
Align Podcast
Welcome! I'm Aaron, host of the Align Podcast. Understanding your mind and body can be confusing, this podcast will help by combining ancient wisdom with modern science to better know yourself.
New here? Start with these episodes: Byron Katie, Bruce Lipton, Aubrey Marcus, Gabor Maté, Robert Sapolsky, Chris Williamson, Robert Edward Grant, Dr. Perry Nickelston, Wim Hof, Peter Crone, James Clear, Zach Bush, Teal Swan, Dr. Mike Israetel, Gabby Reece, Laird Hamilton, Marianne Williamson
If you love this podcast, I would love for you to connect with me on Instagram, @AaronAlexander
Latest episodes

Dec 25, 2017 • 59min
Danieli Bolelli: Cannibalism, Cultural Influences, Sexual Objectification | Ep. 147
Daniele Bolelli is a writer, martial artist, university professor, and podcaster. He was born in Italy and currently lives in Los Angeles.

Dec 18, 2017 • 52min
Dr. Mercola: Home Biology, Improved Cognition, Structured Water | Ep. 146
Hopefully you know Dr. Mercola by now. First and foremost he is an osteopathic physician, also known as a DO. DOs are licensed physicians who, similar to MDs, can prescribe medication and perform surgery in all 50 states. DOs and MDs have similar training requiring four years of study in the basic and clinical sciences, and the successful completion of licensing exams. But DOs bring something extra to the practice of medicine. Osteopathic physicians practice a "whole person" approach, treating the entire person rather than just symptoms. Focusing on preventive health care, DOs help patients develop attitudes and lifestyles that don't just fight illness, but help prevent it, too. His website, http://www.mercola.com/ is one of the most popular websites on the internet for your optimal health related question. It was a special honor to bring his perspectives to ALIGN!

Dec 11, 2017 • 39min
Joe DeSena: Spartan Culture, Stoicism, Death Race | Ep. 145
Joe De Sena Founder and CEO, Spartan Race Joe De Sena - the founder and CEO of Spartan Race, the world’s leading obstacle racing company – has demonstrated his entrepreneurial drive since his pre-teens. From selling fireworks at age eight, to building a multimillion-dollar pool business in college, to creating a Wall Street trading firm, and now the world’s fastest growing sports movement, De Sena is a living definition of the word entrepreneur. Following a successful career on Wall Street, De Sena moved his family to Pittsfield, Vermont to operate an organic farm, a bed and breakfast, and a general store for hikers. It was here his passion grew for ultramarathons, adventure races, and endurance events; and thus the idea for the Spartan Race was born. With more than 200 events in 30+ countries planned for 2017, Spartan Race has more than 1 million global participants offering open heats for all fitness levels and ages, as well as competitive and elite heats. The company has more than 5 million passionate social media followers, health and wellness products, and two popular NBC television series, making obstacle racing one of the fastest growing sports—and lifestyles— in the world. As a leader in the sport, Spartan Race is the first obstacle racing company to feature timing and global rankings. Joe’s message of inspiration and personal transformation, combined with his status as a two-time New York Times Best Selling Author of “Spartan Up” and “Spartan Fit.”, makes him a popular keynote speaker and public figure. Throughout his lifetime, Joe has competed in any extreme sports adventure he could find, testing his mental and physical endurance against nature. Joe turned an interest in endurance racing into a passion. His racing resume is the stuff of legend – over 50 ultra-events overall and 14 Ironman events in one year alone.

Dec 4, 2017 • 1h 11min
Dr. Jack Kruse: Longevity Secrets, Cell Phone Effects, Obesity Paradox | Ep. 144
About Dr. Jack Kruse Dr. Jack Kruse is a respected neurosurgeon and CEO of Optimized Life, a health and wellness company dedicated to helping patients avoid the healthcare burdens we typically encounter as we age. He is currently in private practice in the Gulf South. As a neurosurgeon, Dr. Kruse’s research has been published in respected dental and medical journals. His popular blog, www.JackKruse.com, gets over 250,000 unique worldwide visitors per month from countries like Australia, Germany, Russia, and Zambia (Africa).

Nov 27, 2017 • 1h 7min
Christine Hassler: Art of Listening, Optimizing Communication, Pivoting | Ep. 143
In 2006 Christine began speaking professionally to colleges. After writing books and spending so much time with 20-Something’s, she became a millennial expert and was mentored to begin speaking about generational diversity in the corporate market. Today Christine leads seminars and workshops to audiences around the country. She has spoken to over 100,000 people at colleges, personal growth events, conferences, and corporations. Christine has appeared as an expert on The Today Show, CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX, E!, Style and PBS, as well as various local television and radio shows, speaking about generation diversity, millennials, resilience, leadership, life balance and “Expectation Hangovers®” – a phenomenon she identified and trademarked. She is also a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post and Cosmo. Currently she hosts a top-rated podcast on the Podcast One Network “Over it and On with it” where she coaches callers live on the air. She is also the co-host and relationship expert on TLC’s The Spouse House. Christine leads four retreats per year, runs a yearly Personal Mastery online course, hosts a membership community, and works privately with clients.

Nov 20, 2017 • 1h 20min
Chris Bell: Bigger, Stronger, Faster, Kratom | Ep. 142
Chris Bell is an American director best known for his critically acclaimed documentaries “Bigger, Faster, Stronger” and “Trophy Kids.” Chris stopped by Lance’s to talk: making documentaries, the prescription drug problem in America and overcoming addiction.

Nov 13, 2017 • 1h 7min
Nora Gedgaudas: Brain Evolution, Stoned Ape Theory, Primal Fat Burner | Ep. 141
Nora Gedgaudas is a widely recognized expert on what is popularly referred to as the “Paleo diet”. She is the author of the international best-selling book, Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and A Longer Life. She is also the author of the best selling ebook: Rethinking Fatigue: What Your Adrenals Are Really Telling You and What You Can Do About It. Nora is an experienced nutritional consultant, speaker and educator, widely interviewed on national and international radio, popular podcasts, online summits, television and film. Her own popular podcasts are widely listened to on iTunes and are available for free download. She maintains a private practice in Portland, Oregon as both a Board-Certified nutritional consultant and a Board-Certified clinical Neurofeedback Specialist. Her latest book Primal Fat Burner was released in January 2017 by Simon & Schuster (Atria).

Nov 6, 2017 • 1h 28min
Dr. Andy Galpin: Debunking Muscle Myths, Rules of Strength, Hazards of Quantified-Self | Ep. 140
Andy is a tenured Professor in the Center for Sport Performance at CSU Fullerton. He was born and raised in beautiful Rochester, WA and is a die-hard Seahawks, Huskies, & Mariner fan. RIP Sonics. As a youth, Andy played every sport at his disposal, excelling at Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Track & Field. While not playing, he worked at grocery stores, gas stations, hay fields, blueberry farms, and in the road construction business. It was during this time he discovered Strength & Conditioning. Andy took his limited talents to Linfield College to join their Football team and pursue a degree in Exercise Science. While he experienced great success in both (2004 National Championship and 2x Captain and immediate inductee into the "All Ugly" Team), the true reward of this time was the meeting of lifelong friend (Doug Larson). The two fed each other's pursuit of knowledge of human performance and led them to attend the University of Memphis for the Masters degrees in Human Movement Sciences. A bit of luck and excellent faculty mentoring led Doug and Andy to meet Mike Bledsoe and the man formally known as "Barbell Buddha" Chris Moore - all of which later led to the creation of the #1 Health & Fitness Podcast in the world Barbell Shrugged. It also marked the start of Andy's competitive Weightlifting (culminating in his 7th Place finish in the 2007 National Championships), Mixed Martial Arts, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu careers.

Oct 30, 2017 • 48min
Esther Gokhale II: Body Reading, Tribal Butt Cheeks, Heal Your Back | Ep. 139
Esther Gokhale (Go-clay) has been involved in integrative therapies all her life. As a young girl growing up in India, she helped her mother, a nurse, treat abandoned babies waiting to be adopted. This early interest in healing led her to study biochemistry at Harvard and Princeton and, later, acupuncture at the San Francisco School of Oriental Medicine. After experiencing crippling back pain during her first pregnancy and unsuccessful back surgery, Gokhale began her lifelong crusade to vanquish back pain. Her studies at the Aplomb® Institute in Paris and years of research in Brazil, India, Portugal and elsewhere led her to develop the Gokhale Method, a unique, systematic approach to help people find their bodies’ way back to pain-free living. Gokhale practiced acupuncture and taught posture, dance, and yoga in her Palo Alto wellness center for over twenty years. The Gokhale Method continues to grow as qualified Gokhale Method teachers now teach the method worldwide. Gokhale's book, 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back, has sold over 100,000 copies and has been translated into eight languages. In 2010, Gokhale hosted the nationally televised program Back Pain: The Primal Posture Solution (available on DVD). Gokhale has taught at corporations such as Google, IDEO, Varian Medical Systems, and Facebook Inc. She has also presented at conferences including TEDx(Stanford), Ancestral Health Symposium, Weston Price Foundation Conference, and PrimalCon. She continues to speak with physician groups including Stanford, PAMF, UCSF and has consulted for the trainers of the SF 49ers and several Stanford sports teams. In May 2013, The New York Times featured Esther in an article giving her the title, “The Posture Guru of Silicon Valley”. Esther Gokhale lives on Stanford University campus where she raised three children with her husband Brian White, chairman of the Math Department. Awards: 1978 Dean’s honor list at Harvard University 2008 Foreword Silver Award for best health book 2009 Nautilus Gold Award for best Pilates/Tai Qi/Yoga/bodywork book 2009 Ippy Bronze Award for best health book

Oct 23, 2017 • 1h 2min
Jay Ferruggia: Body Transformation, 80:20 Principle, Relationship Building | Ep. 138
I’m Jay Ferruggia, and I’ve been helping guys become the strongest version of themselves since 1994. You may have seen my work in Men’s Health, Muscle & Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Men’s Fitness, Fast Company, Huffington Post, LiveStrong, Muscle & Fitness Hers, Shape, Entrepreneur, Details or on ESPN or CBS. You know how group training is the big thing these days? I was doing that in the mid 90’s. The hardcore, underground warehouse gyms that are so popular nowadays? I had one of those back in ’96. Training like an athlete? Flipping tires, dragging sleds, pressing logs, using rings? Been doing that for 20+ years with my clients. Long before it was popular or on TV commercials. What you may not know is that I have struggled with all of the issues I discuss on this site. Over the course of my life I’ve been physically and mentally weak, skinny, fat, sad, depressed, insecure, painfully shy, socially awkward, crippled with anxiety and indecision, struggled with addiction, and have gone broke on more than one occasion. Overcoming those obstacles took many years and a lot of hard work. I read over 500 books. I attended countless conferences and workshops. I hired coaches and mentors. I cut out the negative deadbeats in my life. I slowly eliminated one bad habit at a time and replaced it with a new one. What I learned after all that is that Thoreau, Da Vinci and Bruce Lee were right. Simplicity is the key to health, wealth and happiness. Learning to apply the 80/20 rule to everything and forgetting the rest. Because the reality is that most things don’t matter. It’s just noise and meaningless nonsense that distracts us from living the lives we want. Life is simple really, but we insist on making it complicated. – Confucius