Sisu Lab

About Sisu Lab

Sisu is a Finnish word with no direct English translation. It's the decision to continue when stopping makes complete sense. When the plan is gone, the conditions have changed, and every reasonable person would understand if you walked away. Sisu Lab is a podcast about that decision. About what it takes to keep moving forward in your leadership, your work, and your life. The people who grow aren't the ones who had it easy. They're the ones who kept going anyway. Hosted by Dr. Yvann Karamoko.

Publisher

Yvann Karamoko

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 Feb 2026

Latest episode

28 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

16 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Jul 2026

   Habitudes Inc. 003 :: Consistency

   You don’t have a discipline problem. You have a “day three” problem. In Habitudes Inc. 003::Consistency, we get honest about what happens after the excitement fades and the new thing starts to feel like real life again. Because most habits don’t break on day one. They break when the applause is gone, the energy is lower, and Tuesday looks exactly like Tuesday. This episode explores: Why day one is usually just hope and day three is where reality shows up Why consistency is less about intensity and more about keeping the thread alive How small, honest repetitions matter more than impressive starts The idea of minimum viable you: the smallest real version of yourself that still counts Why the boring, ordinary reps are often the ones that actually shape identity If you’ve ever started strong and then quietly disappeared from the thing that mattered, this episode is for you. Sisu Lab w. Dr. Yvann Karamoko

2. 

   9 Jun 2026

   Habitudes Inc. 002::Design

   You probably think most of your decisions are yours. But what if your environment is making more of them than you realize? In Habitudes Inc. 002::Design, we move from who you’re becoming to the world you’re asking that version of you to live in. Because most of the time, it’s not your willpower that’s failing, it’s your environment quietly winning. From a bike hanging in the garage like “Italian art,” to pickup games with no shape, to Champions League systems that make performance inevitable, this episode breaks down how your surroundings are shaping your habits, your attention, and ultimately your identity. We get into: Why your environment is louder than your intentions Why discipline is often just good design with a better story How to make one small “architecture change” that actually sticks If you’ve ever felt like you keep “starting over,” this is the missing piece. You don’t need a new personality. You need a new environment. Hosted by Dr. Yvann Karamoko

3. 

   28 May 2026

   Habitudes Inc. 001::Becoming

   You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your habitudes: the habits and attitudes quietly running the company of your life when you are not paying attention. In this episode of Sisu Lab, hosted by Dr. Yvann Karamoko, we start a three part run on habits and identity. This first installment is about who you are becoming, not just what you are trying to do. You will hear about: How your daily habits reveal what you really believe about yourself Why motivation bursts and all or nothing plans rarely last A simple way to choose one small, specific habit that matches the future you say you want This is for leaders and growth minded people who feel a gap between the life they describe and the life they are actually living day to day. The goal is not to judge your current habits, but to see them clearly enough that you can start changing them on purpose. Reflection for this week: If someone could only see your habits, not your goals or your plans, what story would they say your life is telling right now? And what is one small habit you are willing to practice this week to start changing that story?

4. 

   21 May 2026

   When the Excuses Run Out (Ceteris Paribus in Real Life)

   If your boss was supportive, your team was perfect, your calendar was clear, and the money was in the bank… would you actually live differently, or would you just run out of excuses? In this episode of Sisu Lab, we borrow a phrase from economics, ceteris paribus (“all other things equal”), and use it as a mirror for your leadership and your life. Instead of imagining a different boss, a different team, or a different season, we ask a harder question: if nothing outside you changed, what would you still be responsible for changing inside you? We walk through three of the most common places our excuses hide: Time – “I’m too busy.” Why “I don’t have time” usually means “I’m afraid to reprioritize.” People – “If they were different, I could be different.” How much power you’ve given other humans over your growth. Readiness – “I’m not ready yet.” Why “ready” is often a lie your fear tells you to keep you comfortable. You’ll hear how living in a “future that kept moving” almost cost me the life I already had, why waiting for permission shrinks the version of you the world actually needs, and one simple question that can reset your week without changing your circumstances. This episode isn’t about pretending your reality is easy. It’s about refusing to let it be the whole story. This week’s challenge: Assume nothing outside you changes. All other things equal. What is one decision you know you would make if your excuses disappeared, and what would it look like to make that decision anyway in the life you actually have?

5. 

   14 May 2026

   Mamba Mentality in Real Life (Kobe Bryant’s 8 Principles for Any Arena)

   Growth doesn’t happen when you learn something. It happens when you apply it. This finale of the Mamba Mentality series is not a recap. Over eight episodes, we’ve walked through the principles that shaped Kobe Bryant’s approach to greatness. In this closing conversation, we revisit each principle, connect it to the research behind it, and end with a single question designed to help you take action in your real life. Inside this episode: Obsession with the craft: why deliberate practice rewires you, not just your skills Focus: how to build “locked in” as a repeatable state, not a lucky feeling Fearlessness: going back to the place you failed and what that does to your fear The details: training your brain to see what others walk past Competitiveness: replacing comparison with a standard that has no ceiling Adaptability: why the capacity for growth doesn’t expire Resilience: what grit actually is and how to build it, one hard day at a time Investment in others: how your belief in one person ripples three degrees beyond you You don’t need all eight principles at once. You need the one that’s your next possession. The one that, if you started living it today, would change something in your work, your relationships, or your inner life. This episode is for anyone chasing greatness as a leader, parent, teammate, creator, or friend, not just as an athlete. Listen in, find your principle, and then go apply it. Connect with Yvann: Instagram: @yvann.karamoko More from Sisu Lab: yvannkaramoko.com

6. 

   6 May 2026

   Who Are You Building?

   Kobe Bryant's last Instagram post was celebrating someone else. His last morning was on the way to coach his daughter. We spend our whole lives building things. Companies. Careers. Platforms. And somewhere along the way we forget that none of it is the real legacy. The real legacy is people. The ones who are different because you showed up for them. The ones who went after something they had no business going after because someone looked them in the eye and said — you can do this. This is the final episode of the Mamba Mentality series on Sisu Lab. And it ends with one question. Who are you building? Sisu Lab. Hosted by Dr. Yvann Karamoko.

7. 

   29 Apr 2026

   Better On The Other Side.

   My dad taught me something I carry with me every day. Anything worth doing is hard. But there's better on the other side. On April 12, 2013, Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles in the fourth quarter. He limped to the free throw line. Sank both shots. Walked off under his own power. Then came back and did it two more times over the next three years. This is episode seven of the Mamba Mentality series,  on resilience, what it actually costs, and the hard thing you're going through right now that has better on the other side. Go through. Sisu Lab. Hosted by Dr. Yvann Karamoko.

8. 

   22 Apr 2026

   Expiration Date

   Every version of you has an expiration date. Most people live past it. They call it consistency. They try harder at the thing that stopped working. They wait for the results to come back. Kobe Bryant was 18 years old when he started building the version of himself he wouldn't need until he was 35. At 37, on a repaired Achilles, he scored 60 points in his last game. This is episode six of the Mamba Mentality series, on adaptability, evolution, and the version of yourself you should already be building. You can either live past the expiration date or you can grow. Sisu Lab. Hosted by Dr. Yvann Karamoko.

9. 

   15 Apr 2026

   The Oomph

   I came out the womb competitive, and  I haven't changed. There's a healthy version of that and an unhealthy one. The healthy version competes against past versions of itself. The unhealthy version will go to any breaking point to avoid losing. Kobe Bryant was both. This episode goes into what he did with it, from going full speed at a shootaround while his teammates laughed, to walking up to Michael Jordan and asking if he brought his shoes. Episode five of the Mamba Mentality series on Sisu Lab. Hosted by Dr. Yvann Karamoko.

10. 

    8 Apr 2026

    The Details

    Kobe Bryant noticed a rim was a quarter inch too low before the game started. He felt it in his shot before anyone told him anything was wrong. That's what happens when you care about your craft at a level most people never reach. This episode is about that level — what it looks like, what it costs, and where your quarter inch is hiding. Anyone can become good. The main things get you there. You only become great by working on the little ones.

11. 

    31 Mar 2026

    Airballs

    Four airballs in this playoff game at 18 years old with the whole country watching. He told the reporter he'd take every one of those shots again, and he meant it. Kobe Bryant wasn't fearless because he didn't feel the fear. He was fearless because he decided the fear didn't get a vote. This episode goes inside that decision, what he did the night it all fell apart, and what any of us can take from it. There's a shot you've been putting off taking. This one's for you.

12. 

    24 Mar 2026

    Focus in the Tunnel

    Most people use the phrase "locked in" to describe a moment, a good game, a productive day, a night where everything clicked. Kobe Bryant didn't treat it as a moment. He treated it as an identity, something you don't arrive at, something you build. Every day. Before anyone is watching. In an empty arena with 250 shots to make before you're done. In this episode of Sisu Lab, Dr. Yvann Karamoko breaks down the second principle of the Mamba Mentality: focus. What it actually looks like to get locked in and stay there. This one is for leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone serious about closing the gap between where they are and what they're capable of. The tunnel is available. The question is whether you'll go inside it.

13. 

    18 Mar 2026

    In the Dark

    Nobody watched him do it. That was the point. Kobe Bryant didn't become who he was because of talent. He became who he was because of what he did when nobody was watching — the obsessive film study, the workouts at 2am, the preseason preparation most players never bothered with. The Mamba Mentality wasn't a catchphrase. It was a specific set of principles he lived by every single day. This is episode one of the Mamba Mentality series on Sisu Lab — a deep dive into the principles behind Kobe Bryant's mindset and how to apply them as a leader, entrepreneur, or anyone serious about growth. Each episode, one principle, and a direct look at what it means for you. It starts where Kobe started. In the dark.

14. 

    10 Mar 2026

    It's Your Turn

    This episode is for the person with the idea they haven't started yet. The one that lives at the back of their mind, behind everything else, quietly waiting.It's for the mom running at full speed who still feels the pull of something she hasn't built yet. The person holding onto something safe when they know it's time to leave. The person who can feel the gap between comfortable and what's actually possible. It's for the person behind the screen with something honest to contribute, if they'd just begin.Dr. Yvann Karamoko has been starting things since he was sixteen. Some worked. Some didn't. What all of it taught him is this: waiting doesn't ever build anything.Whoever you are. Whatever has you stuck. It's time to move past it.It's your turn.

15. 

    4 Mar 2026

    The Stockdale Paradox

    In 1965, James Stockdale parachuted into enemy territory knowing he wasn't coming home anytime soon. He spent seven and a half years as a prisoner of war. four of them in solitary confinement, with no release date and no timeline.He made it out. A lot of others didn't. When someone asked him who broke, his answer surprised everyone. It wasn't the pessimists. It wasn't the ones who expected the worst. It was the optimists, the ones who kept believing it would be over soon. And when it wasn't, something in them quietly gave out. What Stockdale understood, and what most people get completely backwards is that real endurance isn't about staying positive. It's about holding two things at once that feel like opposites: facing reality exactly as it is, without losing the belief that your effort still matters. This episode is about that paradox, and about what it looks like in the seasons of your life and leadership that are harder and longer than you planned for.

16. 

    24 Feb 2026

    001 Sisu

    My friend Nate ran the Chicago Marathon. A few miles in, someone stepped on his ankle. He had every reason to stop. Nobody would have questioned it. He finished anyway. This is the first episode of Sisu Lab and it starts with Nate's story, because it's the story that started this journey for me. In it, Dr. Yvann Karamoko introduces the idea behind the podcast: that most people don't quit because they can't continue, but because they find a reason good enough to justify stopping. And that the distance between who you are and who you're becoming lives entirely in what you do with that moment. This is what sisu is and this is why it matters.

Contact Sisu Lab

Guest appearances

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.