Yes, Stress Can Be Good: The Health Benefits of Doing Hard Things - with Jeff Krasno | EP 195

Feb 24, 2025

In this engaging conversation, Jeff Krasno, co-founder of Commune Media and author of "Good Stress," explores the surprising benefits of low-level stressors like exercise and fasting. He discusses how embracing stress can enhance self-awareness and overall well-being. Krasno challenges the notion of avoiding stress and shares personal anecdotes that highlight its transformative power. The chat also touches on adaptive stress responses in our modern culture, emphasizing the need for intentional stressors to improve health in today's convenience-driven society.

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ANECDOTE

The Dream of a Peaceful Death

Jeff Krasno's daughter asked him about his wishes, leading him to reflect on aging and death.
He envisioned a peaceful death at 118 with his wife, contrasting with the reality of extended morbidity.

INSIGHT

Normalizing Poor Health

Modern society normalizes chronic diseases and long periods of morbidity before death.
Krasno's personal health struggles prompted him to explore the concept of "good stress."

ANECDOTE

Personal Health Awakening

Jeff Krasno experienced common but abnormal health issues like brain fog and chronic fatigue.
Discovering his pre-diabetic state through a continuous glucose monitor spurred his journey into good stress protocols.

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We all want to live a stress-free life. But as it turns out, this may not necessarily be in our best interest having a low level of stress of various types turns out to be good for our physiology and can even help us recover from illness. When stress is implemented in this way, it is termed, other words, the upside of low-grade stress. That stress can be exercise, immersion ourselves in cold or hot temperatures, time restricted eating, or even various forms of light exposure all of which we will explore on my podcast today, which is an interview with my good friend, Jeff Krasno. His new book, Good Stress, that he wrote along with his wife Schuyler Grant

He is the CEO and founder of Commune Media, a masterclass platform for well-being that features renowned authors and teachers. He hosts the Commune podcast, which has over 520 episodes and generates more than 750,000 monthly downloads, featuring interviews with luminaries such as Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Matthew McConaughey, and Gabor Maté. Additionally, Jeff writes a weekly "Commusing" essay exploring well-being, spirituality, and culture, distributed to an email list of over one million subscribers.

Prior to founding Commune Media, Jeff co-created Wanderlust, a global series of wellness events that have significantly contributed to popularizing yoga practices and principles in the U.S. and beyond. In 2016, Oprah Winfrey selected him as part of the SuperSoul100, recognizing him as one of the nation's leading entrepreneurs.

Jeff's latest book, "Good Stress: The Health Benefits of Doing Hard Things," co-authored with his wife, Schuyler Grant, is set to be released on March 25, 2025. I've had the opportunity to read the galley and it's a terrific book that will open a lot of doors for each and every one of you in terms of regaining your health.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction and Personal Connection with Jeff Regarding the Los Angeles Wildfires
8:51 Introducing Jeff’s Book, Good Stress: The Health Benefits of Doing Hard Things
13:42 The Personal and Societal Costs of Poor Health
18:27 Jeff’s Background and Personal Approach to Wellness
22:54 Homeostasis as the Foundation of Health
25:42 Rethinking "Normal"—The Flaws of the Bell Curve Perspective
29:24 Evolutionary Perspectives on Health and Adaptation
34:55 Thermoregulation as a Pathway to Homeostatic Flexibility
38:15 Hypoxia and Its Role in Physiological Adaptation
47:04 The Therapeutic Potential of Thermal Shock
49:51 The Concept of Good Stress and the Evolutionary Mismatch of Modern Lifestyles
55:01 Optimal Timing and Approaches for Cold Plunging
1:00:46 Jeff’s Personal Biohacking Journey
1:07:08 Exploring the Benefits of Light Therapy and the Revival of Raw Milk Consumption

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Jeff Krasno is the co-founder and CEO of Commune, a masterclass platform for personal and societal well-being and co-creator of Wanderlust, a global series of wellness events. He hosts the Commune podcast, interviewing a wide variety of luminaries from Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson to Matthew McConaughey and Gabor Maté. His latest venture expands Jeff’s personal story and protocols into a book, Good Stress: The Benefits of Doing Hard Things (Hay House, March 2025). The book dives deeper into the concepts from the course, distilling insights from over 400 podcast conversations Jeff has conducted, along with his personal experiences applying these ideas to transform his own health. It explores deliberate, self-imposed behaviors that promote social, psychological, and physical well-being, offering both a philosophical exploration of true wellness and practical steps to achieve it.

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