The Mindbodygreen Podcast

“Every single lifestyle choice we make can either drive inflammation up or drive it down.” Cynthia Thurlow, NP, is a perimenopause and menopause expert, nutrition educator, and nurse practitioner with nearly 20 years of experience in the ER and clinical cardiology. Now, she works to help women live vibrant and healthy lives. Her new book, the Menopause Gut, comes out on April 28.  This podcast was created in partnership with CocoaVia. Their 500 mg Cocoa Flavanols Capsules and Powder include the most studied and clinically proven extract in the market—at levels shown to support cardiovascular health.* Use code MBG2026 for 20% at cocoavia.com. Valid on all products: Single, bulk, or subscription of CocoaVia excluding stick packs. New customers only. 00:00 - Why women chronically undereat protein  03:19 - Fiber: the missing link in gut health 09:00 - Healthy fats & targeted nutrients 13:08 - The importance of healthy blood flow 17:52 - 5 metabolic markers you need to track 21:47 - The Boston Heart

This podcast was created in sponsorship with Toyota. Find a vehicle that makes memorable moments happen, from the 2026 RAV4 and Sienna to the Highlander and Grand Highlander. Plan the trip, pack the trunk, gather your crew, and go places—together. Toyota: People are the destination.  “It should be possible to maintain stable cognitive function into your eighth and ninth decades. But we don't really internalize that. We expect decline, and because we expect decline, we're less likely to engage in those things.” Dr. Tommy Wood is a neuroscientist, Associate Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and author of The Stimulated Mind. With degrees from Cambridge and Oxford, he has published more than 100 scientific papers and lectured worldwide on brain health, metabolism, and human performance. He also serves as a performance consultant to world-class athletes, including Olympians and Formula 1 drivers, and co-founded the British Society for Lifestyle Medicine. 00:00 - What we know a

In the 1960s, a small Pennsylvania town called Roseto had half the national rate of heart disease — and zero recorded heart attack deaths for men under 55. They smoked, ate pasta and sausages, and drank wine. Scientists were baffled. What they found changed everything we thought we knew about health. Link to the study: ⁠https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1636828/⁠  Chapters 00:00 Meet Roseto: the town that shouldn't have been healthy 01:49 The shocking discovery: heart disease stats that defied logic 02:11 What scientists found when they investigated 02:33 The real answer: it was culture all along 03:35 When the community unraveled, so did the health advantage 04:05 What the Roseto Effect means for us today Watch this video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/mindbodygreen Want more mindbodygreen? Read more here: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/ Shop our supplements: https://shop.mindbodygreen.com/ Join 1M+ subscribers on their journey towards strong and healthy: https://www.mindbody

“When we think about longevity for women, the ovary truly is the key.” 01:07 - A window into women’s health 05:00 - The ovarian lifespan 10:13 - Why puberty is starting earlier 13:29 - Endocrine disruptors & your child’s hormones 20:22 - The drivers behind early menopause 24:44 - Egg quality explained 28:30 - The MTHFR gene 32:32 - Why embryo grading is flawed 36:45 - The psychological aspect of IVF 41:45 - The future of fertility Referenced in the episode:  Find Natalie Crawford on her website: https://www.nataliecrawfordmd.com/ Buy her book here: https://a.co/d/08aGcbT3 We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Trauma isn't just what happened to us. It's more so about the support we may or may not have had to navigate the emotional fallout of what happened." Nicole LePera, Ph.D., is the creator of the worldwide @theholisticpsychologist movement, and the author of multiple bestselling books including How to Do the Work and her newest, Reparenting the Inner Child. She was trained in clinical psychology at Cornell University and the New School for Social Research and studied at the Philadelphia School of Psychoanalysis. Her work has reached tens of millions of people on social media, who are waking up to the idea that healing doesn't happen in a therapist's office alone. 00:00 — How to recognize your inner child 04:05 — Redefining childhood trauma 06:09 — How parenting has shifted over time 10:00 — Safety as a foundation 14:30 — Why children internalize a parent’s anger  18:10 — How ownership & awareness can lead to reparenting 20:21 — Epigenetics: when the trauma didn’t start with you 22:55 — Why insight

“Sweating is our superpower," explains Bill Gifford. Gifford, a veteran science journalist and author of Spring Chicken, a New York Times bestseller on longevity. His latest book, Hotwired: How the Hidden Power of Heat Makes Us Stronger, dives deep into the emerging science of heat, sweating, and what happens when we stop running from discomfort. ​​00:00 — Sweating as an evolutionary superpower 03:00 — The science of ancient heat rituals 05:45 — How long & how hot? 07:55 — The dehydration trap 09:52 — All about Finnish sauna culture 12:50 — Heat acclimation training 16:41 — Elite athletes & what they can teach us 18:50 — The science on hot-cold contrast 21:49 — The case against cold plunging 29:08 — Sauna as a social ritual 33:20 — Heat as a mental health tool 36:34 — A beginner's guide to safe heat exposure Referenced in the episode:  Find Bill Gifford on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billgifford/  Get his book here: ht

This podcast was created in sponsorship with Toyota. Find a vehicle that makes memorable moments happen, from the 2026 RAV4 and Sienna to the Highlander and Grand Highlander. Plan the trip, pack the trunk, gather your crew, and go places—together. Toyota: People are the destination.  "Emotional flexibility is literally the skill that we all should be sharpening like a muscle," explained Deepika Chopra, Ph.D. Chopra (widely known as The Optimism Doctor) is a clinical health psychologist, visual imagery expert, and author of the upcoming book The Power of Real Optimism. But here's what makes Deepika's work so different: she's not selling you positivity. In this episode, we get into the real science of optimism—and why it has far more to do with resilience and curiosity than with good vibes.  Optimism vs. positivity: what we're getting wrong (0:00) Why affirmations don't always work (6:58) The seven-tenths rule for effective affirmations (10:00) Manifestation and getting what you expect

"Your body heals better when it feels safe, when your nervous system is quiet,’ explains Victoria Maizes, M.D. Maizes is the Executive Director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine and co-host of the Body of Wonder podcast. She's a leading voice in integrative medicine and author of the new book Heal Faster, which makes the case that modern medicine has been so focused on treating disease that it's largely overlooked the body's most powerful asset: its innate capacity to heal. In this episode, we discuss: What is the recovery reflex? (1:10) Why two people can have completely different health outcomes (3:26) Protein, the catabolic state, & tests to run before major surgery (6:11) The difference between managing disease & actually healing (18:21) The power of language (19:00) Trauma & how to activate your vagus nerve (29:00) Mindset, guided imagery, & letting go of outcomes (35:42) The mystery of long COVID (41:46) Circadian medicine & red li

"You are in control of your brain health, just the same way you're in control of your heart health." Today's guest is Majid Fotuhi, M.D., a Harvard and Johns Hopkins-trained neurologist, brain health researcher, and author of Invincible Brain. Dr. Fotuhi has spent his career studying one of the most pressing questions of our time: why do some people's brains deteriorate with age, while others stay sharp well into their eighties and nineties? His answer might surprise you. Why 45% of dementia is preventable (00:00) The biomarkers worth testing for cognitive decline (1:53) Why you should never test tau in isolation (2:50) How COVID can spike your tau levels (10:54) How to grow your hippocampus in 12 weeks (16:00) The 5 pillars of brain health (18:16) Slow breathing can reduce amyloid in the brain (24:00) Chronic stress is silently shrinking your brain (30:13) Why your IQ doesn't define your intelligence (33:19) Lifestyle outperforms Alzheimer's drugs by 200-400%

“When we really look at the definition of flourishing, it's joyful, meaningful growth shared,” explains Daniel Coyle. Coyle is the bestselling author of The Culture Code and The Talent Code, who just released his latest book, Flourish: The Art of Building Meaning, Joy, and Fulfillment. After spending decades studying elite performers, Navy SEALs, championship sports teams, and top business leaders, Coyle had climbed to the mountaintop of success research only to realize it wasn’t what he thought it would be. Now, he focuses his work trying to answer the question: What actually makes a life worth living?  Here's a glance at our conversation: What makes a life meaningful? (00:24) Why you can’t flourish alone (00:45) Shifting your focus (04:43) Rituals vs habits (09:12) The value of small, frequent connections (12:49) The 33 miners & bottom-up rituals (15:51) A tiny Vermont town that produces Olympians (19:14) Rebuilding community in Paris (25:30) How to d

Are your kids too clean for their own good? Amish children experience 90% less asthma than the national average—not despite getting dirty, but because of it. When scientists analyzed the dust in their farmhouses, they discovered an invisible ecosystem that was training immune systems to be resilient instead of reactive. In his episode, host Jason Wachob explores the groundbreaking research behind the "hygiene hypothesis" and its implications for modern parents raising kids in an increasingly sanitized world. This discovery is forcing us to rethink everything about dirt, bacteria, and health. And it's already led to treatments used by 100+ million people worldwide. Are we too clean for our own good? Study Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37210851/ Chapters: [00:18] The Amish morning: A scene from another era [02:23] The asthma epidemic vs. farm kids' secret weapon [04:30] What's really in farm dust? (It's not what you think) [05:46] Bacterial lysates: Recreating farm protection in a lab [08:22]

"I define wealth as being able to take my son in the pool at 1:00 PM on a Tuesday," explains Sahil Bloom. Bloom is a NYT bestselling author of The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life. He’s also an entrepreneur, investor and a proud, son, husband, and father who believes the greatest things in life come not from finding the right answers, but from asking the right questions. The math that changed Sahil’s life (0:18) Redefining success & happiness (2:03) The truth about time with kids (6:11) Can you be a present parent & still pursue a career? (8:37) The “last time” principle (13:30) The arrival fallacy we all fall into (19:18) Avoiding the pyrrhic victory (23:33) Light switches vs. dimmer switches (30:00) His anti-goals framework (32:49) Referenced in the episode:  You can check out Bloom’s book here: The 5 Types of Wealth Learn more on his website, here You can read the stats of the American Time Use Survey m

"They look magical on Instagram, but they're not magic. Micronutrients have to be in place, your hormones have to be in place," explains Elizabeth Yurth, M.D., Elizabeth Yurth, M.D., a double board-certified physician in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging/Regenerative Medicine, joins us on the podcast to discuss why peptides are much more than an Instagram trend, what forms of peptides might be most beneficial, and how to be mindful of safety and quality if you’re trying to incorporate them into your own protocol. Show Notes (00:00) Introduction to peptides (02:31 ) Endogenous vs. exogenous peptides (03:15) Growth hormone (05:25) Peptides for muscle & immune health (07:19) The peptide explosion & safety concerns (08:11) BPC 157: A remarkable peptide? (10:38) Quality & sourcing of peptides (16:54) Anti-aging & HRT (20:54) Peptides for cognitive health (24:27) COVID-19 & neuroinflammation (27:12) Addressing chronic inflammation & resilience (39:12) The impor

“Strength is not for sale. It's one hundred percent earned,” explains Gabrielle Lyon, D.O. Lyon, a fellowship-trained physician, a bestselling author, and a pioneer of muscle-centric medicine, joins us today to dive into the science of muscle as the organ of longevity, from resistance training and protein intake to building strength that lasts. - Muscle is the organ of longevity (~1:18) - Muscle for longevity vs. muscle for aesthetics (~2:11) - Does lifting weights make you bulky? (~4:00) - Building functional strength (~5:35) - Muscle & metabolic flexibility (~8:45) - Building strength for independence (~10:00)  - Progressive overload (~12:20) - Do you have to lift heavier? (~13:35) - How much should you be training? (~15:40) - Establishing healthy habits in children (~17:30) - Purposeful friction (~19:35) - Muscle & mindset (~23:30) - Don’t waste your time on this (~24:55) - Protein, leucine, & amino acids (~28:15) - GLP-1s & muscle mass (~33:55) - How to make the most of your time (~41:3

What does it really take to get healthier with age? In this deeply personal solo episode, mindbodygreen co-founder and co-CEO Jason Wachob shares his N-of-1 longevity experiment—and all the data behind it. At 51 years old, Jason’s biological age clocks in at 37.9, with elite cardiovascular and recovery metrics to match: a VO₂ max of 52, resting heart rate as low as 35, and record-high HRV. This isn’t about extreme biohacking or million-dollar longevity protocols. Jason breaks down the exact lifestyle choices, training approach, and precision nutrition strategies that helped him reverse key aging markers—while balancing life as a CEO, husband, and father of two. He also opens up about the emotional weight of outliving multiple generations of men in his family—and why, for him, longevity is ultimately about presence, strength, and showing up fully for the people he loves. Whether you’re curious about VO₂ max training, heart rate variability, diet personalization, or how to build sustainable habits without b

“Never give up hope. Never give up your vision. Never give up your purpose,” explains Tara Narula, M.D. Tara Narula, M.D., a board-certified cardiologist, Assistant Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, and author of The Healing Power of Resilience, joins us today to explore how resilience, stress, and mindset profoundly shape heart health—and how we can build these skills to improve both recovery and long-term wellbeing. - The power of resilience (~1:45) - The role of stress (~2:55) - Handling the stress of a diagnosis (~6:10) - Patient stories (~7:25) - The eight tools to resilience (~9:20) - The role of spirituality (~12:12) - Findings flexibility in our life path (~15:00) - Hope & purpose (~16:45) - Doctors providing a diagnosis (~17:30) - How to improve your physical health to improve resilience (~18:40) - The real driver of health (~25:40) - The negative impact of stress on our health (~29:00) - You can develop resilience (~31:40) - The importance of connection & social support (~35:

“We are constantly a work in progress,” explains Maya Shankar, Ph.D.  Shankar, a cognitive scientist, creator and host of the award-winning podcast A Slight Change of Plans, and author, joins us today to explore what science and lived experience reveal about navigating life's most difficult transitions, and how unexpected change can become a powerful form of revelation.  - Change can be revelatory (~1:20) - Confronting all aspects of who you are (~3:15) - The illusion of control (~6:30) - How to navigate change (~9:30) - Cultivating faith without religion (~15:15) - Does everything happen for a reason? (~17:40) - Strategies to handle rumination & denial (~19:10) - Rethinking our beliefs (~26:45) - Ask yourself these questions (~30:40) - What is moral elevation (~32:50) - Generate new possible selves (~36:10) - How to do hard things (& make it easier) (~37:40)  Referenced in the episode:  - Follow her on Instagram (@drmayashankar) - Pick up her book, The Other Side of Change - Check out

“Skin is our most visible biomarker of how we're aging on the inside,” explains Saranya Wyles, M.D., Ph.D.  Wyles, a dermatologist, regenerative medicine scientist, and the director of the Regenerative Dermatology & Skin Longevity Lab at the Mayo Clinic, joins us today to unpack how the skin reflects systemic aging and the emerging therapies shaping the future of regenerative dermatology. - The skin’s connection to longevity (~3:45) - Markers of skin aging (~5:20) - Senescent cells & systemic aging (~6:35) - 5 pillars of skinspan (~8:25) - How to eat for better skin (~10:20) - The role of exercise (~12:30) - The best topicals (~13:55) - Sunscreen & morning sunlight exposure (~17:05) - What are peptides (~20:20)  - Lasers & longevity (~25:20) - Procedures to be mindful of (~32:40) - Underrated skin habits (~33:35) - The future of skin longevity (~35:15) - Cognitive function & skin health (~39:50) - Hair loss (~42:30) Referenced in the episode:  - Follow Wyles on Instagram (@drwyles.derm

Here’s the story of some scientists in the 1980s who tried to cause heart disease in rabbits. Instead, they stumbled upon a discovery so surprising it challenged everything we thought we knew about cardiovascular health—and may hold a powerful lesson for human longevity. This story isn’t just about rabbits. It’s about us. - How we eat. - Who we eat with. - And how guilt, stress, love, and presence shape the way our bodies respond to food. Emerging science shows that eating in a relaxed, connected state activates the parasympathetic nervous system—supporting digestion, blood sugar balance, and heart health. In other words: how you eat may matter as much as what you eat. Link to the actual study Chapters 00:00 – The mysterious rabbit experiment 01:35 – A result that made no sense 02:30 – The detail researchers almost missed 04:00 – What this teaches us about eating & stress 05:00 – Why love may protect the heart

“Most women are doing too much cardio and not enough resistance training,” explains Jaime Seeman, M.D.  Seeman, a board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist and member of mindbodygreen’s scientific board of advisors, joins us today to dive deep into how women can support muscle, hormones, and metabolic health across every decade of life. - Dr. Seeman’s morning routine (~3:40) - How to do fasting the right way (~6:35) - How to eat for body recomposition (~8:30) - Balancing macros (~11:00) - Optimizing your nutrition (~15:55) - Wearables, macros, & hormones (~17:55) - Nutrition & exercise for your 20s (~19:00) - Health advice for your 30s (~20:55) - Jaime’s personal experience postpartum (~25:25) - Seeman’s prescription for training (~27:10) - How to make the most of your training (~28:30) - Health in your 40s & 50s (~32:00) - Understanding the nuance with HRT (~34:00) - Seeman’s favorite supplement, creatine (~38:00) - Her hot takes (~41:30) Referenced in the episode:  - Follow Dr. Seema