Our guest this week is legendary stuntman and star of MTV’s Jackass, Steve-O. This is a story about self reflection, change, and growth. Steve-O talks about his remarkable transformation from a drug and alcohol addict to a man who has been sober for over a decade and practices mindfulness and meditation on a daily basis.  He discusses surviving his younger years (3:42), getting in to drugs and alcohol (11:37), getting injured (13:40), dropping out of college (18:39), becoming a stuntman (24:18), dealing with criticism (28:05), his sobriety journey (31:39), the instant success of Jackass (32:39), being homeless when he became a star (34:22), why fame and celebrity is unhealthy (40:35), finding recovery (43:39), WHOOP insights (45:58), meditation (47:29), and gratitude and serotonin (50:25). Support the show

Tampa Bay Lightning forward and Stanley Cup champion Alex Killorn discusses why patience was a virtue on his way to the NHL, how meditation is one of his keys to success on the ice, and what he’s learned about nerves and how to channel them in a positive way. He also shares how he and his teammates overcame the adversity of the COVID-19 playoff bubble on the way to their Stanley Cup victory. Alex dives deep on becoming a hockey player (2:28), finding confidence in sports (6:04), his NHL call-up (11:21), recovery in hockey and his WHOOP insights (14:49), the COVID shutdown (18:43), being upset by Columbus in the 2019 playoffs (22:46), the 5-overtime game (24:49), meditation (28:57), staying calm when the pressure is on (30:56), the challenges of the bubble (36:19), dealing with nerves, (40:48), winning the Cup (42:03), and how he's been such a durable player (46:01).Support the show

Kristen Holmes discusses our groundbreaking research with Barbells for Boobs, a non-profit working to improve the quality of life and overall outcomes associated with breast cancer. We are examining what WHOOP data looks like in women battling breast cancer. The goal of this study is to gain additional insights into how breast cancer impacts things like strain, sleep, recovery, heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and more. Dr. Oliver Glass, the Director of Research for Duke University Health and Well Being and Zionna Hanson, the founder of Barbells for Boobs, join Kristen for this episode. They discuss supporting women going through breast cancer (2:31), improving quality of life (5:26), early detection (6:52), optimizing exercise during breast cancer (10:02), dealing with trauma (14:43), initial study impressions (19:16), sleep and stress (24:02), listening to your body (27:00), being proactive about your health (28:08).Support the show

Drew Manning, the founder of Fit2Fat2Fit,  garnered international attention 10 years ago when he deliberately gained 75 pounds just to lose it in a few short months. Now, he's doing it again, gaining 60 pounds in four months before starting a massive weight loss effort in January. His goal, he says, is to better understand the struggles many go through trying when to lose weight. Drew discusses how the idea came to him (3:25), how he's going about his weight gain (8:30), the shock to his system as he doubled his food intake (10:08), seeing his HRV tank (16:22), gaining weight, losing sleep (17:34), respiratory rate and body changes (21:04), finding empathy for those who struggle with weight (22:19), the emotional toll the process has taken on him (29:20), staying in shape as you age (30:47), how his mental state has changed (35:08), finding your willpower (40:15), and using data to better understand your body (46:19).Support the show

We are continuing our groundbreaking research looking at the connection between an increase in respiratory rate and COVID-19 infections. This episode is a deep dive on everything you need to know about respiratory rate and how to monitor your WHOOP data during the pandemic. VP of Data Science Emily Capodilupo shares our latest research updates, and pro golfer Scott Stallings returns to the podcast to detail how his data indicated that he had come down with coronavirus. We cover our respiratory rate findings (4:00), detecting the incubation period (8:42), putting WHOOP data to work (10:19), when to be concerned about your respiratory rate (12:30), non-COVID factors that can cause a respiratory rate spike (13:48), how accurate our respiratory rate algorithm is (18:16), Scott’s data tanking (23:07), how WHOOP alerted Scott to a possible illness (24:52), difficulty in diagnosing COVID symptoms (27:47), recovering from coronavirus (31:09), and gratitude during COVID (34:12).Support the show

World-renowned COVID-19 expert Dr. Nicholas Christakis returns to the WHOOP Podcast to share everything you need to know about the second wave, vaccines, and how long it will take until things return to normal. Nicholas has dedicated his life’s work to understanding public health, disease, and how pandemics shape our world. He is the author of the new book Apollo's Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live. Dr. Christakis discusses his sobering fatality forecast for the United States (3:45), how COVID-19 compares to other pathogens (6:14), the wide range of coronavirus outcomes (12:02), how deadly COVID-19 is (15:46), the March New York outbreak (23:24), testing issues and government missteps (26:44), economic impacts (32:16), misinformation during times of plague (36:05), how death impacts the economy (42:41), COVID fatigue (48:43), the herd immunity threshold (49:50), how close we are to the end (52:00), a post-pandemic world and a new Roaring 20’s (52:59), and the vaccine (56:48).Support the show

We’re celebrating 100 episodes of the WHOOP Podcast!  We've compiled some highlights from our first 100 episodes and it's our hope that you have found our amazing guests as insightful, informative, and inspiring as we have. We look back on conversations featuring former NBA Commissioner David Stern (1:24), golf greats Rory McIlroy (4:41) and Justin Thomas (7:53), basketball legend Sue Bird (9:59), Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman (11:41), former Navy SEAL Mark Divine (16:00), bestselling author Ryan Holiday (18:33), WHOOP VPs Kristen Holmes and Emily Capodilupo discussing heart rate variability (20:37), alcohol (23:23), and sleep performance (25:04), Yale coronavirus expert Nicholas Christakis (26:23), respiratory rate and its connection to COVID-19 (27:47), pro golfer Nick Watney on how WHOOP alerted him to his coronavirus case (29:10), former NBA player and addiction and recovery advocate Chris Herren (30:25), and Green Beret Kevin Flike (31:44). Plus, we reflect on the story of WHOOP (33:05).Support the show

Erika Nardini is one of the most influential women in sports. As the CEO of Barstool Sports, she has overseen the company's growth from 12 employees to hundreds and has helped establish the brand as one of the most recognizable in sports and beyond. Erika discusses her journey to Barstool (2:11), landing her dream job (5:12), working with Barstool founder Dave Portnoy (6:46), growing the brand authentically (10:13), creating a playground for personalities (15:59), cancel culture (22:19), political correctness (25:20), pushing back against naysayers (29:19), trusting her WHOOP (34:46), and how she identifies talent (36:47).Support the show

WHOOP VP of Performance Kristen Holmes sits down with Arena Labs founder and CEO Brian Ferguson to discuss the future of healthcare and how hospitals and medical organizations can optimize performance in the operating room, the ICU, and beyond. Brian dives deep on his transition from the military to healthcare (3:05), the complexity of modern healthcare (6:41), teamwork in medicine (7:12), burnout in the healthcare field (11:06), how to measure the strain placed on doctors and nurses (13:20), studying stress during the pandemic (17:39), the toll taken on frontline staff (19:40), the motivations of healthcare workers (23:26), avoiding information overload (27:39), and capturing the spirit of service (28:29).Support the show

WHOOP VP of Performance Kristen Holmes and VP of Data Science and Research Emily Capodilupo return for an in-depth look at how the end of Daylight Savings Time messes with your circadian rhythm. This is everything you need to know about how your body’s internal clock can be altered by even just the change of one hour. Emily and Kristen discuss studying the differences between daylight time and standard time (4:37), the rise in heart attacks after the clocks change (5:20), understanding your circadian rhythm (6:41), mental health challenges associated with the time change (8:22), sleep consistency (11:39), preparing your body for restorative sleep (16:01), light exposure (18:39), food and your circadian rhythm (22:23), vitamin D boosting foods (26:19), timing your workouts (36:09), and their key takeaways (39:22).Support the show