50. The Wedge | An internal shift to thrive under duress

Investigative journalist and bestselling author Scott Carney is our guest as we discuss: what it means to be human, going deep in the Wim Hof method, benefits of cold exposure, climbing Kilimanjaro without a shirt, using The Wedge to change conversations with your limbic system, kettlebell throwing, and why you might want to embrace failure.

Guest Bio: Scott Carney is an anthropologist, investigative journalist, author, and a seeker of both the fringes of human experience and the core of what makes us human. Scott has written four books to date, including The Enlightenment Trap, The Red Market, and What Doesn't Kill Us.  Most recently, he authored The Wedge, which dives deeply into understanding the space between stimulus and response. Scott's work has been featured in many different magazines -- Wired, Mother Jones, Playboy, Foreign Policy, Men's Journal, National Public Radio. He has won the Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism and is a multi-finalist for the Livingston Award for International Journalism.

This episode is in support of the Altruism in Medicine Institute, an organization founded by Barry Kerzin, a physician, teacher, author, and Tibetan Buddhist monk. The mission is to increase compassion and resilience among health care professionals and their patients. Compassion fatigue is a very real thing, especially in health care. Building your compassion muscle is one of the most potent tools not only for avoiding burnout, but for finding joy in what you do.

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We discuss:  

• The common theme of Scott’s books -- what does it mean to be human? [05:00];
• Who is “The Iceman” Wim Hof and and why might cold water immersion lead to general resilience [09:10];
• The three elements of the Wim Hof method and how they relate to the wedge [15:10];
• An advantage of the Wim Hof method vs. other mind-body connection practices (like Tuomo) -- it’s fast and you can learn it in about 3 days [20:00];
• Scott’s weekly cold water immersion practice with benefits that last 4-5 days [22:20];
• Why ‘gritting it out’ is not an effective strategy for prolonged cold exposure [27:30];
• Climbing up to Gilman’s Point on Kilimanjaro shirtless and without oxygen [30:15];
• Scott’s sauna routine and the value of giving his body contrasts to adapt to new environments [33:25];
• His latest book, The Wedge, and how the wedge is activating something within yourself in order to thrive in a difficult moment [36:25];
• Using a library as a metaphor for the limbic system [39:20];
• The philosophical question -- do we experience a shared reality? [44:20];
• Applying the wedge in the emergency department when your heart is racing and you’re profusely sweating because you’re having difficulty with a critical procedure[49:25];
• The solution (or wedge) for the mental irritation that often comes with reading opinions on social media [58:30];
• And more.