The Happy Pear Podcast

On average we breathe 25,000 times a day, and yet many of us are doing it completely wrong according to author and journalist, James Nestor.“The majority of the human population have respiratory problems, chronic sinusitis, sleep apnea, snoring, asthma… we have completely lost touch with our basic bodily function. We can still live by breathing poorly but that doesn’t mean that we are going to be healthy.”James has spent the last several years researching and writing the best seller Breath, a novel which explores the million-year-long history of how the human species has lost the ability to breathe properly resulting in so many maladies. He traveled the world in an attempt to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it, turning the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head.Needless to say ever since we recorded this episode we have been consciously breathing! Drawing awareness to how our breath changes from when we walk/run to when we sit to when we are on our laptops. We have been amazed with what we have found out. A fascinating conversation that will transform the way you breathe!Lots of Love,Dave & SteveTo find out more about James and his work visit his website: mrjamesnestor.comProduced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"All disease begins in the gut" - HippocratesNearly 3000 years ago Hippocrates was attributed to saying this, however looking at modern culture, the western diet and medicine it would appear we didn't hear it?This week we bring back our friend, collaborator and gut mastermind, Consultant Gastroenterologist, Dr Alan Desmond.Certified in both Gastroenterology and General Internal Medicine, Dr Alan has a specialist interest in the role of diet in the prevention and treatment of digestive diseases. Having spoken at numerous international conferences, a member of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London, Alan has published several influential research papers in the field of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. And now author of the best-seller, The Plant-based Diet Revolution.With more than 70% of our immune system found in our gut our overall health is fully dependent on it thriving. However, the modern western diet with its processed foods, high sugar content, high meat and dairy consumption is so alien to our gut microbiome and digestive tract that diseases and discomforts such as IBS, bloating, SIBO, constipation, gastritis amongst other gut-related issues are now considered normal."One in 5 Americans have gastritis disease"Yet what are we doing to prevent this? A topic that always amazes us, and an area that we are forever curious about, this conversation is packed with life-changing information.We hope you learnt as much as we did and if you are interested in learning more and improving your gut health we have a special offer on our course The Gut Health Revolution, starting 11th April.Lots of Love,Dave & Steve xTo find out more about Dr Alan and to sign up to our Gut Health Revolution, visit: The Gut Health Revolution CoursePre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it safe to say you have heard about the numerous benefits from mediation for both your mental and physical health? But do you actively do it?This week we have the pleasure of speaking to the meditation master, Light Watkins.“The reason why we are still talking about meditation and mindfulness thousands and thousands of years from when they were first discovered is because it is the only thing that can get us to that happiness that we all ultimately want to have. Which evidently is found inside, and you can’t pay somebody to give it to you… you have to sit down and do the opposite of what we normally are doing…”Since 2007, Light Watkins has been teaching people from all walks of life how to enjoy a daily meditation practice. He’s taught thousands through his in-person trainings and retreats, and many more through his bestselling books and online courses.His book, Bliss More: How to Succeed in Meditation Without Really Trying (Random House, 2018), is still a favourite of the meditation community and was selected by Book Authority as one of the best meditation books of all time. Light has also written about the mechanics of happiness in his book, The Inner Gym: A 30-Day Workout for Strengthening Happiness (L&G Publishing, 2015), and most recently he’s writing extensively on inspiration in Knowing Where to Look: 108 Daily Doses of Inspiration (Sounds True, 2021).“Flow state is earned, you have to act and execute it’s not something that you can intellectualise, you have to almost start out outcome orientated in order to get to that point of being process orientated”Light takes us on a journey from his colourful past of penniless jumping on one way flights across the Atlantic, near death experiences, to finding his inner purpose and defining the importance of meditation, flowstate and prioritisation.A wonderful conversation with a wonderful human being. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!Lots of love,Dave & SteveTo find out more about Light, visit his site: lightwatkins.comProduced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Asking yourself that all-important question "What is Money?" is the rabbit which will lead you down the proverbial rabbit hole of new inquiries, perspectives on socioeconomic reality, and worldview-shattering revelations. Undoubtedly, it is the single most significant question we can ask ourselves in a world drowning in deception. This week we speak to Robert Breedlove, a freedom maximalist, ex-hedge fund manager, and philosopher in the Bitcoin space. To him, Bitcoin is fundamentally a humanitarian movement exposing the greatest con in human history: central banking. By learning about the connection between honest money, entrepreneurship, and civilization, we are renewing hope for the future of humanity. To this end, Robert's mission is to restore freedom, truth, and virtue in our world by tenaciously asking the question: "What is Money?”Robert talks us through “the experiment” which is money and our current fiat currency set up, the history of how we got to where we are, how crypto currencies are not all equal, how bitcoin is the voice for change, and asks some hard hitting questions that we all seem to avoid or take for granted!A brilliant and inspiring episode which will lead you down a spiralling google search of crypto, bitcoin, fiat currencies and wanting to find out more about Robert Breedlove!Lots of Love,Dave & SteveTo find out more about Robert follow him on:Twitter: @Breedlove22Instagram: @breedlove_22Pre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“When you are in a war you don’t want to hear that the justifications are false. And this is what we were saying, we were saying that the main justification - that this drug is a irresistibly addictive substance - was not true”Bruce Alexander has spent his life researching drugs and it’s addictions. In his early career he started counselling hard-core drug addicts in Vancouver’s darkest city streets and prisons, thanks to his youthful appearance and curious demeanour he managed to build a relationship with some of these addicts which gave him a fresh perspectives on substance abuse.Bruce began to conducted scientific research with animals (including the well-known “Rat Park” studies) and human beings. Now he uses clinical, historical, and anthropological studies to document the ways in which addiction is built into the emerging globalised society of the modern age. Author of three books including, The Globalization of Addiction: A Study in Poverty of the Spirit (Oxford University Press, 2008), since retiring from Simon Fraser University as Professor Emeritus, he has continued public speaking, primarily in Canada and Europe.An amazing man, with an amazing story! We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.Lots of Love,Dave & SteveFor more information on Bruce please visit his website: https://www.brucekalexander.com/Pre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Seanie Cahill Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“If I am not transforming every seven years than I am not living…”Julie Piatt aka “SriMati” is a mystic mother, musician, artist, chef, author and healer who has lived her life immersed in devotion and expansive creativity. Through embracing a plant-based diet and deep meditation practice, Julie healed herself of a large cyst in her neck, which doctors diagnosed as incurable. She shares her wisdom from a multitude of life events that she experienced as processes of alchemical transformation in her member-based community Water Tiger, as well as on her internationally acclaimed podcast, “For The Life of Me.” Julie offers musings in her approach to find our purpose, conscious parenting, food as medicine, what it means to live a life of devotion and how to experience deep intimacy in a relationships. She also facilitates spiritual transformations on retreats. Julie’s most recent undertaking has been her own plant-base cheese company, SriMu; Do Life, Not Cheese! She is a powerful living example of how to love ourselves more so that we can live our unique design in full and expansive self expression. A powerful conversation from her colourful past to her present day practices, this conversation will leave you looking lovingly in the mirror and embracing your inner self!Big Love,Dave & Steve xTo find out more about Julie Piatt aka “SriMati” and her work check out her website: https://www.juliepiatt.com/ or find her on Instagram @srimatiProduced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I loved most drugs, I really loved marijuana, I used to think maybe if I just dropped acid on easter then I’ll be okay… but as time went on I slowly realised that reality was much more interesting than addiction and drug use… getting drunk is always sort of the same, a brief feeling of connection, and then loneliness…”Judith Grisel began using recreational drugs as an adolescent, her curiosity in understanding the root of why she was addicted brought her to eventually study neuroscience. Now an internationally recognised behavioural neuroscientist and a professor of psychology at Bucknell University with expertise in pharmacology and genetics, Judy’s research focuses on determining the root causes of drug addiction. A recent author, Judy published the New York Times bestseller; Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction.Judy is incredibly open and honest about her past, she holds nothing back, talks us through her addictions, her rationale, her journey to neuroscience, and most importantly her profound discoveries. A fascinating conversation, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.Lots of Love,Dave & SteveTo find out more about Judith and her work check out her book Never EnoughProduced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“In Finland, schools are teaching children how to understand and respond to fake news and misinformation is an important skill in life!”Do you struggle with concentration or learning new things? Do you find it easy focusing on hobbies and things you enjoy but can’t remember a single maths equation -or something you know you need to learn- but for some reason have a mental block doing so?This week, we speak with Guy Claxton, an emeritus professor of the learning sciences at the University of Winchester and author. His main publications include Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind: Why Intelligence Increases When You Think Less.Guy is a professional meditator, and deep thinker, having spent months in the presence of gurus, such as Osho. Guy has a very different approach to the education system. He focuses less on the syllabus and more on the environment and approach. We hope you find his perspective as refreshing as we did.Lots of Love,Dave & SteveTo find out more about Guy and his work check out his website: https://www.guyclaxton.net/Produced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“There was a time when I was craving the orgasm, and then at some point it clicked and I started to crave the intimacy, the deeper connection. You get beyond the ego and you start to live from the heart. With food it is the same, you get outside of these immediate cravings for instant gratifications. When I think about sprouts, it’s this intimate relationship with this living force of energy, that's in those seeds that contain the endosperm, the embryo and all of the energy it needs to take a dry seed and grow into a vegetable!”Doug Evans is a serial health food entrepreneur―selling to the stylish and chic as well as to the rest of us. He founded Juicero, and raised $120 million for the company that made the WiFi-connected home cold-press juicer, "the Tesla of juicers”!Known as the sproutman, Doug has been an advocate for sprouts and the raw food movement for decades. His passion has been his driving force, fueled by sprouts, he is on a mission to give these growing medicinal foods the love and reputation they deserve.A vibrant, brilliant and energetic character, Doug brings us through his journey, his success and failures, how he managed to convince people to invest $120 million into his juicer and how we can all become healthier beings by consuming sprouts!A brilliant episode - we have been eating two packets of sprouts a day ever since!Lots of love,Dave & SteveTo find out more about Doug and his work, check out his Instagram @dougevans, TikTok @sproutarian or check out his book The Sprout Book Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“The problem is that we don’t connect history. We are taught about the industrial revolution, we are taught about slavery and cotton harvesting, but we are not taught to make the link. What is all this cotton being made for?The fashion industry!”This week we had the pleasure of talking to writer, stylist and sustainable fashion advocate, Aja Barber. Who’s work builds heavily on ideas behind privilege, wealth inequality, racism, feminism, colonialism and how to fix the fashion industry.Not an easy mission to say the least! Aja speaks with such grace, knowledge and wisdom, identifying the historical and current issues that are keeping us tied to the fast fashion industry.An insightful episode, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.Lots of Love,Dave & SteveTo find out more about Aja and to support her work, check out her website https://www.ajabarber.com/Produced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.