Mahdi Razafsha, MD, FAPA
I help you with your wellness (physical and emotional), executive performance, and personal development.
I work with individuals and organizations.
Mahdi Razafsha, MD, FAPA
About Dr. Razafsha
Dr. Razafsha is a double board-certified physician, trained in psychiatry at the University of Florida and in neuropsychiatry and behavioral neurology at Harvard. He serves as a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, where he is actively engaged in clinical care and brain research, and also holds a teaching role training the next generation of residents and fellows in brain disorders. In addition, he holds a leadership role in advanced brain stimulation neurotherapeutic interventions. Dr. Razafsha brings cutting-edge science to wellness and performance, working with clients to strengthen brain health, maximize productivity, and achieve lasting growth.
Expertise
Dr. Razafsha combines his extensive knowledge of brain biology and the latest advancements in neurocircuitry with a broad range of psychotherapeutic techniques and motivational speaking. His area of expertise include:
Brain health
Improving organizational skills and executive functioning
Discovering life’s meaning and goal-setting
Enhancing motivation and self-discipline
Implementing lifestyle modifications (exercise, diet, sleep, etc.)
Approach
Dr. Razafsha is dedicated to evidence-based practices and to debunking common myths about emotional and physical well-being. His advisory approach empowers clients to improve efficiency, enhance performance, and achieve greater overall fulfillment.
Working with Dr. Razafsha
In his wellness and performance advisory role, Dr. Razafsha builds a mentor–mentee relationship with clients, distinct from the traditional doctor–patient model. He helps clients re-examine habits and strategies through meaningful conversations, practical guidance, and ongoing support. This collaborative approach empowers clients to navigate challenges, expand on their achievements, and elevate their wellness, performance, and personal development.
Our Approach
We talk the talk with you -Basic packages
We walk the walk with you - Advance packages
Collaborative Approach
I collaborate with you to improve your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. I help you with the lifestyle modifications necessary to make meaningful changes in your life.
I work with you to find the best strategies to improve your overall functioning and productivity.
My Non-Medical, Non-Pathologizing Approach
In my advisory and mentoring work, I empower individuals without pathologizing them. While I have expertise in medical and neuropsychiatric fields, I do not treat my clients as patients. Instead, I cultivate a collaborative, non-medical relationship that prioritizes growth, achievement, and personal development.
Most of the people I work with are high achievers who want to build on their existing successes. My focus is on enhancement—not on treating pathology.
I adhere to a non-pathologizing philosophy that recognizes and respects your strengths. Together, we develop empowering and constructive strategies without labeling or pathologizing your experiences.
If it ever becomes clear that you might benefit from medical or psychiatric treatment, I will connect you with appropriate resources for that level of care.
As a performance advisor, I do not assume a patient–doctor relationship. Instead, I act as a consultant and coach, helping you make the lifestyle modifications needed to elevate your wellness, performance, and personal growth.
Wellness
Whether you hire us for performance or personal development, wellness is an inseparable part of our approach.
We help you improve you physical and emotional wellbeing through helping you modify your life style.
We do not stop just recommending wellness. We talk the talk with you and walk the walk with you in order to incorporate strategies and tactics to make changes in your wellness.
We help you with planning your exercise, giving up on unhealthy habits, improving your diet, losing weight, optimizing your sleep, monitoring your progress, and following through your wellness personal goals.
Services
Performance
We have a comprehensive view toward performance. We provide an individualized plan to improve self-organization and productivity. Performance is often compromised due to 3 major reasons:
1. Emotional instability (difficulty with stress management, interpersonal navigation, etc): It has been shown consistency that lack of emotional stability compromises productivity. We help clients with stress management, interpersonal effectiveness, and management of other emotions.
2. Executive dysfunction (biological vulnerabilities in the area of executive function that are often not to the level of pathology, nevertheless, decreasing productivity); If there are biological compromised to require a higher level of care, we refer the clients to seek medical care, otherwise, we empower them with self help tools to empower clients managing multistep tasking.
and
3. Lack of expertise in self organizational skills: We empower clients with self organizational tools and applications. We walk them through trainings required to work comfortably with self organizational tools and applications. We individualize self management tools to help clients with personal and organizational demands. We empower clients with navigating through a modern life style that requires multi-step tasking.
Personal Development
We empower clients to achieve their personal and professional goals by offering tailored guidance and support. Our approach includes:
Personal Development: We assist clients in setting and achieving goals related to wellness, education, interpersonal relationships, and career growth.
Strategic Planning & Revision: We work closely with clients to think through their goals, revising strategies to ensure they are effective and aligned with their aspirations. We challenge existing strategies when necessary to discover more effective approaches.
Accountability & Monitoring: We utilize the power of monitoring and reporting to ensure that clients remain committed to their goals. Regular check-ins help maintain focus and drive progress.
Consistency & Celebration: We educate clients on the importance of consistency and the value of celebrating small daily achievements, recognizing that these small wins build momentum towards larger successes.
Motivation Management: We help clients understand and manage their motivation by exploring the dual roles of pain and pleasure, enabling them to stay driven and focused.
Overcoming Obstacles: We guide clients in recognizing and overcoming detrimental habits such as procrastination, self-doubt, and hesitation, which can hinder progress and success..
Our Packages
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Weight Loss
Food, Evolution, and the Modern Industry
Glucose and Energy Balance
Emotions and Eating
Building Comfort with Hunger
Managing Appetite and Cravings
Food Environment and Accessibility
Exercise and Weight Loss
Mindful Eating
Personalized Nutritional Strategies
Building Consistency
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Executive Functioning and Management
In this package we empower clients with:
Brain capacity and limitations for multi-tasking
How to modify multi-tasking into multi-step tasking
How to increase efficiency by staying in tasks
The role of consistency and habit forming in efficiency and personal development
How to maximize concentration
How to avoid disruptions
How to be equipped by self-management tools
How to overcome procrastination
How to avoid mental rumination and obsessiveness
How to clear working memory to increase efficiency
How to use AI for organizational purposes
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Wellness and Longevity
In this package we will cover:
Brain health and emotional wellbeing
The impact of mindfulness in brain health.
Physical health; aerobic exercise and resistant exercise
Social aspects of health
The role of sleep in health and longevity
The role of exercise in health and longevity
Lifestyle modifications in healthy living.
The role of nutrition in healthy lifestyle.
The impact of intermittent fasting on health and longevity
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Athlete Emotional Resilience
In this package we will cover topics around:
Emotional aspects of performance
Stress management
Brain health and performance
Interpersonal navigation; communication and assertiveness
Sleep and performance
The impact of consistency on performance
How to keep the motivation alive
Life goals beyond athletic performance
Life management outside of the court matters
Meditation and mindfulness
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Leader's Performance and Brain Health
Brain Health and Cognitive Performance
Emotional Resilience
Stress Management Strategies
Navigating Interpersonal Relationships
Achieving Work-Life Balance and Harmony
Trading Health for Wealth: Is It Worth It?
The Role of Exercise in Enhancing Performance
Incorporating Exercise into a Busy Schedule
The Impact of Sleep on Performance
Nutrition for Optimal Brain and Body Health
Building Consistency in Lifestyle Modifications
Working memory and efficiency
The use of AI in management
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Young Adult Personal Development
In this package we cover.
Resilience training
How to establish self-confidence
Managing peer pressure
How to create healthy habits
Nutrition and physical/ brain health
Habit formation for nutrition
Exercise and physical/brain health
Habit formation for exercise
The impact of sleep on physical and emotional health
Career pathway and personal development
How to foster motivation
How to foster consistency
Performance strategies
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Alternative Individualized Plan
We can customize and personalize a plan specifically for you, based on your unique needs and goals.
We can combine various protocols to create a tailored approach that meets your specific needs.
The researchers estimate that having strong and secure relationships increases our longevity by roughly 50 percent.
https://longevity.stanford.edu/lifestyle
Only about 12% of Americans have optimal metabolic health.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181128115045.htm
Social media use can contribute directly to poorer mental health outcomes, or indirectly through poorer sleep.
Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2021-04-01, Volume 56, Article 101414,
Calories Burned in 30-minute activities
**Activity** | **125 lbs** | **155 lbs** | **185 lbs**
Weight Lifting (General) | 90 cal | 108 cal | 126 cal
Aerobics (Water) | 120 cal | 144 cal | 168 cal
Stretching/Yoga | 120 cal | 144 cal | 168 cal
Calisthenics (Moderate) | 135 cal | 162 cal | 189 cal
Aerobics (Low Impact) | 165 cal | 198 cal | 231 cal
Stair Step Machine (General) | 180 cal | 216 cal | 252 cal
Weight Lifting (Vigorous) | 180 cal | 216 cal | 252 cal
Aerobics (High Impact) | 210 cal | 252 cal | 294 cal
Bicycling (Moderate, Stationary) | 210 cal | 252 cal | 294 cal
Calisthenics (Vigorous) | 240 cal | 306 cal | 336 cal
Rowing (Vigorous, Stationary) | 255 cal | 369 cal | 440 cal
Elliptical Trainer (General) | 270 cal | 324 cal | 378 cal
Aerobics (Step, High Impact) | 300 cal | 360 cal | 420 cal
Harvard Health Publishing-Harvard Medical School
Exercise and Health:
The increase in all-cause mortality associated with reduced cardiorespiratory fitness:
Low vs Elite Performers: Hazard Ratio: 5.04 *
Below average vs Above average performers: Hazard Ratio: 1.41
Traditional clinical risk factors for all time mortality:
Coronary artery disease: Hazard Ratio: 1.29
Smoking: Hazard Ratio:1.41
Diabetes: Hazard Ratio: 1.40
*A hazard ratio of 5 for all-time mortality means that individuals with low exercise (sedentary) are 5 times more likely to die compared to those in the elite exercise performers.
The Impact of Exercise on Longevity: Patient Survival by Performance Group
The Impact of Exercise on Longevity: Risk-Adjusted All-Cause Mortality
Standing vs Sitting at work:
Standing burns approximately 100–200 calories per hour. This results in a 20-50% increase in energy expenditure compared to sitting.
For example, if you weigh around 150 pounds, standing may burn an additional 20–50 calories per hour compared to sitting. Over the course of an 8-hour workday, that can add up to 160–400 extra calories burned simply by standing instead of sitting.
VO₂max drops with age—so maximize your fitness while you’re young.