Two Percent with Michael Easter

Michael sits down with trial lawyer Jefferson Fisher, author of The Next Conversation, on why hard conversations are some of the most uncomfortable things we do and how to handle them with strength. They discuss:

00:00 Preview
01:41 The hardest conversation he's ever had
05:30 What to do before having a hard conversation
14:57 Don't win the argument, understand it
17:02 Let your breath be the first word
24:16 Stop over-apologizing
26:31 Five second rule of silence
31:02 Why brevity wins: say it in three sentences
44:50 Boundaries: lead with the no
51:24 When someone's grieving, just do the thing
54:05 Rapid fire: no is a complete sentence

Read Do Hard Things: https://www.twopct.com/p/do-hard-things

Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today's episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. Our editor is Will Mayo. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.

Visit Two Percent, the #1 health and wellness Substack newsletter: https://www.twopct.com

Follow Michael:
https://twitter.com/Michael_Easter
https://instagram.com/michael_easter/
https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/
https://www.facebook.com/twopct
https://tiktok.com/@michael_easter6

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael speaks with physician and competitive powerlifter Dr. Jordan Feigenbaum about what peptides are, why they suddenly seem to promise everything, and what the human evidence actually shows.

They discuss:

0:00 Preview
0:45 Michael FaceTimes Foster Kamer about peptides
8:28 What is a peptide?
13:00 BPC-157 and the evidence problem
19:40 Why pain relief doesn't prove peptides work
24:19 Promising peptides and unknown risks
35:29 Where people buy peptides
39:15 The FDA's peptide debate
43:38 Why peptides are suddenly everywhere
49:16 Would Dr. Feigenbaum prescribe peptides?

Read The 5 Supplements I Take: https://www.twopct.com/p/the-5-supplements-i-take

Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today's episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. Our editor is Will Mayo. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.

Visit Two Percent, the #1 health and wellness Substack newsletter: https://www.twopct.com

Follow Michael:
https://twitter.com/Michael_Easter
https://instagram.com/michael_easter/
https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/
https://www.facebook.com/twopct
https://tiktok.com/@michael_easter6

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael speaks with Eric Frohardt about his twelve years on SEAL Team 6 as a sniper and assaulter—and what you can learn from it. They discuss:

0:00 Preview
0:39 How to stay calm under pressure
6:09 How farm work built resilience
9:17 The bet that started a SEAL career
17:02 How adults can train courage
19:45 Watching 9/11 from Guam
22:20 From the SEAL Teams to DEVGRU
26:13 Why preparation cannot guarantee the outcome
30:56 Rebuilding after losing your identity
43:21 Why adversity is a gift

Read Misogi Guide: Updated: https://www.twopct.com/p/misogi-guide-updated

Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today's episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. Our editor is Will Mayo. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.

Visit Two Percent, the #1 health and wellness Substack newsletter: https://www.twopct.com

Follow Michael:
https://twitter.com/Michael_Easter
https://instagram.com/michael_easter/
https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/
https://www.facebook.com/twopct
https://tiktok.com/@michael_easter6

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael speaks with Ellen Langer, the first woman tenured in Harvard’s psychology department and author of The Mindful Body, about how our thoughts and expectations shape aging, health, and performance. They discuss:
0:00 Preview
0:45 The experiment that changed how we see aging
4:29 How beliefs change the body
10:52 Placebo, nocebo, and imagined exercise
12:16 Mindfulness without meditation
17:31 Why certainty makes us mindless
24:44 How context changes physical performance
33:21 How rules and labels shape health
43:15 Why chronic does not mean constant
51:14 A better way to make hard decisions

Read The Brain Glitch That Makes Modern Life Feel Miserable: https://www.twopct.com/p/why-your-mind-is-hardwired-to-find

Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today's episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. Our editor is Will Mayo. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.

Visit Two Percent, the #1 health and wellness Substack newsletter: https://www.twopct.com

Follow Michael:
https://twitter.com/Michael_Easter
https://instagram.com/michael_easter/
https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/
https://www.facebook.com/twopct
https://tiktok.com/@michael_easter6

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael speaks with economist Tyler Cowen, author of The Complacent Class, about how AI is changing our lives and what still matters for health, happiness, and ambition. They discuss:

0:00 Preview
0:48 Should we panic about the future?
6:04 How AI makes you smarter or stupider
7:36 Mental health, antidepressants, and young men
16:26 Why America stopped taking risks
19:33 The case for free-range kids
21:47 What hard travel teaches about happiness
28:45 Why exercise is a great investment
36:29 Why initiative now beats intelligence
45:05 What Tyler Cowen will never hand off to AI

Tyler Cowen is a professor of economics at George Mason University, the economist behind MarginalRevolution.com, and the author of nearly 20 books, including The Complacent Class. He also hosts Conversations with Tyler.

Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today's episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. Our editor is Joey Fischground. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.

Visit Two Percent, the #1 health and wellness Substack newsletter: https://www.twopct.com

Follow Michael:
https://twitter.com/Michael_Easter
https://instagram.com/michael_easter/
https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/
https://www.facebook.com/twopct
https://tiktok.com/@michael_easter6

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael speaks with Cal Newport, a Georgetown computer scientist and author of Deep Work and Slow Productivity, about why modern work rewards busyness over valuable work and how to reclaim your focus. They discuss:

0:00 Preview
0:42 Why modern work keeps us stressed
3:23 How busyness replaced real productivity
11:41 Why email and meetings destroy focus
24:58 Do fewer things, finish them faster
30:23 The three rules of Slow Productivity
44:15 Productivity myths from Austen to Kerouac
52:25 How Cal Newport schedules his work
55:24 How to say no without burning a bridge
1:09:15 How to use AI without weakening your thinking

Go deeper: https://www.twopct.com/p/the-real-reason-your-job-is-draining

Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today's episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. Our editor is Will Mayo. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.

Visit Two Percent, the #1 health and wellness Substack newsletter: https://www.twopct.com

Follow Michael:
https://twitter.com/Michael_Easter
https://instagram.com/michael_easter/
https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/
https://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Easter/100063709885769/
https://tiktok.com/@michael_easter6

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael speaks with River Selby, author of Hotshot: A Life on Fire, about what seven years as a wildland firefighter taught them about grit, belonging, and why landscapes need fire. They discuss:

0:00 Preview
0:44 Becoming a hotshot firefighter
5:27 Proving they belonged on the crew
6:09 Why a hard childhood made a hard job easier
8:55 What 48-hour wildfire shifts are like
15:46 What fighting wildfires feels like
17:51 Why landscapes need fire
19:51 How fire suppression made wildfires worse
23:48 Leaving the fire crew
24:32 River Selby's life after firefighting

This episode includes discussion of childhood abuse, addiction, and suicide.

Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today's episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. Our editor is Will Mayo. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.

Visit Two Percent, the #1 health and wellness Substack newsletter: https://www.twopct.com


Follow Michael:
https://twitter.com/Michael_Easter
https://instagram.com/michael_easter/
https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/
https://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Easter/100063709885769/
https://tiktok.com/@michael_easter6

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael speaks with Dan Shannon, who runs The Humane League and has been vegan for almost 30 years, about why meat eaters belong in the animal welfare movement and what actually improves animals’ lives. They discuss:

0:00 Preview
0:51 Why meat eaters belong in animal welfare
4:26 What life inside a battery cage is like
13:03 Why personal guilt is the wrong strategy
15:49 How animal welfare campaigns change corporations
18:33 How to eat fewer animal products
25:38 Which food labels actually mean something
29:36 Why cage-free eggs cost more
36:19 What 30 years of veganism taught Dan Shannon
38:22 How consumers can pressure companies

Read Protein Myths Part II: https://www.twopct.com/p/protein-myths-part-ii

Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today's episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. Our editor is Will Mayo. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.

GET A FREE GUIDE TO EXAMPLES OF MISOGI: https://www.twopct.com

I share similar insights around health and wellness here:
https://substack.com/@michaeleaster

Follow Michael:
https://twitter.com/Michael_Easter
https://instagram.com/michael_easter/
https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/
https://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Easter/100063709885769/
https://tiktok.com/@michael_easter6

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael speaks with Dr. Lucy McBride, a Harvard-trained physician and author of Beyond the Prescription, about why modern medicine overlooks the whole patient and how to become the CEO of your own health. They discuss:

0:00 Preview
0:52 Why patients feel dismissed
5:13 Why healthcare focuses on damage control
10:23 Why Dr. McBride left the system
15:58 The question she asks every patient
20:09 Where medicine ends and wellness begins
26:44 How to become the CEO of your health
38:46 What AI can and cannot do in the exam room
44:39 How to prepare for a doctor's appointment
48:19 Prenuvo scans, blood tests, and CGMs

Read The Comfort Crisis in the Doctor’s Office: https://www.twopct.com/p/the-comfort-crisis-in-the-doctors

Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today's episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. Our editor is Will Mayo. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.

GET A FREE GUIDE TO EXAMPLES OF MISOGI: https://www.twopct.com

I share similar insights around health and wellness here:
https://substack.com/@michaeleaster

Follow Michael:
https://twitter.com/Michael_Easter
https://instagram.com/michael_easter/
https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/
https://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Easter/100063709885769/
https://tiktok.com/@michael_easter6

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Blue Zones built an empire on one promise: copy how the world's oldest people live, and you can join them past 100. Saul Newman, a demographer at the University of Oxford, went looking for those long-lived people in the records. Most of them were not there.

Michael sits down with Newman, author of Morbid: Debunking Modern Longevity Science, to walk through what he found. When Japan audited its citizens listed as over 100, 82 percent were already dead: more than 230,000 people alive only on paper, including Tokyo's oldest man, dead in his room for 30 years while the family collected his pension. Greece's audit caught centenarians drawing pensions from the graveyard. And America's Blue Zone, Loma Linda, was picked after a magazine editor asked its founder to find one; by his own admission, it came from a freeway turnoff on the drive to Las Vegas.

Newman explains why age records break down exactly where longevity legends grow, how bad centenarian data quietly sets your pension and insurance rates, why Silicon Valley keeps buying immortality pitches as old as the first emperor of China, and what actually works if you want a longer, healthier life.

Learn more at twopct.com

Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today's episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. Our editor is Ryan Mulhern. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.

GET A FREE GUIDE TO EXAMPLES OF MISOGI. GO TO https://www.twopct.com AND ENTER YOUR EMAIL.

I share similar insights around health and wellness here:
https://substack.com/@michaeleaster
https://instagram.com/michael_easter/
https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/
https://facebook.com/easter.michael
https://tiktok.com/@michael_easter6
https://x.com/Michael_Easter

00:00 Cold open
01:24 Where the Blue Zones began
03:00 A magazine article becomes an empire
04:22 The nine behaviors
07:59 Two bad papers drag Saul in
10:04 Why errors explode with age
11:28 Japan audits its centenarians
12:39 Dead 30 years, still on the pension
15:44 Greece checks the graveyard
17:03 Loma Linda, found on a freeway exit
19:02 Costa Rica's paid discovery
20:59 The uncomfortable longevity answer
23:34 Hate mail and the Kremlin
26:46 The Blue Zones founder pushes back
28:17 What bad data costs your pension
30:39 The UN's garbage numbers
32:42 The world's oldest man problem
35:34 Silicon Valley's longevity grift
39:28 The odds double every eight years
42:22 What actually works
45:30 Kick the charlatans out
48:21 Making peace with 80 years
50:22 Outro

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices