125: Becoming a More Mindful and Spiritual Biohacker - with Oz Garcia

While on Lockdown in New York City, Oz Dove Deep Within Himself

During the dumpster fire year known as 2020, many people faced lockdown situations, where they had no choice but to stay inside their homes and refrain from having contact with people outside their immediate family.

Many folks in this situation chose to binge on Netflix, stress eat (which led to weight gain), abuse substances, and a tragic number of people became depressed along the way.

The pandemic lockdown was brutal for everyone. Oz Garcia ended up shelving an exciting new book project he began at the beginning of 2020. But the lockdown turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Oz. Or, more accurately, his "pandemic response" shifted his momentum without breaking his momentum. Instead of getting caught up in the news and the chaos on the outside - Oz began meditating more. He dove deeper within himself, and at age 70, this famous "celebrity nutritionist to the stars" experienced a profound shift in perspective that has radically changed his daily life.

This is a deep conversation between Oz and our host Wade Lightheart. You may know Oz Garcia as the celebrity nutritionist, the anti-aging expert, and the best-selling author. He's all of those things - but more. The past year has taught Oz a lot about what's truly important in life and how we can be better prepared mentally and physically for the next big crisis that comes along. Listen in as Oz and Wade reflect on the past year and how they are going forward.

In this podcast, we cover:

• How to deal with uncertainty (better)
• Unpacking Oz's transformation this past year
• How Oz keeps physically fit
• What this new spiritual and meditative space looks like for Oz
• Topics Oz is writing about these days (on his blog)
• Where is technology taking us?
• The importance of your microbiome and how a healthy gut strengthens your "B.S." detector
• What a typical day looks like for Oz when he's in his "flow"

Starting Your Day on the Write Foot

One thing Oz shares is his new habit of daily writing that began soon after the pandemic started. This daily writing routine developed as a response to the chaos happening in NYC. He discovered how using his new extra time creatively helped keep anxiety at bay.

He has an office set up where all his writing materials are prepared and waiting for his arrival. He started with simple journaling. Oz says several good digital journal apps are out there to use - his favorite being The Five Minute Journal app.

Oz also starts his day with the writings of other great minds - like the Stoics. Oz is a fan of Ryan Holliday's Daily Stoic journal. The Sam Harris app is another tool Oz mentions as a way to begin your day in a more thoughtful place.

Oz says this part of his daily routine helps set up his day for success. "Instead of being preoccupied in the waves that we all are certainly after the first cup of coffee, like, oh, that's something I think I should be thinking about today. And what you're finding is that you're becoming more authentic within the time you invested in reinventing yourself over and over. I don't think I would be thinking the way that I think today had this not occurred."

Daily writing is just one part of Oz's entire daily routine that he shares. There is more when it comes to his physical fitness, work, and social practices. Please tune in to see how Oz spends his entire day geared for success.

Reinventing Yourself Over and Over

If you had to summarize this interview in one word, that word would be reinvention. Wade describes what society has recently experienced as a winter renaissance or a cocooning that sees the blossoms of change bursting forth.

Wade asks Oz how he embraced his reinvention. What did he say to his close friends and mentors after he stepped away from his biohacking book project to instead go into a more intuitive, meditative, spiritual place?

Here are some things Oz said: "I love the work of Steven Kotler and flow collective, and to get online every day and spend an hour or two where you're examining certain things and pushing yourself to see the world from a whole other perspective. Eventually, you take on multiple points of view, and then, like a circus acrobat, your job is to keep a bunch of spinning plates on poles up in the air. If you're good, you can shift from plate to plate without dropping any. But the point is, what lessons have you learned from each plate? What are you going to give back to the world?

You want to get stronger - not physically but mentally and spiritually.

Join Oz and Wade in this fascinating conversation full of wisdom and knowledge built on decades of experience. Oz and Wade are two old friends catching up on life post-pandemic, and the results discussed are inspiring.

Oz has "done it all." He's been a best-selling author and a consultant to A-List celebrities. But he's still growing. Still open to new ideas. He's reinventing himself at age 70, and he's never been more satisfied.

Check out this episode — maybe it's time to reinvent YOU?

Episode Resources:

OzGarcia.com
Oz Garcia Books
OzLifeNow (Oz Garcia Medium)
Oz Wellness Instagram
Oz Garcia Facebook
Oz Garcia Twitter
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