BIOptimizers - Awesome Health Podcast

Eben Britton was a seven-year-old boy watching the news one day at his grandparents when he distinctly recalls seeing the local news covering the NY Jets and Giants at training camp. Eben felt something—like a seed planting in his heart. He told himself that he would one day be "one of those warriors." Over time, Eben grew to be six feet, six inches tall, and weighed at one point 325 pounds. He ultimately became a gridiron gladiator, getting drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars and playing six seasons, including two years with the Chicago Bears. Those six years took a toll on Eben physically. He suffered through a lot of pain and had to retire at age 28. But this is where Eben's story is just beginning.

In this episode, our host Wade T. Lightheart, Co-Founder of Bioptimizers and former competitive bodybuilder, talks to a young, up-and-coming fitness trainer named Juan Salgado, CEO of The Chosen Ones training group. Juan's passion for training traces back to when he was eight years old. Juan loved basketball back then and was extremely competitive even at that young age. So competitive that he organized his first training group for basketball at eight years old. He wanted to win so bad and determined his team was not practicing enough to win a championship. So Juan, the second-grader, went to Barnes and Noble, read a book on basketball drills, then after the next practice, asked all the parents if they would drop their kids off at the park for two extra practices per week. Juan hosted the exercises and found his training to be more fun than the actual games.

This episode is all about overcoming adversity and learning how to turn tough times, even tragedies, into growth opportunities. We get real in this episode—Lance is an open book, and he, along with our host Wade Lightheart, talk about battles with alcohol and drugs, tragic deaths in the family, career disappointments, and financial struggles. Lance has overcome misfortune and disaster and has emerged on the other side dedicated to helping others learn how to turn sorrows into blessings. Lance is a visionary who has experienced life through a diverse set of roles: hockey player, bartender, and now an innovative entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Mic-Up Podcast Productions, an agency that helps entrepreneurs and aspiring podcasters leverage podcasting for their business objectives. He also hosts his growing podcast called "The University of Adversity," an innovative show where guests share their inspiring stories of overcoming incredible adversity and going on to accomplish great things.

Mark Divine is an expert in elite performance, mental toughness, and leadership development for teams. His renowned SEALFIT and Unbeatable Mind training programs have transformed tens of thousands from all walks of life, helping everyday leaders optimize their full potential in life. Mark's own leadership skills were initially honed in the Navy SEALs, where he was Honor Man (#1 graduate) of his BUDS class while leading his entire boat crew to success (which has never been repeated). He later built several successful businesses, two of which have scaled into 8 figures. Mark's work addresses integration and training of the whole body-mind-spirit system in his approach he calls the 'Five Mountains' - emphasizing physical, mental, emotional, intuitional, and spiritual development - which he created and tested on over a thousand special operations candidates worldwide, generating a 90% success rate for SEAL trainees using this program. Mark teaches this unique warrior-leader philosophy to executives, corporate leaders, elite sports teams, and entrepreneurs with a mission to lead 100 million people to the path of integrated five-mountain development by 2045.

Brian Richards is the founder of SaunaSpace - a company dedicated to bringing the world quality infrared sauna products. Based in Columbia, Missouri, SaunaSpace uses advanced, lean manufacturing practices that provide quality crafted goods at a fair price. In this episode, you will hear about Brian's personal quest for better health as he found himself struggling with insomnia, acne, and adrenal fatigue in his early twenties. While searching for answers, an alternative medicine doctor recommended Near Infrared (Nir) Sauna Therapy. Intrigue, Brian quickly discovered one problem: he couldn't find a Nir sauna. Thus began his incredible personal journey from a sickly millennial to an amazingly healthy entrepreneur who is spreading Nir Sauna Therapy's health benefits.

Dr. Aaron Tressler was a sickly child who experienced several injuries while playing sports as a young man. Growing up in Pennsylvania with wonderful parents, Aaron found his destiny when one of his baseball teammates introduced him to a chiropractor. Aaron's healing results through the science of chiropractic care made such an impact on Aaron that he eventually became a chiropractor himself, thus launching his dynamic career. Today, Aaron is a chiropractor, entrepreneur, and health expert of 30 years. Owner of In8Life – Tressler Chiropractic, he specializes in revitalizing life to the fullest naturally with chiropractic care, nutrition, exercise, and mental strength.

T.C.(Tony) Hale was a standup comic living in Los Angles in 2004 when he suddenly lost his voice. At first, he wasn't worried, as his voice had gone raspy many times...however, this time his voice never did return. Tony went to 23 doctors, and none could provide any solutions to enable Tony to talk again. That is when he snapped. Tony "went psycho," spending every spare minute researching his condition - for eight years. In this episode, Tony shares his journey - from a desperate comic who couldn't speak to finding a new voice - becoming an expert in natural health and nutrition.

Ashleigh Van Houten grew up as the only girl in a household of brothers, which lead her to watch a lot of wrestling and Arnold Schwartzenegger movies as a kid. She also liked watching the world's strongest man competitions. From an early age, Ashleigh found herself intrigued by displays of strength and seeing what the human body can do. Along the way, Ashleigh became an author, speaker, podcast host, and self-proclaimed muscle nerd. She wrote a cookbook called It Takes Guts and is the host of the Muscle Maven Radio podcast.

"[The pandemic] is the biggest freaking wake-up call we've ever had in our lifetimes. Prevention freaking matters." JJ Virgin is a prominent TV and media personality. Her resume includes co-host of TLC's Freaky Eaters, two years as the on-camera nutritionist for Weight Loss Challenges on Dr. Phil, and numerous PBS appearances, Dr. Oz, Rachael Ray, Access Hollywood, and the TODAY Show. JJ is the author of four NY Times bestsellers: The Virgin Diet, The Virgin Diet Cookbook, JJ Virgin's Sugar Impact Diet, JJ Virgin's Sugar Impact Diet Cookbook and Warrior Mom: 7 Secrets to Bold, Brave Resilience, She also hosts the popular Ask the Health Expert podcast, with over 8 million downloads and growing. And also regularly writes for Rodale Wellness, Mind Body Green, and other major blogs and magazines.

Our host Wade Lightheart was excited to talk about mushrooms with Julian Mitchell because Wade has always been fascinated by mushrooms. Fungi has been used by many cultures in various ways throughout history. Wade points out that the human body is "the closest thing to mushrooms that we can get. This is why antifungals can be so damaging to people's health." In this episode, Julian shares how his mushroom harvesting business began in a container of used coffee grounds and has "mushroomed" (pun intended) into a thriving business. Julian Mitchell is an Australian native who has always been passionate about nature, human performance and sustainability. He is currently completing his Physiotherapy degree and previously worked as a physiotherapist in the English Premier League before his entrepreneurial spirit kicked in, leading to his co-founding Life Cykel, a business focused on creating new mushroom products and technologies to biohack our daily performance.

In this episode, we talk with two former members in the drug industry who experienced firsthand the "kabuki theater" endless loop of research (that didn't accomplish much) along with the troubling practice of hard-selling drugs to doctors' offices. Meanwhile, they both witnessed friends and family members take six to twelve prescriptions, yet seeing little to no improvement. Fed up, our two guests did not grow discouraged, jaded, or give up. Instead, they became leaders in microbiome health and gut supplementation. Tina Anderson is a former trial lawyer specializing in settling cases through mediation, bringing both sides together. Mediation is her passion. So is her family, which is why she left the high-stress job behind to start a business with her husband, creating a unique supplement containing the super probiotic strains of renowned researcher Dr. Simon Cutting. Tina is now a wellness evangelist, helping people live their best physical and emotional lives. Kiran Krishnan is a research microbiologist whose focus is the human microbiome and wellness. His expertise is in the newest frontier in microbiology: gut commensal spore bacteria. Kiran is a frequent lecturer worldwide and as a guest on various radio and satellite podcasts. He also speaks frequently at autism conferences. Kiran established the Clinical Research Organization, where he conducts human clinical trials in human nutrition for over 17 years. Kiran began his rigorous research in the fields of molecular medicine and microbiology at the University of Iowa.

In this episode, we discuss the importance of having a flexible attitude regarding our health and being able to pivot in life when a door closes. We must find a new door to walk through to reach our goals and maintain a healthy lifestyle as we mature. Our guest Dave Sherwin is a certified fitness nutrition coach, supplement entrepreneur, host of The Dirobi Health Show, and a mindfulness meditation practitioner.

Healing PTSD from the pandemic with nootropics is one area of expertise of today's Awesome Health podcast guest, David Tomen. David specializes in treating PTSD and avoiding age-related memory loss, brain fog and fatigue through nootropic supplementation.

If there are two things our guest does exceptionally well it is overcoming obstacles and finding a tribe. Joe Distefano has overcome a traumatic brain injury and tapped into a back-to-nature approach to nutrition and health to regain control of his well-being, his happiness and his life. Joe is a lifelong health and wellness enthusiast, conquerer of obstacles, and founder of the rapidly expanding wellness community, RUNGA.

If you're aiming for better overall health through blue light reduction there are many options on the market. But which is the best and most effective? Our guest today, James Swanwick, has created the foremost blue light blocking glasses in the marketplace today. James is an Australian-American investor, entrepreneur, speaker, former SportsCenter anchor on ESPN, host of The James Swanwick Show podcast and the author of The 30 Day No Alcohol Challenge.

Joining us today is the foremost expert on the links between gluten, your brain and your gut health: Dr. Tom O'Bryan. Dr. Tom is considered a 'Sherlock Holmes' for chronic disease. He holds teaching faculty positions with the Institute for Functional Medicine and the National University of Health Sciences. He is also a recognized world expert on gluten and its impact on health, along with being an internationally-known and sought after speaker and workshop leader.

Have you heard of the benefits of kava? Do you know if the kava you're getting is high quality? Here to answer those questions and much more is Cameron George of Tru Kava. Cameron is a researcher, writer, entrepreneur and the founder of Tru Kava. Tru Kava is a company that is striving to set the industry standard for quality, safety and education around kava within the mass market.

In this episode, we kick things off by diving into the human nervous system, precisely the adaptive response to our nervous system, and adaptive neuroplasticity theory. Dr. Aimie is a leading expert on the subject through her clinical research, medical training, and "hands-on" experiences as a foster parent. She began helping children with trauma-based behavior issues. "Most people don't realize how much early trauma impacts our nervous system and brain function forms," says Dr. Aimie. Dr. Aimie is a Board Certified Preventive Medicine Physician specializing in Adaptive and Attachment Pain Syndromes and optimizing our nervous system to achieve our best health and self no matter what type of trauma may be in our past. She earned her medical degree at Loma Linda University, has a Masters in Biochemistry, a Masters in Public Health, and trained three years as a general surgeon before her health crashed.

Welcome back for part II of our episode with the creator of the Health Optimization Medicine (HOMe) model, Dr. Ted Achacoso. If you haven't listened to part I please do and then rejoin us here. To recap from Part I, Dr. Ted is a foremost expert in holistic health and anti-aging. He has a tri-continental practice based on the framework he created called Health Optimization Medicine (HOMe). He is also a certified genius who earned a Doctor of Medicine at 22.

Today we have the internationally-known creator of the Health Optimization Medicine (HOMe) model with us - he is also one of the foremost experts in holistic health and anti-aging. He is none other than the legendary Dr. Ted Achacoso. Dr. Ted is an anti-aging physician with a tri-continental practice in Health Optimization Medicine (HOMe), a clinical framework that he pioneered to include health management in a disease management practice.

Is there a link between emotional eating and healing yourself? Our guest says yes and has invested years of her life and thousands of dollars uncovering it. Amber Romaniuk is an emotional eating, digestive and hormone expert who helps professional women achieve optimal health through mindful eating and self-care. Her podcast "The No Sugarcoating Podcast" has over half a million downloads, over 200 episodes and is listened to in over 82 countries.

Have you ever considered the importance of muscle hydration? After today's episode you definitely will! Our guest, Ryan Spratt, is the Co-Founder of IQBody and the inspiration behind the WAVE5 muscle hydration system. As a muscle therapist and personal trainer, Ryan wanted his clients progress beyond their sessions. This desire inspired him to create a portable muscle-care system and a "how to" library to target muscle and joint pain.

One of the keys to ultimate health is learning how to be trigger proof, but it is something that is often overlooked. Today we are changing that with our guest, Dr. Nima Rahmany, DC, CCWP. After building a very lucrative practice, he sold it in 2016 so he could focus entirely on helping individuals and professionals get to the root cause of their physical and emotional challenges; he helps them go from stressed, depressed, and anxious to living powerfully aligned and on purpose.

Do you know if there are toxins in your walls or in your shampoo? Terminating the toxins in your life is what our guest does: Aimee Carlson is the toxin terminator! Aimee has spent the last 7 years removing hidden toxins from her own home to be free of chronic disease, and she has helped hundreds do the same. Today she joins us for the Awesome Health Podcast, and she'll share how she started this terminating toxins quest and the top toxins to look for in your home.

Can you heal your eyesight? Our guest has and he's helping tens of thousands of other people do the same. Jake Steiner is a (semi-retired) stock trader and investor. His personal passion is understanding human eyesight - and has spent the past 20 years in vision biology science, exploring natural myopia control. Jake hosts the Web's largest vision improvement communities with many tens of thousands of participants and has written over 1,200 articles on vision biology and myopia control.

What are some specific ways you can improve health and performance with omega-3s? Our guest knows the answer and he's here to explain the science behind this healthy type of fat and how it can actually reverse diabetic nerve damage - something he was the first to do.

Thyroid issues have exploded in the general population, so how can you take care of your thyroid and avoid the same fate? Elle Russ is back to talk about her own healing journey and more on today's Awesome Health Podcast. Elle is the author of Confident As Fu*k and the best-selling book, The Paleo Thyroid Solution. In addition to being an incredible author, speaker and coach, Elle is also a TV/Film writer and the host of two podcasts: The Primal Blueprint Podcast & Kick Ass Life Podcast.

Technology is everywhere, all the time and that can make being digitally mindful increasingly difficult. Someone who has simplified this is Colleen Hayes and her app, Prezence. Colleen is a Boston-based technology and mindfulness expert who specializes in being digitally mindful. She is an advocate for intentional breaks from technology as a source of finding balance, and created the Prezence APP to inspire authentic human connection both online and offline.

Grief equates to sadness for most of us, but can we go further with it and actually experience the transformative journey of grief? Our guest is here to tell us how. Jasmin Jenkins is an Integrative Grief Guide and the founder of Fall Up, a community created to support people navigating the spectrum of grief. In her work, she brings her clients into the invitations within their grief journeys and supports them in co-creating a healing process through the transformative journey of grief.

Anyone who has accomplished great things in the world of health and wellness has embraced the fitness mindset. An incredible example of this is our guest today, Brian Keane. Brian is a teacher turned fitness entrepreneur and former professional fitness model who now competes in ultra endurance events. When not competing in such grueling adventures, Brian is an international speaker and best-selling author of a book called The Fitness Mindset.

Today you are getting personal tips from the UK's leading biohacker: none other than Mr. Tim Gray. After years spent self-healing his body from chronic health conditions through biohacking alone, Tim embarked on a mission to educate and empower the masses. The Health Optimisation Summit, Europe's largest health conference, was born.

Scaling up your online fitness business doesn't have to be a struggle, our guests today will be sharing some of their own wins, losses and wisdom learned from buidling a six-figure online fitness empire. Chris and Eric Martinez operate Dynamic Duo Training, a world class online fitness and lifestyle company. They are also international best-selling authors, speakers and coaches who have shown hundreds of fitness professionals how to build and scale their businesses.

What is the latest keto research telling us? Here to break it down and disseminate it for us is Dominic D'Agostino. You might remember him from episode 35: Dominic is actually Dr. Dominic, a professor in the Dept. of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at University of South Florida. He's also a research scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. His lab works to develop and test metabolic-based approaches for neurological disorders, cancers, etc.

At first glance it may not sound like it but being good enough is great and it's a great way to approach life. Here to explain this more is Dr. Candace Good. Candace is a board-certified psychiatrist. In addition to her residency and fellowship training, Dr. Good has completed programs with Wellcoaches, Maharishi Ayurveda, and The Veda Center.

How can a gratitude mindset transform your day to day life? Our guest knows and he's going to tell us on today's episode of Awesome Health Podcast! Brett Robbo is a performance coach, holistic wellbeing specialist, podcaster, and father. He is also a former sprinter at the Australian Institute of Sport, and then went on to work with Olympic and Paralympic champions and other high performance sporting teams as a performance therapist, sprints coach and strength & conditioning coach.

Ever wonder why it pays to play? Darryl Edwards joins us to talk about this very topic on episode 79 of Awesome Health Podcast. Darryl is a movement coach, author of the best-selling book "Animal Moves" and a leader in the area of creativity and innovation in fitness and health. He developed the Primal Play Method™ as a way to make physical activity both healthy and fun for people of all fitness levels and abilities.

Whether you're curious about going vegetarian or vegan or have already embraced one of those paths, today's guest is an expert on adopting a plant-based lifestyle. Kate Galli has spent 15 years helping thousands of individuals sculpt a body and life they love and over the past 4-5 years has focused on Vegan Health Coaching. Today she's giving us her top tips for going vegan, tactics to avoid overwhelm and much more!

What are the benefits of micro workouts? Can brief, intense bursts of exertion be more beneficial than longer types of physical activity? Here to answer those questions and more is none other than Brad Kearns. On this episode of Awesome Health Podcast, Brad tells us about being passionate about what we do at any stage of our lives and about how getting older helped him make the transition from ultra-competitive athlete to a more holistic and well-rounded person.

Joining us is the living legend himself - Eliott Hulse! Eliott is a husband and father of four, strongman, strength coach with a YouTube following of over 2 million. His mission in life is making men stronger, something we talk about on the show today. Elliott shares his thoughts on this plus the necessity of mentorship and more on this edition of Awesome Health Podcast.

How do plant-based nutrition and diabetes complement each other? Our guests today will tell us. Both Cyrus and Robby have been living with type 1 diabetes for over 15 years and have been successfully controlling it using plant-based nutrition. On today's episode, they debunk myths regarding nutrition, exercise, low-carb diets, intermittent fasting, and much more.

How much of your brain are you actually in charge of? Here to tell answer that question and explain how to make your brain work for you is none other than Kayla Osterhoff. On today's Awesome Health, we dive into all things mind, brain, body and health. But we start with Kayla's back story. She tells us she has been obsessed with the brain and the mind and the body, and their relationship for most of her life.

Carl Lanore has had his own journey on the road to becoming super human and he's here to tell us about it today. Carl is the broadcast host of his own Internet program "Super Human Radio", which airs on the SHOUTcast digital network and has a solid listenership of over half-a-million people, and that number is growing every week. It is one of the longest running health and fitness podcasts, and today you'll understand why Carl and his show are so popular!

Aging gracefully is something we all strive for and our guest is an expert at it, and today she's sharing her secrets. Bianca Jade is the founder of the health & lifestyle brand Mizzfit. She made a name for herself as one of the first fitness bloggers and influencers in the USA, discovered by Nike's R&D team which led to her debut on The Today Show in 2009.

Our guests today are experts at many things, including starting a Paleo movement. Michelle Norris is the owner, co-founder and CEO of Paleo f(x)™ the largest Paleo platform and event in the world. Keith Norris is her husband and fellow co-founder of Paleo f(x); he's also a military veteran who became a serial entrepreneur in the health and wellness world. Join us for this illuminating discussion with Michelle and Keith Norris on this episode of Awesome Health Podcast!

One of my favorite online comedians, JP Sears is here to talk about his comedic parodies of living the ultra-spiritual life, and also health and his creative process. JP is an active comedic YouTuber with over 300 million video views; he's also a standup comedian, an emotional healing coach, author, and speaker. He is also the host of his new podcast, The Awaken With JP Sears Show. You'll hear JP share his humor, his wisdom and much more when you join us for episode 70 of Awesome Health Podcast!

Today you are learning from the master! Dave Asprey is here to share his bulletproof biohacks with us. Dave is the Founder & Chairman of Bulletproof. He is a three-time New York Times bestselling science author, and the host of the Webby award-winning podcast Bulletproof Radio. He has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, The New York Times, Dr. Oz, and more. Listen to episode 69 with Dave Asprey to hear all biohacking secrets and so much more.

Many of us have or had certain ideas about how life at almost 30 and beyond would be - but what happens if we reach 30 and life doesn't look the way we envisioned it? We can follow the example set by today's guests, Krista Williams and Lindsey Simcik of the Almost 30 podcast. Tune in to hear this fun, entertaining and insightful episode of Awesome Health Podcast.

Do you know how to address leaky gut? You may have heard the term or may even be dealing with it yourself, but is there a way to potentially eliminate it? Matt Gallant, my Bioptimizers co-founder and biohacking genius, joins us to talk about his latest research and findings on gut health and leaky gut.

Joshua Holland is a man who knows the importance of building your healthiest bag of tricks. Joshua is an in-demand biohacker, fitness trainer and holistic health coach. He brings his experiential knowledge and deep wisdom into all he does from working with professional athletes and well-known celebrities to exploring the latest tools and technologies in the marketplace. On episode 66 of Awesome Health Podcast, Joshua tells us how he got started in the world of health and fitness.

Entrepreneurship is a demanding path, and no one knows this better than our guest Jag Chima. On being a high performance entrepreneur, Jag tells us exactly what it takes during episode 65 of Awesome Health Podcast.