"Awareness is the gateway for feeling the texture of lived life." —Dr. Dan Siegel

In this episode, the fascinating Dr. Dan Siegel joins us for a conversation on the human mind and mindsight. Dr. Siegel — Harvard graduate, professor at UCLA & New York Times bestselling author — has lectured for the likes of the Dalai Lama, the Pope and the King of Thailand.

"Mindsight is a term coined by Dr. Siegel to describe our human capacity to perceive the mind of the self and others." In this interview, Dr. Siegel explains how we can literally change our brains by developing the skill of mindsight, interconnectedness and how relationships and social networks work in the brain, and the importance of integration (the linkage of differentiated parts of the brain). Prepare to have your mind expanded!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

• Dr. Siegel's journey through mindsight
• What is interpersonal neurobiology?
• Mind vs. Brain — who drives who? The 3 processes of the mind
• The 4th aspect of "mind"
• Mental training — where attention goes, neural firing flows, and neural connection grows.
• The reason relationships/social networks are so important
• How does "being aware" change the brain?
• "What's wrong with the human brain that it believes everything isn't interconnected?"
• The 3 potentially relevant issues of quantum physics that relate to the mind
• How we perceive reality
• Entrainment of two systems — relationships
• An integrated self — honoring "MWe"
• Why Africa is the healthiest continent in the world
• The arrow of time & the plane of possibility
• Your human legacy and how we connect to past and future
• Consilience
• The importance of integration
• The Wheel of Awareness
• Dr. Siegel's prognosis for the future of the human species

As I mentioned in Wednesday's show with Shawn Stevenson, this week we're bringing you a bonus episode of ReWild Yourself podcast! This interview, while a bit product-focused, is also rich in vital content; if you enjoyed Shawn’s interview, this is a great supplement.

I've been hinting about my new bed for a while, and after 6 months of sleeping on it, I'm finally ready to detail my experience. Today I'm talking to Claus Pummer of Samina Sleep Systems. Claus is an expert on all things sleep, particularly setting up an ideal sleep environment. He’s here to share how we can optimize our sleep sanctuaries, give insights into sleep psychology and to take us on a tour of what I think is the healthiest bed on earth! 

Two warnings about the show:

1: While this show is content-rich, if you're someone who is triggered by promotion, you might want to skip the second half of this interview where Claus details the Samina bed :) We support the ReWild Yourself podcast through sponsors and affiliates like SurThrival and Samina. 

2: Claus has a heavy German accent and is extremely passionate about sleep (which means he can get talking fast). Please bear with us! We do our best to repeat things and slow down the pace of conversation, as necessary (:

Enjoy, and may all your sleep be sound and sweet!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

• Sleep landscape
• Setting up your ideal sleep environment
• What’s the problem with carpet?
• Insights on sleep psychology
• What are the best bedding materials?
• An in-depth overview of the Samina Bed System
• Importance of grounding while sleeping
• Longevity and maintenance of the Samina mattress
• What is the investment for a Samina Bed System?
• Claus's prognosis for the future of the human species

Shawn Stevenson — bestselling author and creator of The Model Health Show — is back on ReWild Yourself podcast to motivate us to make sleep a primary focus as he details his latest sleep research. Sleep has been a big focus for me as of late. I find I’m able to get more out of my day if I allocate a larger portion of it to getting quality sleep. In this interview, Shawn provides us with some powerful takeaways, including one important piece on the sleep—gut health connection that was completely new to me, and I think you’ll find particularly fascinating. I hope our conversation inspires you to create a nightly sleep practice that rejuvenates your mind and body.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

• Shawn’s path to his sleep research
• How much sleep do you need?
• “A good night’s sleep starts the moment you wake up in the morning"
• Do we need to black out our windows?
• Take control of your evening ritual — "Getting ready for bed"
• Go device-less at night
• Powerful new research connecting sleep and gut health
• Nutrients that supplement good quality sleep
• Shawn's prognosis for the future of the human species

Today’s show is all about getting the most out of your experience on planet earth. Gretchen Rubin, New York Times bestselling author and host of popular weekly podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, joins us to discuss health, habits & happiness. You’ll learn why there is no one-size-fits-all strategy to formulating habits; rather habit formation is unique to you and your personality. In this takeaway-rich episode (grab your notebooks for this one, folks!), Gretchen lets us in on the secrets to habits and happiness she’s learned over years of research and observation.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

• How Gretchen’s obsession with human nature led her to the work she does today
• What’s the definition of happiness?
• Discipline is freedom — really!
• Gretchen’s personality framework: The Four Tendencies
• Achieving happiness by mastering habits
• Using the Four Tendencies to create your own habit framework
• Habits can be freeing & energizing
• The strategy of loophole-spotting
• The power of stacking habits
• What makes Gretchen most productive
• Wiping the slate clean
• How to correctly use rewards to reinforce a habit
• Gretchen’s prognosis for the future of the human species

Tim Corcoran is co-Director of Twin Eagles Wilderness School, an organization he co-founded with his wife, Jeannine Tidwell, as a vehicle to support his life’s work of facilitating deep nature connection mentoring, cultural restoration, and inner transformation.

In today’s episode, Tim takes us deep into the true essence of ReWilding. This interview is such a great reminder of why it’s so important to foster our connection with nature and all living beings. Tim discusses nature immersion, community-based approach to education and the importance of Rites of Passage for men and boys. I hope you come away from this interview inspired to reconnect with the natural world!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

• Tim’s childhood journey
• Tim’s work with men and children
• Wilderness survival skills
• Importance of deep relationships
• Community-based approach to education
• Building a relationship with one place
• Learning to face your fears
• Paying attention to animal signs that come into your life
• How do Rites of Passage differ for men and women
• How Tim works together with his wife
• Men are emotional beings, too
• Tim’s thoughts on the prognosis of the human species

My personal health strategy is based on the 4 elements: Earth, Water, Air, Fire. The food I consume, the air I breathe, the solar energy I take in, the water I drink.  

I’ve been gathering my water from springs for the past decade, and today I’m going to share a bit about my personal water strategy and the spring water gathering best practices I’ve learned along the way! 

 

EPISODE BREAKDOWN: 

• New show intro 
• Guest shout out 
• Beard care 
• Want to work with FindASpring? 
• 4 Elemental health strategy 
• Spring water vs. tap water 
• Surface water and ground water explained 
• Processed water vs. whole water 
• How to find a spring in your area 
• Do you need to test spring water before drinking? 
• Storage and bottle cleaning tips 
• Glass carboy safety 
• What to do when you can’t get spring water 
• The pH scale  
• How to make RO water more hydrating 
• Your personal water strategy 
• What’s your favorite air filter? 

ReWild Yourself Podcast is BACK, and we couldn’t think of a better way to kick off Season 2 than with the zany and lovable Bug Chef, David George Gordon.

David is the award-wining author of The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook and has been designing delectable insect dishes for quite some time. With spring upon us (in the Northern Hemisphere), the opportunity to forage insects is drawing near, so now is the time to familiarize yourself with this ancient practice. In this interview, David shares some fascinating facts on the history of entomophagy, as well as some practical advice for getting started with eating (and enjoying!) insects.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

• How David got into entomophagy
• Why does our culture find bugs so repulsive?
• Entomophagy throughout history
• Organically raised insects
• The sustainability of raising insects for food
• Cooked vs. raw — do we need to worry about parasites?
• Tips for catching and cooking insects
• Cooking tarantulas
• How has entomophagy changed over the years?
• David’s thoughts on the future of our species

In the third and final installment of the How To Feed Your Human series, Arthur and I cover the fungal, bacterial, elemental and experiential food groups. This is one of my favorite conversations with Arthur to date! Topics range from adaptogenic mushrooms to lacto-fermented foods to the loss of firsthand experience and so much more. I hope this series has inspired you to reclaim your genome and begin to live a lifestyle with the Neo-Aboriginal of the future in mind! As you know, this is the last episode of the ReWild Yourself! podcast before we take a brief pause to reformat and revamp the show. What an incredible journey this podcast has been thus far, and I cannot wait to connect with you again in early 2016! Episode Breakdown: * Fungi are not plants * Immune-modulating components of fungi * Cultivated vs. wild mycelium * Pick your favorite fungi game * Civilization is an alcoholic * Eating scoby's * How to get probiotics in your diet * Favorite lacto-fermented foods * Getting dirty with soil microbes * Elemental food * Cold plunging and cryotherapy * The loss of firsthand experience * Importance of staying in motion * Vital experiential foods for the healthy human * Putting stress in perspective * Spending time in natural settings * Being eco-centric rather than ego-centric

How many plant species do you eat on a daily, seasonal or yearly basis? Before you answer that question, consider this: broccoli = kale = kohlrabi = cauliflower = cabbage = brussels sprouts = collard greens. They're all variations of the same plant species, Brassica oleracea! The average American is eating far fewer plant species (roughly 30 a year!) compared to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. In this podcast episode, you'll learn the importance of diet biodiversity and how it can affect your day-to-day functioning and, ultimately, your genetic expression. Arthur Haines is back on the show for the second installment in the How To Feed Your Human series! As a professional botanist, Arthur's knowledge of the plant world is immense, and so we get into some pretty fascinating material, including wild foods, diet biodiversity, seasonal eating, anti-nutrients and much, much more. In part one, we talked animal foods, and you can listen to that episode here. Enjoy, and stay tuned for the next installments in this series where we will discuss fungal, bacterial, elemental and experiential foods! Episode Breakdown: * Cultivated vs. Wild * The endless medicinal qualities of wild plants * Brassica oleracea and diet biodiversity * Never-ending growing season * Dietary diversity = dietary sufficiency * What kind of DNA fragments do you want floating in your body? * Engaging your senses to develop a personal connection with your landscape * Fiber's many purposes * A flourishing microbiota doesn't come from a capsule * Plant-based Omega 3 Fatty Acids * Anti-nutrients * What are tannins? * How to consume nuts, seeds and legumes * White bread vs, wheat bread * The power of antioxidants * How to bring more wild foods into your diet * Herbal medicine * Closing thoughts

Arthur Haines is back on the show! Arthur is both a mentor to me and a good friend, and he has been fundamental to many of the concepts presented on this podcast. As I mentioned last week, we'll be taking a break from the podcast while we carry out a major revamp behind the scenes. Our very first podcast guest on ReWild Yourself! was Arthur Haines, and so I cannot think of a better way to close out this chapter than an interview series with Arthur. In this episode, we begin a discussion on how to feed your human, and Arthur presents the fundamental food groups for the ideal diet of the human animal. In part one, we focus on animal foods! Stay tuned for the next installments in this series where we will discuss plant, fungal, bacterial, elemental and experiential foods! Episode Breakdown: * Help! I'm lost! * Sleep podcast recap * Food group paradigm * How to achieve healthy genetic expression * The placebo effect * The new "food groups" * Food Group #1: Animal foods * Importance of consuming DHA * Fluid intelligence & Vitamin B12 * Eating pastured foods * Foods from the sea, and how to consume fish safely * Managing stress for better epigenetic health * Daniel's & Arthur's favorite animal foods * We're not eating food; we're eating life