Judd Apatow On Comedy, Creativity, And Embracing Your Inner Weirdo

Alzheimer’s isn’t a genetic inevitability. A diagnosis need not come with a death sentence. In fact, many things can be done to prevent & ameliorate cognitive decline. So let’s talk about it. Today we dive deep into brain health. More specifically, how you can maintain and optimize your cognitive functionality and take an insurance policy out against succumbing to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Our guides for this exploration are husband and wife neurology duo Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, returning for a second turn on the podcast (if you missed it, RRP #330 is a must-listen). Affectionately known as Team Sherzai, Ayesha & Dean are the highly credentialed co-directors of the Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University Medical Center, where they study all things brain health, with a particular focus on lifestyle interventions to prevent cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. Because Alzheimer’s currently afflicts over 40 million people worldwide, I’m willing to bet most of you are directly or indirectly impacted by this affliction. The bad news is that there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s. And incidence is predicted to triple by 2050. What most don’t realize, however, is that 90% of Alzheimer’s cases can be prevented. In fact, through simple diet and lifestyle changes, the Sherzai’s have experienced remarkable success in both preventing and significantly reversing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, dementia and cognitive decline in many of their patients, adding vibrant years to their lives. The science behind dementia, the non-interventional means to optimize brain health, and the many strategies to prevent cognitive decline are robustly explored in The Alzheimer’s Solution (the focus of our first podcast) and the Sherzai’s latest book, The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution. The solution might surprise you. It’s not due to a breakthrough in surgical procedures. It’s not the result of new pharmaceutical trials. It’s about food. Exercise. Restorative sleep. Community. And maintaining a life of purpose. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll589 YouTube: bit.ly/teamsherzai589 Break out a pen and paper because this one is dense, in-depth and potentially life-altering. Peace + Plants, Rich

22 Mars 20212h 27min

Cryptocurrency. Blockchain. Digital trading cards. Burnt Bansky & NFTs. And of course, flying cats with pop tart bodies. These are just a few of many internet developments dissected in today’s edition of ‘Roll On’, wherein Adam Skolnick and I usher you into the digital age with droll repartee, raillery, and shrewd observations on concepts, issues, and matters relevant and whimsical. We share good news and bad. We perform a bit of show and tell. We banter and blather. And as always, we answer your questions. Aside from serving as my cogitative, neighborly, and magnanimous sidecar hype-beast, Adam Skolnick is an activist and veteran journalist best known as David Goggins’ Can’t Hurt Me, co-author. Adam writes about adventure sports, environmental issues, and civil rights for outlets such as The New York Times, Outside, ESPN, BBC, and Men’s Health. He is the author of One Breath and is currently using the ‘new dad’ excuse to avoid working on his novel. Other topics we explore in today’s conversation include: Adam and Jason’s 4 x 4 x 48 Goggins’ challenge recap; an update on the Iron Cowboy’s ‘Conquer 100’ challenge; Rich’s new cold plunge routine; NFTs and the way the internet is upending finance; Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the future of digital assets; and the nuanced ways in which human beings are becoming human avatars. In addition, we answer the following listener questions: How do you stay motivated in your fitness journey? How can you be a lighthouse of conscious living for your children? What are the best ways to prepare for high-altitude endurance races? Thank you to Will from Portland, Oregon, Tanya from Lucerne, Switzerland, and Christopher from Boston, Massachusetts for your questions. If you want your query discussed, drop it on our Facebook Page, or better yet leave a voicemail at (424) 235-4626. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll588 YouTube: bit.ly/rollon588 Peace + Plants, Rich

18 Mars 20211h 56min

Artificial Intelligence isn’t an imagined future. It’s right here, right now. So what are the perils of society’s rapid pivot to automation? How do we avoid displacement and dehumanization? And, most pressing, how do we find meaning in a world driven by algorithms? These are important questions we need to be asking. Today’s guest is the right guy to help answer them—one of my very favorite online follows for his insights on automation, online radicalization, cybersecurity, and digital wellness. A bestselling author and award-winning technology columnist for The New York Times, Kevin Roose specializes in technology and its effects on society—an interest that culminated in the mind-melting, must-listen podcast series Rabbit Hole, a story that exposes the many ways the internet influences our beliefs and behavior, often for the worse. A significant portion of today’s conversation focuses on artificial intelligence and the many ways in which our increasingly automated world impacts humanity. It’s also the subject of Kevin’s latest book, Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation. Part A.I. primer part self-help survival guide, it breaks down the tools we need to be happy, successful humans in a world increasingly built by and for machines. As we usher in the age of artificial intelligence, more and more occupations are becoming automated. Social media algorithms not only frack our attention spans for clicks, but they have so thoroughly manipulated such that we now divest much of our decision-making and critical thinking skills (the things that literally makes us who we are) to technology. This is an important, potentially life-altering breakdown of the many ways the internet and AI-based algorithms are degrading us, locking us into information silos, inciting emotion for profit, and threatening our inherent humanity. It’s also a guide on surviving workplace automation, overcoming phone addiction, and protecting your time and attention. In addition, Kevin provides his insider take on a variety of other notable technology curiosities from Clubhouse to NFTs, the future of podcasting, and many other subjects that I know will pique your interest. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll587 YouTube: bit.ly/kevinroose587 Our most powerful trait is our innate humanness. My hope is that this exchange will serve as a reminder. Peace + Plants, Rich

15 Mars 20211h 42min

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a perilous global moment that has indelibly changed all our lives. As we approach the one-year anniversary of societal shut-down, I find it opportune to reflect on how we are reacting, responding and adapting to it—for better or worse. In other words: How is your anxiety level? What habits, good or bad, have you formed in these past 12 months to cope with the insanity and uncertainty of having life upended and placed on indefinite hold? And most importantly—how are these habits serving or not serving you? I posit these questions as context for today’s conversation with my friend Dr. Jud Brewer—a psychiatrist and neuroscientist specializing in habit change who has extensively studied anxiety, and what science tells us about how we can break the cycle of fear and worry that affect all of us to some degree or another. Dr. Jud is the Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center, a research affiliate at MIT, and an associate professor in Behavioral and Social Sciences and Psychiatry at the Schools of Public Health & Medicine at Brown University. You might have stumbled upon his TED talk, A simple way to break a bad habit (which has racked in 16+ millions of views) or caught him on 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper. He’s also been featured in TIME magazine, NPR, Forbes and many other places. Our previous conversation (RRP 471) focused on addiction and how mindfulness can help us break bad habits. Today we extend that exploration to Dr. Jud’s latest book Unwinding Anxiety—an evidence-backed primer on understanding what causes everything from mild unease to full-blown panic, the relationship between anxiety and addiction, and the many ways we can actually train our minds to feel, perform and live better. This exchange provides actionable steps to help you uproot stress. Break habit loops. And end the cycle of fear-based decision-making. Most importantly perhaps, you will learn how to identify your triggers in order to respond mindfully rather than react impulsively. Dr. Jud is among the very best and brightest at the intersection of neuroscience and habit change — and given that hundreds of millions of people suffer from anxiety, my hope and instinct is that you will find this conversation quite useful. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll586 YouTube: bit.ly/judbrewer586 May Dr. Jud’s words serve, soothe, and inspire. Peace + Plants, Rich

8 Mars 20211h 51min

This is a story of spiritual swindlers. Sober living scammers. Underground insurance fraud. And widespread institutional neglect. In today’s edition of ‘Roll On’, Adam Skolnick and I discuss the rampant corruption incident to unregulated addiction treatment centers—brutal truths brought to light by the new independent film Body Brokers. We share good news and bad. We perform a bit of show and tell. And as always, we answer listener questions. For those new to the podcast, Adam Skolnick is an activist and veteran journalist best known as David Goggins’ Can’t Hurt Me, co-author. Adam has written about adventure sports, environmental issues, and civil rights for outlets such as The New York Times, Outside, ESPN, BBC, and Men’s Health. He is the author of One Breath and is currently hard at work on a novel. Some of the many other topics explored in today’s conversation include: an update on Adam’s preparation for the Goggins’ 4 x 4 x 48 challenge; the Iron Cowboy’s ‘Conquer 100’ challenge; gravel cycling & Rich’s Specialized ambassadorship; the new documentary ‘Diving Deep’ and the life of activist Mike deGruy; Barack Obama’s new podcast and the future of the podcasting; the recent rise in Asian hate crime; and Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s impact on free speech—and what it means today. In addition, we answer the following listener questions: If you could have a conversation with three luminaries living or dead, who would you choose? How do you make time to pursue ultra-running without disrupting work and family balance? What books, podcasts, and other types of media do you consume? Thank you to Josh from North Carolina, Tara from Long Beach, and Emily from Minneapolis for your questions. If you want your query discussed, drop it on our Facebook Page, or better yet leave a voicemail at (424) 235-4626. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll585 YouTube: bit.ly/rollon585 Peace + Plants, Rich

4 Mars 20211h 59min

We all experience it. That invisible, self-sabotaging force that lives between you and your most expressed self. Today’s guest calls it ‘Resistance’. He’s cracked how to overcome it—and the process required to birth your best work. Meet author Steven Pressfield—a man who has profoundly impacted my life and how I pursue creative expression. A former Marine, Duke graduate, and journeyman of countless jobs, Steven had been writing in obscurity for three decades before his first published novel became a smash success. Molded on archetypes lifted from the Bhagavad Gita, The Legend of Bagger Vance made it’s way all the way to the big screen, starring Matt Damon and Will Smith. Now revered for his creative prolificacy, Steven has 20 books to his name, including the military novels Tides of War and Gates of Fire, currently on the curriculum at the Naval War College and West Point. More relevant to today’s discourse, Steven has authored some of the most impactful books ever written on the fundamentals of pursuing a creative life. Collectively, The War of Art, Do The Work, and Turning Pro are books I’ve read and make a point to re-read annually. Practical treatises on the human relationship with authentic expression, they provide a disciplined approach to birth the work we were born to create. Steven’s latest offering, A Man At Arms, is a historical novel about the Roman Empire, a reluctant hero, and the rise of Christianity in First Century Jerusalem. Cinematic in it’s sweep, think Gladiator meets The Road Warrior. A personal hero, meeting Steven has always been a dream. Today he shares his story. And it’s everything I hoped it would be. Steven will tell you that creativity isn’t about talent. It’s about discipline. But it’s also about reverence for the mystical—courting The Muse to connect with that inimitable force that breathes beyond our conscious awareness. However, The Muse only shows up when you respect the grind as sacred. An excavation of this process, this conversation is an absolute masterclass on all things creativity, served up with a healthy dose of perseverance, persistence, patience, and the heavy lifting required to eliminate distraction and make manifest the dormant, authentic voice within. It’s also about dispelling the myth that great art is the purview of the chosen few. Or that it comes easy to those so touched. We all have something worthy to say. We can all benefit from learning how to better express our truth. “Our job in this life is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.” The spirit of this exchange is to empower this ideal. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll584 YouTube: bit.ly/stevenpressfield584 Final note: Some unfortunate construction noise next door periodically invades the audio dojo. Apologies for the distraction. I hold Steven and his work in the highest regard. My hope is that this conversation will leave you feeling the same. Peace + Plants, Rich

1 Mars 20212h 13min

Replace ego with the eternal. Trade selfishness for service—and self-absorption for unity. Together, let’s explore the spark of divinity that resides within us all. Meet Raghunath Cappo. Punk rock icon. Spiritual warrior. Bhakti yoga devotee. A teen in search of meaning, Ray Cappo fled his suburban Connecticut enclave for New York City—and found community among the misfits of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. He fell in love with punk rock, so he started a band and a record label. Success soon followed. By the late 1980’s, Youth of Today had thousands of fans, cementing Ray as a leading voice and trendsetter at the bullseye of hardcore culture. However, a growing existential itch led Ray to call it quits. At just 22, he walked away from his band and label and decamped for India—a spiritual pilgrimage that led him to the holy village of Vrindavan. It was there that Ray fell in love with the wisdom and traditions of Bhakti yoga. It was there that he would remain for the next six years, living as a monk. It was there that Ray became Raghunath. This is the incredible story of a modern day yogi. But it’s also about the search we all go on. The journey for personal meaning beyond the ego. And the quest for universal consequence beyond the material. It’s about the timeless that lives and breathes within all of us—that which is eternal, and past our limited senses. It’s about transcending the illusions that hold us back. What it means to truly devote oneself to greater truth. And the modern day challenges of trudging the path towards higher consciousness. All told, it’s about what it really means to be a spiritual being having a human experience. If you’ve enjoyed my conversations with musicians John Joseph & Toby Morse, spiritual leaders Guru Singh & Radhanath Swami, or modern seekers Andy Puddicombe, Jason Garner & Russell Brand, then I’m confident this will be your jam. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll583 YouTube: bit.ly/raghunathcappo583 Thank you to Robert Sturman, Perry Julien, Sherry Sutton & Davy Greenberg for the portraits & photo use permission. Let the Jedi Warrior training begin. Peace + Plants, Rich

25 Feb 20212h 28min

Today we get esoteric on the things that matter most—ego, family, friendship, love, work, death, and the soul. The value of living an examined life. And how sharing our uniqueness gives glimpse into the universal. Returning for his third appearance on the podcast, our cipher for said exploration is one of my very favorite humans—a former social entrepreneur, human rights activist, and lawyer turned world adventurer, magazine publisher & mystic memoirist. Meet Jedidiah Jenkins. Several years ago, I stumbled across Jedidiah’s Instagram feed. His photos are always great, but it was his prose that altered my state. Enamored by his unique lens on the human condition, he quickly become my favorite follow. Determined to learn more, I invited Jedidiah on the show (RRP #186), wherein he shared insights gleaned from an epic sixteen-month, 10,000-mile bike journey pedaling from Oregon to Patagonia. This conversation remains one of my favorites to date. I then made him promise to return (RRP #395) upon completion of his first book, To Shake The Sleeping Self. A coming-of-age memoir set against the technicolor backdrop of his bicycle adventure, the book went on to become a New York Times bestseller, crowning Jedidiah as a new and compelling literary voice. An exquisite storyteller with an elegant gift for exploring the interior landscape, Jedidiah has continued to mature as a writer. His latest New York Times bestselling flex, Like Streams To The Ocean, is a touching and immersive deconstruction of the things that make us who we are and the decisions that shape our one and only life.  His best work to date, it’s a masterclass on leveraging the specifics of one’s experience as a vehicle to better connect with the universal the resides within us all. So here we are again. Me wanting to know more. This conversation isn’t about any one thing. It’s kind of about everything. We discuss the writing process. How to find a voice. And what it means to be an observer of both nature and people. We talk Enneagrams, the commodification of ‘authenticity’, and how to cultivate focus in a distracted world. It’s also about identity. Belonging. Finding meaning in work. And what it means to live a creative life. It’s about the empathy required to find common ground with people of divergent world views. And why cultivating community is critical. But more than anything, this is a meditation on who we are. Why we’re here. And the struggle to glean truth from the intangible. FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll582 YouTube: bit.ly/jedidiahjenkins582 As brilliant in conversation as he is on the page, I relish our conversations. And this one does not disappoint. Let your love affair with Jedidiah begin! Peace + Plants, Rich

22 Feb 20212h 12min