The Made to Thrive Show

We each have our own unique why. A calling. A mission. My guest today Erik Korem has a mission to keep people to account. He has spent considerable time and effort studying all the companies promising their devices can change your health, actually checking the research & calling it like it is. We have interesting debates in the show, but ultimately we agree, data is not valuable without the human capital component that it must be partnered with.Erik Korem is on a mission to help people change their world with his relentless pursuit of high performance. He believes that everyone’s health & well-being are their responsibility, whether they want to reduce stress, boost their energy, lose a few pounds, or sleep better, it all starts with adaptability. He's a PhD sports scientist with a passion for solving the data-to-action gap that exists in the wearable tech & mHealth space and does so with his company AIM7.Join us as we explore:What the research & science really say about exercise, zones, carrying weight, longevity, healthspan, HRV & steps but why for the everyday person trying to be healthy they need to focus on basics and consistency.Why the number of exercise sessions per week needs to be understood in the context of intensity, regardless of what level of fitness you are at.Why the key to wearables aren't the wearables themselves but the human capital around them.Whether you use Apple watch, OURA, Polar or WHOOP, the wearables 101 masterclass with expert analysis & opinion you won’t hear anywhere else.  Why accuracy does not matter about wearables as much as people think, & the one thing wearables measure that is totally misunderstood!Social jetlag, the architecture of sleep & how the timing of your sleep puts pressure on different stages of sleep, & when it comes to sleep worry less about stages & more about the 3 key sleep behaviors. Contact:Website - https://www.erikkorem.comMentionsBlog - Accuracy of Wearable Technology & Smart WatchesStudy –  “Revisiting the association of sedentary behavior and physical activity with all-cause mortality using a compositional approach: the Women's Health Study”Study – Sleep chronotypesStudy – “The Rise of Consumer Health Wearables: Promises 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/

Would you believe your genes could predict what job you should do, how to manage family politics and what kind of intimate partner you would be most attracted to? I wasn’t sure about it, but I was blown away by the calling and confidence of my genetic expert guest today Kashif Khan. Yes, Kashif is a genetic detective, and has transformed lives by unpacking their biological code, but at the same time he also knows those genes are not your destiny and while genes can load the gun it will still be how you live your life that pulls the epigenetic triggers.And because you are here you are getting a special discounted code from Kashif’s company The DNA Code:  www.dnacompany.com/thriveKashif Khan is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of The DNA Company, where personalized medicine is being pioneered through unique insights into the human genome. As Kashif dove into the field of functional genomics as the CEO of The DNA Company, it was revealed that his neural wiring was actually genetically designed to be entrepreneurial. However, his genes also revealed a particular sensitivity to pollutants. Seeing his health from a new lens Kashif dove further and started to see the genetic pathways that led to his own family's challenges, and the opportunities to reverse chronic disease. His measure of success is not in dollars earned, but in lives improved. Science outreach has become a passion project for Kashif, and he educates about functional genomics in an accessible format on his podcast, The Unpilled Podcast and his social media platforms. He is the author of the new book The DNA Way: Unlock the Secrets of Your Genes to Revere Disease, Slow Aging and Achieve Optimal Wellness. Join us as we explore:Kashif’s pain-to-purpose story. Burdened by a variety of chronic conditions, Kashif discovered he was missing genes that made him particularly sensitive to environmental pollutants and with that knowledge not only reversed his chronic ailments but reversed his biological age.The incredible story of Kashif’s niece who out of nowhere began expressing extreme anxiety and inexplicable behavior, and how Kashif used her genetics to unravel why! You won’t believe what the root cause was.Kashif’s more practical and applicable way of looking at biology and genetics, and why data is dumb unless you know how to interpret it and implement those insights into your life with real action.If it is possible that just 100 of our 22,000 genes are the ones that manifest chronic disease?Kashif’s mind-blowing claim that if he has your genetic profile he can tell whether you should be a doctor, lawyer or entrepreneur, and even wSupport 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/

Dr Dale Bredesen has demonstrated that we have entered into the new era of Alzheimer’s care, and that we are already amongst the horrible disease’s first survivors. He makes an incredibly bold statement that getting Alzheimer’s disease is “truly optional”. Wow! What an incredible message of self-empowerment and hope. We need this episode more than ever to provide the increasing number of people and their families impacted by Alzheimer’s hope and that they can get their mind back and therefore their life back.Dale E. Bredesen, MD, received his undergraduate degree from Caltech and his medical degree from Duke University. He served as resident and chief resident in neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and as postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate Professor Stanley Prusiner. He was a faculty member at UCLA from 1989 to 1994, and was then recruited by the Burnham Institute to direct the Program on Aging. In 1998, he became the founding president and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and adjunct professor at UCSF. In 2013, he returned to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as director of the Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research.The Bredesen Laboratory studies basic mechanisms underlying the neurodegenerative process and the translation of this knowledge into effective therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, which has led to the publication of over 200 research papers. He is the principal investigator for the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at UCLA. He established the ADDN (Alzheimer’s Drug Development Network) with Dr. Varghese John in 2008, leading to the identification of new classes of therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease. His group has developed a new approach to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, the MEND protocol, and this approach has led to the first description of a reversal of symptoms in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer’s disease.Join us as we explore:The forefront of both Alzheimer’s disease research and treatment, and why most neurologists are stuck in the past and ineffective treatment, including stories from Dr Bredeson’s new book detailing how his approach has already reversed Alzheimer’s disease in his patients.The 7 fundamental pieces of Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment, including treating the vicious prionic loop.Why everyone over 40 needs to do a “cognoscopy”, and don’t worry it’s a lot more pleasant than a colonoscopy! Dr Bredeson’s research and experimentally backed theory that neurodegenerative diseases are about a gap between supply and demand in your brain’s 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/

When it comes to getting healthier, diet is everyone’s go to. But I always say, it’s the easiest thing to change but also the hardest. Why? Because changing what you eat is not hard as all the better options are available. In theory. Why it is the hardest is because people get into habits, they are influenced by their environment, they choose convenience and mostly because they are built deep emotional relationships with food. That’s why I brought Nicci onto the show. She understands all of that and much more because she has been through her own pain to purpose journey with food. I also needed someone who works with food and diets every single day to tell everyone out there listening that diet is not about starvation, and if it is, you will never succeed.Nicci Robertson is the founder of Re~Invent Heath, a nutrition coaching practice in Johannesburg, the cost of the Re~Invent Heath podcast and author of the new book Thrive: Healthy Recipes that Break the Diet Rules. She is a clinical nutritionist, trained in functional nutrition, a master practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming and Psycho-Neuro Immunology. She specializes in executive health management, work life balance strategies, and resilience training.If you want to eat well but don’t want to give up pleasure, you don’t have to! Get Nicci’s new book here now and discover that good food doesn’t mean boring food: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za/book/thrive-healthy-recipes-break-diet-rules/9781485901525Join us as we explore:Nicci’s relatable story about food and family, imprinting a relationship with food from her family, being considered overweight at 10 years old (she wasn’t), emotional eating and secret eating. A rundown of Nicci’s process from blood work to nutritional plans that are customized to your environment, your biomarkers, whether you’re an athlete or not and all with the intention of the client never feeling they are in a deprivation type diet.A 101 on the major food macros protein, carbohydrates and fat, animal vs plant proteins and how you can lose nearly 200 grams a day of body fat with the most basic macro nutrient switches.An extensive run down on plant proteins, processed protein and supplements like BCAA and creatine, and the myth of cereals.How continuous glucose monitors (CGM) are the ultimate accountability partner and expose any of the food untruths and deceptions we tell ourselves. Why Nicci tells people to come back when they're ready, to come back when it’s too painful.Why body fat and muscle mass are two of the most accurate measurements when one is assessing overall health.Contact:Website - 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/

The world is on fire. And no, not in the climate change way. Biologically. Inflammation is rampant. I have never seen so many people suffering with chronic and raging biological inflammation. The question is why? I have my ideas, but today I brought on an expert in the disorders and diseases that may be causing the inflammation as well as a piece of the puzzle that may be missing called mast cell activation syndrome. Dr. Tania Dempsey is an expert in chronic disease, autoimmune disorders and mast cell activation syndrome. Dr. Dempsey is sought after internationally for her knowledge of chronic immune dysregulation and has attracted patients from Israel, England, Thailand and France. Dr. Dempsey uses integrative medicine to get to the patient's root cause(s) of their illness.  Her purpose is to understand why people get sick and to help patients understand their body and why it fails them when it does.Join us as we explore:Stories of desperation to salvation. Dr Dempsey shares her real-life stories of patients who come to her practice in tatters and without hope, and with functional health changes and ancestral wisdom find healthy and hope again.Mast cell activation syndrome – what it is, where and why it begins, how to treat it including biohacks and how it is affecting far more people than they realize.A story of perimenopausal success – hormones rebalancing, brain fog gone, breast tenderness gone – treated with a merging of western and eastern approaches.Why are so many young kids now suffering from every food allergy and intolerance out there!How the epidemic of omega ratio dysfunction could be at the root of much of the insulin resistance problems and downstream mast cell activation.The big red flags Dr Dempsey -and myself – are finding in people’s blood work post-covid.Dr Dempsey’s use of ozone, iodine, hydrogen peroxide and more frontier treatments.Contact:Website - https://www.drtaniadempsey.comMentionsPaper – Diagnosis of mast cell activation syndrome: a global "consensus-2", https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32324159/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/

Recently I was a guest on a local podcast called Stanger Talks with host Noah Stanger. The podcast is about sparking inspiration and fuelling ambition in people by sharing the stories of people who have made successful and significant strides in their fields and what the strategies and mindsets are to get people there. So it was an honour to be asked to be on the show and share my story of becoming South Africa’s Pro Biohacker and Health Futurist.Just us as we explore:The story of my company Made To Thrive, our values, and why we want to empower everyone we can to live a life of superhuman health.Why less than 15% of people can claim to be in good health despite 90% of your health potential is within your control. Why I believe purpose is at the root of your chances of living a healthy life.Whether I believe health statistics are moving in the right or wrong direction, and the difference between healthspan and lifespan.Why people don’t do what they value, they do what they most value, and sadly what people most value is not their health.The critical components to health I observe most people are neglecting, and how they directly relate to Made To Thrive’s 7 pillars to optimal health.Sleep hygiene, your light diet, aerobic vs anaerobic exercise, heart rate zones, supplements, vitamin D, sun cream, fasting, and if you can believe it much much more.Mentions:Check out all Made To Thrive’s products I mentioned in the podcast here. From OOLER/sleepme to our amazing blue-light blocking glasses and more!Study - Why Daylight Saving Time Could Increase Your Heart Attack Risk Concept - IKIGAISupport 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/

When it comes to health everything matters. But I am starting to sense that at the top of the pyramid may be hormonal health. Hormones are the communication chemicals in our bodies that in effect coordinate the function or dysfunction of the body. So many things we have been guessing are due to age or say “that’s natural” is really about our hormones being in a dysregulated state. The incredible news is there is a lot we can do to keep our hormones happy and healthy for a long time and give ourselves a long healthspan. And that starts with listening to the hormone genius on my show today.Dr. Kyle Gillett enjoys providing holistic individualized care to his patients. His practice includes preventative medicine, aesthetics, sports medicine, hormone optimization, obstetrics and infertility, integrative medicine, and precision medicine including genomics. He believes that each human is a unique creation that requires attention to their body, mind, and soul to achieve optimal health. He enjoys caring for others using shared decision-making and an evidence-based, patient-centered approach. He is active in Obesity Medicine organizations and firmly believes “food is medicine” and “exercise is medicine”. Dr. Gillett describes the “6 pillars of health”: exercise, diet, sleep, stress, sunlight, and spirit. These are more powerful than any medication or supplement. Join us as we explore:Everything hormones! Testosterone, estrogen, androgens, optimal ranges you need to look for on your lab results and more than you have ever heard before about how hormones work and function as the door between disease and health and vitality and lethargy.Testosterone optimization, why it never starts and stops with pharmaceuticals and the 101 guide to how to optimize testosterone with light, sleep, exercise, diet and the other non-negotiable lifestyle factors.The role of epigenetics in hormonal health and how mosaicism behaves as the light switch between hormones operating optimally or not. The natural testosterone supplements that actually work you’ve never heard about.Why being in a caloric deficit could be ruining your testosterone levels.Testosterone replacement therapy aka TRT – is it safe, is it forever, what is the latest research saying and why it is so important to work with a hormone expert.Contact:Website - https://gilletthealth.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/

Being a woman brings with it unique health goals and challenges. Add being a mom in this busy world that demands so much of us, things change even more. That is why it is so important to understand not only your unique physiology, but the feminine context. I am seeing too many young girls and women with hormonal problems and the wrong body composition because they are training wrong! That’s why this episode was crucial for me. For all the ladies and families with daughters out there, you have to listen to Dr Jamie.Dr. Jaime Seeman is a board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist with a background in nutrition, exercise and health science. She is also a current fellow in integrative medicine and a board-certified ketogenic nutrition specialist. As a former college athlete, Dr Jaime got away with poor nutrition most of her life, until the ultimate stress test of your health, being pregnancy. She then battled with weight gain, fatigue, lpw thyroid function, hormonal imbalance and pre-diabetes. She however finally found a way to get “fit and fabulous”, and now runs the Hard To Kill Academy, is the host of Fit and Fabulous podcast and is the author of the new book Hard To Kill: Master the Mindset to Maximize Your Years.Buy the book now: https://www.doctorfitandfabulous.com/bookJoin us as we explore:Why the ketogenic diet was what finally tipped the scales for Dr Jamie, taking her from a state of pre-diabetes and overweight to the healthiest she had ever been. The nuances to keto, the research, the lean mass hyper responders and the evolving science of lipid metabolism, Working out and food! What to eat, when to eat, the power of satiation, priming your pancreas, the most important meal of the day, are those protein shakes good (no!) and getting past “decision fatigue”.Why the number one way to lose fat is not running, not cardio, not dieting. But this!Why it is critical to “pay yourself first”, and why the number on the scale is not the only thing we need to be worrying about (aka yes, a certain % of body fat is healthy!)How the 1990s image of feminine beauty has been emotionally and psychologically damaging to women and has created their resistance to doing the necessary weight lifting they need.The critical importance of finding your happy balance between cardio and strength training as well as overall biological homeostasis.Contact:Website - https://www.doctorfitandfabulous.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/

This episode is a break in regular podcast scheduling. Recently I went onto a local South African health show on the countries biggest satellite TV network called Real Health. I was honoured and excited to be getting onto a big platform to be able to share my knowledge and experience about biohacking, functional health and behaviour change to an audience who have never heard most of those terms before.This is a great episode for anybody wanting to tip their toe into the waters of biohacking and personal health accountability. We look at what biohacking is, some of my favorite devices and tools, and analyse the sobering reality of the state of chronic disease.Join us as we explore:Biohacking - what it is and why I believe it will play far more central of a role in the future of health than you may believe.The role of personal responsibility and accountability in the medicine 3.0 paradigm, but also why a resource like a health coach can make that journey much easier and more successful.Some of my favorite biohacking tools.Mentions:Product: BrainTap, https://madetothrive.co.za/special-deals/braintap/Product: KAATSU, https://madetothrive.co.za/special-deals/kaatsu/Product: CGM, https://madetothrive.co.za/special-deals/glucose-monitoring-consultation-evaluation/ Product: Bon Charge, https://madetothrive.co.za/special-deals/bon-charge-special-offer/ Product: Elite HRV,  https://madetothrive.co.za/special-deals/elite-hrv/ Podcast: Dr Zach Bush, https://youtu.be/ybb1PVE7v7U 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/

There are few of us out there who stand their ground and speak the truth as strongly and bravely as Dr Jack Wolfson. He is now the guest I have had the most times on my show, and there is a reason. The man has an encyclopedic knowledge of cardiac health and holistic medicine, and walks the walk when it comes to his Live Well, Eat Well and Think Well tenant.  I always love talking to him and yet again I learnt so much during our hour together.Jack Wolfson is a board-certified cardiologist and a fellow of the American College of Cardiology. Dr Wolfson has emerged as one of the world’s leading holistic natural cardiologists, working out of Wolfson Integrative Cardiology. As a trusted leader in heart health and natural heart health, Dr. Jack has taught more than 10,000 physicians his natural heart health best practices. His book, The Paleo Cardiologist: The Natural Way to Heart Health, was an Amazon # 1 best seller. He is an in-demand lecturer about natural healthy living without Big Pharma pills and invasive procedures.Join us as we explore:Why are there so many heart attacks, heart arrhythmia, heart failure, myocarditis and pericarditis around the world right now, including in young people traditionally without any cardiac risk.Dr Wolfson unpacks his Live Well, Eat Well and Think Well tenants, as well as Test Don’t Guess, something I love as I encourage everyone to audit their health with objective data as much as possible. Comparing my IV infusion knowledge and experience with Dr Jack’s. What are the strategies to kick-start a sluggish body, what are the non-negotiables and which protocols or trendy molecules have had less success than expected (NAD!).Why the sun matters so much. Why it is literally life giving. how our skin is literally solar panels and why any photobiomodulation, natural or “biohacked”, has a major effect on cardiac conditions. The lymphatic system – how it works and why so many people are blocked up and why addressing it is a major blind-spot in traditional medical treatment.Why we need to sweat! How to use the sauna optimally with pre, during and post sauna routines such as binders, technology and even why books and magazines are something to avoid!Amazing insight into the most dangerous risk factor everyone is under appreciating as well as cholesterol, hemoglobin, ferritin, fibrinogen, copper and more about what your blood is telling you about the biological state of your body.Contact:Website - https://drjackwolfson.comMentions:Product – Flowpresso, 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/