Kirun Goy and Samuel Holston from the Brain Tools Podcast on “The Neuroscience Behind our Habits, Addictions, Love/Fears.”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #97 with Samuel Holston and Kirun Goy, the hosts of one of my favorite podcasts, Brain Tools[i] which focuses on practical brain science for everyday people. Samuel and Kirun provide engaging science-backed episodes to help you to learn how your brain works when it comes to sleep, stress, communication and so much more.  What I love about their podcast that’s different from others (besides the fact that they are absolutely hilarious, while covering a very serious topic) is that they offer a regular episode, then they have a 20 minute break-out episode with 6 practical brain tools, or steps, that you will need to master, to be successful with the brain tip for that episode. It’s a great way to access the strategies quickly and easily, to ensure implementation.

Watch the interview on YouTube here. 

I first met Samuel on LinkedIn, when we first connected last summer, and became immediate friends, with neuroscience and emotional intelligence in common. At that time, I had no idea just how much I would learn from their podcast, and that we would check back in with each other occasionally, offering ideas, suggestions, tips and encouragement for eachother. I learned that Samuel began studying neuroscience at age 15 and I immediately asked him to be a guest on our podcast.  It took a few months, but they were finally ready, and I grabbed this opportunity to speak with them both today.

So here’s a bit about Samuel:

On top of being the co-host of the Brian Tools Podcast, he’s a freelance copywriter from Melbourne Australia. He says he’s not a scientist but has been obsessed with the brain (cognitive) science since he was 15 years old.

And a bit about Kirun:

In addition to being the co-host of the Brain Tools Podcast, Kirun Goy is the Director of Elevate Education where he co-founded the Singapore branch that helps over 40,000 students each year across 10 countries in Asia with workshops and online courses focused on improving learning skills.

This is Andrea Samadi, on the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast and I’m excited to welcome both Samuel Holston (located in Australia) and Kirun Goy (in Singapore) to the podcast today! How’s it going for you both?

Before I get to your questions, I would love to know how you both met. I am guessing at University of Melbourne?  Once you answer that questions, I want to know how on the earth did you both decide to start your podcast Brain Tools?

Q1: For the past 2 months, I have been focused on health and the brain, especially after watching this documentary from Dr. Perlmutter called Alzheimer’s the Science of Prevention a few months ago, inspiring me to take a closer look at health as it relates to our results, knowing that there’s so many components to look at when it comes to improving our results.  Now I know you are both way younger than me, and not yet worried about some of the things that pop into our minds when you are getting older, but tell me, why did you pick sleep as your FIRST episode? Sleep is one of the TOP 5 health staples[ii] that we know we must focus on for brain health and longevity. Why did you find it important to launch your podcast with[iii]?

Q2: Your second episode focuses on well-being[iv], and I think this is a hot topic these days. You list self-awareness as one of the tools for well-being, to understand what your stress response looks like. (When stressed, do you go into fight, flight, or freeze mode)? I just had someone suggest this strategy a couple of episodes ago, and I know that when I’m stressed, I pick up my shoes and find a mountain to run up, so I’m guessing that my stress response is flight…How would you encourage people to learn more about their stress style? Should we just ask our friends and family, hey, when I’m stressed, what exactly do I do?

Q3: From your episode on “Overcoming Fear[v]” I want to know, what happens at the brain level when we name our fear? I’ve said it 100 times on this podcast. Name it, to Tame it. Why does writing down the emotion or naming what we are feeling reduce the fear?

Q4: On your episode of “Making Habits Stick[vi]” you quote Albert Einstein who says that “compounding is the greatest mathematical discovery of all time.” Can you talk about the importance of building good habits and breaking bad ones?

Q5: What episode did this come from? This one was from “Your everyday addictions and Neuroscience.”[vii] It’s at the TOP of my notes page, but obviously something I learned from you and added later. Can you talk about how opioids are 1,000 x more dopamine than sex, what we would think to be the most pleasurable? I’d love to understand how we can perhaps monitor where we think we are for our daily dopamine levels, and find healthy ways to increase it, without turning us into drug addicts!

Q6: In your “Breaking Everyday Addictions” episode, can you talk about dopamine fasting and why it’s not at all effective? The crazy thing is that I had a twitter message from someone I hadn’t heard from in years, asking this specific question. He’s a tech guy and sent me a link to an article about Silicon Valley companies that are encouraging tech breaks. Why do tech break not work with our brain in mind?

Q7: Was your relationships and dating apps episode[viii] really your most downloaded episode? What happens to our brain when we are in love, and why do you think this episode was so popular over the past few months?

Q8: Thanks so much for the shout out in your last episode on taming your emotions with brain science[ix].  I was listening to this episode and taking notes, because taming my emotions is something I’m always working on, especially with raising 2 kids, and trying to live by example and I can lose it at times when the pressure hits. I was caught off guard when you quoted me in this episode, but then thought, well, I’ve definitely improved over the past 5 years with the practice of meditation. I had to create a graphic about what you said, to “stop the loop and create a pause because your brain becomes impaired when angry” and people loved this graphic. Why is this pause so important at the brain level for us to stay in control of our emotions?

Kirun and Samuel, I could talk to you all night, but know I’ve got to let you both get back to work. I want to thank you both so much for your time today, and will continue to listen and share your podcast moving forward.

For those who want to follow your podcast, what’s the best way?

ITunes and Spotify Just type in BrainTools

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/braintools/id1523655668

https://open.spotify.com/show/6n5wcgjhkf7RR84ZXtYVrX 

For those who want to follow you, what’s the best way?

Brain Tools on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/braintools/

Kirun Goy on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirungoy/

Samuel Holston on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-holston/

REFERENCES:

[i] Brain Tools Podcast with Kirun Goy and Samuel Holston https://pod.casts.io/podcasts/brain-tools

[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #87 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/do-you-know-the-top-5-brain-health-and-alzheimers-prevention-strategies-with-andrea-samadi/

[iii] Brain Tools Podcast EPISODE #1 “Sleep Deep with Neuroscience”  https://pod.casts.io/podcasts/brain-tools/episodes/sleep-deep-with-neuroscience-braintools

[iv] Brain Tools Podcast EPISODE #2 “Destress Your Wellbeing with Neuroscience” https://pod.casts.io/podcasts/brain-tools/episodes/destress-your-wellbeing-with-neuroscience-braintools

[v] Brain Tools Podcast EPISODE #3 “Mastering Fear with Neuroscience” https://pod.casts.io/podcasts/brain-tools/episodes/mastering-fear-with-neuroscience-braintools

[vi] Brain Tools Podcast EPISODE #4 “Form Habits that Stick with Neuroscience” https://pod.casts.io/podcasts/brain-tools/episodes/form-habits-that-stick-with-neuroscience-braintools

[vii] Brain Tools Podcast EPISODE #5 “Breaking Everyday Addictions” https://pod.casts.io/podcasts/brain-tools/episodes/your-everyday-addictions-and-neuroscience-braintools

[viii] Brain Tools Podcast EPISODE # 6 “Love, Tinder and Neuroscience” https://pod.casts.io/podcasts/brain-tools/episodes/love-tinder-and-neuroscience-braintools

[ix] Brain Tools Podcast EPISODE #14 “Taming Your Negative Emotions with Brain Science” https://pod.casts.io/podcasts/brain-tools/episodes/taming-your-negative-emotions-with-brain-science-braintools

Dr. Daniel Stickler on “Expanding Awareness for Limitless Peak Performance, Health, Longevity and Intelligence.”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #96 with Dr. Daniel Stickler, MD, a former vascular surgeon who concluded that traditional medicine is not the best route for ideal health. He is now the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of The Apeiron Center for Human Potential (Apeiron meaning Limitless) and is the visionary pioneer behind systems-based precision lifestyle medicine, which is a new paradigm that redefines medicine from the old symptoms-based disease model to one of limitless peak performance. His work now focuses on longevity, epigenetics and lifestyle optimization and along with his work at the Apeiron Center, he’s the Medical Director for the Neurohacker Collective, a Google consultant for wearable technology, AI in healthcare and a guest lecturer at Stanford University on Epigenetics in Clinical Practice.

Watch the interview on YouTube here.

I was introduced to Dr. Stickler from Luke DePron[i], whose interview opened up my awareness to a whole new level with even just a glance of the title “Limitless Peak Performance and Human Potential, Epigenetics, Aging and Anti-Aging, and the Future of Being a Healthy Human.”  For those listening, I urge you to be open minded and think about your own potential. Wouldn’t you like to be limitless? Wouldn’t you like to improve your longevity? Turn back the hands of time a few years? Let me introduce you to Dr. Daniel Stickler, who has no doubt in his mind that these are all things that will be commonplace in the next 10 years, even the thought of living to and perhaps past 150 years of age. Get ready to have your mind expanded and pay close attention if you have been searching for ways to increase your productivity, well-being, and results

This is Andrea Samadi, on the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast and my guest today is Dr. Daniel Stickler, an author, speaker, medical pioneer and expert in human optimization.

Welcome Dr. Stickler, what an incredible honor to have this chance to speak with you today. Thank you so much for your time, and for all you doing to expand the world’s awareness of what is truly possible when it comes to human potential.

Dr. Stickler, I’m sure anyone listening will be as intrigued as I was at what exactly you are doing with this whole new paradigm of health and performance. Before we get to the questions, can we just start with the idea of your work being a new paradigm for health and performance and how what you are doing will change the way we perceive the world, just like when Roger Bannister ran the 4 minute mile and changed people’s perceptions of their ability to do the same?

Q1: Dr. Stickler, the reason I asked you to come on this podcast, is because I had been looking to dive deep into the TOP 5 health stapes that have been proven to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease[ii] after I watched Dr. David Perlmutter’s Science of Prevention Documentary[iii] and was looking to learn more about each of these 5 health staples.  When I saw your podcast with Luke DePron, I wanted to dig deeper into what you are doing, since it seems that your work takes these 5 health staples to a whole new level.

Health Staple 1: Daily Exercise

Health Staple 2: Getting Good Quality Sleep

Health Staple 3: Eating a Healthy Diet

Health Staple 4: Optimizing our Microbiome

Health Staple 5: Intermittent Fasting

Can you explain how you discovered this new world that opened through the lens of genetics and epigenetics and how your fascination for personalized human systems led to the fact that we truly have the ability within us to take charge of our destiny and become the architects of our own future? What is our DNA is versus our epigenetics, and how we can change the expressions of our genes with the application of these health staples like nutrition, exercise, sleep, meditation?

THOUGHT: This is powerful right here! Most people are not optimizing these 5 health staples, but to make quantum leap changes like many of us want and believe is possible with our potential, this is where it all begins, at the level of gene expression.

Q2:  I had no idea just how much my level of awareness would change before I began looking at your work and I came from the personal development world where we were conditioned to push our mental limits every day. I worked closely with this well-known speaker who challenged our thinking to look deeper at the world, he would say, don’t just look through the keyhole, but open the door, and see the possibilities that exist out there in the world.  It’s why I’m doing what I’m doing today with a vision on the possibilities. I’ve heard you talking about this concept as “the 100^th monkey theory” where there are enough people out there that believe what you are talking about that critical mass starts to occur. Can you explain this theory and where are we in the world right now when it comes to advancements in longevity and human potential and do you think the majority of the world is ready for what you are working on at The Apeiron Center? (Ap-eer-on)

THOUGHT: There’s always room for improvement whether we are regular people looking to take our results to a new level, or people that seek you out (pro athletes, those in special operations in the military). This is a whole new paradigm of health, productivity and results are possible. You are giving us a blueprint or model to think about, which is mind-blowing. “There’s no way to guess at what our limit is.”

Q3: You mention the importance of a concept called “interoception” or the ability to listen to the signals within the body that we have spoken about in a few episodes on this podcast (whether it was with Dr. Dan Siegel and his Wheel of Awareness meditation[iv] that strengthens this awareness) or personal trainer Jason Wittrock who talked about the importance of listening to your hunger cues to gain control over your eating habits. You talk about interoception as a skill used by pro athletes to achieve results with their athletic career, or with those in the special forces who must learn this skill since they are often faced with life vs death situations. What are some ways that we can learn this skill and how are you measuring important data points to get people to hit these higher levels of achievement using this skill?

Thought: Dr. Dan Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness Meditation[v] has a segment where he takes us from head to toe, giving us access to listen to part the wisdom we feel in each part of our body. This helps us to become more aware of our organs, bones and muscles and parts of our body that we rarely ever put our focused attention towards.

Most people have not yet mastered these 5 health staples (exercise, sleep, nutrition etc) in order to reach the high levels of performance, health and longevity that you work with people on, but on the other hand, not everyone is a Google Executive, a Pro Athlete, or Special Operations in the Military, but there’s a craving in many people I come across to reach these higher levels. Can you take us through the process of how you optimize a person from where they are now, to where they want to go, and what/how you are measuring this?

Health Staple 1: Daily Exercise

Health Staple 2: Getting Good Quality Sleep

Health Staple 3: Eating a Healthy Diet

Health Staple 4: Optimizing our Microbiome

Health Staple 5: Intermittent Fasting

Q4: I watched your interview with Brian Rose, on London Real[vi] where you give an incredible overview of the work you are doing taking people’s results to higher levels, and your podcast interview with Ari Whitten, who I’ve followed for years, on the topic of “The Best Peptides to Boost Mitchondria, Brain Health and Longevity.”[vii] I’ve provided links in the show notes for people who want to dive deeper into understanding what you do but can you give a brief overview of how you are using peptides to help people in ways that pharmaceuticals cannot?

What about the cognitive side? I’ve created this podcast to provide tools and resources for the most current neuroscience research as well as social and emotional learning skills for schools and the workplace. Did I hear this correctly? Is there REALLY a peptide that can enhance empathy and compassion in people?  How does this work?

Q5: What is your vision for where you are going at the Apeiron Center?

For people who want to learn more and reach you personally what are the best places to go?

Apeiron.Academy https://apeiron.academy/ To learn more about being a Certified Epigenetics Performance Coach

Apeiron Center https://apeironzoh.com/center/ if you want to learn more about what Dr. Stickler’s team is doing with offices around the world.

Dr. Stickler, thank you so much for your time today. This is serious work, and I heard you say that you are a serious coach, who gives the guidance needed to get someone on the right path vs you are not a cheerleader who won’t call someone out on their crap. This is the only way to get serious results, and I’m grateful to have had this opportunity to learn from you.  Thank you.

RESOURCES:

Importance of the Systems Approach Principle by Patrick Gleeson PhD. Published Jan.25, 2019 https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-system-approach-principle-81413.html

Garmin Fitness and Lifestyle watches https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/c10002-p1.html

Get your own genetic testing kit http://getmydnakit.com/ and access an epigenetics coach to guide you in the process.

Apeiron Zoh Collective Community Learn More Here https://www.lifeofexcellence.io/main-zoh

REFERENCES:

[i] Luke DePron and his Live Great Lifestyle Podcast with Dr. Daniel Stickler https://livegreatlifestyle.libsyn.com/limitless-peak-performance-and-human-potential-epigenetics-aging-anti-aging-and-the-future-of-being-a-healthy-human

[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPSIODE #87 “The Top Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/do-you-know-the-top-5-brain-health-and-alzheimers-prevention-strategies-with-andrea-samadi/

[iii] Dr. David Perlmutter’s Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention Documentary https://www.drperlmutter.com/alzheimers-the-science-of-prevention-2020-air-dates/

[iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPSIODE #60 “The Science Behind a Meditation Practice with a Deep Dive into Dr. Daniel Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness Meditation”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-science-behind-a-meditation-practice-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-dan-siegel-s-wheel-of-awareness/

[v] Dr. Dan Siegel’s “Wheel of Awareness Meditation” https://www.drdansiegel.com/resources/wheel_of_awareness/

[vi] Brain Rose London Real Interview with Dr. Daniel Stickler Published on YouTube July 14, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynbaJ2038K0&feature=emb_logo

[vii] Ari Whitten and Dr. Daniel Stickler  YouTube Interview Published June 29, 2019 “The Best Peptides to Boost Mitchondria, Brain Health and Longevity” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn6Q1Eh7uR0&feature=emb_logo

Dr. Sandy Gluckman on “Reversing Children’s Behavior and Mood Problems by Treating Root Causes.”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #95 with Learning, Mood, Behavior, Author, Educator and Speaker Dr. Sandy Gluckman.

You can watch the interview on YouTube here. 

Dr. Sandy Gluckman describes her quest as saving the next generation from a growing explosion of learning, behavior and mood problems.  Her work is rooted in the science that shows that children will thrive when parents thrive.  Dr. Sandy empowers parents to raise healthy, resilient, confident children primed for success, by showing them how to first heal themselves. 

Dr Gluckman is sought after for her expertise on a range of children’s challenges such as Anxiety, Defiance, Emotional Resilience, Self-Worth, Screen Addiction, Stress as a Survival Mechanism and the Sensitive Child. 

Rather than offering quick-fix, superficial solutions to these complex issues, Dr Sandy uses science to teach parents how to create the kind of parent-child neurochemistry that prevents and heals these problems.

Welcome Dr. Gluckman! Thank you so much for being available to speak with me today.

I have to say, that when I was reading your book, Parents Take Charge[i], and saw the acknowledgements, I can see how you fit in perfectly with the content we have been focused here on this podcast, especially with our most recent jump that focuses on health and mental wellbeing. If we are not healthy physically and emotionally, how on the earth can we expect ourselves to perform at high levels, and we definitely can’t expect it of our children, right?

I can see that many who have inspired your work, we have been focused on for the past year and a half on this podcast, with Dr. Dan Siegel a year ago this week, Dr. Amen with his daughter Chloe Amen’s interview[ii] on Change Your Brain, Change Your Grades, and then inspiring the brain scan content,[iii] Stephen Porges with his Polyvagal Theory[iv], and most recently with our focus on health and the brain with Dr. Mark Hymen, and his recent program, Alzheimer’s The Science of Prevention that really did inspire our health and wellness episodes.[v] Your life’s work is a perfect match for us, and I am so grateful to have this chance to speak with you.

Today, our topic with you is Reversing Children’s Behavior and Mood Problems by Treating the Root Causes and before I even get to your questions, I have to put my background in context for you, since your work, and this podcast will probably make some things come full circle for me, as well for those listening who might work with or know children with behavior or mood problems.

Back in the late 1990s, I was a teacher in Toronto, and I worked with behavioral students. It was my first teaching assignment right out of teacher’s college, and I had no training at all on how to deal with difficult students, and also had hardly any strategies for managing my own stress. I have had author and educational neuroscience leader, Dr. Lori Desaultels[vi] on twice to this podcast,  and her work, along with Michael McKnight, focuses on how the students’ behavior usually is a reaction to the teacher or parent’s state of mind.  I now know stress reducing strategies that help me on a daily basis, but I wish I knew them when I first started my career.

Q1: Can you take me back to the beginning of your professional career, with students in their last year of high school in South Africa, and what made you begin to wonder “why did some students have a robust, healthy and feisty spirit, while others did not?”  How did this question inspire you to further your studies and obtain a PhD in clinical psychology, and dive deep into how different people respond to stress?

Q2: In your book, Parents Take Charge, you introduce a new way of healing children’s learning, behavior and mood problems, with the story of an 11-year old named David, who was having some challenges with learning at school, was diagnosed with a bunch of different disorders like ADHD, OCD, and depression, and was given a ton of medicine to go with each diagnosis. Can you share how this Mom got the root of David’s problem, finding some challenges with his digestive system, and how he was put on a treatment program that included supplements his body was missing and some changes to his diet, and 9 months later his symptoms were almost gone?

This is such a powerful story! For this example, David became a new child, with improved grades, and a natural leadership that emerged with his new levels of confidence.  As a parent, this is all we want for our children. To be able to go through life with ease, and be successful.

Q3: Where do we begin when looking at mood problems with children, whether we are talking about the eye-rolling that I’m just starting to get with my young girls when I ask them to do something, or the flat out difficult behavior that I saw as a new teacher in the classroom?

Q4: What did your experience as a teacher, psychologist and leadership coach teach you about the mental, emotional and social well-being of a student, as well as those working in the corporate world about the importance of managing our emotional states?

Q5: What inspired you to learn more about the effect of stress, and how it can trigger learning, behavior and mood problems?

Q6: With the impacts of the pandemic, I’m hearing so many new issues emerge with learning challenges that come from the fact that some children didn’t want to return to in school learning, and prefer home schooling, or the opposite, those who are still doing virtual learning at  home, are missing the social connection that in person school provides.

Q7: What would you say to support our children in each of these situations? What about solutions for screen addiction? I saw it with my youngest daughter the most when she was doing at home learning, missing her friends, and using her devices to stay connected. Now that she has returned to school, how can we lessen her dependence on these devices?

Thank you so much Dr. Gluckman for your time today, and your solutions to what many of us are going through whether it’s with our own children at home, or those in the classroom, getting to the root cause of the behavior or learning challenge.

I highly recommend Dr. Gluckman’s books and online programs.  She does have an online program for raising confident, resilient children that are primed for success that you can access on her website.

https://drsandygluckman.com/confident-children-program/

You can follow Dr. Gluckman on

IG, LinkedIn,  Facebook and Twitter @DrSandyGluckman

https://www.youtube.com/user/sandygluckman

And visit her website www.drsandygluckman.com and contact Dr. Gluckman for a 30  minute FREE session  https://drsandygluckman.com/schedule-call/

Expanded BIO: Dr. Gluckman is the founder of a private practice, Parenting That Heals, where she consults with couples, families and children. Dr Sandy’s work is based on her unique blend of her studies in Functional Medicine, Interpersonal Neurobiology and Psychology, woven together with her own insights and experience. She has consulted with, and trained, thousands of parents and teachers in different parts of the world. Her signature programs, called, “Parenting That Heals,” and “Teaching That Heals the Brain,” are presented in live workshops, as well as online. 

Dr Sandy is the author of, Parents Take Charge: Healing Learning, Behavior and Mood Challenges Without Medication, and, Who’s in the Driver’s Seat: Leading with Spirit.

RESOURCES:

Dr. Mark Hyman on Reversing and Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease  https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/alzheimers-talks/changing-how-we-approach-alzheimers-dr-mark-hyman

Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #56 with Dr. Lori Desautels on her new book Connections Over Compliance: Rewiring Our Perceptions of Discipline https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/educational-neuroscience-pioneer-dr-lori-desautels-on-her-new-book-about-connections-over-compliance-rewiring-our-perceptions-of-discipline/

Dr. Lori Desautels Connections Over Compliance (Sept. 2020)  https://www.amazon.com/Connections-Over-Compliance-Perceptions-Discipline/dp/1948018896

Stress Contagion Possible Amongst Students and Teachers: UBC (Study with Kimberly Shonert-Reichl)  https://news.ubc.ca/2016/06/27/ubc-study-finds-stress-contagion-amongst-students-and-teachers/

The 4 S’s of Parenting Dr. Dan Siegel https://www.parentmap.com/article/the-four-ss-of-parenting-dan-siegels-whole-brain-child about the

REFERENCES:

[i] Parents Take Charge: A Practical 3-Step Program by Dr. Sandy Gluckman https://www.amazon.com/Parents-Take-Charge-Sandy-Gluckman/dp/1491252243

[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #11 with Chloe Amen on “Change Your Brain, Change Your Grades.” https://www.achieveit360.com/15-year-old-chloe-amen-reveals-strategies-on-how-to-change-your-brain-change-your-grades/

[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODES #82, #83, #84 “How a Spect Image Brain Scan Can Change Your Life”

PART 1 https://www.achieveit360.com/how-a-brain-scan-changed-my-brain-and-life-with-doug-sutton/

PART 2 https://www.achieveit360.com/what-is-a-spect-imaging-brain-scan-and-how-exactly-can-it-change-your-life-with-andrea-samadi-part-2/

PART 3  https://www.achieveit360.com/how-a-spect-scan-can-change-your-life-part-3-with-andrea-samadi/

[iv]  Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #59  https://www.achieveit360.com/suzanne-gundersen-on-the-polyvagal-theory-in-practice/

[v]  Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #87 on “5 Important Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies We Should All Know.”  https://www.achieveit360.com/the-top-5-brain-health-and-alzheimers-prevention-strategies-with-andrea-samadi/

[vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #16 with Dr. Lori Desautels and Michael McKnight on “The Future of Educational Neuroscience in Our Schools” https://www.achieveit360.com/pioneers-lori-desautels-and-michael-mcknight-on-the-future-of-educational-neuroscience-in-our-schools-and-communities/

Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #56 with Dr. Lori Desaultels on her new book Connections Over Compliance: Rewiring Our Perceptions of Discpline.  https://www.achieveit360.com/educational-neuroscience-pioneer-dr-lori-desautels-on-her-new-book-about-connections-over-compliance-rewiring-our-perceptions-of-discipline/

Personal Trainer and Fitness Model Jason Wittrock on “Nutrition, Intermittent Fasting and the Ketogenic Diet.”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #94 with personal trainer and fitness model, Jason Wittrock.

Watch the interview on YouTube here.

My name is Andrea Samadi,  and if you are new here, I’m a former educator who created this podcast to bring the most current neuroscience research, along with high performing experts who have risen to the top of their field, with specific strategies or ideas that you can implement immediately, whether you are an educator, or in the corporate space, to take your results to the next level. If we want to improve our social, emotional and cognitive abilities, it all starts with an understanding of our brain. 

I first found our next guest, Jason Wittrock late 2016/  2017 when I was searching for answers with my diet. I was at a crossroads with my health, and knew I needed to do some things differently, I just didn’t know exactly what to do, and I had heard some friends in some of my online groups talking about how they were drinking keto coffee, and experiencing health benefits, like increased energy and weight loss.  So I went to YouTube, and typed in “how to make keto coffee” and Jason Wittrock’s video came up called “Keto Coffee”[i] and my journey began here, taking my health to a whole new level, and have never looked back. I’m sure there are thousands of stories just like mine.

Welcome Jason, thank you so much for your time today to come on the podcast and share what you have been doing with your YouTube videos, inspiring people around the world with their health, nutrition and lifestyle for years.

Jason, I’ve got to tell you this. Back when I first found your videos, I saw something different with what you were doing. This was the beginning of my health journey, but it did stick, and here we are all these years later speaking.

There’s a few things that I wanted to tell you that stuck out to me, looking back, about why I think the results stuck and it’s that you really come across that you want to help people. You said quite a few times on your videos, as you spoke 100 miles an hour about what you were doing, the products you were using and why, you said “hey, I’m just trying to help” and it really did come across that you were, so I listened. You said “look, some guy just did this diet for 45 days, that’s awesome, make it a lifestyle” so I did, and pretty sure I posted a million times on my social media about how much I was loving keto coffee, and your fat bombs[ii] (those were awesome)! I’m just one person, so can just image the ripple effect of your work. Way to go and thank you for what you are doing.

So let’s get to some questions here--

Q1: Jason, I reached out to you, as I have recently recorded an episode on the TOP 5 Health Staples[iii] that have been proven to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and that I’m looking to dive deeper into these 5 health strategies.  I thought of you a few times when I was thinking about when I changed my diet after watching your videos. Can you share how your journey to health began, and what’s been happening with you since I first saw your videos?

Health Staple 1: Daily Exercise

Health Staple 2: Getting Good Quality Sleep

Health Staple 3: Eating a Healthy Diet

Health Staple 4: Optimizing our Microbiome

Health Staple 5: Intermittent Fasting

Q2: A few years ago, it was a huge paradigm shift for me to think about putting butter in my coffee. I’m not sure about other people, but you are talking to someone who used to count calories (not anymore) and used to be terrified of eating anything high in fat.  I did some research, and then watched you making your keto coffee, then bought exactly the same ingredients, then trusted you. Now this is all from a YouTube video, and maybe from one other person I knew who was drinking coffee this way who I also trusted. Now, we’ve got Dave Asprey and his Bulletproof Coffee products, but back then, he was just getting started with that and I didn’t know about it. What are you hearing now from people who have made the switch from eating a diet that’s higher in fats now, and how easy is it for them to map out their macros (the percentage of fats/proteins and carbs)?

Q3: I was surprised when I listened to a recent health documentary called “Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention”[iv] where they listed intermittent fasting as one of the top 5 health staples for brain health and Alzheimer’s prevention. They say that Intermittent fasting “fights insulin resistance, lowering your risk of type-2 diabetes, reduces inflammation in the body, is beneficial for heart health, and may prevent cancer.”[xxxiii]  What are your current thoughts on IF? I remember watching your video[v] from 2016 when I was first starting the keto diet, and I didn’t fast at this time. (I do now). Do you still not fast?  

Q4: After a few years of eating this way, what have you seen with your blood results? What have you noticed? What would you say to someone who is worried about stressing out their liver over time?

Q5: I see that you have 2 kids (not sure of their ages). How do you plan to keep them eating healthy as they grow up? This has been the hardest thing for me, trying my best to let them be kids and eat an ice-cream and then say “hey, who wants some scrambled eggs!” Is living by example enough?

Q6: What is your current vision for your personal training and coaching?  (Do you plan to create something personalized like the Vshred program) or others that we see out there? What’s next for you?

Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me Jason. I’m so grateful to have found you all those years ago when I was searching for a change, and the change stuck around. Keep going, you are making an incredible impact on the world. I highly encourage those listening to learn more about you (is there anything you want to promote?)

For people who want to learn more about you, they can find your helpful videos on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOfJHaFLpfbi87xPoAa_NbQ

https://www.facebook.com/jasonwittrock/

https://www.instagram.com/jason.wittrock/

RESOURCES:

How to Eat Keto on the Road for 21 Days https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC3pMTPtfPU

Full Day of Eating Keto at Home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2TH1c_qucc

14 Healthy Fats for the Keto Diet https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthy-fats-for-keto

Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore (Aug. 2014)  https://www.amazon.com/Keto-Clarity-Definitive-Benefits-Low-Carb/dp/1628600071

The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won’t Prevent Heart Disease by Johnny Bowden PhD and Stephen Sinatra M.D. (Nov. 2012)  https://www.amazon.com/Great-Cholesterol-Myth-Disease-Statin-Free/dp/1592335217

Is the Ketogenic Diet Good or Bad for Brain Health? By Dr. Daniel Amen Dec. 2019 https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/is-the-keto-diet-good-or-bad-for-brain-health/

Does the Keto Diet Work? Dr. Mark Hyman Published on YouTube Jan.2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp2qO6UGmos

REFERENCES:

[i] Keto Coffee with Jason Wittrock Published August 2017 on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzLwqBDMgGc

[ii] How to Make Fat bombs| The Ketogenic Diet Published August 2016 on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do7o-jykU_4

[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #87 on the Top 5 Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/do-you-know-the-top-5-brain-health-and-alzheimers-prevention-strategies-with-andrea-samadi/

[iv] Dr. David Perlmutter’s “Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention” https://scienceofprevention.com/

[v] Keto and Intermittent Fasting with Jason Wittrock Published on YouTube Dec. 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY9Ix0hIa_g