Host Shelby Stanger looks back on Season 2 guests and shares highlights and lessons learned. Plus, she shares her own experiences of where guests’ advice really worked, what’s bringing her Vitamin Joy these days, and what’s next.

Previous episodes highlighted:

Courtney Carver - The Joy of Simplicity, Sobriety and Minimalism

Chris Cote - The Joy of Being Alcohol Free

Chris Colin - The Joy of Getting Offline

Nicole LePera - The Joy of Healing Your Self

Kimberly Ann Johnson - The Joy of Healing Trauma and Awakening Our Wild Self

Christine Li - How to Stop Procrastinating

Steven Kotler - How to Achieve Your Impossible

Adam Skolnick - The Joy of Writing

John Moe - Depresh Mode: Comedy and Mental Health

Season 2 Vitamin Joy Sponsors:

FX Chocolate supplements (20% off with code: VitaminJoy)

Lazy Acres

Vuori Clothing (URL: vuoriclothing.com/shelby)

Organifi (code: shelby)

Sign up for the email newsletter to get info and more: www.shelbystanger.com

Follow Vitamin Joy and Shelby on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shelbystanger/

Today’s guest, John Moe, is the host and creator of the podcast Depresh Mode. Before that, he hosted the award-winning hit podcast The Hilarious World of Depression, and he recently wrote and published a book by the same name. John has written for publications like The New York Times Magazine, McSweeney's, and The Seattle Times among others. He’s written plays that have been performed on three continents, and his radio work has appeared on a variety of national networks.

John is no stranger to something I’ve wanted to explore all along with Vitamin Joy -- mental health and humor. On his podcast Depresh Mode, John interviews comedians, musicians, and creatives about mental health – with no stigma, no shame, lots of laughs.  He’s also candid about his own experience with depression.

In this episode, we talk about comedy, mental health, what works and doesn’t, his podcast, having dogs, and so much more. John was a joy to interview and left me with a lot of hope. Enjoy!

Sponsor:

FX Chocolate – Amazing supplements inside sugar-free, keto-friendly dark chocolate squares. Use the promo-code ‘VitaminJoy’ at checkout to get 20% off your first order at https://fxchocolate.com/

Resources From the Episode:

John’s Book: The Hilarious World of Depression - https://amzn.to/35mXaNy

Jon Kabat Zinn on mindfulness based stress reduction

Connect with John:

Website: johnmoe.website

Podcast: Depresh Mode

Twitter: @johnmoe

Dr. Nicole LePera is a holistic psychologist. She received traditional training in clinical psychology at Cornell University and The New School of Social Research, and she started the Instagram account @the.holistic.psychologist, which has become wildly popular. On it, she shares her tools for transformation with an ever-growing community of #SelfHealers. Most recently, she is the author of a book called How to Do The Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from your Past and Create Your Self. It’s a great book -- I learned so much from it, and I think there is so much joy that comes from healing ourselves.

In today’s episode, Nicole and I talk about all of it -- dealing with trauma (big T and little t), how to heal ourselves using all sorts of easy tools (jump to 24:35 for a conversation about singing, gargling, and the vagus nerve), setting boundaries, and Nicole’s Vitamin Joy challenge for us all. This is a powerful show. I hope you take a lot from it. I did. Enjoy!

Sponsors:

FX Chocolate – Amazing supplements inside sugar-free, keto-friendly dark chocolate squares. Use the promo-code ‘VitaminJoy’ at checkout to get 20% off your first order at https://fxchocolate.com/

Resources from this Episode:

How to Do the Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from Your Past, and Create Your Self - https://amzn.to/3yGSG1N

Harvard Psychologist Ellen Langer’s study on age and mindset (New York Times Magazine)

Connect with Nicole:

Website - theholisticpsychologist.com

Instagram - @the.holistic.psychologist

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtEWTaMjqOH8J1Gy06Ey0Yg

I love interviewing authors and journalists, especially ones who cover things like freediving and rock climbing. These are my people! This is why I was so excited to chat with Adam Skolnick.

Adam is an award-winning independent journalist and author who covers adventure sports, environmental issues, travel and human rights for publications like The New York Times, Outside, Playboy and Lonely Planet. He is the author of One Breath: Freediving, Death and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits, and the ghost-writer and narrator of David Goggins’ smash hit memoir and audiobook Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds. He is also a co-host on the Rich Roll Podcast.

In this episode, Adam and I talk about his writing process and how writing brings him joy. We also get into his journey to make a living as a writer, including the story of ghost-writing and independently publishing one of the best selling books ever. If you’re curious about writing, if you want to make a living doing what you love, or if you like to challenge yourself David Goggins-style -- this one's for you. Enjoy!

Sponsors:

FX Chocolate – Amazing supplements inside sugar-free, keto-friendly dark chocolate squares. Use the promo-code ‘VitaminJoy’ at checkout to get 20% off your first order at https://fxchocolate.com/

Resources from this Episode:

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins - https://amzn.to/3tGmTdL

One Breath: Freediving, Death and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits by Adam Skolnick - https://amzn.to/3eDMxLM

Roll On podcast

Connect with Adam:

Website - adamskolnick.com

Twitter - @adamskolnick

Instagram - @adamskolnick

Lori Harder is a force of nature. The fitness model, author and entrepreneur has had a wild story. She is all about self-love, setting strong boundaries and leaning into your energy to create the life you want.

In this episode, we get into all of it: Lori’s background and how she went from overweight kid to fitness model, entrepreneurship and boundaries, and how to add in more self-love with your body, your mind and your work. We even talk about going to the Vans Warped Tour. At the end, she offers one of my favorite Vitamin Joy challenges. Enjoy!

Sponsors:

Lazy Acres Natural Market -- www.lazyacres.com for the best local natural grocery store with five locations in Southern California.

FX Chocolate – Amazing supplements inside sugar-free, keto-friendly dark chocolate squares. Use the promo-code ‘VitaminJoy’ at checkout to get 20% off your first order at https://fxchocolate.com/

Resources from this Episode:

Lori’s Book: A Tribe Called Bliss - https://amzn.to/3rEuzfT

Rob Dyrdek

Caroline Myss

Shawn Stevenson

Jim Rohn

Connect with Lori:

Website - loriharder.com

Instagram - @loriharder

Podcast - Earn Your Happy

Lite Pink Rose Seltzer - litepink.com

Chris Colin is a writer and author whose work has appeared in Best American Science & Nature Writing, the New York Times Magazine, Pop-Up Magazine, Wired, NewYorker.com, and Outside Magazine. In 2014, he co-wrote a book called What to Talk About, and in 2020, he started publishing Six Feet of Separation, the nation’s first pandemic newspaper by and for kids. Chris just published a new book, Off: The Day the Internet Died: A Bedtime Fantasy. It’s a kid’s book for adults -- beautifully illustrated, quirky, fantastical -- and it makes readers wonder: how would we all survive and deal with ourselves without the internet?

In this episode, we talk about the joy of writing a kid’s book for adults, how joyful it is to go offline, how you can do it without going cold turkey, and the benefits of an analog world. Just like Chris’s book, this episode is short and sweet. Enjoy!

Sponsors:

Lazy Acres Natural Market -- www.lazyacres.com for the best local natural grocery store with five locations in Southern California.

FX Chocolate – Amazing supplements inside sugar-free, keto-friendly dark chocolate squares. Use the promo-code ‘VitaminJoy’ at checkout to get 20% off your first order at https://fxchocolate.com/

Resources from this Episode:

Off: The Day the Internet Died: A Bedtime Fantasy - https://amzn.to/3sAgiRF

Six Feet of Separation - sixfeetofnews.com

Rinee Shah (illustrator) - rineeshah.com

Connect with Chris:

Website - chriscolin.com

Kimberly Ann Johnson is a Somatic Experiencing™ practitioner, author, breath coach, entrepreneur, and educator. Her first book, The Fourth Trimester: Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions and Restoring Your Vitality, is about what happens after women give birth. It was a global success and has been published in seven languages.  Kimberly just released a brand new book called Call of The Wild: How We Heal Trauma, Awaken our Body and Use it for Good. It’s packed with science and information about our nervous systems, how we can heal, and how to reclaim our own natural power after experiencing trauma. Kimberly is big on helping us heal our nervous systems so we can have more Vitamin Joy.

Today’s show talks about actionable things we can do to heal ourselves -- things that are accessible, like breathwork, cold immersion, orienteering, and making a blue sandwich. (You’ll have to listen to find out what that is.) It’s a great episode, and one I think you’ll enjoy.

Sponsors:

Vuoriclothing.com/Shelby - for our listeners they are offering 20% off your first purchase, plus free shipping on any U.S. orders over $75 and free returns. Buy a pair of the joggers. You won’t go wrong.

Lazy Acres Natural Market - www.lazyacres.com for the best local natural grocery store with five locations in Southern California.

Resources from this Episode:

Call of The Wild: How We Heal Trauma, Awaken our Body and Use it for Good  - https://amzn.to/3my4Mon

Wim Hof

Connect with Kimberly:

Website - kimberlyannjohnson.com

Instagram - @kimberly.ann.johnson

Sharing greater health and joy with others often starts with figuring out what works for yourself, and that’s exactly what Dave Asprey has done. Dave is the founder of Bulletproof Coffee, the creator of the Bulletproof Diet, a best selling author, and the self-proclaimed founder of biohacking. Over the last two decades, Dave has personally spent nearly $2 million to study with top scientists and doctors in order to better understand the most innovative methods, techniques, and products for enhancing mental and physical performance. His goal is to help people be better partners, parents, providers, and overall human beings in every aspect of life. Basically, to be bulletproof. He’s also the author of the new book Fast This Way.

In this episode, Dave and I talk about fasting, how it differs for men and women, ways to make fasting easier, his bulletproof diet, foods and vitamins he recommends, and of course, humor. While Dave and I don’t agree on all things, I find him to be incredibly fascinating, and I appreciate his personal story behind why he came to do the work he does, and why he finds so much meaning doing it.

Disclosure: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The material presented is the opinion of guests, not of the host or sponsors of this show. Before you try anything recommended on this podcast, please consult your doctor.

Sponsors:

Vuoriclothing.com/Shelby - for our listeners they are offering 20% off your first purchase, plus free shipping on any U.S. orders over $75 and free returns. Buy a pair of the joggers. You won’t go wrong.

Organifi.com/Shelby - enter code SHELBY at checkout, and you’ll get 15% off your order. I also love the Green Juice and Gold Powder.

Dave’s Book:

Fast This Way - https://amzn.to/31LmwTr

Resources from this Episode:

fastthisway.com

daveasprey.com/roadmap

Bulletproof Coffee

Margaret Paul

Dr. Stephen Cunnane

Connect with Dave:

Website - daveasprey.com

Courtney Carver’s book Soulful Simplicity really changed how I think about “stuff.” I have been on a minimalist trend for years, but Courtney’s story really resonated with me. On overachiever in work and life, Courtney had developed an autoimmune condition that led her to re-examine her life -- the result led to a simpler lifestyle, which led to a blog, a book, another book, and a whole movement that’s brought a lot of people a lot more health and joy. I go back and read Soulful Simplicity a lot, because her messages about having more with less have brought so much Vitamin Joy to my life. It was an honor to talk with her about the joy of simplicity and minimalism -- both emotional and physical -- and we even got into the joy of sobriety, adding to the insights other guests have shared this season. This episode is packed with wisdom. Enjoy!

Sponsors:

Vuoriclothing.com/Shelby - for our listeners they are offering 20% off your first purchase, plus free shipping on any U.S. orders over $75 and free returns. Buy a pair of the joggers. You won’t go wrong.

Lazy Acres Natural Market - www.lazyacres.com for the best local natural grocery store with five locations in Southern California.

More from Courtney:

Soulful Simplicity - https://amzn.to/38Ng7ez

Project 333  - https://amzn.to/2Ow596r

Soul and Wit podcast

Resources from this Episode:

This Naked Mind by Annie Grace - https://amzn.to/2Q2Wska

SNL - Zillow

Connect with Courtney:

Website - bemorewithless.com

Instagram - @bemorewithless

Steven Kotler is a New York Times-bestselling author, award-winning journalist, the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective, and one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. He’s also the co-founder of a dog sanctuary and a really good guy.

Steven has worked incredibly hard for his success, but he’s also figured out a way to work smart. He has studied top performers in science, art, sports, and business, and he’s written about his findings in his new book called The Art of Impossible. In this episode, we talk about the book, and how to have more joy in your life by achieving your own impossible. It’s a packed episode with practical tips on getting into flow, having hard high goals, and the science behind it all. Enjoy.

Sponsors:

Vuori.com/Shelby - for our listeners, they are offering 20% off your first purchase, plus free shipping on any U.S. orders over $75 and free returns. Buy a pair of the joggers. You won’t go wrong.

Organifi.com/Shelby - enter code SHELBY at checkout, and you’ll get 15% off your order. I also love the Green Juice and Gold Powder.

Steven’s Book:

The Art of Impossible - https://amzn.to/3qmHQbM

Resources from this Episode:

Flow Research Collective

Flowblocker.com

Thepassionrecipe.com

Dr. Andrew Huberman (on stress and calm)

Dr. Glenn Fox (on gratitude)

Locke and Latham (on goal-setting theory)

Connect with Steven:

Website - stevenkotler.com

Instagram - @Kotler.Steven