You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

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PNTV: Bright Line Eating by Susan Peirce Thompson Dec 25, 2018

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Susan Peirce Thompson is a Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester. She's an expert in the psychology of eating and creator of Bright Line Eating Solutions, "a company dedicated to helping people achieve long-term, sustainable weight loss." Plus... She used to be obese and, as she says, addicted to *everything.* She integrates her background in neuroscience with her personal experience conquering her diet and other addiction issues in this super popular book. Big Ideas we explore include why bright lines are where it's at, the susceptibility quiz, the saboteur, self-perception theory, and the four bright lines of eating.

Interview: Lead Yourself First with Mike Erwin Dec 22, 2018

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Solitude. It's the secret sauce to leadership. But... In their great book Raymond Kethledge and Michael Erwin tells us: "Solitude is a state of mind, a space where you can focus on your own thoughts without distraction, with a power to bring mind and soul together in clear-eyed conviction. Like a great wave that saturates everything in its path, however, handheld devices and other media now leave us awash with the thoughts of others. We are losing solitude without even realizing it." Big Ideas we explore include the big 4 of solitude (clarity + creativity + emotional balance + moral courage), the threats from our "Input Age," how MLK and Eisenhower used solitude, FOMO (get over it!) and how to change the world (starting with YOU!).

+1: #625 Unfortunate vs. Unforgivable Dec 21, 2018

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Today I'd like to talk about a little more wisdom from Seth Godin's Icarus Deception. As we've discussed, his book (and his entire body of work for that matter), is basically a plea for us to step up and into our highest potential. He tells us: "Your ability to follow directions is not the secret to your success. You are hiding your best work, your best insight, and your best self from us every day." That's inspiringly true. (Note the references to "your best," "your best," "your best." And, think: Optimus, optimus, optimus.) But here's the passage that's been rattling around in my head: "It's too bad that so much time has been wasted, but it would be unforgivable to wait any longer. You have the ability to contribute so much. We need you, now." It's funny because when I recalled that passage in my head, I thought he said, "It's unfortunate that so much time has been wasted. But it would be unforgivable to wait any longer." Unfortunate vs. Unforgivable. Unfortunate vs. Unforgivable. Unfortunate vs. Unforgivable. That's the phrase that's been bubbling up for me… Yah. It's a bit of a bummer we've wasted so many years (or decades!) living at less than our best. ("Gosh darnit!! GAH!!! Oh, to have that time back!!!") Yet… As UNFORTUNATE as that wasted time is, it's UNFORGIVABLE to wait any longer. So, let's capitalize all the lessons learned and GET BUSY GIVING OUR BEST SELVES MOST FULLY TO THE WORLD. How might you do that just a little more today? Remember: Unfortunate vs. Unforgivable. And give us what you've got!!

PNTV: The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taubes Dec 20, 2018

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PNTV: Wired to Eat by Robb Wolf Dec 18, 2018

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Robert Lustig is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology and a member of the Institute for Health Policy Studies at University of California, San Francisco. He has authored 120 peer-reviewed articles and 70 reviews and is a leading voice on childhood obesity. And, his YouTube video "Sugar: The Bitter Truth" has been viewed over 7 million times. Obesity is a global pandemic. It's astonishing how rapidly it's expanding. And it's COMPLETELY preventable. Lustig has dedicated his career to helping us understand the causes and how to "beat the odds against sugar, processed food, obesity and disease." Big Ideas we explore include: Meeting the Darth Vader of the Food Empire ("Hi, sugar!"), two hormones driving the show (insulin + leptin), which fat you need to worry about most (big belly vs. big butt fat!), why so many diets work (reduced sugar + fiber), exercise (best ROI in medicine) and voting with ever dollar we *don't* spend.

+1: #620 Spiritual Sports Dec 16, 2018

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With all this talk about sports heroes and scoring touchdowns and winning forever, I think it's time to remind ourselves that sports simply provide the perfect (over-simplified) context for SPIRITUAL truths. That's why we love watching the Olympics, Super Bowls and World Cups so much. When we watch an athlete performing at their absolute (optimus!) best we're simply reminded of our own heroic potential. Of course, we want to make sure we get off the couch and get into the arena of life and use their demonstration of greatness as an inspiration for our own pursuit of excellence (rather than as mere entertainment by people who are somehow gifted in ways in which we aren't). (Remember: According to Anders Ericsson, the preeminent researcher on what makes great people great: We ALL have "The Gift.") So… Bringing it back the spiritual arena, Today we're going to talk about Rumi. As you may know, Rumi was one of the greatest spiritual beings in history and his beautiful poetry is beloved around the world. He was a Sufi—which is, essentially, a Muslim mystic. He was born in the 13th century in what is now Afghanistan. He lived and taught in Konya, Turkey which was, at the time, the capital of the dominant Selcuk Empire. I smile as I recall studying Rumi and visiting his grave in Konya on my little philosophical tour over 15 years ago (during which I also studied Socrates in Athens, Jesus in Jersualem, and Marcus Aurelius near the Danube in Hungary). So… What does he say about how we should live? Well, in terms of the intensity with which our sports heroes lived, I love the way he encourages us to play the much bigger game of life. These passages capture some of his spiritual intensity: "I am burning. If anyone lacks tinder, let him set his rubbish ablaze with my fire." "Travelers, it is late. Life's sun is going to set. During these brief days that you have strength, be quick and spare no effort of your wings." "He is a letter to everyone. You open it. It says, 'Live!'" Yep. All in. If Rumi played football, he would have played it like Jerry Rice. If he coached basketball, he would have coached it like John Wooden. Today's +1. If you feel so inspired, I'd love to have you join me in opening Rumi's letter. Let's spare no effort of our wings as we set ourselves on fire so that others may feel the warmth of our glow and we can change the world, one person at a time, together, starting with you and me. Today.

Interview: Brain Health 101 with David Perlmutter Dec 15, 2018

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PNTV: The Telomere Effect by Elizabeth Blackburn & Elissa Epel Dec 13, 2018

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Elizabeth Blackburn won the Nobel Prize for her discovery of telemorase - "the enzyme that replenishes telomeres, which protect our genetic heritage." Elissa Epel is one of the world's leading health psychology researcher. Together, they have created a great book that walks us through the best of what we know about telomeres, why they're so important and what we can do to Optimize them. If you've ever wanted to learn more about telomeres, THIS is the book to read. Big Ideas we explore include why telomeres are the secret sauce to aging well, the fact that your cells are listening to your thoughts (#1 tip? Shift from a threat response to a challenge response!), how to mind your telomeres (move from negative thinking to resilient thinking), how to eat, move, sleep your way to happy telomeres, and a challenging question: What will YOUR cellular legacy be?

PNTV: Wired to Eat by Robb Wolf Dec 11, 2018

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Robb Wolf is a former research biochemist and is one of the leading thinkers/writers/practitioners in the Paleo or Ancestral Health movement. The essence of this book is the that while there are general principles of nutrition that work for everyone AND... Ultimately we need to figure out what works best for us as individuals if we want to rock it. Big Ideas we explore include: the fact that one size diets do NOT fit all (remember: "rough" tools vs. precision tools), discordance theory (there's a mismatch between our genes and our environment!), an anti-inflammatory diet (aka Paleo aka Phase I), personalized nutrition (aka 7-Day Carb test aka Phase II), the other pillars of health (sleep, stress, move, connection), and genetic + environmental lotteries (what to do if you lost them--lol).

+1: #615 There Are No Perfect Relationships Dec 11, 2018

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A couple +1s ago, we talked about Optimizer Jessica's kind words and then had fun talking about Mr. Anonymous Troll Guy as well. Today I want to talk about a line from Jessica's little note that I didn't share before. In addition to her kind words about my commitment to sharing my own struggles and how that has helped her build resilience, she said this: "Furthermore, the partnership he and Alexandra have built is exemplary — I only wish they weren't so hard to emulate!" Now, again, I'm super touched by that and honored that we serve as potential relationship exemplars and I know Jessica wasn't saying that she thought we were perfect… AND… (Laughing as I type this…) As Maslow said and we discuss ALL THE TIME (but still nowhere near enough!), THERE ARE NO PERFECT HUMANS. And, by extension, THERE ARE NO PERFECT RELATIONSHIPS. And, as I always like to say: You and I won't be the first perfect people. Nor will we have the first perfect relationship. (At least Alexandra and I certainly won't!) Here's what's funny. The morning after we received that note (LITERALLY the morning after!), Alexandra and I got into a nice little argument. Now, to be clear, we weren't crazy yelling at each other or anything, but it was a nice little testy one. (Laughing.) About what? Well, that's the best part. Basically about the proper way to Optimize and build sustainable habits. (Laughing.) I won't bore you with the details but the point I want to make is that, and I know this is obvious but I want make sure we're all on the same page, WE AREN'T PERFECT. Individually or together. NOT EVEN CLOSE!!! Again, I realize that's obvious, but I want to make it jumbo explicit. Why do you think I work so hard on this stuff? And why do you think I come back to the same themes again and again and again? BECAUSE I NEED IT!!! (More laughter.) Ahem. So, yah. There ya go. btw: In a chat with Cal Newport not too long ago (we're actually chatting in a couple hours—which I'm really looking forward to), we talked about my Big 3: Energy + Work + Love. He was breaking it down with his "I-have-a-Ph.D.-from-MIT brain" when I shared my Wildly Important Goal for "Love." It's always evolving but, basically, it's to celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary with Alexandra and be best friends with my adult kids. I told him that no one sets a goal like that unless not hitting it is a possibility. (Laughing yet again.) In other words, Alexandra and I being married in another 39 years isn't a foregone conclusion. We have challenges like everyone else. And, we'll choose to work on them and preserve/Optimize our relationship as a key component of our Optimizing and actualizing or we won't. But the challenge remains. For all of us. Again, I repeat, off the soapbox now in a more relaxed tone: There are no perfect human beings; and, there are no perfect relationships. So, I'm honored to be an exemplar for those who find inspiration in my life and I'm absolutely (!!!) committed to being worthy of that role. AND… That's Today's +1. Let's remember that NO ONE is perfect. And, as hard as we work, we won't be the first. Then let's rub our hands together at all the challenges we face and strive to be imperfect, always-Optimizing-and-actualizing exemplars for our families, communities and world.

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