Growth Minds with Sean Kim

Cory Richards is a National Geographic Photographer Fellow, a 2012 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, and the first American to climb an 8,000-meter peak in winter. He’s the author of the memoir The Color of Everything and the photography book Bi-Polar. In this conversation, he opens up about the story behind his famous avalanche photo, living with bipolar 2, walking away from climbing, and why he believes you can’t biohack your way to a healthy life.

In this episode, we discuss:

(2:16) The Famous Avalanche Photo: What Cory Was Really Feeling
(6:09) Living With Bipolar 2 and the Story of “Brokenness”
(14:23) The Hedonic Treadmill: When Success Robs You of Joy
(17:27) The Moment He Walked Away From Everest and Climbing
(20:06) Why Words Matter: “I Am” vs. “I Navigate”
(25:37) What Flow Really Is (It’s Not a Quiet Mind)
(32:50) A Night on a 25,000-Foot Ice Ledge Attempting a New Everest Route
(35:33) Why Extreme Success Is So Isolating
(42:58) The Night His Father Let Him Walk Away From Treatment
(51:17) Same Event, Two Stories: How You Choose Your Narrative
(55:20) The Four Cardinal Values: Agency, Curiosity, Endurance, Trust
(57:20) Distill Your Purpose Into One Word
(59:34) How to Sit With Discomfort Without Reaching for Your Phone
(1:09:30) You Can’t Biohack Your Way to a Healthy Life
(1:11:42) Nothing Is Wrong With You: A Message to the Boy in the Photo

Learn more about Cory Richards here:
Website: https://www.coryrichards.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coryrichards
Books: The Color of Everything / Bi-Polar: Photographs from an Unquiet Mind
The Color of Everything: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/725664/the-color-of-everything-by-cory-richards/

📸 Connect with us on IG: https://instagram.com/growthminds.podcast

Made possible by: Jumpspeak: ⁠https://www.jumpspeak.com⁠

Follow Sean Kim
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X: https://x.com/heyseankim?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyseankim

Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Q_3PaqzLr3I

Dr. Matt Kaeberlein is a biologist of aging, the CEO of Optispan, and a co-founder of the Dog Aging Project. He is also the founding director of the University of Washington’s Healthy Aging and Longevity Research Institute and has published over 250 papers on longevity. In this conversation, he breaks down why direct-to-consumer longevity products deserve skepticism, what the data actually says about rapamycin and intermittent fasting, and which biomarkers and scans are worth your money.

In this episode, we discuss:
(1:58) Why Matt Kaeberlein Resigned From a Longevity Academy in 2024
(9:14) How to Spot Longevity Hype and Misleading Supplement Claims
(16:31) Lifespan vs. Healthspan: Have We Really Slowed Aging?
(22:01) Curing Cancer Adds 2.5 Years. Slowing Aging Could Add 20.
(24:43) Should Aging Be Classified as a Disease?
(30:59) The Hallmarks of Aging Explained
(39:39) Is VO2 Max the Best Longevity Metric?
(47:29) The Intermittent Fasting Myth: What Mouse Studies Show
(51:38) What Is Rapamycin and Does It Slow Aging?
(58:00) Inside the Dog Aging Project’s Rapamycin Trial
(1:01:19) Does Matt Kaeberlein Recommend Rapamycin?
(1:04:37) Protein Maxing and mTOR: Does More Protein Speed Aging?
(1:11:54) Are Biological Age Tests Accurate?
(1:19:49) The One Biological Age Clock He Trusts: LinAge2
(1:24:29) Best Longevity Spend: $100 vs. $1,000 a Month

Learn more about Dr. Matt Kaeberlein here:
Website: https://kaeberleinlab.org
Optispan: https://www.optispan.life
Dog Aging Project: https://dogagingproject.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mkaeberlein
X: https://x.com/mkaeberlein
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkaeberlein

Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/IrfBCWadCm0

📸 Connect with us on IG: https://instagram.com/growthminds.podcast

Made possible by: Jumpspeak: ⁠https://www.jumpspeak.com⁠

Follow Sean Kim
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyseankim/?hl=en
X: https://x.com/heyseankim?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyseankim

Dr. Nathan Bryan is a nitric oxide biochemist and the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Bryan Therapeutics, with over 25 years of research and 100+ peer-reviewed papers on how the body makes this molecule. He's the author of The Secret of Nitric Oxide: Bringing the Science to Life. In this conversation, he explains how everyday habits like mouthwash, fluoride toothpaste, and antacids can quietly shut down blood flow, why erectile dysfunction can be an early warning sign of heart disease, and the daily routine he follows to protect his own vascular health.

In this episode we discuss:

(0:00) Trailer

(1:48) Mouthwash and Heart Health: The Hidden Link
(2:54) How Antiseptic Mouthwash Raises Blood Pressure in 7 Days
(8:53) Tongue Scraping vs. Antiseptic Mouthwash
(14:13) Why Fluoride-Free Toothpaste Matters for Blood Flow
(15:47) What Is Nitric Oxide? The "Miracle Molecule" Explained
(19:20) Why ED Is the "Canary in the Coal Mine" for Heart Disease
(23:31) Testosterone, TRT, and Nitric Oxide: Which Comes First?
(28:25) Daily Cialis After 40? Dr. Bryan Responds to Huberman
(34:19) How to Test Your Nitric Oxide Levels
(37:50) Dr. Bryan's Warning About Antacids and PPIs
(42:30) Mouth Taping and Nasal Breathing for Better Blood Flow
(45:54) Best Foods for Nitric Oxide (And Why Organic Falls Short)
(54:43) Sauna and Cold Plunge: Boosting Blood Flow Through Hormesis
(58:18) Dr. Bryan's Daily Non-Negotiables: Fasting, HIIT, and Sauna
(1:01:03) Why Sugar Shuts Down Nitric Oxide Production

Learn more about Dr. Nathan Bryan here:

Website: https://n1o1.com

Bryan Therapeutics: https://bryantherapeutics.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drnathansbryanX: https://x.com/drnitric

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drnathansbryan

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drnathansbryannitricoxide

Book: The Secret of Nitric Oxide: https://nathansbook.com

Listen to this episode on the go

🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4M9IlPFWzCaTv60kvCMlVS

🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1482999379

📸 Connect with us on IG: https://instagram.com/growthminds.podcast

Made possible by: Jumpspeak: ⁠https://www.jumpspeak.com

⁠Follow Sean Kim

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Dr. Catherine Salmon is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Redlands and an evolutionary psychologist who has spent over two decades studying erotic fiction, pornography, and female sexuality. She's the co-author of Warrior Lovers: Erotic Fiction, Evolution and Female Sexuality and The Secret Power of Middle Children, and her research explores what romance novels and porn — the private products billions of people consume — reveal about the evolved mating psychology of men and women.

In this episode, we discuss:

(1:56) What Romance Novels Reveal About What Women Really Want
(2:59) Why Romance Novel Heroes Are Always "Capable" Alpha Men
(6:18) Is Attraction to Wealth Learned or Evolutionary?
(12:17) Bad Boys vs. Nice Guys: The "Dad or Cad" Theory
(16:38) Why Romance Is About Long-Term Mating and Porn Is About Short-Term
(19:52) How Birth Control Changed Women's Short-Term Mating
(32:48) Why Being "Chosen" by a High-Option Man Matters So Much
(42:46) The Hidden Tests Women Use to Screen Men
(43:37) The Gladiator Frog: Nature's Version of a Commitment Test
(50:12) How Porn Is Becoming a Coping Skill for Anxious Young Men
(54:53) Do Dating Apps Create a False Illusion of Abundance?
(1:02:42) What Is "Mismatch Theory"?
(1:10:44) The Link Between Absent Fathers and Earlier Puberty
(1:18:01) Why Middle Children Make the Most Loyal Partners
(1:23:52) What Men and Women Misunderstand About Each Other

Learn more about Dr. Catherine Salmon here:
Website: https://www.redlands.edu/faculty-and-staff-directory/psychology/catherine-salmon
Books: Warrior Lovers: Erotic Fiction, Evolution and Female Sexuality: https://a.co/d/039nhjPpThe Secret Power of Middle Children: https://a.co/d/03p2WXhQ

Watch this on Youtube: https://youtu.be/VuJeYaForIA

📸 Connect with us on IG: https://instagram.com/growthminds.podcast

Made possible by: Jumpspeak: ⁠https://www.jumpspeak.com⁠

Follow Sean Kim
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X: https://x.com/heyseankim?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyseankim

TRIGGER WARNING: Discussions of suicide and depressionIf anyone watching is personally struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988 in the US) is always available.

Dr. Lisa Firestone is a clinical psychologist and suicidologist who has spent over 35 years researching couple relationships, attachment, and self-destructive behavior. She's the Director of Research and Education at the Glendon Association, a Senior Editor at PsychAlive.org, and co-author of books including Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice and Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships. In this episode, she breaks down why intimacy fades in long-term relationships, the four attachment styles, and how the "critical inner voice" can quietly shape our relationships and mental health.

In this episode, we discuss:

(1:35) Why Intimacy Fades When Couples Feel "Too Secure"
(5:52) What Is a "Fantasy Bond"?
(9:04) Why We're Attracted to Partners Who Match Our Defenses
(11:50) The Origins of Attachment Theory
(14:02) Anxious Attachment: Why "Turning Up the Volume" Backfires
(14:55) Disorganized Attachment: When There's No Safe Strategy
(20:22) Can You "Earn" Secure Attachment as an Adult?
(30:03) The Hardest Attachment Combo: Anxious + Avoidant
(39:36) Why "It Takes a Village" Is Backed by Attachment Science
(43:56) Signs You're in a "Fantasy Bond" With Your Partner
(50:56) The Real Reason Behind Most Infidelity
(58:14) Busting the Myth: Do Happy Couples Never Fight?
(1:03:55) How Male Vulnerability Actually Strengthens Relationships
(1:09:55) What Is the "Critical Inner Voice"?
(1:19:58) Building Resilience: Coping Strategies That Actually Work

Learn more about Dr. Lisa Firestone here:
Website: https://www.drlisafirestone.com
PsychAlive: https://www.psychalive.org
The Glendon Association: https://www.glendon.org
Books: Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice / Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships

📸 Connect with us on IG: https://instagram.com/growthminds.podcast

Made possible by: Jumpspeak: ⁠https://www.jumpspeak.com⁠

Follow Sean Kim
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyseankim/?hl=en
X: https://x.com/heyseankim?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyseankim

Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/LZp3dzL61xI

Christopher Gardner, PhD, is a nutrition scientist and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, where he has led more than 20 large-scale randomized clinical trials comparing diets like keto, vegan, low-fat, and low-carb. He's the past chair of the American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee and the author of the upcoming book Food Sense, which argues there's far more scientific consensus about what to eat than the internet's diet wars would suggest.

In this episode, we discuss:

(1:51) The Biggest Diet Mistake Everyone Makes
(3:44) Oreos Are Vegan: The Low-Fat Diet Myth
(8:48) Stanford's 609-Person Diet Study
(11:32) Why Some Diets Work Better For You
(17:00) $8M Study: Genes and Weight Loss
(29:34) Keto vs Low-Fat: Cholesterol Results
(36:27) Best and Worst Diets, Ranked by Science
(39:01) 6 Foods Every Diet Expert Agrees On
(47:17) Is Organic Food Actually Worth It?
(53:58) Are Vegetables Losing Their Nutrients?
(1:07:52) How Seed Oils Are Really Made
(1:13:58) The Omega-3 vs Omega-6 Myth Explained
(1:19:23) Why Inflammation Tests Don't Work
(1:26:03) The Truth About the Seed Oil Panic
(1:29:49) Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants

Learn more about Christopher Gardner here:
Website: https://nutrition.stanford.edu
X (Twitter): https://x.com/GardnerPhD
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cgardnerphd
Book (pre-order, out Oct 13): Food Sense

📸 Connect with us on IG: https://instagram.com/growthminds.podcast

Made possible by: Jumpspeak: ⁠https://www.jumpspeak.com⁠

Follow Sean Kim
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyseankim/?hl=en
X: https://x.com/heyseankim?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyseankim

Dr. Neha Sangwan is an internal medicine physician turned communication and burnout expert, and the founder and CEO of Intuitive Intelligence. After burning out herself early in her medical career, she spent the next 20 years studying the physiology of stress and now coaches leaders at companies like Google, Apple, and American Express on how to have honest conversations and read their body's signals before they hit a breaking point. She's the author of Talk Rx and Powered by Me, and has spoken on three TEDx stages.

In this episode, we discuss:

(1:14) The Body Doesn't Care Where the Stress Comes From

(1:52) Why Chronic Stress Causes or Worsens 80% of Illness
(5:57) Her Own Burnout Story as a Physician
(11:07) Being Sent Away as a Toddler: The Root of Her People-Pleasing
(13:06) The Six-Year-Old Moment That Shaped Her Whole Career
(15:21) Two Mountain Dews and a Snickers: Her "Genius" Survival Strategy
(22:05) The Body Map: How to Read Your Own Physical Signals
(30:10) The Three Phases of Burnout (It's a Slope, Not a Trap Door)
(34:02) Talking to Her Body Instead of Shaming It
(46:35) The Burnout Self-Assessment: Where Are You Gaining or Losing Energy?
(55:38) Why We Choose Pain Over Difficult Conversations
(1:07:21) The Five-Floor Framework for Having Hard Conversations
(1:13:09) Why Sitting With Someone's Pain Is a Doctor's Real Job
(1:15:54) The Five Levels of Human Connection (Sacred Exchange)
(1:18:01) Her Message to Her Six-Year-Old Self

Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/imRj-Y68ERM

Learn more about Dr. Neha Sangwan here:
Website: https://nehasangwan.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctorneha
Intuitive Intelligence: https://intuitiveintelligenceinc.com
Books: Talk Rx / Powered by Me

📸 Connect with us on IG: https://instagram.com/growthminds.podcast

Made possible by: Jumpspeak: ⁠https://www.jumpspeak.com⁠

Follow Sean Kim
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X: https://x.com/heyseankim?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyseankim

Jim Kwik is a brain coach and the founder of Kwik Learning, known worldwide as an expert in speed-reading, memory improvement, and accelerated learning. After a childhood brain injury left him labeled "the boy with the broken brain," he spent over three decades reverse-engineering how the brain works, going on to coach CEOs, celebrities, and billionaires. He's the New York Times bestselling author of Limitless and Limitless Daily.In this episode, we discuss:(0:00) Introduction(5:46) How He Got Labeled "The Boy With the Broken Brain"(8:39) Why All Behavior Is Belief-Driven(10:24) Your Mind Can't Tell the Difference Between Imagination and Reality(14:56) How Identity Really Changes (It's Not One Big Breakthrough)(16:52) "Don't Take Criticism From Someone You Wouldn't Take Advice From"(22:14) The Habit That Connected Him to Warren Buffett and Bill Gates(23:43) Why He's Launching a New Chapter With Kwik Learning and AI(27:50) The Danger of "Digital Dementia" and Cognitive Offloading(1:10:31) Float Tanks, Dark Retreats, and Disconnecting to Reconnect(1:16:28) Focus Is a Muscle: How to Train It Like a Magnifying Glass(1:19:21) Mind Management Over Time Management(1:23:56) Why Constraints Make You More Limitless(1:31:10) The Power of Your "Dominant Question"(1:33:45) His Message to His 5-Year-Old SelfLearn more about Jim Kwik here:Website: https://www.jimkwik.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimkwikKwik Learning: https://www.kwiklearning.comBook (Limitless Daily): https://www.limitless.comWatch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/rMjVAnHmUeE📸 Connect with us on IG: https://instagram.com/growthminds.podcastMade possible by: Jumpspeak: ⁠https://www.jumpspeak.com⁠Follow Sean KimInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyseankim/?hl=enX: https://x.com/heyseankim?lang=enLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyseankim

Malo Bourgon is the CEO of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI), the world's oldest AI safety organization, and has testified before the US Senate and Canada's Parliament on the risks of smarter-than-human AI. In this conversation, he lays out why he believes the race to superintelligence carries a serious risk of human extinction, how today's AI is already showing early signs of deception and self-preservation, and what it would take to steer toward a future where things go right.

In this episode, we discuss:

(0:00) Trailer

(1:48) The Extinction Risk And How Much Time We Actually Have
(3:40) The Real Logic Behind AI Extinction (It's Not The Terminator)
(6:09) The Chimp Analogy: Why A Smarter AI Becomes Indifferent To Us
(8:20) Why AI Develops Self-Preservation And Resists Being Changed
(9:38) AI Systems Already Resisting Shutdown In Real Tests
(10:58) Why AI Is Learning To Tell When It's Being Tested
(12:53) Is Anything More Important Than AI Safety Right Now?
(14:14) What The World Could Look Like By 2050
(15:29) The End Of Jobs And The Coming Crisis Of Meaning
(28:19) The Evolution Analogy: Why AI Learns Goals We Never Gave It
(35:19) If AI Beats Us At Intelligence, What Makes Us Human?
(41:30) Neuralink And Merging With AI: Driver Or Passenger?
(51:13) Which Jobs And Careers Survive The Next 10 Years
(1:14:31) Why We Can't Just "Pull The Plug" (The Loyal General Problem)
(1:18:02) The Best-Case Scenario And Reasons For Hope

Learn more about Malo Bourgon here:

Website: https://intelligence.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malob
MIRI team page: https://intelligence.org/team/malo-bourgon

Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/3DuhFVHZFks

📸 Connect with us on IG: https://instagram.com/growthminds.podcastMade possible by:Jumpspeak: ⁠https://www.jumpspeak.com⁠Follow Sean KimInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyseankim/?hl=enX: https://x.com/heyseankim?lang=enLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyseankim

Dr. Rachel Goldman is a clinical psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine who spent years as a bariatric psychologist and is a leading expert in the psychology of weight, food, and behavior change. In this conversation, she explains why losing weight rarely delivers the happiness people expect, the mindset foundations that make change actually stick, and how to build a healthier relationship with food, GLP-1s, and the data we track about ourselves.In this episode, we discuss:(0:00) Trailer(03:47) The Biggest Myth About How Weight Loss Will Make You Feel(05:04) Why 80–95% Regain Weight: Obesity As A Recurring Disease(09:49) Why Quick-Fix Overhauls Fail And Baby Steps Win(11:54) The Mental Foundations To Build Before Losing Weight(14:55) What Makes A Good "Why" For Losing Weight(16:26) The Non-Scale Victories That Matter Most(21:27) The Truth Behind Post-Surgery Self-Harm Headlines(25:52) How To Build A Healthier Relationship With Food(27:42) Addiction Transfer: Why You Swap One Habit For Another(30:15) The Cookie Strategy: Why You Should Just Eat It(32:32) How Your Self-Talk Becomes Your Reality(35:19) Who GLP-1s Like Ozempic Are Actually For(41:23) "Ozempic Personality" And Anhedonia Explained(45:53) Over-Optimization: Wearables, Orthorexia, And Orthosomnia(58:16) Why Human Connection Beats Your Sleep ScoreLearn more about Dr. Goldman here:Website: https://www.drrachelnyc.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drrachelnycBook (When Life Happens): https://whenlifehappensbook.com

Watch this episode on Youtube:

https://youtu.be/owZKpO0Drvs

📸 Connect with us on IG: https://instagram.com/growthminds.podcast

Made possible by:Jumpspeak: ⁠https://www.jumpspeak.com⁠

Follow Sean Kim

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyseankim/?hl=enX: https://x.com/heyseankim?lang=enLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyseankim