Life has taught me one essential truth: the human spirit is boundless.Just when you think we’ve reached the absolute pinnacle of what’s physically possible, someone performs a feat so utterly mind-bending you're left breathless. The skies of perception part. Blanketed in awe, we’re compelled to re-evaluate our own personal capabilities. And humanity is left just a little bit better than it was before.This is the sensation I experience when I spend time with Colin O'Brady – a former Yale swimmer turned professional triathlete turned elite adventure athlete with 4 breathtaking world records to his name.Colin's latest jaw-dropping feat of athletic prowess, stunning endurance and sheer human will was becoming the first person in history to cross the continent of Antarctica solo, unsupported and unaided. Under nothing but his own power, Colin pulled a 300lb sled 932 miles in just 54 days across the coldest, windiest, most remote continent on earth from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the South Pole.Colin first appeared on the podcast in December of 2015 (RRP 207) — a deep dive into his unique upbringing on a commune; how he survived an almost lethal burn accident that left him unlikely to walk again; his phoenix like transformation into a professional ITU triathlete and Olympic hopeful; and how he morphed into a mountaineer with the audacity to attempt incomprehensible feats of adventure athleticism.After conquering the Explorer’s Grand Slam, a challenge that encompassed scaling the highest mountain on each of the seven continents and treks to both the North and South Poles, Colin returned to the podcast in June of 2016 (RRP 235). Among the 44 who have completed the EGS, only 2 have done it under a year. Not only was Colin the youngest person to successfully complete this most prestigious undertaking, he crushed the world record by a stunning 53-day margin, completing it in a mere 139 days. Along the way, he simultaneously broke the 7 Summits world record by two days.Today he returns to share his most remarkable achievement to date, a freeze solo adventure he dubbed the Impossible First. It’s a jaw-dropping story you might have seen unfold in real time on Colin’s Instagram (@colinobrady) or in the stellar 360-degree New York Times coverage penned by my friend (and former podcast guest) Adam Skolnick.Uncovering the why behind the expedition, we explore how he dealt with the gear, solitude, -80F temps, and 30 mph headwinds. He explains why to sweat is to die. We discuss his battle against the elements and British Army Captain Louis Rudd — the legendary explorer who also set off the same day with the same goal in his heart. We talk about Colin’s final day 77-mile, 32-hour superhuman push to the finish. And Colin explains how a phone call with a certain musician changed his entire perception on who he is.But mostly this is about a man who uses endurance and adventure as art that speaks to the heart and soul of the human experience.The visually inclined can watch our entire conversation on YouTube at bit.ly/colinobrady439 (please subscribe!) Enjoy!Rich

Today’s expedition takes us into the beautifully mysterious world of parenting, with a specific lens on navigating the perplexing vicissitudes of the teenage girl — one of the most beguiling and opaque creatures I've encountered in my 52 years.I have been a parent and step-parent for two decades. Along the way, I successfully helped raise two young boys. Sure, I made many mistakes. But I also did a few things right. Today they are both amazing young men. And yet somehow that experience failed to adequately prepare me for the rather unique challenges I face guiding a teenage daughter towards adulthood — a joy that has at times brought me to my knees.To elevate my parenting game, I began searching for greater insight into the idiosyncratic psyche of the female adolescent. That quest continuously referred me to one notable expert: Lisa Damour, PhD.A teen whisperer par excellence, Lisa is a Yale educated psychotherapist with a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Michigan who specializes in education and child development. But she is best known for her two New York Times bestselling books — Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood*; and her newest release, Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls*.The parent of two teenage girls herself, Lisa writes the monthly Adolescence column for the New York Times. In addition to her private consulting and psychotherapy practice, she is a regular contributor to CBS News, speaks internationally, is a Senior Advisor to the Schubert Center for Child Studies at Case Western Reserve University, and serves as the Executive Director of Laurel School’s Center for Research on Girls.This is all a long way of saying that when it comes to adolescents and teens, Lisa knows her shit.Today's conversation deconstructs the particular emotional overload and unique social pressures young people face – everything from sex and drugs to body image, grades, navigating social media and everything in between. By better understanding the nature of these dynamics, and how they specifically impact our young ones, we glean insight into how to optimally parent through them.In addition, we discuss the recent astronomical rise in stress and anxiety in young girls — what accounts for it, and what it means.We also cover the common mistakes many parents (myself included) often make. We delve deep into the importance of open communication and how to foster it.Finally, Lisa imparts a myriad of strategies to optimally pilot the healthy developmental transitions that specifically girls (but also boys) undergo as they mature into grownups so that we, as parents, can help cultivate self-esteem and self-efficacy in the next generation under our charge.If you are a parent of young humans trying to make the right moves — or just want to better understand how young people think and why they behave as they do — then this episode is appointment listening.Lisa’s books have been instrumental in improving how I parent my daughters, so this is a meeting of great personal significance I have been hotly awaiting for some time.They don’t call her the teen whisperer for nothing.Enjoy!Rich

Chris Hauth, an esteemed endurance and ultra-endurance coach, discusses topics such as finding balance in training, setting weight goals and making dietary changes, transitioning into spring training, the importance of mindset in achieving goals, the benefits of participating in a master swimming program, and the changing landscape of endurance sports.

Everybody grows old. Everyone dies.But is this scientific fact? Or is it merely a story based on history and our current understanding of biology?What if we instead consider aging as a disease? This begs the question: what is the cure?Welcome to the mind of David Sinclair, PhD, one of the world’s leading scientific authorities on longevity, aging and how to slow its effects.A professor in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and co-Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biological Mechanisms of Aging, David obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics at the University of New South Wales, Sydney in 1995 and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at M.I.T. where, among other things, he co-discovered the cause of aging for yeast.The co-founder of several biotechnology companies, David is also co-founder and co-chief editor of the journal Aging. His work has been featured in a variety of books, documentaries, and media, including 60 Minutes, Nightline and NOVA. He is an inventor on 35 patents, has been lauded as one of the Top 100 Australian Innovators, and made TIME magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.In addition, David is the author of the forthcoming book, Lifespan: The Revolutionary Science of Why We Age — and Why We Don't Have To* which hits bookstores on Sept. 10 and is currently available for pre-order here*.This is an absolutely fascinating conversation on all things human lifespan, aging and longevity. We begin with the specific scientific mechanisms that contribute to biological degeneration. Then we dive deep into the hard science David and his peers are examining to better understand what contributes to aging and how to prevent it.According to David, the prospect of living to 200+ is not a pipe dream, but a very possible reality. If humans could indeed double lifespan, how would this change how you live? And what does this mean for the future of humanity?This conversation travels deep into the scientific weeds. Perfect for the geeks among us. But it's also grounded in practical takeaways for all of us — because David's work isn't just about extending lifespan. It's about learning how to live as vibrantly and energetically as possible for as long as possible.It’s an honor and a privilege this brilliant man’s pioneering work and wisdom with you today. Plus he's a lovely guy. If you enjoyed my episode with Dr. Valter Longo (RRP #367), a fellow brilliant warrior in the longevity space, then I’m fairly confident you’re going to love this one. So break out that pen and paper, because you're going to want to take notes on this one.I sincerely hope you enjoy the episode.Peace + Plants,Rich

The podcast discusses the origins and success of the fitness app Strava, the positive emotional connection it fosters, and the importance of community. The co-founders share their journey, including the early stages of Strava's evolution and the controversial change to an algorithmic feed. They also explore partnerships, the integration of video content, and the supportive fitness community on Strava.

Welcome to yet another edition Guru Corner featuring Guru Singh, my favorite teacher on all things mystic and metaphysical.Fusing Eastern mysticism with Western pragmatism, Guru Singh is a celebrated third-generation Sikh yogi and master spiritual teacher who has been studying and teaching Kundalini Yoga for more than 40 years. He is the author of several books, a powerful lecturer and behind-the-scenes guide to many a luminary, including Fortune 500 CEOs, athletes, and artists.A peer of rock legends like Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead, Guru Singh is also an accomplished musician who began his recording career on Warner Bros’ Reprise label in the 1960's. When he isn’t laying down tracks with people like Seal, he’s bringing down the house on the daily at Yoga West, his Los Angeles home base.Today we spin the wheel on positivity. Not your typical disquisition on the benefits of adopting a positive mental attitude, we take a more nuanced approach to self-awareness. Focusing on receptivity over repression, it's a call to embrace the power of both negativity and positivity as important forces to be experienced without getting lost in either extreme. And we discuss how to break free from the entrenched, looping stories we tell ourselves about ourselves that don't serve the lives we aspire to lead.Note: If you missed my previous conversations with Guru Singh, start with episode 267 and then enjoy episodes 332,368, 393, 400 and 418.Final Note: You can watch our conversation on YouTube at bit.ly/gurucorner434b and the show is also now available on Spotify.I love this beautiful being. It's my privilege to once agains share his wisdom with you today. So let the master class resume.Peace + Plants,Rich

About 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year. In other words, America's number one killer claims 1 out of every 4 deaths.Not all heart attacks are fatal. But when your heart's left anterior descending artery becomes 100% blocked, the result is a massive heart attack known as The Widowmaker.Few survive its fatal clutch.Kevin Smith is the rare exception that proves the rule.The arch villain in his own personal superhero comic book narrative, Kevin's Widowmaker nemesis failed in it's dastardly quest to claim his young life. Instead, like Spiderman in the aftermath of that fateful bite, it made our protagonist hero stronger — more convicted about his life, purpose, family and art.One might even say it gave him superpowers — a new life animated by an urgent productivity. An emboldened creativity. And, more than anything, a spirit ennobled.This week's guest beat the odds. But this should come as no surprise for those well versed in the Kevin Smith canon. Because Kevin has always been an outlier — a fiercely independent voice who has been successfully cutting against the grain for as long as he can remember.Today this charismatic master storyteller shares his most amazing tale to date — the story of Kevin Smith.For the few unfamiliar among us, Kevin is a filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author and early podcast pioneer. In 1994 he burst into prominence with his hyper low-budget comedy Clerks, a film he wrote, directed, co-produced, and filmed in the convenience store where he worked. Premiering at Sundance, it was feted with the festival's highest award before going on to become an indie cult classic.In addition to countless appearances in both movies and television, Kevin has created a litany of films, including Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Cop Out, Jersey Girl, Red State, Tusk, Yoga Hosers and Clerks 2. Just last week he wrapped production on Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.An iconic and beloved character amongst indie film fans and comic book nerds, Kevin is immediately recognizable and famous for his hockey jerseys, backwards hat and well, his weight. But in February of 2018, between sets of one his stand-up shows, Kevin suffered his aforementioned heart attack.A lifestyle change was needed. Desperately.Harley Quinn Smith (a vegan herself) suggested Kevin adopt a plant-based diet. Kevin obliged. For the first time in ages, he began exercising. In short shrift, he lost 50 pounds. His blood work normalized. And the rest is history.Today we unpack all of it. How maxing out his credit cards spawned an entire career. His perspective on podcasting as one of the very first to embrace the medium. And of course the amazing transformation that compelled me to seek him out.Heart disease is ubiquitous. But as Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn is so fond of saying, it's a toothless paper tiger that need not exist. So if you feel stuck in lifestyle habits that are leading to your own fateful confrontation with that villainous Widowmaker, my greatest hope is that this conversation catalyzes the required changes well within your grasp to master — because inside all of us is a latent superhero waiting to unleash its fury on the unnecessary evil that is heart disease.As a long time fan of Kevin, it was an absolute delight and honor to spend a few hours with him. I love everything about this exchange. I hope you do too.Final note: I conducted this interview at Kevin's house, so no video version of this episode.Enjoy!Rich

Eat local. Buy organic. Avoid GMO. Give back. Be of service. These are all great practices. Good for your health. Good for humanity. And good for the planet.But it's not enough.The health and environmental problems we currently face are global epidemics of unprecedented scope and scale.We simply cannot solve these issues with the mindset that created them.What we need, now more than ever, is a revolution of consciousness.There are few people more well suited for this conversation than David Bronner. By far the most unique ‘CEO' I have ever met, this week's guest is the Cosmic Engagement Officer of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, the top-selling brand of natural soaps in North America and producer of a range of organic body care and food products.The Dr. Bronner story, which is amazing, begins in 1948 with Emanuel Bronner — a German immigrant, third-generation master soapmaker, master consciousness and generally far out dude — who used his ecological soaps to proselytize his “All One” philosophy, labeling product bottles with the key tenets of his teachings on self-realization and unity across religious and ethnic divides. Embraced by 1960's counterculture for its ecological properties and spiritual sensibility, the brand soon found it's way into most natural foods markets across the United States.David and his brother Michael eventually took stewardship of the family business, shepherding their grandfather's brand from counterculture cult status to mainstream embrace by growing revenues from $4 million in 1998 to over $111 million in 2017.Along the way, David went to great lengths to respect, protect and ultimately deepen Emanuel's vision, cultivating a thriving and truly conscious capitalistic enterprise making socially & environmentally responsible products while successfully pursuing its broader mission to create a better world for ourselves and future generations.Environmental activist. Psychonaut. Visionary.These are but a few of the words that describe David, a man who very much shares his grandfather's ‘cosmic hippie’ DNA but matches it with entrepreneurial flair, a degree from Harvard and the business savvy necessary to grow and sustain an ongoing concern at scale.Under David's stewardship, Dr. Bronner's has championed a number of causes, many of which provide the foundation for today's conversation — a free range exchange that explores David's involvement in advancing animal rights, drug policy reform, GMO regulation, regenerative organic agricultural practices, fair trade projects and practices, medicinal applications for cannabis and psychedelics, as well as wage equality, including self-imposed caps on executive pay.Backing up its mission statement, roughly a third of Dr. Bronner's profits are dedicated to charitable giving and activist causes annually. Furthermore, the company is a founding partner in the Climate Collaborative, which leverages the power of the Natural Products Industry to compel action on climate change.This is David's story. And it's sure to blow your mind.Disclaimer #1: David expounds upon his personal experience with with psychedelics and cannabis in the context of spiritual growth.Disclaimer #2: This is not a branded podcast. I have no financial relationship with Dr. Bronner’s and was not paid to host David (to be clear, I have never accepted money to host a guest, and never will). I am simply a fan of the Dr. Bronner ethos and products, have followed David’s journey with admiration for some time and have always wanted to have this conversation.Enjoy!Rich

An accomplished singer, songwriter, poet & producer, Mike Posner knows what it's like to be rich and famous.He also knows what it's like to be forgotten. To grieve. To grow. To embrace that which is most important. And ultimately express his truth through art.This is the story of a remarkable talent's attempt to live an artist's life — the struggles faced and lessons learned along his most mercurial path.In 2010, while still an undergraduate at Duke, the Detroit native's career exploded with the release of his debut song Cooler Than Me. The irresistible pop song topped charts worldwide, selling more than two million copies and launching him into the stratosphere almost overnight.But fame is fleeting. Unable to immediately top his debut, Mike's solo career soon faltered. Turning to writing, Mike spent the next several years behind the curtain churning out hit songs for everyone from Justin Bieber (‘Boyfriend') and Maroon 5 (‘Sugar') to Pharrell, Snoop Dogg, Nick Jonas and Avicii.Then, in 2016, his career as a solo artist once again blossomed. A remix of his song ‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza' unexpectedly surfaced as an international smash on the electronic dance scene, landing him a Grammy nomination for Best Song that year.Not long after, Mike was hit with a trifecta of heartache. He weathered a break up with his girlfriend. His father passed after a bout with brain cancer. And his friend and frequent collaborator Avicii took his own life. It was a dark time for the young musician. But the life of an artist is one of persistence. No matter what, Mike continued to show up for music.The result, and his best work to date, is the recently released album, A Real Good Kid — a mature, vulnerable and infectious pop meditation on grief, celebrity, ego, loss, art and personal growth.Without a doubt, Mike is an incredibly talented musician. But what inspired this conversation has little to do with music and everything to do with character.What draws me to this human is his spirit. An old soul with an expansive perspective on art, life and meaning that belies his age, Mike overflows with emotional wisdom forged from experience. And his unbridled, authentic enthusiasm for life and personal expression is as infectious as it is instructive.This is the story of unpredictable highs. Low lows. Love and loss. What it means to move on. And finding solace while stuck in the middle.I first saw Mike perform before an IN-Q spoken word event several years ago and ever since have appreciated him from afar. But I fell in love with him during our conversation. I'm fairly certain you will too.For those visually inclined, you can watch our conversation on YouTube at: bit.ly/mikeposner431 or listen in on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Peace + Plants,Rich

Imagine shouldering responsibility of one of the planet's largest social networks. Now imagine that's just one of your jobs, the second focused on reinventing the world's relationship with money.This is Jack Dorsey's life.The co-founder and CEO of both Twitter and Square, today's guest is one of the most influential figures of the modern age — a man who has made an indelible impact on our cultural landscape by quite literally shaping how society communicates in the emergent digital era.What started as a simple means to share personal status updates, Twitter has swelled into arguably the most important social media platform for breaking news, journalism, and political discourse. A powerful tool for speaking truth to power, it's put wind in the sails of important social movements. Provided safe haven for whistle blowers. And given marginalized groups and dissidents a voice that can be heard across the globe.But Twitter must also account for the noxious devolution of civil discourse — a behemoth apparatus easily weaponized for motives nefarious.Twitter is nothing if not controversial. And Jack is the face of such controversy — a polarizing figure in the crosshairs of Twitter critics across all sides of the social and political spectrum.Recognizing the need to more thoroughly address Twitter's role and responsibility in the growing toxicity of public conversation, Jack has spent the last month publicly addressing the platform's missteps, challenges and aspirations on a wide variety of media platforms and podcasts that include two appearances on The Joe Rogan Experience, Sam Harris' podcast Making Sense, and many others.My sense is that critics were left unsatisfied with Jack's answers to the many hard questions posed.I understand and appreciate the criticism. Just how exactly can Twitter successfully promote healthy conversation, eliminate toxicity and fairly police bad actors across 500 million daily tweets? I don't know the answer. But I do know that I heard an intelligent, empathetic and well intentioned man in an almost impossible situation — someone owning his failures and transparently endeavoring with great equanimity to solve these herculean problems in both good faith and real time.In approaching this conversation, I made the choice not to retread territory explored at great length on Rogan. Instead, my interest is to better understand the human behind the curtain.What does it actually feel like to be at the helm of one of the largest and most powerful social media platforms in the world? What is a day in the life of Jack Dorsey like? What daily self-care practices does he employ to mitigate the stress of his gargantuan responsibilities? And just how did this young man blaze such an extraordinary entrepreneurial path?I first met Jack about two years ago during a visit to San Francisco. A fan of the podcast, he invited me up to the Square offices. Although our encounter was brief, I liked him immediately. Soft spoken, kind and curious, I left our meeting wanting to better understand what makes him tick.Open to sharing his story on the podcast, I visited his San Francisco home on a foggy Saturday morning a few weeks ago. Unsurprisingly, his home is beautiful and well appointed. But it's also strikingly modest given his stature. Minimal to the point of spartan, it's devoid of material excess. No entourage. No private chef. No crazy car collection. Not even an assistant. Just Jack, barefoot, unpretentious and excited to show me his infrared sauna and his cold plunge...Enjoy!Rich