Ketobiography

📣 What if the key to better elder care was already on your plate? Former Air Force pilot Hal Cranmer is transforming assisted living in Arizona by replacing processed food with ketogenic nutrition — and the results are rewriting what aging can look like.

📋 In this first episode of Ketobiography, Robyn Dobbins and Natalie Shamp sit down with Hal Cranmer, founder of A Paradise for Parents, who left the skies for a higher mission. Hal shares how four residential assisted living facilities in Arizona became the proving ground for a radically different approach to elder care — one built on ketogenic nutrition, resistance training, brain stimulation, and genuine human connection. From reversing dementia scores to helping a wheelchair-bound resident stand for the first time in 45 years, Hal's story is equal parts practical and inspiring.

🔑 What You'll Learn

• Why Hal left the airline industry and how a chance encounter with functional medicine changed his approach to food and health
• How ketogenic nutrition is helping residents reduce medications, regain mobility, and reverse early dementia markers
• What a full day looks like for residents in a keto-based assisted living environment, from meals to movement to brain games
• The real success stories behind A Paradise for Parents, including a resident who went from a dementia score of 15 to 26 in seven months
• Why the conventional elder care system resists nutritional intervention — and what families can do about it

💡 Key Insight

"Be a lifelong learner. Whatever you're interested in, research it with a passion — and don't think it's just classes. Every person I've ever met has been able to teach me something." — Hal Cranmer

🌐 Connect with Hal Cranmer

Website: https://aparadiseforparents.com 

X: https://x.com/HalCranmer 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/assistedlivinghalcranmer 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Paradise-for-Parents-Assisted-Living

📣 Additional Resources Mentioned

Mark Sisson / Mark's Daily Apple: https://www.marksdailyapple.com 

Dr. John Jaquish / Jaquish Biomedical: https://jaquishbiomedical.com 

Book — Weightlifting Is a Waste of Time: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1544511655 

Dr. Dale Bredesen / Apollo Health: https://www.apollohealthco.com/dr-bredesen/ 

Dr. Shawn Baker: https://www.youtube.com/@ShawnBakerMD 

Maria Emmerich: http://mariamindbodyhealth.com

⚕️ This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice; always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health decisions.

⏳ Chapters

00:47 Welcome to Ketobiography

01:57 Meet Hal Cranmer: From Air Force to Elder Care

05:32 Why Hal Left the Airline Industry

08:02 Starting A Paradise for Parents

10:47 Transforming Elder Care with Keto Nutrition

15:07 Keto's Impact on Dementia and Medication Use

18:52 Daily Life for Residents on a Keto Plan

23:17 Real Success Stories from Hal's Facilities

28:02 Resistance in the Traditional Elder Care System

33:27 Hal's Vision for the Future of Senior Living

37:37 Advice for Caregivers and Families

39:57 Hal's Final Thoughts: "Be a Lifelong Learner"

🎧 New episodes drop every Thursday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.

🌱 Know someone with a keto success story? Nominate them to be featured: [email protected]

🔗 Subscribe, follow, and leave a review — it helps more people find the show.

👥 Connect with Robyn:

https://www.robyndobbins.com

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

https://robynrdobbins.substack.com/

🎬 Robyn is featured in The Cholesterol Code – Watch it on YouTube or Amazon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally recorded live: March 1, 2025

Episode notes updated September 2026

📣 What does it actually take to manage Type 1 diabetes on a low-carb diet — and what happens when the insulin keeping you alive is threatened by a pharmaceutical company's business decision? Less of Me Success Stories sits down with Nayiri Mississian, a nutrition coach certified by the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners who has lived with Type 1 diabetes since age five.

📋 Nayiri Mississian has spent decades learning to manage her own blood sugars through low-carb eating, and now helps other Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics do the same through her business, Low Carb and Fasting. In this conversation she breaks down why Type 1 is an autoimmune disease that gets routinely misunderstood — even by the medical professionals treating it — why the standard advice to eat freely and cover it with insulin is doing serious harm, and why the quiet discontinuation of a critical insulin by a major pharmaceutical company has left the Type 1 community feeling betrayed. Host Robyn Dobbins and co-host Natalie Shamp talk with Nayiri about the biochemistry of blood sugar management, what low-carb actually changes for insulin-dependent diabetics, and the advocacy work being done to protect access to Levemir insulin.

🔑 What You'll Learn

• Why Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and how it differs from Type 2 at the cellular level
• Why telling insulin-dependent diabetics to eat freely and cover with insulin leads to dangerous blood sugar swings
• How a low-carb diet narrows the margin of error for Type 1 diabetics and reduces insulin requirements
• What the discontinuation of Levemir insulin means for children and pregnant women who depend on it
• Why patients are increasingly self-managing outside their medical team — and what needs to change

💡 Key Insight

"Do not fear diabetes. Embrace it and learn how to manage it." — Nayiri Mississian

🌐 Connect with Nayiri Mississian

Website: https://lowcarbandfasting.com

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

🌐 Connect with Your Hosts

Robyn Dobbins: https://robyndobbins.com/

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

Natalie Shamp: https://linktr.ee/norcalnat

📚 Resources Mentioned

Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners: https://thesmhp.org/

Alliance to Protect Insulin Choice (APIC): https://www.alliancetoprotectinsulinchoice.org

Levemir Insulin advocacy video: https://youtu.be/Dcyd5t5EzJg

Dr. Robert Cywes: https://www.youtube.com/@DrCywesCarbAddictionDoc

Jan Ellison Baszucki: https://x.com/janellison

Metabolic Mind: https://www.youtube.com/@metabolicmind

⚕️ This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice; always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health decisions.

⏳ Chapters

0:47 Welcome and show introduction

2:27 Introducing Nayiri Mississian

3:18 What Type 1 diabetes actually is — and why it's misunderstood

6:16 How insulin was discovered and why it changed everything

9:12 Glucagon, insulin balance, and what makes Type 1 management so complex

12:54 Why low-carb makes sense for Type 1 diabetics

18:18 How to use insulin properly — what patients aren't being told

19:57 The late diagnosis problem — LADA and adult-onset Type 1

24:55 Developing insulin resistance on top of Type 1

27:51 What happens when blood sugars roller-coaster — the real consequences

33:47 Why dietary ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis are completely different

40:20 The history of dietary advice for Type 1 — and how it changed in the 1980s

46:53 Clearing up the ketosis vs. ketoacidosis confusion

53:59 Major benefits of low-carb for Type 1 management

1:01:37 The Levemir insulin crisis — and the fight to protect insulin access

1:13:11 Final advice and closing

🎧 New episodes drop every Thursday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.

🌱 Know someone with a keto success story? Nominate them to be featured: [email protected]

🔗 Subscribe, follow, and leave a review — it helps more people find the show.

👥 Connect with Robyn:

https://www.robyndobbins.com

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

https://robynrdobbins.substack.com/

🎬 Robyn is featured in The Cholesterol Code – Watch it on YouTube or Amazon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally recorded live: April 13, 2025

Episode notes updated September 2026

📣 Scott King co-founded Less of Me Success Stories and was the very first guest on the show in December 2023. In Episode 36, he comes back one more time — not to share a health update, but to say goodbye, catch up with friends, and hand the torch forward.

📋 This is a different kind of episode. There is no dietary journey guest, no Q&A, and no prescribed format. What there is: Scott explaining why a new job and a full life pulled him away from podcasting, a surprise appearance from Episode 5 guest Tim Mallien who announces he is down nearly 90 pounds, a check-in from Robyn's husband Matt Dobbins on his recovery from knee surgery, and a brief cameo from Kurt Lepird — a friend of the show who has famously refused to be a guest. Host Robyn Dobbins closes the episode by thanking Scott for helping build something from nothing, and the episode ends with a preview of what comes next. If you want to hear Scott's original story and the episode that started it all, you can find Episode 1 here: https://youtube.com/live/7YG6lw2vyoY

🔑 What You'll Learn

• Why Scott stepped back from the podcast and what his life looks like now
• How Scott's 12-year-old daughter quietly adopted low-carb eating on her own terms and lost 35 pounds
• How Tim Mallien reached nearly 90 pounds lost in six months by staying consistent
• Why eating well while traveling for work is more possible than most people think
• What the founding vision of Less of Me Success Stories was — and why it still matters

💡 Key Insight

"Tell people your story. Tell people your journey. It'll eventually resonate with the people that need to hear it." — Scott King

🌐 Connect with Scott King

https://linktr.ee/lessofmewithnsng

🌐 Connect with Your Hosts

Robyn Dobbins: https://robyndobbins.com/

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

Natalie Shamp: https://linktr.ee/norcalnat

📚 Resources Mentioned

Tim Mallien on X: https://x.com/Fleeing400

Matt Dobbins on X: https://x.com/MattDobbins5

Kurt Lepird on X: https://x.com/TheBigPigWF

Anna Vocino: https://www.youtube.com/@AnnaVocino

Vinnie Tortorich NSNG: https://www.youtube.com/@VinnieTortorichNSNG

Less of Me Success Stories Episode 1 — Scott King's original story: https://youtube.com/live/7YG6lw2vyoY

⚕️ This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice; always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health decisions.

⏳ Chapters

0:47 Welcome and show introduction

1:40 Scott's update — a new job, new adventures, and stepping back

5:31 What Scott has planned next — gym, golf, and the triathlon goal

8:05 Surprise guests arrive — Tim Mallien, Matt Dobbins, and Kurt Lepird

17:51 Scott's daughter — 35 pounds down and finding her own way

23:12 Tim Mallien — nearly 90 pounds lost in six months

29:09 Matt Dobbins — knee surgery recovery and getting back to training

34:47 Building muscle, sarcopenia, and advice from Sean Baker

40:31 Closing thoughts — why sharing your story matters

44:31 Rebranding announcement — what comes after Less of Me Success Stories

🎧 New episodes drop every Thursday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.

🌱 Know someone with a keto success story? Nominate them to be featured: [email protected]

🔗 Subscribe, follow, and leave a review — it helps more people find the show.

👥 Connect with Robyn:

https://www.robyndobbins.com

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

https://robynrdobbins.substack.com/

🎬 Robyn is featured in The Cholesterol Code – Watch it on YouTube or Amazon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally recorded live: March 1, 2025

Episode notes updated: September 2026

📣 After 12 years cycling through psychiatric medications and worsening depressive episodes, optometrist Dr. Eric Rodgers found that a ketogenic diet did what no medication could. His story is featured alongside Robyn's in the upcoming documentary The Cholesterol Code.

📋 On this episode of Less of Me Success Stories, hosts Robyn Dobbins and Natalie Shamp talk with Dr. Eric Rodgers, an optometrist and lean mass hyperresponder whose journey through severe depression led him to the ketogenic diet after meeting Dr. Chris Palmer at a nutrition and mental health conference in 2017. Eric shares what it took to taper off antidepressants after over a decade of use, how he manages heart disease risk as a lean mass hyperresponder without traditional statins, and how he and Robyn both ended up featured in The Cholesterol Code documentary through a shared connection to Dave Feldman.

🔑 What You'll Learn

• How undiagnosed metabolic and mental health issues compounded over decades
• Why a chance conference in 2017 changed the course of Eric's health
• What it took to safely taper off psychiatric medication after 12 years
• How lean mass hyperresponders manage heart disease risk outside of statins
• Why personal stories, not just research papers, are what actually change minds

💡 Key Insight

"Every day is a new day to do better." — Dr. Eric Rodgers

🌐 Connect with Dr. Eric Rodgers

X: https://x.com/DrEricRodgers

THINK+SMART Profile: https://thinksmart.metabolicmind.org/profile/eric-rodgers

🌐 Connect with Your Hosts

Robyn Dobbins: https://robyndobbins.com/

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

Natalie Shamp: https://linktr.ee/norcalnat

📚 Resources Mentioned

CoSci: https://cosci.org

The Cholesterol Code Documentary: https://cholesterolcodemovie.com

Dr. Chris Palmer: https://www.chrispalmermd.com

Dr. Georgia Ede: https://www.diagnosisdiet.com

Jan Ellison Baszucki: https://x.com/janellison

Metabolic Mind: https://www.metabolicmind.org

Dr. Tro Kalayjian: https://x.com/DoctorTro

Dave Feldman: https://x.com/realDaveFeldman

Jen Isenhart (Fat Fiction): https://x.com/wideeyeproductions

Dr. Eric Westman: https://ericwestmanmd.com

Amy Berger: https://www.youtube.com/@amyberger-ketowithoutthecrazy

Keto Brick: https://www.ketobrick.com/

Siobhan Huggins: https://x.com/siobhan_huggins

Amber O'Hearn: https://www.mostly-fat.com

HLTH Code: https://gethlth.com/

Dr. Nick Norwitz: https://x.com/nicknorwitzPhD

Dr. Andrew Huberman: https://x.com/hubermanlab

⚕️ This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice; always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health decisions.

⏳ Chapters

0:47 Show introduction and guest welcome

2:50 Eric's story begins: overweight since childhood

5:18 Early anxiety and insomnia in childhood

7:03 Building a practice, marriage, and rising stress

7:46 First antidepressant makes things worse

8:32 Twelve years of worsening depressive episodes

9:46 Suicidal thoughts intensify in 2015

10:26 A lightbulb moment walking the dog in the snow

11:56 Discovering low-carb eating

12:29 A chance conference leads to Dr. Chris Palmer

14:42 Tapering off antidepressants

18:44 Discovering heart disease as a lean mass hyperresponder

20:22 Statin side effects and switching to Zetia

36:52 Getting the call to join The Cholesterol Code documentary

1:04:34 Final advice for starting a low-carb journey

🎧 New episodes drop every Thursday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.

🌱 Know someone with a keto success story? Nominate them to be featured: [email protected]

🔗 Subscribe, follow, and leave a review — it helps more people find the show.

👥 Connect with Robyn:

https://www.robyndobbins.com

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

https://robynrdobbins.substack.com/

🎬 Robyn is featured in The Cholesterol Code – Watch it on YouTube or Amazon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally recorded live: March 21, 2025

Episode notes updated September 2026

📣 What does it look like to manage your own food addiction and emotional eating while also feeding a medically fragile child who depends entirely on you for every meal? Less of Me Success Stories sits down with Josh Gaston, a whole-food, low-carb advocate who has been eating this way for 15 years — and whose daughter's rare neurological disease led their entire family to the ketogenic diet.

📋 Josh Gaston didn't arrive at his way of eating all at once. It started with a copy of The Primal Blueprint spotted in a bookstore, then evolved over years of simplifying, cutting out substitutes, and learning to read his own body. Along the way, his daughter Haley was diagnosed with leukodystrophy — a rare, progressive brain disease — and eventually developed a seizure disorder that put her on a therapeutic ketogenic diet as well. Host Robyn Dobbins and co-host Natalie Shamp talk with Josh about what it actually takes to stay consistent when life is hard, why accountability matters even after 15 years, and how gratitude keeps showing up as his default setting.

🔑 What You'll Learn

• How Josh went from 315 pounds and size 44 pants to a sustainable whole-food lifestyle over 15 years
• Why he stopped chasing substitute foods and what changed when he did
• How his daughter's leukodystrophy diagnosis led the whole family to a ketogenic approach
• What oatmeal raisin cookies taught him about accountability and honesty in a health community
• Why patience and persistence matter more than perfection on any health journey

💡 Key Insight

"We did not get to where we are — good or bad — overnight. Be patient, and embrace that journey." — Josh Gaston

🌐 Connect with Josh Gaston

X: https://x.com/TheJoshGaston

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoshGaston

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejoshgaston/

🌐 Connect with Your Hosts

Robyn Dobbins: https://robyndobbins.com/ | https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

Natalie Shamp: https://linktr.ee/norcalnat

📚 Resources Mentioned

Mark Sisson, Primal Blueprint: https://www.primalkitchen.com

Charlie Foundation (ketogenic diet for epilepsy): https://charliefoundation.org/

Hunter's Hope (leukodystrophy foundation): https://www.huntershope.org/

Make-A-Wish Foundation: https://wish.org/

Ronald McDonald House: https://www.rmhc.org

⚕️ This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice; always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health decisions.

⏳ Chapters

0:47 Welcome and show introduction

1:48 Introducing Josh Gaston

3:25 A lifelong relationship with weight and food

5:54 College basketball, calorie restriction, and the first real weight loss

8:49 Marriage, McDonald's, and the weight creeping back

11:55 Two moments that changed everything

14:24 Discovering The Primal Blueprint

19:06 How Josh eats now — keeping it simple

26:44 Haley's story — a rare neurological disease

31:50 The ketogenic diet and Haley's seizure disorder

34:43 What the diet has done for her

39:36 Questions from the group

51:12 Handling temptation — including the oatmeal cookies

59:48 The role of accountability and community

1:07:03 Hunter's Hope and organizations worth supporting

1:11:10 Final advice and closing

🎧 New episodes drop every Thursday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.

🌱 Know someone with a keto success story? Nominate them to be featured: [email protected]

🔗 Subscribe, follow, and leave a review — it helps more people find the show.

👥 Connect with Robyn:

https://www.robyndobbins.com

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

https://robynrdobbins.substack.com/

🎬 Robyn is featured in The Cholesterol Code – Watch it on YouTube or Amazon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally recorded live: April 17, 2025

Episode notes updated September 2026

📣 What does it look like to go from 11 medications, a cane, and barely making it up a staircase to doing backflips on a trampoline at 73? Less of Me Success Stories sits down with retired Lieutenant Colonel Les Lyons, who lost 55 pounds, eliminated nearly every medication, and rebuilt his body, mind, and spirit through carnivore eating, intentional sleep, and a refusal to accept that decline is inevitable.

📋 Les Lyons spent years as a corporate executive entertaining clients over carb-heavy dinners and drinks, and watched his health quietly fall apart. By the time he was 70, he was overweight, on 11 medications, using a cane for his knees, and being told by doctors that none of it was fixable. He decided to find his own answers. What followed was a full reinvention — carnivore diet, strength training, yoga, sprint intervals, and a growing mission to bring this message to people who have never heard it. Host Robyn Dobbins and co-host Natalie Shamp talk with Les about how he did it, what he wishes doctors would say instead, and why he believes the best way to reach people is to go find them where they are.

🔑 What You'll Learn

• How Les dropped 55 pounds and eliminated 10 of 11 medications in under a year through carnivore eating
• Why he stopped treating doctors as authorities and started treating them as advisors on his personal health team
• How eat, sleep, and move became the three pillars he now teaches to others
• What he learned about protein-to-fat ratios after hitting a plateau — and how butter and pork rinds solved it
• Why he founded Living on Love Outreach and what it means to take this message outside the low-carb community

💡 Key Insight

"Don't quit. That's it." — Les Lyons

🌐 Connect with Les Lyons

Website: https://www.kickingassafter70.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickingAssAfter70

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KickingAssAfter70

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kickingassafter70/

X: https://x.com/KickingAssAfter70

🌐 Connect with Your Hosts

Robyn Dobbins: https://robyndobbins.com/

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

Natalie Shamp: https://linktr.ee/norcalnat

📚 Resources Mentioned

Dr. Ken Berry: https://www.drberry.com/

Dr. Ken Berry YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KenDBerryMD

Dr. Sean O'Mara: https://drseanomara.com/

Stephen R. Covey books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Stephen-R.-Covey/author/B000AQ2VAQ

Dr. Annette Bosworth: https://bozmd.com

⚕️ This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice; always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health decisions.

⏳ Chapters

0:47 Welcome and show introduction

1:22 This is the last live episode — what's changing

3:52 Introducing Les Lyons

6:14 From fat and lethargic to kicking ass after 70

8:49 Eleven medications and doctors with no answers

11:35 A friend named Mark and the carnivore turning point

14:33 Eight months, 55 pounds, and a new wardrobe

16:55 Confronting doctors — and building a medical team on his terms

23:05 Body, mind, and spirit — the Venn diagram approach

26:24 Eat, sleep, move — the three pillars

29:01 Website, mission, and reinventing at 73

34:50 Living on Love Outreach — LOLO

40:20 Practical first steps for getting started

48:29 The Rudder's Rangers forced march at 73

53:53 Reaching people outside the low-carb community

59:34 How the diet evolved — Paleo to carnivore, plateaus and fasting

1:10:59 Final advice and closing

🎧 New episodes drop every Thursday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.

🌱 Know someone with a keto success story? Nominate them to be featured: [email protected]

🔗 Subscribe, follow, and leave a review — it helps more people find the show.

👥 Connect with Robyn:

https://www.robyndobbins.com

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

https://robynrdobbins.substack.com/

🎬 Robyn is featured in The Cholesterol Code – Watch it on YouTube or Amazon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally recorded live: March 13, 2025

Episode notes updated: September 2026

📣 At 16, Eddie Goeke's body began shutting down with unexplained pain, panic attacks, and symptoms that stumped every doctor he saw. Years later, he found answers in a rare connective tissue disorder — and rebuilt his life around treating it.

📋 On this episode of Less of Me Success Stories, hosts Robyn Dobbins and Natalie Shamp sit down with author and content creator Eddie Goeke, who spent years searching for a diagnosis before being identified with cranio-cervical instability (CCI) and hypermobile EDS. Eddie shares how he moved through multiple dietary approaches — from lectin-free to Paleo to carnivore — before finding the structural root of his condition, why he wrote his book "Contraindicated," and what led him to start his YouTube channel critiquing health influencers.

🔑 What You'll Learn

• How undiagnosed cranio-cervical instability can mimic anxiety, heart problems, and acid reflux
• Why Eddie's symptoms kept worsening despite years of dietary changes
• What prolotherapy and PRP treatment for ligament instability actually involves
• How Eddie's diet evolved from lectin-free to carnivore
• Why Eddie built a business and YouTube channel around his own recovery

💡 Key Insight

"I will make a full recovery. This is something that is able to be treated." — Eddie Goeke

🌐 Connect with Eddie Goeke

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@e.goeke_

X: https://x.com/GoekeEddie

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.goeke_

Book: https://a.co/d/47sB0B9

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/eddiegoeke

Calendly: https://calendly.com/edgoeke14

Cerule: https://www.cerule.com/egoeke

🌐 Connect with Your Hosts

Robyn Dobbins: https://robyndobbins.com/

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

Natalie Shamp: https://linktr.ee/norcalnat

📚 Resources Mentioned

Crossfit Impulse, "Why Grains Are Killing You": https://crossfitimpulse.com/2011/10/06/why-grains-are-killing-you/

Whole30: https://whole30.com/

Dr. Gundry: https://gundrymd.com/

Caring Medical Florida: https://caringmedical.com

Dave Asprey: https://daveasprey.com

Dr. Paul Saladino (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/paulsaladinomd

Professor Bart Kay: https://youtu.be/9Cl-uryaBYo

https://youtu.be/ktGk_nqooGY

⚕️ This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice; always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health decisions.

⏳ Chapters

0:47 Show introduction and guest welcome

1:47 Meet Eddie Goeke and his story begins

3:16 Symptoms begin at age 16

8:48 Failed diagnoses and medication trials

12:24 Being told it was all in his head

16:03 Lockdown worsens his condition

20:39 Health crisis and vision loss episode

22:53 Discovering lectins and early diet changes

36:52 Discovering cranio-cervical instability

42:35 Diagnostic testing in Florida

44:50 Starting prolotherapy and PRP treatment

54:53 Shifting toward carnivore through Bart Kay

1:07:54 Writing the book Contraindicated

1:13:12 Launching his YouTube channel

1:17:37 Treatment details, insurance, and prognosis

🎧 New episodes drop every Thursday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.

🌱 Know someone with a keto success story? Nominate them to be featured: [email protected]

🔗 Subscribe, follow, and leave a review — it helps more people find the show.

👥 Connect with Robyn:

https://www.robyndobbins.com

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

https://robynrdobbins.substack.com/

🎬 Robyn is featured in The Cholesterol Code – Watch it on YouTube or Amazon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally recorded live: February 27, 2025

Episode notes updated: September 2026

📣 After decades on the standard American diet left him nearly 45 pounds overweight, in chronic pain, and facing a likely type 2 diabetes diagnosis, Cary Kelly found keto — and never looked back. Today he's a butcher, cookbook author, and one of the most followed voices in the carnivore space on X.

📋 On this episode of Less of Me Success Stories, hosts Robyn Dobbins and Natalie Shamp talk with Cary Kelly, author of the cookbook Carnicopia, about his journey from chronic fatigue and depression to nearly running 1,000 miles in a year and building a following of tens of thousands on X. Cary shares how a chance conversation with a stranger named Todd introduced him to keto, how his diet evolved toward 95% carnivore, and how he went from 28 years in restaurants to working as an apprentice butcher.

🔑 What You'll Learn

• How undiagnosed metabolic dysfunction led to weight gain, depression, and chronic pain
• Why a chance conversation with a stranger changed the course of Cary's health
• How his diet evolved from keto to 95% carnivore over time
• What led him to leave the restaurant industry and train as a butcher
• How he built a following on X and turned it into a published cookbook

💡 Key Insight

"You can change your life very easily by changing the food you put in your body." — Cary Kelly

🌐 Connect with Cary Kelly

https://linktr.ee/carykelly11

Carnicopia Cookbook: https://a.co/d/coFntZY

🌐 Connect with Your Hosts

Robyn Dobbins: https://robyndobbins.com/

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

Natalie Shamp: https://linktr.ee/norcalnat

📚 Resources Mentioned

Nina Teicholz: https://ninateicholz.com

Jason Fung: https://www.doctorjasonfung.com

Shawn Baker: https://www.youtube.com/@ShawnBakerMD

Victorinox Knives: https://www.victorinox.com/en-US/

⚕️ This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice; always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health decisions.

⏳ Chapters

0:47 Show introduction and guest welcome

1:48 Meet Cary Kelly and his health struggles begin

3:16 From thin to over 200 pounds by age 48

6:55 Meeting Todd and hearing about keto

7:50 A health scare leads to change

8:36 Starting keto with bacon and eggs

9:49 Building a following on X

12:59 Evolving from keto to 95% carnivore

20:01 Followers push Cary to write a cookbook

22:21 28 years in restaurants and learning to cook

24:49 Connecting with Nina Teicholz

26:06 Distrust of the medical system

28:07 Running marathons for his mother

31:48 Becoming an apprentice butcher

44:51 Favorite quotes: don't blame the candles, blame the cake

1:06:41 Where to find Cary and his cookbook

🎧 New episodes drop every Thursday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.

🌱 Know someone with a keto success story? Nominate them to be featured: [email protected]

🔗 Subscribe, follow, and leave a review — it helps more people find the show.

👥 Connect with Robyn:

https://www.robyndobbins.com

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

https://robynrdobbins.substack.com/

🎬 Robyn is featured in The Cholesterol Code – Watch it on YouTube or Amazon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally recorded live: February 13, 2025

Episode notes updated: September 2026

📣 After gallbladder removal surgery left him told he'd never eat normally again, Chris Shaffer gained even more weight following doctor's orders — until he found a low-carb, high-fat lifestyle that changed everything. Now a key figure behind Vinnie Tortorich's NSNG brands, he's living proof that "never again" doesn't have to be true.

📋 On this episode of Less of Me Success Stories, hosts Robyn Dobbins and Natalie Shamp talk with Chris Shaffer, a key organizer behind Vinnie Tortorich's No Sugar No Grains (NSNG) business ventures and regular Wednesday co-host of the Fitness Confidential podcast. Chris shares how gallbladder removal at 21 led to a decade of following bad dietary advice, how he lost roughly 100 pounds after discovering low-carb eating, and how a chance email led him from freelance marketing work into running NSNG's business operations. He also talks about life as an American expat in Colombia and how food culture there compares to the standard American diet.

🔑 What You'll Learn

• How gallbladder removal without dietary changes led to major weight gain
• Why low-carb, high-fat eating worked even without a gallbladder
• How discovering celiac and gluten reactions changed his understanding of his own health
• How a single cold email led to a career running NSNG's business operations
• How Colombian food culture compares to the standard American diet

💡 Key Insight

"Pick one thing and do it, religiously." — Chris Shaffer

🌐 Connect with Chris Shaffer

X: https://x.com/NSNGChris

Email: [email protected]

🌐 Connect with Your Hosts

Robyn Dobbins: https://robyndobbins.com/

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

Natalie Shamp: https://linktr.ee/norcalnat

📚 Resources Mentioned

Vinnie Tortorich NSNG: https://vinnietortorich.com/

Abel James: https://fatburningman.com/

Pure Vitamin Club: https://purevitaminclub.com

Pure Coffee Club: https://purecoffeeclub.com

NSNG Foods: https://nsngfoods.com

⚕️ This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice; always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health decisions.

⏳ Chapters

0:47 Show introduction and guest welcome

2:39 Blacking out and gallbladder diagnosis

5:33 Gaining weight after gallbladder surgery

6:34 Trying vegan and pescatarian diets

6:59 Discovering keto and adapting without a gallbladder

8:27 Losing 100 pounds over three years

10:46 Learning through documentaries and podcasts

12:59 Meeting Vinnie Tortorich

16:14 Career path from Pennsylvania to Facebook ads

20:39 Moving abroad and settling in Colombia

22:48 Life without a gallbladder day to day

27:56 Discovering food allergies and energy changes

31:43 Comparing US and Colombian diets and health

42:44 Fiancée's own dietary transition

1:13:25 Final advice for starting a health journey

🎧 New episodes drop every Thursday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.

🌱 Know someone with a keto success story? Nominate them to be featured: [email protected]

🔗 Subscribe, follow, and leave a review — it helps more people find the show.

👥 Connect with Robyn:

https://www.robyndobbins.com

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

https://robynrdobbins.substack.com/

🎬 Robyn is featured in The Cholesterol Code – Watch it on YouTube or Amazon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally recorded live: January 30, 2025

Episode notes updated: September 2026

📣 UPS driver by day, Spartan Beast racer by choice, Ken Lesnansky found low-carb eating after searching for a way to help his son manage a genetic health condition — and ended up transforming his own life and dozens of others along the way. This is Less of Me Success Stories.

📋 On this episode, hosts Robyn Dobbins and Natalie Shamp talk with Ken Lesnansky, a UPS driver and Spartan Race athlete who found NSNG (No Sugar No Grains) eating after his son was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called FAP. Ken shares how discovering Abel James and later Vinnie Tortorich led him to lose significant weight and reshape his health, how his physically demanding job doubles as his training, and the ripple effect his own transformation has had on customers and family members who've quietly followed his lead. He also opens up about raising eight kids across three marriages, and how "doing hard things" has become his personal philosophy for pushing past mental and physical limits.

🔑 What You'll Learn

• How a family genetic diagnosis led Ken to discover low-carb eating
• Why his physically demanding UPS job doubles as elite training
• How quietly influencing others (without preaching) helped several people lose massive amounts of weight
• What Spartan Race distances and obstacles actually involve
• Why "doing hard things" builds resilience for life's uncontrollable moments

💡 Key Insight

"You do hard stuff so that you can cope with the stuff that you have no control over." — Ken Lesnansky

🌐 Connect with Ken Lesnansky

X: https://x.com/KLesnansky

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beasts_of_the_beast/

🌐 Connect with Your Hosts

Robyn Dobbins: https://robyndobbins.com/

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

Natalie Shamp: https://linktr.ee/norcalnat

📚 Resources Mentioned

Vinnie Tortorich NSNG: https://vinnietortorich.com/

Abel James: https://fatburningman.com/

Anna Vocino: https://annavocino.com/

Spartan Race: https://www.spartan.com/

Ultra Salt: https://purevitaminclub.com

Ultra Fat: https://nsngfoods.com

⚕️ This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice; always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health decisions.

⏳ Chapters

0:47 Show introduction and guest welcome

3:10 Ken's son diagnosed with FAP

6:34 Discovering Abel James and losing 80 pounds

7:28 Ken's large blended family

17:40 UPS career and life on the road

21:43 What Abel James taught him about fat

23:19 Finding NSNG and Vinnie Tortorich

26:06 Quietly influencing customers to change their health

33:47 Encouraging others without pushing

37:52 How Ken got into Spartan racing

42:51 Helping a struggling racer finish a course

43:42 Explaining Spartan Race distances and obstacles

51:45 How his job doubles as his training

1:06:08 Final advice for starting a health journey

🎧 New episodes drop every Thursday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.

🌱 Know someone with a keto success story? Nominate them to be featured: [email protected]

🔗 Subscribe, follow, and leave a review — it helps more people find the show.

👥 Connect with Robyn:

https://www.robyndobbins.com

https://linktr.ee/robyn.r.dobbins

https://robynrdobbins.substack.com/

🎬 Robyn is featured in The Cholesterol Code – Watch it on YouTube or Amazon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.