Navigating Betrayal and Narcissism

This chapter explores the intricate dynamics of betrayal, forgiveness, and the complexities of narcissism within human relationships. It emphasizes the emotional labor required to separate individual feelings from those of others, while examining how narcissism can manifest as a coping mechanism influenced by one's environment. Additionally, the discussion highlights gender dynamics in the perception of narcissistic behaviors and reflects on the impact of personal histories on individual perceptions of reality.

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Your hormones may be waging a hidden war that determines how long you live and how well you perform. This episode reveals how male and female biology diverge—and what those differences mean for your longevity, metabolism, and brain optimization.

Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience:

https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR

Revisit this episode where Dave Asprey sits down with Teal Swan, a bestselling author and international speaker known for her work on human behavior, healing, and consciousness. Her insights bridge biology and psychology, uncovering how hormones, trauma, and environment shape both performance and resilience. Her ability to decode patterns of narcissism, victimhood, and trust through the lens of functional medicine and human performance makes her one of the most provocative voices in personal transformation.

Together, they explore the science behind the hormonal divide between men and women—why birth control alters not just fertility but also male testosterone, why perception and neurodivergence impact neuroplasticity, and how early trauma imprints mitochondria and metabolism. You’ll learn how fasting, ketosis, cold therapy, sleep optimization, and smarter not harder strategies can shift your biology toward higher resilience and greater longevity.

They also break down the biohacking tools and supplements that can help balance hormones, upgrade mitochondria, and fuel nootropics-level brain performance. From the hidden biological costs of hormonal birth control to how carnivore and targeted nutrition affect both male and female healthspan, this episode gives you a framework for hacking your biology at the deepest level.

This is essential listening for anyone serious about biohacking, hacking human performance, brain optimization, functional medicine, or understanding how masculine and feminine biology directly influence lifespan and resilience.

You’ll Learn:

• How hormonal birth control impacts both women’s fertility and men’s testosterone

• Why victim mentality rewires the brain and reduces neuroplasticity

• How narcissism functions as a biological stress adaptation

• The role of mitochondria, metabolism, and trauma in shaping healthspan

• How fasting, ketosis, supplements, and cold therapy affect hormone balance

• Why balancing male and female energetics may be a key to longevity

Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade is the top podcast for people who want to take control of their biology, extend their longevity, and optimize every system in the body and mind. Each episode features cutting-edge insights in health, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, hacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living.

Episodes are released every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (audio-only) where Dave asks the questions no one else dares, and brings you real tools to become more resilient, aware, and high performing.

Keywords: hormone war, male vs female longevity, hormonal birth control effects, testosterone collapse, estrogen disruption, masculine vs feminine biology, victim mindset neuroscience, narcissism as adaptation, betrayal and biology, neuroplasticity and trauma, perception and neurodivergence, fractal vision, birth trauma programming, mitochondria and stress, species-level hormone imbalance, industrial hormone disruption, male fertility decline, female hormone resilience, functional medicine hormones

Resources:

• Teals Website: https://tealswan.com/

• Teal’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TealSwanOfficial

• Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com/DAVE15

• Dave Asprey’s BEYOND Conference: https://beyondconference.com

• Dave Asprey’s New Book – Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated

• Upgrade Collective: https://www.ourupgradecollective.com

• Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com

• 40 Years of Zen: https://40yearsofzen.com

Timestamps:

0:00 — Cold Open

0:33 — Intro