The Dr. Hyman Show

Making Big Bets: How To Change Your Life & The World with Rajiv Shah

Nov 8, 2023

Rajiv Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, shares his journey tackling global challenges like climate change and food insecurity. He emphasizes the importance of making bold bets to drive large-scale change. Conversations highlight the interconnectedness of health and food, advocating for food as medicine. Shah reflects on transformative moments, including encounters with leaders like Nelson Mandela and innovative community actions. The discussion inspires listeners to take positive steps in their own communities, showcasing the power of strategic collaborations for social justice.

01:13:43

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Episode guests

Rajiv J. Shah

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Tackling big problems requires challenging the belief that they are too complex to solve and reimagining solutions through alliances and partnerships.

Addressing chronic disease and transforming the food system is crucial, with a focus on food as medicine and partnerships with corporations and self-insured companies.

Building alliances and partnerships, especially with economically motivated organizations, is essential for driving change and challenging assumptions.

Deep dives

Tackling Big Problems and Thinking Differently

The podcast episode discusses the importance of tackling big problems and thinking differently. It emphasizes the need to challenge the belief that certain problems are too big or too complex to solve. Drawing on examples of past successes, such as vaccination programs for children and the fight against HIV, the episode encourages individuals and organizations to reimagine solutions and build alliances and partnerships. It highlights the role of corporate partners, self-insured companies, and the importance of finding aligned interests to drive change. The episode also explores the power of optimism and the personal growth and satisfaction that comes from serving a greater good.

Intro

3min

A Journey of Impact and Inspiration

11min

Rethinking Food and Health

10min

Transforming Health and Society Through New Perspectives

5min

Transformative Community Leadership in Health and Justice

25min

Empowerment Through Community Action

15min

The Power of Food as Medicine in Healthcare

4min

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, Pendulum, Mitopure, and Thrive Market.

The world is facing several big challenges today—the climate crisis, food insecurity, racial injustice, the rise of AI, and insufficient access to healthcare, to name just a few.

Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I am excited to talk to Dr. Rajiv Shah about how large-scale change really happens, the success and lessons he has learned throughout his career, and why we need big bets—large, bold actions—in order to solve the world’s greatest challenges.

Dr. Rajiv Shah serves as president of the Rockefeller Foundation, a global institution with a mission to promote the well-being of humanity around the world. With a century-long track record of leveraging science, technology, and innovation, The Foundation is pioneering new ways to enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. Dr. Shah is a graduate of the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and the Wharton School. He has received several honorary degrees, the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, and the US Global Leadership Award. He is married to Shivam Mallick Shah, and they have three children.

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, Pendulum, Mitopure, and Thrive Market.

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Here are more details from our interview (audio version / Apple Subscriber version):

How Rajiv was inspired by Nelson Mandela in his youth (5:25 / 3:41)
The first crisis Rajiv dealt with as the head of USAID (9:05 / 7:21)
Tackling the chronic disease epidemic with food as medicine (14:54 / 13:09)
Addressing rising obesity rates in America (32:31 / 27:52)
The importance of believing change is possible (42:33 / 37:54)
What makes the standard American diet so unhealthy? (48:42 /
Investing in weight-loss drugs vs quality food (49:26 / 44:03)
The importance of finding the right partners to make meaningful change (52:13 / 47:35)
Finding happiness through service to others (56:02 / 51:25)
Rajiv’s next big bets (1:04:14 / 59:40)

Get a copy of Big Bets: How Large-Scale Change Really Happens.