Muscle Is the Organ of Longevity: The Link Between Muscle Health and Mitochondria with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

In this episode, I’m speaking with Rome Za, a movement specialist, Jiu-Jitsu athlete, father, and founder of the Rome Za method, a breathwork-based way to transform your nervous system. In this podcast, Rome and I discuss: His fascinating and sometimes very intense childhood, including an early brush with death  The one factor we should focus on for nervous system healing before supplements or even diet Rome’s vast experience coaching people and the recurrent issue he’s seen in over 4,000 coaching clients 2 nervous system assaults you should be keenly aware of and how to address both for a calm, centered life The importance of non-traditional strength movements that lead to vitality, resilience, and longevity 3 core insights you can apply to your own life to support and steady your nervous system

The key to longevity, energy, and metabolic health isn't found in your heart, liver, or brain…but in your muscles. Amazingly, your muscles make up the largest organ system in your body and, importantly, the primary home of your mitochondria. Dr. Gabrielle Lyon is a fellowship-trained physician in nutritional science and geriatrics who is revolutionizing our understanding of muscle as the organ of longevity. Her work reveals why skeletal muscle is the only organ system we have direct control over. In this conversation, she explains the shocking 400% difference in mitochondrial capacity between athletes and people with metabolic syndrome, why the "healthy sedentary" person doesn't exist, and her proven protocol for eating and training to optimize both muscle and mitochondrial health.  

What if the popular narrative about trauma is incomplete? What if trauma isn't just a psychological phenomenon, but a fundamentally biological process that gets encoded in your cells, mitochondria, and nervous system? Dr. Aimie Apigian is a double board-certified physician in preventive and addiction medicine who's revolutionizing how we understand and treat trauma.  Her groundbreaking new book, "The Biology of Trauma," reveals the hidden physiological mechanisms behind trauma responses. In this conversation, she explains where traditional talk therapy falls short, how trauma creates a feedback loop of oxidative stress and cellular shutdown, and her innovative approach to healing trauma from the inside out, starting with cellular safety before diving into the emotional work.  

In this episode, I am speaking with Dr. James Chestnut who is a doctor of chiropractic. He holds a bachelor of Physical Education and a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology specializing in neuromuscular adaptation. He holds a postgraduate certification in evidence-based chiropractic and lifestyle protocols. He has authored five books including his latest book Live Right for Your Species Type. In this part, we talk about the common misconceptions about the impact of nutrition and lifestyle on health and why it is much better than common drug treatment for long-term health.

In this episode, I’m speaking with Dr. Heather Sandison, a naturopathic doctor, published researcher, and the author of a new book you’ll definitely want to read, Reversing Alzheimer's: The New Toolkit to Improve Cognition and Protect Brain Health. Dr. Sandison’s work is extraordinary in many ways, but, in my opinion, one of her most impressive achievements is creating Marama Memory Care, the first residential memory care facility to have the goal of returning cognitively declined residents to independent living! I loved speaking with Dr. Sandison, and I know you’ll learn a lot from this podcast. Enjoy!  

In this episode, I’m speaking with Børge Fagerli, creator of an innovative and highly efficient resistance training method called Myo-Reps, which is a way to create 80% of the results in a fraction of the time.    Børge has spent over 25 years as a fitness coach and is known for his evidence-based approaches to nutrition, training, mindset, and lifestyle optimization. We became friends about 10 years ago (through a funny story you’ll hear in the podcast) and we went on to have many years of fruitful discussions and debates on a variety of health topics, and worked together to produce content on the interface of nutrition and circadian rhythm. He’s a great expert on fitness and body composition, and I think you’ll gain a lot of insights from his thoughts on training.    In this podcast, Børge and I discuss:   His background as an engineer and bodybuilder and his research-backed reasons for focusing on fundamentals instead of getting caught up in wellness hype The 3 most essential factors you need to know to be successful in your exercise training…this is appropriate for ALL fitness levels! The number of exercise reps you should perform to see (and feel!) your body change and why this rep range is essential for women Why too many repetitions of one exercise might be the WRONG approach for most people The definitive answer to one of the most discussed questions in all of training: Will I get too big and bulky from lifting weights?? Why training that feels too hard or intense might actually be keeping you from achieving your goals If “muscle confusion,” i.e., training your muscles with different exercises every time you work out, is a legitimate concept or pseudoscience  Myo-Reps, Børge’s strategy for achieving 40 minutes of exercise in just 20 minutes! The #1 mindset tip you can implement today to keep you strong and fit as you age  

In this episode, Dr. Mike T. Nelson pulls back the curtain on some common keto myths, including how it’s connected to fat loss, athletic performance, and even ancestral eating patterns. You might be surprised to learn that smart athletes will do anything to win—except go keto. In this myth-busting conversation, you'll discover why the high-fat-eating Inuit peoples probably weren't in ketosis, how keto can slash your power output by up to 8%, and why metabolic flexibility—not extreme diets—is the real key to optimal health. After 20-plus years in the field, Dr. Nelson shares his unfiltered take on everything from exogenous ketones to the carbohydrate hypothesis of obesity, delivering the nuanced truth that diet influencers won't tell you.  

Did you know your mitochondria produce your body weight in ATP every single day? Dr. Michael Murray reveals why most people's "dimmer switch" is turned down and how flavonoids can actually repair damaged mitochondria, something once thought impossible. In this paradigm-shifting conversation, you'll discover why 80% of female endurance athletes are iron deficient, how nature designed a brilliant system for delivering flavonoids exactly where inflammation occurs, and why taking NAD+ supplements might be addressing the wrong problem entirely. After 45 years of studying flavonoids and treating thousands of patients, Dr. Murray shares his most powerful insights on what really drives energy production. This episode was originally released in November 2023  

Could your gut bacteria be producing toxins that poison your mitochondria? Dr. Jason Hawrelak, one of the world's leading microbiome researchers, reveals how specific bacterial imbalances directly sabotage your energy production. In this in-depth conversation, you'll discover why probiotics don't colonize your gut, why strain specificity matters more than you think, and why prebiotics are actually more powerful than probiotics for transforming your microbiome. Dr. Hawrelak's research has been cited over 1,200 times—he’s the microbiome expert who teaches other experts—and his insights will completely change how you approach gut health.  

Your mitochondria and responses to stress are more connected than you think.  In this episode, Dr. Scott Sherr is back to tell us about why 94% of US adults have mitochondrial dysfunction and how chronic stress and inflammation deplete GABA, your brain's primary calming neurotransmitter. We also discuss why methylene blue has exploded from an obscure mitochondrial enhancer to a controversial biohacking trend, how GABA deficiency masquerades as anxiety and depression, and why healing requires shifting from sympathetic dominance to parasympathetic activation. Dr. Sherr shares his 20 years of clinical experience, demonstrating that within 30 seconds to 2 minutes, he can determine if someone can heal; it all comes down to the state of their nervous system.