here: https://jimkwik.com/dragon

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Welcome to the Makes Sense with Dr. JC Doornick Podcast: This podcast covers topics that expand human consciousness and performance. On the Makes Sense Podcast, we acknowledge that it's who you are that determines how well what you do works, and that perception is a subjective and acquired taste. When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at begin to change. Welcome to the uprising of the sleepwalking masses. Welcome to the Makes Sense with Dr. JC Doornick Podcast.

- Makes Sense Academy: A private mastermind and psychologically safe environment full of the Mindset and Action steps that will help you begin to thrive. The Makes Sense Academy. https://www.skool.com/makes-sense-academy/about

- The Sati Experience: A retreat designed for the married couple that truly loves one another yet wants to take their love to that higher magical level where. Relax, reestablish, and renew your love at the Sati Experience. https://www.satiexperience.com

0:00 - Intro

3:14 - The birth of Flow with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

4:40 - Modern Day Flow by Steven Kotler

5:35 - The 4 Stages of the Flow Cycle

8:57 - Hacking Flow

12:37 - The IRS (Interface Response System) as a Flow Hacking Tool

17:00 - 5 Core truths from the masters

Validation is a groundbreaking yet often misunderstood communication tool that we often run on autopilot. Once armed with its awareness, it redefines how we interact with ourselves and others by highlighting one of human connection’s most overlooked yet vital elements: the need to feel seen, heard, and understood. Author and PhD, Caroline Fleck, a psychologist and expert in emotional intelligence, walks readers through the science, psychology, and practical application of validation, not as a tool for agreement, but as a strategy for connection and emotional regulation.

At its core, Validation teaches us that people don’t need to be right; they need to be real. And for that, they need a space safe enough to let their truth breathe.

Welcome to the Makes Sense with Dr. JC Doornick Podcast: This podcast covers topics that expand human consciousness and performance. On the Makes Sense Podcast, we acknowledge that it's who you are that determines how well what you do works and that perception is a subjective and acquired taste. When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at begin to change. Welcome to the uprising of the sleepwalking masses.

►Follow the Dr. JC Doornick and the Makes Sense Academy:

Instagram: / drjcdoornick

Facebook: / makessensepodcast

YouTube: / drjcdoornick

Join us as we unpack and make sense of the challenges associated with living in a comparative reality in this fast moving egocentric world.

MAKES SENSE PODCAST

SUBSCRIBE/RATE/REVIEW & SHARE our new podcast.

Follow the New Podcast - You'll find a "Follow" button at the top right. This will enable the podcast software to notify you when a new episode is released each week.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/makes-sense-with-dr-jc-doornick/id1730954168

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1WHfKWDDReMtrGFz4kkZs9?si=003780ca147c4aec

Podcast Affiliates:

Kwik Learning: Many people ask me where I get all these topics over the past 18 years. I have learned to read at nearly 4 times faster with 10X retention from Kwik Learning. Learn how to learn and earn with Jim Kwik. Get his program at a special discount here: https://jimkwik.com/dragon

OUR SPONSORS:

Welcome to the Makes Sense with Dr. JC Doornick Podcast: This podcast covers topics that expand human consciousness and performance. On the Makes Sense Podcast, we acknowledge that it's who you are that determines how well what you do works, and that perception is a subjective and acquired taste. When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at begin to change. Welcome to the uprising of the sleepwalking masses. Welcome to the Makes Sense with Dr. JC Doornick Podcast.

- Makes Sense Academy: A private mastermind and psychologically safe environment full of the Mindset and Action steps that will help you begin to thrive. The Makes Sense Academy. https://www.skool.com/makes-sense-academy/about

- The Sati Experience: A retreat designed for the married couple that truly loves one another, yet wants to take their love to that higher, magical level. Relax, reestablis,h and renew your love at the Sati Experience. https://www.satiexperience.com

Highlights:

0:00 - Intro

1:21 - Validation

2:14 - About the Author: Caroline Fleck

2:54 - Quick Book Summary

8:56 - Three Levels of Validation

13:41 - Dragon Thoughts

Welcome to the Makes Sense with Dr. JC Doornick Podcast. Makes Sense Mondays is LIVE STREAMED weekly on Mondays at 8am est on Facebook, Linkedin, and Youtube

►Follow the Dr. JC Doornick and the Makes Sense Academy:

Instagram: / drjcdoornick

Facebook: / makessensepodcast

YouTube: / drjcdoornick

These episodes get edited and cleaned up for the MAKES SENSE with Dr. JC Doornick PODCAST for your listening pleasure.

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE/RATE/REVIEW & SHARE.

FOLLOW the NEW Podcast - You will find a "Follow" button on the top right. This will enable the podcast software to notify you when a new episode is released each week.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/makes-sense-with-dr-jc-doornick/id1730954168

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1WHfKWDDReMtrGFz4kkZs9?si=09e1725487d6484e

Podcast Affiliates: Kwik Learning: Many people ask me where I get all these topics for almost 15 years? I have learned to read at nearly 4 times the speed with 10 times the retention from Kwik Learning. Learn how to learn and earn with Jim Kwik. Get his program at a special discount here: https://jimkwik.com/dragon

OUR SPONSORS:

- Makes Sense Academy: Enjoy the show and consider joining our psychological safe-haven and environment where you can begin to thrive. The Makes Sense Academy. https://www.skool.com/makes-sense-academy/about

- The Sati Experience: A retreat designed for the married couple that truly loves one another, yet wants to take their love to that higher, magical level. Come relax, reestablish and renew your love at the Sati Experience. https://www.satiexperience.com

I have been using Streamyard for years now and it is simply the easiest and most efficient platform ever for live streaming and recording video content. Check it out. You will be happy you did. https://streamyard.com/pal/d/6657951207522304