Thoughts on the End of Life with Charles Garfield --------- Death and loss are inevitable, nobody was prepared for this. COVID-19 has taken the lives of millions of people around the world, mostly older people, the wisdom class. On a local level, we all feel it; but from a global perspective, it’s very hard to begin to fathom so much loss in such a short period of time. How do we process this? Where to begin? On this week’s show, we’ll explore the “wisdom years” of life, end of life, and death. ...
Jan 13, 2021•39 min•Ep 446•Transcript available on Metacast Get to Know Your Testosterone by Dr. Tracy Gapin ----------- Testosterone levels in modern men are lower than any time in recorded history. This causes low libido, low energy, and a lack of lean muscle; but low T can also decrease your motivation, your concentration, and even your mental health. So where has all the testosterone gone? Diet and lifestyle are huge factors, of course, but most people are completely unaware of the endocrine disruptors that have crept their way into our food, water, ...
Jan 05, 2021•41 min•Ep 445•Transcript available on Metacast In Search of Mastery with Michael Gervais ----------- What does it mean to self actualize? To become your personal best at whatever it is you do? For most of us, these questions conjure up images such as a finish line, a retirement, an award, or a specific bank balance. Most of us equate mastery with goal achievement, but ironically, those who have achieved real masterly tend to be laser focused on the process and the practice, not the outcome. On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet a high performa...
Dec 30, 2020•38 min•Ep 444•Transcript available on Metacast Get To Know Your Genes with Dr. Yael Joffe ------- Have you done a DNA test to discover your true ancestry? Tens of millions of people give up their genetic information in exchange for a fun pie graph that attempts to detail their ethnicity. It’s not too expensive, and it’s fun to learn - so why not? If you’re concerned about personal privacy, there is real cause for concern. The data Facebook or Google have on you pales in comparison to your DNA data. Your favorite online videos and political p...
Dec 22, 2020•40 min•Ep 443•Transcript available on Metacast Fantastic Fungi with Eugenia Bone ---------------------- It’s mushroom season in Cataluña, so the markets are filled with orange, white, and even jet black “setas” that are almost all wild harvested. They're delicious and packed with a unique micronutrient profile that is great for your immune system. On this week's show, you´ll meet a mycophagist, writer, and teacher on all things fungi. Did you know… A single Portabella mushroom can contain more potassium than a banana Fungi are believed to co...
Dec 15, 2020•38 min•Ep 442•Transcript available on Metacast Happy Pessimist with Mattias Lundberg --------- Has your life been turned upside down in 2020? How are you feeling? Positive thinking and optimism are often considered one and the same, but you can be simultaneously positive and pessimistic - and it might be the smartest way to plan for 2021. You can gameplay the worst case scenario with a smile, prepare for the worst, and set yourself up to be pleasantly surprised. On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet a psychologist and author whose work focuses...
Dec 09, 2020•38 min•Ep 441•Transcript available on Metacast Overcome Fear with Kristen Ulmer Extreme skiing is defined by an ever-present risk of death. It’s a sport that demands a deep relationship and acceptance of fear. An avalanche can bury you, a deadly fall down a sheer rock wall is just one wrong turn away, and there are times when the only chance of survival is from an emergency airlift to safety. Why would you do this? The answer is, “I wouldn’t do it!” But my guest on this week’s podcast used her extensive experience in the world of extreme spo...
Dec 02, 2020•52 min•Ep 440•Transcript available on Metacast Mindfulness a Solution for Addiction? Dr. Jud Brewer ------ If we define addiction as continued behavior despite adverse consequences, we all have cause for concern. Perhaps you’re up so late watching Netflix that you make a mistake at work that costs you your job; maybe your pornography compulsion blocks real intimacy with your partner and derails your marriage; or maybe your online gambling leaves you with maxed out credit cards. It all sounds ridiculous until you focus the lens on your own li...
Nov 25, 2020•39 min•Ep 439•Transcript available on Metacast Respiratory Therapy with Joe Lewis If you’re interested in pranayama and breathwork, there is so much more to discover than simply “oxygenation.” As a student of yoga breathing for over a decade, there continues to be a lack of real scientific teaching, so on this week’s podcast, we’ll nerd out on biomechanics and chemistry of breathing. Listen & Learn: Why you must consider both oxygenation and ventilation The importance of C02 Ideal blood oxygen content Education and career opportunities for p...
Nov 17, 2020•34 min•Ep 438•Transcript available on Metacast CBD for Pain & Sleep with Mary Clifton Marijuana is quickly becoming legal or at least decriminalized in most states. Billions of dollars of previously criminal revenue is suddenly on-the-books and taxable, and hundreds of products are flooding the market including everything from skincare to nutritional supplements. But what does it all mean for you? CBD (cannabidiol) is just one of dozens of cannabinoids in marijuana, and it’s of particular interest for pain, anxiety, and sleep. CBD is non-psy...
Nov 12, 2020•31 min•Ep 437•Transcript available on Metacast Reflexology & Energy Balance with Helen Chin Lui Set and setting are often overlooked when it comes to healing. Set refers to your mindset going in, and setting refers to the environment in which the treatment takes place. If you walk into a therapist's office with a “This will be so helpful!” attitude, and if the office is beautiful, smells nice, and is dimly lit, the deck has already been stacked in favor of a positive outcome. Even for a diehard skeptic like myself, energy medicine practices ...
Nov 04, 2020•45 min•Ep 436•Transcript available on Metacast The Power of Pessimism - COVID-19 Survival with Lucas Rockwood ----- What if this COVID-19 crisis lasts another six months? Or another two years? Our work and lifestyles are being radically redefined, and most people are taking a “wait and see’ approach, doubling down on Netflix, and waiting for big pharma to fix this mess. Maybe it’ll work. Maybe it’s almost over. Or maybe, this is just the start of a whole new future we can’t even fully comprehend yet. Human psychology is such that fear and pa...
Oct 28, 2020•23 min•Ep 435•Transcript available on Metacast Understanding Your Bloodwork with Todd Strong When was the last time you went to your doctor for a checkup? Did you make any requests or did you just let them do their thing and trust they’d let you know if something was amiss? Allopathic medicine is exceptional at treating illness and disease but not great for preventative care. For health-seekers, this means you need to take ownership of your health, ask questions, and request the tests and analysis you need to understand your own body. But wh...
Oct 21, 2020•48 min•Ep 434•Transcript available on Metacast Reverse Aging with Lifelong “Play” with Stephen Jepson ----------------------------------------------- Aging starts with the loss of lean muscle and mobility. Next, you notice you’re not sharp as you used to be, and then things accelerate as you become less active, less engaged in the world, and one step closer to the grave. Death is inevitable, but “healthspan” is something we can control: how healthy will you be in those years you do have on this planet? Do you want to die riding a skateboard ...
Oct 14, 2020•46 min•Ep 433•Transcript available on Metacast Sex Robots & Vegan Meat Jenny Kleeman -------------- Disruptive technology has defined our generation and captured our collection imagination. I haven’t owned a television or a landline phone since the 90s. Google Maps has made it possible to navigate any city as a tourist with more accuracy than a local resident, and healthy food is becoming cheaper and more widely acceptable every day. But there are downsides to disruption too - lots of downsides. In the next decade, technology won’t just disr...
Oct 07, 2020•40 min•Ep 432•Transcript available on Metacast How to Succeed with Yoga & Fitness At Home with Lucas Rockwood COVID-19 has forced and inspired hundreds of millions of people to start at-home yoga practices and exercise routines - this is amazing! But how do you make it last? How do you stay motivated? And perhaps most importantly, how do you avoid the temptation to bail out of your workout halfway through and scroll through your social media newsfeed instead? This week’s podcast is a solo show where I’ll share five tips for success with an a...
Sep 30, 2020•29 min•Ep 431•Transcript available on Metacast Is Personality Permanent? with Benjamin Hardy Have you ever taken an online personality test? Myers-Briggs, Kolbe or the “Big 5”? If you have, you no-doubt read the results with both pleasure and unease. Am I really a pushover? Am I more neurotic than most? It’s true past behavior is probably the best predictor of your future self - but it doesn’t have to be. The guest psychologist on this week’s show dispels the myth that personality is fixed and unchangeable, and suggests strategies for creati...
Sep 23, 2020•54 min•Ep 430•Transcript available on Metacast Fast, Feast, Repeat with Gin Stephens -------------- When we think of dieting and weight loss, the first thing that comes to mind is calorie counting, portion control, and a list of “good” and “bad” foods. But what if there was a much simpler way to start? What if, before you superimpose restrictions and rules, you could achieve huge benefits simply by altering your meal timing? Enter: time-restricted eating (aka intermittent fasting). The simple practice increasing the break time between your l...
Sep 16, 2020•39 min•Ep 429•Transcript available on Metacast But What if Your Workplace is Toxic? with Robert Glazer --------------- I had an office job that was so boring, I used to photocopy my face while guzzling free office coffee and snacking on breath mints. As long as I was hovering near the copy machine, everyone assumed I was doing something productive. After a few days of this linger-guzzle-mint-chomp routine, my colleague, Cynthia, felt we needed to add some occasional stapling to our escapades lest we be found out. So we started making zines o...
Sep 08, 2020•40 min•Ep 428•Transcript available on Metacast 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back with Esther Gokhale ---------------- Office chairs were always bad news for spinal health, but now most people are working hunched over a laptop on their coach - and many of their kids are doing the same! In 2019, we spent too much time on screens, but in 2020, it’s gone to a completely new level and we all need to spend some time thinking about work stations, postures, and spinal health. On this week’s show, you’ll meet returning guest, Esther Gokhale who has spent h...
Sep 02, 2020•40 min•Ep 427•Transcript available on Metacast The Importance of Friendship with Lydia Denworth ---------------- I spent six weeks in March and April of this year in a fairly strict lockdown in Barcelona, and then two weeks in May completely housebound in Germany. COVID-19 has affected every single aspect of my life both for good and bad. What about you? Were you on lockdown? If so, who did you call? Who did you turn to (virtually) for help? If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s taught us that humans are social beings through to our c...
Aug 26, 2020•46 min•Ep 426•Transcript available on Metacast The Science of Sin with Dr. Jack Lewis The seven deadly sins are: pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. Religious or not, most of us would like to avoid these behaviors, but modern technology has made the temptation almost irresistible. How do you not overeat with such brain-triggering processed foods laden with sugar, fat, salt, and flavors? How does a pubescent boy not spend hours a day down a black hole of online porn? And is it any wonder that binge-watching Netflix series ha...
Aug 19, 2020•46 min•Ep 425•Transcript available on Metacast The Joy of Movement with Kelly McGonigal ------------------- Many of us chase happiness in life but happy states are fleeting anomalies largely out of our control. If you’re experiencing true joy right now, swim and revel in it, but know that soon it will be gone. Instead of chasing happiness, what if we pursued states of “good” instead. You can feel good and happy at the same time, but you can also feel good while simultaneously feeling anxious, nervous, depressed, or overwhelmed. Unlike happin...
Aug 12, 2020•39 min•Ep 424•Transcript available on Metacast The Meritocracy Trap: How the Myth Feeds Inequality with Daniel Markovits ------------------- Every year I live outside the U.S. I’m able to better understand my culture simply due to my physical distance from it. I notice things like promiscuous use of peanut butter and cinnamon in American foods, the endless sports and war metaphors in colloquial language, the ubiquitous nostalgia for the post-World War II family life, and the universal belief that every underdog has a chance to go all the way...
Aug 05, 2020•41 min•Ep 423•Transcript available on Metacast The Strength Therapist Sam Spinelli -------- Of all the muscles in your body, your heart muscle gets the most attention - and for good reason. Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death in most countries, so any comprehensive fitness programs must address heart health. But all the other muscles matter too including your quads, your hamstrings, your glutes, and biceps. Ample skeletal muscle is associated with hormonal health, neurological health, and longevity, but for most...
Jul 29, 2020•38 min•Ep 422•Transcript available on Metacast How to Change Your Mind with Jon Venus -------------------------------------- “If it bleeds it leads” has always informed mass media, but for the past few years, the new thesis goes like this. “The more radical the viewpoint, the more reach it gets.” Extreme groups of all types scream it out daily; and while collectively, they represent the minority fringe, they siphon off the majority of our bandwidth. There are the alt right xenophobes, the extreme left terrorists, the all-meat eaters, the fru...
Jul 22, 2020•45 min•Ep 421•Transcript available on Metacast Meditation can reduce cortisol, increase telomere length, improve concentration, and foster feelings of unity. But it’s also very, very hard to practice consistently. Stillness is a serious challenge. Despite the plethora of books and apps and mindfulness training programs, most of us still talk a good meditation game but fail to back it up with practice. On this week’s show, you’ll meet an author, teacher, and lifelong meditator who shares his no-nonsense approach to the practices of Buddhist m...
Jul 15, 2020•42 min•Ep 420•Transcript available on Metacast What do snoring, crooked teeth, and mouth breathing have in common? All these conditions can indicate or even predict a whole series of chronic health problems down the road. James Nestor began his study into breathwork in the extreme world of freediving and breath holding, but he eventually came full circle to focus on the power and necessity of healthy, balanced breathing - something often lacking in our lives. This podcast is for anyone who wheezes, snores, sniffles, finds themselves out of b...
Jul 08, 2020•43 min•Ep 419•Transcript available on Metacast The Power of Ritual with Casper Ter Kuile ------------------------------ After just five swipes of your newsfeed, and you’ll immediately see ideology and groupthink dominate just about every conversation. As the world becomes more and more digital, we’re simultaneously becoming more tribal. The negative fallout is obvious, but what about the positives? What about a sense of purpose, belonging, ritual, and community? Can we find deep meaning and connection on our own terms? On this week’s podcast...
Jun 30, 2020•36 min•Ep 418•Transcript available on Metacast Time Off with John Fitch ----------------- “You can have anything you want in life, but you can’t have everything.” Most of our biggest dreams are totally unsustainable, but they come with a price. Want six-pack abs? Are you willing to skip carbs and spend 2 hours a day in the gym each day? Want a 7-figure bank balance? Are you up for 70-hour work weeks for the next 10 years? Want to start your own business and work for yourself? Are you prepared to become your own worst boss? I love my work and...
Jun 23, 2020•44 min•Ep 417•Transcript available on Metacast 
