Alzheimer’s Can Be Prevented & Reversed: Drs. Dean & Ayesha Sherzai On Optimizing Brain Health

One of the great privileges of hosting this podcast is the occasional opportunity it presents to shift focus from conversations with globally prominent thought leaders to shine a bright spotlight on the struggles and triumphs of the everyman. Folks living average, relatable lives. Anonymous individuals dealing with issues all too many of us confront and combat — obesity, depression, disease, addiction and/or a sense of general dissatisfaction with their current life status. Authentic souls who reach the limit of their pain threshold and cross that tipping point to finally proclaim, enough is enough. On a personal note, nothing gives me more satisfaction than celebrating those who courageously challenge their life paradigm, step outside the cozy comfort zone, and attempt the extraordinary — all in the interest of gaining control of their well being and seizing the reigns of their life path. Folks like Josh LaJaunie, who lost over 200 pounds to conquer ultramarathons and even grace the cover of this month's Runners World magazine. Or Brett & David Wilcox – the father-son duo who ran across the USA to raise GMO awareness. Luke Tyburski fits the bill — a guy who overcame depression to conquer The Ultimate Triathlon. And I'd add Adam Sud to that list — a young guy who kicked adderal, reversed his diabetes and found a life. Sharing these experiences is what makes this podcast different from the others — meaningful and special in a very unique way. So if you enjoy the uplifting everyman story, then you are in for a treat today. About a year ago, Andrew Taylor stepped onto the scale — 334 pounds. The Aussie didn't like what he saw. He didn't like how he felt. Clinically depressed, medicated and hopelessly addicted to unhealthy foods, his elevator was going down — fast. Fed up and sick & tired of being sick & tired, he drew a line in the sand and decided to step over it. It was time to finally wake up and seize the reigns of his physical, mental and emotional health and well being. To once and for all reclaim the life he felt quickly slipping away. Blessed with self-awareness, he saw his path to freedom would lay not in balance but rather in what most would consider drastic and extreme measures. Andrew decided that he would eat nothing but potatoes for an entire year. Nothing. But. Potatoes. For an entire year. On January 2, 2016, all 334 depressed pounds of Andrew popped open his phone, clicked record, and announced his quest on YouTube — to a subscriber base of exactly zero. The single video soon morphed into a daily vlog, a raw, personal and authentic look into the highs, lows, how to's and whatnots of a potato-fueled journey Andrew dubbed Spud Fit. He presumed nobody would care. This was for him. Surprisingly, the world took notice. It wasn't long before the global media picked up Andrew's personal interest story and before he could even blink, his wild adventure was foisted into the white hot spotlight. Enjoy! Rich

21 Nov 20161h 52min

I have endeavored to keep politics out of this podcast. A podcast proudly built on radical inclusivity that transcends political ideology and affiliation. That said, in the wake of last week, many have solicited my perspective on what I think we can all agree is a historic election — perhaps the most jolting and important political event of our lifetimes. So today, I officially go on record. I'm nervous. Because my truth may not be your truth. But know that I welcome our differences. I do this because I stand for fidelity to authenticity. And authenticity requires I give voice to my truth. I do this with eyes wide open. I understand and accept that I very well may be committing social media suicide. I do this because I am dismayed by the extent to which we are divided as a people. I do this because fear runs rampant. Because discord rules the conversation. Because facts have been rendered irrelevant. Because fundamental rights are being threatened. Because dignity is being trampled. Because science is under siege. And because precious environmental protections are imperiled. I do this to provide counsel for those suffering. I do this to build a bridge to those celebrating. I do this from a desire to better understand. I do this from a place of love. So let's have a conversation about it. About all of it. A real conversation. Today I convene with Julie Piatt and activist filmmaker Darly Wein for a raw and candid roundtable discourse on how to best process, move forward and come together in this most divisive, uncertain time. The answer to what ails us transcends politics. It lives beyond our respective idealogical bubbles. It's an answer that will only be found in the desire to better understand ourselves and each other. In the search for unity. In self-governance and taking responsibility for our actions, our words, and our behavior. Beyond the fear that blinds us, it will be discovered only when we learn to walk with integrity, stop fighting and listen — really listen — with compassion. With empathy. And love. Always love. I sincerely hope you find this conversation helpful. Should you choose to pass on this episode (I get it), regular programming will resume on Monday. Peace + Plants, Rich

17 Nov 20161h 18min

This week marks the highly anticipated return of Chris Hauth to the podcast. A sub-9 hour Ironman, Chris (@AIMPCoach) is the current Age Group Ironman World Champion, a former Olympic Swimmer and one of the world's most respected endurance coaches. In 2006, Chris won the Ironman Coeur D’Alene and went on to be the first American amateur & 4th overall American at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. When he's not training and racing, Chris expertly coaches a wide spectrum of amateur and elite professional athletes across a variety of disciplines, including Ironman and Western States top finishers, Ultraman winners and myriad swimmers towards age group nationals and Olympic Trials. My relationship with Chris began in 2008. A coach/athlete mentorship turned friendship that profoundly and forever altered the trajectory of my life. Brilliantly guiding me through three Ultraman World Championships ('08, '09 & '11) as well as EPIC5 in 2010, my debt of gratitude for Chris' tutelage cannot be overstated. Simply put, I could have never achieved the level of athletic success I have enjoyed without his deft counsel, which has been instrumental in maximizing my potential as an athlete and bettering me as a human being. Today I am pleased to share his wisdom with you. This is a general conversation about Chris' evolving philosophy on training, racing and life. It's also a granular and technical masterclass on optimal training protocols, the common mistakes most athletes make, the approach and mindset required to break the glass ceiling on potential, and how to effectively balance performance goals against general health and well-being. But at it's core, this is a conversation about multi-sport as a crucible for self-awareness and growth. Endurance sports as metaphor for life.  We cover a lot of ground in this conversation, including: * Chris’ training & racing philosophy * aerobic vs. anaerobic training * the benefits of calculated progression * pros & cons of external monitors/trackers * race plan execution * prioritizing core strength * strategies for optimizing recovery  * the facts on fad dieting and fitness nutrition * striking the proper balance between performance & general health * overcoming adversity through mental & physical fitness, and * the imperative of fitness for life I have an inkling this episode will leave you wanting to hear more about Chris' story and philosophy. If so, check out RRP #21 — our first podcast exchange back in the early days of the program. Then check out his website AIMPCoaching and let him know what you think on Twitter at @AIMPCoach. Still have questions for Chris? Shoot him an e-mail at chris@aimpcoaching.com (Chris – you might regret sharing your e-mail here!) I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange. Peace + Plants, Rich

14 Nov 20161h 56min

Imagine co-creating a tool so powerful, it literally changes the world. Biz Stone is one such man. Most people know Biz as one of the co-founders of Twitter. Together @biz@jack and @ev created the social media behemoth that seismically impacted how we connect with the world, share information, exchange opinions, consume news, and participate in the daily global conversation. Ironically, Biz never aspired to become successful in business. A most unlikely entrepreneur, he spent his early years as an artist, crafting book covers for a Boston publishing house. Biz’s initial interest in Silicon Valley was sparked not by the potential for riches but rather by idealism – technology as potential energy to greater unite the human experience. Bring people closer. And cultivate global cooperation. An early evangelist of blogging as a vehicle to serve his romantic vision, Biz jumped when Ev Williams invited him to join Blogger, the networked blogging platform Ev had built and sold to Google. Ultimately, Biz walked away from Google. Leaving millions on the table, he leaped into the treacherous unknown of start ups, following Ev to podcast precursor Odeo. In one of the greatest pivots in Silicon Valley lore, Odeo would morph into Twitter. Twitter would permanently change culture. And along with Ev, Biz would later advance to co-found Medium, the über-popular, user-friendly blogging platform of the moment. Today brings us to Jelly, a new kind of multi-platform search engine Biz recently launched that allows you to ask questions and get timely, helpful answers (as opposed to an index of websites) from the people most well suited to intelligently respond. It's fun and surprisingly effective. Give it a try by downloading the iOS app, visiting askjelly.com/richroll, or just add #askjelly to your Twitter questions. Among his accolades, INC. Magazine named Biz Entrepreneur of the Decade. TIME listed him as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, GQ named him Nerd of the Year, and he’s one of Vanity Fair's Top Ten Most Influential People of the Information Age. Despite never graduating college, today Biz serves up Visiting and Executive Fellow duties at both Oxford and Berkeley respectively and authored the humorous memoir, Things A Little Bird Told Me. Beyond the narrative of inhabiting rare entrepreneurial air, what’s most personally interesting about Biz is that at his core, he really is an artist. A true artist. Not one for the sexy stories of Silicon Valley board room intrigue, what excites Biz most is leveraging his fertile, creative mind to serve humanity. To make the world better. More connected. More empathetic. This is a fun, jocular conversation about conscious capitalism, the future of tech and artificial intelligence. It’s about living in alignment with one’s values. It’s about the future of one man’s dedication to cultivating greater human cooperation. And it’s a conversation about what it takes to change the world. Like, indubitably. Oh yeah – he’s also super funny. I sincerely hope you enjoy the conversation. Give Biz a shout on Twitter at @biz and let him know what you think. Peace + Plants, Rich

7 Nov 20162h 4min

Julie Piatt joins me for another mid-week installment of the podcast — a twist on my normal format where we answer listener questions and go deep on specific topics. Today we recap Plantpower Italia, our second retreat in Italy, before exploring the subject of building a brand that is truly authentic to who you are. Disclaimer: The answers might surprise you. Enjoy the show! Peace + Plants, Rich

3 Nov 20161h 4min

I thought it would make me happy. So, I studied hard. Nailed the grades & aced my college applications — 7 for 7. Even Harvard gave me the green light. I snagged a degree from Stanford, eked my way through Cornell Law School, bagged the fancy job, worked ridiculous hours in overpriced suits and rode the elevator all the way up the corporate ladder, hammering impressive paychecks along the way. Prosperity? I guess. Security? Maybe. Personal satisfaction? Not so much. Don't get me wrong. The American Dream is a beautiful ideal. An egalitarian proposition I bought into wholesale, forging a life trajectory premised upon material well being. But the dream is not without it's fissures. Nowhere does it promise personal well being. Nowhere does it promise meaning. Nowhere does it promise happiness. But this is on me. Because at no point did I take action on anything of personal importance. What do I want? Who do I want to be?  At 30, I lacked the maturity and self-awareness to honestly answer these questions. But let's face it — I didn't even ask. At first, my dissatisfaction was barely noticeable. But as my disquieting malaise progressively escalated, I compensated with all manner of unhealthy habits. Blackout binges that landed me in jail. Horrendously noxious food that left me atrociously unhealthy. Spending sprees that escalated my debt to almost un-fixable levels. Nothing worked. So I drank more, ate more, spent more, consumed more. Yet no matter how overindulgent my insalubrious habits, how desperate my accelerating efforts to medicate my discomforting dis-ease of self became, that hole in my spirit just grew. Deeper. Wider. Darker. Until it's sheer vastness swallowed me whole, leaving me lost, despondent and utterly alone. Hoping to die and unable to live, all that remained was the realm of the hungry ghost. I honestly don't know how or why I survived. But I do know my rebirth was not by my hand. My divine moment was just that – divine. A faint whisper from the dark recesses of my rootless, discomposed consciousness: You don't have to live this way anymore. This week's guest knows a thing or two about what I'm talking about. Because not that many years ago, Joshua Fields Milburn was blazing a similar trajectory. Mired in the corporate grind, he chased the American Dream banking six figures managing 150 telecom retail stores, expiating for the satisfaction his career failed to provide by doing what we do — accumulating. And when that didn't work, he accumulated more. In fact — much like me — the more Joshua measured self-worth via the barometer of externalities like job titles, condos, and big screen tv's, the more his hole darkened, dilating in depth, width and scope. Joshua's divine moment was delivered in the sudden passing of his mother, followed quickly by the dissolution of his marriage. A devastating succession of events that forced him to take a long look in the mirror. Despondent with the guy being reflected back to him, a whisper began to echo: You don't have to live this way anymore. Hence was born Joshua's search for a more fulfilling and personally satisfying way of living and being. A search that ultimately illuminated a beacon in the darkest of nights. Minimalism. It began with unshackling his relationship to material things. But it culminated in something far more profound: freedom. In Joshua's words, freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from overwhelm. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom. Enjoy! Rich

31 Okt 20161h 54min

At the highest echelon of elite performance, all the athletes possess otherworldly talent. Their thirst for glory is equally preternatural. All of them train to the outer limits of physical possibility. And they are all extraordinarily adroit at focusing on almost inhuman, impossible goals. So what accounts for the distance between the Olympic gold medalist standing proudly atop the podium and the athlete watching the games on television at home? Is it luck? Talent? Support? Resources? Of course every result is significantly influenced by some combination of these important variables. But all things being equal, the difference between the champion and the also ran boils down to one distinct variable: The mind. Once the embarrassing last stop on a flailing athlete’s career, the world's top sports psychologists now enjoys a highly influential and respected role proactively honing the mental and emotional edge of today's most successful athletes, CEOs and creatives looking to elevate peak performance beyond the imaginable. Enter Dr. Michael Gervais — the go to high performance psychologist everyone is talking about. A key member of the Red Bull High Performance Program, Michael works in the trenches of high-stakes environments with some of the world's most prolific Olympic and professional athletes — rare air where there is no luxury for mistakes, hesitation, or failure to respond. Dr. Gervais' results are beyond impressive. If you follow the NFL, then you might recall Michael as the guy Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll credits as integral in their 2014 Super Bowl win for the meditation, mindfulness and other crucial team building techniques he helped foster and instill into the fabric of the Seahawks organization and team culture that paved the team’s path towards incredible success. You might also remember that Felix Baumgartner’s now-infamous Red Bull Stratos jump from an altitude of 128,000 feet almost never was simply because Felix simply could not overcome the high level of anxiety and claustrophobia he experienced every time he donned the jump suit. It was none other than Gervais who helped Baumagartner resolve the issue and get Stratos back on track. No Gervais, no history making jump. And more recently, Michael is the man behind Luke Aikins, who astonished the world this past July by becoming the first skydiver to jump from a plane at 25,000 feet without a parachute or wingsuit and live to tell the story. Dr. Gervais has also worked intimately with US Olympic Team members like beach volleyball superstar Kerry Walsh Jennings, as well as swimmers, snowboarders, golfers, basketball players, track and field athletes, an impressive array of top collegiate programs, and professional sports organizations including the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB and UFC. In addition, his work has played an integral role in the US Military, as well as several collegiate and high school programs. While Dr. Gervais’ roster includes some of the sports world’s most elite, this isn’t just about high performance athletes. Enjoy! Rich

24 Okt 20162h

Religion was never for me. Despite many a youthful hour spent kneeling on hardwood church pews, it just never connected. What do all those stained glass windows, depressing organ dirges, and uptight people have to do with art and beauty and meaning and love and purpose and mystery and ultimately what it means to be human? Nothing as far as I could tell. So I searched for answers elsewhere. In the bottom of a bottle. Prowling underground after parties in lower Manhattan. In a mental institution called rehab. In midnight conversations with skid row junkies. In the sound of my breath, lost on a mountain trail run at dawn. During afternoons spent undulating with dolphins in Hawaii. In the overwhelming love I feel simply watching my children sleep. My search didn't lead back to religion. But it did lead to faith. A deep faith of my own design. Faith in an undefined, unlimited power greater than myself. A faith that quite literally saved my life when I was utterly lost, completely broken and unconditionally beyond repair. A faith that has since infused my journey with meaning, purpose and satisfaction beyond my wildest imagination. Some call my version of faith God. Call it whatever you like. I don't care. What I do care about is what it really means to be a spiritual being having a human experience. This week's guest has a few thoughts on the subject — an anti-establishment pastor provocateur making an indelible cultural impact on how we think and practice divinity, faith, and religion in the modern world. Named one of 2011's 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time Magazine, Rob Bell has presided over mega congregations, toured with Oprah and been profiled in The New Yorker. iTunes named his podcast, The RobCast, one of the Best of 2015 and he has penned more than a handful of New York Times bestsellers, including Love Wins, the Oprah book of the month What We Talk About When We Talk about God*, and his most recent book, How To Be Here: A Guide to Creating a Life Worth Living*. To me, what makes Rob so undeniably captivating is his independent-minded, radically inclusive — almost punk rock — perspective on faith. Breaking ranks with entrenched, pedantic notions of antiquated Christian church doctrine, his message upends the divisive aspects of religious ideology, recontextualizing the canon as a highly relatable, welcome pallium for all — a comprehensive fiat that boils down to one central premise: Love wins. Always. Enjoy! Rich

17 Okt 20161h 56min