Explore every episode of the podcast The Energy Blueprint Podcast

In this episode, I am speaking with Morley Robbins about his novel hypothesis that chronic fatigue (and most chronic disease) is caused predominantly by copper dysregulation. This is a fascinating idea that I allow him to explore in depth, while also pushing back a bit at times on the idea that health can be reduced to any kind of simple mineral issue. I think Morley is a fascinating guy with a lot of valuable and novel ideas, and I hope you'll listen in to what he has to say.

In this episode, I am speaking with Dr. Joseph Mercola—a certified family physician and a pioneer in the natural medicine realm. We will talk about the biggest problems with health today, blood flow-restricted exercise, burning fat, deuterium depletion, vitamin D, and more.

In this podcast, Dr. Mercola will cover:

• The difference between treating disease and creating health
• How his beliefs around health has evolved throughout his career
• The first steps towards a healthier nutrition
• The importance of mitochondria in health
• The SCARY statistics about nutrition consumption in the U.S.
• The potential dangers of EMFs
• How to use blood flow-restricted exercise to build muscle
• The biggest problem with studies on the ketogenic diet
• What deuterium is (And why the quantity of deuterium in the cell matters)
• The importance of vitamin D (And why getting vitamin D from the sun is the BEST way to increase vitamin D levels
• And much, much more!!!

Today, I'm excited to share my conversation with Emily, founder of Ziva Meditation and one of the most insightful teachers I know when it comes to meditation, personal growth, spirituality, and manifestation.

One of the central themes of our discussion is the idea that our deepest desires may have more meaning than we realize. Rather than viewing desire as something to suppress or ignore, Emily sees it as a source of guidance. The things we are most drawn toward may reveal important clues about our growth, purpose, and the direction life is inviting us to move.

At the same time, she believes meaningful goals often surface unresolved fears, insecurities, and limiting beliefs. Instead of seeing those challenges as roadblocks, Emily views them as invitations to grow.

We also explore a fascinating perspective on how reality is shaped. Emily argues that manifestation is happening all the time, whether we're aware of it or not. The thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and assumptions we carry each day may be quietly shaping the experiences we create and attract.

Whether or not you consider yourself interested in manifestation, I think you'll find this conversation thought-provoking because it ultimately centers on questions we all wrestle with.

In this podcast, Emily and I discuss:

• Why she believes desire can serve as a powerful catalyst for personal growth

• The difference between pursuing goals from a place of fulfillment versus a place of lack

• How meditation may help uncover the beliefs and emotional patterns shaping your reality

• Why meaningful goals often bring unresolved fears, insecurities, and limiting beliefs to the surface

• Emily's perspective on spirituality and the importance of connecting with unseen aspects of life

• The relationship between manifestation, nervous system regulation, and emotional well-being

• Why self-awareness may be one of the most important ingredients for creating lasting change

• How meditation and other practices help people access deeper states of awareness

• The role of presence, intentionality, and emotional resilience in shaping the future

• Why Emily views manifestation as a powerful tool for transformation rather than simply a method for getting what you want

Take the Next Step: Join the Free Magic Maker Live Experience

If today's conversation resonates with you and you're tired of feeling like you're pushing uphill to reach your goals, Emily is hosting a free, 3-day live event called Magic Maker.

On July 16, 21, and 23, she will be sharing her 4-part formula—a potent blend of ancient wisdom and modern neuroscience—designed to help you dissolve stress at a cellular level and create from a state of alignment rather than burnout. It's the perfect practical deep-dive into the concepts we explore in this episode.

👉 Click here to save your free spot for Magic Maker

In this episode, I am speaking with Dr. Daniel Stickler—co-founder of The Apeiron Center for Human Potential—about the best peptides for boosting mitochondria, brain health, and longevity.

In this podcast, Dr. Stickler will cover:

• What are peptides?
• The various areas peptides can help with (You will be shocked!)
• The amazing benefits of Epitalon peptide for longevity
• The best peptides for brain function and productivity
• Can peptides help with autoimmunity and chronic infections?
• The different parameters used to assess age (It is not what you think)
• Health span versus lifespan: which one is most important?
• How growth hormones boost anti-aging (Should you be concerned about IGF1?)
• The best peptides for boosting mitochondria

In this episode, I'm speaking with Dr. Jason Hawrelak, world-renowned microbiome expert, gastrointestinal specialist, and author of over 60 research papers dedicated to gut health. He is, in my opinion, one of the foremost gut/microbiome experts on the planet. So this is a MUST-listen.

In this podcast, Dr. Hawrelak and I discuss:

• The invisible but highly active "organ" that affects everything from mitochondrial function to our nervous system to cancer treatment outcomes

• The truth behind microbiome testing and what to know before you get your results

• 3 primary connections between your microbiome and mitochondria 

• The mitochondrial poison some people produce in their own GI tract connected to Alzheimer's, blood sugar dysregulation, and neurotransmitter imbalance
  2 GI and mitochondrial-damaging substances that most Americans consume every day

• The crucial short-chain fatty acid created by your microbiome that feeds your colon…and your mitochondria

In this episode, I am speaking with Dr. Eric Gordon, MD, who has spent the last 40 years helping his patients overcome chronic complex illnesses by focusing on mitochondria and cellular communication. We will discuss the Cell Danger Response, mitochondria, lifestyle, and much, much more. 

There are moments in life when the old version of you stops working, but the next version hasn't arrived yet.

A relationship ends, or a career changes direction. A long-held identity begins to crack. The things that once gave you certainty no longer fit, yet what comes next remains unclear.

It's uncomfortable, disorienting, and most people do everything they can to escape it.

According to my guest today, those in-between periods may be some of the most important moments of our lives.

Today, I'm excited to share my conversation with Telfer McCognahay, founder of Ecotone Academy, whose work focuses on helping people navigate major life transitions and uncover the opportunities hidden within them.

Telfer believes that many of us spend years building our lives around what he calls a "provisional identity": our job, accomplishments, social roles, relationships, or other labels we use to explain who we are.

The problem is that these identities are often far more fragile than we realize.

Growth often requires old stories, outdated coping mechanisms, and limiting identities to fall away so something more authentic can emerge.

In this fascinating conversation, we explore what happens when life places us in what Telfer calls an "ecotone": a transition zone between who we have been and who we are becoming.

What if some people diagnosed with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, autoimmune disease, anxiety, or even early Alzheimer's are actually dealing with an underlying infection that was never properly identified?

Today, I'm sharing my conversation with Dr. Richard Horowitz, a board-certified internist who has treated more than 13,000 patients with Lyme and tick-borne disease over the last four decades, many of whom had already seen countless doctors and collected diagnoses like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, multiple sclerosis, and early dementia before discovering Lyme may have been part of the picture.

Dr. Horowitz calls Lyme "the great imitator" because its symptoms can overlap with so many other conditions, and since 2016, Dr. Horowitz has published 11 papers on treatment approaches. In one of his latest studies, he and his colleagues explored a possible connection between Lyme disease and Alzheimer's biomarkers, reporting major improvements in certain inflammatory and cognitive-related markers after treatment.

We discuss his broader "MSIDS" model, which looks at chronic illness through a much wider lens. Instead of looking for one single cause, the model examines multiple overlapping factors that may contribute to illness, including infections, toxins, gut dysfunction, nutrient deficiencies, sleep issues, immune imbalance, and inflammation.

In this podcast, Dr. Horowitz and I discuss:

• Why Lyme disease is called "the great imitator" and how it can resemble chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer's disease

• The often-overlooked migratory pain that is one of the hallmark symptoms of chronic Lyme

• The Lyme symptom questionnaire, which he developed and validated on 6,400 patients

• How research from Johns Hopkins and other universities changed our understanding of Lyme as a persistent infection

• Why Dr. Horowitz began using drugs like dapsone and rifampin in Lyme treatment protocols

• His published research on dapsone combination therapy and the improvements he has observed in patients

• His recent findings on Lyme disease and Alzheimer's biomarkers, including reductions in tau217 levels

• Dr. Horowitz's unique MSIDS model and the many overlapping factors that may drive chronic illness

• Why chronic illness rates continue rising and what conventional medicine may still be missing

• Why Dr. Horowitz believes recovery is possible, even for patients who have been sick for years

In this episode, I am speaking with Emily Fletcher – the founder of Ziva meditation – about why you should tab into your sexuality to manifest your goal and dreams. 

In this podcast, Emily and I discuss: 

·      The secrets of sacred sexuality 

·      The link between sex and the divine

·      How to use orgasms to level up your potential

·      The power of GOYA (Get Off Your Ass)

Most people think fatigue is simple.

You're tired because you didn't sleep enough. Or you're stressed. Or maybe you just need more caffeine.

But what if you've addressed all those factors and are still fatigued?

Today, I'm joined by Dr. Evan Hirsch, a physician who has helped thousands of people recover from chronic fatigue after experiencing it himself. And according to Dr. Hirsch, fatigue is rarely caused by one singular thing.

When you look deeper, a pattern emerges. Hidden infections, environmental toxins, nutrient deficiencies, poor sleep quality, and nervous system dysfunction often show up together.

Once you start connecting these dots, fatigue stops looking like a simple problem and starts looking like a signal.

In this episode, Dr. Hirsch and I break down the real drivers of low energy and what it actually takes to fix them, not just manage symptoms.

This episode was first released in June 2017

In this podcast, Dr. Hirsch and I discuss:

• Why fatigue is often driven by multiple root causes, not just lack of sleep, stress, or an isolated virus

• How toxins, mold, and environmental exposures can silently drain your energy, and why they need to be addressed slowly versus "hard and heavy"

• Why poor sleep quality, not just sleep duration, is often the real issue

• Why many people wake up at night (and what it really means)

• How hidden infections, yeast, or even parasites may contribute to fatigue and long-term brain health

• Why morning habits can improve sleep and energy more than nighttime routines

• The three supplements Dr. Hirsch leans on the most when working with chronic fatigue patients

• How addressing root causes can lead to lasting improvements in energy

Most people think weight loss is simple: eat less, move more, push through the fatigue.

But what if that approach is exactly why so many diets fail?

Today, I'm joined by Dr. Susan Peirce Thompson, a PhD in brain and cognitive sciences who studies the neuroscience of eating behavior and long-term weight loss. According to Dr. Susan, fatigue during dieting is a short-term feeling that should ease over time…with the right approach.

When you cut calories, your body doesn't just burn fat and carry on. It responds. Metabolism slows, energy drops, and hormones shift in ways that are normal but may make you feel tired.

However, Dr. Susan's work challenges the idea that dieting has to mean constant hunger and fatigue. According to her data, hunger actually drops to very low levels when the right strategy is in place.

Her approach is different. She believes sustainable results don't come from pushing harder. They come from working with your biology in ways that reduce fatigue, stabilize appetite, and support long-term adherence.

In this episode, Dr. Susan and I break down why dieting so often leads to rebound weight gain and what to do instead.

(This episode was initially released in May 2017)

Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar taught the most popular course ever at Harvard and is one of the world's top happiness experts. He defines happiness not as temporary pleasure (like going to the beach or eating ice cream), but as "whole person well-being," captured in his SPIRE framework: Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Relational, and Emotional.

One of the most powerful studies Dr. Ben-Shahar shares is about janitors, nurses, and doctors working in the same hospitals doing identical work…yet some saw their work as a "job" (something they had to do for a paycheck), others as a "career" (focused on climbing the organizational hierarchy), and others as a "calling" (meaningful work that matters). The janitors who saw their work as facilitating patient healing were happier and performed better than doctors who saw their work as just a job.

Surprisingly, research shows there is NO connection between IQ and happiness. But there IS a strong connection between using your intelligence (being curious, asking questions, and lifelong learning) and happiness. Curious people are not just happier and more successful, they also live longer!

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Alan Christianson, a board-certified naturopathic endocrinologist and the founding president of the Endocrine Association of Naturopathic Physicians and the American College of Thyroidology. We'll discuss his new book, the Hormone Healing Cookbook, and specific foods for resolving pesky symptoms driven by hormonal changes in midlife.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Caroline Alan, the self-proclaimed "Mineral Geek."

She shares her history of serious health problems, including gut inflammation, periodontal disease with bone loss in her teeth, recurring sinus infections, brain fog so bad she left her corporate career, and lifelong insomnia. 

But her health completely transformed thanks to a chance suggestion from her business partner to try liquid minerals.

Caroline is now passionate about sharing the connections she's found between mineral depletion, replenishment, and cellular function.

She's also a soon-to-be published author; her book, The Mineral Reset: The Essential Guide to Replenishing Your Body and Restoring Your Health, will be available at the end of April.

Most people think body fat is the problem. If you gain weight, the goal is simple: eat less, burn more, and try to get rid of it.

But what if that way of thinking is fundamentally flawed?

Today, I'm joined by Dr. William Li, a world-renowned physician and scientist who has led the development of more than 30 new medical treatments that impact care for over 70 diseases, including cancer, diabetes, blindness, heart disease, and obesity. Dr. Li has spent decades studying the biology of metabolism, fat, and disease.

In his view, body fat itself is not the enemy. In fact, it plays a critical role in your health. The real problem begins when fat becomes excessive, dysfunctional, and inflammatory, disrupting the systems that regulate metabolism and energy balance.

This shift in perspective changes everything.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Dr. Christopher Pickard, a hypertension expert with decades of expertise studying nutrition and lifestyle on how to get your blood pressure back down into the healthy range.

In this podcast, Dr. Pickard and I discuss:

• The link between high blood pressure and the risk of dying from COVID-19…and how Dr. Pickard is using this knowledge to help his patients

• What high blood pressure is actually trying to tell you—it's not a disease; it's a warning sign of something more

• 3 unexpected causes for hypertension and the problem with simply "fixing it" with a pill

• 7 practical ways you can start addressing high blood pressure NOW 

• Why breathing through your nose (versus your mouth) might be the missing piece to solving some people's hypertension

• One amazingly simple step you can take to increase nitric oxide (and decrease blood pressure!)

• Learn the best fruit to eat to support healthy blood pressure levels!

Most people think of chronic illness as something caused by a specific trigger…an infection, a toxin, or even an autoimmune reaction. And the solution is to find and eliminate that one thing. 

But what if that's not how it actually works?

Today, I'm excited to have Dr. Eric Gordon back on the podcast. He's built a reputation for doing what most doctors won't, which is looking beyond the diagnosis to find what's actually driving a patient's illness and figuring out the right order to address it. His clinical work spans Lyme disease, ME/CFS, autoimmune conditions, and mitochondrial dysfunction, and many other forms of dysfunction, often all at once in the same patient.

In 2016, he co-authored a landmark study with Dr. Robert Naviaux, also a former guest on this podcast and a bit of a personal hero of mine, someone who has done some of the most important work in medicine of the last century, with his work on the cell danger response. 

In Dr. Gordon's view, chronic illness happens when the body's normal healing cycle gets interrupted and stuck in a persistent inflammatory state.

From that perspective, the problem isn't just the original trigger. It's the state your body has shifted into. And if that's true, it changes how you approach treatment.

That shift in thinking opens the door to very different kinds of interventions. These approaches focus on changing the broader biological environment rather than chasing a single cause.

In this episode, Dr. Gordon and I discuss a therapy that filters and replaces part of your blood plasma and may help remove inflammatory factors circulating in the blood that keep the body stuck.

In this podcast, Dr. Eric Gordon and I discuss:

• Why chronic illness often reflects a body stuck in the wrong healing state; compensations the body makes for stressors are designed to be short-term, not chronic

• What happens when the body's normal repair cycle gets interrupted

• Why the body's response, not the original trigger, can keep people sick

• The surprising role of "old information" in ongoing dysfunction

• Why trying to fix one problem at a time often falls short in people with overlapping conditions 

• Dr. Gordon explains why treating the body as a machine will never work - biological reductionism is the fundamental error

• How a fascinating intervention called plasmapheresis works to filter and replace blood plasma and lower inflammatory load

• Why plasmapheresis is gaining attention in chronic illness and longevity

• Dr. Gordon's belief that medicine is faulty because it's hooked on specificity, that the more we can do exactly what we want, the better…but this approach is lacking because we don't know exactly how our bodies work 

In this episode of The Energy Blueprint, I'm speaking with neuroscientist and bestselling author Mark Waldman. Mark has been on the podcast multiple times, but I find his information so interesting that I'm excited to have him back today. 

Mark is now working in a new field called network neuroscience. During our conversation, he explains the framework of this field and shares some very practical but very effective steps to reduce mind-wandering and improve psychotherapy outcomes.

A 2018 study found that 88% of the population is metabolically unwell. But more recent studies estimate the number is closer to 92%! 

My guest today is Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, founder of the Institute of Nutritional Endocrinology. She has 30+ years of clinical experience and sees imbalanced blood sugar and disordered insulin regulation as the underlying cause of so many people's problems. 

Her bottom line is that to get fuel into your mitochondria, good insulin and blood sugar control is a non-negotiable.

Most people think of insulin resistance as the diagnosis you get from your doctor, but by that point, there's already been retinopathies (damage to retinas), neuropathies (damage to peripheral nerves), damage to kidneys, and damage to blood vessel linings. 

Dr. Loscalzo focuses on "pre-insulin resistance," catching the breakdown decades before diagnosis, when you can actually prevent it.

This episode was initially released in November 2022 

Today's podcast guest is Dr. Amie Hornaman, most well-known as The Thyroid Fixer. She was a figure competitor and powerlifter who gained 25 pounds eating chicken, broccoli, and asparagus while hitting the gym twice a day. Biologically, it didn't make sense. 

It took seven doctors before she got diagnosed with Hashimoto's, and the sixth one made her cry in her car, praying that something was wrong because, as she told me, "if something was wrong, we could fix it." The seventh doctor gave her Synthroid, and after five months, there was zero change. Not one pound lost, no energy gained, hair still falling out.

In this episode, she explains that nearly all diagnoses of hypothyroidism are Hashimoto's, the autoimmune form, where your body attacks your thyroid gland. The conventional standard of care is to check only TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone), even though TSH doesn't identify an autoimmune disease.

This episode is especially important if you've been struggling with thyroid symptoms and haven't been checked for thyroid autoimmunity.

(This episode was originally released in Dec 2022)

Today's podcast guest, Dr. Sonya Jensen, is a first-generation immigrant who grew up navigating two very different cultures and the rules imposed on her about how she should look, who she should be friends with, and how she should perform in school. Around age 13, she developed anorexia as a way of gaining control of her own life. 

Ultimately, her experiences with anorexia, processing childhood trauma, and working with patients led her to put the pieces together between emotions, trauma, and physical health.

In this episode, we discuss the deep work she does with women, where she focuses on the well-researched links between emotions and physical health.

In this podcast, Dr. Jensen and I discuss:

• A 66,000-woman study over 16 years found every single woman with a fibroid had childhood abuse, whether physical, sexual, or emotional (this is when Dr. Jensen started piecing together trauma and physical health)

• When progesterone is low, GABA is low - so you may feel anxious - when estrogen is low, dopamine and serotonin are low, so you're not accessing joy as quickly

• Constant production of the stress hormone cortisol creates more pronounced estrogen dominance; one woman manifests tender breasts or cysts, another manifests fibroids, but all have low progesterone

• Fibroids can become worse by pseudo-estrogen from environmental toxins (pesticides, phthalates, plastics)...if your body can't detoxify them, they recirculate and create estrogen dominance

• Dr. Jensen was previously against bioidentical hormones, but she then realized women go into midlife very depleted, and physiological dosing helps them feel like themselves again

• Progesterone dosing is nuanced: One of Dr. Jensen's patients went into psychosis on progesterone because her OB-GYN doubled the dose - not everyone can be on the same dose or same kind of hormone

• Holocaust studies show infants born to survivors have adrenal insufficiency; their ability to adapt to stress isn't as optimal due to generational trauma

• If mom was stressed during pregnancy, her preteen will have more anxiety, if mom had really low cortisol, the child's nervous system regulation isn't as efficient

• Women who use hormones along with lifestyle changes and emotional work thrive on minimal doses, and some can even take breaks; women who only do hormones hit plateaus and cycle back

My guest today, Dr. Wendie Trubow, went to France in 2019 for the trip of a lifetime. 

But when she came home, her hair started falling out, she gained weight, and had a rash all over her face. She tested her thyroid (perfect), hormones (perfect), and gut (great).

Ultimately, she realized that when Notre Dame burned, it released 500 tons of lead into the air and soil, and she had slogged through that dust for a week. Testing showed that her lead levels were incredibly high.

Her biggest insight was that all the modern medical issues she treated as a functional MD—obesity, diabetes, cancer, insomnia, endocrine dysfunction, gut dysfunction—could be tracked back to toxic exposures, creating a state of inflammation. 

Dr. Trubow believes your particular "soup" (genetics, lifestyle, early childhood, antibiotic use, diet, sleep, stress, relationships, self-talk, movement) determines how inflammation manifests in you.

Wendie's story is really incredible, and I think you'll love this podcast.

This episode was first released in Jan 2023 

In this podcast, Dr. Trubow and I discuss:

• How toxins are related to stubborn weight: they get stored in fatty tissue when you exceed your body's ability to excrete them

• Studies show that levels of persistent organic pollutants ("forever chemicals") in the bloodstream during weight loss predict weight regain!

• Alcohol is an acute toxin that takes priority in the liver—your body stops all other detox behavior (hormone processing, pesticide excretion) to focus exclusively on processing alcohol 

• By the time most women leave the house, they've put over 200 chemicals on their bodies, from shampoo, conditioner, face products, makeup, moisturizers, and perfumes

• Your bed is a hidden toxin if it contains flame retardants—these are endocrine disruptors, mess up your thyroid and female hormones, and raise your risk of estrogen-dependent cancers

• Never ask "What-if?" questions…ruminating about uncontrollable situations sends your body into fight-flight-freeze and shuts down detox

• New cars contain over 300 chemicals, and even new clothes are sprayed with chemicals—wash clothes before you wear them, and shop consciously

• It's more expensive to react to disease than prevent it…if you could avoid cancer by spending $10 extra a day, it would be the right financial move; cancer costs most people over $100,000 per year to treat

Dr. Shivani Gupta comes from a family of people with diabetes, generation by generation, where she's seen the after-effects of suffering with chronic metabolic disease. 

Her new book, The Inflammation Code (launching, distills 20 years of studying Ayurveda into simple pillars you can apply to prevent the level of inflammation and disease we see today. When people tell her, "I have brain fog, I'm tired, my sleep is off, my digestion's off, I have stubborn weight gain…I guess this is just aging," her reply is, "No, it's not aging, it's inflammaging."

We had a really excellent, in-depth conversation that covered a lot of ground, from black pepper and the blood-brain-barrier to our detox experiences in India. I hope you enjoy the podcast!

In this podcast, Dr. Gupta and I discuss:

• Her study of Ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old system from India that taught us the circadian clock, modern science discovered what Ayurveda taught 5,000 years ago about living in rhythm with nature

• The three doshas or constitutions of Vata (air/ether), Pitta (fire/water), and Kapha (earth/water)—understanding your constitution helps customize your self-care practices and diet

• The circadian clock in Ayurveda teaches that 10:00 to 2:00 PM is Pitta (fire) time, when you're most focused and energetic, and meant to eat your biggest meal

• 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM is the most important time to be asleep, when Pitta fire cleans and clears inflammation, the lymphatic system, and the glymphatic system (lymphatic system of the brain)

• Vata people are always in motion and prefer jobs where they don't sit still—they're endurance athletes who can run through the day on coffee, green juice, and crackers (but their homework is three square meals)

• Pitta people are fiery, passionate leaders who tend to crave hot, oily, spicy fried food…but that's the one thing they shouldn't eat because their digestive fire is already like a bonfire!

• Kapha people are sturdy, strong, and very grounded, but can struggle with sluggish metabolism, low mood or depression, getting stuck, or not wanting to create change

• Black pepper increases curcumin absorption by 2,000%—scientists at MD Anderson Cancer Center discovered this, which is why traditional Indian cooking always uses turmeric with black pepper

• What it feels like to experience a Panchakarma detox in India: "massage that feels like abuse" with paper thongs—Dr. Gupta says, "I can't believe you're allowed to do this to me and I'm paying for it" (both she and I had this experience!)

• Mental inflammation is the stress we create when forcing ourselves to be healthy; if you force workouts, force protein, force intermittent fasting, the stress alone causes the inflammation you're trying to prevent

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon argues we've been focusing on the wrong idea for 50 years…the problem isn't that we're over-fat, it's that we're under-muscled. 

Skeletal muscle makes up 40% or more of your body and is an underrecognized endocrine organ that secretes myokines (signaling molecules) when contracted, impacting the brain, liver, pancreas, and truly every body system. Yet skeletal muscle wasn't even considered an organ system until about 25 years ago!

The diseases we think of as obesity-related—type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's, cardiovascular disease—are actually diseases of skeletal muscle first, decades before symptoms appear. When Dr. Lyon asked a PCOS expert what body fat percentage contributes to infertility, the answer shocked her: "It has nothing to do with body fat percentage—it has everything to do with the fat infiltrated into the muscle, the intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT)."

The new US Dietary Guidelines (which Dr. Lyon witnessed being announced on stage) recommend 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kg for the first time in history, a tremendous change based on randomized controlled trials instead of epidemiology. Her mentor, Dr. Donald Layman, wrote the protein portion of the guidelines, and 90% of those guidelines are reflected in her new book, Forever Strong Playbook, released on January 27th of this year.

Over 30 million women in the US deal with some form of pelvic floor dysfunction…nearly 1 in 4 women. 

In this episode, I speak with Jana Danielson, founder of Lead Pilates and creator of the Cooch Ball (and no, that's not a typo!), who reveals shocking realities about the urinary incontinence product industry. 

Even though they'll top $24 billion in profit this year, 9 out of 10 people could fix incontinence if they learned to breathe correctly and stopped being such literal "tight asses" (her words, not mine).

Listen to the podcast to hear all of Jana's insights.

In this podcast, Jana and I discuss:

• Why over 30 million US women deal with pelvic floor dysfunction—nearly 1 in 4 women—and the urinary incontinence product industry will top $24 billion this year

• The pelvic floor can be too tight (hypertonic) or too loose (hypotonic)—too tight causes one set of symptoms, while too loose causes another

• About 90% of erectile dysfunction is actually a fitness/movement issue, not medical…when pelvic floor muscles get too tight, blood flow to the penis cannot happen

• There are four grades of prolapse; some grades can be completely reversed, while others require surgery. Jana explains the anatomical and energetic underpinnings of prolapse

• The diaphragm is the "roof" and the pelvic floor is the "floor" of your core—doing 10-12 diaphragmatic breaths daily will wake up the pelvic floor tissues, like giving it CPR

• The pudendal nerve's Latin root means "ashamed"—it's the main sensory and motor nerve from your brain to your genitals/pelvic floor in both men and women

• You can do all the fancy medical spa pelvic floor contractions, but without proper breathing, your results won't last—you have to create the environment for the solution to work

• When you inhale into your diaphragm, the pelvic floor is in its restful/descension phase—when you exhale, it's in its lift phase, a key distinction for pelvic floor health

• Posture plays a considerable role in pelvic floor health: mechanically holding weight in an optimal position takes unnecessary stress off your pelvic floor

• If you chug water rapidly, your body will excrete more of it. Sip tiny amounts throughout the day so cells absorb hydration properly and your bladder functions optimally

In this episode, I am speaking with Dr. Loretta Breuning, who is the founder of the Inner Mammal Institute. She's the author of many personal development books, including the one that I have read of hers, which I highly recommend, and found fascinating, called Habits of a Happy Brain.

Periodontist Dr. Al Danenberg was diagnosed with incurable bone marrow cancer (multiple myeloma) in September 2018 and given 3 to 6 months to live. His oncologist wanted to start chemotherapy the next day, but Dr. Al rejected chemo and instead focused on natural methods to help his body heal. 

While Dr. Danenberg has since passed on, he survived most of his remaining years with an outstanding quality of life, shocking his oncologist and maintaining such good health that his gut microbiome diversity was in the 97th percentile.

In this episode, filmed in March 2023, Dr. Al discusses his diagnosis and why he believed his cancer stemmed from toxic exposures in dental school in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He emphasizes that all cancers are diseases of lifestyle, and that there are very few wild animals with cancer and very few primal societies with gum disease, tooth decay, chronic diseases, or cancer.

Dr. Al also explores a few somewhat shocking oral health ideas, including why dental plaque is actually healthy! He backs this surprising claim with three critical roles plaque plays in the mouth: it acts as a gatekeeper, allowing minerals from saliva to remineralize teeth; it contains chemical buffers that keep pH at ~5.5 to prevent decay; and it produces hydrogen peroxide that kills pathogenic bacteria trying to invade.

I know you'll enjoy this episode with the late Dr. Al Danenberg.

In this podcast, I am speaking with Dr. Reef Karim, a leading expert in human behavior, who has dedicated his life to educating, entertaining, and helping people understand themselves better. Dr. Karim is a double board certified psychiatrist, addiction medicine physician, relationship expert, writer, speaker (with recurring appearances on Oprah, Dr. Oz, CNN, Larry King Live, Dr. Phil, Anderson Cooper, and many others), comedic host, and media personality. 

We will discuss the "victim mindset" and how it appears to be rapidly spreading in the younger generations across the Western world, the difference between victimhood and vulnerability, conformism vs. authenticity/courage, healing from trauma, self-sabotaging behavior, and how to grow into the fullest expression of your own capacities and authentic self. 

Did you know that, in the United States alone, one in two women and one in four men over the age of 50 will have a fracture due to osteoporosis? 

And if this happens to be a hip fracture, 24% will die within a year due to complications, while an even higher percentage will never be independent again. 

The most unfortunate part is that conventional doctors typically just prescribe vitamin D, calcium, and maybe a non-specific form of exercise…then immediately put you on medication without examining root causes.

In this episode, Margie Bissinger, a physical therapist with over 25 years of experience treating osteoporosis, reveals the real culprits behind the bone density epidemic, including sugar, gluten sensitivity and gut inflammation, proton-pump inhibitors like Nexium and Prilosec, corticosteroids, antidepressants, stress and cortisol, and sedentary behavior.

Listen to the full episode to get all of Margie's actionable information to avoid or even begin reversing osteoporosis.

This episode was initially released in March 2023

Dr. Izabella Wentz is a renowned pharmacist focused on thyroid health. In this episode, she reveals a shocking pattern: about 90% of people with Hashimoto's have alterations in how much cortisol they release throughout the day. 

They struggle with brain fog, chronic fatigue, and sleep issues—tired all day, wired at night—even when they're on thyroid medications.

She's discovered something fascinating about "adrenal fatigue" that challenges both the old naturopathic model and the skeptics. 

Your adrenals aren't damaged or lazy…they're perfectly capable of producing hormones. "Adrenal fatigue" is an intelligent adaptive response where your body down-regulates cortisol production to protect itself from chronic stress, essentially saying, "This is unrealistic, we can't pump out high amounts of cortisol all the time."

After being forced to find solutions during years of severe sleep deprivation with her son, Dr. Wentz developed a 4-week protocol that has now helped thousands of people. By week two, people report their anxiety dropping from an 8 to a 2. By week four, their libido returns and they feel transformed, all without hormones, complicated testing, or bags full of supplements.

In this episode, Dr. Bonnie Kaplan shares a statistic that should stop everyone in their tracks: 50% of people will be diagnosed with a mental disorder at some point in their lifetime. When she was a kid in the 1950s, that rate was 1% or less.

As a professor emeritus at the University of Calgary and co-author of The Better Brain, Dr. Kaplan has spent decades researching what went wrong. She shares the case of "Andrew," a 10-year-old with childhood psychosis who recovered on micronutrients when six months of psychiatric care failed…yet his doctor refused to try it with other patients because "it's not part of clinical practice guidelines."

This episode was initially released in July 2022

This interview took place on a historic day: the FDA removed the black box warning for HRT (hormone replacement therapy) after 20 years. My guest, Dr. Mariza Snyder, author of The Perimenopause Revolution, explains why this matters and why women have been suffering needlessly for decades while doctors dismissed their symptoms as "just aging" or "just stress."

Perimenopause is the 4 to 10-year transition where hormones wildly fluctuate before menopause, and Dr. Snyder calls it "the window of vulnerability." She uses a powerful metaphor: imagine estrogen as your brain's master CEO who shows up like clockwork from 9 AM to 6 PM for 30 years.

Then, suddenly, without warning, it shows up at 2 PM one day and leaves at 11 PM, then shows up at 6 AM the next day and leaves at 11 AM. Your brain scrambles trying to regulate energy, neurotransmitters, sleep, mood, and cravings.

The most compelling insight of our conversation is a Mayo Clinic study that found 84% of menopausal women don't seek care. Why? Because they feel judged in the doctor's office. 

Dr. Snyder wrote her book as the roadmap she desperately needed when she started her own perimenopause journey, connecting symptoms to future health outcomes and providing practical solutions beyond just "you're getting older."

In this episode with Dr. John Lieurance, he drops a bombshell in the first few minutes: "I take hundreds of milligrams [of melatonin] every night, and I've gone through months and months of taking it religiously." 

While most melatonin supplements contain a dose of 0.3 to 3 milligrams, Dr. Lieurance has 30 years of clinical experience and, during our conversation, shares his unorthodox but largely research-backed views on melatonin, methylene blue, and mitochondrial health.

As one of the world's leading clinical experts on melatonin and methylene blue, Dr. Lieurance reveals findings that most people have never heard, including why melatonin is an amazing adaptogen and how it even prevents the Warburg effect that powers cancer cells.

The second half of our conversation explores methylene blue, the original compound that inspired the term "magic bullet." Dr. Lieurance explains how this brilliant blue salt was discovered while searching for a malaria cure, how it increases mitochondrial function by an average of 30%, and why it acts as both a prooxidant and antioxidant.

Most fascinating is the synergy with red light therapy…methylene blue absorbs 660-nanometer photons, supports cytochrome C oxidase, and creates powerful antimicrobial effects. He shares clinical dosing protocols, debunks FDA warnings, and explains why higher doses are more effective than the micro-doses commonly recommended.

In this podcast, Dr. Lieurance and I discuss:

• His personal health journey and why he takes hundreds of milligrams of melatonin every night, while maintaining high testosterone levels, directly contradicting Andrew Huberman's warnings based on flawed rodent studies

• Melatonin studies that used up to 150,000 milligrams with zero toxicity found, yet recent claims suggest melatonin is toxic to kids, with little research to support it

• The fact that your gut produces 400 times more melatonin than the pineal gland!

• Every single cell produces its own melatonin within the mitochondria, a discovery that only emerged in the last couple years, completely reframing melatonin's importance

• The biological reason why you can take large amounts of melatonin for extended periods and stop the next day without suppression of natural production

• The connection between melatonin, hormesis, and your mitochondria

• How high-dose melatonin protects you from sun damage

• The interesting story of methylene blue, the original "magic bullet" discovered while curing malaria

• How methylene blue increases mitochondrial function by 30% on average

In this episode, Dr. Chris Masterjohn cuts through the noise with his refreshingly practical approach to nutrition for your mitochondria. He exposes supplement industry myths and explains why your mitochondria need more than just CoQ10 and alpha-lipoic acid. Plus, his insights into how your brain regulates energy metabolism will completely shift how you think about fatigue.

Whether you're dealing with chronic exhaustion or just want to optimize your energy, this conversation delivers actionable wisdom—Dr. Masterjohn even shares his favorite "superfood cocktail." Get ready to question everything you thought you knew about mitochondrial nutrition!

This episode was initially released in Sept 2023

What if curing cancer and heart disease wouldn't actually extend human lifespan by much? It sounds crazy, but this concept opens the door to my conversation with Dr. Greg Kelly, Director of Product Development at Neurohacker Collective and author of Shape Shift. 

The reason is simpler than you think: most people would still die in their mid-80s from accumulated cellular damage and "dying of old age," i.e., multi-organ failure from decades of cellular aging.

Dr. Kelly brings a unique perspective, having served as a Navy officer before becoming a naturopathic physician and spending two decades in the trenches of longevity research. He shares a fascinating personal story about repaying his massive sleep debt from his military years—sleeping 12 hours a night for weeks until his chronically cold hands suddenly became warm. His insights on why catching up on sleep often makes us feel more tired will completely reframe how you think about recovery.

This conversation goes deep into cellular senescence ("zombie cells" that accumulate as we age), the gut microbiome's role in longevity, why melatonin supplements are often misused, and which nootropics actually work. 

Dr. Kelly explains the "last straw" model of stress that will change how you view your health, and why chasing individual diseases instead of focusing on cellular aging is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

This episode was initially released in July 2023

In this episode, I am speaking with Dr. Dale Bredesen about the root causes of cognitive decline and how to prevent and reverse them.

What if your mitochondria aren't broken, but rather stuck in defense mode? What if chronic illness isn't about damaged cells, but about cells that can't sense safety anymore?

Dr. Eric Gordon has spent over 40 years in the trenches of complex chronic illness, working with thousands of patients who didn't fit into conventional medicine's boxes. He's one of the deepest thinkers in functional medicine and an original voice who has witnessed and worked through every health fad out there.

In this conversation, he explains why mitochondrial support sometimes backfires, why your body gets stuck in chronic illness patterns like a "neurotic loop," and most importantly, how to give your cells the safety signals they need to heal.

In this episode, I am speaking with Dr. Eric Balcavage, who is a renowned thyroid health expert and author of the Thyroid Debacle. He also lectures around the country on various health topics including stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine, thyroid dysfunction, methylation dysfunction, and more. 

In this episode, I'm speaking with Rome Za, a movement specialist, Jiu-Jitsu athlete, father, and founder of the Rome Za method, a breathwork-based way to transform your nervous system.

In this podcast, Rome and I discuss:

• His fascinating and sometimes very intense childhood, including an early brush with death 

• The one factor we should focus on for nervous system healing before supplements or even diet

• Rome's vast experience coaching people and the recurrent issue he's seen in over 4,000 coaching clients

• 2 nervous system assaults you should be keenly aware of and how to address both for a calm, centered life

• The importance of non-traditional strength movements that lead to vitality, resilience, and longevity

• 3 core insights you can apply to your own life to support and steady your nervous system

The key to longevity, energy, and metabolic health isn't found in your heart, liver, or brain…but in your muscles. Amazingly, your muscles make up the largest organ system in your body and, importantly, the primary home of your mitochondria.

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon is a fellowship-trained physician in nutritional science and geriatrics who is revolutionizing our understanding of muscle as the organ of longevity. Her work reveals why skeletal muscle is the only organ system we have direct control over.

In this conversation, she explains the shocking 400% difference in mitochondrial capacity between athletes and people with metabolic syndrome, why the "healthy sedentary" person doesn't exist, and her proven protocol for eating and training to optimize both muscle and mitochondrial health.

What if the popular narrative about trauma is incomplete? What if trauma isn't just a psychological phenomenon, but a fundamentally biological process that gets encoded in your cells, mitochondria, and nervous system?

Dr. Aimie Apigian is a double board-certified physician in preventive and addiction medicine who's revolutionizing how we understand and treat trauma. 

Her groundbreaking new book, "The Biology of Trauma," reveals the hidden physiological mechanisms behind trauma responses.

In this conversation, she explains where traditional talk therapy falls short, how trauma creates a feedback loop of oxidative stress and cellular shutdown, and her innovative approach to healing trauma from the inside out, starting with cellular safety before diving into the emotional work.

In this episode, I am speaking with Dr. James Chestnut who is a doctor of chiropractic. He holds a bachelor of Physical Education and a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology specializing in neuromuscular adaptation. He holds a postgraduate certification in evidence-based chiropractic and lifestyle protocols. He has authored five books including his latest book Live Right for Your Species Type.

In this part, we talk about the common misconceptions about the impact of nutrition and lifestyle on health and why it is much better than common drug treatment for long-term health.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Dr. Heather Sandison, a naturopathic doctor, published researcher, and the author of a new book you'll definitely want to read, Reversing Alzheimer's: The New Toolkit to Improve Cognition and Protect Brain Health.

Dr. Sandison's work is extraordinary in many ways, but, in my opinion, one of her most impressive achievements is creating Marama Memory Care, the first residential memory care facility to have the goal of returning cognitively declined residents to independent living!

I loved speaking with Dr. Sandison, and I know you'll learn a lot from this podcast. Enjoy!

In this episode, I'm speaking with Børge Fagerli, creator of an innovative and highly efficient resistance training method called Myo-Reps, which is a way to create 80% of the results in a fraction of the time. 

Børge has spent over 25 years as a fitness coach and is known for his evidence-based approaches to nutrition, training, mindset, and lifestyle optimization. We became friends about 10 years ago (through a funny story you'll hear in the podcast) and we went on to have many years of fruitful discussions and debates on a variety of health topics, and worked together to produce content on the interface of nutrition and circadian rhythm. He's a great expert on fitness and body composition, and I think you'll gain a lot of insights from his thoughts on training. 

In this podcast, Børge and I discuss:

• His background as an engineer and bodybuilder and his research-backed reasons for focusing on fundamentals instead of getting caught up in wellness hype

• The 3 most essential factors you need to know to be successful in your exercise training…this is appropriate for ALL fitness levels!

• The number of exercise reps you should perform to see (and feel!) your body change and why this rep range is essential for women

• Why too many repetitions of one exercise might be the WRONG approach for most people

• The definitive answer to one of the most discussed questions in all of training: Will I get too big and bulky from lifting weights??

• Why training that feels too hard or intense might actually be keeping you from achieving your goals

• If "muscle confusion," i.e., training your muscles with different exercises every time you work out, is a legitimate concept or pseudoscience 

• Myo-Reps, Børge's strategy for achieving 40 minutes of exercise in just 20 minutes!

• The #1 mindset tip you can implement today to keep you strong and fit as you age

In this episode, Dr. Mike T. Nelson pulls back the curtain on some common keto myths, including how it's connected to fat loss, athletic performance, and even ancestral eating patterns. You might be surprised to learn that smart athletes will do anything to win—except go keto.

In this myth-busting conversation, you'll discover why the high-fat-eating Inuit peoples probably weren't in ketosis, how keto can slash your power output by up to 8%, and why metabolic flexibility—not extreme diets—is the real key to optimal health.

After 20-plus years in the field, Dr. Nelson shares his unfiltered take on everything from exogenous ketones to the carbohydrate hypothesis of obesity, delivering the nuanced truth that diet influencers won't tell you.

Did you know your mitochondria produce your body weight in ATP every single day?

Dr. Michael Murray reveals why most people's "dimmer switch" is turned down and how flavonoids can actually repair damaged mitochondria, something once thought impossible.

In this paradigm-shifting conversation, you'll discover why 80% of female endurance athletes are iron deficient, how nature designed a brilliant system for delivering flavonoids exactly where inflammation occurs, and why taking NAD+ supplements might be addressing the wrong problem entirely.

After 45 years of studying flavonoids and treating thousands of patients, Dr. Murray shares his most powerful insights on what really drives energy production.

This episode was originally released in November 2023

Could your gut bacteria be producing toxins that poison your mitochondria? Dr. Jason Hawrelak, one of the world's leading microbiome researchers, reveals how specific bacterial imbalances directly sabotage your energy production.

In this in-depth conversation, you'll discover why probiotics don't colonize your gut, why strain specificity matters more than you think, and why prebiotics are actually more powerful than probiotics for transforming your microbiome.

Dr. Hawrelak's research has been cited over 1,200 times—he's the microbiome expert who teaches other experts—and his insights will completely change how you approach gut health.

Your mitochondria and responses to stress are more connected than you think. 

In this episode, Dr. Scott Sherr is back to tell us about why 94% of US adults have mitochondrial dysfunction and how chronic stress and inflammation deplete GABA, your brain's primary calming neurotransmitter.

We also discuss why methylene blue has exploded from an obscure mitochondrial enhancer to a controversial biohacking trend, how GABA deficiency masquerades as anxiety and depression, and why healing requires shifting from sympathetic dominance to parasympathetic activation.

Dr. Sherr shares his 20 years of clinical experience, demonstrating that within 30 seconds to 2 minutes, he can determine if someone can heal; it all comes down to the state of their nervous system.

We've created a culture that fears adversity, but what if that's the wrong approach? 

In this episode, Dr. Keesha Ewers explains why post-traumatic growth, not comfort, creates robust mitochondrial health and resilient humans. 

Her personal journey from autoimmune disease to vibrant health will inspire your own transformation and help you understand the mind-mitochondria connection.

This episode was initially released in Jan 2024

In this fascinating episode, I'm speaking with inventor and researcher Alex Tarnava, who developed the first effective-dose molecular hydrogen supplement to address a crippling mystery illness that suddenly destroyed his once highly active life.

Our conversation reveals how initially skeptical we both were about the effectiveness of molecular hydrogen!

While I'm extremely excited to offer Molecular Hydrogen, now available on the new Human Optimization site, it took me over 10 years, hundreds of research studies, and eventually experiencing the benefits myself to become a believer and trust the effects enough to offer this unique compound to you.