The Health Bridge

How is planetary health affected by the food choices we make? This week Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried welcome Ocean Robbins to the podcast! Ocean discusses the ways eating meat not only affects our bodies and our health, but the health of the environment. How does eating grass-fed beef from corn-fed beef? Is grass-fed beef sustainable on a global level? How can we change our relationship to the things we eat and make health a priority?

Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai in this episode give updates on how the gong is going. Sara noticed that for Pedram's gong he wasn't going to ejaculate for the duration of the gong and asks him questions about that. What are the benefits of going on a self-imposed dry spell? Is there a difference between orgasms and ejaculations? Or is Pedram just crazy? The subject matter of this episode of course makes it explicit.

This week Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai welcome Bo Eason to the Health Bridge. Bo is a former NFL player, an actor, and a playwright. How was he able to transfer his NFL skills to the real world? Bo talks about humans as the ultimate predator and how we should be able to accept who we are. The three discuss connecting with our inner nature and the implications that could have. The three also get on a discussion of sexuality and being open about accepting sexuality as a human instinct. For that reason, even though the conversation never gets graphic by any means, this one's explicit.

Some of us may suffer from slight social anxiety when in a group of people. Some of us prefer conversing through text messages that allow us time to gather our thoughts before we respond. This week, Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried welcome Jordan Harbinger of the podcast The Art of Charm. Jordan discusses reasons why we should sharpen our skills at in-person social interactions. He tells a couple of stories on how he was kidnapped (twice!) and how knowing how to talk to people got him out of those situations. How can spotting non-verbal cues help make us better in social situations?

Happy Labor Day for our US listeners! This week Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried welcome Ben Greenfield to The Health Bridge! They discuss the No Pain No Gain mentality in fitness. Is pain really required to become fitter? What level of challenge is required to see results? And what about between workouts? Are we treating our bodies properly during rest and recovery cycles? Ben Greenfield lists other ways to improve our bodies that don't require raising our heart rates. How can we get out of the comfort zone and challenge ourselves to grow?

Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried this week give updates on the gongs they recently started. They then dive into a further discussion on Robin Williams which started in the episode with Shawn Stevenson. We received some messages that took concern with Shawn's statement that suicide is a "selfish" act. Pedram and Sara continue the conversation on this sensitive subject. Pedram discusses his experiences knowing people to have taken their own lives. Sara discusses how the news of Robin Williams affected her family. Most importantly, if you are suffering from depression and thinking of taking your own life, please seek help!

How can we create an army for change? Both for ourselves and the community in which we live? This week Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai welcome celebrity nutritionist Cynthia Pasquella to the Health Bridge. They discuss the idea that everyone should practice what they preach. Pedram and Sara talk about their 100-day gongs and Cynthia describes the 10-day challenge she has. They discuss the difficulties of diets and how to work them rather than having them work you.

This week Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried welcome Shawn Stevenson to The Health Bridge. Shawn as a youth had a very weak body. He broke a hip while running track and was told that he had the spine of an 80-year-old. He was told there wasn't anything to be done about it but the doctors went ahead and prescribed him pills to take. Shawn took it upon himself to make changes in his life. What changes did Shawn notice when he cut out fast food? What sort of improvements occurred? How did his overall quality of life change?

Some of us think we need that cup of coffee in the morning or the newest gadget, but is that really a need? This week Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried welcome Cliff Hodges of Adventure Out to The Health Bridge. Cliff runs a program of survival training that aims to re-acclimate the 21st century human back to our primal instincts. When we're worried about actual survival, how does the list of needs vs. wants shift? Is that coffee still a need to stay awake? Or does it become a need to sustain ourselves. Is the smartphone still important? Or should we worry more about staying warm after the sun sets? What can spending time disconnected from the 21st century out in the woods do for our perspective of the world?

This week Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai welcome gut expert Steve Wright to The Health Bridge. Steve was an electrical engineer that had so many problems with his gut that his family nicknamed him, "The Gas Man." He was even told be co-workers that he was "stinking up the cube farm." Steve tried a few different diets to varying effects for his leaky gut. He was then introduced to the Carbohydrate Diet. What is the Carbohydrate Diet and how did it affect the way Steve felt? How can we rebuild the gut through diet?