Edith Wharton said “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” So when you think of dynamic duos, we contemplate of the power of two and this is exactly what you get with Michael and Juliette McGannon. The husband and wife team have created high-powered, impactful workshops, which they deliver worldwide. Since 1988, they have listened to more than 125,000 managers who told them to make their seminars simple, effective and good fun. They have developed extremely useful tools and strategies for keeping modern managers at the peak of their game.
I met them last year at one of their workshops and what really struck me was their very humane, caring and pragmatic approach. I am very grateful to them both that they found the time to be interviewed.
I hope you enjoy their interview as much as I did!
Sunita: When and where did it all begin for you?
Juliette and Michael McGannon: Well, if by “it all”, is meant our working business life together, it all started once Michael had arrived in 1986 at what he thought was the “pinnacle” of his academic medical career: Stanford University. Up to that point, we had always perceived ourselves as a sort of healers (after all, the word “health” comes from “heal”), who would use our training to teach people who are at high risk for “lifestyle diseases” (heart disease, cancers, obesity, strokes, diabetes) to engineer their lifestyle to completely avoid these diseases by avoiding the root causes. Then we started having a deliberate series of “wake-up calls” in the form of insights and realizations:
Wake Up call 1: Death due to medicine: Modern medicine is a risky adventure, once embarked upon by the average consumer. Clearly, we, as health professionals, can do better. A vision of new proactive model is born: “The Modern Hunter”. Humankind has spent 90, 000 generations as Hunters, therefore, running what we have identified as the “Hunters Software”: chase, aim, & kill the prey. In virtually ALL spheres of modern life, we can see the sublimation of these ancient instincts: in sport, in mating and in business.
Wake up Call 2: Key to Resilience = “2 + 4 = 6” Model of Health and Sanity: easy to recall
1. 2 Dynamics to observe and control, one physical (the arteries) and one psychological (the emotions). Physically, the arteries are in a dynamic of wither Clogging vs. Cleaning, as a function of how we think, exercise, breathe, live. Psychologically, the mind is in a dynamic of either Contracting vs. Expanding, as a function of mind-set, mental software and worldview.
2. 4 Filters to Clean:
- Kidneys (filter blood) must be cleaned (Water)
- Lungs (filter air): must be cleaned (exercise and deep breathing);
- Digestive system (filter foods): must be cleaned (veggies, fruits)
- Mind (filters experience): must be cleaned (reflection, meditation & mantra)
3. 6 Ws to Health & Vitality:
- Water & Wine (Nutrition)
- Walking & Workout (Activity)
- Wind & Worrying Effectively (Stress/mind management)
Wake up call 3: The Target
Even as early as 1986, whilst at Stanford, we came to the realization that to be effective, we would need to develop leverage. That is, we must practice a proactive teaching model, wherein the students, in groups, would be taught how to avoid diseases and develop resiliency (2 + 4 =6), versus the more reactive (and lucrative) reactive medical model of waiting for diseases to manifest. The obvious target would be the most obvious modern hunter: the business community. They chase the client/market share/prey, they take careful aim and they capture/”kill” the target/prey.
Sunita: What does life long learning mean to you?
Juliette and Michael McGannon: That would obviously depend on what “life” itself means to us. Life, above and beyond anything else, would be a learning experience. The deal is: if we learn what this planet can offer well enough, we can advance to the next level. A sort of board game.
Some further background on the Rules of the Game: From a scientific point of view of the human brain, life is a learning experience, from conception to old age. As such learning is synonymous with life, two words for the same process. The hardware, the brain, with its 100 BILLION neurons (each of which is as powerful as a PC in processing power) starts the learning process by developing software to run. The software is composed of:
- Imprints: primitive and powerful (parents in control);
- Conditioning (family and society in control), and finally
- Learning (Self-directed): once we have our wake-up to the power of the mind to project and create reality, we can start to override a) and b) as desired and needed to accomplish tasks of life.
Modern life does not make time for you to sort out all this. What we are told by participants is that we provide a sorely needed pause for reflection. So, in every corporate/ academic seminar, we invariably ask the CEOs and VPs the following question in the business school amphitheatre: What is the point of life?
Now, you would think that such over-achievers as corporate CEOs and fast-tracking VPs would already have these issues all sorted out, as part of any leadership training. But, alas, that is not our experience. Quite the contrary, in fact. When asked that question in a business-school amphitheatre, the whole place goes quiet, really quiet. The reason: modern international business life can be so absorbing and taxing on the human psyche, that it leaves precious little psychic energy to reflect upon and resolve deep subconscious conflicts of mental software.
Sunita: What do you think of the four pillars of life long learning?
Juliette and Michael McGannon: Life can be confusing. All the bright lights and loud noises can be a real distraction from what our real purpose in life is: learning. That’s the point of life, not something vague and elusive as happiness, love or wealth. So, with that in mind, all and every model of life can be useful and interesting, as long as we realize that eventually, all models must be abandoned once they have outlived their usefulness, as we do with the menu once the meal arrives. In our teaching over the past 30 years, we have preached the
3 pillars of success to over 125,000 senior managers:
- Pillar of Wealth: useful
- Pillar of Health: indispensible
- Pillar of Love: without this one, the whole enterprise collapses
Although it may be a semantic issue, we would like to propose refinement of this model (based on Delors’ (1996) four ‘pillars’ of education) to include several other Pillars:
- Learning to know
- Learning to do
- Learning to live together and
- Learning to be
- Learning to Laugh
- Learning to Love
- Learning to Forget
- Learning to
Sunita: Which pillar is the most important in your opinion?
Juliette and Michael McGannon: In our philosophy, we are on this earth for very specific reason: to learn how to love, as having learned to love implies mastery of the other learnings. This is quickly followed in importance by Learning to Forget, which will lead to Learning to Laugh, which makes Learning to Live together possible.
Sunita: Which pillar are people struggling with?
Juliette and Michael McGannon: Learning to forget. Just incredible how we are attached to the traumas of the past. Just cannot move on, not just because of the traumas’ imprint, but because we find ulterior ways to “milk” these traumas through self-appointed victimhood. Learning to forget will lift the fog off the mind making all other learning less distracted.
Sunita: All the literature tells us to keep learning but how can we fit it all in with the pressure of professional and personal commitments?
Juliette and Michael McGannon: It’s a proven fact, based on research over 30 years with more than 125, 000 senior managers: to implement the 2 + 4 = 6 technology, which leads to inner and outer balance, requires 18 – 25 minutes per day! Most people avoid wake up calls designed (by Nature) to provide the impetus to upgrade their mental software and develop a sustainable strategy to develop resilience. Indisputable fact: until the inner hunter is awaken, there is absolutely no chance to gain traction into inner emotional conflicts that lead to diseases and low energy states, such as depression. Once the inner Hunter/Huntress is awakened, we predictably witness acceleration on our students’ evolution. The Bottom Line: If one cannot get 20 minutes (the 6ws) a day of self-healing into their day, just await a stronger, more violent wake-up call just around the corner. Either way, everybody gets awakened.
It’s as if you asked a small child what would they prefer: a small candy bar right now or a big one in a week, most would take the small candy bar NOW, being (thanks to TV) totally devoid of any notion of delayed gratification whatsoever.
Sunita: Could you share some of your strategies that we could use to keep learning?
Juliette and Michael McGannon: Step-by-Step process:
Step #1: Start by paying attention to the natural wake-up calls that nature is providing daily. They include, but are not restricted, to:
- Psychosomatic symptoms (headaches, chest pain, insomnia, emotional liability, chronic fatigue;
- Are you taking any medications? Why? Reflect on what inner imbalance might be that is producing the perceived need for such meds;
- Are there too many conflicts / arguments in your life or marriage? Look within, not without for solutions. Problems are internal, solutions are also internal.
- Life is full of pain, but is there a lot of what you might call “unnecessary pain” that results from a failure of mastery of inner conflicts?
Step #2: The human mind must first be properly programmed through the Art of Relaxation and Detachment (ARD) to realize the real objective of life: wake up the hunter.
Step #3: to get into the gifts of the present moments, pretend you are going to die tomorrow and re-prioritize accordingly. Never too late to get off the hamster wheel. Realize that privileged without the development of sincere gratitude only leads to the hell of entitlement.
Sunita: What is the best piece of advice you were ever given?
Juliette and Michael McGannon: I remember it as if it were yesterday: “Wake Up! Life is under no obligation to give you what you expect. Don’t die stupid!”
Sunita: What's the next challenge for us?
Juliette and Michael McGannon: To translate into various other cultural paradigms, the “2 + 4 = 6” proactive model of medicine. So far we have met with great enthusiasm in the following arenas: Europe, North America Russia and China. Europe, North America Russia and China. In the Middle East: we presently have several projects in KSA and Dubai to assist there in the epidemics of diabetes and heart disease.
Sunita: What's next for you?
Juliette and Michael McGannon: Currently we have 4 projects in the pipeline:
- Enlarge the Vitality Project: the Vitality Project is an initiative to gradually wean people off the Reactive Model of medicine (meds, surgery, hospitals) to the Vitality Model of Medicine (education, awareness, nutrition, sunshine, autonomy, self-mastery and fun). We have already rolled out the vehicle for this, the Mentoring for Self-Mastery module.
- T2: Eager to leapfrog all unnecessary intermediaries, we have developed a teaching module called Training the Trainers, which entails training individuals within large corporations to do what we do (more or less, usually less). They are certified to teach, test and apply the MSM-24 follow-up program. We have 18 trainees In Russia and 3 in China.
- Portable Application: Develop an application for all tactile potable devices to enable modern managers to instantly determine their Health Age, Body Fat. Launch in Mandarin set for 12 Feb 2015 in Shanghai. Russian & English to follow in Q3 2015.
- Vitality Training Centre: Establish a Learning/Training centre (“The Vitality Bootcamp”) In Switzerland (Geneva area) to make our technology available to a wider audience. Discussion with investors and sponsors underway Q1 2015.
Reference
Juliette McGannon is a Yoga and Reiki Master; her field of expertise is fitness prescription and effective stress management. She is the innovator of S. M. A. R. T. a "toolbox" of Stress Management And Relaxation Techniques, which has brought welcome relief from tension to over 125,000 international managers in over 40 countries. In addition she had led workshops at INSEAD, IMD, Cambridge Judge Business School and SIM as well as within many corporations worldwide.
Dr Michael McGannon is a specialist in preventative medicine, particularly to corporate life. Michael holds a doctorate in medicine from Georgetown University and a post-doctoral gastrointestinal & cholesterol research fellowship from Stanford University. He is a medical journalist, writing on issues such as stress, health and fitness in such international publications as the International Herald Tribune, The Financial Times, The Business Times (Singapore), The European (London) & L'Impresa (Milano).
For more information about The Leaders Health Project, The Vitality Project, T2 and other workshops please feel free to contact Juliette and Michael:
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http://www.mcgannon.fr/blhp/seminars.php
Bio
Sunita is an Executive Coach, Trainer and Consultant. She is of Indian origin and was born in London before moving to Geneva in 1992. She has a Psychology background (specialising in Occupational Psychology) and a Post Graduate in the Development and Training of Adults. She also completed a Masters in Ressources Humaines, Coaching et Gestion des Carrières at the University of Geneva.
During her 25 years experience Sunita's drive has always been to help people to do their best and hence led her to create Walk The Talk.
In her free time Sunita is a Mentor for the Branson Center of Entrepreneurship and a proud member of the School in The Cloud Team.
