
Live Long and Master Aging
The Live Long podcast is devoted to health optimization and mastering the aging process. Peter Bowes discusses lifestyles and science-based interventions that promote a long healthspan - i.e. the number of years that we enjoy the best of health, delaying chronic diseases for as long as possible. We are pro-aging, not anti. Growing older is a privilege and we approach it with ambitious but realistic expectations. Enjoy every minute.
Latest episodes

Jun 13, 2019 • 36min
Tara Gadomski: Exposing the futility of 'anti-aging'
Anti-aging - who needs it? Surely, striving to master or embrace the aging process is better than trying to defy it? It is a philosophy we at Live Long and Master Aging share with Tara Gadomski, writer, filmmaker and director of a new short film, Signs of Aging. The story explores, through dark humor, the methods used to sell so-called anti-aging products to older women. A powerful message emerges about the appreciation of life over vanity. In this LLAMA podcast interview, with Peter Bowes, Tara explains her distaste for what she calls the shaming of older people, who’re beginning to show their age. In this interview we cover:“Shaming” older people and why the term anti-aging should be outlawed. Why some people are made to feel like “lesser human beings ” because they don’t comply with a certain beauty standard.Flaws, imperfections, fixes and corrections. Letting go as you get older.Embracing and mastering aging rather than trying to defy the process. Telling stories with the benefit of ageing wisdom.A story about a fictional saleswoman trying to sell ‘anti-aging’ beauty products to older women.The myth of there being “biology to it" - suggesting women are more attractive in their child-bearing years.Spoiler alert - we reveal the powerful plot line that exposes the hypocrisy of ‘forever young’ messages in cosmetics advertising. Wrinkles and spots - why we’re lucky to have them. Honoring people who died young. PartiQlar supplementsEnhance your wellness journey with PartiQlar supplements. No magic formulas, just pure single ingredients, like NMN, L-Glutathione, Spermidine, Resveratrol, TMG and Quercetin. Get a 15% discount with the code MASTERAGING15 at PartiQlarSupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

May 30, 2019 • 49min
James Brown - Staying vital through effortless meditation
Living long and well involves focussing on multiple lifestyle practices, including our spiritual awareness. It is a pillar of human longevity that sits alongside a clean diet, vigorous exercise and optimal sleep habits. So let’s meditate. James Brown once thought that his life was “too crazy" to involve meditation, but after a 25-year career in advertising he is now a teacher of the practice and founder of San Francisco based Vedic Path Meditation. In this LLAMA podcast interview with Peter Bowes, James explains his journey from stressed out executive to one of the world’s leading experts in what’s known as a “flow" approach to meditation. Check out our home page at LLAMApodcast.com | Twitter: @llamapodcastIn this interview we discussWhat does the ticking clock mean to you?Being blessed genetically and putting in place practices that sustain vitality. Living a frenetic lifestyle and discovering spirituality.How does an account executive in advertising and aspiring lawyer become a meditation guru? Becoming a father and responding to new pressures. Embracing the power of unforced smiling. Cleaning a bike chain and the LOL moment that changed James’s life course. What is the practice of flow meditation? Dispelling some of the myths about medication - why and how we do it. The impact of stress.What is wide-angle present moment awareness?Assessing our habits and putting multi-tasking in persecutive. Focussing and concentrating. What’s the difference? Trying too hard versus a flow experience. The benefits of effortlessness.The stresses of parenting and how to cope. A calling to be on a bigger stage? Ego or nature? Meditating and relationships. PartiQlar supplementsEnhance your wellness journey with PartiQlar supplements. No magic formulas, just pure single ingredients, like NMN, L-Glutathione, Spermidine, Resveratrol, TMG and Quercetin. Get a 15% discount with the code MASTERAGING15 at PartiQlarFit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

May 14, 2019 • 27min
Ron Alfa - Building tools to engineer the human body
Innovation in human biology is evolving at breakneck speed. Artificial intelligence, data science and pharmaceutical discoveries - combined with a deeper understanding of how the body works at a cellular level - are creating exciting opportunities to extend health span. Dr. Ron Alfa is Senior Vice President of Discovery & Product at Recursion, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, recently named by Fast Company as one the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2019. In this LLAMA podcast interview, with Peter Bowes, Dr, Alfa explains Recursion’s mission to create a map of human cellular biology and find novel treatment for the diseases of aging.Check out our home page at LLAMApodcast.com | Twitter: @llamapodcastThis interview was recorded at TEDMEDIn this interview we cover:How Recursion is using machine learning and computational biology to change the way drugs are getting to patients from the laboratory.Building tools to better understand the safety and efficacy of new molecules for use in the clinic. How drug discovery works and why it is such a long scientific process. How producing a vast amount of data is possible through advances algorithms and machine learning - and why it matters for our health. Is data generated using robotics accurate? How does this data differ from public data sets used widely in research? How Recursion is focussing on reversing cellular aging, or senescence. Defining aging. How import will artificial intelligence be as we move forward with the goal of a longer health span?Focussing on solutions that actually reach patients and allow physicians to make better decisions. PartiQlar supplementsEnhance your wellness journey with PartiQlar supplements. No magic formulas, just pure single ingredients, like NMN, L-Glutathione, Spermidine, Resveratrol, TMG and Quercetin. Get a 15% discount with the code MASTERAGING15 at PartiQlarSupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Apr 30, 2019 • 49min
Sandra Feaster - Retire, pivot or die
They say sixty is the new forty. Seventy, the new fifty. But what does that mean? We are living longer, but are we living better? Sandra Feaster, a registered nurse and health coach, approaches aging with the same ghusto that an accomplished mountain climber tackles the highest peaks. She says growing older is an “incredible journey” that embraces the realities of aging while continuing to live life to the full. Along with her husband, William Feaster, MD, Sandra runs the blog T60+, a website dedicated to sharing science-based information about health and wellness, for people turning 60. In this LLAMA podcast interview, with Peter Bowes, Sandra explains her retire, pivot or die philosophy, her disdain for “fake” health news and why she believes we should all lead a more “mindful” life.Check out our website: LLAMApodcast.comIn this interview we explore:What it means to live a healthy and active life well beyond 60. Is 60 really the new 40? How the blog T60+ covers the business of health and wellness and separates the fads from facts. When did the realities of aging first resonate with Sandra?Tackling and moving beyond cancer.How cancer brings your mortality into focus.Making the change - delaying the die or exercise regime.Why we don’t think about mortality while we’re young. Waiting in line for the next funeral and why we should think about it. Living a more mindful life, at all ages. Moving from nursing to health coaching and blogging and becoming a healthy aging evangelist.Making better lifestyle choices based on a lifetime of experience.The ah-ha moments that come with healthy eating and exercise.Expecting the unexpected to happen, as we age. Aspiring to achieve a long health span as opposed to lifespan. Seeking out reliable preventative health information in the modern world. Who to believe.Does the longevity business have our best interests at heart? Why so much emphasis on anti-aging?The good, bad and ugly use of social media as we age.What gets you up in the morning? PartiQlar supplementsEnhance your wellness journey with PartiQlar supplements. No magic formulas, just pure single ingredients, like NMN, L-Glutathione, Spermidine, Resveratrol, TMG and Quercetin. Get a 15% discount with the code MASTERAGING15 at PartiQlarFit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Apr 8, 2019 • 1h 10min
Dave Asprey: Biohacking is a "real thing" now
The Annual Biohacking Conference, hosted by Upgrade Labs, is a mind-boggling, mind-enhancing gathering of people, from all walks of life, who want to live better and longer. LLAMA’s Peter Bowes attended this year’s event, in Beverly Hills, California, to meet Dave Asprey, the movement’s poster boy for self-improvement, along with some of the conference’s key speakers and exhibitors. In this episode we explore everything from cryotherapy to enhancing neuroplasticity, flow meditation, mitochondrial health and infrared saunas. Dave explains how biohacking has come of age, why he believes he will live to be at least 180 and how he says everyone - not just the rich and famous - could benefit from being in better control of their bodies and biology. 01:52Dave AspreyFounder, BulletproofDave, the original biohacker, explains how and why the practice has come of age and how we can all benefit from it."Biohacking is largely the art and science of changing the environment around you, so that you have more control of your biology.”Also check out: LLAMA episode 65, with Peter’s tour of Upgrade Labs in Santa Monica. Martin Tobias: Biohacking to upgrade the human mind and body12:24Dr. Barry MorguelanChinese energy grandmaster, double board certified gastroenterologist and internal medicine doctor trained at UCLA and currently practicing in Los Angeles. Dr. B, as he is affectionately known, is a force of nature with a mind-blowing story of personal discovery and experience. 21:54Dr. Charles BrennerHead of Biochemistry at the University of Iowa & chief scientific adviser to the Chromadex, a California-based nutraceutical company behind the Nicotinamide riboside (NR) supplement, Tru Niagen. Dr. Brenner updates us on his work understanding NAD and cell metabolism.Also check out our previous interview: LLAMA episode 53Charles Brenner: Explaining the science behind “age better” vitamin B3 supplement26:32Lauren Hansen, Cryo ScienceLearn about the Cryotherapy craze. Lauren explains the science of exposing the body to subzero temperatures in order to stimulate physical and mental health benefits.32:26Dr. Patrick Porter, BrainTapDr. Porter hacks the power nap with "brainwave entrainment" technology. Through guided-audio programs and creative visualization processes, an app allows users to "relax, reboot, and revitalize while achieving peak brain performance.” 41:14Tom Griffin, Halo Neurosci PartiQlar supplementsEnhance your wellness journey with PartiQlar supplements. No magic formulas, just pure single ingredients, like NMN, L-Glutathione, Spermidine, Resveratrol, TMG and Quercetin. Get a 15% discount with the code MASTERAGING15 at PartiQlarFit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Apr 3, 2019 • 34min
Brandon Carone: Why music helps us age better
Could listening to music be an important pillar of longevity? If you feel down and listen to a favorite song it can pick you up. Some people say music helps them work harder and the power of music to evoke memories is second to none. There is anecdotal evidence that playing an instrument or enjoying a favorite album can have a lasting impact on our state of mind and, as a therapy, it can help people suffering from the chronic conditions of old age. Brandon Carone is a research assistant in the Memory and Lifespan Cognition Lab at UCLA and research coordinator with Music Mends Minds, a non-profit group that creates musical support group bands for patients with Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and for veteran’s with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this LLAMA podcast interview with Peter Bowes, Brandon explains why music could be much more than a soundtrack to our lives and why, at 21, he has dedicated his life to understanding music as a therapy. Check out our home page at LLAMApodcast.com Twitter: @llamapodcastIn this interview we explore: How Brandon’s fascination with the power of music started as a child, covering classic rock songs. The correlation between favorite songs and emotion.Why a chemistry major switches to music cognition. Research at the Memory and Lifespan Cognition Lab at UCLA, exploring the difference between younger and older adults and their ability to recall memories. Persuading young people and older adults to take part in memory tests.Natural memory loss as we age. How people suffering from debilitating mental conditions respond to music. Anger management and music. How music improves our mood.Is there a mathematical formula behind brain behavior?Pre-birth memories and how they impact us in later life.Funding for research into studies related to music and health.The uplifting power of music, at all ages. PartiQlar supplementsEnhance your wellness journey with PartiQlar supplements. No magic formulas, just pure single ingredients, like NMN, L-Glutathione, Spermidine, Resveratrol, TMG and Quercetin. Get a 15% discount with the code MASTERAGING15 at PartiQlarSupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Mar 18, 2019 • 34min
Catherine Sanderson - Smile, be happy and live longer?
A simple smile, a friendly gesture or an offer of help and friendship, could help us all live longer, healthier lives. International Day of Happiness (March 20) is celebrated by the United Nations as a way to recognize the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. There is scientific data that suggests people who embrace the benefits of a positive attitude, are rewarded with a greater sense of well-being. Catherine Sanderson is a psychologist and professor in Life Sciences at Amherst College in Massachusetts. In her book, The Positive Shift: Mastering Mindset to Improve Happiness, Health, and Longevity, Dr. Sanderson explores the science behind our mindset, and how, she says, anyone can learn to adopt a more positive outlook. In this LLAMA podcast interview, with Peter Bowes, Dr. Sanderson explains how kindness, gratitude and genuine friendships can help promote better physical and mental health. Check out our home page at LLAMApodcast.com Twitter: @llamapodcastIn this interview we explore:Why someone who is not “naturally happy” has written a book about happiness?What does it mean to be happy?Are we genetically programmed to be either happy or more melancholy in our demeanor?Does having stress and adversity in life help, ultimately, promote happiness? What if bad things happen? What does MRI data showing levels of "brain activation" tell us? Why do our brains react differently when we’re surrounded by nature?How much control do we have over our mindset? Do we spend too little time thinking about and practicing happiness? How powerful is a smile? How a positive attitude can make us feel better and better tolerate adverse experiences. Why are so many people keeping gratitude journals? Bedtime rituals to help us sleep better.Does social media make us feel less happy?Why Dr. Sanderson says “relationships are the number one best predictor of our happiness."Is happiness contagious?Why changing our mindset is not easy.Scientific data that supports the idea that happier people live longer.Why does volunteering make up happier? PartiQlar supplementsEnhance your wellness journey with PartiQlar supplements. No magic formulas, just pure single ingredients, like NMN, L-Glutathione, Spermidine, Resveratrol, TMG and Quercetin. Get a 15% discount with the code MASTERAGING15 at PartiQlarSupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Mar 4, 2019 • 34min
Thomas Curran: Are we trying too hard to live perfect lives?
How many times have you checked your ‘likes' or searched for positive feedback in your social media feed today? Perhaps you’re the kind of person who always strives to be perfect and feels deflated when you fail to live up to your own expectations. What about being judged by others for not achieving your full potential? Perfectionism, says Dr. Thomas Curran, is “everyone’s perfect flaw.” Dr. Curran, an assistant professor in the Department for Health at the University of Bath, studies the personality characteristic of perfectionism, how it develops, and its impact on mental health. If we all relaxed a bit or stopped being hard on ourselves, would our lives be better? In this LLAMA podcast interview , recorded at TEDMED, Dr. Curran explains why he believes perfectionism can be harmful and the impact, he says, social media is having on our relationships and self-worth. This podcast is supported by affiliate arrangements with a select number of companies. We have arranged discounts on certain products and receive a small commission on sales. The income helps to cover production costs and ensures that our interviews, sharing information about human longevity, remain free for all to listen. Visit our SHOP for more details and thanks for your support! In this interview we cover:What does perfectionism mean in the modern world? Why pursuing perfectionism, in today’s culture, is potentially beneficial.When does perfectionism begin to be harmful.What are the three core elements that make up perfectionism? What are "helicopter parents" and how does their behavior affect their children? Are young people becoming more perfectionistic?How did Dr. Curran gather and analyse data for a large study into perfectionism? What is the correlation between depression and perfectionism? How are fundamental changes in society - such as the use of technology - affecting the pressures on young people?Why is life today sometimes more about the appearance of perfection than reality? Why do we neglect some things in life that could bring us success and happiness? Social relationships and why they matter. Support the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Feb 13, 2019 • 23min
Chris Mansi - Artificial intelligence boosts survival rate for stroke victims
Every two seconds, someone in the world will have a stroke. Almost two-thirds of survivors leave hospital with some form of disability. It is a battle against time to get the most appropriate medical intervention and treatment for stroke victims and every second counts. Viz.ai, a San Francisco-based applied artificial intelligence company, was established by British neurosurgeon Dr. Chris Mansi with the goal of using A.I. to make healthcare work faster and smarter. He was inspired by a patient who underwent a successful brain operation but died because the surgery came too late. In this LLAMA podcast interview, recorded at TEDMED, Dr. Mansi explains why rapid treatment can mean the difference between life and death - and why he believes medical technology is on the cusp of transforming healthcare and dramatically improving the odds of making a full recovery from a stroke. Check out our home page at LLAMApodcast.com Twitter: @llamapodcastConnect with Dr. Mansi: viz.ai | Twitter | LinkedInIn this interview we cover:The anatomy of a stroke and large vessel occlusions.What is mechanical thrombectomy and why is it a “game changer” treatment?The devastating impact of strokes and why speed is of the essence in treatment.What is Viz.AIHow does artificial intelligence help save time and save lives.The correlation between smoking and lifelong risk of a stroke.The symptoms to watch out for that could indicate a stroke.Will A.I. ever replace doctors?How technology is democratizing health care. Why connecting the right doctors at the right time is crucial to save lives. How is artificial intelligence acquired? How technology standardizes the quality of care. Longevity ambitions and daily rules to live by. Support the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Feb 4, 2019 • 26min
Lydia Bourouiba - How did I get this cold?
The sudden onset of a common cold or the flu can stop us in our tracks. Seasonal outbreaks of infectious diseases can be both debilitating and irritating, especially for those people who strive to live a healthy lifestyle. But are they inevitable? Lydia Bourouiba is the director of the Fluid Dynamics of Disease Transmission Laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her work involves trying to better understand the role that sneezes play in the spread of infections. She focusses, not only on the common cold, but as-yet-unknown diseases that could have widespread and devastating consequences, were they to get out of control. In this LLAMA podcast interview, recorded at TEDMED, Professor Bourouiba explains how we are all vulnerable to infectious diseases -and probably more than we realize. She also dissects the anatomy the sneeze - how far it can go and how long it can linger.In this interview we explore:How colds are transmitted. Why, no matter how healthy we are, we are all vulnerable to infectious diseases.Living in dense populations and the implications for the spread of disease.How Dr. Bourouiba studies the mechanics of sneezing. Why droplet size matters.What happens during “exhalation events” and why our sneezes are different.Why some of us are more likely to transmit infections than others.Multi year studies to better understand the spread of colds and flu.How far can infectious droplets from a sneeze travel in a train cabin?Do masks work to prevent the spread of a virus?How big is the threat of another influenza pandemic? How effective are flu vaccines?How far should we go to avoid infections ?Check out our home page at LLAMApodcast.comConnect with Prof. Bourouiba: The Bourouiba research group | Bio | TEDMED PartiQlar supplementsEnhance your wellness journey with PartiQlar supplements. No magic formulas, just pure single ingredients, like NMN, L-Glutathione, Spermidine, Resveratrol, TMG and Quercetin. Get a 15% discount with the code MASTERAGING15 at PartiQlarSupport the showThe Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.