Dr. Jonathan Kuo is a double board-certified anesthesiologist, interventional pain specialist, and the visionary founder of Extension Health. He is at the absolute forefront of human optimization, moving beyond traditional medicine to focus on the root causes of aging: cellular health and physiological performance.

In this episode, Shadia Akle and Dr. Kuo dive into the "Future of Longevity" a world where chronic disease can be edited and our nervous systems can be manually reset. Dr. Kuo explains how to move the needle on your health through his "Four Pillars": inflammation, metabolic control, mitochondrial health, and the gut.

Expect to learn the truth about the safety and efficacy of peptides, why almost every human being might benefit from micro-dosing GLP-1s, and how a specialized "Neuro Reset" can silence chronic anxiety and PTSD by targeting the vagus nerve. Whether you are a high-performer looking for that extra 20% unlock or someone struggling with chronic fatigue, this conversation provides the blueprint for the next level of human biology.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Future of Longevity: How gene therapy and CRISPR could soon "edit out" chronic disease.
• The "Neuro Reset": A breakdown of the Stellate Ganglion Block and vagus nerve injections to fix fight-or-flight dysfunction.
• Peptide Masterclass: Navigating the broad categories of peptides for immune support, fat loss, and cognitive function.
• The GLP-1 Revolution: Why these "weight loss" drugs are actually powerful tools for neuroprotection and systemic inflammation.
• Mental Health 2.0: The role of Ketamine as a mood stabilizer and the therapeutic potential of Psilocybin for cognitive enhancement.
• Dr. Kuo’s Personal Stack: A deep dive into his use of Methylene Blue, Ketones, and mitochondrial peptides like SS-31.
  

Connect with Dr. Jonathan Kuo:

• Clinic: Extension Health (New York City)
• Instagram: @extensionhealth, @dr_kuo
  

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro

01:30 From Diplomats to Anesthesiology: Dr. Kuo’s Story

04:00 What exactly are Peptides?

07:40 The 6 main categories of Peptides

10:30 The Neuro Reset: Manual override for PTSD and Anxiety

13:30 Injecting the Vagus Nerve: New research and results

17:40 Ketamine: Therapeutic benefits vs. the risk of abuse

21:10 Lessons from 11 years at Burning Man

24:30 The vision to democratize Longevity medicine

30:10 Why almost everyone should consider a GLP-1

32:40 The critical link between Hormones and Mental Health

35:00 The Gut-Brain Connection and "Gut Zoomers"

39:00 Dr. Kuo’s daily Longevity stack

42:30 Methylene Blue: IV vs. Oral benefits

45:40 Gene Editing: CRISPR and the end of Chronic Disease

48:40 The Foundations: Sleep, Diet, and Exercise
Connect with Shadia:

🌐 shadiaakle.com

📸 Instagram → @shadiaakle

• 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts → Permission with Shadia Akle
• 
  
• If this episode shifted something for you, leave a 5-star review and send it to someone who can benefit from it. That's how this work reaches the people it was made for.
  

#PermissionWithShadiaAkle #Jonathankuo #peptides #nervoussystem #glp-1 #ketamine #methyleneblue #geneediting #longevity 

In this episode of Permission with Shadia Akle, we sit down with Mindvalley speaker and entrepreneur John Lee to explore the profound shift from living a "comfortable" life to one of true alignment and purpose. John shares his personal journey from a successful career in film animation to breaking a long-standing family cycle to build his own destiny.

If you’ve ever felt that nothing is inherently wrong with your life, but nothing feels quite right either, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, we dive into:

• The "Entrepreneur's Leap": How John navigated the fear of leaving a stable paycheck to become his own boss.
  
• Breaking the Family Cycle: The difficult process of setting boundaries and choosing a path different from the one his parents envisioned.
  
• The Real Power of Manifestation: Why manifesting wealth is actually about purpose, not just money, and how 1+1 can equal 11 when you find the right resonance with others.
  
• Quantum Jumping: How every decision we make shifts our reality and molds the future like clay.
  
• Overcoming Limiting Beliefs: John discusses the four levels of belief systems—family, experiences, teachers, and environment—and how to rewrite the "BS" (Belief System) that holds us back.
  
• Getting Unstuck: A powerful technique to gain a 360-degree perspective on your life by viewing your situation from a "higher version" of yourself.
  

Key Takeaways:

• "Opportunity doesn't knock; you have to break down the door."
• Wealth is the automatic delivery of a fulfilled purpose.
• To get what you want, you must first be the person, then do the work, and finally have the results.
  

Follow John Lee:

• Book: Money Unlocked on Amazon (Subscribe and comment Unlocked to get your free copy)
  
• Instagram: @john_lee_official
  

Follow the Podcast:

Instagram → @permission.pod

Connect with Shadia:

🌐 shadiaakle.com

📸 Instagram → @shadiaakle

• 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts → Permission with Shadia Akle
• 
  
• If this episode shifted something for you, leave a 5-star review and send it to someone who can benefit from it. That's how this work reaches the people it was made for.
  

#PermissionWithShadiaAkle #JohnLee #Manifestation #Entrepreneurship #Purpose #Mindset #QuantumJumping #SelfDiscovery

On this week's episode of Permission with Shadia Akle, we dive deep into the biological "command center" of the human body with multi-board certified physician Dr. Azza Halim. While many view aesthetics as purely surface-level, Dr. Halim reveals why she looks at your biomarkers and gut microbiome before she ever treats your skin.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore:

• The Gut-Skin-Brain Axis: How your microbiome dictates everything from inflammation and neuroinflammation to hormone metabolism and cortisol levels.
• Biological vs. Chronological Age: Why your birth year matters far less than your internal biomarkers and DNA methylation.
• The "Stacking" Warning: Why "throwing the kitchen sink" at your body with the wrong peptide combinations can actually trigger suppressed autoimmune conditions.
• Hormonal Longevity: The critical role estrogen and testosterone play in maintaining skin elasticity, muscle mass, and cognitive health as we age.
• The Future of Regenerative Medicine: Dr. Halim’s insights into exosomes, stem cells, and the next frontier of non-surgical enhancement.

If you have ever felt like you had to choose between looking your best and feeling your best, this episode provides the science-backed roadmap to achieving both.

Connect with Dr. Azza Halim:

• Instagram: @azamdbeauty
• Website: azamdbeauty.com

Follow the Podcast:

Instagram → @spermission.pod

Connect with Shadia:

🌐 shadiaakle.com

📸 Instagram → @shadiaakle

🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts → Permission with Shadia Akle

If this episode shifted something for you, leave a 5-star review and send it to someone who can benefit from it. That's how this work reaches the women it was made for.

#permissionpodcast #biohackingtips #mentalhealth  #supplementscience #autoimmunehealing #nervoussystem #personaltransformation #consciousness #functionalmedicine #podcast #motivation #guthealth #gutmicrobiome #skinhealth #skinhealth #perimenopause #menopause 

On this episode of Permission with Shadia Akle, I sit down with Mike Mutzel, the founder of High Intensity Health and one of the leading voices in metabolic science. If you feel like you’re doing everything right, eating clean and training hard, but your body still isn't meeting you halfway, this conversation is for you.

Mike reveals why "pushing harder" might actually be the thing breaking you down, leading to what he calls Metabolic Debt. We dive deep into the science of how your food choices literally dictate your brain chemistry, the shocking link between diet and violent behavior, and the silent hormonal damage caused by microplastics and forever chemicals.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Violence-Diet Connection: How a low Omega-3 index is independently associated with violent crime and felony incarceration.
• Metabolic Debt: What happens when you are "reckless" with your health spending and how to identify if you are metabolically broken (insulin resistance, body fat over 30%, and elevated A1C).
• Female Hormonal Optimization: Why a woman’s training intensity must shift between the follicular and luteal phases to accommodate changes in resiliency and hormones like estrogen and progesterone.
• The Truth About Cold Therapy: Debunking the myths around cold plunges for women and the lessons we can learn from the Ama Pearl Divers' cardiovascular health.
• Detoxification & Microplastics: The daily reality of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in our clothing, water, and food containers, and how to use sweating and sulfur-rich foods to detoxify.
• Healing Childhood Trauma: Mike shares his personal journey of using psychedelics and breathwork to resolve childhood trauma and break the "victim loop".
• The Power of Peptides: Exploring the recovery and sleep benefits of BPC-157 and the CJC/Ipamorelin stack.

The answer to better health isn't always more discipline—sometimes, it’s more understanding.

Follow Mike Mutzel:
Instagram: @metabolic_mike

• YouTube: High Intensity Health
• Supplement Brand: @myoxcience
• Website: highintensityhealth.com and myoxcience.com

Follow the Podcast:

Instagram → @spermission.pod

Connect with Shadia:

🌐 shadiaakle.com

📸 Instagram → @shadiaakle

🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts → Permission with Shadia Akle

If this episode shifted something for you, leave a 5-star review and send it to someone who can benefit from it. That's how this work reaches the women it was made for.

#permissionpodcast #biohackingtips #mentalhealth  #supplementscience #autoimmunehealing #nervoussystem #personaltransformation #consciousness #functionalmedicine #podcast #motivation #guthealth #gutmicrobiome #naturopathy #mindset @metabolic_mike @myoxcience #HighIntensityHealth #Myoxcience #BellyFatJacked

On this episode of Permission, Dr. Mary Pardee, a naturopathic and functional medicine doctor, reveals why years of protocols, supplements, and testing often leave patients feeling more stuck than ever before. After spending her own life struggling with unexplained gut issues, Dr. Pardee discovered that the "magic bullet" isn’t always physical.

We dive deep into the science of the gut-brain axis and how the relentless pursuit of "health" through restriction and hyper-vigilance can actually amplify your physical symptoms. If you are a high-performer who feels like they are doing everything "right" but still can’t find relief, this conversation is for you.

Key topics we discuss:

• The Gut-Brain Spiral: How paying more attention to a symptom tells your brain to amplify the pain.
• Maladaptive Behaviors: Why restrictive diets and constant "body checking" often make GI issues worse.
• The Price of Control: How rigidity and "Type A" perfectionism can prohibit the body from truly healing.
• Physiological Impact of Guilt: What happens inside a woman’s body when she eats with fear or restriction.
• Nervous System Safety: Why your body might be stuck in a fight-or-flight response despite your best efforts.
• Tools for Release: The science-backed benefits of diaphragmatic breathing and why crying is a powerful "biohack" for your nervous system.

If you’ve been trying to fix yourself for years, it might be time to start listening instead.

Connect with Dr. Mary Pardee:

• Website: modrnmed.com
• Instagram: @dr.marypardee

Follow the Podcast:

Instagram → @spermission.pod

Connect with Shadia:

🌐 shadiaakle.com

📸 Instagram → @shadiaakle

🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts → Permission with Shadia Akle

If this episode shifted something for you, leave a 5-star review and send it to someone who can benefit from it. That's how this work reaches the women it was made for.

#permissionpodcast #biohackingtips #mentalhealth  #supplementscience #autoimmunehealing #nervoussystem #personaltransformation #consciousness #functionalmedicine #podcast #motivation #guthealth #gutmicrobiome #naturopathy #mindset 

This episode features a powerful conversation with Shawn Wells, a world-renowned biochemist and the man the industry calls the "World’s Greatest Formulator."

Despite his massive professional success, Shawn’s personal journey began in a very different place, struggling with morbid obesity, chronic autoimmune diseases, and deep depression that led to frequent suicidal thoughts.

In this vulnerable and science-backed discussion, Shawn reveals how he transformed his "rock bottom" into what he now calls a "bonus life." We bridge the gap between the lab and the soul to explore how your nervous system, your DNA, and even your sense of play dictate your health.

Inside this episode, you’ll discover:

 -The Science of Generational Trauma: How up to 14 generations of trauma can be stored in your DNA and cells, and the protocol Shawn used to begin clearing it.

 -Why Your Supplements Might Not Be Working:The surprising reason your nervous system must be in "parasympathetic" mode to actually absorb and utilize nutrients.

-The Truth About Depression: Why it isn't just a serotonin deficiency, but an "all-transmitter" shutdown designed to help your brain feel less pain.

 -Rewiring the Brain: How to turn off the "Default Mode Network" to silence the ego and rewrite the stories that keep you stuck in negative loops.

-The Energy Revolution: Behind the scenes of Shawn’s creation of Paraxanthine, the natural caffeine alternative that boosts focus and GLP-1 without the "crash" or anxiety.

-Boundaries as Self-Love: Why using your voice is a biological necessity for healing autoimmune disorders and reclaiming your power.

If you are currently feeling broken or "begging yourself for permission" to live your life, this episode is your roadmap to starting over.

Connect with Shawn Wells:

Website: https://shawnwells.com/

Instagram/Socials: @shawnwells

https://www.instagram.com/shawnwells/

 Bestselling Book: The Energy Formula

Follow the Podcast:

Instagram → @spermission.pod

Connect with Shadia:

🌐 shadiaakle.com

📸 Instagram → @shadiaakle

🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts → Permission with Shadia Akle

If this episode shifted something for you, leave a 5-star review and send it to someone who can benefit from it. That's how this work reaches the people it was made for.

#permissionpodcast #biohackingtips #mentalhealth #shawnwells #supplementscience #autoimmunehealing #nervoussystem #personaltransformation #traumarecovery #glp1 #consciousness #functionalmedicine #podcast #motivation #

Your gut has been trying to tell you something.

This is the episode where you finally listen.

The bloating that started in your twenties.

The exhaustion no amount of sleep touches.

The anxiety that arrives before your thoughts do.

The autoimmune diagnosis no one in your family has.

What if none of it is random? What if it's not your hormones, your stress levels, or your imagination, and what if the answer has been sitting in a place modern medicine is only just beginning to understand?

In this episode of Permission, I sit down with Dr. Sabine Hazan, MD, one of the most respected microbiome researchers in the world, for a conversation that quietly dismantles almost everything we've been told about women's health.

She explains why your gut holds what your mind has tried to forget.

Why the probiotics on your kitchen counter are likely lying to you. Why the same protocol that healed your friend may be silently harming you.

And why the medical system's obsession with killing what's wrong has cost us the ability to restore what's right.

This is the conversation I wish every woman had access to in her twenties. Some episodes inform you.

This one returns something to you.About Dr. Sabine Hazan, MD Dr. Sabine Hazan is a board-certified gastroenterologist, microbiome researcher, and founder of ProgenaBiome, a genetic sequencing research lab pioneering the future of precision gut medicine.

She is currently leading FDA-approved clinical trials on familial fecal transplants for children with autism and is widely regarded as one of the most important voices reshaping how the medical world understands the human microbiome.

Inside this episode:→ Why your gut and your nervous system speak the same language, and why healing one without the other is why you keep ending up back at square one

→ The "fingerprint" microbiome theory: why no single diet, probiotic, or protocol could ever work for every body

→ The yogurt study that should have made headlines: Dr. Hazan tested 26 store-bought probiotic yogurts. Only 3 contained the bacteria on the label.

→ The antibiotic crisis no one's talking about, and the rise of superbugs we created ourselves

→ Why the modern woman's microbiome is collapsing under stress, and how it's quietly fueling the autoimmune epidemic

→ The FDA-approved clinical trial using sibling stool transplants to help children with autism regain speech

→ A future where your microbiome predicts Alzheimer's and Parkinson's decades before they appear

→ The unglamorous, deeply ancient practices Dr. Hazan says heal the gut faster than any supplement on the shelf.

Permission with Shadia Akle is a podcast for women unlearning every voice that wasn't theirs.

New episodes weekly.Connect with Shadia:🌐 shadiaakle.com

📸 Instagram → @shadiaakle🎧

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts → Permission with Shadia Akle

Connect with Dr. Sabine Hazan:🌐 progenabiome.com📸

Instagram → @sabinehazanmd

If this episode shifted something for you, leave a 5-star review and send it to a woman in your life. That's how this work reaches the women it was made for.

You are more microbe than human and your gut bacteria are deciding whether you heal or stay sick. Research microbiologist and gut health pioneer Kiran Krishnan breaks down the gut-brain connection, how childhood trauma lives in your microbiome, why a single course of antibiotics can wipe out 90% of your gut, and why no matter what your body has been through, repair is always possible.

In this episode we cover:

 — The gut-brain axis and why your gut controls your mood, anxiety, and nervous system 

— How stress triggers fight-or-flight and destroys your microbiome from the inside 

— Childhood trauma and how it imprints on your gut bacteria for decades 

— The root cause behind PCOS, diabetes, lupus, and chronic inflammation 

— Why the people you live with are shaping your biology right now 

— The vaginal microbiome, declining fertility, and what no one is talking about 

— Why most probiotics don't work and what actually does 

— How to test your microbiome the right way 

— The oral microbiome and why your mouthwash might be making you sick

🔗 Learn more about Kiran Krishnan's work:
https://www.instagram.com/kiranbiome/

Subscribe to Permission for new episodes every Tuesday.

By the time you're 40, your body has already lost a significant amount of the one molecule responsible for keeping your cells alive, energized, and repairing themselves. It's called NAD. Without it, you'd die in 30 seconds. And almost no one is talking about why it disappears, or what actually works to bring it back.

I sat down with Dr. Nichola Conlon — molecular biologist, longevity scientist, and founder of Nuchido — and she didn't hold back. She walked me through what's really happening inside our cells as we age, why the decline hits women especially hard during perimenopause and menopause, and why some of the most popular anti-aging treatments on the market right now — including NAD IVs — could be triggering an inflammatory response instead of helping you.

She also told me what she thinks actually works. And honestly, it's not what I expected to hear from someone with her background.

We talk about why your skin is aging from the inside out and what that really means, the foundational habits she puts above every supplement and treatment, and the 12 hallmarks of aging that scientists now believe are driving chronic disease.

And then something shifted in this conversation. A woman who's spent her career in drug development and cell biology tells me she's gone back to university, not for more science, but to study consciousness, metaphysics, and what psychedelics are revealing about the human mind. She talks about 37 trillion cells working together inside your body, why your gut feelings might be more intelligent than you give them credit for, and what happens when a scientist reaches the edge of what science can explain.

This one stayed with me long after we stopped recording.

CONNECT WITH DR. NICHOLA CONLON:🔬 Nuchido 📸 Instagram

CONNECT WITH PERMISSION:📸 Instagram 🎙️ Spotify 🎙️ Apple Podcasts

🎙️Youtube

🔔 Subscribe to Permission so you never miss an episode.

Welcome to Permission, a space for the conversations that ask us to come home to ourselves.

For Episode 2, I sat down with Dr. Vincent Pedre, gut health expert and integrative medicine physician.

We talk about what the body remembers, why our symptoms are rarely random, and how emotional trauma shapes the gut in ways most doctors miss.

In this conversation:

The connection between heartbreak, loss, and physical illness like SIBO and bloating.

Why trapped memories and unprocessed grief live in the body.

The placebo effect as real clinical medicine.

Vincent's own story of gut issues starting at age ten.

A teenage patient who reversed her autoimmune diagnosis through gut healing.

Energetic boundaries and how to protect your vitality.

The Zen mindset shift that changes how we move through the world.

For the woman ready to listen to what her body has been saying.

Follow @permission.pod and @shadiaakle on Instagram.

Connect with Dr. Vincent Pedre:

Instagram: @drpedre

Books: Happy Gut and The GutSMART Protocol (available on Amazon)

Take his free 2-minute gut quiz at happygutlife.comWork with Dr. Pedre at pedremd.com