The Becoming Superhuman Podcast

Today's episode is about Transcranial bright light therapy, and basically, it’s where you… well, there’s no delicate way to say this… you shine super bright white light onto your brain in order to alter circadian rhythm, jet lag, or mood. Our guest is Timo Ahopelto, beyond just Valkee, I found out that my guest is not only a serial entrepreneur himself, but also sits on the boards of tons of incredible companies doing innovative things, from AI-powered robots to medical technology to waste management and big data logistics. He is even the founding partner of his own VC firm… As you can tell, he’s absolutely SuperHuman, and in the episode, we try to touch on that, too.

Today’s show is a little bit different. That’s because our guest today will be the first to tell you that he’s not in fact SuperHuman… but you won’t believe him. His name is Daniel Harel. Daniel’s gift? He’s a mentalist, or mind-reader. The feats that I’ve seen Daniel perform are so astounding, that I actually had to record some of them so you can view them on our website. In this fun and absolutely jaw dropping interview, we get to see a real life demo of Daniel actually reading my mind… It’s going to blow yours! We also go into some insights that Daniel has acquired about life, emotional health and wellbeing, and so much more after reading the minds of about 10,000 people.  

Today’s show, we’re going to talk about magic mushrooms. Not those kind of magic mushrooms. But still, pretty magical. That’s because today, we’re joined by a 13th generation mushroom farmer turned entrepreneur and biohacker from Finland. Through his company, Four Sigmatic Foods - today’s guest is working hard to bring the ancient wisdom of mushrooms and their nutritional and medicinal benefits back into the modern era. There are a ton of health benefits which we’re going to learn about in the coming hour, but beyond just that, for every product you buy, they donate a portion of medicinal mushrooms to a cancer patient in need. Pretty cool, if you ask me.

Today, we have a special treat for you, especially if you enjoyed our episode with language learning expert Benny Lewis. Today’s guest is Gabriel Wyner, the guru I turn to when I have difficult language learning questions. His book, Fluent Forever, completely changed the way I approach learning a language, and his extremely detailed, in-depth blog on the subject was an invaluable resource to me when I was learning to use some of the tools that have become so central in my learning toolkit. He also has tons of incredible products, from pronunciation guides, to comprehensive word lists ranked in order of importance, and much, much more. In this episode, we geek out pretty hard on the nitty gritty techniques to hack language learning. From how to learn vocabulary, to what words to learn, to hacking grammar, and much much more.

Today’s guest, is a total badass. Actually, she wrote the book on being a badass. No… seriously, though. She’s the NYT bestselling author of “You are a badass: How to stop doubting your greatness and start living an awesome life,” and a bunch of other books, including one interesting titled “a straight girls guide to sleeping with chicks." With titles like that, coaching clients who themselves have gone on to become new york times bestsellers, an upcoming and much anticipated podcast, and features in the new york times, HBO, bloomberg, and O magazine, I just had to get her on the show while I still could to share some of the badassness with us. In this episode, we discuss a really broad range of topics, from discovering your life’s passion, to the value of coaches and how to find a good one, to the perks of travel for personal development, and even tips on how to maximize your income. My guest is an absolute wealth of positive energy and inspiration, and I just know this episode is going to knock your socks o

In this episode, we talk about tons of nitty gritty details about all of the various nootropics (or "smart drugs") with expert Jesse Lawler… we talk about diet and nutrition… we talk about self experimentation, polyphasic sleep… and so, so much more. I really enjoyed this episode, and I just know you’re going to enjoy it, too.

This week, we welcome a serial entrepreneur and high performance coach Josh Felber to help us deconstruct the science of excellent. My guest’s vision is to transform the lives of 100 million people, helping them have more time, freedom, and passion… sounds amazing to me! In the episode, we’re going to talk about what differentiates the world’s top performers from everyone else. We go into habits, behaviors, mindset shifts, dietary choices, routines, and even get some concrete tips and hacks for productivity and motivation. We also explore the idea of coaching as a method of reaching your best performance.

Today, I’m excited to welcome back one of the most entertaining, engaging, and personable guests we’ve had on the show - productivity expert Chris Bailey. For this of you who don’t know, Chris is a life-long productivity enthusiast and devoted a year of his life to testing every productivity hack and strategy and blogging about it. His blog exploded in popularity, and so this week, Chris is publishing his much-anticipated book, The Productivity Project, through Crown Publishing and Penguin Random House.   In this episode, we discuss some of the more nitty-gritty details of how to achieve peak productivity, and Chris was kind enough to share so much of the wisdom and so many teachings of his book in such an engaging and informative way on the podcast. Just like last time, the episode is not only packed with actionable takeaways that you can put into practice TODAY, but it’s also really hilarious. Chris is an absolute delight, and he had me cracking up half the show!

This week, we’ve invited the man whom many to consider to be the leading authority on the topic of grains and their dangers. He’s a cardiologist, blogger, and author of many books, including the New York Times bestseller Wheat Belly, two Wheat Belly cookbooks, Wheat Belly Total Health, and his newest book, Wheat Belly 10-Day Detox.   In this episode, we go into very deep into the health concerns associated with a typical western diet. We learn in great detail the physiological effects of grains,  we finally sort out the big deal with cholesterol and learn a ton about LDL, HDL, and why the way we look at it is wrong. We even learn some very practical and applicable tips for cleaning up our diet and health, from a cardiological perspective.

My guest today is a theoretical neuroscientist, technologist and entrepreneur who was named one of Inc. Magazine’s top 10 women to watch in tech in 2013. She co-founded Socos, a cutting-edge startup which applies cognitive modeling to create adaptive, personalized educational technology. She is also a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley's Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience pursuing her research in neuroprosthetics. Previously, she was a junior fellow at Standford’s Mind, Brain & Computation Center and earned her Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon. Her work and research has received a ton of media attention including the New York Times, NPR, Nature, O Magazine, Forbes, and The Atlantic. In this interview, we discuss her INCREDIBLE STORY, how technology will be used to predict our learning and performance, how we can change life outcomes, how prosthetic devices will be used to alter and repair or brains and bodies, and the very realistic possibility of a hyper-intelligent superhuman race… and that’s just in th

In this episode with Dr. Murdoc Khaleghi of WellnessFX, we talk about a lot of the different ways you can optimize and measure your health indicators, from blood testing to supplements and nutrition. We go into some nitty gritty details of what you need to look out for in your blood work, and what it might mean. If you visit the blog post, we’re also going to be listing out the 25 basic biomarkers that WellnessFX recommends getting tested, so make sure to check it out.

In this episode we’re joined by Daniel T. Willingham, a professor of psychology from the University of Virginia. Dr. Daniel T. Willingham earned his Ph.D in cognitive psychology from Harvard, and he spent about 8 years focusing on the brain basis of learning and memory. Today, his research is focused on the cognitive psychology behind K-16 education. We talk about cognitive psychology, techniques that work, techniques that don’t, and some of the challenges facing the outdated education system in most countries. There are a ton of take-homes in this episode, and it is applicable not just to kids or teens or parents, but also to anyone who wants to learn more effectively, at any age.

In this episode with accomplished entrepreneur, author, and TED speaker Derek Sivers, we discuss happiness, goals, success, learning, and so much more!

Greetings, superfriends! In this week’s episode, we have a really exciting guest. In a lot of previous episodes, we’ve talked about the idea that research can be manipulated to deliver the results that the researchers often want to generate… So time and time again, the question has come up… who can we trust?   Well, my guest today is Kamal Patel, a man who definitely has some suggestions on just that. He’s the director of an organization called Examine.com, which provides does unbiased evaluation of supplements and nutrition. He has a master’s in public health and an MBA, and actually put a PHD in nutrition on hold to start his organization.   In this episode, we cover the difficulties with trusting and interpreting research, supplementation, overtraining, and much more. It’s a bit more of a laid back episode than usual, and has a bit of a more conversational pace. Nonetheless, there are a lot of great takeaways and interesting points. In fact, I would love it if you guys would let me know what your favorite

Our guest today is one of the most respected paleo bloggers on the web - and for good reason. Besides creating creates award-winning recipes, she’s also published a New York Times Bestselling cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans, in addition to a webby-award winning iPad app. She’s inspired people all over the world to take a practical approach to paleo, and has changes the lives of god knows how many people.   In this interview, I wanted to give you the tools and confidence to give paleo an honest try. We focus on the nuts-and-bolts - what do you need in your kitchen? What does your shopping spree look like? What does it cost? How can you make paleo delicious and practical? What are the tastiest meals? What do you snack on? It’s a great episode, and I know you’re going to enjoy it.

This week, I’m happy to host another lifestyle entrepreneur who, like myself, is focusing his time and energies on teaching productivity, memory, and accelerated learning. Like me, he has chosen to live outside his home country, and runs a blog and podcast, called Master of Memory. Like me, he’s teaching courses online that help you learn faster and memorize more. He also has a company and a podcast called Ace Productivity where he focuses on productivity hacks to help you get more out of your time. On top of all of this, he also shares my passion for lifestyle design and travel… So, of course, with so much in common... I was really excited to sit down and talk to him and compare notes! In this episode, we talked about productivity, accelerated learning, lifestyle design, and much, much more. We actually go into some very unique tricks for language learning that actually kind of blew my mind in the level of detail and clarity that they offer. You’ll learn how to hack grammar using memory palaces, how to memor

In this episode, we have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Loren Cordain, the man behind the Paleo movement. We discuss all the questions you’re dying to hear answered… including the origins of the paleo diet. We talk about what the data has to say. We discuss evolution at length, and what foods we should and should not avoid. It’s a fascinating episode with one of the world’s most respected health experts, and I know you’re going to LOVE it. 

My guest today is an expert in all things hormone related. She’s the national bestselling author behind the book “The Hormone Secret.” Through her clinic, the Vitality MediSpa and Wellness center, and her book, she’s helped thousands of people reach optimal health through her unique focus on hormones. She’s also been accepted into Premiere speakers, an honor she shares with such greats as Arnold Schwarzenneger, Bill Clinton, and more. In this episode, we’re going to discuss what you need to look out for, foods that optimize the ideal hormonal balance, environmental factors to avoid, and much, much more.

Our guest today is Kris Carr, the #1 New York Times Bestselling author behind Crazy Sexy Diet and Crazy Sexy Kitchen. You also may know her from the documentary Crazy Sexy Cancer, which documents her battle with cancer, and ability to thrive despite it. In the episode, we talk about health and nutrition and juicing and fighting cancer... but we also talk about self esteem, self love, self talk, meditation, daily habits, and even entrepreneurship. As I said, Kris is such an incredible fountain of inspiration… I know this episode is going to blow you guys away.

Today, we have a huge treat for you - though it’s a paleo-friendly treat. Over the next two months, we will be doing a 3 (or maybe 4) part series on paleolithic nutrition and the paleo diet. Though we’ll be spreading these episodes apart to provide a little variety in between, we’ll nonetheless be interviewing the 3 or 4 of TOP experts on the paleo diet, each approaching it from a different angle. This week, we start with the biggest name in Paleo, and in my mind, the guy who popularized it and made it into a movement: Robb Wolf. He’s a former research biochemist. He’s the NYT bestselling author of The Paleo Solution. He is a student of Loren Cordain, the originator of the Paleo diet. He runs one of the top ranking podcasts on iTunes. He is co-owner of one of the most influential CrossFit boxes in the world, one of the top 30 gyms in America. He serves on the board of numerous health-related companies… Oh, and on top of all of this, he’s a former California State powerlifting champion, and a recovering vegeta