The Meditation Hack: Dave Asprey on Heart Coherence and his new book Heavily Meditated

Guest: Dave Asprey What if meditation didn’t have to be so hard—or take years of practice to see results? In this compelling episode, our host, Deborah Rozman, sits down with Dave Asprey, author of Heavily Meditated and creator of the biohacking movement, to explore a bold new way to deepen meditation and unlock heart coherence. Dave shares how his journey to Tibet sparked a realization that traditional meditation, while profound, is often difficult for many, especially in light of today’s fast-paced world. As a dedicated biohacker, Dave decided to see if he could uncover a faster way to gain the clarity and resilience that seasoned meditators experience. Through his work with brainwaves, HeartMath® tools, and heart coherence training, he discovered something that gave him great hope: a faster, more effective path for those who find meditation challenging by combining technology with heart-focused practices to accelerate transformation.  Together, Deborah and Dave talk about how heart coherence can make meditation more accessible and amplify its benefits. Dave says he’s found this true for anyone—from seasoned meditators to complete beginners. By simply practicing heart coherence, you tap into clarity, resilience, and inner balance more quickly. Tune in to hear more from Dave on his fascinating new book, Heavily Meditated, and his views on how heart coherence can help deepen and enliven your meditation experience and contribute to increasing health and longevity. The episode concludes with a heart-focused meditation led by Deborah to help you center in gratitude, expand compassion, and align heart, mind, and body in just a few minutes. About our guest: Dave Asprey is the founder of Bulletproof Coffee, developer of The Bulletproof Diet, and widely recognized as the creator of the biohacking movement. He is a four-time NYT bestselling author, the author of the recent USA Today bestseller, Heavily Meditated: The Fast Path to Remove Your Triggers, Dissolve Stress, and Activate Inner Peace, the CEO of Upgrade Labs, and host of “The Human Upgrade” podcast.  Dave pioneered online sales in the ‘90s, co-founded an early data center company, and later transformed his own health by losing 100+ pounds and improving his cognitive function. This journey led him to create The Bulletproof Diet and coin “biohacking.” Dave runs the 40 Years of Zen neurofeedback program, the Biohacking Conference, and a regenerative agriculture farm while investing in biohacking startups.  As a leader in the longevity movement, Dave collaborates with medical professionals, researchers, and innovators to develop groundbreaking techniques and products that enhance mental and physical performance. Using science-backed methods, his mission is to help people upgrade their minds to a happier, more conscious state and optimize their bodies one cell at a time. 

Guest: Dr. Mimi Guarneri We’re revisiting one of our most impactful episodes with Dr. Mimi Guarneri—an integrative cardiologist whose message continues to resonate deeply. As conversations around stress, nervous system health, and emotional well-being become even more urgent, her insights feel especially relevant. This episode struck a powerful chord when it first aired, and we’re bringing it back because its message is something we believe more people need to hear, now more than ever. Imagine a world where your doctor doesn’t just hear your heartbeat but empowers you to hear your own heart’s wisdom to improve your health. Our guest, Dr. Mimi Guarneri, president of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, is a world-renowned cardiologist and leader in integrative medicine.   In her book, The Heart Speaks, she talks about how the heart is a complex organ, possessing intelligence, memory, and decision-making abilities independent from the mind—and that healing the heart can have more to do with healing the mind and soul than we ever knew. In this podcast, she talks about why the world needs a revolution of love.  As a cardiologist, she explains how the toxic toll of stress is closing our hearts and silently eroding lifespans, yet traditional medicine often overlooks an important factor: our overwhelmed nervous systems that burden us with accumulated stress. Dr. Guarneri reveals how activating heart coherence can rebalance and stabilize the nervous system, leading to better health outcomes.  In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Guarneri exposes stress’s subtle yet detrimental impacts and how the heart’s natural healing potential can rewrite our well-being story.  Join Dr. Guarneri and host Deborah Rozman as they explore innovative approaches to “hacking” and regulating your nervous system to help you reverse the downward spiral of stress. Hear what these experts recommend and why they agree that it’s your heart that holds the key to a healthier, balanced life. This is a wake-up call episode for anyone who wants to take control of their health and live a life free from the grip of stress. Dr. Guarneri says this isn’t just about health; it’s about revolutionizing how we love, think, and care for ourselves—and each other.  An episode bonus! Enjoy a guided heart meditation to co-create a reservoir of healing and compassionate heart energy for ourselves and others.  About our guest: Ranked as the number one female physician in the U.S. embracing integrative medicine, Mimi Guarneri, MD, FACC, ABOIM, is a renowned cardiologist focusing on integrative medicine for disease prevention and health promotion. Board-certified in Cardiovascular Disease, Internal Medicine, and Integrative Holistic Medicine, she serves on the Founding Board of the American Board of Physician Specialties in Integrative Medicine. Dr. Guarneri is the co-founder and medical director of Guarneri Integrative Health and president of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine. An accomplished author, educator, and speaker, she has received numerous awards, including the Bravewell Physician Leadership Award and the Linus Pauling Functional Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award.

Your brain is always listening—what is it hearing from you? Are you feeding it thoughts that create happiness or ones that quietly work against it? In this encore podcast episode, our host, Deborah Rozman, sits down with renowned psychiatrist and brain health expert Dr. Daniel Amen to explore how our inner dialogue, stress responses, and emotional habits shape our mental well-being—often without us realizing it. We dive into the heart-brain connection and share practical tools—from both Amen Clinics and HeartMath®—that can help you interrupt stress patterns, build emotional resilience, and train your brain and heart for more clarity and calm. Originally released in April 2022, this conversation is more relevant than ever. If you’re looking to support your brain, balance your mind and emotions, and live with more heart-driven intention, be sure you catch this episode and share it with someone you care about.  This episode closes with a heart-focused meditation to get our heart and brain in sync to help release stress and connect with what’s important to you to support your mental and emotional well-being. About our guest: Dr. Daniel Amen is a physician, adult and child psychiatrist, and founder of Amen Clinics, Inc., with 10 locations across the U.S. The Amen Clinics have the world’s largest database of brain scans for psychiatry. He is the founder of BrainMD, a fast-growing, science-based nutraceutical company, and Amen University, which has trained thousands of medical and mental health professionals on the methods he has developed. In addition, he has produced 16 national public television shows about the brain, and his online videos on brain and mental health have been viewed over 300 million times. Dr. Amen is a 12-time New York Times bestselling author, including Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, The End of Mental Illness, Healing ADD, and many more. You, Happier was published in March 2022.

Guests: Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson Excelling in a sport requires more than mastering the mechanics of the game; it requires heart. In this illuminating podcast episode, host Deborah Rozman connects with Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott, renowned golf coaches and co-founders of the acclaimed VISION54 golf school, to explore the transformative power of heart coherence in sports and in life.  Since 1997, Pia and Lynn have been using HeartMath coherence tools in their coaching work to help talented golfers improve their game and grow as people. Drawing from their extensive experience coaching elite athletes, Pia and Lynn share how heart coherence qualities like love, gratitude, and appreciation create more than just feel-good states—they are foundational to higher performance, resilience, and mastering the game of life. They’ve witnessed firsthand how practicing these powerful heart attitudes synchronizes heart and brain into a coherent state that not only enhances players’ skills but also helps them become happier and more aware people.   Pia, Lynn, and Deborah discuss the ways in which accessing and truly allowing ourselves to experience heart coherence in sports becomes a doorway to deeper clarity, presence, and purpose in other aspects of our lives. We’re better able to sustain higher performance levels, enjoy stronger relationships, and find more joy and flow through the ups and downs of daily living.  The episode closes with a guided, heart-focused meditation, inviting us to connect with these regenerative heart emotions so we can radiate that energy into all the areas of our lives and be able to perform at our very best.  About our guests: Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson are the co-founders of VISION54, a breakthrough program and golf school based at Talking Stick Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Internationally recognized, Lynn and Pia are the two highest-ranked female instructors in America and have been selected as Golf Digest’s Legends of Golf Instruction. GOLF Magazine selected them both as recipients of the Top 100 Teachers: Lifetime Achievement. VISION54’s golf school, 54GOLF, has been awarded the “Best Golf School in America” multiple times. VISION54’s coaching program, 54COACH, has repeatedly received the highest marks from peers in training for teachers and coaches. Lynn and Pia have coached players to well over one hundred tour victories on the LPGA, PGA, European, Ladies European, and Japan Tours. They’ve coached eleven different major winners and five #1-ranked players in the world. They are also the authors of four best-selling books, including their newest release, Be a Player. 

Guest: Brooke Jones Kindness isn’t just a feeling—it’s a practice, a gentle rhythm we can return to again and again with great benefit to ourselves and others. It asks so little from us yet gives so much, requiring only our intention and shaped by our thoughts, words, and actions. In this episode, we’re focusing on the power of kindness to transform lives. Did you know that one simple act of kindness can inspire five more acts of kindness? Imagine the ripple you can create just by making kindness a choice each day.  Our host, Deborah Rozman, interviews Brooke Jones, Vice President of the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, which was born in the 1990s with the purpose of making kindness a norm. It was during a summer of violence when a reporter noted that people should stop reporting on “random acts of violence” and start practicing “random acts of kindness.” That started a movement to explore how small acts of kindness can lead to profound changes in individuals, communities, and even the world. Brooke shares her personal journey—from overcoming a challenging childhood and postpartum depression to dedicating her life to spreading kindness and inspiring others to do the same. She reveals how moments of kindness and compassion from others shaped her path and inspired her to make kindness the cornerstone of her values. They discuss some of the science behind kindness, its measurable benefits for mental health, and how it can reduce stress hormones, foster connection, and even improve longevity. This episode also highlights the growth of the kindness movement, including its impact on schools worldwide through structured programs that teach respect, inclusion, and care. Brooke offers practical ways we each can notice and nurture kindness in everyday life, reminding us that even the smallest gesture can inspire a chain reaction of goodwill by others. Tune in for an uplifting conversation that will leave you feeling hopeful, inspired, and ready to make kindness a norm in your own life. About our guest: Brooke Jones has studied in Paris and holds a degree in art history. She also holds certifications in Applied Positive Psychology and Brene Brown’s work, The Daring Way. She delivered a TEDx talk in 2017, where she shared her personal journey with mental illness. Outside of her time creating written content for the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, she enjoys fiber crafting, creative writing, and helping spread kindness in her local community with her teenage daughter. Brooke is in the process of writing a book for parents to help support them in creating and maintaining healthy and fulfilling relationships with their children.

Guest: Sharon Salzberg Discover how the transformative power of loving-kindness can help bridge divides in our polarized world. In this heart-opening episode of the Add Heart Podcast, HeartMath CEO Deborah Rozman interviews Sharon Salzberg, who is perhaps best known for helping to make mindfulness and loving-kindness meditations accessible to mainstream America. Sharon is co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society, author of the bestselling Lovingkindness, and host of the Metta Hour podcast.  Join Deborah and Sharon in this intriguing dialogue on how practicing loving-kindness can quickly improve our own lives and help society. They discuss how loving-kindness is an energetic antidote to fear that enhances intuition and our connection with others. Deborah shares HeartMath’s scientific discovery on how loving-kindness practices increase coherence in the heart’s rhythmic beating pattern. This helps to regulate and balance the nervous system while synchronizing the heart and brain to expand perception. Sharon shares that heart and mind are actually the same word in many Asian languages, challenging the Western concept of separation between the two. Both agree on the crucial need for humanity to unite, heart and mind, for people to be able to get along with each other — and that letting the mind lead without the heart has led to a growing divisiveness in society. Together, Sharon and Deborah explore what is meant by “a heart as wide as the world,” emphasizing that opening our hearts to others is the foundation for our own happiness and for addressing life’s challenges with wisdom and compassion. This engaging conversation between these two experts in their fields offers hope and practical wisdom for navigating a complex world with more heart and effectiveness, leading to transformative outcomes. About our guest: Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She was among the first to bring mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation to mainstream American culture 50 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. A co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, Sharon is the author of 13 books, including the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. In 2023, Sharon released two new books: Real Life, available from Flatiron Books, and Finding Your Way, a small gift book available from Workman. Sharon’s popular podcast, Metta Hour, has amassed seven million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond.

Guest: Kristin Neff, PhD, AHP If you or someone you care about struggles with self-compassion, seeing it as indulgent or self-centered, this episode is for you. Our guest, Dr. Kristin Neff, a world-renowned researcher on self-compassion, says that couldn’t be further from the truth. In this episode, Dr. Neff unpacks the real power of self-compassion, dispels common myths, and reveals why it’s not a weakness to have compassion for ourselves but a key to our resilience. Join host Deborah Rozman, PhD, for a transformative conversation with Dr. Kristin Neff, co-author of the recent book Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout. Dr. Neff reveals why self-compassion may be your greatest ally in navigating today’s overwhelming stress—especially when we don’t see solutions or feel we can’t handle it all. Together, Dr. Rozman and Dr. Neff explore the science and practice of self-compassion. Discover how embracing your struggles—without self-pity or self-judgment—cultivates resilience and empowers you to take effective action.  This important discussion also highlights the intriguing connection between self-compassion and heart rhythm coherence—a powerful combination for aligning mind and body that enhances emotional balance, kindness, and acceptance—realizing everyone is going through stress these days and giving ourselves compassionate latitude, a heart practice that nurtures and soothes.  Together, these two practices provide us with fresh perspectives and renewed energy to hold a deeper feeling of ease through life’s challenges. As a special conclusion, you’ll be guided through a heart-focused meditation on self-compassion designed to help you breathe in love and compassion, create heart alignment, and build a reservoir of supportive energy for stressful moments. Don’t miss this opportunity to transform your approach to self-care! About our guest: Dr. Kristin Neff is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion more than 20 years ago. She has been recognized as one of the most influential researchers in psychology worldwide. Kristin runs the Self-Compassion Community, an online learning platform where people can learn the skill of self-compassion with the help of others. She is the author of the bestselling books Self-Compassion and Fierce Self-Compassion. Along with her colleague Chris Germer, she developed the empirically supported Mindful Self-Compassion program and co-founded the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. They co-wrote the bestselling book The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, and their latest book is Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout. For more information, go to self-compassion.org.

Guest: Arnaud Saint-Paul  Join host Deborah Rozman as she delves into a profound conversation with Arnaud Saint-Paul, a visionary on a mission to help people connect with their true selves and transform business. Arnaud candidly shares his journey from a 13-year-old seeker to a heart-centered leader, revealing how he discovered the power of heart intelligence. In this episode, Arnaud unveils his transformative approach to business leadership, emphasizing the importance of moving beyond self-limiting beliefs and tapping into heart wisdom.  He explains how creating coherence at the individual and organizational levels can accelerate growth and create a positive impact across financial, social, and environmental sectors. You’ll enjoy hearing Arnaud’s practical insights on becoming a heart-directed leader and learn about the coming paradigm shift from mind-oriented to heart-based leadership.  Arnaud and Deborah explore how integrating mind and heart unlocks intuitive guidance, paving the way for the next level of human consciousness in doing business. Arnaud also shares what business leaders, as well as each of us, can start doing right now to become more heart-directed leaders.  About our guest: Arnaud Saint-Paul’s passion is to open billions of hearts and help them find harmony inside and out. Living between New York and Paris, a philanthropist and award-winning serial software, finance, and social impact entrepreneur for more than 20 years, Arnaud started his quest at 13 to live through his heart. Throughout his career, he has directly helped hundreds of individuals and inspired more than 50 million people internationally to connect to their heart. Founder of the Heartful Method™, Arnaud now helps entrepreneurs build a new heart-based economy with clients around the globe. Arnaud is the author of several books, including his upcoming book, The Heartful Method for Entrepreneurs.

In this episode of the Add Heart Podcast, host Deborah Rozman welcomes Gordy Bal, the visionary founder of Conscious Thought Revolution, for a transformative conversation about the untapped potential of money to elevate human consciousness. Driven by a bold mission to impact a billion lives by 2030, Gordy seeks to redefine wealth as a tool for purpose and collective awakening. Together, Deborah and Gordy explore the striking contrast between today’s financial paradigm—shaped by oligarchs and billionaires—and the emerging consciousness that calls for a new approach, one rooted in love, heart coherence, and deeper self-connection. Imagine a world where the projected $70 trillion of generational wealth is transferred with the intention of uplifting humanity. How might such a shift reshape humanity’s future? Gordy offers profound insights into this possibility, believing we are on the brink of a new era. He and Deborah discuss how we can seize the opportunities for positive change, even amidst the persistent challenges of greed, division, and financial stress. You’ll discover how conscious capital can serve as a powerful force for global transformation and how each of us, in our own way, can contribute to this financial and spiritual revolution. The episode concludes with a heart-centered meditation led by Deborah, empowering us to amplify an energetic field of love—individually and collectively—for the betterment of humanity. About our guest: Gordy Bal is a heart-centered entrepreneur, impact investor, and visionary leader. He is the best-selling author of the #1 Wall Street Journal book, The New Millionaire’s Playbook, and the founder of Conscious Thought Revolution (CTR.com), which consists of a venture capital fund and a world-class marketing agency that invests in entrepreneurs and organizations committed to bettering humanity. Through these organizations, Gordy has spearheaded the transformation of early startups into billion-dollar powerhouses.  Gordy is now a sought-after advisor, speaker, mentor, and coach to entrepreneurs and investors. He is passionate about supporting aligned leaders in generating true abundance by stepping into their purpose and making a meaningful impact. Harnessing this commitment, Gordy has dedicated himself to creating a world where business, finance, and human consciousness seamlessly co-exist.

Guest: Rollin McCraty, PhD What if the key to global harmony lies in the unseen energetic connection between our own heart and mind and the hearts and minds of others? Could this connection, when understood, help to lift humanity and facilitate a more compassionate, caring, and unified field for all people and the planet? New research is indicating that love is the underlying energetic connection that can heal humanity’s separation. In this episode, Rollin McCraty, HeartMath Institute director of research, and Deborah Rozman dive into the science of our interconnectivity and how this connection can lift humanity.  They discuss groundbreaking research on heart coherence, where groups of people in different parts of the world had measurably synchronized heart rhythms when energetically connected in shared emotions like compassion, care, and kindness.  McCraty and his research team have demonstrated that when individuals and groups of people radiate care and compassion, it not only enhances local and non-local energetic connection, it helps power up a broader spectrum of coherent love that can help uplift the world’s energetic field. This is how love can go viral. This episode offers fascinating insights into how practicing heart coherence techniques can empower ourselves and each other to help elevate collective well-being, reduce separation, and contribute to humanity’s shift toward greater harmony. We are all important contributors to helping love go viral to transform our planet.  The episode closes with a heart meditation led by host Deborah Rozman to help us increase our love radiation and add it to the planetary field environment.  We hope you’ll join us for this inspiring conversation and learn how your heart’s power could be a catalyst for connection, healing, and a more unified world.  About our guest: Rollin McCraty, PhD, is a globally recognized scientist and a leading researcher on the heart-mind connection. He serves as director of research at the HeartMath Institute (HMI) and is a pivotal figure in the Global Coherence Initiative. Since the Institute’s inception in 1991, McCraty and his talented team have spearheaded groundbreaking research with extensive studies, exceeding dozens in number, exploring how to harness communication between the heart and brain to manage stress, cultivate coherence (a state of optimal physiological balance), and strengthen our connection to ourselves and others.  McCraty’s Google Scholar profile boasts hundreds of publications, presentations, and patents spanning 25 years, with over 17,000 citations and a highly respected h-index score of 56. His esteemed body of work appears in prestigious peer-reviewed journals and has captured the attention of major media outlets like CNN, ABC’s Good Morning America, and PBS. He actively contributes to various scientific societies, furthering our understanding of the heart’s profound influence on our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.