George Mumford's road to becoming an influential author & mindfulness coach to Micheal Jordan, Kobe Bryant & other pro sports legends was filled with peril.

He grew up in the Boston in the 60s during a time of massive racial tension, constantly having to be on his toes & aware.

In College, he roomed with future NBA legend Dr. J. George was hoping for a similar destiny until his athletic career was cut short by severe injuries. He developed addictions to pain killers & later heroine to help him deal with all his physical & emotional pain.

After College he found himself leading a double life, a smart & successful financial analyst with a dope habit. He soon hit rock bottom.

It was through AA & the discovery of mindfulness meditation that George would turn it around. He spent years reading, studying & practicing meditation & mindfulness with some of the most skilled & renowned teachers. He would go on to work with Jon Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.

It was through clandestine encounter with Phil Jackson, then coach of the Chicago Bulls, that George would bring his life full circle.

I had a chance to chat with George a few minutes prior to his sold out talk in Toronto, where he was invited by lululemon to speak about mindfulness, performance & a lifetime of work.

- Dhani Oks

George's book, "The Mindful Athlete" is available everywhere.

On this special episode of the podcast we sit down with collegiate athletes to talk about how they deal with life inside & outside of sports.

This podcast taped live at an event hosted by lululemon & organized by Nate Virgo (https://www.instagram.com/natevirgo/). Nate, an student athlete himself, wanted to put together a night where athletes could come together & talk openly about what they go through, the sacrifices they make & how mental health & mindfulness plays a role.

Episode 1 of UNIITY Radio could not have started with 2 better or brighter guests.

I met India Amara almost a decade ago & she's been a constant force in my life ever since. She's tattooed me. Inspired me with her incredible work ethic. And been a there during the toughest times with wisdom & coffee.

She introduced me to Krista too. We all worked out together during the early days of CrossFit & spent a lot of time philosophizing about it. In the years since, India & Krista have developed their own practices & philosophies that they are taking on the road to Bali & beyond.

I caught up with them at a very crazy time. I was coming off an incredibly difficult 2016 & they were a few days away from traveling to Indonesia to hold a very special retreat. Our conversation touches on all these things & more.

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Recorded LIVE at the LOCAL at 96 Ossington Ave in Toronto - a new concept space by lululemon.

14 years ago I was working at a record store in Thornhill, Ontario. I vividly remembering racking copies of the Goldfinger's "Open Your Eyes" at the time. The cover of that record featured a rough looking tattooed guy who looked like he had just been punched in the face. 



About 10 years later, I met that guy. And even though it got off to a rocky start, Chris Hammell has become one of the major influences on my life. 

I'll let the podcast speak for itself, but to frame what you are about to hear, Chris & I dip in & out of travels, insights & relationships while riding a current of conversation that begins with Chris & I meeting in the Barber Shop he would soon be fired from. It was a low point in his life that he'd later turn into a strength and another great story.

In the years since our very first meeting, I've learned many things from Chris and run many miles with him - all of which was not foreseen all those years ago.  

 

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Chris "Hambone" Hammell / Town Barber @stillhambone

The song in this episode is called Dead To Me by TotalXWar, Chris' band. Click here for more on these guys.

It's been a minute since Nat Niddam joined me on the show. It's always a fun conversation that's packed with valuable nutrition & lifestyle takeaways. 

This episode starts with a procrastination confessional, an ode to imperfection and (believe it or not) a MEDITATION COMPETITION/WORKOUT using my new favourite technology, the MUSE Brain Sensing Headband. 

Nat & I also dig into why Bone Broth is so great, how to make it super cheap, fast & easy, and we review the latest Protein Powder product fromPaleoethics which is made from Bone Broth. 

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Nathalie Niddam / @nathalieniddam

The music from today's episode is courtesy of Arts & Crafts Music. Feist, "I Feel It All" (Diplo Plastic Remix).

We're back. 

It's been about a month since we last met and a lot has happened. Nat's life altering flight to Texas for the Paleo FX Conference, where she found all sorts of new products & foods and some interesting developments in the Paleo community.  

Dhani also had a life altering experience of a different kind in Asia, where he travelled to meditate, see an ancient Buddhist site and do some Yoga with 45 other lululemon ambassadors. 

That and another jam-fest on the topic of Ketosis and how to make it work for you. 

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Nathalie Niddam / @nathalieniddam

This was a fun episode. 

Nat brought a sack of health and biofeedback gadgets to the podcast and reviewed them all. I also give you my thoughts on the Apple Watch, which I have been wearing for the last few weeks.



It seems there are more & more wearables and Quantified Self devices by the day. It's important that we don't get caught up in the hype and buy things that actually improve our life through the technology and not just distract us further with shiny things.

 

Here's all the stuff that we talk about in this episode. Everything from gadgets that will help you mind inner peace to curing jet lag.  

* Inner Balance Sensor  http://www.heartmath.com/innerbalance/ 

* Muse Headband  http://www.choosemuse.com/

* Oura Ring  https://ouraring.com/

* Human Charger  http://www.humancharger.com/

* Jawbone https://jawbone.com/

* New Age Performance Mouthguard  https://new-age-performance.myshopify.com/

* Apple Watch  http://www.apple.com/ca/watch/ 

 

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Nathalie Niddam / @nathalieniddam

Chris Ritchie walked into my gym 8 years ago. In the years since, he has been on of my loudest and proudest voices. He has represented us in spirit and in competition.  And even though he now lives thousands of miles away in Portland, he still takes every opportunity to fly our flag. 

While on a visit to Toronto, Chris dropped in for some workouts and we took the opportunity to catch-up and talk about his journey from the Hardcore Punk scene to MMA to CrossFit. 

 

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Chris Ritchie / @chrisritchie

Music / "Stars & Sons" & "Meet Me In The Basement" by Broken Social Scene " from "You Forgot It In People"

Did you know healthy food can make you sick? 

Yes, it's true, there are some foods - although healthy for most - which can cause serious reactions. However, we may not even know it. 

Some foods can send us to the hospital in a screaming Ambulance.  But there is an entire range of healthy stuff that can cause our bodies grief even days after consuming them.  These food 'sensitivities' may be the reason some of us are lacking energy, enthusiasm or having a hard time sleeping, focusing and being productive.

We look deeper into what food allergies and sensitivities are and how you can identify what foods do NOT work for you.   

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Nathalie Niddam /  @nathalieniddam

Don't back down. Dig deep. Stay in school. Never stop believing. Don't quit. 



Is giving up for losers? Matt Manhire and I talk about how quitting University allowed him to finally pursue the work & life that had been calling him for years. 

Matt's a fascinating guy, a person you want to keep in your world because his perspective makes ordinary things come alive. We're at the Academy most mornings working out and getting way too philosophical about it all. In between lifts & rounds we riff on books, politics, art and how we can hack our muscle-ups & handstands.

He's worn a lot of hats: sailor, climber, dinosaur wrangler, runner, traveller & photographer. But whatever the work, he throws himself into it with great effort, study & enthusiasm. 

Most of our conversations should be podcasts, so I finally turn on the record button.  Hope you enjoy it.  

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Matt Manhire / @manhire