George Mumford, Mindfulness Coach to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, on Awareness, Compassionate Action, the Dizziness of Freedom, and More | Brought to you by Tonal (http://tonal.com/), LinkedIn Jobs (http://linkedin.com/tim), Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro Cover (http://eightsleep.com/Tim). Show Notes: https://tim.blog/2021/04/14/george-mumford/#more-55499 George Mumford (@gtmumford) is a globally recognized speaker, teacher, and coach. Since 1989, he’s been honing his gentle but groundbreaking mindfulness techniques with people from locker rooms to board rooms, Yale to jail. While at the University of Massachusetts, where he roomed with future Hall of Famer Julius Erving, injuries forced George out of basketball and eventually into an addiction to pain medication and drugs. With the help of meditation and mindfulness, he got clean and made it his mission to teach and work with others. Michael Jordan credits George with transforming his on-court leadership, helping the Bulls to six NBA championships. George has also worked with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and countless other NBA players, as well as Olympians, executives, and artists. George believes everyone has a masterpiece within. His book The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance —both a memoir and an instruction guide—can show you how to access it. George also teaches The Mindful Athlete Course, which can be found at https://GeorgeMumford.com. Please enjoy! SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW LINK TO ALL SHOW TRANSCRIPTS: https://tim.blog/2018/09/20/all-transcripts-from-the-tim-ferriss-show/ About Tim Ferriss: Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 500 million downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running. Connect with Tim Ferriss: Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/ Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tferriss/ Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/ Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/ [00:00] Start. The first time George witnessed Michael Jordan practicing. [06:46] Michael Jordan's intensity. [09:23] Holding down an FBI-scrutinized position while struggling with heroin addiction. [11:52] Where did George’s path to addiction begin, and what led to his sobriety? [15:01] How did mindfulness enter George’s life? [20:58] Helpful books during this time. [26:45] Books George has gifted most often. [29:10] How did George connect with the world of elite sports? [31:49] Why Phil Jackson brought George to the Chicago Bulls. [34:20] Helping players deal with distractions and constant public scrutiny. [39:12] Dealing with wildly different personalities and preferences. [43:28] Counterintuitive advice for Kobe. [46:59] “The dizziness of freedom.” [48:44] The moment “Mike” Jordan became “Michael” Jordan. [52:53] Another memorable breakthrough moment. [54:55] George Mumford of 2021's advice to younger George Mumford. [58:37] How does George use the four As—awareness, acceptance, action, assessment? [59:53] Remarkable use cases of the four As. [1:05:00] What is George most excited about these days? [1:09:17] George’s ask to the audience and parting thoughts. [1:12:56]