The Everyday Millionaire and Mindset Matters Podcast

Technology is making us faster, more productive and more connected, but could it also be quietly disconnecting us from ourselves?

In this episode of The MindShui Way, Patrick Francey and Steffany Hanlen-Francey explore a question that goes well beyond whether AI is good or bad: Are we unintentionally outsourcing our identity to technology?

From AI-generated writing and algorithm-driven social feeds to the endless pull of scrolling, Patrick and Steffany examine how easily outside influences can begin shaping what we think, what we value and even how we present ourselves to the world. Patrick shares his own experience using AI extensively for research and productivity while deliberately protecting his authentic voice. He also discusses how algorithms reinforce confirmation bias, often requiring conscious effort to seek perspectives outside what technology assumes we want to see.

Steffany brings the conversation back to awareness and intentionality. She shares a revealing experience of losing three hours to mindless scrolling, unable afterward to remember much of what she had consumed. Her practice of “sun before screens,” along with intentionally returning to physical books and real-world spaces, highlights the importance of creating distance from the constant digital feed.

Together, they consider what this means for personal development, creativity, business and younger generations growing up without ever knowing a world before AI and social media. When technology can make almost anyone sound knowledgeable, polished or creative, authentic experience and individual perspective may become more valuable, not less.

The challenge is not to reject technology. It is to use it consciously without allowing it to define us.

Patrick and Steffany leave listeners with a deceptively simple question: Is this truly who I am, or am I being directed?

“It’s not what I said, but what you heard. The power of communication is in the person receiving the communication.” – Mike Phillips

Leadership may start with you, but according to leadership educator, keynote speaker and coach Mike Phillips, it should never be about you.

In this episode of The Everyday Millionaire, Patrick Francey sits down with Mike for a wide-ranging conversation about what separates true leadership from simply holding a leadership title. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience in leadership, coaching, automotive sales and marketing, Mike shares why the best leaders remain committed learners and why earning the trust of the people around you matters more than the title on your business card.

Mike and Patrick explore the essential qualities of effective leadership, including vision, grit, character, accountability and, perhaps most importantly, communication. Mike explains why communication is ultimately measured not by what a leader says, but by what the other person actually hears. From unexpressed expectations to assumptions and unclear instructions, they examine how seemingly small communication gaps can create unnecessary friction within teams.

The conversation also turns deeply personal as Mike discusses his Christian faith and the role it plays in his approach to leadership, service and relationships. He shares his belief that genuine leadership requires caring about people beyond the results they produce.

Mike then recounts the extraordinary experience that profoundly changed his perspective on life. After becoming critically ill with COVID-19 in 2021, developing pneumonia and ultimately suffering the collapse of both lungs, Mike says he died before being revived. He spent approximately 40 days in hospital and emerged with a dramatically different understanding of purpose, family, faith and contribution.

His experience provides a powerful reminder that achievement means little if it comes at the expense of health, relationships and the people who matter most.

This conversation explores leadership beyond titles and tactics. It is about learning to lead yourself, communicate with clarity, serve others, face adversity with grit and recognize that sometimes the smallest next step can represent an enormous victory.

People mentioned (with URLs)

Mike Phillips
Mike Phillips / Lead The Team

John C. Maxwell
Maxwell Leadership

Chris Voss
Chris Voss / The Black Swan Group

Chet Holmes
Chet Holmes International

Jay Conrad Levinson
Guerrilla Marketing

Tony Robbins
Tony Robbins

Toby Keith
Toby Keith

Resources Mentioned

The Leadership Toolkit Podcast
The Leadership Toolkit / Lead The Team

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
Never Split the Difference / The Black Swan Group

Trace Church
Trace Church

Chet Holmes International
Chet Holmes International

Technology is changing how we work, communicate, create, and consume information, but is it also quietly changing how we understand ourselves?

In this episode of The MindShui Way, Patrick Francey and Steffany Hanlen-Francey explore a growing tension in our increasingly connected world: the risk of outsourcing our identity to technology. From artificial intelligence and social media algorithms to endless scrolling and the constant search for external validation, they examine what can happen when we begin checking outside ourselves before checking within.

Patrick shares his own experience using AI extensively for research and productivity while deliberately protecting his personal voice. AI can make us faster and more capable, but when we allow it to do our thinking, writing, and expressing for us, we risk becoming increasingly indistinguishable from everyone else using the same tools.

Steffany brings another dimension to the conversation, reflecting on social media, influencers, athletes, younger generations, and her own experience of unexpectedly losing three hours to mindless scrolling. The issue is not simply how much technology we use, but whether we remain conscious of how it is influencing our thoughts, behaviours, values, and sense of self.

Together, Patrick and Steffany make an important distinction: technology is neither inherently good nor bad. AI, algorithms, and social platforms can be incredibly powerful tools. The challenge is ensuring that we are using those tools rather than unconsciously allowing those tools to use us.

As technology becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life, self-awareness may become more important than ever. The question isn't whether AI is going away. It isn't.

The question is whether you can embrace what technology makes possible while remaining connected to your own experience, values, intuition, creativity, and voice.

Before you ask an algorithm what matters, perhaps the better question is: What do I actually think?

Feeling stuck rarely means you're incapable of moving forward. More often, it means you're holding tightly to an identity that has already taken you as far as it can. In this episode of The MindShui Way, Patrick Francey and Steffany Hanlen-Francey explore what they call the Identity Gap: the uncomfortable space between who you've been and who you need to become in order to achieve your next level of growth.

Using the image of a trapeze artist releasing one bar before catching the next, they explain that transformation always involves uncertainty. Whether you're pursuing athletic excellence, business success, financial freedom, or personal growth, there comes a point where old habits, beliefs, and behaviours must be left behind before new ones can take hold.

Steffany shares lessons from coaching Olympic and World Champions, emphasizing that aspiring champions don't yet know what it takes to become champions. True progress begins when people stop trying to coach themselves with theories and instead become willing to learn from those who have already walked the path. Patrick extends this idea into entrepreneurship, reflecting on conversations with highly successful business owners and billionaires who think, decide, and operate at an entirely different level.

Together they discuss the importance of intentionally placing yourself in environments that stretch your thinking, even when you feel you don't belong. Whether it's training alongside elite athletes, entering rooms filled with exceptional business leaders, or simply having the courage to pursue an ambitious goal, discomfort becomes the gateway to growth rather than something to avoid.

The episode closes with a powerful reminder that the person who created your current results may not be the person capable of creating your future. Growth requires releasing certainty, embracing discomfort, and stepping confidently into the identity of the person you're becoming.

"Once you understand that you have agency in your life, then you ask the question: How should I live?"  - Tom Cowan

Disclaimer: This episode is intended to encourage thoughtful conversation and the exploration of different perspectives. Dr. Tom Cowan shares views on health, medicine, vaccines and disease that differ significantly from established medical and scientific consensus. The views expressed by the guest are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Everyday Millionaire, its host or its producers. This conversation is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Listeners are encouraged to do their own research and consult qualified healthcare professionals when making decisions about their health.

What if some of the things we accept as scientific fact deserve a second look?

In this provocative episode of The Everyday Millionaire, Patrick Francey sits down with Dr. Tom Cowan, former medical practitioner, author, speaker and founder of the New Biology Clinic, for a conversation that challenges many conventional assumptions about medicine, disease and human health.

Cowan traces his journey from conventional medical training to a radically different approach built around observation, personal experience and questioning established medical models. He argues that rather than beginning with a diagnosis or accepted theory, practitioners should begin with the individual: What changed? What happened before symptoms appeared? What is happening in the person's environment, diet, relationships and life?

The conversation ventures into highly controversial territory as Cowan challenges mainstream scientific understandings of viruses, vaccines, bacteria, autoimmune disease and even the causes of heart attacks and cancer. Patrick pushes Cowan to explain how he reached these conclusions, why they differ so dramatically from conventional medicine, and what listeners should do when highly credentialed people offer completely opposing explanations.

Cowan also discusses his decision to voluntarily surrender his medical licence, the creation of the New Biology Clinic and his work mentoring practitioners interested in his approach.

But beneath the medical debate lies a broader theme that applies far beyond health: How do we know what we think we know?

Cowan encourages listeners to become comfortable saying "I don't know," investigate claims rather than immediately replacing one explanation with another, and pay closer attention to their own observations and experiences.

Whether you agree with Cowan's conclusions or strongly disagree, this episode invites you to examine assumptions, question inherited beliefs and consider the role personal agency plays in how you approach your health and your life.

 

People Mentioned + URLs

Dr. Tom Cowan

Dr. Tom Cowan official website

Dr. Tom Cowan bio

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. official HHS page

Dr. Robert Malone - Robert Malone official website

Dr. Anthony Fauci - Anthony Fauci official NIAID biography

John Enders - John Enders and the 1954 Nobel Prize

Robert Gallo - National Cancer Institute

Weston A. Price - Weston A. Price Foundation

Albert Einstein - Albert Einstein at the Nobel Prize

Resources Mentioned

New Biology Clinic - New Biology Clinic

The New Biology - The New Biology

Dr. Tom Cowan - Dr. Tom Cowan

The Contagion Myth - The Contagion Myth on Dr. Cowan's website

New Biology Curriculum - New Biology Curriculum

Weston A. Price Foundation - Weston A. Price Foundation

CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention