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Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project

Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project

By: 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. In this Mayo Clinic Talks Mini-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 the Human Optimization Project at:
https://ce.mayo.edu/optimize
X: @MayoHumanOpProj
Instagram: @MayoHumanOpProj
YouTube: The Human Optimization Project - YouTube
Email: optimize@mayo.edu

Listening is free and no CME Credit is available for this series.Copyright 2025 All rights reserved. Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • E42 How to Be Your Most Confident Self…Without Over Doing It, or Underdoing It

    E42 How to Be Your Most Confident Self…Without Over Doing It, or Underdoing It
    Dec 10 2025
    Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Cathy Winter, President | Executive Leadership Advisor - Premier Performance Advising | Premier Sport Psychology Confidence is something that lives on a spectrum, and we can all find ourselves at different points on that spectrum on any given day. Sometimes we can be overconfident, and at other times we can be woefully underconfident. So, how do we get this right? How to we learn to become “appropriately confident”, and how would that impact our lives. To help us answer those questions, our expert guest today is Cathy Winter and the three big questions we are going to answer for you are: What is confidence and why is it so important?Why do we struggle to be confident?What practical steps can we take to be more confident in our everyday lives? How to start a Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project “Pod-Club”: Step 1: Find 2-30 friends who want to get better Step 2: Choose your episodes (can be focused on specific themes or random) Step 3: Listen to/watch the episodes Step 4: Meet with your group to work through the provided discussion questions for each episode, and feel free to add your own! Step 5: Celebrate the fact that you are turning passive knowledge into action! Discussion Questions for this Episode: 1) How do you personally define confidence? What does that look like in everyday life? 2) On a scale of 1-10, how confident do you consider yourself? What do you think others would rate you? Why are those ratings similar or different? 3) Based on your last response, do you tend to be over- or under- confident? For most people, this varies by situation. What types of situations make you feel over-confident? What types make you feel under-confident? What types make you feel appropriately confident? 4) What are some of the down sides of feeling under-confident? What are some of the downsides of feeling over-confident? 5) How has your confidence in big institutions (government, education system, law enforcement, insurance companies, your organization, etc.) changed over the years? How do you think that has impacted your confidence in yourself? 6) Do you feel that our society is becoming more or less sensitive in recent years? Why, and how does that impact confidence of individuals? 7) How confident are you that you can get your confidence dialed in so that you are “appropriately confident”? If you can do it, what benefits do you think it will provide? 8) Go through the list of “internal facing” factors that we can work on to improve our confidence (discussed in section three of the session). Which of those most resonated with you as something you can easily accomplish? 9) Tell your group at least one new thing (action step) you are going to do or behavior you are going to adopt to improve your confidence. 10) After others list the "one new thing" or "action step" they are going to do, tell them why you think they can be successful in accomplishing that thing. What positive qualities about them makes you believe that they will be successful at this? Learn more about the Human Optimization Project at: https://ce.mayo.edu/optimize X: @MayoHumanOpProj Instagram: @MayoHumanOpProj YouTube: The Human Optimization Project - YouTube Email: optimize@mayo.edu
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    51 mins
  • E41 Increase Your Somatic Intelligence: How to Listen to Your Body to Improve Performance

    E41 Increase Your Somatic Intelligence: How to Listen to Your Body to Improve Performance
    Dec 3 2025
    Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Lisa R. Hardesty, Ph.D., ABPP, PCC, Board Certified Clinical Health Psychologist | Certified Executive Coach at PCC Level | Mayo Clinic In our hyperpaced and active world, we are constantly bombarded by external noise, signals, and messaging. Unfortunately, these external stimuli often distract us from listening to our own internal cues. In fact, many of us intentionally try to block out how we feel physically and try to keep pushing through. Well, what if some of these signals form our bodies we are blocking out are actually important for improving our performance? How can we use them for good? To help us with this, our expert guest today is Dr. Lisa Hardesty. The three big questions we are going to answer for you are: What is somatic intelligence, and why do we need to get better at it?Why is it so hard to listen to our physical bodies and respond appropriately?Can you give us a step-by-step approach to maximizing our somatic intelligence to improve peace and performance? How to start a Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project “Pod-Club”: Step 1: Find 2-30 friends who want to get better Step 2: Choose your episodes (can be focused on specific themes or random) Step 3: Listen to/watch the episodes Step 4: Meet with your group to work through the provided discussion questions for each episode, and feel free to add your own! Step 5: Celebrate the fact that you are turning passive knowledge into action! Discussion Questions for this Episode: 1) How do you personally define “somatic intelligence” after reviewing this topic? 2) Discuss the difference between your cognitive intelligence, emotional intelligence, and somatic (physical) intelligence. How are they different, and how are they related to one another? 3) What has been your approach to somatic intelligence in the past? Do you tend to ignore these signals from your body, or do you tend to perseverate on them excessively? Does it depend on the situation? Why do you think you approach it this way? What is helpful or unhelpful about your approach? 4) What are some of the clear downsides of having a low somatic intelligence (either not being aware of your physical state, or focusing on it excessively in unhelpful ways)? 5) If you were able to do a better job of listening to your body’s intelligence, what benefits do you think you would experience? 6) What are some common barriers or misconceptions you think people might have that prevent them from using their somatic intelligence to improve their performance? 7) Do a quick (2 minute) somatic check-in that was outlined in section three of the session. What did you notice that you hadn’t noticed previously? Now, name that, and think about why you feel that way. How does naming and understanding that physical sensation impact how you view it? 8) Tell your group at least one new thing (action step) you are going to do or behavior you are going to adopt to improve your somatic intelligence. 9) After others list the "one new thing" of "action step" they are going to do, help them refine that to make it more: clear, objective, measurable, and simple. The more we can make our actions clear, objective, measurable, and simple, the more likely we are to do them and enjoy the process! Learn more about the Human Optimization Project at: https://ce.mayo.edu/optimize X: @MayoHumanOpProj Instagram: @MayoHumanOpProj YouTube: The Human Optimization Project - YouTube Email: optimize@mayo.edu
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    51 mins
  • E40 How to Fix Your Sleep Environment for Big Gains in Sleep Quality

    E40 How to Fix Your Sleep Environment for Big Gains in Sleep Quality
    Nov 26 2025
    Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project Guest: Timothy I. Morgenthaler, MD, Sleep Medicine Specialist | Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine – Rochester, MN The benefits of high-quality sleep are nearly limitless as it improves our mood, brains, performance, increases our joy, reduces sickness, and increases longevity. Getting high quality sleep is one of the biggest levers we can pull in order to become our best selves. But many of us are self-sabotaging our sleep without realizing it! There are many small habits and things we get wrong with our sleep environment that can have large detrimental effects on our sleep over time. We must fix this! To help us with that, our expert guest today is Dr. Tim Morgenthaler, and the three big questions we are going to answer for you are: What environmental factors have the biggest impact on sleep & why?What are we getting wrong in the bedroom environment when it comes to sleep?What are the most impactful changes we can make to our sleep environment to maximize our sleep quality? How to start a Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project “Pod-Club”: Step 1: Find 2-30 friends who want to get better Step 2: Choose your episodes (can be focused on specific themes or random) Step 3: Listen to/watch the episodes Step 4: Meet with your group to work through the provided discussion questions for each episode, and feel free to add your own! Step 5: Celebrate the fact that you are turning passive knowledge into action! Discussion Questions for this Episode: 1) Discuss your overall sleep status with your group. - How much sleep do you get each night? - When do you go to bed and when do you get up? - Is it generally high-quality sleep? - Do you feel well rested in the AM when you wake up? - Do you need an alarm clock to wake up? - How does that vary on your days off when/if you sleep in? -How much sleep would you want to be your best self (not just, “I can get by on x hours of sleep.”)? 2) How big of an impact does your sleep (or lack of) have on you on a daily basis? 3) Take an inventory of your current sleep environment. Think about the lighting, temperature, and sound. Report back to the group to discuss what your current set up looks like (good and bad). 4) Now, discuss the other elements of your sleep environment such as bed partner, pets, kids, bedding, etc. How big of an impact do these things have on you? Have your group give you potential strategies for improving these things. 5) Discuss your current caffeine usage with your group. How much do you drink, when do you drink it, and when is the last time you consume caffeine during the day? What changes need to be made here? 6) What do the two hours before going to bed look like for you? Do you have a “wind down” routine that you use prior to bed? Have the group analyze your routine to help you spot simple changes you could make to improve it. 7) Tell your group at least one new thing (action step) you are going to do or behavior you are going to adopt to improve your sleep environment. For this, focus on the “quick wins” discussed in section three of this episode. 8) After others list the "one new thing" of "action step" they are going to do, help them refine that to make it more: clear, objective, measurable, and simple. The more we can make our actions clear, objective, measurable, and simple, the more likely we are to do them and enjoy the process! Learn more about the Human Optimization Project at: https://ce.mayo.edu/optimize X: @MayoHumanOpProj Instagram: @MayoHumanOpProj YouTube: The Human Optimization Project - YouTube Email: optimize@mayo.edu
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
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