Alexis Fernandez-Preiksa is a cognitive neuroscientist, best-selling author and host of one of the world's biggest psychology podcasts, Do You F*cking Mind? She is also one of the warmest, most down-to-earth people to ever sit across the mic from Keegan.

We talked about the fluke that pulled her out of acting and into neuroscience (one guest lecture, a slide of a dissected brain, and a snap decision to change her major), and why she reckons passion never just shows up at your door fully formed. We got into monotasking, the dog walks with no headphones and the shower ideas that come when you finally let your mind be bored, and the line that stuck with Keegan: your thoughts get quieter and your creativity gets louder. Alexis broke down the Gottman research on "bids for connection" and the tennis-ball rule that quietly decides whether couples last, the "treat them like the love of your life for three months" experiment that ended in a marriage, why desperation is really just fear of loss, and how to actually move through a breakup, including the science of the tactical cry. Plus becoming a present dad, the nights being long but the years being short, and Alexis's three pillars of happiness: growth, purpose and connection.

If you enjoyed this episode you will also enjoy: 
#171 The Psychology of Flow w/ Dr Megan Lee 
#184 Alexi Pappas: How to Become Fearless & Why Shortcuts Are Poison
#170 Grace Grove: Doctor, Runner & Content Creator Being Yourself & Ditching Toxic Productivity

Follow Alexis:
Instagram: @alexisfernandezpreiksa
Podcast Instagram: @doyoufkingmind
Spotify: Do You F*cking Mind?

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You can't outthink your mental health problems. You can sit at home and ruminate, or you can get outside and move. One of those makes it worse. The other doesn't fix everything, but it's a foundation. Strong body first, stronger mind from there.

Kori got sober nearly four years ago, got diagnosed with ADHD, and has spent the years since chasing bigger and bigger things. His first marathon, then a 50k in the Alps, a 220km race in Africa, running the entire length of England. Now he's signed with On and completing all the World Marathon Majors.

We discuss what drove him to keep going bigger. What was the point of it all? Why running across a country didn't give him the fulfilment he expected, and how he came to realise that bigger isn't always better. That at some point, you've done enough.

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Reuben Cotter didn't think any of this would happen. Two ACLs and three years on the sideline before he'd properly started — now he's not only a State of Origin player but a Wally Lewis Medal winner (Player of the Series) and captain of the Cowboys.

Ahead of Origin tomorrow night, we pulled this part of the podcast we recorded with Reuben back in mid-2024. He talks about how he actually got there, what Billy Slater's camp is really like, the day seven Cowboys got the Origin call at a team dinner, and why he wouldn't change those three years for anything.

Listen to the full episode - #52: Reuben Cotter: Journey to Captaincy, ACL & Family Life:
Spotify
Apple
YouTube

Or you may also enjoy:
#164 Jai Arrow: Fatherhood and What Really Matters
#34 Harry Grant: Melbourne Storm Captaincy, Almost Dying and Happy Birthday

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Alexi Pappas is an Olympian who holds the Greek national record over 10,000m, an author, poet, filmmaker, and a guide alongside her blind teammate Lisa together running many of the World Marathon Majors. She's spent her whole life refusing to be just one thing.

We talked about why she believes your fears are really just cares, and how she traced all of hers back to one core fear before solving it with a single phone call to three friends. Picturing fear as a passenger in the car you're driving instead of something to outrun. Guiding Lisa through five Boston Marathons, learning to talk through tension in the tether so the conversation could be about feelings instead of left and right, and the time they fell clipped into a tandem bike in traffic while training for their first triathlon. Why she thinks shortcuts are poison, and how you can stand next to someone on a start line and feel whether they earned it. Keeping athlete and artist in separate rooms for years, then seeing her own handwriting on a wall at Boston. And why, after solving that one fear, she feels more fearless than she ever has.

If you enjoyed this episode check out these similar episodes:
#170 Grace Grove
#106 Mary Fowler
#91 Montana Farah-Seaton

Follow Alexi Pappas:
Instagram: @alexipappas
Alexi's Podcast Instagram: Mentor Buffet
Spotify Mentor Buffet

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The news broke that Jai Arrow has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.
Jai is one of the toughest blokes I've ever met. Not tough in the way people throw the word around. Tough in the way he plays. The way he carries himself. The way he stands up for the people around him.

This is our favourite moment from the full episode we did together earlier this year. Jai talks about fatherhood and what really matters in life.

All our love to Jai and his family.

Watch the full episode here.

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In this episode, I break down Angela Duckworth's research on why passion and perseverance matter more than natural ability... and why effort counts twice. We cover the neuroscience behind why your brain gets stronger at not giving up, the four elements of grit (interest, practice, purpose and hope), why embarrassment and fear of failure are learned behaviours, and the parable of the bricklayers that changed how I think about purpose.

📚 Based on Grit by Angela Duckworth 

🎙️ Inspired by The Mel Robbins Podcast with Angela Duckworth

 Follow us on Socials @keeganandcompanypodcast

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310 pounds, 30 beers a day, half a pack of cigarettes and then one moment at the New York City Marathon changed everything.

Herms watched his girlfriend cross the finish line and something broke open. The next day, he laced up and couldn't make it past a mile. One year later, he ran that same marathon on his birthday.

We delved into the eating disorders, what it actually looks like to start running when you can barely walk a block, how an addictive personality can either destroy you or completely rebuild your life, and why the trail running community became the thing that brought him back to himself.

If you've ever felt stuck, this one's gonna hit different.

New episodes weekly. 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts — search "Keegan & Company

Check out Herms and Keegan on socials

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What if smiling could actually change how you experience pain?

In this episode, Keegan reflects on the contrast between the Tokyo Marathon, one of his toughest races and the London Marathon, where he PB’d and had one of his best performances ever. The difference wasn’t just physical… it was how he experienced the race.

Article: Jazlyn H. Luu, Amanda M. Acevedo, Vida Pourmand & Sarah D. Pressman (2026) The power of smiles: mitigating pain through facial expression, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 21:2, 321-330, DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2025.2462231

• Lower heart rate
• Regulate stress
• Improve emotional recovery after pain

Importantly - it doesn’t reduce the pain itself, but it changes your response to it.

We break down the science, the psychology, and how something as simple as a smile can shift your performance and mindset in high-pressure moments.

Tokyo Marathon Recap

London Marathon Recap

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Michael Hooper played 125 tests for the Wallabies, captained Australia across three World Cup campaigns, and walked away from the game at 32. In this episode, we discuss what happens when the thing you built your whole life around stops.

We got into the mental health side of professional rugby, the overthinking that fuelled his preparation but nearly pulled him under during a tour in Argentina in 2022, where everything unraveled in 48 hours and he made the call to fly home mid-series. We talked about what it's like to be a captain telling your team you need to step away, and how he came back months later and played some of the best rugby of his career.

We also went deep on fatherhood, how having kids changed his relationship with the game, the guilt of chasing personal ambitions while wanting to be present, and the selfishness required to compete at the highest level. As someone about to become a dad, this one hit different for me.

Hoops also shared the three attributes he's seen cross over from elite sport to corporate life, what Ben Crowe taught him about playfulness under pressure, and what he'd tell his 18-year-old self if he could go back.

CONNECT

Michael Hooper Instagram: @michaelhooper

Keegan & Company Instagram: @keeganandcompanypodcast

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A friend asked me what I thought my superpower was.

I think mine is the ability to make people feel comfortable.

A big part of our podcast is having open and vulnerable conversations with some of the best athletes in the world. We try really hard to make them feel comfortable, seen, and valued and that allows for a beautiful, open, and sometimes really vulnerable conversation.

In this one, I break down the six things I've learned about making people feel comfortable:

1. Slow down when you first meet someone
2. Remembering someone's name is the best compliment you can give them
3. Become genuinely interested in other people
4. Give specific compliments
5. Physical touch
6. Smile

Follow us on Instagram:@keeganandcompanypodcast

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Chris and I went deep on some of the things I think a lot of people struggle to talk about, internal fulfilment, purpose, peace, and what happens when we don't have any of it.

We talked about the difference between being alone and being lonely. Two very different things. And how sitting with ourselves, actually sitting with ourselves, might be one of the best ways to figure out who we are and what we actually want to do with our lives.

We also explored this idea that if the price outweighs the prize, it's not worth entering the race or doing the race more sustainable. Climbing an extremely hard mountain when the view at the top isn't even good. Putting yourself through pain that doesn't have a good outcome. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is walk away from the thing that's breaking you.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like: #144 Bailey O'Brien: Building The Life You Want https://youtu.be/rPr79o9RHME

#140 Annabelle Ronnfeldt: Performance Over Aesthetics — The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything https://youtu.be/xuvPGSpkEY4

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

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