Podcast Summary: Keeping It Real with Jillian Michaels
Guest: Thomas DeLauer
Episode: THE HUMAN UPGRADE BLUEPRINT!!
Date: August 19, 2025
Episode Overview
This candid, in-depth conversation explores not only the latest science in nutrition, biohacking, and longevity but also dives deep into the intersection of health, politics, and personal growth. Thomas DeLauer, a renowned health educator, joins Jillian Michaels for a wide-ranging discussion that moves from diet dogma and peptides to public health politics and the mental aspects driving both positive change and destructive behaviors.
Main Themes & Purposes
- Demystifying nutrition, supplementation, and biohacking: what actually works and why.
- The growing politicization of public health, food, and wellness.
- Personal journeys and emotional factors behind health behaviors.
- The dangers and promise of new medical frontiers: peptides, stem cells, gene therapy.
- How to reclaim agency and sanity in an era of polarized, confusing health messaging.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Reality of Diets & Supplements
[03:19, 17:20, 20:39, 44:31]
- Thomas DeLauer recounts his current eating habits: high protein (lean ground beef, avocados, berries, raw or 2% milk), focusing more on meal timing than rigid macro counting.
- The value is in simplicity: “My diet’s pretty darn boring.” – Thomas DeLauer [20:39]
- Raw milk topic—nutritional benefits versus safety risks and political weaponization.
- The ever-shifting diet trends: from low-carb, "sugar diets," to juice fasting—most work via caloric manipulation, but the nuances matter less than social media makes it seem.
- Quote: "We get so mechanistic in the weeds...but most people, it’s just glazing over. They don’t have time to learn biochemistry right now." – Thomas DeLauer [12:43]
2. Politicization of Health & Food
[15:00, 21:58, 25:18, 29:10, 31:05]
- Discussing the absurdity of issues like raw milk or food dyes becoming “political footballs.”
- The corruption of public discourse: “You don’t get to capture basic biology and health and use this as a tool politically. I refuse.” – Jillian Michaels [30:54]
- The need for trusted, apolitical health education in a landscape saturated by ideology and misinformation.
- Scientists and influencers getting trapped by “audience capture”—the pressure of sticking to a persona or dogma to avoid alienating followers.
3. Biohacking, Peptides, & Longevity
[32:04, 33:32, 45:07, 50:32, 56:23, 60:26]
- Exploring the roles and accessibility of peptides (e.g., BPC-157, oxytocin nasal spray), gene therapy, and the controversial world of compounding pharmacies.
- The experimental, sometimes gray-area nature of these interventions, and concerns with long-term safety, appropriate dosing, and regulatory capture by pharmaceutical interests.
- “Are you playing God or are you just trying to get a better quality of life?” – Thomas DeLauer [68:52]
- The distinction between interventions for performance optimization vs. attempting to radically extend lifespan.
4. The Psychology of Health & Performance
[73:04, 77:57, 81:43, 84:30]
- Emotional and psychological wiring drives behavior more than any logical or scientific argument.
- Both hosts share personal stories about the hidden motives fueling their choices—food as comfort and connection, endurance sports as a search for validation and love.
- DeLauer’s transformative experience with ketamine-assisted therapy: “Being able to take that step... It was the catalyst for me to actually go and say, okay, I'm gonna advance this therapy beyond 15 years of talk therapy that was getting me this far.” – Thomas DeLauer [80:13]
- The necessity of moving health messaging “from the head to the heart,” recognizing the layers of personality, trauma, and biology in every health journey.
5. Obstacles to Action: Information, Agency, and Modernity
[85:07, 86:15, 94:45]
- The difficulty for the average person in navigating health decisions amid fear, conflicting voices, and the lure of both biohacker tribes and algorithmic tribes.
- Skepticism about the impact of initiatives like the Maha (Make America Healthy Again) movement due to infighting and getting lost in minor battles instead of core education and transparency.
- DeLauer's advice: The need for deep personal passion and living/leading by example rather than pursuing optics and clickbait.
6. Quality of Life, Mortality & Purpose
[68:22, 70:15, 71:59]
- Discussing the concept of living to 200 and confronting the existential side: is life about longevity or meaning?
- “Being okay with the fact that you are going to die someday… allows you to live your life the way you want.” – Thomas DeLauer [70:07]
- The ultimate fulfillment is not in escape or immortality, but in connection, contribution, and acceptance.
7. Running, Trauma, and Seeking
[73:04, 76:07, 77:57]
- The link between extreme athletic achievements and unresolved trauma or the search for connection.
- “Are you running to something or from something? For me, it was seeking behavior.” – Thomas DeLauer [75:34]
8. Technology, Deepfakes & Trust
[101:43]
- The rise of AI-generated deepfakes and the threat they pose to personal brands and public trust.
- DeLauer shares the struggle of fake endorsements and the inability to fully control one's online likeness.
Notable Quotes & Unique Moments
On Biohacking & Peptides
- “It feels a little bit like a Frankenstein situation.” – Jillian Michaels [68:37]
- “If you notice it actually improves your quality of life in this moment, then it is worth it. But when you start once again borrowing from tomorrow for today…” – Thomas DeLauer [72:32]
On the Political Firestorm in Health
- “It’s just, I no longer...I don't even know how to talk about diet and exercise anymore. Because when raw milk becomes a political football...” – Jillian Michaels [25:18]
On Gut Health
- “Leaky gut is a very, very real thing...it’s unfortunate that it’s been over-marketed because it is a very real thing.” – Thomas DeLauer [58:51]
Ketamine-Assisted Therapy & Emotional Transformation
- “The biggest game changer for me...was investing in that and doing ketamine assisted therapy, and going that route. And it was a game changer for me...to have a certain level of ego dissolvement...” – Thomas DeLauer [77:57]
- “It made me better at what I’ve done. What’s crazy...so many people in the comment section...said, ‘Something’s different about you,’...how you explain things seems to come from the heart more.” – Thomas DeLauer [80:51]
On Fighting for Change
- “If you want to lead a charge and make a change...speak from the heart on that, because people will pick up on that. That is how you lead a charge and lead a change.” – Thomas DeLauer [98:23]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Supplements & Diet Hot Takes – [02:28, 17:20, 20:39]
- Nicotine, Caffeine & Cognitive Health – [04:02, 05:23, 24:31]
- Raw Milk & Political Food Fights – [21:05, 21:58]
- Biohacking: Peptides, Cerebrolysin, Gene Therapy – [32:04, 45:02, 48:13, 50:32, 60:26]
- Sugar Diet Trend & Social Media Influence – [33:54, 34:48, 41:56]
- The Psychology of Eating & Exercise – [08:22, 73:04, 74:38, 81:43]
- Therapy, Trauma, and Emotional Healing – [77:57, 80:13]
- Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Movement – [30:54, 85:33]
- Living with Purpose & Mortality – [68:22, 70:15, 71:59]
- Technology & Deepfakes – [101:43]
Final Advice & Takeaways
- Simple nutrition advice: Focus on whole foods, high protein, high fiber, and consistency over obsessions with dietary minutiae.
- Mitigate what you can, when you can: Accept you can’t control every toxin, but incremental better choices matter.
- Seek emotional clarity: Understand the motives behind your health behaviors, and consider interventions (such as therapy or psychedelics in a medical context) to resolve deeper issues.
- Beware of tribalism and dogma: Health is individual; don’t get lost in the wars over details.
- Transparency is critical: Push for it in food systems and healthcare.
- Lead with authenticity & passion: Focus on impactful action over performing for optics or tribal applause.
Where to find Thomas DeLauer:
All social media platforms: @ThomasDeLauer | Website: thomasdelauer.com
Listen to this episode if you want a sweeping, no-nonsense, and heartfelt look at the real-life challenges, possibilities, and promises of nutrition, health, and personal change in 2025.