Before the whisper, it looked like a life of meaning—until a subconscious message exposed everything underneath.

Ben Katt shares the moment that forced him to confront a truth most people avoid: you can build a life that looks meaningful on the outside—and still feel completely disconnected on the inside.

After years as a pastor serving others, Ben hit a breaking point that exposed how much of his identity was built on achievement, expectation, and performance. What followed was a journey into the unknown—through burnout, self-inquiry, and ultimately a radical redefinition of who he was.

This episode explores the uncomfortable but necessary path of shedding old identities, sitting in uncertainty, and learning how to reconnect with something deeper.

Show Partners:

• Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here!
• A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
• Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life

Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne

Timestamps:

00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?”

02:00 — The identity trap: defining yourself by what you do

04:00 — “I lost my way”—how even meaningful work can disconnect you

05:30 — The call to adventure: when your current life stops working

06:30 — The moment everything changed: “If you don’t have your heart, you have nothing”

08:00 — Burnout, fear, and the uncomfortable truth beneath it all

10:00 — The first step: slowing down and facing yourself

11:00 — Why journaling stopped working—and what changed

13:00 — The illusion of change vs. real transformation

14:30 — Practices that actually create inner clarity

15:30 — Rewilding: why nature reconnects you to yourself

18:00 — Stillness as the gateway to insight

20:00 — You don’t need to escape your life to transform it

21:30 — Microdosing solitude: how to start right now

22:00 — The power of subtraction (and why more isn’t the answer)

24:00 — Identity fasting: letting go of who you think you are

26:00 — The masks we wear—and why they eventually break

28:00 — Gratitude and grief: the dual process of transformation

29:00 — Why modern culture lacks real rites of passage

31:00 — Creating your own rituals to mark change

34:00 — Clarity vs. tests: why growth never feels stable

36:00 — “It’s all real”—how to trust your inner shifts

37:00 — The myth of timelines in personal transformation

39:00 — The 4 questions that help you integrate change

40:00 — “What remains in the mystery?”

41:00 — Learning to live in the unknown

43:00 — Why your personal growth isn’t just about you

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Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Anna Gudmundson, CEO of Sensate, explores the intersection of technology, nervous system regulation, and human potential.

From growing up in Northern Sweden with a deep curiosity for systems, to building a career in early-stage tech, Anna shares how she began to see her own behaviors as patterns—“bugs in her code”—that could be understood and improved.

But everything changed when years of stress led to a complete breakdown in her health. What followed was a deep journey into functional medicine, meditation, breathwork, and nervous system awareness—ultimately reshaping how she lives, works, and leads.

This conversation explores how to regulate your internal state in a chaotic world, why most people are operating far below their potential, and how combining ancient practices with modern technology may be the key to a more resilient future.

Show Partners:

• Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here!
• A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
• Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life

Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne

Timestamps:

01:00 — Growing up in Northern Sweden: math, music, and systems thinking

02:30 — “I saw bugs in my code” — the mindset that changed everything

04:00 — Early influences and discovering personal growth

05:00 — Finding Qigong and learning to balance internal energy

07:00 — Why “woo-woo” practices are becoming a competitive advantage

09:30 — When the nervous system became impossible to ignore

11:00 — The 10-day silent meditation that rewired everything

12:30 — The health breakdown: stress, gut issues, and missed diagnoses

14:00 — Functional medicine and rebuilding from the inside out

16:30 — The hardest part: accepting a new way of living

17:30 — Running a startup while protecting your nervous system

18:00 — Reframing challenges: growth vs punishment

19:30 — The non-negotiables: sleep, recovery, and self-awareness

21:00 — How to actually “check in” with yourself

22:00 — Meditation practices for different mental states

24:00 — Automatic journaling and accessing the subconscious

26:00 — Breathwork as a reset for mental overwhelm

28:00 — Inside alchemy breathwork and altered states

32:00 — Integrating logic, spirituality, and identity

34:00 — What Sensate is and how it works

36:00 — Why nervous system regulation matters more than ever

38:00 — The global stress crisis and what it’s costing us

40:00 — Meditation vs tools: what works when your mind is overloaded

42:00 — Building a “mental fitness system” for your life

44:00 — Bringing these practices into company culture

46:00 — Why startups aren’t for everyone (and that’s okay)

48:00 — Leadership, stress resilience, and the future of work

50:00 — The future of health: sound, frequency, and personalization

52:00 — Final reflections: embracing complexity and being “just weird enough”

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Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sleep isn’t just rest—it’s the foundation of your memory, attention, emotional stability, and decision-making.

In this conversation, Dr. Michael Breus, “The Sleep Doctor,” breaks down why sleep is the true currency behind mental fitness—and why most people are unknowingly operating at a massive disadvantage.

From debunking popular trends like mouth taping and blue light blockers to explaining why the 5AM club doesn’t work for most people, this episode cuts through the noise and brings you back to what actually matters.

You’ll walk away with simple, science-backed ways to improve your sleep, sharpen your thinking, and take back control of your energy. Make sure to take your Chronoquiz!

Show Partners:

• Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here!
• A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas
• Personal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life

Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne

Timestamps:

00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?”

01:30 — Dr. Breus on curiosity, education, and simplifying complex science

03:00 — Why sleep impacts every system in your body

04:30 — Memory, cognition, and the real cost of poor sleep

06:00 — “Sleep is the currency of attention” (core framework)

08:00 — Why most people misunderstand sleep deprivation

09:30 — The caffeine trap: masking exhaustion vs fixing it

12:00 — Mouth taping: benefits, risks, and why it can be dangerous

16:30 — Blue light blockers: what the data actually says

19:00 — The “Power Down Hour” and building a runway for sleep

21:00 — Techniques to quiet the mind (cognitive shuffling, 4-7-8 breathing)

25:00 — Why the 5AM Club doesn’t work for most people (chronotypes explained)

28:00 — Dreams, nightmares, and emotional processing

32:00 — The link between nightmares, PTSD, and sleep avoidance

36:00 — How dream therapy can help process trauma

40:00 — Why sleep deprivation destroys decision-making

43:00 — Final thoughts: why sleep is the foundation of everything

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Special props 👇

Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.