Essentials: Using Hypnosis to Enhance Mental & Physical Health & Performance | Dr. David Spiegel
Andrew Huberman interviews Dr. David Spiegel about hypnosis as a state of highly focused attention that can enhance control over mind and body rather than diminish it. They discuss the underlying brain networks involved in hypnosis, including changes in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, insula, and posterior cingulate cortex, and how these changes support dissociation, cognitive flexibility, and altered bodily control. The conversation covers clinical applications such as stress reduction, sleep, pain management, phobias, trauma and PTSD treatment, hypnotizability assessment, the eye‑roll test, the role of breathing, and how hypnotic-like states show up in performance, children, and group settings.
Try This Today: How to Use Gratitude to Feel Happier & Improve Your Relationships
Mel Robbins explores gratitude as a practical, science-backed tool for rewiring the brain away from negativity and reducing stress, rather than as a superficial positivity practice. Drawing on research studies and expert insights, she introduces three main gratitude tools: an unsent gratitude letter, a three-minute nightly gratitude journal (and morning variations), and a gratitude-focused text chain. Throughout the episode, she emphasizes how small, consistent gratitude practices can improve mental and physical health, deepen relationships, and help listeners reclaim control over their attention and emotional state.
INTRODUCING: I Need You Guys with Gabe Liedman, Jenny Slate and Max Silvestri (w/ Sean Hayes)
Sean Hayes joins Jenny Slate, Gabe Liedman, and Max Silvestri for a loose, comedic conversation about their early experiences making jokes, physical comedy bits, and nostalgia for old commercials and landlines. They discuss Jenny's discomfort with the White House using her Parks and Rec character in a political meme, how to handle online nastiness without engaging, and the challenges of keeping long-term friendships strong while turning them into a professional podcast. The group also fields an etiquette question about nose-picking in public, swaps stories about sleep struggles, ADHD, and old-school phone and internet habits, and ends by reflecting on Sean's "Olympic level" comedy on Will & Grace.
No.1 Brain Scientist: Your Brain Is Lying To You! Here's How I Discovered The Truth!
Harvard neuroscientist Dr. Jill Bolte-Taylor explains how four anatomically distinct brain systems shape our thoughts, emotions, and behavior, and argues that we can learn to consciously choose which "character" to lead with in any moment. She recounts her catastrophic left-hemisphere hemorrhagic stroke, eight-year recovery, and how losing her left brain radically shifted her perspective on identity, trauma, and the preciousness of life. Throughout the conversation she connects brain anatomy to practical tools for emotional regulation, trauma integration, lifestyle choices, and cultivating a more balanced, peaceful mind.
#834: David Baszucki, Co-Founder of Roblox - The Path to 150M+ Daily Users, Critical Business Decisions, Ketogenic Therapy for Brain Health, Daily Routines, The Roblox Economy, and More
Tim Ferriss interviews Roblox founder and CEO David Bazuki about his family's multi‑year struggle with his son Matthew's severe bipolar disorder and how a medically supervised ketogenic diet produced dramatic improvements after many medications and hospitalizations. They discuss metabolic psychiatry, ketosis, continuous glucose and ketone monitoring, and how physiology can underpin mental health. The conversation then shifts to the origin and growth of Roblox, its user‑generated economy, safety and civility at scale, the role of AI in the platform's future, and David's own health routines and long‑term decision‑making as a public company CEO.
The surprising science of adolescent brains | Jennifer Pfeifer
Neuroscientist Jennifer Pfeiffer argues that adolescence is not a period of dysfunction but a transformative stage of growth spanning roughly ages 10 to 25. She explains how puberty, brain development, and social context shape adolescent behavior, debunks common myths about smartphones and mental health, and highlights the far greater importance of relationships and caregiver well-being. The talk calls for changing the cultural narrative about young people from doom and blame to respect, support, and shared opportunity.
Improve Your Lymphatic System for Overall Health & Appearance
Andrew Huberman explains the structure and functions of the lymphatic system, how it interfaces with the blood circulatory system, and why it is essential for clearing cellular waste, supporting immunity, and maintaining healthy tissues. He explores how movement, breathing, sleep, and specific postures influence lymphatic and glymphatic (brain) clearance, and how impairments can contribute to issues like lymphedema, brain fog, and visible puffiness in the face. He also discusses links between exercise, cardiac lymphatic vessels, brain health, and how light exposure and gentle manual techniques can support lymphatic function and appearance.
Longevity Debate: The Truth About Weight Loss, Muscle, and Creatine!
The host and four women's health experts explore how female physiology, hormones, and life stages change the way women should approach exercise, nutrition, fasting, recovery, and sleep. They explain why most fitness and medical research based on men fails women, detail how the menstrual cycle and perimenopause affect training and metabolism, and outline practical protocols for strength training, cardio, bone health, and weight management. The conversation also addresses fertility, energy availability, environmental toxins, supplements, and the need for women to advocate for their own health throughout life.
Advice Line with John Zimmer of Lyft
Host Guy Raz speaks with Lyft co-founder John Zimmer about his transition out of day-to-day leadership, the emotional and mental health challenges of stepping away, and his interest in building new, mission-driven consumer businesses. Together they take calls from three founders: a UK inventor of a soap-mixing showerhead seeking to scale to the U.S., a rucking gear entrepreneur struggling with inventory financing and tariffs, and a craft chocolate maker wrestling with work-life balance and long-term employee ownership. The episode focuses on practical advice around focus, financing, go-to-market tests, and personal sustainability for founders.
Mayo Clinic Cancer Doctor: 5 Foods That Heal the Body, Starve Cancer, & Prevent Disease
Mel Robbins interviews double-board certified Mayo Clinic physician and integrative oncologist Dr. Dawn Musalem about how lifestyle choices like food, movement, sleep, stress, and love affect cancer risk and outcomes. Dr. Musalem shares research-backed guidance on cancer-fighting and cancer-promoting foods, the impact of exercise, fiber, and sleep on metabolic and cancer health, and why ultra-processed foods and certain additives increase disease risk. She also weaves in her personal story as a stage 4 cancer survivor and heart transplant recipient, offering perspective on acceptance, hope, and finding meaning after a life-changing diagnosis.
How to Overcome Inner Resistance | Steven Pressfield
Andrew Huberman interviews author Stephen Pressfield about his concept of resistance, the difference between amateurs and professionals, and the daily habits and mindsets that support sustained creative work. They discuss Pressfield's military and physical training background, his writing process and use of the "muse," his experiences with failure and delayed success, and broader topics such as calling, addiction, social media, mortality, competition, and life trade-offs in pursuing one's craft.
If You're Feeling Overwhelmed, You Need to Hear This
Mel Robbins explains the crucial difference between stress and overwhelm and why confusing the two can contribute to burnout. Drawing on insights from psychiatrist Dr. K and physician Dr. Aditi Noorakar, she outlines a four-step, science-based process: label whether you're stressed or overwhelmed, use a specific breathing technique to reset your nervous system, perform a "brain dump" to offload mental load, and deliberately add a small, chosen challenge to restore a sense of control. The episode emphasizes that stress and overwhelm are biological states, not personal failings, and shows how simple practices can help listeners feel clearer and more in control.
Essentials: How Your Brain Functions & Interprets the World | Dr. David Berson
Andrew Huberman speaks with neuroscientist David Burson about how the nervous system creates perception, focusing on vision, color processing, circadian regulation, balance, and movement control. They explain how retinal circuits, melanopsin-containing ganglion cells, the vestibular system, cerebellum, midbrain, basal ganglia, and cortex interact to stabilize our view of the world and guide behavior. The conversation concludes with a striking example of cortical plasticity in a blind Braille reader whose visual cortex had been repurposed for touch.
Feel Better Now: Neurosurgeon Reveals the New Science of Healing Your Body & Stopping Pain Today
Mel Robbins speaks with neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta about the new science of pain, why chronic pain develops, and how it can often be reduced or prevented. They explore how pain is generated in the brain, the role of factors like sleep, mood, stress, and prior pain experiences, and why movement, meditation, and other non-drug approaches can change the brain's pain circuits. Gupta shares research-backed strategies such as the MEAT protocol, virtual reality, nerve blocks, and pain journaling, along with his wife Rebecca's long journey with chronic pain, to offer hope and practical tools for listeners.
TECH005: What Tech Is Doing to Us with Justin Evidon (Tech Podcast)
Host Preston Pysh and guest Justin Evidon discuss how modern technology can be a double-edged sword, offering huge benefits while quietly reshaping behavior, privacy, and health. They cover social media recommendation algorithms, data sovereignty, decentralized protocols like Nostr, and emerging privacy-preserving AI tools. The conversation also explores physical impacts of technology such as LED light flicker, blue light, and electromagnetic exposure, along with practical strategies to protect circadian rhythms and use tech more intentionally.
Protect & Improve Your Hearing & Brain Health | Dr. Konstantina Stankovic
Andrew Huberman and Dr. Konstantina Stankovic discuss how the auditory system works from the ear to the brain, emphasizing its extraordinary sensitivity and importance for communication, emotion, and cognition. They cover causes and types of hearing loss, tinnitus, noise exposure thresholds, and practical strategies to protect hearing, including sound level limits, earplugs, and possibly magnesium intake. The conversation also explores links between hearing loss and dementia, cochlear implants, genetic and environmental contributors to hearing loss, inner ear regeneration research, and broader issues such as environmental noise pollution and sensory-driven brain plasticity.
Essentials: Time Perception, Memory & Focus
Andrew Huberman explains how different biological timing systems-from yearly and daily rhythms to 90-minute ultradian cycles-shape our perception of time, mood, energy, and performance. He describes how neuromodulators like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin alter how fast or slow time feels in the moment and how we remember events later. He then connects these mechanisms to trauma, novelty, and habits, showing how deliberate routines and environmental variation can structure our days, influence memory, and support better focus.
"Kirsten Dunst"
Kirsten Dunst joins the SmartLess hosts for a wide-ranging conversation about her life as a former child actor, her evolving relationship to auditions and awards, and her current slate of films including "Roofman" and Ruben Östlund's "The Entertainment System is Down." She talks about balancing a dual-actor household with parenting two young sons, her preference for a low-key life in the Valley, and an acting process that includes "dream work" to deepen characters. The group also digresses into food, TV habits, SNL memories, and why she now craves doing a big, fun comedy next.
The Mystery of the Sleepy Sickness
The hosts explore encephalitis lethargica, also known as the sleepy sickness, a mysterious early 20th-century epidemic that caused profound sleep disturbances, movement disorders, psychiatric changes, and often death. They explain von Economo's classification of acute and chronic forms, the later emergence of post-encephalitic parkinsonism, and how Oliver Sacks's work with L-DOPA inspired the book and film 'Awakenings.' The episode reviews competing theories about the disease's cause and transmission, modern autoimmune hypotheses, and the haunting experience of patients who were conscious yet immobile for decades.
#829: James Nestor - Breathing Protocols to Reboot Your Health, Fix Your Sleep, and Boost Performance
Tim Ferriss interviews science journalist James Nestor about how everyday breathing habits profoundly affect health, sleep, mental performance, and athletic capacity. They discuss historical and modern breathwork practices, the dangers of mouth breathing and sleep-disordered breathing (especially in kids), and simple, low-cost ways to improve nasal breathing, sleep quality, and CO2 tolerance. Nestor also explores indoor CO2 levels and cognition, the emerging field of bioelectric medicine, breathing for athletes, and how he approached structuring and writing his bestselling book "Breath."