Laura Hof Podcast

Featured Guest: Jairek Robbins

Website: ⁠https://jairekrobbins.com/⁠

In a world driven by ambition, the quest for more can often overshadow what truly matters. Jairek Robbins shares insights on finding balance, contentment, and the importance of relationships in our lives.

Jairek Robbins is a World-renowned performance coach and Founder of Executive Office AI . Jairek has created world's top performance coaches for life & business. His coaching and training have reached 133+ countries, millions of people, and thousands of businesses, but his true accomplishment is a fulfilled private life.

This conversation explores how success changes when you stop chasing more and start asking what you’re giving back. Laura speaks with Jairek about purpose, family, long-term thinking, and why the real work is learning to live with enough. They also discuss practical ways to reclaim time and energy, including business systems, AI workflows, and wellness habits like breathwork, cold plunges, and sauna use.

Key topics

• Jarek says his highest priority is being a world-class husband and dad, with “Safari Guide” as his joking second choice.
• The conversation opens with his life in South Africa, where he and his family spend months each year on land in a wildlife conservation area.
• He explains the “hungry ghost syndrome” of always wanting more, and how success can become a treadmill.
• Laura and Jairek discuss the idea of “enough,” including the story of the Goose Farmer as a symbol of someone who climbed high and then chose a simpler life.
• Jairek shares an insight from Jim Carrey: fame and wealth aren’t the point; meaningful connection with others can be.
• The episode centers on the “second mountain” idea from David Brooks’ Finding Your Second Mountain: the first mountain is about getting, while the second is about giving.
• Jairek uses Mount Everest as a metaphor for achievement: you visit the summit, you don’t live there, and eventually you come back down and choose a new direction.
• He describes how a Sherpa can find purpose in helping others reach the summit.
• Laura and Jairek discuss inner peace, the difficulty of facing yourself, and how silence or a Vipassana retreat can be challenging but transformative.
• Jairek tells a story about seeing Ozzy Osbourne express gratitude to his audience, contrasting humility with ego.
• He shares how he developed Executive Office AI to make his business frameworks and workflows more accessible.
• He hopes AI workflows can reduce repetitive work and give business owners more time for family and life outside work.
• Jairek describes his wellness routine and calls breathwork a practical tool that’s available anywhere.
• The conversation closes with a rapid-fire round on decisions, habits, motivation, and intuition.

Featured guest: Dr. Stasha Gominak

Website: https://drgominak.com

Dr. Stasha Gominak on Sleep, Vitamin D & Women’s Health.

What if sleep, pregnancy, and women’s health are more connected to sunlight and the microbiome than we’ve been led to believe?

In this thought-provoking episode, Laura welcomes Dr. Stasha Gominak, a neurologist of 30 years who became a sleep expert. Drawing on her clinical experience, Dr. Gominak shares a perspective on the body as an interconnected ecosystem—and challenges listeners to stay curious about what conventional explanations may be missing.

Topics include:

• Dr. Gominak’s journey from neurology to sleep health
• How sleep, anxiety, and headaches may be connected
• Vitamin D, the microbiome, and the body’s wider ecosystem
• Pregnancy, postpartum depression, fertility, and menopause
• Why personalized care and listening to your body matter
• How nature, sunlight, and everyday rhythms fit into the conversation
• A rapid-fire round on sleep habits, supplements, and common health claims

Whether you’re interested in sleep, women’s health, or a broader view of how the body works, this conversation invites you to question assumptions and keep learning.

Featured Guest: Professor and Dr. Marc Cohen

More on Marc: https://www.drmarc.co

The Science of Water.

It covers most of our planet, makes up most of our body, and every living thing depends on it. Yet how much do we really understand about it? We're diving deep into the science of water: what we drink, how we bathe in it, how heat and cold change us, and why water may be far more alive than we think.

In this episode we cover:

• Unveiling the Magic and Mystery of Water
• Exploring Water's Miraculous Nature and 60+ Anomalies
• Understanding Intelligent Gel and Structured Water
• Metabolic Water, Food Hydration, and Water's Information Capacity
• The Dangers of Contaminated Tap Water and Chlorine Exposure
• Filtering, Structuring, and Blessing Your Water Sources
• The Role of Minerals, Vortexes, and Water Structuring

Bio: Professor Marc Cohen, known as Dr Marc, is a medical doctor, university professor and wellness trailblazer with more than 30 years of practice and research in holistic health. In 2002 he became Australia's first Professor of Complementary Medicine and Head of the Department of Complementary Medicine at RMIT University. He holds degrees in western medicine, physiology and psychological medicine, along with PhDs in Chinese medicine and electrical and computer systems engineering, and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Guest: John Chavez, founder of DMT Quest

DMT Quest Documentaries

Wim Hof Method Brainwave Study

What if DMT is not just a trip molecule, but something your brain makes all the time to shape mood, creativity, and even how you handle stress?

John Chavez, founder of DMT Quest, breaks down the newest science on endogenous DMT, the “spirit molecule,” and why altered states may hold clues to human potential and serious disease.

Laura Hof and John go deep on what DMT actually is, why it’s being found throughout the brain, and what that could mean for everyday waking reality.

John explains the difference between DMT and 5-MeO-DMT, why ayahuasca and endogenous “ayahuasca” matter, and how breathwork, cold exposure, meditation, and even fasting may influence these states.

He also shares the latest findings from his work with Wim Hof, including research showing significant shifts in gamma brainwaves, which are often associated with insight and neuroplasticity.

You’ll hear why DMT Quest is aiming at something more practical than psychedelic mystique: understanding whether these methods can help with depression, addiction, and neurodegenerative disease. John discusses the potential links between breath, cerebral fluid dynamics, glymphatic clearance, and Alzheimer’s research — and why the field needs to move from speculation to measurable results.

Known globally as "The Iceman," Wim Hof is a Dutch extreme athlete, author, and pioneer who has redefined the boundaries of human potential. Holder of more than 20 Guinness World Records—from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts to running an Arctic half-marathon barefoot—Wim first captivated the world with his extraordinary ability to withstand extreme cold.

Beyond the records, Wim revolutionized modern wellness by proving to the scientific community that humans can consciously influence the autonomic nervous system and immune response. Through the world-renowned Wim Hof Method (WHM)—a fusion of specialized breathing protocols, deliberate cold exposure, and mindset training—he has empowered millions to take control of their own physical and mental well-being.

In this special episode, I sit down with my father to have a raw conversation and explore the heart behind the science. Wim shares his personal journey and articulates his ultimate mission: driving a global Healthspan Revolution.

For more information about the wim hof method:

www.wimhofmethod.com

Charisma isn't something you're born with. It's a set of behaviours — and every one of them can be trained.

Olivia Fox Cabane has spent her career proving it. As the author of The Charisma Myth, she has taught executives, founders and self-described hopeless cases the mechanics behind presence, power and warmth — the three ingredients that decide how a room responds to you.

In this conversation we take the myth apart. Olivia explains why charisma works from the inside out and can't be faked, and walks through the four charisma styles — focus, visionary, kindness and authority — and why the one that actually fits you may be nothing like the one you've been trying to imitate. That, more than anything, is why so many people conclude they don't have it. They've been practising somebody else's.

We also get practical: the exercises you can start this week, what really happens in the two seconds of silence before you answer, and the 60-second reset for walking into something that frightens you.

And we go where the book doesn't — what happens when a woman brings strong charisma into a room, and why the same presence that reads as authority in a man can get her called difficult.

If you've ever decided charisma just isn't one of your gifts, this episode is the case that nobody ever taught it to you.

Guest: Olivia Fox Cabane, author of The Charisma Myth.
Host: Laura Hof — laurahofalchemy.com

Get the book Charisma Myth here

Sleep is not just rest—it’s the difference between a brain that repairs itself and one that quietly breaks down.

In this episode Dr. Jemma King reveals the science most people miss, from the exact coffee cutoff that protects sleep to the surprising reason alcohol, late-night sugar, and even your bedtime routine can make or break tomorrow’s performance.

In this conversation, Dr. Jemma King—a stress researcher at the University of Queensland and author of Sleep First—turns complex sleep science into practical, usable guidance.

She explains why the first hours of the night matter so much, how deep slow-wave sleep acts like a “dishwasher” for the brain, and why REM is more than dreaming—it’s emotional filing, fear processing, and mental cleanup.You’ll discover:

• Why caffeine is a sleepy-signal blocker, not an energy source
• The hidden role of slow metabolizers, menopause, pregnancy, and the pill
• Why sugar before bed can steal 27 minutes of sleep
• The truth about melatonin, valerian, magnesium glycinate, and other supplements
• How to use naps without wrecking your night
• Why waking at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. is more normal than you think
• The best pre-sleep routine for high-pressure days like interviews, travel, or big meetings

Jemma also breaks down her research on the Wim Hof Method, stress resilience, and why cold exposure may improve courage, psychological safety, and cognitive speed, even when it doesn’t improve sleep directly.

If you’ve ever wondered why you can “get eight hours” and still feel terrible, this episode will change how you think about sleep, recovery, and the way your brain works overnight.

Perfect for anyone who wants better sleep, sharper mornings, and a real-world plan for feeling calmer, healthier, and more resilient.

⁠Get Dr. Jemma King's book SLEEP First on Amazon.⁠

In this episode we explore how to extend your healthspan and reverse your biological age by mastering hormetic stress through deliberate cold exposure and breathwork. We will dive into the science of how these natural stressors trigger cellular cleanup, optimize your metabolic health, and empower your nervous system to build resilience against chronic aging.

• 🎙️ Subscribe & Review: If this episode resonated with you, please rate the show 5 stars on Spotify and share it on your Instagram Stories!

• 💬 Connect with Us: Follow on Instagram @laura_hof_alchemy for somatic health hacks and female longevity science.

• 📄 Free Resource: Get the ⁠⁠⁠Free Cold Exposure Guide

Depression and anxiety rates have climbed for two decades. This episode is about science and mechanisms of how breathwork and cold exposure can help.

What's in the episode:

• The rise in depression and anxiety worldwide, post-COVID — US rates, the WHO's 25% rise in European young people, who's most affected
• Future stressors: AI, job insecurity, loss of purpose
• Mind-body connection — why "mind over matter" is the wrong frame
• My family and our own experience with depression
• What the protocol is: breathing rounds, the pause, cold exposure — and "the best cold is the one you'll actually do"
• Genetics vs environment; stress signatures travelling three generations
• Trigger sensitivity — amygdala, hippocampus, cortisol staying high
• Sympathetic vs parasympathetic; why inflammation doesn't get cleared
• The ice bath as deliberate trigger training — "life is full of ice baths"
• Blades/Epel: 84 women, and the rumination finding
• The second Epel trial: WHM vs mindfulness vs HIIT, and what held at three months
• Marko 2017: 3,200 practitioners surveyed
• Brain Over Body 2018: the PAG switching on
• Muzik 2023: CB1 receptors, and the four regions
• The endocannabinoid–immune link, microglia as gardeners or warriors
• Neurochemistry: noradrenaline, dopamine, endorphins
• Self-efficacy, empowerment, beating the inner saboteur

Studies referenced: Blades et al. 2024 (UCSF); Muzik et al. 2018, 2023; Marko 2017 survey.

If you're struggling or having thoughts of ending your life, please speak to your doctor or a crisis line today. Nothing in this episode is a treatment and it does not replace proper care.

• 🎙️ Subscribe & Review: If this episode resonated with you, please rate the show 5 stars on Spotify and share it on your Instagram Stories!

• 💬 Connect with Us: Follow on Instagram @laura_hof_alchemy for somatic health hacks and female longevity science.

• 📄 Free Resource: Get the ⁠⁠Free Cold Exposure Guide

Should Women not do any Cold Exposure?

Should Women do Ice Baths?

Should women not go below 15°C with Cold Expsoure?

These questions and more will be answered in this episode.

Women are told they're too sensitive for the ice bath — that it'll disrupt the cycle, blunt the thyroid, spike cortisol, and that they shouldn't go below 15°C.

We trace that advice back to its sources and finds three studies that never put a woman in cold water at all.

In this episode:

• Why women feel colder — the 2.8°C hand gap, nerve density, TRPM8, white fat
• The shivering threshold, measured: 11.3°C for women, 9.6°C for men
• Where the "15°C rule" actually came from — and what those studies really tested
• Where Experts are right: cortisol, over-doing it, and why more isn't better
• How women adapt: brown fat, glucose uptake, a calmer nervous system

• The Haenyeo divers of Jeju, and adaptation written into DNA
• The survey: stress, sleep, mood and PMS by ice bath frequency
• Menopause — and why you don't need the plunge for hot flashes
• Interoceptive focus: how the cold teaches you to feel what you need

Studies mentioned: Journal of Thermal Biology (2018); Physiology & Behavior (2015); Dutch thermal comfort study (2015); cold-water swimming cohort, 1,114 women; 12-week female cold exposure trial; Haenyeo gene variant research; brown fat protocols (Nature); recovery guidance (Cleveland Clinic); cold-shock research (University of Portsmouth); WHM 478 Survey into Women doing the WHM and doing Cold Exposure

A note on the data: the survey is self-reported, and the women chose their own dose — those who tried ice baths and disliked them mostly stopped, so they're underrepresented. It isn't proof that colder is better for everyone. It does counter the claim that frequent cold is harming these women.

"Feeling is understanding. That feeling — that is the understanding that should be your protocol."

• 🎙️ Subscribe & Review: If this episode resonated with you, please rate the show 5 stars on Spotify and share it on your Instagram Stories!

• 💬 Connect with Us: Follow on Instagram @laura_hof_alchemy for somatic health hacks and female longevity science.

• 📄 Free Resource: Get the ⁠Free Female Cold Exposure Guide