Back on Earth: Insights from 6 Months in Outer Space — NASA Astronaut Woody Hoburg | Finding Mastery Goes to Space, Part 3

Michael Gervais (0:01)

Last we spoke, you were not sure if you were going to get a chance to walk in space. And it happened.

Woody Hoburg (0:06)

It happened.

And I just remember that moment of seeing it on our thermal camera, and like we are arriving at the International Space Station. You hear this fan noise like, whoooooo.

And that's it. That's the only noise you hear. And you're looking down as you fly five miles per second across the surface of the Earth. That scent chills down my spine. I'm fine.

Michael Gervais (0:40)

Welcome back to the Finding Mastery Podcast. I am your host, Dr. Michael Gervais, by trade and training, a high-performance psychologist. I am really excited for this one. This episode is the final installment of our three-part series following NASA astronaut, Dr. Woody Hoburg, on his journey into outer space. In part one, we learned about Woody's rigorous mental and physical preparation before the launch, it was awesome. Part two, we took an unprecedented look at life aboard the International Space Station. And while we got to witness Woody's adaptability and his resilience in zero gravity in real time, it was incredible. And then in part three, we dive deep into Woody's insights that he gained from this transformative experience of living 186 days, that's six months, in outer space.

Now, I have always had a huge respect for astronauts, who they are, how they prepare, what they do, and Woody took that to a whole new level. I've said it before, but I think Woody represents the best of us.

The way that he commits to exploring his edges, the way that he lives in alignment with his values and he embodies, literally in my mind, the pinnacle of human potential. Okay, so by the way, if you enjoy these conversations here with Woody, you should also check out our recent conversations with two other astronauts. Chris Hadfield and Mike Massimino. They will not disappoint. They are full of fire and insight. They are great.

They are incredible explorers of the human frontier. And I really wanna encourage you to check those out. Now, in this conversation, you will learn about how Woody's meticulous preparation prepared him for an environment of consequence. You'll learn how the perspective from outer space changed his view of life on Earth.

Astronauts talk about that, but we get to hear it firsthand from Woody and the challenges that come from life's transitions, which is something we can all relate to.

So with that, let's dive right into the third and final segment of our journey to space with Dr. Woody Hoburg. Woody, welcome back to Planet Earth.

Woody Hoburg (2:54)

Thank you.

Michael Gervais (2:55)

I'm not sure I'm the one to be welcoming you, but I'm so stoked that you're here at the Mastery Lab and this is awesome to reconnect.

Woody Hoburg (3:05)

It's so good to be back. We were just saying I was here just under a year ago, literally months before my, well, almost one month before my launch.

And now I've been back for a few months. I feel like I've been running at full pace through all of it, through the mission, getting back. And it's, I'm excited today because we'll get a chance to probably deep dive. I'm sure you'll make me uncomfortable as you always do.

Michael Gervais (3:28)

Out of love, my friend, out of love.

Okay, so let's just start kind of at the top. Like, how are you? Wide open question, but like, how are you today?

Woody Hoburg (3:39)

I'm great. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to do a mission up to the space station.

It was a unique life experience, the very best kind. I had a great time.

I had three goals when I embarked on my mission. My goals were to be safe, to have fun and to come back as friends with my crew. And I think I accomplished all three. I couldn't be happier.

Michael Gervais (4:05)

I didn't know that last one, or I had forgotten it if we talked about it.

And it's so plainly said that in the weight underneath of that, I was wanting to ask you about like the team and the relationships and like what happened up there, specifically what makes a great team in a high-pressured, high-stress environment. And so we're going to drill into that a little bit. But the simplicity is like, I wanted to be friends with these people that I had a life-changing. Maybe I'm adding. I don't know if it's life-changing or not for you. I do not want to add that. But this very unique experience that I had. Okay, awesome. So the other things I want to talk about is your re-entry.