How Humans Work Podcast

In episode #35, legendary professor and author Robert M. Sapolsky joins the show for a fascinating conversation about his most recent book: Determined. At length we discuss what life looks like when we accept the premise of Determined: free will is a myth and rewarding and punishing behavior is an outdated approach to running a humane and just world. Along the way we get into strange and groovy notions like Emergent Complexity, Chaoticism (a.k.a. The Butterfly Effect), the prefrontal cortex, and my personal passion, stress.

With abundant erudition and mirth, Dr. Sapolsky makes the case several time over that a separate self with a free will apart from the biologic matrix is simply untenable. Along the way, Robert walks us through the arguments which support Determinism, starting with our inability to perceive our intentions and then showing us how brain neurons, slime molds, and ants operate without a blueprint. Overall, we get a persuasive portrait of how and why the seamless web of biology and environment have an unseen hand in how we act and think.

Best to get your thinking cap out and put it on, because this show puts all of our assumptions about how humans work on the surgical table. Whether they survive the rigor of a sage professor’s operations is the question we’re left with.

I hope you enjoy this show as much as I did!

About Robert M. Sapolsky: Dr. Sapolsky is the author of several works of nonfiction, including A Primate’s Memoir, The Trouble with Testosterone, and Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. His most recent book, Behave, was a New York Times bestseller and named a best book of the year by The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. He is the John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor of biology, neurology and neurosurgery at Stanford University and the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.” He and his wife live in San Francisco.

Episode Summary

In episode #34, the esteemed author of Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, returns to the show for a fascinating conversation about stress, dopamine, and how the two intersect.

With an equal measure of kindness and expertise, Dr. Lembke walks us through the contours of both addiction and stress. Along the way she reinforces the challenges we face living in a time, what she calls the Plenty Paradox. Throughout this remarkable conversation, Anna gives compelling reasons to value hardship, stress, and truth-telling, for each of them has a convincing way of bringing balance back into our lives. Whether you are young, old, or somewhere in the middle, you are heartily invited to listen, because we all need to hear the wisdom flowing from

About Dr. Lembke: Dr. Lembke is a psychiatrist, professor, researcher, and the medical director of Stanford Addiction Medicine. Dr. Lembke is also the author of Dopamine Nation, a salient book that explores the neuroscience of addiction and the lessons we can learn from those who’ve been caught in its powerful spell.

Bonus Episode Summary

In The Power to Survive, show host Jef Szi shares an essay that connects the adaptive function of the stress system to the realms of fitness and the presence of genes. As critical parts of our adaptive powers for survival, he shows us how stress, fitness, and genes actually are at work on a continuum of time. This short bonus pod offers a spell-binding vision of the deep web at work in our bodies, illuminating how important stress, fitness, and genes all are for our current challenges. Perhaps most importantly, The Power to Survive offers a profound welcome to our shared humanity, beyond any trait differences, that can move and inspire us to live more fully the ancient story we have already been cast into.

Episode Summary

In Episode #33, Dameian Hartfield joins the podcast for a deeply honest conversation, recounting some of the major moments in his life. In many respects, this podcast is a continuation of an ongoing conversation we have had as friends for nearly two decades, where Dameian speaks his truth and in doing so acts as an ambassador for the greater good, sharing the realities of what comes with growing up in an at-risk community like the Nickerson Gardens Housing Projects in the Watts neighborhood.

Beginning the show with his reasons for a slow-cook approach to doing this podcast and then his experiences doing gang-intervention work and some of the key dilemmas and pressures that went with it, we get a feel for the values and lessons Dameian has earned in his life. For example, he describes how political agendas and lack of trust between different organizations in a community add more pressure to one’s that are already struggling. We also see how he positioned himself in relation to those politics.

Following that, we begin to hear about the challenges that come with life after being in a gang. The uphill battle of re-establishing a positive reputation along with carrying the war-like events of street battles without a reconciliation process to move forward in the way military veterans have is a hard edge to have in one's reality.

Sharing with us some details of his journey, like being shot at the age of fifteen and having to deal with conflict zones like ‘Hamburger Hill,’ we come to learn why the trauma of being a young, misdirected, urban warrior would need healing places like the one where we first met — at a men’s retreat held by the Mosaic Multicultural Foundation deep in the redwoods of Mendocino, California. It was there Dameian and I have formed a relationship that has transcended our native neighborhoods and social upbringings.

Next, Dameian takes us into the powerful decisions and transformations that took place for for him as he spent a decade in prison, repaying his debt to society. We hear how he learned to become a communicator, leaving behind his older strategies of simply acting in ways that he thought were needed. Dameian made key decisions to use his prison sentence for his own personal development, even knowing he had a very real possibility of never making it out. In this part of the podcast, we get some profound contours of Dameian’s path through this important period of change and soul searching.

Further on we learn about how, when he was on the run for a case against him, his relationship with his mother kept him from getting into deeper trouble, perhaps even getting killed. Dameian also walks us through how his Mom imparted to him the realities of the financial struggles they had, and pulled along his questions and challenges into a place of greater understanding and participation in the struggle. Even in his darkest moments of despair, his Mom was able to help him see beyond his hopelessness. In these stories we get a powerful picture of his mom’s capacity to guide in the face of adversity, and the important impact that had.

In total, this powerful, authentic episode takes us underneath the illegality of gang life in an at risk community, providing us with a sincere portrait of the human lives in and around those situations. And just when we think we are wrapping up, Dameian takes us a step further into his life experiences. He closes out our conversation with an incredibly moving and undeniable accurate portrait of what the challenges of being a black man in the American story is like.

*****

Dameian Hartfield primarily grew up in Nickerson Gardens housing projects in Los Angeles, California. He also spent part of his youth in Pomona, CA. Currently, Dameian spends his time growing his company, 1 Tamu Essentials, with his wife Dana, and spending time with his kids and grandkids. Mr. Hartfield has also spent a good deal of time mentoring at-risk youth and being a supporter and advocate for the Nickerson Gardens community. Dameian comes to the mentoring and community work out of a past involvement with a neighborhood gang and a decade of time spent in the penal system as a result. Often he finds himself in the role as cultural ambassador, bridging typically divided social silos with gift of being a powerful communicator.

Episode Summary

There are few better equipped to take us into the fascinating world of the gut microbiome than University of Colorado professor Dr. Christopher A. Lowry. In addition to his rich understanding of humans ancient and critical relationship with the bacterial world, Dr. Lowry has a thorough understanding of the complex interactions of our biology as it relates to stress.

In this episode Professor Lowry helps us envision the amazing workings of our invisible interiors. From the role of stress hormones and neuronal connections in the Enteric Nervous System that tie the gut and brain together, to the intricacies of our immune system balance and the essential role our microbiomes play with inflammation, he expertly guides us.

This captivating dive into our inner-workings with stress and our microbiomes shows us again that our environmental exposures matter to us at obvious and hidden levels. Stress is a double-edged sword in the microscopic world too. This becomes superbly clear in discussing the Hygiene Hypothesis, currently reframed as the Old Friends Hypothesis. It is also well illustrated in what is know as The Farm Effect.

If you love health, the body or you are simply interested in environmental balance, this show will be right up your alley. With Dr. Lowry’s studied understanding we get a powerful glimpse into our vital interdependence we have on the bacterial world and its astounding connection to our stress systems.

Dr. Christopher Lowry is an Associate Professor of Integrative Physiology at CU Boulder where he leads a neuroendocrinology lab focused on the neural mechanisms underlying emotional behavior and the stress-induced control of physiology and emotional behavior. With an extensive academic background in zoological studies, neuroscience, neuroendocrinology and stress, Dr. Lowry has authored and co-authored hundreds of papers advancing our understanding the web on intricacies at work in human biology.

In episode #31, Templates for Change, Darcy Ottey from Youth Passageways joins the show for an extended conversation about her love for Rites of Passage (RoP) work as well as her recent book on the subject: Rites and Responsibilities: A Guide to Growing Up.

With an extensive and deeply personal connection to Rites of Passage practices, Darcy helps us to see how these original cultural technologies offer us templates for negotiating the phases of our lives. In ROP practices, she says, we find the blueprints for helping us to honor the cycles of change with what Darcy calls transition literacy.

We explore the value transition literacy offered her during the COVID-19 lockdown, as well as other stressful periods of change. Along the way we can see how the frames and language of RoP, including Arnold van Gennep’s three-phase of separation, transition and return, support us in learning to be with change more effectively.

In thinking about the function of Rites of Passage in young peoples lives, Darcy not only shares poignant stories about the value of letting the dependencies of childhood die away as a necessary part of development, but she also strongly implores young people to call for their own rites as a birthright for authentic belonging and self-discovery.

With care and honesty, Darcy shows us why a culturally respectful approach to contemporary Rites of Passage is essential. Creating genuine belonging and re-empowered communities without furthering repetitions of ongoing harms of domination-based societies requires such respect. Moreover, we come to see how RoP work itself is a profound way to heal old wounds and violations that got us to a place where meaningful and wise rites have been stolen or scrubbed away.

Finally, Darcy shares hard-earned guidance on the tricky terrain of drugs and sex as part of the coming of age journey. She gives us a sense of how we might consider these issues as young people or for the young people in our lives.

Templates for Change offers a fresh voice to old ways, and as we listen to Darcy share her experiences and considered knowledge, we are reminded how we can all benefit by embracing the technology Rites of Passages, especially in times of stress.

Episode Summary

In this special episode of the How Humans Work Podcast, Juliet and Kelly Starrett from the The Ready State join the show to share all about their newest book: Built To Move!

With clear vision and simple practices, they provide a persuasive invitation to rethink our approach to a healthy life. Throughout the show they offer a powerful transmission about why it is most important that we move not just actively, but dynamically as well. If you’re not ready to give up on your body and want to live an active and fulfilling life, then this is the show for you!

Along the way we take a stroll down memory lane and Juliet and Kelly open-up about their formative 70’s childhood adventures from Bavaria, Germany to Boulder, Colorado. After these telling tales in their personal movement stories, we then end up waterside on rafting trip, going down the Grand Canyon with family and friends. It is here we get a compelling portrait of why being a mover is vital to a fully engaged life.

In all of their tales and anecdotes we come to see why being active throughout our lives in ways beyond prescribed exercise matters. It turns out that our basic lifestyle behaviors that keep us moving are essential to not just a longer life, but having a durable one as well.

There are few better positioned than The Starrett’s to guide us through the pitfalls and traps of the snazzy fads in Health and Fitness. Having worked with elite professional athletes all over the world and been exposed to the best tech options out there, the road they have chosen is not one of gimmicks. Instead, their path is one that supports ancestral health needs which are critical to our wellbeing. Expanding and practicing movement choice, as they suggest, can shift the arc of our lives is ways that make sense over time.

In a season dedicated to stress, Juliet and Kelly tell us the why and show us the how getting realigned with what our bodies need to be balanced and functional is a viable way forward. With their teachings we can modulate our harder stresses while stressing our bodies in the ways that benefit us.

About:

Juliet Starrett is an entrepreneur, attorney, author and podcaster. She is the former co-founder and CEO of San Francisco CrossFit, one of the first 50 CrossFit affiliates. She is the co-author Built to Move with her husband Kelly and of the Wall Street Journal Bestseller, Deskbound. She’s also the co-host of The Ready State Podcast. Before turning her attention to The Ready State and San Francisco CrossFit fulltime, Juliet was a professional whitewater paddler, winning three World Championships and five National Titles. She also had successful career as an attorney, practicing complex commercial litigation at Reed Smith for nearly eight years.

Kelly Starrett DPT: Kelly Starrett is coach, physical therapist, author, speaker, and co-founder of The Ready State.

Kelly’s clients include professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB. He also works with Olympic gold-medalists, Tour de France cyclists, world and national record holding Olympic Lifting and Power athletes, Crossfit Games medalists, ballet dancers, military personnel, and competitive age-division athletes.

Kelly is the author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers Becoming A Supple Leopard and Ready to Run. He is also co-author of the Wall Street Journal Bestseller Deskbound and Built to Move.

Episode Summary

Chase Jackson is a jazz vibraphonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator, and producer. He also just happens to be the beloved musical backbone for the How Humans Work Podcast. In Episode #29, Chase drops in for a lengthy exploration of how music and stress intersect. Fully saturated in the world of sound creation, we learn from this young master that sound, music and musicianship have much to teach. Indeed, they run parallel to other arts, sports and life endeavors when it comes to stress.

In LESSONS IN TENSION we don’t just come see the connection between sound, math, culture and feelings, we also come to see through Chase’s eyes how the musical modes of artistry relate to our lived experience. Whether that is with his electronic, nu-disco, funk band Wake the Wild, running a Jazz ensemble, or jamming on the vibraphones, we get a strong sense of how Chase’s musical path has given him abundant life lessons for him. We hear how music is not only a way to get ideas across but a way to deepen into the flowing sonic conversation and as importantly, to be alive in the moment.

Chase also offers us a deeper perspective on the nature of sound in human life. Wisely pointing out that our vocabulary of sounds and the reference points there in are richer and more complicated than they have ever been in human history. Our age is period of tremendous elaboration on this primal sense, and Chase Jackson is right up there when it comes to dedicating one’s life to the world of sound.

Beyond the realms of music making, we come to find how the unique path of being a jazz vibraphonist called for a broader life strategy to better position himself. The adaptive moves there and elsewhere in Chase’s journey are a remarkable example of how the inner-spirit can use stressful situations to propel one’s life forward with meaning and ingenuity. Chase also generously reflects on a substantial moment in the life of his band, as well as the experience he and I shared in the Stepping Stones Coming of Age program.

Episode #29 with Chase helps us to connect the dots to stress’ vital contribution to not just the world of sound, but to the sound of the world.

Episode Summary

Dossie Easton is a co-author of The Ethical Slut and four other books on sex, BDSM and relationships. As a pioneer in the world of polyamory she renders fascinating and mirthful accounts of her hard-earned wisdom on navigating the dynamics of non-traditional relationships, particularly with the ethics of “sluthood.” Dossie is also a psychotherapist in private practice and an accomplished poet.

Episode #28 of the How Humans Work Podcast w/Jef Szi jumps right in, as Dossie spontaneously recounts a key psychedelic experience from 1969. Her visions in this pivotal “trip” made clear that the path forward in life would be at least a five-year commitment to exploring her sexuality in a non-monogamous way.

As an Ethical Slut for more than 50 years since, Dossie has a wealth of experience and wisdom to share. We had a wide-ranging conversation across nearly two hours, delving into an array of lessons and issues which are connected to non-monogamy and polyamory. Specifically we talk about: the role of feminism in sexual liberation - the “discovery” of the clitoris in 1973 - ethical tales in “one night stands” - the community benefits that come with a village of lovers - the importance of language in talking about sex - the the self discovery found in sex and relationships - how to work with sexual jealousy - the ethical responsibilities that come with difference in sexual experience - aspects of navigating polyamory - dealing with transgressors effectively - why sexual freedom requires an absence of sexism - active and receptive roles in sexual relationships unbound by gender and much more.

This show is definitely one of most interesting and joyful conversations to date on the podcast. Dossie’s deep sincerity and amazing capacity to talk about matters of sex with courage and knowledge was an afternoon to be remembered. I hope you find it as thought provoking and meaningful as I did. Enjoy the show and let me know what you think.

Episode Summary

The vital and lucid Dr. Kelly Starrett from The Ready State (TRS) joins the How Humans Work Podcast for a rich and captivating conversation about Stress, Fitness, & Society.

In this wide-ranging episode, we get a strong feel for Kelly’s learned perspectives on a host of matters like movement, behavior change, human nature, misguided approaches to fitness, the promise of performance sport and more.

With an extensive background coaching elite athletes and armed service members, Kelly breaks down why the most basic dimensions of human life (breathing, walking, fermented foods, community, etc.) ought to warrant the bulk of our attention and interest when it comes to health. With humor and energy, Kelly shows us in numerous ways how ancestral health behaviors are actually the spine for a life with durability, fitness and vitality over the outright shiny and heroic displays of elite fitness achievements.

Along the way Kelly opens-up about his 13-day long episode of hiccups and how it was connected to an overload of pandemic stresses. He also shares how his forthcoming book, Built To Move, (co-authored with TRS cofounder Juliet Starrett) reflects a greater emphasis on everyday ancestral health behaviors. This nutrient packed episode also talks about pain, mobilization and so much more.

Buckle your seat-belts for this one, because with relentless anecdotes and expert precision, Dr. Starrett makes a powerful case about where we should set our sights when it comes to matters of How Humans Work- matters like Stress, Fitness and Society.

About Kelly Starrett DPT: Kelly Starrett is coach, physical therapist, author, and speaker. Along with his wife Juliet, Kelly is co-founder of The Ready State.

Kelly’s clients include professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB. He also works with Olympic gold-medalists, Tour de France cyclists, world and national record holding Olympic Lifting and Power athletes, Crossfit Games medalists, ballet dancers, military personnel, and competitive age-division athletes.

Kelly is the author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers Becoming A Supple Leopard and Ready to Run. He is also co-author (with Juliet) of the Wall Street Journal Bestseller Deskbound and forthcoming book (April 2023) Built to Move.

On top of co-founding The Ready State, Kelly and Juliet also started San Francisco CrossFit and StandUpKids together. Founded in 2005, San Francisco CrossFit was the 21st CrossFit affiliate in the world. And StandUpKids is a non-profit dedicated to combating kids’ sedentary lifestyles by bringing standing/moving desks to low-income public schools. To date, StandUpKids has converted 95,000 kids from sitting to standing.