Young and Profiting with Hala Taha (Entrepreneurship, Sales, Marketing)

Dr. Michael Gervais has experienced firsthand how human psychology can break down under pressure. As a teenage competitive surfer, the fear of judgment sabotaged his performance, revealing how mental barriers, not physical skills, silently limit confidence and potential. That early insight led him to study psychology and spend over 25 years helping elite athletes, entrepreneurs, and high performers train their minds. In this episode, Dr. Michael shares proven mental skills to overcome fear of other people’s opinions, build confidence from within, and unlock peak performance.

In this episode, Hala and Dr. Michael will discuss:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:25) How Mindset Shapes Human Potential

(06:48) Why Elite Performance Is Mentally Driven

(10:39) How High Performers Train Differently

(17:08) Handling Fear in High-Stakes Moments

(19:32) Breathing Techniques for Mental Strength

(23:25) The Importance of Imagery for Peak Performance

(31:38) The Psychology of FOPO and How to Combat It

(43:11) Performance-Based vs. Purpose-Based Identity

Dr. Michael Gervais is a high-performance psychologist, bestselling author, and host of the Finding Mastery podcast. He has worked with world record holders, Olympians, internationally acclaimed artists and musicians, MVPs from every major sport, and Fortune 100 CEOs to optimize mindset and performance. Michael is widely known for his work on mastery of self, emotional regulation, and thriving under pressure.

Sponsored By:

Indeed - Get a $75 sponsored job credit to boost your job's visibility at Indeed.com/PROFITING 

Shopify - Start your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/hala

Spectrum Business - Visit Spectrum.com/FreeForLife to learn how you can get Business Internet Free Forever.

Northwest Registered Agent - Build your brand and get your complete business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes at northwestregisteredagent.com/paidyap

Framer - Publish beautiful and production-ready websites. Go to Framer.com/profiting and get 30% off their Framer Pro annual plan.

Intuit QuickBooks - Start the new year strong and take control of your cash flow at QuickBooks.com/money 

Quo - Run your business communications the smart way. Try Quo for free, plus get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to quo.com/profiting  

Working Genius - Take the Working Genius assessment and discover your natural gifts and thrive at work. Go to workinggenius.com and get 20% off with code PROFITING

Experian - Manage and cancel unwanted subscriptions to reduce your bills. Get started now with the Experian App and let your Big Financial Friend do the work for you.
 Huel - Get all the daily nutrients you need with Huel. A fast, nutritious, and complete food. Grab Huel today and get 15% OFF with my code PROFITING at huel.com/PROFITING

Resources Mentioned:

Michael’s Podcast, Finding Mastery: bit.ly/F-Mastery 

Michael’s Book, The First Rule of Mastery: bit.ly/TFROM 

Michael’s Instagram: instagram.com/michaelgervais 

YAP E with Dr. Michael Gervais: 

Active Deals - youngandprofiting.com/deals 

Key YAP Links

Reviews - ratethispodcast.com/yap

YouTube - youtube.com/c/YoungandProfiting

Newsletter - youngandprofiting.co/newsletter 

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/htaha/

Instagram - instagram.com/yapwithhala/

Social + Podcast Services: yapmedia.com

Transcripts - youngandprofiting.com/episodes-new 

Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Podcast, Business, Business Podcast, Self Improvement, Self-Improvement, Personal Development, Starting a Business, Strategy, Investing, Sales, Selling, Psychology, Productivity, Entrepreneurs, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Marketing, Negotiation, Money, Finance, Side Hustle, Startup, Mental Health, Career, Leadership, Mindset, Health, Growth Mindset, Habits, Positivity, Human Nature, Critical Thinking, Robert Greene, Chris Voss, Robert Cialdini

How do you master the psychology of performing under pressure without falling apart? For over 25 years, Dr. Michael Gervais has worked with elite athletes and high performers who look unstoppable on paper, yet crack when the stakes are highest. Through decades of research and coaching, he’s uncovered what separates those who rise in high-pressure moments from those who spiral. In this episode, Michael breaks down the mental skills top performers use to stay calm, focused, and creative under pressure, and how entrepreneurs can apply the same frameworks to protect their mental health and perform at their best.

In this episode, Hala and Dr. Michael will discuss:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:13) Mastery of Self in an AI World

(06:47) Why Entrepreneurs Need Mental Training

(10:25) Practical Ways to Train Your Mind Daily

(18:20) Mastering Breath Work and Mental Imagery

(27:40) The Psychology of High-Pressure Performance

(38:11) Goal Setting Without Fear of Opinions

(47:35) Managing Emotions in Leadership

(54:56) Building Psychological Safety Within a Team

(1:00:10) How to Truly Understand Your Team

Dr. Michael Gervais is a high-performance psychologist, bestselling author, and host of the Finding Mastery podcast. He has worked with world record holders, Olympians, internationally acclaimed artists and musicians, MVPs from every major sport, and Fortune 100 CEOs to optimize mindset and performance. Dr. Michael is widely known for his work on mastery of self, emotional regulation, and thriving under pressure.

Sponsored By:

Indeed - Get a $75 sponsored job credit to boost your job's visibility at ⁠Indeed.com/PROFITING⁠ 

Shopify - Start your $1/month trial at ⁠Shopify.com/profiting⁠. 

Spectrum Business - Visit ⁠Spectrum.com/FreeForLife⁠ to learn how you can get Business Internet Free Forever.

Northwest Registered Agent - Build your brand in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes at ⁠northwestregisteredagent.com/paidyap⁠

Framer - Publish beautiful websites. Go to ⁠Framer.com/profiting⁠ and get 30% off their Framer Pro annual plan.

Intuit QuickBooks - Take control of your cash flow at ⁠QuickBooks.com/money⁠ 

Quo - Run your business communications for free plus get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to ⁠quo.com/profiting⁠  

Working Genius - Take the Working Genius assessment at ⁠workinggenius.com⁠ and get 20% off with code PROFITING

Experian - Manage and cancel unwanted subscriptions to reduce your bills. Get started now with the Experian App and let your Big Financial Friend do the work for you.

Huel - Get all your daily nutrients from Huel and get 15% OFF with code PROFITING at ⁠huel.com/PROFITING

Resources Mentioned:

Michael’s Podcast, Finding Mastery: bit.ly/F-Mastery 

Michael’s Book, The First Rule of Mastery: bit.ly/TFROM 

Michael’s Website: findingmastery.com

Michael’s Instagram: instagram.com/michaelgervais 

Michael’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drmichaelgervais 

YAP E287 with Dr. Michael Gervais: youngandprofiting.co/TRBYMAPE287 

Active Deals - youngandprofiting.com/deals 

Key YAP Links

Reviews - ratethispodcast.com/yap

YouTube - youtube.com/c/YoungandProfiting

Newsletter - youngandprofiting.co/newsletter 

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/htaha/

Instagram - instagram.com/yapwithhala/

Social + Podcast Services: yapmedia.com

Transcripts - youngandprofiting.com/episodes-new 

Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Podcast, Business, Business Podcast, Self Improvement, Self-Improvement, Personal Development, Starting a Business, Strategy, Investing, Sales, Selling, Psychology, Productivity, Entrepreneurs, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Marketing, Negotiation, Money, Finance, Side Hustle, Startup, Mental Health, Career, Leadership, Mindset, Health, Growth Mindset, Wellness, Biohacking, Motivation, Manifestation, Brain Health, Life Balance, Self-Healing, Positivity, Happiness, Sleep, Diet

Entrepreneurship often promises freedom, but for many high performers, success can come at the cost of time, health, and relationships. After years in private equity, Sahil Bloom realized that money alone doesn’t guarantee fulfillment, freedom, or a meaningful life. That realization deepened when he learned he might only see his parents 15 more times before they passed if he stayed on his current path. Within 45 days, he left his job, sold his house, and rebuilt his life around what mattered most. In this episode, now on Spotify Video, Sahil breaks down the five types of wealth entrepreneurs need to acquire to win in both business and life.

In this episode, Hala and Sahil will discuss:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:01) Life Razor: How to Decide What Matters

(06:34) Breaking Free from Limiting Beliefs

(08:22) The Turning Point That Changed Sahil’s Priorities

(18:24) Protecting Your Energy as an Entrepreneur

(22:20) Starting Entrepreneurship Without a Plan

(27:47) Time Management Tips for Entrepreneurs

(31:23) Understanding the Five Types of Wealth

(46:41) The Brain Trust Approach to Mentorship

(49:43) Building Wealth Through Business Ownership

(01:00:30) Balancing Wealth, Health, and Life

(01:03:11) Sahil’s Daily Routine for Success

Sahil Bloom is an entrepreneur, investor, and writer best known for his newsletter, The Curiosity Chronicle, which reaches over 800,000 readers worldwide. He is the founder of SRB Holdings, a holding company that builds and invests in media and operating businesses. A New York Times bestselling author of The 5 Types of Wealth, Sahil focuses on helping entrepreneurs redefine success beyond money.

Sponsored By:

Indeed - Get a $75 sponsored job credit to boost your job's visibility at Indeed.com/PROFITING 

Shopify - Start your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/profiting. 

Spectrum Business - Visit Spectrum.com/FreeForLife to learn how you can get Business Internet Free Forever.

Northwest Registered Agent - Build your brand in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes at northwestregisteredagent.com/paidyap

Framer - Publish beautiful websites. Go to Framer.com/profiting and get 30% off their Framer Pro annual plan.

Intuit QuickBooks - Take control of your cash flow at QuickBooks.com/money 

Quo - Run your business communications for free plus get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to quo.com/profiting  

Working Genius - Take the Working Genius assessment at workinggenius.com and get 20% off with code PROFITING

Experian - Manage and cancel unwanted subscriptions and reduce your bills. Get started now with the Experian App and let your Big Financial Friend do the work for you.

Huel - Get all your daily nutrients from Huel and get 15% OFF with code PROFITING at huel.com/PROFITING

Resources Mentioned:

Sahil’s Book, The 5 Types of Wealth: bit.ly/5TypesWealth 

Sahil’s Newsletter, The Curiosity Chronicles: bit.ly/3EsRmH5 

Sahil’s Instagram: instagram.com/sahilbloom

Sahil’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sahilbloom 

King of Capital by David Carey: bit.ly/KingCapital 

One Up On Wall Street by Peter Lynch: bit.ly/UpWallStreet 

Main Street Millionaire by Codie Sanchez: bit.ly/-MainStreet 

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl: bit.ly/S4Meaning 

Active Deals - youngandprofiting.com/deals 

Key YAP Links

Reviews - ratethispodcast.com/yap

YouTube - youtube.com/c/YoungandProfiting

Newsletter - youngandprofiting.co/newsletter 

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/htaha/

Instagram - instagram.com/yapwithhala/

Social + Podcast Services: yapmedia.com

Transcripts - youngandprofiting.com/episodes-new 

Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Podcast, Business, Business Podcast, Self Improvement, Self-Improvement, Personal Development, Starting a Business, Strategy, Investing, Sales, Selling, Productivity, Entrepreneurs, Marketing, Negotiation, Money, Finance, Side Hustle, Startup, Mental Health, Career, Leadership, Mindset, Health, Growth Mindset, Passive Income, Online Business, Solopreneur,

Behind Shawn French’s success was a mindset shift forged under pressure. Early in his sales career, anxiety and fear of failure nearly pushed him out of the industry and back to coaching baseball. One question from his boss about the example he’d set for his son forced a mental reset that changed everything. He rewired the beliefs holding him back, rose into the top 1% of sales, and built a thriving personal brand in his 40s. In this episode, Shawn breaks down the psychology of overcoming self-limiting beliefs and reveals the habits behind unstoppable success and personal development.

In this episode, Hala and Shawn will discuss:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:16) Overcoming Paralyzing Anxiety in Sales

(06:49) Why Authenticity Matters While Selling

(09:05) His Journey into Creator Entrepreneurship 

(13:36) Building a Personal Brand Despite Naysayers

(19:12) The Five Habits of Unstoppable Success

(27:39) The Role of Motivation and Discipline

(31:56) Developing Peak Performance Routines

(36:10) Building a Creator Business From Scratch

Shawn French is a high-performance coach, keynote speaker, and founder and host of The Determined Society Podcast. He is the author of Unstoppable, where he outlines a foundational self-improvement process for achieving peak performance through five core habits. Through his work, Shawn helps individuals unlock the mental toughness, discipline, and intentionality needed to thrive in business and life.

Sponsored By:

Indeed - Get a $75 sponsored job credit to boost your job's visibility at Indeed.com/PROFITING 

Shopify - Start your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/profiting. 

Spectrum Business - Visit Spectrum.com/FreeForLife to learn how you can get Business Internet Free Forever.

Northwest Registered Agent - Build your brand and get your complete business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes at northwestregisteredagent.com/paidyap

Framer - Publish beautiful and production-ready websites. Go to Framer.com/profiting and get 30% off their Framer Pro annual plan.

Intuit QuickBooks - Start the new year strong and take control of your cash flow at QuickBooks.com/money 

Quo - Run your business communications the smart way. Try Quo for free, plus get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to quo.com/profiting  

Working Genius - Take the Working Genius assessment and discover your natural gifts and thrive at work. Go to workinggenius.com and get 20% off with code PROFITING

Resources Mentioned:

Shawn's Book, Unstoppable: bit.ly/-Unstoppable 

Shawn’s Podcast, The Determined Society: bit.ly/TDS-apple 

Shawn’s Website: thedeterminedsociety.com 

Shawn’s Instagram: instagram.com/theshawnfrench 

Active Deals - youngandprofiting.com/deals 

Key YAP Links

Reviews - ratethispodcast.com/yap

YouTube - youtube.com/c/YoungandProfiting

Newsletter - youngandprofiting.co/newsletter 

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/htaha/

Instagram - instagram.com/yapwithhala/

Social + Podcast Services: yapmedia.com

Transcripts - youngandprofiting.com/episodes-new 

Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Podcast, Business, Business Podcast, Self Improvement, Self-Improvement, Personal Development, Starting a Business, Strategy, Investing, Sales, Selling, Psychology, Productivity, Entrepreneurs, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Marketing, Negotiation, Money, Finance, Side Hustle, Startup, Mental Health, Career, Leadership, Mindset, Health, Growth Mindset, Positivity, Human Nature, Human Psychology, Critical Thinking, Robert Greene, Chris Voss, Robert Cialdini

One mindset shift changed everything for Dr. Maya Shankar. After suffering a devastating hand injury at 15 that abruptly ended her promising violin career, her sense of identity was shattered. Forced to reimagine a future beyond music, she turned to cognitive and behavioral science to understand how humans navigate unexpected change. That path led her to President Obama’s White House, where she applied human behavior insights to influence policy and improve decision-making at scale. In this episode, Dr. Maya reveals the power of human psychology and how small mindset shifts can help us make better decisions when life doesn’t go as planned.

In this episode, Hala and Dr. Maya will discuss:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:13) Dr. Maya’s Early Life and Violin Journey

(11:04) What Is Behavioral and Cognitive Science?

(21:23) The Sunk Cost Fallacy Explained

(26:55) Her Impact at the White House 

(37:24) Understanding the Power of Nudging

(43:43) Why Changing Minds Is So Difficult

(46:24) Practical Nudging Tactics for Everyday Decisions

(50:12) Decision-Making Biases You Need to Know

(54:32) A Slight Change of Plans Podcast Mission

Dr. Maya Shankar is a cognitive scientist and the creator, executive producer, and host of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans. She currently serves as Senior Director of Behavioral Economics at Google and previously founded the White House Behavioral Science Team under President Obama, where she served as a Senior Advisor. Dr. Maya completed a postdoctoral fellowship in cognitive neuroscience at Stanford, earned a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and holds a B.A. from Yale.

Sponsored By:

Indeed - Get a $75 sponsored job credit to boost your job's visibility at Indeed.com/profiting 

Shopify - Start your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/profiting. 

Spectrum Business - Visit Spectrum.com/FreeForLife to learn how you can get Business Internet Free Forever.

Northwest Registered Agent - Build your brand and get your complete business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes at northwestregisteredagent.com/paidyap

Framer - Publish beautiful and production-ready websites. Go to Framer.com/profiting and get 30% off their Framer Pro annual plan.

Intuit QuickBooks - Start the new year strong and take control of your cash flow at QuickBooks.com/money 

Quo - Run your business communications the smart way. Try Quo for free, plus get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to quo.com/profiting  

Working Genius - Take the Working Genius assessment and discover your natural gifts and thrive at work. Go to workinggenius.com and get 20% off with code PROFITING

Resources Mentioned:

Dr. Maya's Podcast, A Slight Change of Plans: bit.ly/ASCOP-apple 

Dr. Maya's Website: mayashankar.com

Nudge by Cass Sunstein: bit.ly/-Nudge 

Active Deals - youngandprofiting.com/deals 

Key YAP Links

Reviews - ratethispodcast.com/yap

YouTube - youtube.com/c/YoungandProfiting

Newsletter - youngandprofiting.co/newsletter 

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/htaha/

Instagram - instagram.com/yapwithhala/

Social + Podcast Services: yapmedia.com

Transcripts - youngandprofiting.com/episodes-new 

Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Podcast, Business, Business Podcast, Self Improvement, Self-Improvement, Personal Development, Starting a Business, Strategy, Investing, Sales, Selling, Psychology, Productivity, Entrepreneurs, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Marketing, Negotiation, Money, Finance, Side Hustle, Startup, Mental Health, Career, Leadership, Mindset, Health, Growth Mindset, Positivity, Human Nature, Critical Thinking, Robert Greene, Chris Voss, Robert Cialdini