Optimized Geek | Reboot Your Life

We live in a world where technology, obsession with devices causes us to have shorter and shorter attention spans. And though in school, we teach our kids how to read and write, we don't teach them how to speak and to listen. These are such critical skills to learn because whether it's in your personal life or your professional world, the ability to communicate is at the heart of any relationship. My guest today is author and speaker, Julian Treasure. Julian is a communication visionary who has given multiple TED Talks on this very subject. His books, How to be Heard: Secrets for Powerful Speaking and Listening, and Sound Business, delve into how to speak so that people listen, and how to listen so that people feel heard. Julian is regularly featured in publications like Time Magazine, The Times, The Economist, and the BBC. Julian is also the founder of The Sound Agency, which works with some of the world's biggest brands to improve their sound. He travels the world, training people to listen better, and cre

I'm committed to revealing light in the world in everything I do, including this podcast. I believe revealing light is in large part the reason why I'm here on this earth. But as my guest today, Jeff Goins so aptly puts it, every light casts a shadow. Jeff and I discussed how often we end up chasing the shadows rather than chasing the light. It's easy to focus on your social media persona or keeping up with the neighbors, especially when that new Tesla shows up in their driveway. But are you ignoring the realities of your deeper life or what it truly takes to get that Tesla?  Jeff is the bestselling author of five books including the Art of Work and Real Artists Don't Starve. He   founded the Tribe Warriors writing community and has an award-winning blog. Jeff opens up about how his personal struggles gave him lessons and leadership. We discussed the shadow monsters of impostor syndrome, shame and trauma. Jeff says you can do really great things while still feeling incomplete. And while every writer can stru

I've always considered myself a pragmatic thinker. Breaking down how things work is fun and it makes sense. But on my journey of personal growth, I've had experiences that have challenged my mind to see a greater, more empowering view of life. I traveled to India and had a spiritual awakening. I met my soulmate. I've created a life I truly enjoy. Part of my love for biohacking and personal optimization, is it merges the scientific with the spiritual.  My guest for Episode 232, Ariel Garten, has done just that. She's a neuroscientist, psychotherapist, and is the co-founder of Muse, the brain sensing headband that helps you meditate. This episode we discuss her development of Muse and how the device helps you more effectively meditate by keeping you in a state of "focused attention." We discuss the neurological, psychological, and spiritual benefits of meditation. Like past guests Dr. Andrew Hill and Chris Keane, Ariel brings new insights and a few scientific shortcuts to get the most from meditation. So if y

It has become commonplace to talk about being “triggered.” While becoming part of the lexicon, this concept is more than just a buzzword. Acknowledging these emotional triggers provides a greater awareness of how our past can continue to affect us. PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, doesn’t just affect war heroes and first responders. We’ve all suffered trauma in our childhood, especially if you use the definition of trauma being anything less than nurturing, which I learned from previous guest, Brent Charleton. Traumatic experiences can alter our emotional responses and create problematic neural pathways. Plus, that trauma lives in our bodies as tension and stress.  But this trauma doesn’t just cause anxiety and back pain. This trauma can keep our bodies stuck in a suboptimal state. Thankfully, there’s a solution to this, and to tell us all about it, we have Dr. David Berceli joining us. He’s an international author, presenter, and trainer in the areas of trauma intervention, stress reduction, and resilie

Something I learned in my Kabbalah class is when you focus on darkness, you attract more darkness. When you focus on the light, you get more light. Our brains work similarly, in that they have an incredible amount of neuroplasticity that we can literally mold through our daily habits, whether it's our sleeping, eating or consumption habits, we have the power to optimize them for better health and inner peace in our lives.  But we don't always make the best lifestyle choices for our future, especially in this day and age of social media addiction, a culture of convenience providing apps that make everything and anything available in an instant and information overload. Our poor eating and sleeping habits affect our prefrontal cortex, which is the area of our brain, which allows us to plan strategically for our future, have more empathy, and think more rationally. A poor lifestyle is fueling poor behavioral patterns, which ultimately lead to a poor state of overall emotional and physical well being.  My guest

A decade ago, I was a train wreck. I was recently divorced. I was socially awkward. I didn’t know how to talk to women. In fact, I was terrified to do so. I looked like a computer nerd who never saw the sun. Yeah, I was downright unattractive. Thankfully, I went through a metamorphosis. And the two men who started me on that path of reinvention were Tony Robbins and Neil Strauss. How I got from there to where I am now was no small feat. Initially it was about mindset, then it was about physical transformation, but ultimately it was about spiritual growth. To say I am unrecognizable from my former self would be a huge understatement. So how does one go from socially awkward to awakened? Well, today’s guest is going to illuminate that for us. His insights just might change your life as they have with his students and clients. Sasha Daygame is a visionary, renegade dating coach, and spiritual seeker. ​Sasha is also the founder of the Infinite Man Summit. He began as a standup comedian at the age of 17 and seve

Can you believe it? 2020 is nearly upon us. It’s crazy how time flies! If you take this season to reflect on the past 12 months and plan for what’s coming, today’s episode might just help you achieve those lofty New Year’s resolutions. Who doesn’t want to live a better life? Whether it’s a job promotion you’re eyeing, a startup you’re building, or a diet you’re following, the feeling of overcoming challenges and becoming a better version of yourself is something determined individuals constantly strive for. But let’s be real, life isn’t a bowl of cherries. You’ll have to exert serious effort to achieve meaningful results. For you to actually get to where you want to go or become who you want to be, you’ll need to understand and internalize the formula E+R=O. My guest for this episode 227, Brian Kight, the guy who came up with the aforementioned equation E + R = O. It stands for Event + Response = Outcome. And I can’t wait for Brian to explain the significance of this formula and how it can change your life. B

Living in the information age comes with a price. That price is overwhelm. We are drowning in data, and we desperately want to know who and what we can trust online. Especially when it comes to high stakes issues, such as our health and longevity. It’s important to be discerning, to not simply accept conventional wisdom, and to assess the incentives that may influence a health expert’s position on a topic. One of the biggest factors in our health is the food we eat. Honestly, how much of what you consume is nutrition-dense? Hey, I’m guilty too. But armed with some new, well-curated information, you’re about to get healthier, my friend. That’s because my guest for this episode 226 is David "Avocado" Wolfe. He's a nutritionist, a super foodist, an orator, an herbalist, a chocolatier, and an organic farmer. You probably heard his name before, but if you haven't, he's a big deal on social media. He has a following on Facebook of 12 million. He's the Indiana Jones of the superfoods and longevity space. David has o

Fitness is gaining popularity with the masses thanks in part to the millions of motivational Instagram videos out there, yet there still are plenty of folks who just can't find the time to hit the gym. That is completely understandable. Life can get busy, especially when you're trying to juggle work, family, and everything else. Exercising isn’t exactly urgent. So it makes sense that all those hours each week we meant to dedicate to exercising never ended up happening.   Yet, statistically speaking, we’re highly likely to get taken out by heart disease. Prioritizing our own health and fitness isn’t an option, it’s a must. Not only will it benefit us, but our loved ones as well. After all, we don’t want to leave them prematurely. And you can accomplish more and be more when you're fit and healthy. You may be saying well that’s all fine and good, but that doesn’t take away the fact that I’m still time-strapped. Well I have a solution for you, and that solution involves my two guests today in this episode #225,

Many diseases today are caused by hormonal imbalances and the common denominator, the chemicals found in our food and personal care products. These nasty chemicals can cause diseases like cancer, obesity and Alzheimer's. Some have even been linked to depression. Before you place a product in your shopping cart, you need to know what it's made of and whether the manufacturer can be trusted. Furthermore, your genetics can play a pivotal role in whether that product is good for you or bad for you. So it really pays to have your DNA analyzed.  My guest for this episode number 224 is Dr. Anthony Jay. He's a Mayo Clinic scientist, DNA consultant and author of the book, Estrogeneration, which is all about how estrogenic substances are messing with our biology. Anthony hosts the Chagrin and Tonic YouTube show and podcast and he has a Ph.D. in biochemistry. It's time to get savvy about what you put in and on your body and what's in your genes. You owe it to yourself and to the generations that will follow you. So let

Entrepreneurs tend to showcase their successes and hide their screwups. Yet the mistakes, and what the entrepreneur learned from them, are arguably what brought on the success. It’s those failures that really hone one’s skills and intuition. One man who’s been honest about his missteps on the road to success in the hopes of helping others is Mike Michalowicz. In some ways, Mike and I have lived parallel lives, starting out with technology businesses in the 90s that we built up and eventually sold, moving on to a life of consulting, speaking, and publishing books. Mike is the author of six books, including Profit First and Clockwork, and the host of the Entrepreneurship Elevated Podcast. He has appeared on NBC, MSNBC, Fox News, ABC News Now, and CNBC's On the Money. One of the most powerful business lessons I have learned from Mike is the principle of taking your profit first. This is the opposite of the conventional approach to business, where the profit comes last after you deduct expenses from top-line reve

Of all the organs in the human body, the brain is arguably the most important, yet we still don't understand exactly how it works. When it comes to diseases of the brain, like Alzheimer’s and other types of Dementia, there are no cures and oftentimes, treatments focus on managing symptoms rather than stopping or slowing the disease. Dr. Joe DiDuro has treated many patients with neurodegenerative diseases and has seen firsthand just how devastating they can be to every aspect of a person's life. As a chiropractic neurologist and founder and president of the Neuropathy Treatment Centers of America, Dr. DiDuro has made it his life's work to end the suffering of patients with neurodegenerative diseases.  This has led him to develop a new treatment called Photobiomodulation, which uses light to stimulate neuro tissue and regenerate neural activity. Early testing has shown promise that the treatment may be able to reverse the effects of neurodegeneration. On this episode number 222, will be talking about Dr. DiDur

We are all imperfect humans, so we can't expect to have had perfect parents or caregivers. Most parents do the best they can. It's just an unfortunate reality that we as their children experienced trauma at their hands. Anything less than nurturing is trauma so the bar is pretty low. We have all experienced trauma in our childhoods. These traumas can still affect us mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. They can show up in our work, our relationships, our parenting and even our sense of self-worth.  My guest for this episode number 221, is Robyn Firtel, a phenomenal psychotherapist who I get to experience firsthand at a Secret Society intensive run by the author, Neil Strauss. Invited personally by Neil, Robyn blew me away with her insights and her exercises, including chair work, which we will be talking about in this episode. Robyn specializes in post induction therapy and the treatment of codependency, addiction, trauma, and relationship issues. She's A student of the internationally renowned Pia Mellod

Sleep is essential if you want to maintain stamina, achieve peak performance during your workday, and not get sick like I am right now. Unfortunately, our natural sleep patterns get disrupted by TVs, laptops, and cellphones that we look at for hours each day. Blue light emitted from the screens of these devices have been shown to delay the release of melatonin to make you more alert and to reset your body's internal clock. When you're exposed to blue light before bed, it takes you longer to fall asleep. You have less REM sleep and you often wake up feeling groggy. One option to combat the effects of blue light is to impose a digital curfew on yourself. But we're so reliant on our devices that this can be difficult. Another option is simply to get yourself a pair of blue light blocking glasses, like those developed by my guest for this episode number 220, James Swanwick.  James began his career as a journalist in Australia, eventually moving to Los Angeles where he worked as an ESPN SportsCenter anchor and int

Way back in the 90s, in the early days of my first startup, Netconcepts, I read a book that changed how I viewed the information technology revolution. It was called Data Smog: Surviving the Information Glut. I never forgot that book. In fact, I recently looked up the author to see what he's up to these days. And what came out of that was well, this episode number 219. It's my pleasure to welcome to the show my guest today, David Shenk.  He's author not only of the book Data Smog, but many other books, including The End of Patience, The Genius in All of Us, The Immortal Game, and The Forgetting. His books covered topics as diverse as the history of Chess, Alzheimer's disease, and the Grateful Dead. David is also a filmmaker, and he's the creator and executive producer of the Living with Alzheimer's film project. He's a contributor to National Geographic, Slate, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, the Atlantic, and many more.  David was ahead of his time; Data Smog nailed it as far as pr

Put down that phone! How many times a day do you find yourself scrolling Instagram or Facebook? If you are hopelessly addicted, don't feel too bad. These apps are designed to get you hooked and keep you coming back for more. You're just one of the millions who spend their days staring at a screen. But to believe that these apps have figured out some magic formula that we will never be able to escape is simply not true. It turns out that instead, they've just learned to manipulate our personal triggers. Thankfully, we can hack our own triggers to remove distractions to live more intentionally, to live more fulfilling and productive lives.  My guest today on this episode number 218 is Nir Eyal, and his new book is about this exact topic. It's called Indistractable, and it's all about how you can regain control over the technology that is trying to control you. Nir is also the author of Hooked, the founder of two tech companies, and has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner I

There's an Indian proverb that goes something like, "A healthy person has many wishes, but the sick person has only one." Statistically speaking, we in the Western world are most likely to die from cancer. Yes, cancer recently surpassed heart disease as the biggest killer. It really is no longer viable to stand idly by without taking some proactive actions to prevent cancer and to innovatively treated if you have it. We all have cancer cells in our bodies circulating in our bloodstream. It's just that our immune system is keeping that in check. Well, until it doesn't.  My guest today for this episode number 217 is Michelle Patterson. Michelle is the founder and CEO of the California Women's Conference. If you've ever gone you know how huge this event is. But now Michelle is on a wellness sabbatical from her business, as she was diagnosed earlier this year with stage four breast cancer. Don't worry about her though, as she is defying the odds and you're about to learn how. Michelle was on a mission to help wo

Are you born an entrepreneur? Or is it something that can be learned? If you take Steve Glaveski's success as an indicator then it's definitely the latter. Steve is the founder of several companies including Collective Campus and Lemonade Stand. They're all underpinned by the philosophy of making the world a better place by teaching more people to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset. It's a powerful idea and one that I personally find inspirational. One of Steve's arguments is that we not only need more entrepreneurs, but more entrepreneurial employees and organizations like businesses, nonprofits, and governments. It's an idea that I wholeheartedly agree with.  Steve is also the author of Employee to Entrepreneur, a great book published by Wiley that explains the methods and tools that freed him from the nine to five grind. And he's the host of Future Squared Podcast, where he explores the future of business and emerging technologies like AI and Bitcoin. Steve, like me, is also a contributor to Harvard Busin

We all love that satisfying feeling of getting things done. Unfortunately, clearing off your to-do list often seems like an epic task without any end. If you've struggled with this problem yourself, you probably realize that if you want to maximize your productivity, you need a system.  My guest for this episode number 215 also came to this realization and the system he developed became a global phenomenon. I'm talking about David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, creator of the GTD or Getting Things Done Methodology, and one of the most influential thinkers on productivity in the world. David needs no introduction, but if you're looking for street cred, he was named one of the US' top five executive coaches by Forbes and one of the top 10 business leaders by the American Management Association.  David's common sense approach to productivity has not only made him a bestselling author, it also has made him a sought after keynote speaker and created massive demand for his accredited training program in do