Feeling older after 35? What if the real reason your body is breaking down… isn't aging, but interference?

In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, I sit down with nutritionist Stephen Heuer to explore what really happens to your body after 35, and why so many people begin to experience fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, slower metabolism, and declining energy despite doing "all the right things."

Together, we unpack a controversial but fascinating perspective on how modern life may be accelerating biological aging—and what you can do to take back control.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Why energy, metabolism, and recovery decline after 35 • The truth behind bone loss and osteoporosis • Gut microbiome dysfunction and its role in aging and inflammation • The difference between ionic calcium and traditional supplementation • How antibiotics, toxins, and environmental exposures impact your body over time • The deeper connection between biology, energy, and long-term healing

This conversation challenges the conventional narrative around aging and asks a bigger question:

👉 Are we blaming age… when the real issue is interference?

If you've been dealing with chronic symptoms, low energy, stubborn weight gain, or feeling like your body isn't responding the way it used to—this episode will give you a new lens on what's happening beneath the surface.

Because after 35, it's not just about getting older.

It's about understanding what's interfering with your body's ability to function, repair, and thrive.

Follow Doctor V https://instagram.com/doctorvmd

Get the #1 bestselling book Thrive State https://thrivestatebook.com Download the FREE Longevity & Human Potential Starter Guide https://thrivestatestarter.com

Visit Dr. V's website https://kienvuu.com

What if your fatigue, burnout, and chronic inflammation aren't problems to fix, but signals asking you to change the way you live?

In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, I sit down with double board-certified physician Dr. Ann Maria Hester to explore a powerful shift in how we understand health, disease, and healing.

After years in traditional internal medicine, Dr. Hester recognized a deeper truth: many of the conditions we struggle with today are not inevitable. They are the result of how we live, think, and relate to the world around us.

My conversation with her goes beyond surface-level wellness advice. It dives into the science and psychology of lifestyle medicine, and the often-overlooked role of identity, belief, and consciousness in shaping our biology.

If you've ever felt stuck despite knowing what to do for your health, this episode will challenge how you think about change, and show you why knowledge alone isn't enough.

In this episode, we explore: • Why burnout, brain fog, and chronic inflammation are signals, not failures • The six pillars of lifestyle medicine and how they drive long-term health • How chronic stress rewires the brain and impacts your body • The connection between identity, belief systems, and behavior change • Why information alone doesn't create transformation • How meaning, faith, and connection can become powerful forms of medicine • The truth about healing as an active, daily practice, not a passive process

This episode is a reminder that healing isn't about fixing what's broken. It's about realigning with who you are, and consciously choosing how you live.

If you're ready to take ownership of your health and step into a more intentional, energized way of living, this conversation will give you a new framework to start.

Follow Doctor V https://instagram.com/doctorvmd

Join the Thrive State Community https://mythrivestate.com/join

Download the FREE Longevity & Human Potential Starter Guide https://thrivestatestarter.com

Visit Dr. V's website https://kienvuu.com

Dr. Marianne Pinkston is a board-certified family and functional medicine physician with nearly 30 years in solo practice, based in San Antonio, Texas. After personally overcoming rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and obesity, she transformed her practice and launched New Bloom, a personalized functional medicine platform focused on helping women reclaim their health, identity, and vitality. She is also the host of the Dr. P Better Life podcast, now in its fourth year.

- New Bloom: mynubloom.com - Podcast: drpbetterlife.com - Instagram: @drmariannepinkston

Key Takeaways:

• Chronic stress and adverse childhood events (ACEs) create a biological environment of inflammation that drives autoimmune disease, cancer, obesity, and metabolic disorders.
• Survival mode — the state of constantly being in fight-or-flight — is the root cause, not just a symptom, of most chronic disease.
• Identity is medicine. Changing your body requires changing the story you tell yourself about who you are and what you deserve.
• Emotional eating, people-pleasing, and overworking are survival mechanisms rooted in childhood experiences — not character flaws.
• Boundaries are not walls. They are a form of self-love that creates the biological conditions for healing.
• Dr. Pinkston lost 120 pounds over two years, reversed her diabetes and cancer, and is now an athlete at 57.
• Functional medicine addresses root causes — stress, identity, lifestyle, nutrition — rather than managing individual symptoms in isolation.
• Dr. Pinkston's Best Medicine: gratitude, paying it forward, and using lived experience to guide others.

Resources Mentioned: - New Bloom: mynubloom.com - Dr. P Better Life Podcast: drpbetterlife.com - Film: *The Martian* (Matt Damon) — on solving one problem at a time - Book: *Gone With the Wind* — on resilience and perseverance

Dr. Georgine Nanos is a board-certified family physician based in Encinitas, California, and the North American Medical Director for Exo Mind — the world's most advanced TMS device. She has been practicing medicine for 24 years and pioneered the world's first single-day TMS protocol, publishing the landmark study in 2024. Her clinic, Kind Minds TMS, offers the full spectrum of TMS treatments from performance optimization to treatment-resistant depression.

- Website: kindmindstms.com

- Instagram: @drgeorginenanos

Dr. Judson Brandeis is a board-certified urologist, men's health specialist, and author of *The 21st Century Man*. Based in Northern California, he has integrated the Exo Mind TMS system into his practice and recently launched Global Men's Wellness — an AI-powered Men's Health large language model trained on curated medical literature.

- Website: brandeismd.com

- AI Platform: globalmenswellness.com

Key Takeaways:

• TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) uses safe magnetic pulses — no electricity — to stimulate the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, the brain's emotional control center.
• The traditional 40-day TMS protocol has been condensed into a single day with equal or better outcomes.
• Dr. Nanos' published trial showed a 90% response rate and 72% remission rate — more than double the remission rate of antidepressants.
• TMS is not just for depression. It treats anxiety, PTSD, burnout, brain fog, insomnia, perimenopausal symptoms, and performance optimization.
• The one-day protocol costs approximately $10,000–$12,000 and is not covered by insurance (cash pay only for accelerated protocols).
• TMS creates a "window of neuroplasticity" — the brain is most receptive to new patterns immediately after treatment.
• Dr. Brandeis' personal experience: woke up 15–20% happier, more creative, with greater mental clarity — sustained for months.
• Dr. Nanos' Best Medicine: sleep and exercise.

Resources Mentioned:

- Kind Minds TMS: kindmindstms.com

- Exo Mind TMS Device: exomind.com

- Brandeis MD: brandeismd.com

- Global Men's Wellness AI: globalmenswellness.com

- Book: *The Happiness Project* — Gretchen Rubi

- Book: *The 21st Century Man* — Dr. Judson Brandeis

In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Alli Covington shares how she blends fitness, psychology, and technology to help individuals and organizations truly thrive. She unpacks why most corporate wellness programs miss the mark, how identity and mindset drive lasting behavior change, and why daily gratitude and simple mantras can literally rewire your brain. Alli also reveals her ambitious vision for global workplace health, the story behind her career pivot, and how her role as a mom fuels her mission.

Key Highlights:

• Why "training the head" makes training the body easier
• The hidden flaws in typical corporate wellness programs
• How Alli uses an app, community, and fractional Chief Health Officer model
• The power of identity, mindset, and gratitude in transforming health

Why do most people quit their resolutions by February?

Because they sprint.

In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, I sit down with Light Watkins, author of The Year You Transform, to explore the tortoise approach to lasting transformation.

Light shares a practical framework for change that actually sticks:

• Why 7-day experiments outperform long-term resolutions
• How infant steps beat heroic leaps
• Gratitude as a biological anchor
• The power of forgiveness sequencing
• Why awareness is more powerful than willpower
• The difference between being anti-something and pro-awareness

Most people plan for their perfect day. Light teaches you how to optimize for your average busy day.

That small shift changes everything.

Follow @doctorvmd Get Thrive State (2nd Edition): https://thrivestatebook.comDownload free longevity tools: https://thrivestatestarter.com

What if the real edge in life and business is not strategy… but energy?

In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, I sit down with Wing Lam, founder and CEO of Wahoo's Fish Taco, to explore what it truly means to bring the Aloha energy into how we live and lead.

Aloha is not just a greeting. It is presence. It is a shared breath. It is generosity and grounded leadership. And from a biological perspective, it matters more than most people realize.

We explore:

• Why energy is biological, not just philosophical • How identity shapes health, leadership, and longevity • The connection between stress, cortisol, and emotional states • Building culture through authenticity • Why your presence is your competitive advantage in the age of AI

Everything is energy. The tone you bring into a room. The thoughts you repeat. The emotional baseline you live from. That energy becomes chemistry in your body and culture in your company.

If you want stronger health, better relationships, and more aligned success, this conversation will expand your perspective.

Follow @doctorvmd Get the #1 bestselling book Thrive State (2nd Edition): https://thrivestatebook.comDownload free longevity and performance resources: https://thrivestatestarter.com

Success looks powerful from the outside.

But what happens after you reach the top?

In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, I sit down with NFL Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk to explore something rarely discussed publicly: The identity crisis that follows peak performance.

We discuss:

• The hidden biological cost of hustle culture
• Why achievement can create chronic stress
• What happens when your primary identity disappears
• Reinventing yourself after success
• How your energetic state influences your DNA and mitochondria

Your identity is not just psychological. It is biological. Every belief you hold creates a neurochemical cascade that affects your nervous system, immune function, and mitochondrial health.

If your identity is built on performance, proving yourself, or constant productivity, your body may remain in survival mode long after the external success is achieved.

This conversation is about conscious reinvention.

Because success without alignment can quietly cost you your health.

In This Episode You Will Learn

• How identity influences gene expression and longevity
• The biological impact of chronic stress
• Why elite athletes struggle after retirement
• The science behind energy and mitochondrial function
• How to consciously evolve your identity

Resources

Download the free Longevity and Performance Starter Guide: https://thrivestatestarter.com

Get the 2nd Edition of Thrive State: https://thrivestatebook.com

Join the Thrive State Membership: https://kienvuu.com/join

Follow @doctorvmd for daily insights on longevity and performance.

Is chronic illness really about food alone?

What if the real root cause is the signal your body is receiving every day?

In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Dr. Kien Vuu explores a powerful concept in longevity science: chronic disease is often driven not just by diet, but by the biological signals we send through stress, sleep, relationships, mindset, and environment.

Drawing from functional medicine, neuroscience, and emerging longevity research, Dr. V explains how your body is constantly listening. Every thought, every interaction, every stress response sends a biochemical signal that either promotes inflammation or supports healing.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why chronic illness is often a signaling problem
• How stress hormones influence gene expression
• The connection between the default mode network and inflammation
• Why social isolation increases mortality risk
• How to shift your internal environment to activate healing

If you are struggling with autoimmune issues, metabolic dysfunction, burnout, or chronic inflammation, this episode will change how you think about recovery.

Follow Doctor V for more longevity insights: https://www.instagram.com/doctorvmd

Get the 2nd Edition of Thrive State, a #1 Amazon bestseller: https://thrivestatebook.com

Download the free Longevity and Performance Starter Guide: https://thrivestatestarter.com

What if healing is not something that happens to you but something you actively participate in every single day?

In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, I sit down with Steve White, founder of Brae 100 and HomeTeams, to explore what real healing actually looks like beyond the clinic walls. Steve shares the moment in nature that changed the trajectory of his life, why forgiveness may be one of the most powerful biological interventions we have, and how discipline outperforms motivation when it comes to lasting transformation.

We break down the science behind agency, community, and caring, including how stress physiology, inflammation, and immune function are influenced by mindset, behavior, and connection. This conversation is a reminder that the most important medicine often happens in the other 23 hours of your day.

If you are navigating chronic illness, supporting someone you love, or looking to reclaim ownership of your health and purpose, this episode will meet you exactly where you are.

👉 Follow Doctor V on Instagram @doctorvmd 👉 Get the #1 Amazon bestselling book Thrive State (2nd Edition) at thrivestatebook.com 👉 Download free longevity and human potential resources at thrivestatestarter.com

Episode Highlights:

• The moment of being lost and the wake-up call in nature
• Remembering who you are when life pulls you off course
• Forgiveness as a biological and spiritual reset
• Why caring for others improves immune function and health
• Cynicism, belief, and why imagination matters in healing
• Discipline over motivation and how real change actually happens
• The 23-hour rule and reclaiming agency over your health
• Healing as a team sport and the HomeTeams model
• Why nature remains the most powerful medicine