87 Earned, Not Given: Chris Lee on Pain, Purpose, and Legacy

Returning guest Nathan Nussbaum, founder of MovMed and author of From Stress to Strong, is back on the GrabLives Podcast to go deeper into what it really takes to rebuild the body after injury, chronic stress, and nervous system overload. Raised in a family rooted in fitness, Nathan’s early life revolved around movement, strength, and performance. But injuries and life stress eventually took their toll, forcing him to confront the gap between traditional fitness and true healing. What followed was years of mentorship, self-experimentation, and hands-on application that reshaped his entire understanding of how the body adapts, compensates, and ultimately heals. In this conversation, Nathan breaks down how stress physically changes the body, how unresolved tension can keep people stuck in cycles of pain, and what it actually means to become strong again. He explains why strength isn’t just about muscles, but about restoring trust, coordination, and resilience within the nervous system. For first responders and anyone living under constant pressure, this episode offers a powerful perspective on recovery, adaptation, and long-term durability. Nathan shares lessons from his own journey and his work with others, showing how movement can become a tool not just for performance, but for reclaiming control over your health and your life. This is a conversation about transformation, ownership, and what becomes possible when you stop chasing symptoms and start rebuilding the system.

In this episode of the GrabLives Podcast, we sit down with Chris Lee, former Green Beret and U.S. Army Special Operations veteran, to explore the battle that doesn’t end when you come home. This conversation goes beyond deployments and into the unseen war—hypervigilance, identity, and the internal patterns that follow you long after the mission is over. Chris breaks down what it’s like to live in a constant state of alertness, and how that same wiring can either trap you… or become the gateway to transformation. We dive deep into the connection between the mind and the heart, and why true resilience isn’t just about toughness—it’s about awareness, curiosity, and the willingness to face what’s underneath. This is a conversation about evolving beyond old identities, letting go of outdated versions of yourself, and stepping into who you’re becoming. If you’ve ever felt stuck between who you were and who you know you’re meant to be, this one hits.

In this returning episode of GrabLives, Jon sits down again with Dani Fontaine, a pioneering voice in the modern cannabis and hemp movement. Dani is an endocannabinoid researcher, neurotherapist, entrepreneur, and plant-medicine advocate whose work explores how cannabis interacts with the body’s internal signaling systems. Dani’s journey began on the front lines of Colorado’s cannabis legalization. She founded early edible companies and later co-founded the Colorado Hemp Project, helping launch one of the first licensed legal hemp farms in the United States. From there she built Nature’s Root, creating plant-based formulations such as pain-relieving salves and therapeutic hemp products used in spas and wellness clinics around the world. In this conversation, Dani dives deep into the Endocannabinoid System, the vast receptor network responsible for regulating pain, mood, sleep, inflammation, and overall balance in the human body. Researchers describe this system as a central communication network that helps maintain physiological homeostasis across nearly every organ system. But Dani’s work goes even further. She explores how genetic mutations and SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms)can influence detox pathways, metabolism, and how individuals respond to cannabis. Some genetic variants can impair natural detoxification systems, which is why personalized approaches to plant medicine and cannabinoid therapy are becoming increasingly important. Together, Jon and Dani explore: • The science and mystery of the endocannabinoid system• How cannabis interacts with the body’s receptor networks• Why some people respond differently to cannabinoids based on genetics• How DNA testing can reveal mutations affecting detox and metabolism• The future of personalized medicine through cannabis and plant compounds• How nature, environment, and biology intersect in human healing From pioneering the hemp industry to exploring the genetic blueprint of human health, Dani Fontaine continues to push the boundaries of how we understand cannabis, biology, and the body’s innate intelligence.This conversation goes far beyond cannabis culture — into the deeper biology of how plants, genes, and consciousness interact inside the human system.

What are we actually observing when we say we are conscious? In this episode of GrabLives, Jon sits down with Shaun Taylor, a 62-year-old former Canadian Tier 1 Special Operations operator, high-performance race coach, 24-hour solo mountain bike world champion, martial artist, author, and co-host of the The Collective Podcast. This conversation moves far beyond tactics, performance, or endurance. Instead, Jon and Shaun explore the deeper question beneath human performance: What is consciousness, and who is the one observing it? Drawing from decades in elite special operations, extreme endurance sports, martial arts, and philosophical inquiry, Shaun shares how high-stakes environments force a person to confront awareness itself. When the noise of the world fades and survival sharpens the mind, a different layer of perception emerges. Together they unpack: • The relationship between awareness and identity• Why observing thoughts changes how the mind operates• The difference between the thinking mind and the witnessing mind• How extreme environments reveal deeper layers of consciousness• Whether consciousness is produced by the brain or something the brain tunes into From battlefield mindset to 24-hour endurance racing to philosophical inquiry, Shaun brings a rare perspective on what it means to truly observe reality and understand the mind behind the experience. This episode explores the frontier where performance, awareness, and consciousness intersect.

In this returning conversation, Jon welcomes back Ginny Rutherford, founder of Kambo International and dedicated Ren Xue pattern coach, to explore the deeper layers of pattern transformation and what it truly means to live beyond the unconscious programs that shape our lives. Since her last appearance, Ginny’s work and personal journey have continued to evolve, bringing even greater clarity to how patterns silently influence our thoughts, emotional reactions, behaviors, and ultimately our identity. She explains how these patterns are not just mental habits, but deeply conditioned survival responses that continue running in the background until we develop the awareness to see them clearly. Ginny shares how the Ren Xue system provides a practical path for recognizing these patterns, dissolving their control, and restoring alignment with what Ren Xue calls the True Self. Through awareness, responsibility, and consistent inner work, she explains how it becomes possible to stop living on autopilot and begin responding to life with clarity instead of conditioning. For those living in high-stress environments, including first responders, this conversation offers powerful insight into how stress reinforces unconscious patterning, and how real transformation begins by changing the relationship with our internal reactions rather than trying to control external circumstances. Ren Xue, founded by Yuan Tze, is a system of wisdom and self-development designed to help individuals reconnect with their original nature and live in greater harmony with themselves and the world. Ginny brings this wisdom into practical, grounded application, showing how transformation is not about becoming someone new, but about removing what was never truly you. This is a deeper continuation of a powerful dialogue about awareness, responsibility, and the process of stepping out of conditioned living to reclaim clarity, freedom, and authentic strength.

Episode 82 of the GrabLives Podcast features Eileen Day McKusick, researcher, author, and pioneer in the modern use of tuning forks for therapeutic sound work. Known for her books Tuning the Human Biofield and Electric Body, Electric Health, Eileen has helped reshape how people think about the body, energy, and healing by exploring the human biofield and the role vibration plays in our physical and emotional health. In this conversation, Eileen breaks down her work in a way that’s approachable even if you’ve never heard of vibrational medicine. She explains how stress, trauma, and unresolved experiences can show up as patterns of tension or “dissonance” in the body’s energetic field, and how carefully applied sound frequencies may help the nervous system reorganize and settle. Rather than framing healing as something mystical or abstract, she connects vibration to everyday physiology, showing how sound can influence the body’s electrical and sensory systems. For first responders and anyone living with high stress or PTSD, this episode offers a new lens for understanding how trauma lives in the body and how non-invasive tools like sound therapy may support regulation, recovery, and resilience. It’s an eye-opening discussion about the intersection of science, sensation, and healing, and how tuning into the body’s signals can open doors to deeper self-awareness and restoration. Whether you’re curious about energy medicine, looking for new recovery tools, or simply want to understand your nervous system better, this episode translates complex ideas into practical insights you can relate to real life.

In this episode of the GrabLives Podcast, I sit down with Lisa Mercier, a medium who works closely with firefighters and police officers to help them understand something most people are never taught to look at: their energetic health. We talk about energetic hygiene, emotional residue, and why so many first responders feel exhausted, disconnected, or heavy even when their physical body seems “fine.” Lisa breaks down how energy is constantly being exchanged on calls, scenes, and in everyday interactions and how ignoring this invisible layer quietly erodes mental, emotional, and physical well-being over time. This conversation explores why people resist acknowledging energy as real, how unprocessed experiences stay stored in the body and nervous system, and what it means to actually clear yourself after witnessing trauma, death, and human suffering. Not a spiritual bypass. Not a self-help cliché.A grounded look at the part of health most of us were never trained to see.

In Episode 80 of the GrabLives Podcast, Jon sits down with LAPD Detective Robert Smey, a 23-year veteran who has spent years working sex crimes, hunting predators, and standing face-to-face with humanity at its darkest edges. This is not a sensational conversation about catching bad guys. It’s a sober, introspective look at what that work does to the person behind the badge. Bob speaks with rare maturity about the internal discipline required to survive long-term police work. He shares how he checks in with himself daily, not only in his interactions with victims and criminals, but with coworkers, systems, and his own evolving worldview. At the center of the conversation is hypervigilance—not the firefighter’s readiness for chaos, but the police officer’s constant, quiet scanning of threat, intent, and deception… even off duty. We explore how Bob manages his internal narrative, how he prevents cynicism from calcifying his humanity, and how self-awareness becomes a form of armor when you can never fully turn your back on the world. This episode pulls the mask back on law enforcement culture, responsibility, and the psychological cost of always looking over your shoulder—and choosing, consciously, who you become because of it. Topics include: Life after decades in sex crimes investigations Police hypervigilance vs. firefighter hypervigilance Managing internal dialogue under chronic threat awareness Daily self-checks as a survival strategy Staying human while confronting inhuman behavior Identity beyond the badge This is a conversation about responsibility, awareness, and the quiet work of keeping your inner world intact when your outer world demands constant vigilance.Grab Life. Stay aware. Stay human.

In this powerful and refreshingly real conversation, Jon sits down with Dr. Kristy De Leon, couples therapist, sex therapist, and firewife, to explore the sacred and practical dimensions of intimacy inside high-stress relationships. Dr. Kristy brings a rare blend of clinical mastery and lived experience, speaking directly to the realities firefighters, first responders, and their partners face when the nervous system lives in survival mode. We go far beyond the basics of sex therapy and into the heart of what actually heals. We talk about the sanctity of sex through union, why presence matters more than technique, and how intimacy becomes medicine when the nervous system feels safe enough to receive it. Dr. Kristy breaks down porn, desire, arousal, and libido through a trauma-informed lens, helping both men and women understand what’s really happening inside their bodies and relationships. We unpack the invisible tension that lives between shift change and home life, how couples unknowingly collide in different nervous system states, and why conflict isn’t a failure but a doorway to deeper connection when approached with skill and compassion. This episode is a masterclass in: Conscious intimacy Male and female libido Attachment, arousal, and relational safety Learning the language of a woman’s body Understanding masculine desire without shame Healing sexual disconnection after trauma Turning conflict into connection Dr. Kristy’s voice is both clinical and deeply human, bridging science, somatics, and sacred union in a way that feels grounded, relatable, and profoundly hopeful. If you are a first responder, a partner of one, or anyone who wants a relationship that doesn’t slowly fade under stress, this episode will change how you see sex, intimacy, and the nervous system forever. This isn’t about better sex. It’s about coming home to each other.Contacting Dr. Kristy De Leon:https://linktr.ee/kristydel

What do you do when the diagnosis says “lifelong,” but your intuition says “there’s another way”? In Episode 78, we sit down with Amanie, whose life was interrupted by a series of hospital visits, neurological symptoms, and ultimately a diagnosis that would change everything: Multiple Sclerosis — an autoimmune disease the medical system said she’d be managing forever. But instead of accepting a lifetime of pharmaceuticals, injections, and uncertainty, Amanie and her partner made a radical decision:They stepped away from the conventional treatment path and chose to rebuild her health from the ground up. What followed was a complete transformation of: Diet Environment Lifestyle Stress load Relationship to healing Driven by the belief that the human body is designed to heal, they began searching globally for the most nutrient-dense superfoods on the planet. That journey led them to one of the most powerful natural remedies in the world: Sea Moss. What started as research turned into a lifestyle — and eventually into a mission. In this episode, we explore: The emotional and spiritual shock of an MS diagnosis Why they rejected the conventional treatment plan and what risks, fears, and doubts came with that choice The holistic system they rebuilt — from nutrition to nervous system regulation How Sea Moss became a cornerstone of Amanie’s recovery, providing 92 of the 102 minerals the human body needs The evolution from sourcing raw sea moss from Saint Lucia → to creating their own concentrated, single-ingredient gels How this healing journey became a calling, not just a solution Amanie’s story is a reminder that healing isn’t always found in a prescription — sometimes it’s found in the courage to listen to your body, trust your intuition, and rebuild your life one choice at a time. This episode is for anyone facing chronic illness, autoimmune conditions, or the overwhelming sense that the system doesn’t have all the answers. It’s also for the warriors who choose the path of self-healing, resilience, and radical responsibility. Connect With Survival Moss Website: https://survivalmoss.com/pages/about-usInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/survivalmoss