A Productive Conversation
Mike Vardy
Recent Episodes
Most of us think of sleep as a nightly event. Michael Breus thinks of it as a lifelong pattern—a shifting, evolving chronotype that changes as we age. Every time he joins me, we end up deep in the details of how rest, alertness, and biology shape our days. This conversation was no different.
In this episode, Michael and I dig into the core ideas behind his book Sleep, Drink, Breathe, why wellness keeps getting more complicated, and how simple habits—done with intention—can create real momentum. We also get into mouth taping, CPAP myths, the rise of at-home sleep tests, and why hydration and breathwork may be more important than most people realize.
Six Discussion Points
- How chronotypes shift as we age—and why both of us are noticing that shift right now.
- The three “dominoes” of wellness and why breathing and hydration often need fixing before sleep.
- Why wellness feels overwhelming today, and the simple starting points Michael recommends.
- The real science behind mouth taping and why it can be risky without proper screening.
- How home sleep testing has changed—and why diagnosing sleep apnea is easier than ever.
- The Sleep, Drink, Breathe plan and how small, steady habits build lifelong change.
Three Connection Points
- Read Sleep Drink Breathe: Simple Daily Habits for Profound Long-Term Health
- Get Life Gives to the Giver by Joe Polish
- Take The Sleep Quiz
Conversations with Michael always leave me thinking differently about how deeply biology shapes behaviour. His work reminds me that productivity isn’t a matter of pushing harder—it’s a matter of aligning with the rhythms that already exist. If you’re looking to simplify wellness, understand your changing chronotype, or build habits that actually last, this episode is a worthwhile listen.
In this episode of A Productive Conversation, I sit down with Quang X. Pham — entrepreneur, author, and the first American of Vietnamese descent to become a U.S. Marine Corps aviator. Quang’s story is the definition of an underdog’s rise — from a young refugee in America to leading a Nasdaq-listed biotech company. His new book, Underdog Nation: Zero in on Effort and Results for Success, captures the lessons learned through perseverance, purpose, and performance.
Our conversation dives into what it truly means to be an underdog — not just in sports or business, but in life. We explore the power of confronting limitations, committing with conviction, and using adversity as fuel for achievement. Quang’s experiences in the Marine Corps, pharmaceutical industry, and biotech leadership bring nuance and depth to the conversation on resilience, effort, and results.
Six Discussion Points
- How arriving in America as a 10-year-old refugee shaped Quang’s early understanding of effort and results
- Lessons from his time as a U.S. Marine Corps aviator and how “reading the room” became a leadership skill
- Why underdogs must balance confidence with humility — and learn to show up when no one’s watching
- The four “Avenues of Approach” from Underdog Nation: Commit, Confront, Course Correct, and Build Credibility
- The role of patience and decision-making in both biotech innovation and personal growth
- Why ego and insecurity are the biggest internal battles underdogs face — and how to replace them with clarity and focus
Three Connection Points
- Visit Quang's website
- Get Quang's book
- While you're buying Quang's book, buy Hugh MacLeod's book too
This conversation reminded me that success isn’t about where you start — it’s about what you choose to confront, commit to, and continue refining. Quang’s story proves that perseverance and patience go hand-in-hand, and that results come to those who focus not on optics, but on outcomes.
This episode of A Productive Conversation features Chris Dalla Riva, a musician, data analyst, and Senior Product Manager at Audiomack who bridges the gap between creativity and analytics. Chris joins me to discuss his book Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us About the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves.
As part of his research, Chris listened to every Billboard Hot 100 number-one song—nearly 1,200 of them—tracking trends, rating songs, and discovering how randomness, technology, and taste shape what becomes a hit. We explore the intersection of numbers and nuance, how data can deepen our understanding of art, and what the patterns of pop music reveal about us.
Six Discussion Points
- The origin of Chris’s experiment to listen to every Billboard number-one hit
- Why Bob Dylan never topped the Hot 100—and what that says about luck and timing
- How data, subjectivity, and quality intertwine when rating songs
- The cyclical nature of musical trends, from movies to TikTok
- The uneasy relationship between music and technology—from Auto-Tune to AI
- Why the album format—and vinyl—still matter in a streaming world
Three Connection Points
Chris and I cover a lot of ground in this conversation—from Bob Dylan’s surprising chart record to the influence of AI on modern music. If you’ve ever wondered what hit songs say about culture, creativity, and ourselves, this episode hits all the right notes.
This latest edition of our monthly PM Talks series dives into a topic that underpins nearly everything we do: trust. From trusting the moment you’re in to trusting the systems you build, Patrick Rhone and I explore how this single word quietly defines the way we live, work, and connect.
In this conversation, we move from the personal—trusting ourselves, our instincts, and our attention—to the societal, exploring what happens when trust erodes in our institutions, technology, and even the tools meant to make life easier.
Six Discussion Points
- Why trusting the moment enhances presence—and how presence strengthens trust.
- How trust manifests in everyday choices, like buying a car or managing a calendar.
- The connection between simplicity, minimalism, and building trustworthy systems.
- Why democracy, money, and even productivity all rest on unseen foundations of trust.
- The difference between a trusted system and your trusted system.
- How patience, presence, and attention preserve trust over time.
Three Connection Points
- Patrick's blog post on trust
- Watch The Big Short and/or Margin Call
- Listen to Episode 596: Curiosity | PM Talks S2E3
Trust isn’t static—it’s something we build, test, and sometimes rebuild. Whether you’re trying to trust your tools, your timing, or yourself, I hope this episode helps you see where trust already lives in your life—and where it might need a little reinforcement.