Podcast
The mindbodygreen Podcast
Hosted by mindbodygreen · EN
The mindbodygreen podcast explores the infinite possibilities of health & well-being. Hosted by founder and co-CEO Jason Wachob, each episode features a thought-provoking interview with a leader in the health space. Whether you’re thinking about changing what’s on your plate, how you move, or how you think, these conversations are sure to offer solutions in whole-body health.
59episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
659: How to build a flourishing mind in 5 minutes | Richard Davidson, Ph. D.
Yesterday00:50:13Summary ready“Every human being comes equipped with the capacity to flourish,” says Richard Davidson, Ph.D. Davidson is the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Founder and Director of the Center for Healthy Minds. He is best known for his groundbreaking work studying emotion and the brain. A friend and confidante of the Dalai Lama, he is a highly sought after expert and speaker, leading conversations on wellbeing on international stages such as the World Economic Forum, where he served on the Global Council on Mental Health. In 2014, Davidson founded Humin (formerly Healthy Minds Innovations), a global nonprofit on a mission to make wellbeing real by translating science into action. 00:00 - What it means to flourish 05:48 - Using your mind intentionally 09:46 - Why informal practice works just as well 11:50 - A mindful walk 14:21 - The biology of loneliness 17:15 - The narrative you carry about yourself 20:38 - Mental reps & neuroplasticity 23:54 - Connecting purpose to small tasks 28:25 - The free Healthy Minds app 31:02 - How fast the brain actually changes 36:48 - Inflammation, dementia, & longevity 38:53 - Davidson's morning & evening ritual 43:13 - Setting kids up to flourish 44:43 - How a volleyball team connects Referenced in the episode: The Healthy Minds app: https://www.humin.org/wellbeing-tools/app For more about Davidson, visit: https://www.richardjdavidson.com/ Purchase his book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1668066238/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?tag=mind0a3-20 We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summary658: The most efficient path to better cardio | sports scientist Fraser Thurlow, Ph.D.
1w ago00:53:13Summary ready"When it comes to high-intensity interval training work, quality is much more important than quantity,” says Fraser Thurlow, Ph.D. Thurlow is a high-performance coach, researcher, and lecturer with over a decade of experience helping people improve their fitness and performance. He holds a PhD in Human Performance, has published extensively on training, and has lectured at leading Australian universities in sport and exercise science. His work focuses on translating science into practical, evidence-based strategies that improve health, fitness, and athletic performance. 00:00 - How to actually raise your VO2 max 05:26 - Long vs short interval training 09:00 - Heart rate vs. perceived exertion 11:13 - Accurately monitoring heart rate 13:12 - The sprint interval training protocol 19:07 - A sample weekly plan 23:58 - Working exercise into the day-to-day 28:24 - Making the most out of supersets 31:58 - VO2 max mistakes 34:32 - How to train for HYROX 39:17 - Foot strength & barefoot lifting 43:37 - Overrated & underrated fitness 45:35 - Fraser's sprint research 50:40 - VO2 max vs. muscle for longevity Referenced in the episode: For more about Thurlow & his personal training, visit: https://stan.store/drthurlow Jan Helgerud sprint study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17414804/ Vollaard analysis of VO2 max studies: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28079707/ We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summary657: The science of art as medicine | behavioral scientist Daisy Fancourt
2w ago00:46:13Summary ready“When we engage in the arts, it exposes us to a lot of emotions, which can have a tangible impact on the neurotransmitters released in our brains, the stress hormones in our bodies, and even the levels of inflammation in our immune system,” says Daisy Fancourt. Fancourt is a Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology at University College London where she heads the Social Biobehavioural Research Group, and serves as the Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health. She is one of the most highly cited scientists in the world, having published 300 scientific papers and won over two dozen academic prizes. She is a multi-award-winning science communicator and has been named a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and BBC New Generation Thinker. 00:00 - Art as the fifth pillar of health 01:21 - The benefits of arts engagement 08:10 - Your daily & weekly arts prescription 09:35 - Why attention is the key ingredient 11:12 - Visual vs. audio art 14:56 - Making the most of a museum visit 18:11 - Art for stress & mood regulation 19:09 - Using art to wind down 21:04 - Art & the brain 27:44 - Prescribing art for anxiety & depression 32:08 - Reconnecting with childhood creativity 34:14 - Finding art in the every day 36:45 - Biological evidence of art’s impact 40:14 - Art for joy & exercise 44:54 - The creative commute Referenced in the episode: Greece’s art program for mental health: https://artonprescription.gr/en/ For more about Fancourt & her research, visit: https://sbbresearch.org/ Buy Fancourt’s book here: https://a.co/d/03ypycB7 We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summary656: The connection between pain & the brain | Rachel Zoffness, Ph.D.
3w ago00:54:36Summary ready“Anatomy and physiology always matter when it comes to pain. They're just not the whole story,” says Rachel Zoffness, Ph.D. Zoffness is a pain scientist, pain psychologist, and thought-leader revolutionizing the way we understand and treat pain. She's an assistant clinical professor at UCSF, lectures at Stanford, and consults on the development of pain management programs around the world. Dr. Zoffness’s new book, Tell Me Where It Hurts, is out now, and in the process of being translated into over 25 languages. 00:00 - Everything we know about pain is wrong 05:48 - Pain is biopsychosocial 09:45 - Building your personal pain recipe 15:00 - Emotions can turn pain volume up & down 18:14 - Your thoughts affect your physiology 25:29 - How cancer cured a kidney stone 31:51 - Optimism & letting go of outcomes 37:47 - What the placebo effect really is 39:45 - A daily protocol for pain resilience 44:35 - Why friends are medicine 48:05 - When words make pain worse 51:00 - Rachel's own pain story Referenced in the episode: For more about Zoffness, visit her website: https://www.zoffness.com/ Buy her book here: https://a.co/03dKuChz We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summary655: A cardiac surgeon had a heart attack—here’s what he missed | Jeremy London, M.D.
4w ago00:54:17Summary ready"Making the effort earlier totally changes the trajectory for the rest of your life,” says Jeremy London, MD. London is a board-certified cardiovascular surgeon with more than 25 years of clinical experience caring for patients across the full spectrum of heart disease — from prevention to advanced intervention. Dr. London received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia and completed his general surgery residency at Joseph’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado. He completed a general vascular and thoracic surgical fellowship at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. To deepen his understanding of medicine, he completed the Institute of Functional Medicine core program. 00:00 - When a cardiac surgeon has a heart attack 10:46 - Waking up with different priorities 13:49 - Missed signals 18:35 - The CGM experiment that revealed pre-diabetes 21:43 - The 5 tests that actually matter 25:44 - Diving into Lp(a) 30:36 - Target numbers for primary prevention 32:26 - Why taking medication isn't failure 38:24 - Atherosclerosis starts in childhood 41:19 - Why a zero calcium score doesn't mean you're safe 45:40 - What we don't know 48:41 - GLP-1s & the future of prevention For more about London, visit his website: https://drjeremylondon.com/ We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summary654: Why your 40s & 50s are your most powerful years yet | psychologist Margie Lachman, Ph.D.
Jun 1400:49:39Summary ready"Midlife is a perfect time for you to think about where you've been & where you want to go,” says Margie Lachman, PhD. Lachman is professor of psychology at Brandeis University and director of the Lifespan Lab. A leading expert on adult development and aging, Lachman is one of a small group of scholars who study midlife from a lifespan developmental perspective. Her honors include research awards from the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Gerontological Society of America. Lachman was a member of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development, which launched the landmark Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. She is a coinvestigator on MIDUS and several other projects exploring cognition, health, and well-being in midlife and later adulthood. 00:00 - Why midlife is actually prime time 04:37 - The hinge moment & the pivot point 08:08 - Looking back vs. looking ahead 11:16 - The midlife crisis myth, explained 14:24 - Stability, identity, & personality change 18:42 - Traits of people who thrive in midlife 22:55 - What to do in retirement 26:53 - No one wants to look older 29:00 - Emotional regulation gets better with age 31:20 - Resilience, optimism, and sense of control 35:52 - Giving vs receiving in midlife relationships 38:36 - The U-shaped happiness curve is overstated 41:32 - Cognitive peak in midlife 40:36 - How your mindset can be anti-inflammatory 44:30 - Exercise as a panacea for health Referenced in the episode: Buy Lachman’s book here: For more about the MIDUS study, visit: https://midus.wisc.edu/ Patent holder study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733322001500 We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summary653: A neurologist's honest take on Alzheimer's blood tests | Richard Isaacson, MD
Jun 700:45:08Summary ready"There is no one magic test for brain health,” says Richard Isaacson, MD. Isaacson is a Harvard-trained neurologist who directs the Precision Prevention Program at Atria Health and Research Institute and founded the world's first Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian. A leader in precision-medicine approaches to Alzheimer's risk reduction, he has served as principal investigator for multiple research initiatives focused on individualized care. He recently led an NIH-funded clinical trial showing that a free online tool (RetainYourBrain.com) reduced Alzheimer's risk by 16% in six months, and is working to democratize brain health testing through an at-home, lower-cost blood biomarker test (AlzLabs.org). Show notes: 00:00 - What we don’t know about Alzheimer’s 04:49 - Where to start with Alzheimer’s risk 06:55 - Lifestyle first: optimizing what you can control 10:39 - Using wearables & health tech for brain health 16:19 – Why there's no perfect blood test for the brain 29:06 - Cutting through the information noise 31:10 - Steps to take when symptoms appear 35:37 - Is it actually memory loss? 38:54 - The future of Alzheimer’s testing Referenced in the episode: Free cognitive risk & assessment tools: retainyourbrain.com Free information about blood biomarkers: ind.org/bloodtest Free information about home testing: alzlabs.org We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summary652: A guide to healthy pooping | Trisha Pasricha, MD, MPH
May 3100:44:04Summary ready"You shouldn't be spending more than five minutes in there at a time,” says Trisha Pasricha, MD, MPH. A graduate of Harvard College, Pasricha earned her medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her training includes an internal medicine residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and gastroenterology and motility fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital. Currently, Pasricha is an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Institute for Gut-Brain Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an NIH-funded research laboratory at the forefront of gut-brain science. Her book, You've Been Pooping All Wrong, is out now. 00:00 - What actually makes a bowel movement healthy 07:55 - The Bristol Stool Chart explained 10:50 - The case for bidets 14:49 - What hemorrhoids actually are 17:44 - The smartphone-hemorrhoid study 20:33 - Fiber timing & psyllium husk 24:03 - The rise in early-onset colorectal cancer 27:43 - Microbiome testing 30:03 - The future of gut health 32:33 - Why we can't poop when traveling 35:40 - How much gas is actually normal 38:01 - Runners with the runs 41:10 - How to overhaul your gut in 30 days Referenced in the episode: For more about Pasricha, visit her website: https://www.trishapasricha.com/ Buy Pasricha’s book here: https://a.co/d/0gZZImBR Smartphone usage on the toilet study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12407481/ We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summary651: 36 years of happiness research points to this | Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D.
May 2400:45:42Summary ready"Almost all of the interventions that make us happier work because they make us feel more connected and more loved,’ says Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D. Lyubomirsky is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the bestselling author of The How of Happiness and The Myths of Happiness—and her latest, How to Feel Loved (Harper Collins, 2026), paired with a mainstage TED talk. A Harvard and Stanford-trained scientist whose research has been featured in the New York Times, on podcasts, and in documentaries worldwide, she is one of the world's leading experts on the science of happiness 00:00 - What connects every happiness practice 03:24 - Why you should talk to strangers 04:41 - Kindness changes your DNA 08:32 - Money, power, & fame are overrated 10:36 - The case for reaching out to old friends 13:49 - Why 70% don't feel loved enough 17:03 - The walls we walk around with 18:52 - The radical curiosity mindset 23:55 - How to really listen 28:19 - AI as a companion 31:05 - The relationship SEAsaw 39:00 - When introverts act extroverted 43:40 - The conversation to have tomorrow Referenced in the episode: For more about Lyubomirsky & her research, visit her website: https://sonjalyubomirsky.com/ Buy her new book: https://a.co/d/04sCyQSj Listen to her mainstage TED talk: https://youtu.be/pdRWeK9f02w?si=1vV8cwwsSHeCMZ3y For more about Nicholas Epley’s research & upcoming book, visit his website: https://www.nicholasepley.com/ We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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650: Is spirituality medicine? | Joshua W. Brown, Ph.D.
May 1700:52:11Summary ready“Placebo effects are real and mind-body effects are real, and there's a fairly large scientific literature on these things,” says Joshua W. Brown, Ph.D. Brown is a professor of Psychological and Brain Science at Indiana University, where he directs the Cognitive Control Lab. He also co-founded the Global Medical Research Institute With decades of experience in computational neuroscience and over 79 peer-reviewed publications, he brings the same rigorous scientific methodology to extraordinary claims of healing that he applies to understanding the brain. 00:00 - A neuroscientist's brain tumor diagnosis 07:29 - Prayer with expectation 10:43 - The biology of belief 12:13 - Inside the Global Medical Research Institute 17:14 - Even known placebos still work 20:27 - The science of miracles 24:10 - Conversion disorders & the mind-body line 32:02 - The brain is a prediction machine 38:02 - How chronic stress writes itself into the body 41:18 - Why "just believe" doesn't work 43:22 - Healing happens in community 47:16 - When neuroscience met the Dalai Lama 50:26 - The morning practice that grounds his day Referenced in the episode: To learn more about Brown, visit his website: https://joshbrownneuro.com/ Buy Brown’s book here: https://a.co/d/07qL3LKj To learn more Brown’s research, or to report your own miracle, visit the Global Medical Research Institute website: https://www.globalmri.org/ We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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