The Hidden Link Between Your Microbiome and Mitochondria with Dr. Jason Hawrelak

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.  

We've created a culture that fears adversity, but what if that's the wrong approach?  In this episode, Dr. Keesha Ewers explains why post-traumatic growth, not comfort, creates robust mitochondrial health and resilient humans.  Her personal journey from autoimmune disease to vibrant health will inspire your own transformation and help you understand the mind-mitochondria connection. This episode was initially released in Jan 2024  

In this fascinating episode, I’m speaking with inventor and researcher Alex Tarnava, who developed the first effective-dose molecular hydrogen supplement to address a crippling mystery illness that suddenly destroyed his once highly active life. Our conversation reveals how initially skeptical we both were about the effectiveness of molecular hydrogen! While I’m extremely excited to offer Molecular Hydrogen, now available on the new Human Optimization site, it took me over 10 years, hundreds of research studies, and eventually experiencing the benefits myself to become a believer and trust the effects enough to offer this unique compound to you.

In this episode, I’m speaking with Steven Sashen, who founded minimalist shoe company Xero Shoes with his wife Lena Phoenix in 2009. His philosophy? Modern footwear is actively hurting you.  In this discussion (which was so fun and informative thanks to Steven’s lighthearted approach to his work), we explore what the shoe industry has been hiding about arch support, cushioning, and elevated heels, all while knowing these features actually increase injury rates. Steven's company exists because he wants to change people’s lives, and after 16 years of challenging the footwear industry's biggest myths, he's revealing how traditional shoes weaken your feet, destabilize your balance, and even contribute to falls that kill older adults. Get ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about what to put on your feet. This conversation could literally save you from decades of unnecessary pain, injury, and disability.