Greetings, SuperFriends! Today we are joined by Sanjay Rawal. Sanjay is a documentary film-maker that has created such documentaries as Food Chains, which was produced by Eva Longoria and Eric Schlosser with narration by Forest Whitaker, and his most recent documentary 3100: Run and Become was released theatrically in the US in 20 markets last fall. His third effort Gather, a documentary on Native American food sovereignty is set for completion in mid-2019. Why did we want to talk to a documentary film-maker? Well, Sanjay has a unique perspective because he has looked into two of the biggest aspects of being SuperHuman. One, food, and how it gets to us and our food chain, and two, the extreme periphery edge of human performance, meanly 3100 miles. Yes, people who run 3100 miles. I wanted to talk to Sanjay because I wanted to understand what he has learned in his years of interviewing and talking with these people, and what advice he can give us about better living our lives as SuperHumans. It turned out to be an incredibly interesting conversation, in which I learned a lot. I had my mind blown at least once, and I think you are going to feel the same. Enjoy! -Jonathan Levi

Ep. 256: The Truth Behind Food Chains, Running 3100 Miles, And More W/ Sanjay Rawal

Voted Best Podcast Episode of 2016 by ProductHunt, The SuperHuman Academy Podcast (previously The Becoming SuperHuman Podcast), hosted by lifehacker & accelerated learning expert Jonathan Levi interviews extraordinary people such as Dave Asprey, JJ Virgin, Robb Wolf, Hal Elrod, Joe Polish, Wim Hof,  and many more to bring you the skills, tips, and tricks to overcome the impossible. From physical fitness to learning and memory, we seek to understand optimal performance and superhuman abilities through engaging conversations and interviews with some of the world's most interesting people.

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Greetings, Superfriends, and welcome to the 300th episode of the SuperHuman Academy Podcast - where, as you’ve probably already heard me mention in previous episodes, after nearly 6 years and 4.5 million downloads - it is my duty to inform you that this episode will be our last - at least for now. In this final chapter, I want to take a few moments to answer some of your questions, share with you how I’ve come to this decision, and let you all know what you can expect from me in the future. The first question that’s probably on everybody’s mind, I imagine, is this: Why would you stop a successful podcast? If you’ve been paying attention, you know that podcasting is at its all-time peak right now, with just about everybody in every market you can imagine getting into the medium. And it’s only expected to grow, with people consuming more and more podcasts every single year. Of course, a lot of these new shows are destined to be part of “the long tail” - never crossing more than a thousand downloads per episode. But SuperHuman Academy, since its inception, has been a reasonably successful show - earning thousands of downloads per episode consistently throughout its 6-year run. Add to this the fact that some of our best and most interesting guests and episodes have come out in just the last year - with quite a few “superstar” guests and life-changing episodes happening in 2020. Why, then, have I decided to bring all of this to a close?! In truth, there are a lot of reasons. First, there’s the “family” component. My wife and I just had our baby boy, and I’ve made the decision to clear off most of my calendar for a while to focus exclusively on this exciting and rewarding new adventure. The fact that I have the freedom to do this is a major blessing that I realize not many people enjoy - and I intend to take full advantage of it. But, as you can imagine, there is much more to the story than that. You see, when I first started this business - with nothing more than a simple Udemy course recorded with a webcam, it was intended to be a fun “side project” - a way to give back and earn a living while I searched for “the next big thing.” I could have never anticipated that I would be where I am today, employing a full team, with over 300,000 students worldwide, bestselling books, a successful podcast, certified coaches all over the world, etc. What was intended to be a fun, lifestyle-oriented “side business” in many ways became a runaway success - and my main focus for the better part of 7 years. All of that is well and good - I have no regrets whatsoever, and of course I consider myself extremely blessed for everything this journey has done for me and for those I’ve touched along the way. But, in all truth, somewhere between then and now, I lost sight of what was important to me. I spent a few solid years mingling with and learning from the smartest minds in the business. And yes, there were amazing times where everything “clicked” and we were on top of the world. But since then, there have also been years of struggling - often uphill - towards endless growth and expansion, without considering whether or not it would bring me happiness (spoiler alert: it didn’t). Ultimately, for the second time in my life, I found myself in a prison of my own making: working more hours than I wanted to, to build something that wasn’t even my dream. As a result of this, I learned a number of very valuable life lessons: first, there’s no happiness in living other people’s dreams. And second, there’s nothing more important than happiness - nothing. That’s why, when COVID-19 struck, and a few key team members took it as an opportunity to resign and start their own businesses, rather than fighting tooth and nail to rebuild, I instead chose to view this as a huge moment of awakening - and a huge opportunity. It’s funny, you know? Day in and day out in my courses, podcast, and in interviews, I talk about designing the life that best suits you, about living “a la carte” instead of “prix fixe,” and about how you can create your own unique lifestyle where you work as much or as little as you want to. And sure, in many ways, my life today reflects those values and ideas. But sometimes our own advice is the easiest to forget - or, as they say in Hebrew, sometimes, the shoemaker goes barefoot. When the spell of “constant growth” wore off, I was forced to look at the plain facts: while I love this business, I love all of you, and I’m forever grateful for this entire experience… continuing to grow this business bigger and better isn’t what makes me happy anymore. It doesn’t challenge me or excite me like it used to. It’s not what I feel compelled to do. And no amount of impact, press recognition, or money is going to change that. Similarly, another reason for stopping is that I sense that I’ve done all I can with the podcast. Sure, I can continue finding great guests to interview every week, but the reality is that most of the guests I’ve wanted to interview have already been on the show at least once, and those who haven’t, I’ve come to realize probably never will be. While the show has grown to a respectable size, it will likely never grow any bigger or reach the next level. And so, after 6 years without missing a single episode, the hard truth is that I’m bored. Sure, there are occasional interviews that blow my mind and make me want to keep going, but if I’m honest with myself, my sincere enthusiasm for recording the show week after week waned a long, long time ago. What’s more, I’ve found that my overall enthusiasm for the personal development space has really waned along with it. You see, though I’m still a lifelong devotee of all that personal development has to offer, after 7 years of working in the space day in and day out, I need to take a step back and cleanse my palate for a while. I’m sure I still have plenty to learn - and that I haven’t heard it all just yet… but sometimes, it certainly feels that way. Not to mention that the marketing, the content creation, the collaborations, the webinars, and broadcasts… it’s all a lot more work than it seems, and quite frankly, I think I probably just need a break. People talk a lot about a “7-year itch,” and there’s really something to that. This same thing happened to me in my last business, a luxury car parts internet retailer that I grew to seven figures - and then sold after 7 years. Whereas I used to be obsessed with cars and learning everything there was to learn about them, towards the end, I was so burnt out that I wanted nothing to do with them. Only now, 9 years later, have I rediscovered that passion and enthusiasm I once had as a kid. So now, you must be wondering: What’s Next? I mean, from the sound of it, you might be worried that I’m going to pack up and leave, shut down or sell my website, and disappear into the sunset - much like I did when I left the aftermarket automotive industry. Not to worry. I’m not going anywhere - at least not right now. After all, a huge part of why I do all this is a feeling of responsibility. So many of the techniques, ideas, and strategies that I talk about in my courses and on this podcast fundamentally changed my life - and for that reason, I feel like it’s my moral obligation to continue sharing them with the world - even if my day-to-day involvement has been reduced to a minimum. This is why I spent the better part of the last year training over a dozen SuperLearner Certified Coaches, who will continue working hard to ensure that the worldwide impact of the SuperLearner methodology continues to grow. It’s also why my team and I have been really active in sharing content on social media - so make sure to subscribe to us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, if you haven’t already. So while my company will be running mostly independently of me, with a smaller staff and significantly reduced marketing, all of our existing courses, programs, and content are not going anywhere. In fact, I might even come back from paternity leave and continue producing new courses or content, from time to time - especially on social media. I even have an idea (and a domain name) for a new podcast, which I’m calling “The Lifestyle Entrepreneur.” It’s all about how to build your business around the lifestyle you want, as opposed to the other way around. In fact, if that sounds good to you, you can show your support for this new project by subscribing to the mailing list at LifeStyleEntrepreneur.com  In addition to all of that, the serial entrepreneur in me couldn’t stand still for too long. Paternity leave or no paternity leave, it took me all of about 15 minutes after deciding to scale down my time commitment to SuperHuman Academy before co-founding a new business that I’ve been working on a lot lately. It’s called Coffee (you can check it out ChooseCoffee.io), and it’s a high-ticket sales team as a service. Basically, we work with businesses that have high ticket offers - whether that’s coaching programs, mastermind memberships, B2B software, and more - but who don’t want to deal with hiring and training a sales team. While it might seem completely out of left field based on my skill set, I’m excited about this business because it gives me the opportunity and challenge of working on novel technological implementations for our clients, connecting their systems to ours, without being involved in the “business” side of things too much. Leveraging technology to automate work has long been one of my favorite things - and one of my favorite parts of building out SuperHuman Academy, so I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to take on a role where that’s my sole focus. Finally, there are still some question marks as far as what’s next. As time has progressed, I’ve felt increasingly compelled to get involved in some way, shape, or form with environmental impact. I’m not sure whether I want to do so as a volunteer, a cofounder, or even as an employee… but I know that I’m passionate about solar energy, carbon capture, alternative protein, electrification, and more. So, if any of you out there have ideas as to how I can leverage my skills to make an impact in that industry, I’d love to hear from you. Now, that was a lot to take in - and probably pretty confusing. On the one hand, I’m scaling down my involvement in this business, but on the other, I might start another podcast, on top of at least one other side business I’m starting? “Dude... make up your mind,” amiright? If I were you, I’d probably want a clear, definitive answer: Is this really the end for the SuperHuman Academy Podcast? The best answer I can give you is “Maybe.” Allow me to explain: For now, I will definitely be taking at least a few months hiatus from the “superhuman” content and podcast interviews. And one way or another, I really want to get off of the superhuman hamster-wheel, where I’m constantly under the gun to create new podcast interviews and content on a weekly schedule. With that said, I can’t promise I won’t miss it - just a little. And quite frankly, if the opportunity to interview one of my “bucket list” guests were to crop up - hint hint, Tim Ferriss - of course, I wouldn’t turn it down. So, yes, there may be a future version of the show where I release episodes more like once a month or once in a while. It’s all going to depend on what I end up doing next, how much time that takes, and what I feel excited about doing. I think I owe that to myself. All this is to say that I would love it if you all stay subscribed both to our free content mailing list at SuperHumanAcademy.com and to the podcast itself in your podcast player. Who knows… I might just surprise you. And now, before I let you go, one last thing: Thank You. Genuinely. Have you ever taken a moment to look at something that is “normal” in your life - something that you take for granted - with fresh eyes, and realized that it’s absolutely mind-boggling? It could be looking at your kids and realizing that you made them… or looking at a 300,000-pound airplane and realizing that it glides through the air… Well, that’s exactly how I feel when I think about this podcast, and about SuperHuman Academy as a whole. The fact that all of you - hundreds of thousands of people in all 205 countries and territories worldwide - have tuned in for literally millions upon millions of hours of my content is absolutely humbling and awe-inspiring. And the incredible reviews, personal transformation stories, and testimonials many of you have shared are also deeply, deeply moving. When I think about my own origin story - from being a bullied, depressed, and underachieving 13-year old with low self-esteem… to where I am today… in a position to empower and provide value to so many people all over the world, I’m truly speechless. It has been, without a doubt, the greatest honor of my life thus far. And so, I want to thank you - each and every one of you. Not just for tuning in and listening… and no, not just for supporting my business financially throughout the years, either - though I appreciate both of those things tremendously. What I really want to thank you for is the deep impact you’ve had on my life. For the meaning and the purpose you’ve given to my own, at times very painful, journey. I don’t often think about what I would say to 13-year-old Jonathan, if I could go back in time. But most likely, thanks to all of you, I think I know what it would be: “Stick it out. In the end, you can’t even imagine how many people you’re going to help because of this.” On that note, the teacher in me can’t resist sharing just one last, final “nugget.” At the end of nearly every episode of the show for the last few years, I’ve asked each guest the same closing question: “If our audience were to take away one big message from this episode and carry it with them for the rest of their lives, what would you hope for that message to be?” For me, from day one, through thousands of hours of content and endless interviews and videos, my message has been the same. It’s been my personal mission to be a living example of how you can create your own, unconventional, custom-tailored life to suit your own needs, dreams, and desires. There’s a sense of poetic fulfillment, then, that this final episode - this closing message - is me doing just that. Walking the walk, taking my own advice, and making the uncommon decision that leads to more happiness, satisfaction, and growth. My only hope is that each of you have learned to do the same. Wishing you all the best - from the bottom of my heart. -Jonathan Levi   

Ep. 300: Finale Episode & Thank You

Greetings, SuperFriends! Welcome to a very special episode of the show, episode 299 out of the 300 - where I've certainly saved some of the best for last. Some of you may have heard through my personal journey and story where, a few years ago, I read a book that solved probably my biggest personal problem, and certainly my biggest problem in the area of personal development and growth. Really, it reinforced for me the idea that you can learn your way out of any problem, and that you can learn to be the kind of person that no longer has that problem. I'm talking, of course, about love and romance, and finding the person that I'm destined to spend my life with. Many of you will know that it took my 9 long and painful years between relationships to find the woman who is now my wife, and, probably by the time you hear this, the mother of my child. And that was an incredible transformational journey, which really solidified what is possible in personal development. What is possible when you apply the things that we talk about in the last almost 300 episodes. Fundamentally, you change, your life changes, your outcomes change, and your whole world changes. So, today I'm really excited that I finally had the opportunity to interview Katherine Woodward Thomas. She is a Master's in family therapy, a New York Times bestselling author of Conscious Uncoupling: 5 Steps to Living Happily Even After, and more pertinently to today's episode and my life, Calling in “The One:” 7 Weeks to Attract the Love of Your Life. Now, if you are already in a relationship, or you think that this woo-woo, I wanna stop you right there, because in this episode we go so much deeper than just that. What this episode really comes down to is dealing with trauma, which we all have, it's improving and growing through our own psychological hangups, which we all have, and it's learning how to have more love, happiness, and joy in our lives, which we all want. I really enjoyed this episode. I'm not going to read through the amazing summary of Katherine's credentials, media appearances, etc., because ultimately what's important is the impact that she's had and the people that she has worked with and the lives that she has touched. So, I encourage that you listen for what you can apply from this episode, and if you're looking for that one final SuperHuman achievement, which is finding love, then this is the absolute best episode for us to end on. Enjoy! -Jonathan Levi

Ep. 299: How To Find Love That Lasts W/ Katherine Woodward Thomas

Greetings, SuperFriends! Today I had a wonderful guest. I knew I would enjoy this episode, which is why I gave it one of these coveted final spots, and yet I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would. The guest is Kati Morton, she is a clinical psychologist, and a family and marriage therapist, and she runs a private practice in Santa Monica, CA. But, you probably will know her for her internet activities, where for the past 8 years she's leveraged social media to spread mental health information worldwide through video. She's worked with folks on eating disorders, self-harming behaviors, and many more things - in fact, at the time of this recording, she has over 1 million subscribers on YouTube with over 75 million views. Kati has appeared on all kinds of traditional media as well, and she has published a number of books - her first book, Are U Ok? A Guide to Caring for Your Mental Health, was released in December of 2018. Now, why did I enjoy this episode so much? Well, first as you can tell, Kati talks about how it's so important to have a connection with someone if you are going to work with them on your mental health. She and I immediately had an awesome connection and shared understanding about just how hard times have been for a lot of people, whether it's economically, socially, or the anxiety we've all been facing. Thus, I felt that this is just the right episode for where I've been, which is in a lot of pain about the environmental situation, the social situation, the political situation, and just feeling the weight of the world and the suffering that people are enduring around the world. This was a phenomenal episode also because Kati gave some very practical and ingenious techniques for immediately alleviating some of that pain, and I thought that this was the best time to share this with all of you. So pay special attention when she talks about the "shake", as well as when she talks about "thought bridges", because I thought that these ideas were massive, and they are just the tip of the iceberg in this episode. Enjoy! -Jonathan Levi  

Ep. 298: Maintaining Mental Health In The Darkest Times W/ Kati Morton

Greetings, SuperFriends! In this week's episode, I'm joined by a repeat guest and longtime friend of mine, Robb Wolf. Robb has been on the show many times before, seeing as he's written many New York Times bestselling books - in fact, two, in the past so far. He is also a former research biochemist, that is better known for The Paleo Solution and Wired to Eat. Robb is my go-to thought leader on all things nutrition. He's the person who convinced me to go paleo, he's the person who convinced me to modify that diet with more data about my own blood sugar and insulin response levels, and now he is pioneering a healthy rebellion - a social movement with a goal of liberating a million people from the sick care system. As if all that wasn't enough to take on, he has also written a new book called The Sacred Cow, a contrarian look at a potential way for solving our food crisis, specifically the animal protein crisis that we're facing, and dealing with climate change. Now, I'm going to warn you, a lot of Rob's opinions are contrarian, and he even goes out and says that you have to be careful not to get canceled for sharing some of the opinions that he shares. But, I always like to bring in both sides of the opinion, and honestly, I wanted to talk to someone who is spreading a message of hope, right now, especially when it comes to the environment. So, Robb and I talk about a lot of different elements of this whole piece. We talked about what the best way is for humans to get our animal protein, assuming that an animal protein diet is what people want and not everyone is going to go off of it - and not everyone should go off of it. We talked about the sustainability and environmental impact of factory farming versus grazing animals. We then talked about alternative energy solutions, which I didn't know he geeked out on as much as I do, but it turns out he geeks out on much more than I do. As part of that conversation, we also talked about some of the challenges with alternative energy. And we talked about much more, that you'll have to listen to the podcast episode to know all about it. I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I did! -Jonathan Levi

Ep. 297: A New Plan For Sustainable Health W/ Robb Wolf

Greetings, SuperFriends! Today we are joined by Wade Lightheart. Wade is a 3-Time Canadian national All Natural Bodybuilding Champion who competed as a vegetarian, a former Mr. Universe Competitor, the host of The Awesome Health podcast, and one of the world’s premier authorities on Natural Nutrition and Training Methods. He has worked in the field for 25 years, sold books in over 80 countries, served as an advisor to the American Anti-Cancer Institute, and is the Co-Founder and President at BiOptimizers, a digestive and health optimization company. This was a really fun episode. Wade and I connected on a lot of different subjects that we both feel passionately about. We talked about technology, and how our dissonance with our evolutionary blueprint is causing so many of our health problems. We also talked about loss in his life, the discipline and how he cultivated it to compete at such a high level, and we talked about digestion and the lymphatic system. In fact, I learned a couple of really powerful biohacks in this episode that I never understood how they worked or why they worked, and I'm going to be going out and making a purchase after this episode of something that I think is going to provide massive health for my family and me. In addition to that, Wade was very generous at the end of the episode. He gives away not just a complete online course, but an awesome discount on some products, if you want to check out BiOptimizers' products. Enjoy! -Jonathan Levi

Ep. 256: The Truth Behind Food Chains, Running 3100 Miles, And More W/ Sanjay Rawal

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