
The Made to Thrive Show
Optimising your mind, body and soul. Hosted by Steve Stavs, Africa's Pro Biohacker, Health Futurist, and founder of www.madetothrive.co.za.
Latest episodes

Mar 7, 2025 • 56min
Longevity Technology 202: How Health Tech and Data coaches YOU to a Life of Thriving: Steve Stavs on Dr Stillman’s Podcast
Dr. Leland Stillman is on my Made To Thrive advisory board because I value his insight on and clinical experience with integrative medicine. He has been on my podcast several times, and recently I returned the favour as a guest on his Integrative Medicine podcast.In the episode, Dr. Stillman and I dive into important insights on my weight loss journey, nervous system regulation, chronic disease prevention, the significance of heart rate variability, breathwork, functional lab testing as well as the regenerative medicine like prolotherapy, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and ozone therapy that I have been practicing for decades . We also get into omega 3, why it’s so much more than just a fish oil and can fundamentally impact body composition, and my expertise working with clients on leveraging data-driven strategies, biohacking tools, and personalized coaching to drive real, sustainable health transformations. Mentions:Books - The Web That Has No Weaver : Understanding Chinese Medicine, www.goodreads.com/book/show/214967.The_Web_That_Has_No_Weaver_Product - BrainTap, https://madetothrive.co.za/special-deals/braintap/Product - Apollo Neuro, https://madetothrive.co.za/product/apollo-neuro-stress-relief-device/Support the showFollow Steve's socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | TikTokSupport the show on Patreon:As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShowSend me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308. Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/

Feb 28, 2025 • 1h
How Mind-Body Medicine, Combined with Holistic Psychology Heals Chronic Disease. Dr Moshe Block ND VDP HMC
Dr. Moshe Daniel Block, a seasoned naturopathic doctor and author, discusses the profound impact of mind-body medicine and holistic psychology on healing chronic diseases. He believes we're on the brink of a collective awakening, prompting individuals to discover their inner power. The conversation highlights the vital connection between emotional states and physical ailments, along with his innovative 'Viz Dialogue' technique that confronts subconscious beliefs. Block also emphasizes the importance of supportive relationships and innovative therapies in the healing process.

Feb 21, 2025 • 57min
The Great Plant-Based Con: Unpacking the Real Science & Data. Jayne Buxton MBA MA
It’s called The Great Plant-Based Con, and boy oh boy, is it a con. From NGOs, Big Pharma, Big Ag, celebrities, universities, researchers, government - it’s a complicated web of interconnected incentives. I ask listeners to go into this podcast with an open mind, and truly listen to the knowledge of author Jayne Buxton based on the incredible amount of research she did in putting this book together.Get your copy of The Great Plant-Based Con NOW: https://thegreatplantbasedcon.comJayne was born in the UK and has lived in Canada, the US and the UK. She has an MBA from IMD Business School and a master’s degree in creative writing from Kingston University. She spent fifteen years working as a management consultant specialising in business strategy and data analysis at a major international consultancy before publishing her first work of nonfiction, Ending the Mother War, Starting the Workplace Revolution in 1998. After the publication of Ending the Mother War, she became a regular spokesperson and writer on work-life issues. She has now turned to writing full-time. Like Ending the Mother War, Jayne’s new book, The Great Plant Based Con, challenges the dominant narrative about an important issue and proposes a compelling alternative perspective. Join us as we explore:Why following the money is at the core of the plant-based revolutionThe incredible distortion of the public’s perception when it comes to environmental statistics and agriculture. Why believing plant-based eating or veganism is “death free” is completely wrong and dishonest.The corruption and distortion done in the name of science to smear the consumption of proteinThe bioavailability and conversion ability of nutrients in plants is misunderstood, and why plant-based diets are usually grossly caloric rich. The con told about the Blue Zones diet.Carnivore diets, the science and if we can consume too much protein.Contact: Website - https://thegreatplantbasedcon.comMentions:Podcast - Joel Salatin, https://youtu.be/EK26DbKkWLA?si=dN_pVmoUHXCtglad Podcast - Zach Bush, https://youtu.be/EK26DbKkWLA?si=dN_pVmoUHXCtglad Movie - The Cholesterol Code, https://cholesterolcode.comSupport the showFollow Steve's socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | TikTokSupport the show on Patreon:As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShowSend me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308. Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/

Feb 13, 2025 • 1h 1min
Stop Just Coping With Anxiety. Healing and Curing Anxiety with Dr Russ Kennedy the Anxiety MD
This is a step we must take. I have never seen anxiety like I have in the past few years and it is going to get worse until we move beyond the “just deal with it” paradigm and move to a heal it, grow from it and thrive from it paradigm. That’s why I cannot wait for you to listen to this episode with The Anxiety MD Dr Russ Kennedy. He is taking a body first approach to anxiety and actually healing it for good.Dr Russell Kennedy is a physician, neuroscience expert, somatic intuitive, certified yoga instructor, meditation teacher, and professional stand-up comedian—someone who personally struggled with crippling anxiety for decades before finally finding true healing. Now, he is dedicated to guiding others through non-traditional treatments for anxiety, challenging the effectiveness of conventional methods that have long failed to provide lasting relief.Using a unique combination of neuroscience, somatic work, and psychedelics, he has developed a transformative approach to understanding and healing anxiety—one that has reshaped both his own life and the lives of his patients. Instead of letting anxiety dictate one’s existence, he empowers individuals to take full control, offering a path to lasting resilience and freedom from the relentless grip of fear and overwhelm. Join us as we explore:How anxiety ruins relationships and diminishes intelligence and rationality.Why the plan should be not to just deal and cope with anxiety but to HEAL it!The “alarm anxiety cycle”, and how trying to talk people out of anxiety is NOT going to work!Is there a difference between fear and anxiety, and how do you respond and adapt to genuine fearful and scary situations.The link between dopamine and anxiety.Tips for parents to help your kids be anxiety free. Contact: Website -https://www.theanxietymd.comInstagram - theanxietymdMentions:Program: Your Mind Body Prescription, https://www.theanxietymd.com/MBRXBook - The Molecule of MoreHow a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity--and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38728977-the-molecule-of-more?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=vxuYb2ZZN7&rank=1Support the showFollow Steve's socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | TikTokSupport the show on Patreon:As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShowSend me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308. Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/

Feb 6, 2025 • 1h 9min
Holistic Psychiatry: Mental Health Strategies, Reclamation, & True Femininity. Dr Kelly Brogan MD
Kelly Brogan has been on quite the journey. From the most orthodox believer in and member of the medical cathedral, to then writing a best selling book that rejected that system outright to now doing her deepest work in self reclamation and femininity, Kelly shares insights and reflections I believe will resonate with millions of women, and yes even men, out there. Why? Because she is speaking a message of eternal courage and truth, which is what I believe our world needs now more than ever.Kelly Brogan MD is a holistic psychiatrist, a New York Times bestselling author of A Mind of Your Own and Own Your Self, and a self-proclaimed reclamation queen. In her psychiatric practice, Kelly specialized in a root-cause resolution approach to psychiatric syndromes and symptoms, seeking to uncover the deeper imbalances behind mental health challenges rather than merely treating surface-level symptoms.Driven by a powerful mission, she is dedicated to holding the vision for embodied reclamation and whole-life empowerment. Through guidance, resources, and community, Kelly helps individuals break free from struggle and fully embrace their authentic selves, allowing them to experience the unique pleasure of their true essence. Join us as we explore:How putting her auto-immune thyroid condition into remission with non-pharmaceutical interventions made Kelly feel enraged and betrayed yet was also the pivot that altered the entire direction of her life.Why Kelly took out a $ 2 million dollar life-policy before publishing her first book A Mind of Your Own.How inspecting the “fix it” instinct is at the deepest core of knowing and owning ourselves.Why only people willing to question and reinterpret everything about the world are the only people ready to do the deepest change work. How Kelly’s programs move the sickest of sick women from barely surviving to radical thriving.Kelly’s new book, the gift of masculinity and why nobody or nothing external needs to change for anybody to feel fully in control and accountable to themselves.Kelly’s relationship, marriage and divorce and motherhood reflections, her celibacy journey, her “paternal” coaching style and “self-husbanding”.Contact: Website - https://www.kellybroganmd.comMentions:Program - Vital Mind Reset, https://www.kellybroganmd.com/vmr-eg-standardSupport the showFollow Steve's socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | TikTokSupport the show on Patreon:As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShowSend me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308. Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/

Jan 30, 2025 • 60min
Your Anxiety Plan: Parts Work, Internal Family Systems, & Why Questions. Britt Frank LSCSW SEP
Talking to Britt Frank a year ago was not only one of my favorite podcasts ever, it was a revelatory moment for me concerning trauma. I loved the way Britt changed the framing of that word and made it more accessible and approachable, and now with her new book she has done the same with anxiety. If you are someone who wonders why they are losing the battle with their minds or too afraid to explore the different parts of themselves, please, don’t miss this episode and share it with someone who needs it. It could be life-changing.PREORDER her new book “Align Your Mind” NOW - https://www.brittfrank.com/align-your-mindBritt Frank, LSCSW, SEP is a licensed neuropsychotherapist and author of The Science of Stuck (Penguin Random House), named by SHRM, Esquire, New York Magazine, and The Next Big Idea Club as a must-read. Britt received her undergraduate degree from Duke University and her master’s degree from the University of Kansas, where she later became an award-winning adjunct instructor. Britt is a contributing writer to Psychology Today and her work has been featured in Forbes, NPR, Fast Company, Psych Central, SELF, and Thrive Global.Join us as we explore:What part’s work is and how making allies with the parts of you will align your mind.The inner child, the imposter, the critic, the cheerleader and the coach - how to talk to, with them and build relationships!The three do’s and don’ts when feeling anxious.Logic and lion mode, why your brain is a toddler not a monster and the importance of being precise and avoiding metaphor with our emotional language.The problem with ”why” questions.Contact: Website - https://www.brittfrank.comBook - https://www.brittfrank.com/align-your-mind Instagram - @brittfrankMentions:Podcast - Healing Trauma, How to Change, and the Science of Stuck with Britt Frank, https://youtu.be/yIODpLr_f7s?si=NWfEIolc-S0CyHuU Product - reMarkable journal, https://remarkable.com/Support the showFollow Steve's socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | TikTokSupport the show on Patreon:As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShowSend me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308. Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/

Jan 23, 2025 • 1h 6min
ADHD, ADD, Autism, Aspergers, Dyslexia, Tourette’s & Bipolar. Hope and Tools for Neurological Conditions. Dr Robert Melilo. Functional Neurologist
Is it nature or nurture? Genetics or epigenetic? That is a core part of my discussion today with world renowned brain and childhood neurological disorder expert Dr Robert Melillo. He is doing miraculous things at his clinic, with an almost 100% success rate of remediating children with neurological issues ranging from autism to ADHD to bipolar disorder. How? By going to the root of the issue - the brain. Dr. Robert Melillo is one of the most respected specialists in childhood neurological disorders in America, Dr. Robert Melillo has been helping children overcome learning disabilities for over 30 years. His areas of expertise include: autism spectrum disorders, PDD/NOS, ADD/ADHD, OCD, dyslexia, Asperger’s, Tourette’s, bipolar disorder, and other mental, attention, behavioral and learning disorders. He is also an expert in diet, nutrition and neuroimmune disorders in children and adults.Join us as we explore:How what happens to the brain in childhood creates the epigenetic reality of neurological diseases in adulthood.Exploring why autism has gone from a 1 in 10,000 child to 1 in 20.Why brain hemispheric and nervous system imbalances are at the root of much modern disease, and the tools that can be used to rebalance the brain.How Dr Melillo is getting non-verbal children speaking within a year using the Melillo Method. Why more and more kids are categorized as remedial.Practical advice based on successful outcomes for parents of kids with a childhood neurological disorder.Contact: Website - https://www.drrobertmelillo.comMentions:Courses - Functional Developmental Behavioral Neuroimmunology, https://www.drrobertmelillo.com/courses/Support the showFollow Steve's socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | TikTokSupport the show on Patreon:As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShowSend me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308. Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/

Jan 16, 2025 • 50min
Reduce Hip Fracture Risk by 50%, Nutrition for Your Bones, & Why Osteoporosis is Starting Earlier. Dr Sandra Iuliano Phd.
Let food be thy medicine. This has been known for thousands and thousands of years. And yet somehow we have let Big Food and their toxic processed food run riot with our health. Today’s guest has done incredible research on how small, easily achievable adjustments to calcium and protein intake can reduce an elderly person’s risk of hip fracture, and therefore likelihood of early mortality, by nearly 50%. The message of today’s show is that the more real food we can provide ourselves and our family, the stronger, healthier and longer we are going to live together. Dr. Sandra Iuliano is a renowned expert in integrative and functional medicine, specialising in personalised health approaches that address the root causes of chronic conditions. She is also a researcher at the University of Melbourne, based at Austin Health, where her work focuses on the benefits of improved nutrition in reducing falls and fracture risk in the elderly, particularly those in aged care. Dr. Iuliano’s research highlights the significant impact of diet and lifestyle on preventing age-related health issues, such as osteoporosis and frailty.Join us as we explore:Why the elderly are at more fracture and mortality risk due to dietary deficiencies, and how a small change in what you eat can reduce hip fracture risk by 46%.Why children are not getting enough calcium and impact-type exercise during crucial early years of development and creating bone density disease later in life.How to eat to get sufficient calcium, even with dairy intolerance.Protein intake requirements from childhood to the elder years.The highest calcium and protein foods per gram, and why quality beats quantity.Mentions:Research - Dr Sandra Iuliano, https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Sandra-Iuliano-2043667530 Support the showFollow Steve's socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | TikTokSupport the show on Patreon:As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShowSend me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308. Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/

Jan 9, 2025 • 1h 13min
Thyroid Health Overwhelm? Hashimoto’s, T3, T4, rT3, Thyroid Antibodies? Practical Tools that Help. Prof Sindeep Bhana MD (rebroadcast)
At least 60% of the biological audits I conduct find an underperforming, or lazy thyroid. Which is bad news for metabolism, weight gain, energy and sleep. The question then is, why? Why are thyroids underactive? And how do we promote thyroid health under the pressure of the modern urban lifestyle and environment? That’s the question answered by one of South Africa’s premier endocrinologists, Dr Sindeep Bhana. Support the showFollow Steve's socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | TikTokSupport the show on Patreon:As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShowSend me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308. Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/

Jan 2, 2025 • 58min
The Greatest Health Crisis. Humanity’s Mental Health & Performance Abyss. There are NEW Tools and a NEW Hope. Dr Jeoff Drobot NMD (rebroadcast)
It’s a new year, so I want to begin with new hope. Mental health and performance is in an abyss I have never seen before. Brain fog, memory problems, mental fatigue, anxiety and everything else, we need new solutions to these ever-growing problems. That’s why I wanted to begin 2025 with Dr Jeoff Drobot, a pioneer who has for decades tried every health optimisation strategy and tool under the sun. Dr Drobot is tackling cognitive decline, mental distress and a host of autoimmune diseases by targeting the central nervous system with a unique bio-electric model.Support the showFollow Steve's socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | TikTokSupport the show on Patreon:As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShowSend me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308. Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/