Submerge by Monk

Laura joins her friend, Freya Bromley, writer, wild swimmer, and the host of The Tidal Year podcast, to discuss the joy of swimming, the redemption it can provide from grief, loss and heartbreak. Freya shares her journey of losing her brother and how cold water therapy and tidal plunging has helped her move through the unthinkable. 

The pair discuss: 

• Freya’s mission to swim every tidal pool in Britain and how this is going
• What a tidal pool actually is and how these beautiful spaces are so different all over the country
• The intense spectrum of feelings and emotions associated with grief, and how an addiction to being ‘busy’ can often keep us distracted from feeling any of them
• Why wild swimming is often misunderstood and how ‘dipping’ can be just as powerful as ‘swimming’
• How cold water therapy can be the perfect alternative to meditation, yoga or any traditional means of calming the mind that might not work for you
• Why a New Year’s Day swim might be the best way to start off your new year
• Freya’s upcoming book and how fiction writing helped Freya on her journey of healing, and reconnecting with her sister, in a truly unexpected way.

The pair also discuss dipping vs. swimming, screaming under water, dry robes, why the swimming community can often become a little too ‘London-centric’ but why Hampstead Ponds might be a great starting place to start your wild swimming journey.

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Join the waitlist at discovermonk.com
Follow Laura Fullerton on Instagram: here
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Pre Order Freya’s book ‘The Tidal Year’: here

 Music Sources

WildFlower by Joakim Karud http://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-7YDBIGCXs

Laura joins Dr. Ravi Jain, Doctor, global aesthetics expert, and a committed ice bath fanatic to discuss the science behind cold water therapy, how Ravi is using it to buck the trend of early onset heart disease, and why Ravi recently gave a lecture out of his ice bath!

The pair discuss: 

• The science behind what *actually* happens in the body in the first 2 minutes of an ice plunge (and how to best navigate this period)
• When and why your body temperature drops during and after a plunge (you might be surprised!)
• The different types of fat in the body and their connection to health, longevity and weight loss
• Ravi’s own personal story and experience with early onset heart disease in his family and how cold water therapy is a powerful part of his prevention toolkit to buck the trend
• The connection between cold water therapy, the removal of lipids from the bloodstream and insulin sensitivity
• The concept of pre-workout cooling and Ravi’s fascinating real life experiment around his own heart rate 
• How to prepare for your first ever ice bath (and how cold showers can help)

Ravi also shares his own personal journey with cold water swimming including how he started, how it impacted his mental and physical health, how to safely reheat post-plunge and his latest adventure that he is taking on: The Ice Mile.

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Join the waitlist at discovermonk.com

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Music Sources

WildFlower by Joakim Karud http://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-7YDBIGCXs

Laura joins good friend, Tim Gray, the UK’s leading biohacker and founder of the Health Optimisation Summit, to discuss health, biohacking, and the truth about products that claim to be healthy but are *in fact* far from it. 

The pair discuss: 

• Seed oils, why they are hidden in so many food options and the surprising connection between seed oil, inflammation and sunburn
• Water, some of the nasties in today’s water sources and whether a Brita water filter really does anything at all
• Replacement and plant-based meats and whether these could be doing more harm than good to us and the environment
• The foods you need to eat if you want to live to be over 100 years old (did someone say frozen liver for breakfast?)
• The cost of organic, healthy living and how to re-think your approach to this
• The surprising impact that your wi-fi router and plug sockets might have on your health, wellbeing, sleep, and longevity
• Grounding, what it is and the impact of grounding on your red blood cells and general health

Tim also shares his experience with creating the Health Optimisation Summit, his top 3 favourite biohacks, as well as his insight into what the future of health optimisation looks like. 

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Find Monk on Instagram: here
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Join the waitlist at discovermonk.com
Follow Laura Fullerton on Instagram: here
Follow Tim Gray on Instagram: here
Get your ticket for the 2023 Health Optimisation Summit: here

Music Sources

WildFlower by Joakim Karud http://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-7YDBIGCXsY

Laura is joined by her good friend, Dr. Dave Rabin, a board-certified psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and inventor, who’s leading the evolution of medicine, mental health, and consciousness. 

Dr. Dave has studied resilience and the impact of chronic stress on our lives for over 15 years, and he specialises in medicine-assisted psychotherapy, and treatment-resistant mental illnesses including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and much more. 

In today’s episode, the pair discuss why everything you thought you knew about psychedelics might be wrong, as well as:

• An MDMA-assisted psychotherapy trial and its astonishing results in people with treatment-resistant PTSD (+ Dr. Dave’s research in this area)
• What the word psychedelic actually means and how the substances can reveal the truth of the mind
• How our dream states are similar to psychedelic states (and the surprising connection to sex)
• How psychedelics got to ‘illegal’ status in the 60s and 70s and how we can avoid returning there 
• The ski slope analogy to understanding the brain and the Default Network Mode
• The concept of neuroplasticity and how we can start to rewrite our neural pathways
• The three waves of wearables and how these are changing
• The concepts of macro dosing and micro dosing and how these journeys differ.

SHOW REFERENCES
Microdosing protocols (Fadiman and Stamets): here 

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Find Monk on Instagram: here
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Pre-order your Monk at discovermonk.com
Follow Laura Fullerton on Instagram: here

Visit Dr. Dave’s website: here
Follow Dr Dave on Instagram: here
Join The Psychedelic News Hour with Dr Dave on Clubhouse: here

Music Sources

WildFlower by Joakim Karud http://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-7YDBIGCXsY

Monk’s Head of Content, Louise Rumball, is back chatting with Monk CEO, Laura Fullerton, today, to ask how everything is going, how Laura’s surviving as things at Monk get busier than ever, when the brand’s launching the first ever round of smart ice baths, and how can we all get our hands on them.

Join the pair as they discuss: 

• The first, limited availability, exclusive pre-launch drop 
• Highlights of the last few weeks and exciting changes internally at Monk HQ
• How Laura is navigating entrepreneurship with balance, a lot of sleep, a bit of tongue scraping, and a couple of health optimisation hacks
• Thursday Plunge Club – coming to an open water source near you soon
• The ‘Get Things Done’ method
• And a daily dose of reality as Louise asks Laura what is keeping Laura up at night 
• The development of the personalised cold water therapy app
• Laura’s recent research into CWT and autoimmunity

And more...

Plus, who is eating raw liver for breakfast and who is Laura’s ideal podcast and cold water therapy guests?

Find Monk on Instagram: here
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Join the waitlist at discovermonk.com

Follow Laura Fullerton on Instagram: here

Music Sources:
WildFlower by Joakim Karud http://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-7YDBIGCXsY

How did today’s society get to a place where mercury is the most toxic, non-radioactive element known to man, yet we put it in our mouths? Laura is joined by Dr. Dominik Nischwitz, world leader in Biological Dentistry, as they discuss the surprising impact of oral health on whole body wellness.

The pair discuss:

• What holistic dentistry is and how optimal health starts in the mouth
• Why mercury, root canals, and cavitations are three of the biggest health killers 
• The importance of composite fillings and ceramic implants 
• The connection between breast feeding, jaw growth, braces and today’s dietary choices
• What our ancestors (and their jaws) can teach us about optimal health and oral health
• Why everything you knew about wisdom teeth might be wrong
• How often you should brush your teeth and use mouthwash (you might be surprised!)

Dr. Dominik also shares how he’s teaching his children to become ‘superhuman’ so that they never have to experience a cavity or any oral health challenges in their lives, as well as the surprising connection between the mouth and muscle building. 

This episode is packed full of biohacks, health tips, and incredible information that is changing the world of dentistry one patient at a time. 

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Find Monk on Instagram: here
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Join the waitlist at discovermonk.com
Follow Laura Fullerton on Instagram: here

Follow Dr. Dominik on Instagram: here
Purchase ‘It's All in Your Mouth: Biological Dentistry and the Surprising Impact of Oral Health on Whole Body Wellness’ on Amazon: here 

Music Sources

WildFlower by Joakim Karud http://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-7YDBIGCXsY

Meet the sex and skin health doctor, Dr. Amy Killen and join Laura as she talks with Amy about the science of great sex, how to optimise your sex life and how to reach your sexual potential, both inside and outside of the bedroom. 

Join the pair as they deep dive into:

• The surprising benefits of being active in the bedroom and the connection of great sexual health to happiness, health, longevity, anti-aging and more
• The connection between stress, sleep, and falling pregnant
• The 1% decrease in global testosterone levels year on year and how to avoid being a part of the problem
• The surprising reason you need to be avoiding antiseptic mouthwash
• Ovarian aging, conceiving after 35 and the Golden Egg concept
• What happens in your brain during intimacy, pleasure and orgasm 
• Progressive treatments that Amy is pioneering, like stem cell makeovers, PRP and the O-shot and P-shot for men and women (yes, really)

Laura also asks Dr. Amy about the vaginal microbiome, what supplements and lifestyle changes are best for anti-aging and optimising your sex life and more. This episode is packed full of information for anyone who is having great sex, or wants to be. 

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Find Monk on Instagram: here
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Join the waitlist at discovermonk.com
Follow Laura Fullerton on Instagram: here

Follow Dr. Amy Killen on Instagram: here
Visit Dr Amy Killen’s website: here

Music Sources
WildFlower by Joakim Karud http://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-7YDBIGCXsY

Did you know your brain is as soft as butter? Leading brain health expert, Kayla Barnes, joins Laura on today’s episode to talk about all things brain health and how food, sleep, airpods, alcohol, concussion, and more can hurt or heal your brain. 

The pair discuss:

• Kayla’s background as a leading brain health coach
• How brain health doesn’t start when you’re sick
• Why the brain is like butter and the importance of blood flow to it 
• The connection of food and diet to brain health & how ‘If you eat junk your brain is going to perform like junk’
• How to minimise your likelihood of brain injury and how to recover from concussion
• The importance of toxic load, filtered water, cosmetic chemicals and more on brain health 
• Sleep, lack of sleep, the connection to blood glucose 
• The importance low level movement & strength training & the connection of each to brain health
• Kayla’s brain health foundation tips, and more. 

Laura also shares her personal story with a tragic and traumatic brain injury in the family, and how this could have even been avoided. Laura asks Kayla the questions that everyone wants to know the answer to: are airpods REALLY that bad, what impact does alcohol really have on the brain, and what wearable do you wear to track these things?

This episode is jam packed full of helpful tips around how you can overhaul your brain health and why the time to do this is right now. 

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Find Monk on Instagram: here
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Join the waitlist at discovermonk.com
Follow Laura Fullerton on Instagram: here

Follow Kayla Barnes on Instagram: here
Find Kayla’s Podcast ‘Brain Biohacking with Kayla’ on Spotify: here

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Music Sources

WildFlower by Joakim Karud http://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-7YDBIGCXsY

This week, Laura is joined by psychotherapist, sex therapist and NLP practitioner, Massimo Fontana, to discuss his own personal journey with toxic and narcissistic parenting and how boundaries, community, connection, and more can help to heal from the imprints that this parenting style can leave. 

The pair discuss:  

• The different types of narcissism and the narcissist spectrum
• The key traits of narcissists that need to be understood by all – envy, lack of empathy, entitlement and more 
• The connection between narcissism, neurobiology and genetics
• Whether being parented by a narcissist may influence how you develop as an adult, and how this may guide what types of partners you are attracted to 
• The psychological concepts of criticism, gaslighting and stonewalling 
• How an experience with a narcissistic parent or a narcissistic lover can lead to challenges with the sexual self and show up in your sex life

Laura also shares her own personal experience with a narcissistic relationship, how red flags aren’t always as obvious as they seem with hindsight, and asks whether cutting someone off is a sensible way to handle his situation. 

Massimo also shares the concept of exploring the family as an “ecosystem” and understanding the ripple effect of removing yourself from the model and structure.

This episode is jam packed full of real life experience, as well as actionable tips and tricks to help you move through this challenging situation, no matter how old you are. 

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Join the waitlist at discovermonk.com

Follow Laura Fullerton on Instagram: here

Follow Massimo Fontana on Instagram: here
Follow Massimo Fontana on TikTok: here

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Music Sources

WildFlower by Joakim Karud http://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-7YDBIGCXsY

Breathwork is a revolutionary way of not only mastering the cold and handling day to day life, but also optimising performance.

Today, Laura is joined by Adam Burgess, Olympian and world medalist slalom canoeist who is also an Oxygen Advantage practitioner & breathwork coach. He has used his breathing to optimise his performance for his Olympic training and in doing so, also changed his life, his wellbeing and more. Adam also believes breathwork will be a big part of his journey as he goes for gold at the next Olympics. 

In this episode, the pair discuss how Adam has submerged himself in the world of all things 'breath' and breathing over the last few years, and more specifically discuss: 

• Adam’s journey to the Olympic Games and his career as an athlete so far; 
• How he first discovered breathwork and what happened after his first ever breathwork session;
• Why so many people are breathing wrong today;
• The difference between mouth breathing, nose breathing - and why horses have such big nostrils; 
• Why babies know how to breathe perfectly - and where it all goes wrong; 
• How to start to change your breathing for general wellbeing and performance optimisation;
• The connection between breathing & seasonal allergies;
• The connection between breathing, asthma, anxiety and even your pelvic floor. 

Laura also shares her experience with holotropic breathwork, breathwork under the Heathrow flight path (or was it?) and her ‘smaller than usual’ lungs, as well as stories about hyperventilation, sleeping like a disney princess - and more. 

This episode is jam packed full of fascinating information around how to use your breath to your advantage.

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Find Monk on Instagram: here
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Join the waitlist at discovermonk.com
Follow Laura Fullerton on Instagram: here
Follow Adam Burgess on Instagram: here
Follow Adam Burgess on TikTok: here

Music Sources

WildFlower by Joakim Karud http://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-7YDBIGCXsY