“One can only perform at maximum potential when in optimal health. Optimal health can easily be obtained and maintained.” --Dr. Mike Van Thielen, whose mission is to help those who really and truly want to regain their health and live longer. Dr. Mike, has written many books[i], in the field of health, wellness, productivity, and biohacking, that all cover important topics that I know we are all interested in on this podcast.

Watch this interview on YouTube here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY0nOaiQVFc 

On this episode we will learn: 

✔ Some of the secrets to Dr. Mike's success as a World Record Holder (swimming).

✔ How he learned to optimize his productivity and focus to achieve higher levels of success/laser focus in school/sports/work.

✔ Why he believes "failure is not an option" and why he doesn't practice one of Michael Phelp's training secrets.

✔ Advice he would offer to anyone looking to make an explosive leap with their results.

✔ How to develop discipline.

✔ The importance of knowing your purpose, and discovering what you are passionate about in life.

✔ The role of dopamine as it relates to focus and concentration.

✔ Forward thinking preventative health and why it's important for everyone to put their health first.

Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast where we bridge the gap between theory and practice, with strategies, tools and ideas we can all use immediately, applied to the most current brain research to heighten productivity in our schools, sports environments and modern workplaces. I’m Andrea Samadi and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is for our everyday life and results. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their research, books, ideas and resources to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or in the corporate environment.

As a podcast host, I do come across many people, in different areas of the world, and to stay focused, I do stick to a certain theme each season, or I’d be all over the place with researching guests and questions. For this season, we are focused on brain health as it relates to learning, and I’m looking to show how important an understanding of our brain is, for our results and productivity.

When I came across Dr. Mike’s work, I didn’t even read all of his credentials, as I saw two things that caught my eye. He was the assistant coach and therapist for the Belgian Olympic swim team for the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996. Dr. Mike himself is a current World Record Holder in swimming[ii]. He also holds 28 U.S. National Titles and 2 YMCA National records. He is a proud member of the exclusive WSA – World Sports Alumni, holds a PhD in Holistic Nutrition and is also the Founder of Health Freedom movement. He’s a sought-after speaker who has often shared the stage with celebrities who I’ve met during my time in the motivational speaking industry, like Les Brown, Brian Tracy, and Darren Hardy, owner of Success Magazine.

He’s also an entrepreneur with vast business experience and a proven track record of establishing and developing successful business operations. Dr. Mike owned several anti-aging clinics in central and northeast Florida and was the CEO of an innovative stem cell clinic, treating top athletes including NFL players and heavyweight boxing champions. Along with his successful career he has managed to be a philanthropist by raising money through many charity events to those who need it most.

While I speak often about my time in the motivational speaking industry on this podcast, I haven’t mentioned that I spent many of my high school years teaching swimming lessons to pay for my University degree, and would watch these two Belgium swim coaches who would come in every Saturday morning, at the crack of dawn, and run the most incredible swim practices that I’ve ever seen. They had these kids zipping up and down the lanes. I always wondered what was their secret for success (like the ideas that I’m gathering here now on this podcast years later) and I would often watch these coaches, wondering what they were doing differently from the others. When I saw that Dr. Mike is from Belgium, I wondered where his passion to succeed began.

Let’s meet Dr. Mike Thielen, where we’ll narrow down on some questions for him, based on all of the books he has published, and with his upcoming book, The Keys to Your Success, and see what secrets he will share with us on the importance of our health, our brain, and breaking through to new levels of achievement.

Welcome Dr. Mike Thielen, it’s incredible to meet you after I was blown away by all of your credentials while researching your work.

Intro Q: Dr. Mike, I like to open with a question that ties all of your work together, and this podcast is focused on providing the most current brain research to optimize results in our school, sport environments, and modern workplaces, I wanted to ask you something that covers all these areas. With all that you’ve accomplished, it’s clear you are doing something different, that has clearly set you apart from the rest. When did you notice you were doing things differently to reach the high levels you have reached (sports and business) and who taught you these important life-success hacks?

Intro B: Why is failure not an option for you?

Q1: Since most of us see the value in putting our health first these days, especially after the Pandemic, can you share your secret for “how to think faster, move quicker, and become laser focused to become a top athlete?” I know your answer will help all of us with whatever it is we are working on.

After reviewing your website, I was moved. It’s not often that a person’s website can grab your attention, and capture it. I watched your races, and was captivated. You must have incredible retention rates! That aside, I wrote down “failure is not an option” after reviewing your work. What does this phrase mean to you, and how could it help someone going after something important to them this year?

Q1B: Was there a recipe you could share for hitting the World Record in swimming? If someone is looking to make a Leap with their results (I’m a huge fan of Price Pritcett’s You2 Book[iii]) or an explosive jump in their results, what would you tell them?

Q1C: Have you ever focused or visualized on how you would handle failure, like Michael Phelps has been known to do?

Q2: The other day, I wrote down the words “focus”  and “disciple” as something to look deeper into. What do you do to improve your focus and get more completed in less time?

Q2B:  Where does discipline come in for you? What does this word mean to you?

Q3: After 6 years of working in the motivational speaking industry (I did sales for Bob Proctor), my eye was caught with your connection to your time sharing the stage with Les Brown, Brian Tracy, and Darren Hardy, owner

of Success Magazine. This industry changed my thinking, and I love meeting people who have had the opportunity to experience the “behind the scenes” that no one gets to see. Can you share a story of a time that changed YOUR thinking while you were speaking and changing others? 

Q4: We just did an interview with Friederike Fabritius, whose book, The Brain-Friendly Workplace talks about different brain signatures, and how to use them to optimize our happiness and productivity in the workplace. One of the brain signatures that she mentioned was someone who had a high dopamine neurosignature. It’s something I noticed I needed to pay attention to creating as I can only sit and work at my desk after exercise that boosts the chemicals I need to focus. What are some ways (other than exercise) that you know of where we can access the Dopamine in our brain to improve our concentration, motivation and drive with our work, and life?

Q5: I’m sure by now most people have seen the movie, Limitless[iv], and I would take a pill if I knew it wouldn’t harm my brain, to improve mental focus and physical performance. With over 3 decades working with best optimal health practices, anti-aging and regenerative medicine, sports performance, nutrition and supplementation, and biohacking strategies helping people to regain control of their health, what would you suggest that everyone know in this area of preventative health?

Q6: What are you doing with STEM cells that you cover in your book STEM CELLS 101[v] and how could this help people with chronic pain or healing injuries? I’m asking as my husband and I looked at STEM CELLS as a business years ago, but we didn’t invest in it. Now I wonder what we missed out on especially as we are aging and have weird pains all over, or even peripheral neuropathy in our hands every morning. What results is your company seeing with STEM cells?

6B: How did you decide which book to write next?

Q7: Over the years,  I learned how much of my results are mental. It begins from the minute I open my eyes, to the seconds before I go to sleep. But I’ve used this training for productivity in the workplace. You’ve done it in many places, but specifically as an athlete. What percentage of winning as a sports athlete is mental and what percentage is physical? Is it a different formula for each sport?

Q8: I’m always looking for tips to improve cognition that leads to improving results. I even went to Amen Clinics to get a brain scan to see what areas of my brain my husband and I could improve in the next 50 years of our lifetime. With your experience as an athlete, coach and business leader, I wonder, how do you think we can improve our ability to think faster, move quicker, and become laser focused, to become the best that we can as an athlete or in the workplace?

Q8B: Does what you suggest change if we want to be the best at sales? Or as a coach or teacher?

Q9: Is there anything important that I’ve missed? Your work as Medical Director at ClariGenZ Health or your new book? What are you focused on now?

Dr. Mike, I want to thank you very much for taking the time to come on our podcast. I was moved to a whole new level when I watched the videos of you on your website hitting those world records. I think it hit a chord for me because I want everyone to hit their own world record. You’ve accomplished so much in your lifetime, personally, documented your journey in your books, and I wonder, what else would you like to accomplish? What’s next for you? I saw you have a NEW book coming out The Keys to Your Success that focuses on stress reduction.

For people who want to reach you, for any of your services, is the best place your website https://mvtonline.com/

Thank you Dr. Mike. I’ve got quite a book list to complete now, but will read them all, and do appreciate the time you have spent with me here, to help me and our audience reach higher levels with whatever it is we are working on.

I hope we all take away many AHA moments from you—including “Failure is not an option.”

FINAL THOUGHTS

There was a lot to think about for me during this episode with Dr. Mike, and it might be because we just covered Peak Performance with Friederike on our last episode, but I’m always looking for ways we can all move the needle closer towards our goals. If you do want to try his supplement, go to TrySmartPill.com and you can put your address in for a free trial. You would just need to pay $4.99 for shipping. I am not an affiliate for this product and just a reminder to always consult your doctor when trying anything new. We are not medical doctors offering advice, but sharing what is working for others. I do plan to try the supplement myself as writing these episodes each week doesn’t seem to be getting easier as I’m getting older. I’m pretty clear on what breaks my focus, so to keep producing episodes that are helpful, meaningful and useful to you, I’ll try anything to give me that edge. I’ll do a follow up later down the line on this episode.

If you do want to reach out to Dr. Mike and take him up on a 20 minute zoom session, you can find that link on the home page of his website. The incredible part of doing these podcasts, is that I feel like I’m getting free coaching, learning valuable life lessons and information, and then I share it with you, wherever you live in the world. Then it’s up to you if you want to dive deeper into the work of the guests I share.

Next week, I’ll be speaking with someone who is known as “the most disciplined man in Germany” who found our podcast on YouTube, and we’ve connected as his work and pathway in life, closely connects with mine. He’s just running 4 businesses globally, but the insights he will share on our interview, will take all of our thinking to new heights, revealing many of the secrets we’ve both learned over the years, that have shaped our lives and careers in different ways. We can now show how these success secrets are backed by science.

And with that in mind, have a good weekend, and will see you next week.  

MORE ABOUT DR. MIKE

Dr. Mike is the Medical Director at ClariGenZ Health, an innovative medical company with a new pill providing all the benefits of Adderall without any of the harmful side effects. He is also a treating physician for Boston Neuro Pain and Psych Centers, helping tens of thousands of patients with chronic pain and mental health conditions.

I’ve added a screen shot of his credentials from his website, as he done so much, in many different areas, and I really had my work cut out for me while researching Dr. Mike, as he’s written so many books[vi], in the field of health, wellness, productivity, and biohacking, that all cover important topics that I know we are all interested in on this podcast.

RESOURCES:

ClariGenZ Focus Plus https://www.clarigenz.com/products/clarigenz-focus-plus?utm_source=google_ads&utm_medium=performance_max&utm_campaign=focus_plus_tof&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=17289983468&utm_content=&utm_term=&gadid=&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1NebBhDDARIsAANiDD1n1JPfgDjvCazOByD6D2DrgfS_UvkRUBaI0xEe83yl7hY8ICFOXdcaAjpWEALw_wcB

The Pomodoro Technique Actually Works by Kat Boogaard Published Jan. 24, 2022 https://www.themuse.com/amp/advice/take-it-from-someone-who-hates-productivity-hacksthe-pomodoro-technique-actually-works

Michael Phelps on Preparing for the Worst  by Sarah Davis https://medium.com/@sarah_j_davis/michael-phelps-shows-why-we-should-prepare-for-the-worst-59ba2a401c60

CONNECT WITH DR. MIKE

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikevanthielenphd/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/clarigenz/?hl=en

ClariGenZ https://www.clarigenz.com/

Website https://mvtonline.com/

FREE TRIAL OF FOCUS PLUS+ www.trysmartpill.com

FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  

Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  

Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 

REFERENCES:

[i] https://mvtonline.com/author

[ii] https://mvtonline.com/world-record-holder

[iii] Price Pritchett You2 https://www.pritchettyou2.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiA68ebBhB-EiwALVC-NqYJlRCr03rhA3EDXpsGE2d_S8zK4BmWy_95QwWnhuCGdsYdnSsSjRoCo-AQAvD_BwE

[iv] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1219289/

[v] Stem Cells 101 by Dr. Mike Van Thielsen

[vi] https://mvtonline.com/author