Meet Sean Swarner.

His WHY.os is Better Way - Make Sense - Contribute.

What happens when you beat death, accomplish the impossible, and still feel empty?

In this episode of Beyond Your WHY, Dr. Gary Sanchez sits down with Sean Swarner, one of the most resilient humans alive. Sean isn’t just known for climbing Mount Everest with one functioning lung or completing the Explorer’s Grand Slam. He’s known for what happened after the summit, when the celebration faded and a deeper question surfaced: What actually fulfills us?

Sean takes listeners back to high school, where cancer replaced typical teenage worries and survival became the only goal. He shares raw moments from being given last rites at 16, spending a year in a medically induced coma, and learning to live without a sense of future. That perspective shaped everything that followed, from his decision to climb Everest as a platform for hope to realizing that even world-class achievements can still be “false summits.”

This conversation goes far beyond endurance feats. Sean breaks down the difference between chasing goals that impress others and pursuing purpose that lasts. He introduces the idea of false summits versus true summits, why success doesn’t automatically equal fulfillment, and how many high achievers unknowingly climb the wrong mountains. Together, Gary and Sean explore identity, meaning, ego, and what it really takes to align goals, values, and heart.

If you’ve ever hit a milestone and thought “now what?”, felt driven but not satisfied, or wondered whether you’re climbing the right mountain, this episode will challenge how you define success and push you to rethink what you’re really striving for.

Contact Sean:

Website URL:

www.SeanSwarner.com

LinkedIn URL:

Linkedinlinkedin.com/in/seanswarner/

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Meet Dr. Don Wood.

His WHY.os is Contribute - Challenge - Better Way

Dr. Don Wood is a neuroscientist, author, speaker, and Founder & CEO of Inspired Performance Institute. His work focuses on how trauma and disturbing events can keep running in the background and shape how someone thinks, feels, and performs.

In this episode, Dr. WHY talks with Don through the lens of Don’s WHY, Contribute. Don’s drive is to help people feel less stuck in their own mind so they can show up for life again. His HOW, Challenge, pushes against the idea that you have to live with intense emotional loops forever. His WHAT, Better Way, is his practical method for helping people reduce the intensity of the memories that keep pulling them back.

You’ll learn:

• Why the mind can treat an old painful memory like it is happening right now.
• A simple way Don describes reducing the “intensity” of a memory without pretending it never happened.
• How Don’s Contribute WHY shows up as a clear goal: help people stop fighting the past so they can live forward.

Listen to this episode if you want a clearer understanding of why grief and trauma can hit so hard, and what it can look like to lower the emotional volume.

Get in touch with Don:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdonwoodphd/
• Instagram: N/A (Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrDonWoodPhD)
• Website: https://www.gettipp.com/

00:01 – Why Don’s work matters right now

00:42 – The mind replays a painful moment like it is “now”

01:12 – “An emotion is a call for an action”

01:35 – High definition vs low definition memories

01:57 – How do you actually turn it down?

02:02 – The two-minute recall and process work

02:23 – When the mind stops reacting like it is happening now

02:35 – Moving from “last moments” to the full relationship

03:12 – “There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s just a glitch.”

03:33 – Sadness can stay; the urgent panic can stop

Contact Dr. Don:

Company name:

Inspired Performance Institute

Website URL:

www.getTIPP.com

Dr. Don's Giveaway:

https://www.inspiredperformanceinstitute.com/hecklermethod/

LinkedIn URL:

Linkedinlinkedin.com/in

drdonwoodphd/

Facebook and/or Instagram URL:

FacebookFacebook - log in or sign up

DrDonWoodPhD

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Meet Barry Garapedian. His WHY.os is Right Way - Better Way - Contribute.

Barry Garapedian spent nearly 40 years at Morgan Stanley before launching MAG7 Consulting, where he now mentors teens and young adults on habits that build confidence, discipline, and success. He’s proof that hard work and structure still win in a world chasing shortcuts. In this episode, Barry and Dr. Gary Sanchez talk about what it really takes to do things the right way—and why so few people actually do.

You’ll learn:

• The truth about discipline: how structure, routines, and small daily wins create real freedom.
• Why grit beats talent every time: and the mindset that keeps you consistent when others quit.
• How to build systems that work: the same process Barry used to rise to the top on Wall Street and now teaches to young high performers.

Listen to this episode to see how doing things the right way—every day—can lead to success that actually lasts.

Get in Touch with Barry:

LinkedIn: barry-garapedian-735a5168/

Insagram: @barrygarapedian

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.