Unfiltered Extra

It’s now more than 20 years since the BALCO scandal shook the world of professional sport to its foundations, but the aftershocks are still being felt with public trust in elite performance yet to recover.It was and will forever be the most shocking and sensational sports exposé: a conspiracy to create and deliver undetectable performance-enhancing drugs to some of the most high-profile athletes in the world to give them an insurmountable advantage to dominate their rivals.Household names, including Olympic gold medalist sprinter Marion Jones - who was forced to return her five Olympic medals - and men’s 100m sprinter Tim Montgomery - whose world record time was struck from the history books - became synonymous with the scandal. Others, such as multiple Major League Baseball MVP and record home run hitter Barry Bonds, were implicated without ever failing a drugs test.In all, dozens of athletes had their previously inspirational and illustrious careers forever tarnished by their associations with BALCO.While one man, BALCO founder Victor Conte, has sought fame, money and attention before, during and after his exploits were exposed by a US Internal Revenue Service investigation - most recently appearing in the Netflix documentary “Untold: Hall of Shame” - another figure, one arguably more influential to the entire BALCO operation than Conte or anyone else, has remained almost entirely in the shadows.Until now.In an exclusive and long-awaited interview, we tracked down Patrick Arnold, the enigmatic and reclusive chemist who created the designer anabolic steroid central to BALCO’s success, and convinced him to break his silence and reveal his side of the biggest doping story in the history of professional sport.BALCO not only catapulted the clandestine world of sports doping into a largely shocked and unsuspecting public, but also revealed the huge risks athletes were prepared to take to get to the pinnacle of their sport.In an exclusive Unfiltered conversation with contributing editor Dr Jonny Rees, Patrick Arnold unveils the intricate tapestry of deception, ambition, and scientific ingenuity behind the BALCO scandal, and his revelations lay bare how the allure of unparalleled performance and promise of immortality seduced some of the biggest names in professional sport.More than two decades on, the catastrophic legacy of BALCO is not simply one of tarnished records and fallen idols, but a profound erosion of trust, respect and honour in competitive and professional sports.And so Arnold’s side of the story is more than a sensational spectacle of how a few stars burned brightly before quickly being extinguished: it serves as a cautionary tale about the cost of victory at any price and the sheer fragility of sporting integrity in the face of irrepressible ambition.For exclusive access to all Unfiltered's video interviews, features and documentaries visit https://unfilteredonline.com/Get in touch in the comments below or talk to us on:Email: editorial@unfilteredonline.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGSV7XVaBYUYq5YidLI12owInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfiltered.extraTwitter: https://twitter.com/UnfilteredExtra

Baz Moffat is on a mission. To put women’s health and fitness front and centre of the wellbeing conversation. Because for far too long women have been treated as little more than “small men”.This huge lack of knowledge and empathy around female health, fitness and fertility has left women in the dark ages on knowing how their bodies work and then understanding how their bodies change as they age.To bridge this knowledge gap, the former Team GB rower, alongside GP Dr Bella Smith and Dr Emma Ross, former head of physiology at the English Institute of Sport, founded The Well HQ, an women’s health and fitness education provider to empower women - and anyone who works with women - to better understand their bodies so they can become the architect of our own health, happiness and performance.For Moffat more woman need advice and support not just to perform better, but live healthier, happier and longer lives. And she means all women, not just elites performers who want to steal an extra millisecond but also “women who don’t want to wet themselves when they stand up”.In an exclusive, in-depth and wide ranging conversation with Unfiltered's editor-in-chief Joe Warner, Moffat discusses how we can torpedo some of the major “taboos” that still exist around women’s health, including those still evident in GP surgeries across the country when perimenopausal women - many juggling kids, a career, running a home and more, all while their brains and bodies are going through life-altering changes - are dismissed with a wave of the hand and told to try and "get more sleep".Moffat also expresses her huge frustration at the lack of effort from government, sporting bodies and large corporations in investing in better education on women’s health, and suggests how we can move the conversation forward past the main obstacles of progress - that the action so desperately needed would "cost too much time and money".She also reveals the optimal ways for women to exercise both during and after having a baby; the best forms of training for women approaching and going through the menopause; and how male partners can do a much better job of supporting the women in their lives to make the transitions that all women experience that little bit easier. And, as a former elite athlete, we get her take on whether trans women should be allowed to compete with biological women in sport, both at grassroots and professional level.For the full interview and bonus features visit https://unfilteredonline.com/baz-moffat-women-are-not-small-men-its-time-to-tackle-the-female-fitness-taboos/For exclusive access to all Unfiltered's video interviews, features and documentaries visit https://unfilteredonline.com/Get in touch in the comments below or talk to us on:Email: editorial@unfilteredonline.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGSV7XVaBYUYq5YidLI12owInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfiltered.extraTwitter: https://twitter.com/UnfilteredExtra

It took ten countries ten years and $3 billion to sequence the human genome but since that seismic breakthrough the time, cost and effort to repeat the feat has plummeted.Dr Euan Ashley, Associate Dean in the School of Medicine at Stanford University, is known for helping establish the field of medical genomics and led the team that conducted the first medical interpretation of the human genome.Most recently his team have held a Guinness World Record for the fastest DNA sequencing technique at a little more than five hours.The implications, as he explains in an in-depth conversation with Unfiltered editor-in-chief Joe Warner, will change the world, both in extremely rare cases of unknown disease diagnosis for faster treatment, right up to population-level systemic changes to national and international healthcare policy.It has the potential to change everything we thought we knew about genetics, disease, medicine and treatment, and could significantly improve both lifespan and healthspan around the world.But it is not without risk, most notably the concern of the creation of a multi-tier healthcare and insurance system in which those with money and influence will always be at the front of the queue.As Dr Ashley explains, the future of the world rests on the right decisions being made.For exclusive access to all Unfiltered's video interviews, features and documentaries visit https://unfilteredonline.com/Get in touch in the comments below or talk to us on:Email: editorial@unfilteredonline.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGSV7XVaBYUYq5YidLI12owInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfiltered.extraTwitter: https://twitter.com/UnfilteredExtra

Ever wondered what would happen if you were just 10% braver?Everything.That’s the motivational message Jaz Ampaw-Farr, Speaker of the Year winner and leadership, resilience, wellbeing and diversity coach, believes is your key to not only being happier, but also the mantra to remember to give yourself the courage you need to be the person you really are, and to live the full, rich and rewarding life you really want.For exclusive access to all Unfiltered's video interviews, features and documentaries visit https://unfilteredonline.com/Get in touch in the comments below or talk to us on:Email: editorial@unfilteredonline.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGSV7XVaBYUYq5YidLI12owInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfiltered.extraTwitter: https://twitter.com/UnfilteredExtra

Ben Mudge is known around the world for his inspirational journey with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that primarily affects the lungs.As an advocate for raising awareness about CF, sharing his story and fitness journey on social media where he has amassed a significant following, Ben has inspired hundreds of thousands of people lead healthy and active lives, and his positive attitude, resilience and commitment to making the best out of any situation is a beacon of hope and inspiration to all of us to squeeze every second of happiness out of each day.In a life-affirming interview with Unfiltered editor-in-chief Joe Warner, Ben discusses the reality of living with cystic fibrosis; how he copes with the pressures of being a role model to fellow CF sufferers, including very young children, and their families; how he’s dealt with a lifetime of uncertainty over his own mortality; the role his parents played in giving him the best childhood possible; his hopes for the future and why everyone, especially men, need to talk more about how they’re feeling.
And in a call-to-arms for everyone, everywhere, Ben explains the magic of taking yourself outside of your comfort zone, and why everyone needs to be just a little bit braver to experience the sheer joy that comes from trying something that has always seemed just out of reach.For exclusive access to all Unfiltered's video interviews, features and documentaries visit https://unfilteredonline.com/Get in touch in the comments below or talk to us on:Email: editorial@unfilteredonline.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGSV7XVaBYUYq5YidLI12owInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfiltered.extraTwitter: https://twitter.com/UnfilteredExtra

TV star. Celebrity boyfriend. Fitness cover model.Joel Corry has been known for a number of different things in the decade since he burst onto our screens in MTV's reality television programme "Geordie Shore".But since his breakout summer in 2019 Joel Corry has been known around the world as a chart-topping, globe-trotting DJ whose poised to assume his place in the pantheon of global legends, alongside Calvin Harris, David Guetta and Tiësto, whose music has us moving in our millions.From the outside, thanks to social media, it seems success has come easily to Joel. But is that really the reality? Unfiltered editor-in-chief Joe Warner flew to Ibiza where Joel has a weekly summer residency at Ibiza Rocks, to discover exactly what it’s taken - after more than a decade of setbacks and sacrifices - to finally have his moment in the sun.Watch the full video interview with bonus footage at https://unfilteredonline.com/joel-corry-under-the-skin-10-years-to-become-an-overnight-success/Get in touch in the comments below or talk to us on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfiltered.extraTwitter: https://twitter.com/UnfilteredExtraEmail: editorial@unfilteredonline.com

Despite a traditional academic grounding in Dietetics from Baylor University and a successful career in physique competition and fitness modelling, things were not as they seemed for Rachel Scheer.While appearing from the outside to be - quite literally - a model of health, the disconnect between image and reality couldn’t have been starker. Things became so bad Scheer remembers lying on her kitchen floor in tears suffering from such painful and severe gut issues she was unable to eat, and ready to consent to a colorectal surgeon removing her entire large intestine.Enter functional medicine, and the root cause approach to health care - as opposed to ‘sick care’ - that Scheer credits for turning her into the woman you see today.With multiple million-dollar businesses, her own functional nutrition certification, and serving as a mentor for women in business, Scheer’s mission is now to help as many people as possible address the root cause of their health issues rather than simply medicating the symptoms.There’s often a tension between functional medicine approaches and those pursued in traditional western medicine but there needn’t be. In a full in-depth conversation Rachel explains to Unfiltered's contributing editor Dr Jonny Rees, PhD, how the two can complement - not compete with - each other to empower you to live smarter.For the full interview and bonus content visit unfilteredonline.com.#Guthealth #functionalmedicine #healthcare #sickcare #womeninbusiness #womenshealth #microbiome #digestion #nutrition #dieticianGet in touch in the comments below or talk to us on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfiltered.extraTwitter: https://twitter.com/UnfilteredExtraEmail: editorial@unfilteredonline.com

For most people, one hugely successful international career would be more than enough. But James Haskell isn’t most people.After more than a decade of playing rugby union for England and some of the biggest club sides in the world, James hung up his boots only to pick up his headphones and begin a second career as an international DJ.While James is the first to admit he was never the most talented rugby player yet rose to the top with a peerless work ethic and commitment, how hopeful is he that he can find the same success in music as he did in sport?To find out, Unfiltered’s editor-in-chief Joe Warner met James in Ibiza where he regularly DJs to ask him about his career highs and lows, and his achievements and regrets, as well as get his view on some of the biggest issues facing sport and society at large.In an honest, wide-ranging and in-depth interview, and in typical forthright fashion, James doesn’t pull any punches.The full video interview, with bonus footage, is at https://unfilteredonline.com/james-haskell-the-same-problems-face-sport-and-society/Get in touch in the comments below or talk to us on:Email: editorial@unfilteredonline.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGSV7XVaBYUYq5YidLI12owInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfiltered.extraTwitter: https://twitter.com/UnfilteredExtra

Scroll through social media over the past couple of years and it’s impossible to avoid superstar scientists.But how can you tell the difference between an influencer whose advice should be taken with a pinch of salt and those who should be avoided at all cost?Through posts and podcasts these health, fitness, nutrition and performance optimisation experts have grown seven-figure audiences with a simple promise: they’ll improve your life – at zero cost and next-to-no effort – if you listen to their expert explanations of the latest and best scientific research.And in many ways these social media scientists have been a real force for good.Their charm and charisma, melded with excellent communication skills, enable them to share highly-complex information in simple, understandable and actionable terms.What’s not so good is how their science has started to suffer as they’ve become victims of their own success. To satisfy audience demand, to stay top of the podcast charts, and to maximise income from the advertisers who sponsor their increasingly sophisticated productions, they’re now obligated to share scientific breakthroughs twice a week to deadline. Findings are massaged to fit a narrative and schedule that, you guessed it, plays to the social media machine.So how do you know who you can trust? Science-based nutritional educator Dr Alan Flanagan believes the easiest way is to look out for some “red flags” that hint what you’re hearing might not be the truest interpretation of the scientific method.The founder of Alinea Nutrition and former barrister reveals to Unfiltered editor-in-chief Joe Warner the key warning signs you should look out for, why he thinks so many of these respected scientists are completely comfortable misrepresenting the research to fit their narrative and agenda, and how to tell the difference between an influencer whose advice should be taken with a pinch of salt and those who should be avoided at all cost.They also discuss chrononutrition - the technical term for meal timing - and the impact it has on bodyweight, body composition and overall health and fitness, and Dr Flanagan gives his no-holds-barred takedown of the growing popularity of personalised nutrition protocols and apps, and why the science behind these services just doesn't stand up.Watch the full video interview at https://unfilteredonline.com/alan-flanagan-social-media-scientist-red-flags/For exclusive access to all Unfiltered's video interviews, features and documentaries visit https://unfilteredonline.com/Get in touch in the comments below or talk to us on:Email: editorial@unfilteredonline.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGSV7XVaBYUYq5YidLI12owInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfiltered.extraTwitter: https://twitter.com/UnfilteredExtra

Professor Michael Levitt, the 2013 Chemistry Nobel Laureate, has attracted widespread praise and devastating criticism in equal measure for using his high-profile position to air his controversial views, and signal-boost those of others, on many issues relating to the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent epidemic.Three years on, does he regret some of his initial predictions about the damage the pandemic would do? For instance, does he still believe the on-going impact of extensive global lockdowns will ultimately kill far more people than COVID-19 ever did? And which of his claims does he remain resolutely convinced will prove accurate once the dust has finally settled?Watch the full interview, and access bonus video content, at https://unfilteredonline.com/michael-levitt-covid-critic-controversy/For exclusive access to all Unfiltered's video interviews, features and documentaries visit https://unfilteredonline.com/Get in touch in the comments below or talk to us on:Email: editorial@unfilteredonline.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGSV7XVaBYUYq5YidLI12owInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfiltered.extraTwitter: https://twitter.com/UnfilteredExtra