Get Yourself Optimized®

Put down that phone! How many times a day do you find yourself scrolling Instagram or Facebook? If you are hopelessly addicted, don't feel too bad. These apps are designed to get you hooked and keep you coming back for more. You're just one of the millions who spend their days staring at a screen. But to believe that these apps have figured out some magic formula that we will never be able to esca...

There's an Indian proverb that goes something like, "A healthy person has many wishes, but the sick person has only one." Statistically speaking, we in the Western world are most likely to die from cancer. Yes, cancer recently surpassed heart disease as the biggest killer. It really is no longer viable to stand idly by without taking some proactive actions to prevent cancer and to innovatively tre...

Are you born an entrepreneur? Or is it something that can be learned? If you take Steve Glaveski's success as an indicator then it's definitely the latter. Steve is the founder of several companies including Collective Campus and Lemonade Stand. They're all underpinned by the philosophy of making the world a better place by teaching more people to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset. It's a powerfu...

We all love that satisfying feeling of getting things done. Unfortunately, clearing off your to-do list often seems like an epic task without any end. If you've struggled with this problem yourself, you probably realize that if you want to maximize your productivity, you need a system.  My guest for this episode number 215 also came to this realization and the system he developed became a global p...

If you want to succeed, you need to work hard right? Hustle. It's all about cramming in as much as you can in each day, working long hours, and even pulling that occasional all-nighter, at least when you have to. Wrong! At least according to my guest for this episode number 214. Well, and me too, for that matter. In his new book Rest, Alex Pang argues that you actually get more done when you work...

We're entering a new phase of the World Wide Web and most of us aren't even aware of it, or at least not aware of the full extent of it. It's referred to by many as Web 3.0 and it will shepherd in a new era of AR, VR, mixed reality, AI, IoT, and blockchain. This new iteration of the web will be a spatial web, where there are no boundaries between digital space and physical space. I'm excited for y...

What exists beyond our physical reality? Is it possible to connect with other realms of existence and the beings that inhabit them, including loved ones who have moved on from our world? These are esoteric questions, but some have made it their life's work searching for answers to them. One of these people is Paul Selig, psychic, medium teacher and award-winning author. Paul was educated at Yale a...

A lot of people in business can talk a good game about disruption, but how many can say they actually personify it? If there's one person who can lay a rightful claim to the title of serial disruptor, it's my guest for this episode number 211, Jay Samit. Jay advances the gospel of disruption everywhere he goes and his radical approach to business has transformed entire industries. As a consultant...

What makes us behave the way we do? Why do our brains keep defaulting back to the same old bad habits? And why is it so hard to scrap those bad habits and replace them with new ones? Why can't we just stick with these new habits that we tell ourselves we want to form? Installing and uninstalling habits sounds easy, but boy, is it a challenge. Whether you want to hit the gym, wake up earlier, quit...

You might have a business coach, you might have a life coach. But do you have a sleep coach? You might say, "Why would I need a sleep coach?" Well, here's one reason. If you live to 75, and I do hope you live a lot longer than that, you will have spent about 25 years of your life sleeping. 25 years. Not only that, but the quality of your sleep will have a huge impact on the quality of your life. L...

I'm sure you've heard of acupuncture. You may have even heard of Reiki. But have you heard of Jin Shin? I hadn't. Jin Shin is an ancient Japanese healing art that uses gentle touch and minimal pressure to unblock energy flows throughout the body. It's most commonly used to treat ailments like anxiety, digestive issues, immune disorders, migraines, and more. The best part about Jin Shin is that you...

If you run a business, you know it's tough to get out of the weeds and find time to work on the stuff that really matters, especially if you're a solo entrepreneur who can't delegate to staff. These days, you can easily hire a virtual assistant off the internet. However, it can be difficult to find someone reliable and trustworthy enough to take care of personal tasks, like managing your inbox or...

If you're like me, you have a cupboard full of vitamins and supplements. But what's your overall health maintenance strategy? Buying supplements on a whim, in other words, without the necessary due diligence, won't address the underlying health issues in your body. Dr. Jay Foster is the expert that many turns to for this kind of nutritional guidance. He's a nutritional biochemist and the president...

Over the past few decades, technology has radically reshaped the way we do business. Compare life today to that of someone living in the early 90s. It's like comparing a VHS tape to Netflix. Organizations are becoming more collaborative and less hierarchical. We're crowdsourcing powerful data and insights at the touch of a button. The blockchain is decentralizing and disrupting across all sectors-...

What makes someone captivating? Is it an innate quality they're born with or is charisma something you can learn? That was the question that fascinated Vanessa Van Edwards, behavioral investigator and author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People, when she began her research into the science of charisma and persuasion. As it turns out, there are plenty of science-based hacks you can l...

Is it possible that the conventional wisdom about networking is wrong? There's a lot of advice out there on the best ways to network, but how much of it really was based on scientific research? According to my guest for this episode number 203, David Burkus, investing time and energy into networking events and flashy business cards likely won't bring you the results you're looking for. Instead, he...

How often do you think about the light you're absorbing every day? Probably not as much as the food you eat or the liquids you consume, I bet. In the 21st century, our bodies are bombarded by unnatural light from screens and artificial light sources. We spend most of our time indoors and once finally outside, we use lotions and sunglasses to block out the natural light. As we become more and more...

We all know that as we get older, our risk for certain diseases increases, our bodies wear out, and our mental faculties often fade. Aging is something that most of us just accept as a fact of life, but does it have to be? Scientific research is starting to reveal the underlying causes of aging and how diet, genetics, and environment can all contribute to the deterioration of our bodies. In fact,...

I've been podcasting for four years and it feels like just yesterday that the first episode was published. As we wrap up Get Yourself Optimized's 200th episode, I can't help but look back and reflect on the last 100 guests who have graciously agreed to be on the show. It was such an honor interviewing some of the best experts, influencers, and trailblazers in the world of biohacking, business, and...

Stem cells are quietly bringing about a revolution in health and longevity, and doctors are now looking at stem cells as a viable treatment for a number of ailments including spinal cord injuries and neurological conditions. Stem cells also appear to have a lot of potential when it comes to aging. On this episode number 199, I'm joined by Dr. Amy Killen, an expert in anti-aging, regenerative, and...

The human brain is an endless source of mystery and wonder. It's the most powerful computer we know of, at least for now, and it's a tool that has allowed the human race to achieve incredible things. The brain is also much more flexible and adaptable than many people realize. Someone who understands this more than most is Anat Baniel. She's a psychologist, best-selling author of two books, Move In...

Do you run your business or does your business run you? As entrepreneurs, it's easy to get buried in the details and lose sight of longer-term goals while you fritter away your time picking up the slack or fixing minor day-to-day issues. I admit that I get caught up in the minutia way too often. "Majoring in the minors and minoring in the majors," as they say. Ideally, you should be working smart...

It's a common misconception that the genetics we inherit from our parents determine our fate with regards to diseases and our overall health. The truth is your genes are not your destiny. While genetics certainly play a role, scientists now know there are many other factors that can exacerbate or trigger underlying genetic issues, including diet, exercise, your external environment and even your i...

If you're a regular audience to the show, you know that I'm a major productivity nerd. My guest for this episode is someone who intrigues me because he has developed his own simple process for getting things done and achieving his goals, and it works. His name is Tommy Baker and he calls his system, The 1% Rule. It's all about embracing the daily grind and developing a routine that gets resolved....

Sometimes here in the West, we can get so caught up in new ideas, we overlook traditional practices that have been around for centuries. My guest for this episode is Dennis Notten, a yoga meditation teacher, healer and a student of indigenous medicine from the Amazon and other parts of South America. Dennis has spent an extensive amount of time in the Amazon learning healing techniques from tribes...