Nina’s Notes Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Frederik Dierick, a family and sports medicine physician turned founder of Pioneer Wellness Group, to explore how hospitality could become one of the most effective (and most overlooked) tools for helping millions of people live longer, healthier lives. Listen & watch on 🔴 YouTube 🟢 Spotify , & 🟣 Apple Podcasts Frederik makes the case that hotels and resorts...

Can a 5-minute brain scan detect dementia years before symptoms? Jurij Dreo, co-founder and CTO of BrainTrip, draws on 20+ years of EEG research to reveal how brain activity can be measured, interpreted, and used to catch the earliest signs of cognitive decline and dementia — often before they’re visible or irreversible. In this episode of Nina’s Notes, host Nina Patrick (PhD) and Jurij explore th...

Loneliness can cost you up to 20 years of healthy life. More than poor sleep. More than any supplement. And until now, there was no way to measure it. Dr. Axel Schumacher spent 25 years at the forefront of genomics and epigenetic clock research and says your social life is a more powerful longevity biomarker than anything in your bloodwork. In this episode, he walks through the Social Connectivity...

This week on the Nina’s Notes Podcast, I sit down with Nahid Zoukaei, an Oxford researcher, cognitive neuroscientist, and founder of Cerebella, to explore why menopause may be one of the most overlooked neurological transitions in a woman’s life. We talk about the connection between menopause, brain fog, memory loss, and Alzheimer’s risk, why women are often dismissed when reporting cognitive symp...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Katrin Dreissigacker, a plastic surgeon turned longevity architect and founder of Epigenedit, to explore why hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be one of the most overlooked tools in longevity science. We talk about her journey from a small village in East Germany to becoming known as the “Queen of Needles,” how she reversed markers of biological aging, improved her...

Hey friends, Dr. Yi Song has spent her career bridging Eastern and Western medicine. What she’s found is that most people are already losing the health game before they feel a single symptom. In this conversation, Dr. Song breaks down why treating symptoms is not the same as healing, what stem cell therapy can actually do (and what the industry gets dangerously wrong), and how meditation and energ...

Plant medicine is moving from the fringe into the mainstream. In this episode of the Nina’s Notes Podcast , I speak with Danny and Sarah, founders of Behold Retreats, who have guided more than 1,500 people through plant medicine ceremonies around the world. Their participants range from professional athletes and high performers to people seeking deep emotional healing. We explore what actually hap...

Hey friends, Most longevity conversations focus on labs, supplements, and biomarkers. This week’s guest, Roderick Lambert, goes deliberately upstream of all of that. After 15 years of struggling with obesity and a doctor warning him at 35 that he could have a heart attack within five years, Roderick overhauled his life, lost 24kg in seven months, and never looked back. Today he coaches people aged...

Living longer isn't the same as living well. In this episode, I explore a concept that might matter more than your health span or lifespan: your joy span, the years you spend actually liking your life. Dr. Kerry Burnight, professor of geriatric medicine at UC Irvine, argues that how we respond to aging determines whether we thrive or suffer. And the good news? You can lengthen your joy span at any...

Preventative healthcare isn’t just for the wealthy few, it can be accessible to everyone who needs it most. In this episode, Nina sits down with Emilian Popa , founder of Expand Health, for a candid conversation about democratizing longevity and preventative care. From his early days as an entrepreneur in Romania to working in venture capital and finally building his own healthcare company, Emilia...

In this conversation, I explore a fascinating paradox in our relationship with artificial intelligence. Why do we demand absolute perfection from AI while accepting human error as inevitable? When an LLM hallucinates or cites fake sources, I get frustrated. But when a colleague misspeaks or misremembers, I give them grace. Why the double standard? I walk through the reality of human error across i...

What if you could actually see your brain activity in real-time and learn to control it like adjusting a thermostat? In this episode, Nina sits down with Ariel Garten, neuroscientist and founder of Muse, for a deep dive into how neurofeedback technology is revolutionizing the way we train our brains. From her early work making buildings light up with brainwaves at the 2010 Winter Olympics to creat...

In this episode of Nina’s Notes (#164), I dive into the crucial but under-researched connection between estrogen and ADHD in women. After conversations with friends and audience questions at my recent talk, I dug into the scientific literature - and ladies, we were right, the two are very connected. KEY TOPICS COVERED: • Why ADHD gets missed in women and girls • How hormonal fluctuations impact AD...

In this conversation, I cover the emerging science on psychedelics. Not the hype, but the data. How these compounds interact with the brain, reopen windows of neuroplasticity, and appear to influence aging, neurodegenerative disease, mental health, trauma, and resilience in ways we’re only beginning to understand. I walk through studies looking at psychedelics in neurodegenerative disease, stroke...

What if the secret to aging well isn’t about crushing yourself in the gym, but about simple, consistent movement that you can sustain for life? In this episode, Nina sits down with Jaime Brenkus, the fitness pioneer behind 8 Minute Abs, for a refreshingly honest conversation about what actually matters for longevity and health. Jamie challenges conventional fitness wisdom and reveals why routine b...

What if the key to creativity, meaning, and happiness isn’t doing more, but doing less? When I realized I was spending 10 hours a week on Instagram, I knew something had to change. But instead of replacing it with more productivity hacks, I discovered something counterintuitive: my brain needs boredom. In this episode, I explore why eliminating boredom from our lives might be the root cause of mod...

What if healthcare could predict your future instead of just treating your present? In this episode, I’m joined by Michael Geer, co-founder of Humanity, to explore how AI is transforming healthcare from reactive treatment to predictive prevention. Michael and I discuss how large biological models, similar to large language models like ChatGPT, are making it possible to predict future health outcom...

In this episode of Nina’s Notes, I explore VO2 max - potentially the most important health biomarker for longevity. I break down what VO2 max is, why it matters for your lifespan, and most importantly, how you can measure it yourself without expensive lab equipment. You can estimate your VO2 max with the Cooper’s Test, a simple 12-minute walking or running test you can do on any track or treadmill...

In this conversation, Dr. Nina Patrick interviews Dr. Sioned Fôn Jones, founder of BoobyBiome , to discuss the breast milk microbiome: what we know, what we don’t, and how understanding it can improve infant health, enhance breast milk storage, and lead to healthier formulas. Dr. Sioned Fôn Jones is an award-winning scientist with a Master of Science in Chemistry and a PhD in Biophysics. She was l...

The longevity economy is WAY bigger than you think. For years, I’ve been frustrated watching “longevity” get reduced to just health and wellness. Green smoothies and biohacking clinics. But here’s the thing: if we’re going to live to 100, we need more than optimized bloodwork. We need careers that span 60+ years. Financial systems that don’t collapse at retirement. Communities designed for multi-g...

In this episode, Dr. Nina Patrick breaks down the science of “cheap” vs “expensive” dopamine, and why the way you start your morning literally rewires your brain. If you wake up scrolling, snoozing, or stressing, you’re training your brain to crave instant rewards all day. But if you start your morning with sunlight, movement, and stillness, you’re building resilience , focus , and long-term motiv...

In this episode of Nina’s Notes, Nina Patrick, PhD explores the profound effects of 5-MeO-DMT on the brain. She discusses the science behind altered states of consciousness, the unique brain activity induced by psychedelics, and how these experiences can lead to lasting changes in perspective and mental health. Recommended Timestamps: * 00:00 Understanding 5-MeO-DMT: The Science of Altered States...

In this episode of Nina’s Notes, Nina Patrick explores the fascinating connection between music, heart rate, and human emotions. She discusses how music at 75 BPM aligns with our resting heart rate, enhancing feelings of connection and emotional response. Nina also shares insights on creating personalized playlists based on heart rate and in the Check This Out section introduces an innovative drin...

In this episode of Nina’s Notes, Nina Patrick explores the connection between movement, particularly dance, and the brain’s happiness hormones. She discusses the four key neurotransmitters involved in happiness: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins, and how they interact to create joy. Nina emphasizes the importance of social connection and shared experiences in activating these happiness...

Hey friends, I’m giving a talk tonight at a beach party 🎉 This isn’t just a party, it’s an invitation to reconnect with your happiest self through music, movement, and a touch of science. 🌈✨ My talk unpacks “The Pursuit of Happiness” through the lens of biochemistry and neuroscience, revealing how dance floors, gatherings, connection, and friendships drive our brain’s joy systems. 🧠 Set by the...