Abel James Show

Have you ever had a near death experience?  I sincerely hope not. But as long-time listeners know, I’ve had a couple of close calls. A simple twist of fate or freak accident can alter the course of your life. But if you let them, tragedies can set us on a new path that can change us for the better. The reason I disappeared for the past few months isn’t because I took vacation. I was seriously...

Do you find yourself more distracted than ever?  You’re not alone. In the rapid-fire, hyper-connected, dopamine-driven modern world, harnessing true focus is a rare superpower…  But understanding the subtle mechanics of human attention might just be the most valuable skill in our increasingly distracted world. Today, we're exploring the extraordinary work of Will Henshall - a guy who doe...

Do you ever feel like you’re losing your edge? Today we’re here with my friend James Swanwick , creator of Alcohol Free Lifestyle, a movement guiding high-achievers like you to sidestep the sauce. In this episode, we’re exploring James’s journey from rock-bottom , hungover in the hallowed halls of IHOP, where dreams go to drown in corn syrup and regret… to 15 years alcohol-free and counting. If me...

What if being overweight isn’t the problem, but actually a symptom of deeper dysfunction? The body doesn't lose weight to get healthy; it gets healthy to lose weight. And reclaiming your metabolic freedom may just save your life.  Our guest this week, Ben Azadi is a living testament to the power of focusing on lifestyle factors like real food and fitness to change your life.  He's lived...

Have you ever struggled with burnout or imposter syndrome? No matter how much you accomplish, does it somehow feel like it's never quite enough? Today, we’re here with my friend John Wang , an author, speaker, and global traveler on a mission to help high-achievers overcome maladaptive patterns and break free from the invisible scripts and cultural conditioning that hold us back.  In this epi...

In a world where machines can outperform humans in nearly every conceivable domain, where exactly does that leave us? When artificial intelligence can fulfill our deepest drives and reward pathways more reliably than any human relationship, what happens to human connection, meaning, and purpose? Today, we’re exploring the world of artificial intelligence with a man who's part technologist, part ph...

Today, we have a special in-person episode going back in time with our friend Joshua Weissman . This episode was actually recorded many moons ago, but after one of my computers died the files sadly went missing. Now years later, I was able to retrieve most of our conversation and finally edit this show together. Since the original recording of this episode, Joshua has gone on to become one of the...

What’s better for longevity—running or walking? It’s a bit of a trick question. But if there is one answer, it’s definitely walking. If you want to be fit and live for a long time, you don’t need to subject yourself to suffer fests and slog through long runs. In fact, when you combine daily walks with the habit of sprinting just about once a week, magic starts to happen. Today, I’m thrilled to be...

Have you ever had a concussion? Anyone who’s ever had their bell rung knows recovery can be brutal. But with enough time and the right treatment, our bodies also have the remarkable ability to heal. Today we’re going hard in the paint on brain health, electromagnetic fields and decentralization in tech, food and finance with our friend Tristan Scott . Tristan is an electrical engineer, health mark...

Have you ever dreamed of dropping out of the rat race and moving to a tropical paradise? This week’s guest actually did it. If you’ve ever struggled through an 80 hour workweek, you know it can be incredibly profitable… but at what cost to your health, happiness and family life? How do you know when enough is enough? Today we’re here with fellow OG podcaster and host of the hit show Entrepreneurs...

Are you tired of the never-ending hacks, shortcuts, protocols and gimmicks that some call biohacking? 19-year-olds are juicing up with exogenous hormones and getting implants just to keep up with the Joneses on Instagram. The materialistic worldview pushed by those with something to sell in the world of health can lead to an unhealthy obsession with appearance and status. Is this really what healt...

What would happen if you trained like the best athlete in the world? How about the best actor or artist? Today we have the incredible honor of speaking with Bo Eason —a former star safety in the NFL, as well as an acclaimed playwright, author, and coach. After competing with all-time greats like Jerry Rice and Walter Payton in the NFL, Bo changed his dream and went on to write and perform on Broad...

If you could save $400,000 a year in medical costs by making a radical change to your diet, would you do it? Today we’re here with Brett Ender and Harry Gray , fellow Austinites, former college athletes turned entrepreneurs and hosts of the Meat Mafia podcast. From fitness to faith, we cover a lot of ground in this one and I hope you enjoy. In this episode, you’ll hear: How Brett saved $400,000 a...

Why do so many famous, seemingly successful musicians wind up completely broke? In this bonus series, I’m interviewing incredibly talented musicians who are using cutting-edge podcasting technology to reinvent the music industry. Today we’re here with Suzanne Santo , singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. A tireless creator, her sound has been described as Americana, Southern-gothic soul,...

How much do musicians actually make streaming and performing live? The truth is gnarlier than you think! But we’re working hard to change that. This is the third episode in our bonus series, where you’re hearing rapid fire interviews with musicians who are reinventing the music industry by using cutting-edge “Value 4 Value” technology. This is all leading up to the first-ever “Sats By SW” Independ...

What do real musicians think of AI-Generated music? In this 4-part bonus series, you’ll hear rapid fire interviews with musicians who are using cutting-edge podcasting 2.0 tech to reinvent the music industry. This is all leading up to the first-ever “Sats By SW” Independent Music Summit and our live music performance at Antone’s hosted by the inventor of modern podcasting and legendary MTV VJ, Ada...

Technology is disrupting the music industry once again. In this week's special 4-part bonus series, you’ll hear rapid fire interviews with incredible musicians who are using cutting edge podcasting tech to reinvent the music industry. We’re kicking off this bonus series with one of the top artists in the world of value-for-value music, Ainsley Costello .  Ainsley began performing in school an...

Do you feel a constant pressure to optimize every aspect of your life?    What if hyper-optimization protocols actually do more harm than good?    The glorification of hustle culture has given many of us the nagging feeling that no matter how much we do or accomplish, it's never quite enough.    Living in a cloud of frantic, urgent, reactive energy can even cause us t...

Have you ever wondered why almost every single packaged food contains industrial seed oils, anti-caking agents, preservatives, petrochemical flavorings and other non-foods? And why do so many growing companies that started as a healthier real food alternative ultimately sell their souls to Big Food?  We're back this week with our dear friend, Anna Vocino, a best-selling cookbook author, actor...

Why do fancy restaurants fill their meals with junk oils, sugars, chemical preservatives, and worse? With rampant food inflation and razor thin margins, even the fanciest, most exclusive and expensive restaurants can’t resist the tendency to cut corners on ingredient quality. That means that no matter how much you spend on eating out - with few exceptions - you’re still getting shockingly low-qual...

What’s the difference between education and indoctrination? Is our education system broken, or is it operating as intended? The public school conveyor belt is a relic of the Prussian military model, designed to produce compliant workers for factories rather than sovereign thinkers with upward mobility. We’re left with a blindly obedient population that’s smart enough to follow orders, but not smar...

Is your work aligned with your true calling in life? Or are you being paid to overlook your overwhelming disinterest in the work? Is your work-life driven by an illusion where the trivial is disguised as important? Tragically, this week’s guest admits, “I spent 10 years doing an enormous amount of work but feeling as if I created nothing of substance.” Most of us know the feeling, but it doesn’t h...

What does the concept of longevity mean to you? Does it mean pumping your body full of exogenous hormones, peptides, stem cells, brain implants, and gradually replacing your organs with lab-grown pig parts? Perhaps some of us will sign up to be a brain in a jar? Or can we cruise into our second century by living a simple life of self-reflection, meditating deep in the mountains? Afterall, in remot...

When you know what you’re supposed to do, what keeps you from actually doing it? We’re all guilty at times of procrastination, pleasure-seeking, indulging in distraction and escapism, and even self-sabotage. Perhaps it’s all part of the human condition. But since knowing what to do is different from actually doing it, it’s essential to set up systems in our lives to make healthy choices the defaul...

Have you heard that eating animal protein causes cancer? Or that you’ll save the world if you only give up hamburgers forever?  Despite dutifully reducing our consumption of animal protein for decades, rates of obesity and chronic disease have skyrocketed.   In the face of relentless anti-meat propaganda, what if the blanket advice to follow strict plant-based diets is actually accelerating rates...