Most of us probably know we need more protein in our diets, but what’s the best way to get that protein? On today’s episode of Health is a Skill, Todd talks with athlete turned rancher, Kevin Muno, to break down the many benefits of grass-fed beef and why regenerative farming is where we should be looking when it comes to nutrient-dense sources of protein. Kevin is the founder of Perennial Pastures, a group of regenerative ranches with the aim of restoring the land’s natural health and producing...
Nov 14, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Many factors contribute to a longer, healthier life, but is a rounder booty really one of them? Stark’s head of chiropractic, Dr. Andrea Schwab, joins Todd on today’s episode of Health Is a Skill, looking at how fostering healthy glutes can in fact lead to better orthopedic health and increased longevity. Glutes are one of the biggest—if not the biggest—muscles groups in the body, but they’re often underdeveloped, especially as we get older. Together Dr. Schwab and Todd look at why glute health ...
Nov 07, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Most of us know sleep is important for our health, but how important is it really? The science behind what happens when our bodies aren’t getting enough sleep is jarring, to say the least. On today’s episode of Health is a Skill, Todd sits down with popular podcaster and sleep expert, Mollie Eastman, to talk about how to make getting a good night’s rest a priority for your health. Together Mollie and Todd break down why aligning your sleep patterns to the rhythms of nature can have such a big im...
Oct 31, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Perspective—how you view yourself and your role within the world—is one of the final steps towards a healthier self, but it’s also one of the hardest areas to optimize. On today’s episode of Health is a Skill, Todd sits down with Dr. Chris Renna, one of the nation’s premier preventative medical providers, to talk perspective, optimism, and longevity. It’s not a secret that having a more optimistic perspective can lead to a longer, healthier, and happier life, but how do we actually become more o...
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Welcome to season 2 of the Health is a Skill podcast! Todd is kicking off this second season with a special guest who is sure to leave every listener with practical tools they can use right now to uplevel their health in a whole new way. That guest today is Barry Goldstein, legendary composer and sound expert, who stands as the intersection between music and healing. Together Todd and Barry dive in to the healing power of music and how this tool all of us use in one way or another can truly tran...
Oct 17, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 13
We’re wrapping up season 1 of Health is a Skill with a recap episode from Todd, featuring his insights on some of the common misunderstandings surrounding protein consumption, a personal look at his own heart health challenges, and why he believes ketamine-assisted therapy is a vastly overlooked way to level up your health. This first season of Health is a Skill has been incredible, and we’ve learned from a variety of experts in the areas of health and wellness. Today Todd also takes a look back...
Oct 10, 2024•34 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Mental wellbeing is about more than just the absence of mental illness. It’s a multifaceted area of health that encompasses everything from physical to psychological to emotional health—but what are some of the ways we can achieve peak mental wellness? This week on Health is a Skill, Todd is joined by Dr. James Leathem, a board certified anesthesiologist and co-founder of Advanced Wellness and Pain, a clinic that specializes in ketamine assisted therapy. Dr. Leathem has been using psychedelic me...
Oct 03, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 11
On this week’s episode of Health is a Skill we’re talking all things HRV, or heart rate variability—the shift in timing between your heartbeats. It’s a topic that’s come into the limelight over the last few years, and for good reason: we’re all arguably more stressed than ever before and we need skills to measure, cope with, and manage that stress in a healthy way. Salim Najjar joins Todd for the latter part of this conversation, lending his expertise in nervous system regulation to today’s epis...
Sep 26, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Strength training is about much more than being able to lift heavy weights in the gym—it’s a practice that, if applied correctly, can significantly improve our longevity and overall health. For this week’s episode of Health is a Skill Todd takes a look at what strength training actually entails, inviting certified athletic trainer and strength training specialist, Brett Jones to share his years of insight and expertise. After seeing strength training improve so many aspects of his own health, To...
Sep 19, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Orthopedic health—our ability to move our bodies well and often—affects nearly every other function of our health, from sleep and nutrition to stress and digestion and everything in between. That’s why we’re spending this whole episode of Health is a Skill breaking down exactly what orthopedic health is and how to incorporate it into our health toolkit. As always, Todd opens with his own take on the topic—giving us an overview of his own orthopedic health journey and the ways focusing on this ar...
Sep 12, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Dr. Paul Anderson is back on the show this week, this time talking all about gut health and how to optimize our gut through lifestyle, exercise, nutrition, and stress management. Todd’s own health changed when he cut out gluten and found chronic symptoms like headaches and joint pain were no longer plaguing him. For this episode Todd invites Dr. Anderson to introduce us to the basics of gut health—diving into the brain-gut axis, probiotics versus prebiotics, the dangers of antibiotics, and tests...
Sep 05, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Dr. Gordon Gunn joins Todd for this week’s Health is a Skill podcast to talk all things hormones, specifically women’s hormones. There are millions of hormones in our bodies, and they all perform different functions to regulate our emotions, body composition, and sex drive, but postmenopausal women may be the most difficult to treat demographic when it comes to hormone regulation. Dr. Gunn has been practicing medicine for 50 years now, and is considered an expert when it comes to hormone replace...
Aug 29, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Today on the show Todd is joined by the two people who helped transform his body from a nutrient-perspective: Alice Nguyen and Amir Mofidi. Alice serves as the head of naturopathic medicine at Stark, while Amir leads their personal branding. Together Alice and Amir have helped Todd rebuild his body composition from the ground up by focusing on the nutrients he consumes and how they affect his body composition, body fat percentage, and energy levels. These two are experts when it comes to what we...
Aug 22, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 5
For this week’s episode of Health is a Skill, Todd sits down with Dr. Paul Anderson to talk all things detoxification. A lot of us might think that we don’t need to do much to detoxify, since our bodies are pretty good at that process naturally. But given the amount of chemicals that have been introduced into our environments in the last 70-100 years—through everything from personal care products to drinking water—we’re being exposed to more toxins than ever before. Dr. Anderson and Todd discuss...
Aug 15, 2024•46 min•Season 1Ep. 4
On this week’s episode of Health is a Skill, Todd is breaking down cardiovascular health, and why this aspect of our health is so important. For most of us, cardiovascular health is something we don’t necessarily think about, unless we have poor cardiovascular health, like high blood pressure. But cardiovascular health impacts the rest of your health as well, and, if optimized, can transform your life for the better. Dr. Jack Wolfson, a board certified cardiologist who has turned to functional m...
Aug 08, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Todd is joined by Stark’s director of personal training, Amir Mofidi. Amir has been in the health and fitness industry for over 24 years, and during that time he’s acquired an eclectic and diverse body of knowledge, including on the topic of today’s episode: body composition. America has a severe body composition problem. We don’t know what a healthy body composition percentage even looks like, most people don’t have access to a good way to measure it, and our sedentary lifestyles do nothing but...
Aug 01, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Welcome to the Health is a Skill podcast with host Todd Vande Hei! Todd is the CEO of Stark, which exists to change the future of health and fitness in the communities they serve. For the last 15 years, Todd has been on a journey to discover what it means to be in a state of peak health. After suffering from a series of seizures and being diagnosed with high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation in his early 30’s, Todd decided it was time to make a change. Those changes fell into one of four ca...
Aug 01, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Welcome to the Health is a Skill podcast with host Todd Vande Hei! Todd is the CEO of Stark, which exists to change the future of health and fitness in the communities they serve. For the last 15 years, Todd has been on a journey to discover what it means to be in a state of peak health. After suffering from a series of seizures and being diagnosed with high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation in his early 30’s, Todd decided it was time to make a change. Those changes fell into one of four ca...
Jul 17, 2024•1 min
