Two Percent with Michael Easter

Most people can name four pillars of health: diet, exercise, sleep, and stress. Daisy Fancourt, the researcher behind a 146-page World Health Organization report on art and health and the author of Art Cure, argues there is a fifth: the arts. The evidence she lays out is striking. Regular arts engagement is linked to about half the risk of developing depression over ten years, slower biological aging as measured by epigenetic clocks (how fast your cells are aging), and a longer time free from dementia through what researchers call cognitive reserve (the brain's buffer against decline). In studies of surgery patients, recorded music reduced anxiety more effectively than anti-anxiety medication. And yet only 1 in 20 American adults did any art yesterday, compared to 57% who ate vegetables.

Then ceramic artist Jesse Albrecht tests the thesis from the inside. An Army medic in Mosul in the early Iraq War, he came home to a reintegration briefing that amounted to one VHS tape, spent years making dark, angry work about war, and learned the hard way that, in his words, we become what we focus on. A 2020 inpatient PTSD program at a Montana VA hospital turned his life and his work toward recovery and beauty. The episode closes with where to begin, and both guests agree on the answer: you start by starting.

*This episode contains descriptions of war violence and trauma and may not be suitable for children.

00:00 Cold open

00:41 Who is Daisy Fancourt?

02:01 Art is 40,000 years old, maybe older than language

03:34 The WHO report on art and health

05:54 The physical benefits: singing, dance, frailty

07:59 Reading and crafts slow biological aging

08:52 Art as the fifth pillar of health

10:57 Make it or consume it?

12:12 Kids, teens, and granny hobbies

16:35 Art in hospitals: music against medication

19:45 The HIV quilt and singing for lung health

21:34 Cognitive reserve and delaying dementia

22:57 Music and sleep

26:56 Only 1 in 20 adults did any art yesterday

29:34 What counts as art

31:35 The one pound to eleven pounds return

36:22 Who is Jesse Albrecht?

38:33 Mosul: this is bananas

43:59 Coming home to a VHS tape

46:03 Finding other veterans in the art world

50:43 Disillusionment and the dark decade

53:57 Two months at the VA: the 2020 turn

58:02 Is art healing? Jesse pushes back

61:57 How to start: start by starting

64:30 His one big quote about art

66:40 Outro

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Most of us assume America's biggest health problem is obesity. Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, a physician for 20 years and the founder of Muscle-Centric Medicine, argues we have spent 50 years fighting the wrong problem. We are not over fat, we are under-muscled, and obesity is a symptom of unhealthy skeletal muscle.

Michael pushes on where the argument is strongest and where it might miss. They get into whether you can have too much muscle, and why she believes GLP-1s could trade the obesity epidemic for a sarcopenia epidemic (too little muscle). They also cover the new dietary guidelines for protein, why your first meal of the day matters most, and the visceral "why" that keeps her Navy SEAL husband working 100-hour weeks. Her whole prescription fits in one sentence: lift hard, prioritize your protein, and get your mind right.

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. This episode was edited by Will Mayo. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.

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https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/
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Chapters:
00:00:00 - Cold open
00:01:36 - Not overweight, under-muscled
00:05:37 - How much muscle do you actually need?
00:10:39 - What end-of-life care taught her about muscle
00:15:12 - Never too late: building muscle after 60
00:19:47 - How often should you strength train?
00:19:56 - Get your mind right: friction and finding your real why
00:27:51 - The new protein rules and your first meal
00:36:17 - The protein-ification problem (and carb tolerance)
00:39:53 - Her professional take on GLP-1s
00:45:12 - The 30-second prescription

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Robert Young Pelton spent his early career as an advertising executive with 50 employees, a Rolls Royce, and a half acre on the ocean. At 40, he walked away from it to become a journalist and report from the world's most dangerous places. In the 30 years since, a Liberian rebel has put a bullet two inches from his ear, a Colombian death squad held him at gunpoint for ten days, and he’s arranged secret dinners between American generals and Taliban leaders. His method has never changed: show up, sit down, ask about their kids, and understand why people do what they do.

This conversation is packed with some of his wildest stories and lessons for a life well travelled. Robert shares why traveling is statistically safer than staying home. He also shares how the State Department uses their travel warnings for political reasons, rather than assessing how safe a region actually is. Plus, the rule he lives by at 70, happy and married for almost 50 years: the clock is ticking, so don't be afraid to reinvent yourself.

*This episode is not suitable for children as it contains descriptions of violence.

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. This episode was edited by 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

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Intro (cold open)
00:01:55 - Who is Robert Young Pelton?
00:03:09 - The closest he ever came to death
00:04:45 - From living in a car at 16 to the Inc 500
00:07:30 - Why he left it all in his 40s
00:10:53 - Setting up interviews with the Taliban
00:12:36 - How to read people
00:14:50 - Working with Steve Jobs
00:16:21 - Context is everything in war
00:18:36 - Coming home from war zones
00:20:14 - Are government travel warnings accurate?
00:21:59 - What actually kills travelers
00:24:59 - The most dangerous country on Earth
00:28:06 - Trust your spidey senses
00:29:31 - How to talk to anyone
00:31:33 - The FBI and a lost passport
00:34:15 - Kidnapped in Colombia
00:42:58 - The decompression window
00:45:46 - Why take the risk at all?
00:49:54 - What he packs: cash, gifts, and a dummy phone
00:54:20 - Where you should actually go
00:57:06 - Do not wait to reinvent yourself
00:58:18 - Outro

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Most people will never even think about climbing Mount Everest. Dr. Jon Kedrowski has been on seven Everest expeditions and reached the summit four times. Along the way he survived the 2015 earthquake that killed 20 people in front of him at base camp, a storm that killed seven climbers on the night of his first summit push, and a lightning strike that destroyed his tent on a Colorado peak while he slept on the summit.

Jon sat down with Michael to explain his Everest Ready philosophy: build a body and a mindset that could take on the hardest thing imaginable at any moment. When you put yourself into hard challenges again and again, suddenly the everyday small stuff stops rattling you.
They get into how he decides when to walk away from a mountain (including a deadly K2 winter expedition), why traffic jams have become Everest's real danger, and why a first ascent of an untouched peak felt better than reaching the top of the world.

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. This episode was edited by 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:
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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

Chapters:
00:00 Cold open
01:52 "Because it's there" is BS
02:51 The first ascent that beat Everest
04:46 Stop putting off your own projects
08:19 Seven expeditions, four summits
10:18 The Everest Ready mindset
13:39 Walks that make people open up
15:19 Patience and character on expeditions
17:59 Making 3,100 hard miles fun
21:31 Every Colorado 14er by 18
25:00 FKTs and the outdoor pissing contest
28:47 The earthquake that changed everything
30:53 Seven died on his first summit push
34:35 Walking away from K2
40:30 Why K2 is harder than Everest
42:45 Navigation is good for your brain
46:05 Lightning struck his tent
48:25 A meteorologist on Everest
50:46 Is Everest getting safer or deadlier?
53:09 Traffic jams in the death zone
57:18 Train mountains with mountains
58:53 The ideal mountaineer's build
01:00:56 Expedition eating
01:04:46 Always say yes

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Maria Konnikova earned a PhD in psychology at Columbia studying human decision-making. She then took her research into the most unforgiving laboratory there is: the poker table. From playing her first hand of poker in 2017, to training under the legendary Erik Seidel, and becoming a poker champion, Maria sits down with Michael the day before playing in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, to share the secrets to making winning decisions.

They break down why the best hand wins only 12% of the time and what that means for skill and luck in your own life. Maria explains the illusion of control, winner's tilt, and how to actually read tells (watch the hands, not the face). She also covers why a 1% edge matters more than you think, how to avoid the risk of ruin, and when to walk away from a bad investment, a bad job, or a bad friendship.

Maria is the author of “The Biggest Bluff: How I learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win.” Her other books include The Confidence Game and Mastermind.

She also writes The Leap, a weekly Substack about decision making.

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. This episode was edited by 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:
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https://instagram.com/michael_easter/
https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/
https://facebook.com/easter.michael
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Summer is peak reading season, so it only made sense for Michael, author of “The Comfort Crisis” & “Scarcity Brain,” to sit down with Alex Wieckowski of Alex & Books, the man who has read two books a week for the past decade. Together they build a list of some of their favorite books, including one hidden gem from Tolstoy, “A Calendar of Wisdom.” Alex tells the true survival story that made complaining impossible for him. He also reveals the classic novel that scared him into cleaning up his habits.

Then they play overrated or underrated with the biggest self-improvement books ever written: Atomic Habits, Man's Search for Meaning, 12 Rules for Life, The 4-Hour Workweek and more. Alex then reveals the skill that helps him remember every book he reads, turning its lessons into actions. They also get into lifting weights with Alex Hormozi, the trap of "next book syndrome," and whether AI will ever replace real writing.

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. This episode was edited by 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:
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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

Chapters:

00:00 Cold Open

00:50 Welcome to Two Percent + Meet Alex (Alex & Books)

01:32 How to Pick Your Next Book

02:08 Hidden-Gem Self-Improvement Books (Tolstoy & The Power of Myth)

05:56 The Forgotten Highlander: The Wildest True Survival Story

08:26 Why Evolution Kept Anxiety & Depression

10:47 The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Novel That Fixes Habits

13:35 East of Eden & Having Agency

14:39 Pure-Entertainment Picks (Disappointing Affirmations & A Confederacy of Dunces)

18:42 Overrated or Underrated: Atomic Habits, Man's Search for Meaning & More

24:52 The Cult Question: The Elephant in the Brain & The True Believer

28:11 Books for Athletes: Mindset & Zen Shooting

31:18 How to Actually Remember What You Read

34:28 A Day With Alex Hormozi (and Getting Called Weak)

36:49 What Self-Improvement Gets Wrong: "Next Book Syndrome"

39:52 The Comfort Crisis Lessons Alex Uses Daily

40:54 Will AI Replace Books?

42:23 Wrap-Up

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It turns out that tennis might be one of the best things you can do to protect your brain from dementia as you age. For this episode of Two Percent, Michael Easter sits down with neuroscientist Dr. Tommy Wood, author of The Stimulated Mind, to explain why sports that make you think while you move are amazing for your brain. The list includes tennis, pickleball, martial arts, and even strongman competitions.

They get into why the world's most physically active elders in an Amazonian tribe have some of the lowest dementia rates ever measured. They also cover what "open-skill" sports actually do to your brain on an MRI scan, and how modern exercise got so boring the moment we split the body from the mind. Then Michael opens the mailbag for an AMA. He shares how to stay fit while traveling and names the single best exercise if you could only pick one. Finally, he settles a debate that has haunted him since college: what is the actual difference between a sport and a game?

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. This episode was edited by 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
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https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/
https://facebook.com/easter.michael
https://tiktok.com/@michael_easter6
https://x.com/Michael_Easter

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro: could a sport protect your brain?
01:24 - Michael's high-school tennis career
02:40 - Dr. Tommy Wood on movement and the brain
04:57 - What "open-skill" sports actually are
06:37 - How we invented exercise and made it boring
08:52 - Hunter-gatherer elders and the world's lowest dementia rates
11:54 - Tommy's own sport (strongman) and the social factor
13:59 - The first-ever Two Percent AMA begins
14:18 - AMA: staying fit while traveling
16:40 - AMA: the one exercise you'd do forever
19:09 - AMA: the revamped Two Percent shop
20:30 - AMA: how often to train your VO2 max
23:30 - AMA: if humans evolved to run, why the injuries?
28:00 - Dept. of Ridiculous Questions: sport vs. game
29:27 - Outro

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Ever feel like you're winning at life on paper, hitting your steps, your salary goals, your sleep score, and somehow still feel worse? This episode explains why.

Host Michael Easter sits down with the thinker who's lived rent-free in his head for five years: C. Thi Nguyen, a philosophy professor at the University of Utah and author of The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game.

They dig into a phenomenon Nguyen calls "value capture." The moment you start chasing a number, the metric quietly takes over the goal you actually cared about. He walks through vivid examples like how his weight tracker made him eat worse, and why a friend quit rock climbing because it lowered his step count. From there, they zoom out to how this applies to playing video and board games, and how you can in fact use metrics and 'games' to make your life happier, so long as you don't get obsessed. They also discuss longevity culture, and the single question a student wrote on her phone that pulled her out of five years of depression: “Is this the game you really want to be playing?”

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. This episode was edited by Joey Fischground. 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
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https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/
https://facebook.com/easter.michael
https://tiktok.com/@michael_easter6
https://x.com/Michael_Easter

Chapters:

00:00 — Cold open

00:38 — The thinker who lives rent-free in Michael's head

02:24 — The weight-loss story that started it all

05:08 — How calorie tracking made him eat worse

08:41 — What "value capture" actually means

09:32 — The friend who quit rock climbing over his step count

11:31 — Grades: why the best students get B's

17:03 — Learning outcomes & how institutions warp us

19:19 — Why chasing a salary backfires

20:02 — It's not the apps — it's a 1,000-year-old story

22:36 — Why modern wine got worse (Robert Parker)

25:18 — The clothes that fall apart in two months

27:43 — Why numbers capture us: portability vs. sensitivity

30:33 — Scores as "clarity devices"

33:10 — What a game actually is

35:50 — The marathon & the cab

38:03 — Goal vs. purpose: the magic circle

41:41 — Striving vs. achievement play

48:35 — Why your sleep score is lying to you

54:39 — We've all become "pickup artists"

56:00 — Doctors, education policy & Men's Health

58:41 — Seeing Like a State: the forest that collapsed

1:00:32 — What this says about longevity culture

1:03:24 — The man whose resolution was to drink more

1:04:53 — Why joy doesn't need a medical justification

1:07:38 — So what do you actually do about it?

1:09:26 — "Is this the game you really want to be playing?"

1:12:07 — Hobbes: whoever defines success rules you

1:13:40 — Why conspiracy theories feel so good

1:16:07 — Three board games everyone should play

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If you turn on the news right now, you'll be hit with a sea of negativity, and it can convince you the world is falling apart. It isn't. Host Michael Easter sits down with two guests to explain why our minds are literally built to outweigh the bad, and how you can bias yourself back toward the positive.

First, meditation teacher Cara Lai offers a tip to instantly disarm anxiety: ask yourself "what if what's happening right now is exactly what's supposed to be happening?" She also shares what a year alone in the woods battling Lyme disease taught her about suffering. Then Roy Baumeister, one of the most cited psychologists alive and author of the landmark paper "Bad Is Stronger Than Good." joins to discuss the negativity bias. Why does one critique drown out a sea of compliments? Why do bad days carry over while good days don't? He explains the 5-to-1 ratio of positive experiences to negative experiences that predicts whether a relationship lasts, plus the evolutionary reason we're wired this way. And finally, the Boston Marathon study that will change how you watch the news for good.

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. This episode was edited by Will Mayo. 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

Chapters:

00:00 — Cold open

00:47 — Why your mind is built to focus on the negative

02:55 — Kara Lai: "What if this is exactly what's supposed to happen?"

08:19 — The bubonic plague & the limits of our perspective

10:40 — Why letting go of control gives you real agency

13:38 — Catastrophizing the small stuff (the supermarket meltdown)

18:34 — "The worst thing that ever happened became the best"

20:28 — A year alone in the woods: Lyme disease & surrender

27:10 — Why the hardest moments are the most transformative

33:53 — What's really underneath your anger

37:37 — From an Adult Swim cartoon to meditation

42:05 — Barefoot running, polar plunges & "healthy addictions"

51:06 — How to actually start meditating

54:08 — Roy Baumeister: "Bad Is Stronger Than Good"

56:56 — Loss aversion & why one bad trait sinks an impression

59:25 — Why bad days carry over and good days don't

1:00:34 — Only 6% think the world is improving

1:01:07 — "If it bleeds, it leads"

1:02:30 — How one bad thing ruins a perfect night

1:03:34 — The Gottman 5-to-1 ratio

1:05:22 — Why one criticism drowns a sea of compliments

1:06:28 — "Don't read the comments"

1:09:28 — Why we evolved this way: "Life has to win every day"

1:12:15 — Las Vegas, gambling & losses disguised as wins

1:15:46 — What to do when life feels relentlessly bad

1:18:14 — The Boston Marathon study that changes everything

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Cognitive decline as you age is not inevitable — but whether you keep your edge depends almost entirely on what you do right now. Host Michael Easter sits down with Dr. Tommy Wood, a neuroscientist and performance consultant who works with Formula 1 teams. His book, The Stimulated Mind, changed how Michael thinks about staying mentally sharp.

They get into why sleep may be the most important factor in preventing cognitive decline, why retirement may be the most dangerous thing you can do to your brain, and the science behind "super agers" who keep their 50s brains into their 80s. Then they confront the question of A.I.: is it quietly making us dumber? They also cover the surprising exercise that beats the gym for your mind: dancing. And finally, they explain why you should be willing to suck when trying new 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. This episode was edited by Will Mayo. 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

Chapters:

00:00 — Cold open

00:45 — Why Michael had to read this book

02:06 — Lab science vs. the real world

04:05 — What F1 driving teaches about performance

06:50 — The one thing: you get stronger when you sleep

09:34 — The traffic-light system for busy seasons

12:48 — Cognitive decline isn't inevitable

13:14 — Super agers & the Seattle Longitudinal Study

16:26 — Michael's mom & the retirement trap

17:36 — Why retirement is the worst idea for your brain

20:52 — Information overload & the brain

21:33 — The Google effect

24:50 — AI: cognitive orthotic or prosthetic?

27:36 — How AI dropped one class's average from 80 to 60

30:43 — Why writing it down beats voice memos

31:50 — Dancing: the best exercise for your brain

34:41 — The activities your brain is wired for

36:08 — Nutrition, supplements & brain health

38:44 — B vitamins + omega-3: what actually works

41:20 — How much should you eat?

42:33 — The off-road Ironman & not quitting

45:42 — Neuroplasticity, explained

46:39 — Your brain is a prediction machine

48:47 — Be willing to suck

49:32 — Wrap

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