We Study Billionaires - The Investor’s Podcast Network

RWH026: Wealth & Health w/ Jason Karp

56 snips

Apr 23, 2023

In this engaging discussion, Jason Karp, a former hedge fund manager turned health and wellness advocate, shares his journey from financial success to personal fulfillment. He candidly reveals how his obsession with productivity led to severe health issues and a mental breakdown. Jason discusses his transformation, emphasizing the importance of diet, emotional well-being, and the benefits of confusing the body with varied stressors. He highlights the joy found in investing in health-focused companies and redefines success as a balance between wealth, health, and meaningful relationships.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Sudden Transformation

Jason Karp transformed from an underachieving student to a hyper-neurotic overachiever after getting the highest score in an economics class at Wharton.
This triggered an intense drive to prove himself, flipping a switch in his mindset.

INSIGHT

Fragile Foundation

Fear of mediocrity and a desire to prove others wrong can be powerful motivators but also create a fragile foundation for success.
Jason Karp's relentless drive stemmed from deep insecurities and a need for external validation.

ANECDOTE

Health Crash

Karp's overachievement led to severe health issues like blindness, hair loss, and rashes, caused by extreme stress and poor lifestyle choices.
A doctor diagnosed him with dangerously high cortisol levels, the fight-or-flight hormone, and warned him about early death.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Young Forever

The Secrets to Living Your Longest, Healthiest Life

Mark Hyman

In *Young Forever*, Dr. Mark Hyman challenges readers to reimagine their biology, health, and the process of aging. The book explores the biological hallmarks of aging, their causes, and their consequences, and provides simple dietary, lifestyle, and emerging longevity strategies to overcome them. It covers topics such as turning on longevity switches, reducing inflammation, supporting the immune system, exercising, sleeping, and de-stressing for healthy aging, and features Dr. Hyman's Pegan Diet. The book aims to help readers increase their health span, prevent and reverse diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and dementia, and live a longer, healthier life.

Radical acceptance

Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha

Tara Brach

Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach offers a transformative practice to help readers overcome habitual feelings of deficiency and better relate to their experiences and emotions. The book emphasizes two key pillars: observing one's experience clearly and responding with compassion. Through personal stories, case histories from her clinical psychology practice, and guided meditations, Brach provides practical guidance on mindfulness, compassion, and acceptance. The book helps readers stop being at war with themselves and live fully in every moment, addressing issues such as self-judgments, conflicts, addictions, and perfectionism. It also clarifies that Radical Acceptance does not mean self-indulgence or passivity but rather empowers genuine change and healing[1][3][5].

Richer, Wiser, Happier

How the World's Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life

William Green

In Richer, Wiser, Happier, William Green draws on interviews conducted over twenty-five years with many of the world’s greatest investors. The book highlights that the most successful investors are mavericks and iconoclasts who question conventional wisdom and think rationally, rigorously, and objectively. They maximize their odds of long-term success in markets and life by drawing insights from diverse fields such as neuroscience, economic history, psychology, philosophy, and more. Green explains how these investors can teach us not only how to become rich but also how to improve our thinking, decision-making, risk assessment, and resilience, and how to turn uncertainty to our advantage.

How to Change Your Mind

What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence

Michael Pollan

In this book, Michael Pollan delves into the history of psychedelic drugs, from their rise in the 1960s to their current resurgence in medical research. He combines historical and scientific analysis with personal narratives of his own experiences with psychedelics, such as LSD and psilocybin. The book explores how these substances are being used to treat conditions like depression, addiction, and anxiety, and discusses their potential to revolutionize our understanding of the human mind and consciousness. Pollan's work is a blend of science, memoir, and travel writing, offering a nuanced and engaging look at the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of psychedelics[1][2][4].

How Not to Die

Michael Greger

Gene Stone

In *How Not to Die*, Dr. Michael Greger examines the top 15 causes of premature death in America, including heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, Parkinson's, and high blood pressure. He explains how nutritional and lifestyle interventions can often be more effective than pharmaceutical and surgical approaches in preventing and reversing these diseases. The book includes Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen, a checklist of foods to consume daily for maximum health benefits, and is backed by extensive scientific research and evidence.

Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers

Robert Sapolsky

In this book, Robert M. Sapolsky delves into the fascinating world of stress and its impact on our bodies. He explains why zebras, unlike humans, rarely suffer from stress-related illnesses. Sapolsky combines cutting-edge research with practical advice and engaging anecdotes to illustrate how prolonged stress can cause or intensify a range of physical and mental afflictions, including depression, ulcers, colitis, and heart disease. The book also provides essential guidance on managing stress responses and offers new insights into how stress affects sleep, addiction, anxiety, and personality disorders[3][4][5].

Outlive

The Science and Art of Longevity

Peter Attia

Bill Gifford

In this book, Dr. Peter Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health. The book aims to replace the outdated medical framework with a personalized, proactive strategy for longevity, focusing on creating the best individual plan for long-term health. It covers topics such as the limitations of cholesterol tests, underdiagnosed liver conditions, the importance of exercise, and the integration of overall health with relational health.

The longevity diet

Valter Longo

Undo It!

How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases

Anne Ornish

Dean Ornish

In this landmark book, Dean Ornish, M.D., and Anne Ornish present a simple yet powerful new unifying theory explaining why lifestyle changes can reverse many different chronic diseases. The book emphasizes four key areas: eating well with a whole foods, plant-based diet; moving more through moderate exercise like walking; stressing less through meditation and gentle yoga; and loving more by transforming loneliness into healing. It includes seventy recipes, meal plans, exercise recommendations, stress-reduction advice, and inspiring patient stories. Dr. Ornish's program has been shown to improve clinical outcomes, reduce costs, and is now covered by Medicare and many insurance companies.