The Armen Show

We breathe our way through the day, with 25000 breaths taking place each time. How you breathe, and the ripple effects of that habit, effects much of your waking day. Author and journalist James Nestor takes us through this information in his book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. James has written for many publications, including Scientific American, the San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and many more. His previous book was titled Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves. Show notes: some of the differences between mouth-breathing and nasal-breathinghow the way you breathe can impact your health and well-beingchanges in physiology that can result from each type of breathingthe history of breathing from long agoand more It was good to have James on the show. You can check out Breath on Amazon.

Physical therapist and content creator Brian Dy joins us again on episode 266 of the show. He previously took part on episode 223, and returns now with a collection of content on his YouTube channel. Being a content creator involves a lot of editing, researching, and more. Show notes: finding your voice, and what that meanswhy collaboration with others is a good ideathoughts on Brian and his content production plans Glad to have Brian on the show.

We live through chapters, as though we are a book. In episode 265, I talk about this concept, how we must take advantage of the key moments when we sense them, and what kind of predictive nature we live through Our book is being written, and we write it with key parts that matter to us, and we leave out all the rest that doesn’t bring us to life.

Welcome to episode 264, with a return to our roots of the host discussing a topic or two, along with a stream of consciousness. This one involves breaking things down into parts, or phases, and what it takes to make your world bigger. Your world is the stuff right around you, whether it be your table, or your vehicle, or the energy around you. Adjusting these items can come from a focus on them, and this concept is discussed in the episode.

There are few things more valuable than regular walking and activity in this pandemical time of 2020, and neuroscientist Professor Shane O’Mara brings us the value and basis of walking in episode 263. We discuss his latest book In Praise Of Walking: The New Science of how We Walk, and why Its Good for Us. Professor O’Mara is Professor of Experimental Brain Research at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. He explores brain systems, memory, cognition, behavior, and organizations. He got his DPhil from the University of Oxford, and currently does work for the Institute of Neuroscience at Trinity. He has also written past books Why Torture Doesn’t Work, and A Brain for Business. Show notes: how Professor O’Mara got into the field of brain researchbrain regions, and specifically the subiculum, and how each one can be relevant to the brain as a wholethe value of walking, and what it brings to the table for personal healththe way that we are walking minds, with the body connected below the brain heading the whole frameworkimpact on creativity that comes from walking times, whether during or aftersome cities that have good walkability, and what walking value means for cities and their further developmentour mental map of where we are and where we are going, through the activity of walking, or even for planning out our lifethe value of journaling, and how it can put our time together into a maphow walking doesn’t lead to the same kinds of damage that regular running doessome researchers Professor O’Mara has liked, included Dr. Robert Sapolsky Glad to have Shane on the show – you can check out his material on his website, his article in The Guardian, or his latest book on Amazon.

Welcome Professor Matthew Cobb of the University of Manchester, author of The Idea of the Brain: The Past and Future of Neuroscience, to episode 262 of the show. His latest book is about the history of neuroscience, and its recent roots, and how that develops the idea of the brain, while our current understanding of the brain is still very limited. Inspirations come from other researchers, as well as Danish scientist Nicolas Steno of the 17th century. Professor Cobb is is Professor of Zoology at the University of Manchester, and got his Ph.D. in Psychology and Genetics from the University of Sheffield in England. He had a postdoctoral position at the Institute of Psychiatry in London. Others books of his include The Egg & Sperm Race and Life’s Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code. He has studied animal behavior, human psychology, science history, and more. Show notes: how Professor Cobb got into the study of the mind, neuroscience, and fly larvae growth and processesthe way that Nicolas Steno informed the way Professor Cobb looks at the mindthe reductionist view, and how it does not allow for picking up on information regarding detailed nuancehis upcoming book on smell, and how that relates to the virus of our current pandemic, with its attachment to smell receptorshow one structure of the brain is not alone in processing information, separate from other regions of the brainEve Marder, and her study on the small number of neurons in the lobster’s stomach, with associated models of these neuronsresearch in the field done in Manchester and the UK regionfly maggots and their neurons, as well as the priorities that their narrow neural system requireshow maggots have biological clocks in the same light as humans and other animalsreplacement of neurons and memories in small animalsbeing skeptical of science that has come before, versus going with the research that has been read (question inspired by Professor Cobb’s recent interview with past interviewee Michael Shermer)a message for all It was good to have Professor Cobb on the show. You can check out The Idea of the Brain on Amazon, his upcoming book Smell with Oxford University Press, follow on Twitter @MatthewCobb, or look at his academic biography.

Welcome Emma Rose Bienvenu, attorney, L.L.M., and Master of Finance and Economics, to episode 261 of the show. I came upon Emma through her article on Medium’s Marker business subsection, entitled “7 Predictions for a Post-Coronavirus World“. The article details the path that our world can take in upcoming months and years, based on the pandemic, and provides insight into elements we can all benefit from examining. In her own work, Emma is focused on international trade, commerce, finance, and technology. She has worked in global asset management, public and private mergers and acquisitions, and international arbitration. She has an L.L.M. from U Penn Law and Wharton, a J.D. from McGill, and a Master of Economics and Finance from Sciences Po in Paris. Her experiences have taken her through many regions, including Hong Kong, London, France, and her current region of Quebec. She brings her depth and expertise to the table in our discussion. Show notes: Emma’s background, and some of her career accomplishmentshow Emma has ended up more in the legal field, from a family of lawyers, and where she contributes in the category of lawwhat Emma wrote about international arbitration, which was included in a multi-page international law textbook excerpt, along with an exampleplaces lived in by Emma, including France, Hong Kong, London, and moreher article “7 Predictions for a Post-Coronavirus World”how e-commerce, delivery, and related services will take off following the pandemic (“bits and boxes”, as put succinctly by Emma)where Esports will go based on the momentary push into the virtual worldthe way that some work will be unable to go remote, whereas those tasks that could be done remotely will be impelled to that directionchanges to manufacturing that have room to develophow time is being saved through the non-commute and lack of unsubstantiated work timewhere seminars and online learning can go, or what the default may becomeimpact on supply chains globally, and how there is a balance between efficiency and resiliencyhow countries benefit by relying on each otherthe ways that surveillance will increase, with its publicity based on protecting people and their healthdepth of cooperation between nations that can be established in coming years, as required to have a functional responseillumination of societal dynamics, and Quebec’s quick ability to unite for a common goalrelevance of placing value on experts, as opposed to those not as apt in a fieldrisk-taking, as associated with business in relation to governmentvalue of being bilingual, and its connection to personality or growthqualities that Emma finds to be valuable in colleagues, and a message to all people about their own ability It was wonderful to have Emma on the show, and you can follow her on social such as Medium, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Feel free to check out her article at 7 Predictions for a Post-Coronavirus World. To more great content~.

Handling the stages of grief after a loss is challenging, but grief therapist and author Claire Bidwell Smith brings her knowledge and experience to the table in this category with her latest book Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief. In it, Claire details how one can handle the anxiety that is associated with a loss. She lost her mother and father to cancer by the time she had turned 25, bringing about a level of understanding normally reserved for those at a much later time in their lives. Claire has written multiple books, including The Rules of Inheritance and After This: When Life Is Over, Where Do We Go? As an author, speaker, and grief expert, she has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, and many more publications. She has a Master’s Degree from Antioch University. Show notes: how to deal with the loss of loved ones, whether from family or friendswhy anxiety is one of the key stages of grief to be addressedsome of Claire’s story regarding how she got to be a grief therapistwhat kinds of issues she normally helps clients withwhat people are currently facing in New York and other regions due to the epidemic, and how they can better handle end-of-life managementthe way to prepare for a loss prior to it being a huge issue You can check out Claire on her website, Instagram @clairebidwellsmith, or on Amazon for her book. Glad to have her on~.

Welcome guest Katherine Mangu-Ward, editor-in-chief of Reason Magazine, to episode 259 of the show. I found Katherine from her article contribution about coronavirus impacts, where she discussed the changes barriers to moving our lives online. Reason is a libertarian magazine running for nearly half a century, with over 50000 monthly readers, with the theme of “free minds and free markets”. Katherine is editor-in-chief of the magazine, has a degree in philosophy and political science from Yale, and currently resides in Washington, DC. We discussed her career, topics presented in her article about coronavirus impacts, and more. Show notes: how Katherine got to her current position at Reason Magazinewhat it means to be a libertarian, and how the magazine suits herthe way that the coronavirus is impacting readership of Reason Magazine and other online publicationsthe effort required to do successful investigative journalisma bit about a round-table that Katherine does with other co-hostsinformation about the subscribers of Reason, and how they are spread out around the countryhow the barriers to schooling and other industries moving online will fall or change due to this momentwhat parents see as important with regards to schoolhow liberty is currently being impacted, and how it will look after this pandemicthe element of polarization, as it relates to Reason and its feedbackwhere people find the ideas that are important to themhow science fiction brings up the concept of “what if” for life scenariosa message for all the people You can check out Katherine on Twitter at @kmanguward, look at her author bio on Reason, or check out her latest articles.

From founding Just Ads to Pencil News, technology startup founder Shan Rizvi has made his way through the entrepreneurial landscape. Like myself, he is inclined toward a variety of topics and fields, like philosophy, neuroscience, art, music, and technology. He joins on episode 258 of the show to discuss the current moment, and joins me on points related to mindset, society as a whole, his travels along his path, and more. I originally met Shan and his wife Maryam, along with other great individuals, at a hosted gathering by Dr. Azra Raza in the great state of New York. That is where they reside, and discussion of the regional impacts due to the virus were include in this episode. There continues to be much value connected to group functions with curious and warm individuals from different backgrounds, habits, lifestyles, and perspectives. Show notes: Shan as a technology startup founder, and what he has worked on, including Pencil News and Just Adshow using and performing remote work for years can lead to a smoother transition to the current momenthow we met, and how he met his wife Maryam, who is a doctor currently responding to the epidemic directly, working with patientsa way to think about how parts of the brain are experts of their own domain, mentioning the key items from their partif meditation is connected to showcasing those elementsthe value that deep breathing can bring to youwhy group meetings can be very valuable for creative and curious individuals, and what Shan connects with in such meetingscountries that Shan has been to, what pulled him to them, and his progression through those various countriesthe value to studying abroad, and the total transformation that took place in his self-perspective due to ithow Shan could see himself from his original region of Pakistan in the perspective of people in the new places he went to (Finland, Sweden, etc.)noticing different customs that challenge your prior onesShan’s thoughts on the concept of “mental health”, and how it takes into account philosophy, self-awareness, and more, as compared with commonly related to some type of illnessthe way we will get to a clearer view of what our minds dogetting to a point of seeing 10X clearer scans of our mindsa message about the current moment in time, and how we as people can think about the impacts to countries that are in a developing stagebroader-scale thinking of people Thanks goes to Shan for coming through on the show. You can check him out on his website at ShanRizvi.com or on Twitter at @ShanRizvi.