Thrive State Podcast

What happens when a healthcare professional who has dedicated her life to helping others suddenly becomes the patient? Dr. Efrat LaMandre, known as Dr. E, joins Dr. Kien Vuu (Dr. V) on the Thrive State Podcast for an honest conversation about being blindsided by stage four lung cancer, navigating the healthcare system, and learning to advocate for yourself. After months of dismissing her own back...

Have you ever caught yourself reacting in a way you promised yourself you wouldn't anymore? Maybe you get defensive with your partner, shut down when someone criticizes you, or find yourself falling into the same patterns of people-pleasing, overthinking, or self-doubt. And the most frustrating part? You know better. You've done the inner work. So why does it keep happening? In this episode of the...

What if the thing aging you fastest isn't your diet or your genes, but the story running in the back of your mind? In this episode, Dr Kien Vuu and David Meltzer discuss the hidden link between mindset, the nervous system, and chronic disease. Dr V shares how, 13 years ago, he was a surgeon who was overweight, diabetic, hypertensive and on several medications, and headed toward his own operating t...

You're eating healthy, but is your body actually absorbing any of it? Most people focus on WHAT they eat. Almost nobody thinks about whether those nutrients actually make it to their cells. In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Dr. V sits down with Doug Grant, founder of Optimal Health Systems and former nutritionist for the Phoenix Suns, at SoFi Stadium to break down the real science of nu...

What if the secret to peak performance isn't pushing harder — it's recovering before you even start? In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, recorded outside SoFi Stadium where high-performing athletes train, we break down the concept of pre-recovery — the practice of intentionally grounding your nervous system and setting your energetic state before a demand, rather than waiting until you're...

In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Dr. V sits down with Jill Schulman, former United States Marine Corps officer, positive psychology researcher trained at the University of Pennsylvania under Martin Seligman, and globally recognized keynote speaker on the science of bravery. Jill shares her remarkable journey from a small town in Minnesota to the Marine Corps, how she discovered bravery...

What if the future of medicine means doctors stop asking "what's wrong with you" and start asking "what is your body trying to tell you?"   In this episode, Dr. V sits down with Dr. Gregoryory Burzynski, an integrative and functional medicine physician (Houston Concierge Medicine, Restore Longevity) who trained in internal medicine before pioneering a more personalized, prevention-first approach t...

Ever wonder why you still feel exhausted even after a "full night's sleep"? The answer might be sitting in your medicine cabinet or in a disorder you've never been tested for.   In this episode, Dr. V sits down with Dr. Meredith Broderick, a triple board-certified neurologist and sleep medicine physician (one of only four in the world boarded in neurology, sleep medicine, AND behavioral sleep medi...

What if the biggest thing holding back your performance isn't your mindset, your training, or your work ethic, but your nervous system? In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Dr. Kien Vuu sits down with Dr. Jo Brown, performance physiotherapist, nervous system expert, and Head of Human Performance at Nuropod, to explore why nervous system regulation may be the missing link between good perfo...

What if the biggest thing holding back your growth isn't a lack of knowledge, but a lack of curiosity? In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Dr. Kien Vuu sits down with keynote speaker, magician, and innovation expert Nash Fung to explore why curiosity may be one of the most powerful skills for thriving in today's rapidly changing world. From immigrating to the United States as a teenager t...

You're getting things done, but at what cost? In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Dr Kien Vu breaks down the biology of stress and reveals the hidden middle stage that most high performers are unknowingly living in: a dangerous "coping zone" where productivity masks depletion. He explains why willpower alone won't save you, and introduces a powerful 60-second reset tool called the IMPACT...

Most people think mental health is "all in your head," but your nervous system is constantly syncing with every person in the room. That's why the right relationships can literally regulate your biology, and the wrong ones can burn you out. In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, we break down the science of co‑regulation, how human nervous systems connect, calm, and heal each other. You'll l...

Are you exhausted, stressed, or on the edge of burnout? What if your biggest problem isn't your circumstances… but the unconscious signal your nervous system is stuck in?   In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Dr. V, triple-board-certified MD and performance & longevity expert, breaks down how your nervous system, epigenetics, and identity are silently shaping your health, relationships, a...

Feeling exhausted despite your success? What if the real reason your performance is declining  isn't your work ethic, but your recovery? In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Dr V breaks down the science of burnout, nervous system regulation, and why so many high performers hit a wall, even when they're doing everything right. From personal burnout and chronic disease to the biology of stre...

What if the most powerful upgrade you could make isn't your routine, your diet, or your mindset, but your nervous system? In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Dr. Kien Vuu sits down with Stephen Zerfas, co-founder of Jhourney, to explore the ancient science of jhana meditation, and how modern retreats are helping top executives, AI researchers, and high performers access peak states of con...

Still tired no matter what you try? The problem might not be your schedule—it might be your cells. In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, we explore why energy, aging, and performance all begin at the cellular level—and how declining levels of ubiquinol may be a hidden reason behind fatigue, brain fog, and accelerated aging. As we get older, our bodies naturally produce less ubiquinol—the ac...

Feeling more disconnected than ever? AI is getting smarter, but are we becoming less human? In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Dr. Kien Vuu sits down with keynote speaker and relationship expert Thom Singer to explore a growing problem in the age of artificial intelligence: the loss of real human connection. As AI continues to transform how we work, communicate, and think, many people ar...

Feeling older after 35? What if the real reason your body is breaking down… isn't aging, but interference? In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, I sit down with nutritionist Stephen Heuer to explore what really happens to your body after 35, and why so many people begin to experience fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, slower metabolism, and declining energy despite doing "all the right things....

What if your fatigue, burnout, and chronic inflammation aren't problems to fix, but signals asking you to change the way you live? In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, I sit down with double board-certified physician Dr. Ann Maria Hester to explore a powerful shift in how we understand health, disease, and healing. After years in traditional internal medicine, Dr. Hester recognized a deepe...

  Dr. Marianne Pinkston is a board-certified family and functional medicine physician with nearly 30 years in solo practice, based in San Antonio, Texas. After personally overcoming rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and obesity, she transformed her practice and launched New Bloom, a personalized functional medicine platform focused on helping women reclaim their health, identity, and vitalit...

Dr. Georgine Nanos is a board-certified family physician based in Encinitas, California, and the North American Medical Director for Exo Mind — the world's most advanced TMS device. She has been practicing medicine for 24 years and pioneered the world's first single-day TMS protocol, publishing the landmark study in 2024. Her clinic, Kind Minds TMS, offers the full spectrum of TMS treatments from...

In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Alli Covington shares how she blends fitness, psychology, and technology to help individuals and organizations truly thrive. She unpacks why most corporate wellness programs miss the mark, how identity and mindset drive lasting behavior change, and why daily gratitude and simple mantras can literally rewire your brain. Alli also reveals her ambitious vi...

Why do most people quit their resolutions by February?   Because they sprint.   In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, I sit down with Light Watkins, author of The Year You Transform, to explore the tortoise approach to lasting transformation.   Light shares a practical framework for change that actually sticks: Why 7-day experiments outperform long-term resolutions How infant steps beat her...

What if the real edge in life and business is not strategy… but energy?   In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, I sit down with Wing Lam, founder and CEO of Wahoo's Fish Taco, to explore what it truly means to bring the Aloha energy into how we live and lead.   Aloha is not just a greeting. It is presence. It is a shared breath. It is generosity and grounded leadership. And from a biologica...