Modern life is faster than our biology can handle. I personally have had to fight my own speeding problem. In this episode, I explore how living at a constantly accelerated pace can quietly trigger adrenaline, inflammation, and long-term disease risk, even in people who appear healthy on paper. We'll cover: Why your nervous system may have a biological speed limit The link between adrenaline and chronic inflammation The forgotten research on "hurry sickness" and heart disease 3 modern adrenaline...
Mar 18, 2026•37 min
This is an "Unplugged" episode—recorded directly into my phone, no intro music, no production polish. In a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and filtered faces and voices, I felt the need to share something raw, immediate, and human. I reflect on my mom's recent fall, the surge of urgency and vigilance that followed, and how I reframed my nervous system not as chronic anxiety—but as a safety network. From a late-night drive through fog to stepping away briefly to give a keynot...
Feb 09, 2026•20 min
Modern health culture is obsessed with leanness, discipline, and optimization. But many people are getting leaner—and feeling worse or suffering surprising health consequences. In this episode, I share my personal experience chasing single-digit body fat and how it led to increased stress, glucose instability, and accelerated aging despite "doing everything right." We explore why body composition alone is an incomplete measure of health and why mental composition—the state of the inner body—matt...
Dec 23, 2025•28 min
In this episode, I uncover how family dynamics—both loving and dysfunctional—shape our stress patterns, emotional reflexes, and long-term metabolic health. I get personal, sharing my own experiences and those from the clinic and my program. How your childhood emotional environment shapes adult health Recognizing 3 common family stress patterns How family dynamics drive burnout, inflammation, and chronic dissease The concept of "Shamilies" and how it quietly affects so many of us The Roseto Effec...
Dec 02, 2025•37 min
There's a quiet form of stress we mistake for normal — a constant readiness that silently drains our energy. I personally discovered it not too long ago, and in this episode I share how to spot it and take your power back. You'll learn: The brain science behind anticipation and anxiety How even a silent phone nearby burns glucose and attention Why this "always-on" state disrupts sleep and mood The benefits of phone-free walks and mindful mornings Simple ways to turn outward alertness into inward...
Nov 11, 2025•28 min
Your mind never stops taking shots — so how do you defend your peace? In this episode I explore how to train your mind like an athlete, treating life as a continuous mental game where playing good defense is critical. We cover some of the following: Using an athletic framework to counter our conditioned self (aka ego) Learning to play great defense to protect the mind "Coach Ego" and the myth of multiplicity Simple drills to improve your mental fitness and wellbeing Everyday opportunities to imp...
Oct 21, 2025•21 min
Your mitochondria and microbes are ancient communities that mirror how we live, connect, and find purpose. We keep turning to the outside to learn from others, instead of tapping into this profound inner wisdom. In this episode, I explore what these inner networks teach us about resilience, loneliness, purpose, and thriving from the inside out. You'll learn: Mitochondria origin story Lessons we can learn from mitochondria and microbial behaviors How Survival fo the Fittest has led us astray How ...
Sep 23, 2025•22 min
Prompting AI chatbots is a new skillset humanity has recently acquired. In this episode we use our understanding of how LLMs (Large Language Models) work to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves in an effort to free our minds from ego. We'll cover some of the following: How AI engines mirror the way our ego runs on old scripts and algorithms Why middle-of-the-night "why" and "how" questions usually come from ego, not your authentic self Meet WAYDE, the imaginary AI Agent I created to help fre...
Aug 28, 2025•19 min
In my clinic, I'm seeing too many individuals with heart disease that's getting missed due to imperfect risk calculators and AI predictions. There are some serious blindspots in our current risk assessment tools. In this episode, we cover: The current risk calculators and why they often underestimate risk Typical examples of a mismatch between true and estimated risk Key blindspots risk calculators miss routinely What you can do to better assess your own risk Lifestyle areas to focus on Go to my...
Aug 13, 2025•18 min
An entry from my journal and a passage from J.Krishnamurti inspired my latest episode, which views displeasure and discontent in an entirely new way. I share personal stories and lessons from my own life, and from the highly successful patients I see in my clinic who experience emotional and metabolic health challenges despite material success. Some topics include: The pleasure-displeasure cycle explained through my summer trips to India Why "extraordinary discontent" is often essential for grow...
Jun 24, 2025•19 min
In prior episodes we've talked about how suppressed emotions can activate the immune system and trigger disease. A critical skill is detecting these emotions and sensations as early as possible so you prevent emotional flickers from turning into full blown fires. In this episode we discuss some of the following: Discover your body's "smoke detectors" (interoceptors) in the heart, gut, and lungs Understand bottom-up vs. top-down emotional signaling Explore how ancient wisdom aligns with modern sc...
Jun 03, 2025•23 min
Why are so many seemingly healthy young men and women getting heart disease? These are individuals with seemingly normal labs, no family history, who might even be exercising and eating relatively healthy, but end up with a heart attack or visible plaque on a heart scan test. In this episode we discuss: Surprise heart disease in seemingly healthy individuals Brief science primer on heart disease using boats and tunnels Concept of arterial flammability Commonly overlooked risk factors Common pers...
Apr 22, 2025•35 min
That relentless inner voice—the one that replays past conversations, plans your next move, and won't let you sleep—what if it's physically affecting your health? In this episode, we explore the science of inner chatter, its surprising impact on your body, and how to reframe it to improve resilience and your overall health. We discuss some of the following: The hidden science of subvocalization—how your thoughts subtly activate your speech muscles MIT's AlterEgo device—the tech that can "read" yo...
Mar 19, 2025•27 min
If we only pay attention to typical risk factors, we will miss what I call the "surprise diseases" that affect so many of my patients and people I know. The heart attack or plaque (detected on a heart scan) in someone who exercises and appears otherwise healthy, the breast cancer in a woman with no family history, the autoimmune disease that appears out of nowhere. How can we avert these conditions? Understanding the mechanism of Emotional Immunity (EI) is critical so you can start breaking comm...
Feb 13, 2025•31 min
Meta Health is going to take a slight shift in direction with Season 2, as it incorporates more mindfulness, since it's not possible to fully optimize energy and wellbeing unless we recognize thought patterns that hold us back. I'm calling this the Season of Inner Change, and this episode gives you an overview on my refreshed approach to sharing my insights from the clinic, from my programs, and from my personal life. Some topics include: Why the shift? Reconciling modern research and ancient wi...
Jan 22, 2025•13 min
Peter was kind enough to allow me to re-release our interview from 2019 from his podcast, The Drive, Episode #69. Many people have found me through Peter and told me this was one of their favorite episodes. Aside from insulin resistance and metabolism, we end the discussion with a topic that really resonated with Peter, which is the impact of generational stress, social media, and devices on youth and how I've navigated this in my own personal life. This is longer than my usual episodes since we...
Nov 13, 2024•1 hr 56 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Is alcohol really a low carb, keto friendly substance like many ads and influencers claim, or is there more to it? Even if the glucose on your CGM (continuous glucose monitor) doesn't budge after a drink, there are real metabolic effects on glucose and body fat you should be aware of. Non-drinkers will benefit from this episode too since we cover some key metabolic principles, along with the following: Quick overview of the metabolic merry-go-round and liver metabolism Why your CGM glucose resul...
Oct 16, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 37
In this episode I answer a question from a listener who is confused regarding whether breakfast is optimal or not optimal for health. Although intermittent fasting made breakfast skipping a common practice, there is nuance to this question. We cover some of the following: Benefits of breakfast skipping and why it's so common Downsides of breakfast skipping and how it can backfire Why I personally have added breakfast back in on most days Balancing breakfast needs with physical and cognitive dema...
Sep 12, 2024•14 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Our body has become an obsession that many of us are consumed by day and night. Hollywood and the fashion industry started the movement of creating unrealistic body standards, but now the growing number of celebrity and health influencers have taken this movement and put it on steroids. In this episode I discuss the following: Reframing the human body so we don't take it so seriously Unrealistic body standards perpetuated by health influencers My own personal challenges with overcoming a Type A ...
Jul 11, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Eating more protein is currently the mantra being shared by many health leaders and big food has caught on. Are we missing any potential risks in the midst of the high protein movement? This episode covers some of the following topics: Lessons learned from the low fat, low carb, and fasting movements How higher protein diets are being misused by many Understanding the important mismatch between protein intake and energy expenditure What happens to excess protein in the body? Finding the goldiloc...
Jun 04, 2024•29 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Much of our emotional unrest results from the act of splitting our identity into multiple roles and different personas. In this episode I explore: What's the split? Why we split? Using imagery to visualize the split? My personal practices to quiet the mind Shifting towards unification
May 21, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 33
I'm feeling an urge to shift my content in a new direction. I'm not giving up on discussing metabolism since that's a topic that is still very close to my heart, but at the age of 52 and after digging deep into insulin resistance for well over a decade, I'm sensing a different pull. In this episode I discuss my internal transformation and how you too might have a different voice inside that is longing for a new direction.
Dec 28, 2023•11 min•Season 1Ep. 32
This episode takes a fresh look at the 3 fundamental molecular root causes of insulin resistance using some familiar storylines from prior episodes combined with some new story hooks to help you understand the science of insulin resistance. We cover the following: Quick review of insulin mechanism of action Summarizing the 3 root causes or what I call "-emias" of insulin resistance The inflammation-insulin resistance link explained using a busy ER analogy Using lifestyle changes to manage the 3 ...
Dec 06, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 31
This episode digs deep into protein and more specifically amino acids (protein building blocks) and their role in metabolism, weight control, insulin resistance, and overall health. We cover some of the following: Quick overview of mitochondrial metabolism Introducing protein and amino acids The role of amino acids in energy production Fasting and ketosis Can excess protein intake lead to fat/weight gain? The link between amino acids and insulin resistance...
Aug 10, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 30
I've selected 2 key metabolic ingredients, Acetyl CoA and Citrate, to explain nutrition metabolism in further detail. I've also selected a different storyline, the mitochondrial amusement park and the Kreb's merry-go-round, to help you visualize some of the most fundamental steps of metabolism. In this episode we cover: Acetyl CoA's role as a key metabolic conductor The metabolic merry-go-round used to explain Kreb's cycle The importance of the Citrate sensor in switching between anabolism and c...
Jul 06, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 29
The mental and metabolic impact of human beings predominantly or exclusively working from home has been profound. I've noticed significant increases in insulin resistant conditions including premature heart disease and a deterioration in mental health. All of these risks existed pre-pandemic, reflecting our modern digital lifestyles, but post-pandemic these risks have intensified to an even worse public health crisis. In this episode I cover some of the following: Overall impact of WFH (work fro...
Jun 21, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 28
I see lots of patients in my clinic who aim to lose body fat and have become well versed in the different types of body fat, specifically subcutaneous adipose tissue (aka SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (aka VAT). Although VAT and SAT are both fat, they represent different health risks and there are some differences in terms of which strategies are more effective for VAT vs SAT loss. This episode is a good follow-up to Episode 16 (Getting Your Body to Burn Fat), which provides the scientific fo...
May 03, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 27
GLP-1 drugs have been all over the headlines and the global demand for using these drugs for weight loss has been significant. GLP-1 belongs to a family of gut-based hormones called incretins. In this episode I'll teach you about the fascinating incretin system and how you can influence it naturally to promote weight loss. I cover the following: Understanding the incretin system and how the gut communicates with the brain How the incretins affect the pancreas and other major organs Benefits and ...
Mar 28, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 26
The pentose phosphate pathway, which I refer to as P3, is one of my favorite metabolic pathways and one that gets far less attention than glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and Krebs, yet plays such a key role in our body. In this episode we go over the following: Brief refresher on glycolysis and coenzymes using James Bond storytelling Deeper dive into oxidation, reduction, and free radicals (aka reactive oxygen species or ROS) Understanding and remembering the key functions of P3 How P3 is tied to o...
Mar 14, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 25
In this Metabyte (shorter episode), I review the interaction of the insulin hormone and its receptor on the surface of the muscle cells using a slice of chocolate cake, a lock and key, and a reference to Indiana Jones.
Jan 24, 2023•10 min•Season 1Ep. 24
