Finding Genius Podcast

Meghna Thacker is a trusted doctor, thyroid expert, and celebrated author. Her book, Seven Steps to Heal Your Thyroid: A proven plan to Increase Energy, Elevate Mood & Optimize Weight is a must-read for anyone who wants to achieve better health and wellness. In this informative, interesting podcast, Dr. Thacker shares her vast knowledge of thyroid health and wellness. Dr. Thacker has long been a passionate healer, particularly focused on thyroid disease, motivated by her own struggles with this frustrating, troublesome condition. Her book, Seven Steps to Heal your Thyroid, provides pertinent information to help everyone who suffers from thyroid issues—to increase their energy, elevate their mood, and achieve/maintain a healthy weight. Dr. Thacker is a respected, licensed Naturopathic Physician in Arizona. She graduated from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine after successful completion of her bachelor's in Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery from Mumbai, India. Dr. Thacker talks about her personal history battling Hashimoto's and hypothyroidism, gaining weight, losing her hair, and being frustrated with multiple symptoms when she was growing up in India. She talks about her experiences early on, medications, and the various effects of thyroid conditions. Dr. Thacker explains that it is important to find a doctor who truly understands thyroid issues because blood tests might show normal range results, but people are still suffering, thus you need a doctor who will dig deeper, to test and find a solution to the problem. The thyroid doctor talks about specific cases and patients, and how she worked to find an answer to each person's unique situation. The thyroid naturopathic doctor talks about diet, supplements, botanical medicines, and micronutrient analyses that provide detailed information. Understanding things on the cellular level allows physicians to better strategize on appropriate treatment. And she explains thyroid balance and how the body detoxifies. Dr. Thacker's holistic practice focuses heavily on helping women balance their hormones and treat their thyroid disorders naturally.

Rana Gujral, an investor, noted speaker, and CEO of Behavioral Signals, delivers an interesting overview of the current state of AI regarding communication and user experience. Gujral has a proven track record in enterprise software, business building, and strategy, as well as emerging markets. Gujral's successful past accomplishments include his tenure as founder and CEO of TiZE Inc., a groundbreaking SaaS platform. Gujral was an essential member of the team for Cricut Inc. where he worked to build an innovative product for their DIY community which brought them to profitability within just 2 years. And earlier, Gujral held leadership positions with Logitech S.A. and Kronos Inc. Gujral discusses the AI that they are developing which, remarkably, understands the emotional context of what we speak. Gujral and his predecessors have long pondered the question: can you truly have artificial intelligence machines without emotions? Gujral states that this emotional element is a critical piece of voice interactions. With voice recognition accuracy now reaching its necessary apex, emotion and interaction is the next great frontier. Communicating intent is crucial. It's not just what is being said, but how someone is saying it; context and emotion are the missing links that Gujral's company is innovatively bringing into the mix. Gujral states that we gather more emotional context from hearing someone speak, much more than viewing facial expressions even. The technology expert and entrepreneur talks about various business use cases and how technology is enhancing our communication. He explains how agents can speak with clients and enhance their experience by utilizing the technology, as it provides helpful input that improves communication. For example, the tech can provide input about the call in real time that may provide a range of information from, 'you need to speak faster,' 'you sound angry, you should change your tone,' or 'the client sounds upset,' etc., real-time information that can help improve the communication and thus enhance the experience for all parties involved. Gujral acknowledges that it is an exciting time for AI in general. AI is here and taking a more prominent role in all business transactions, and successful, forward-thinking companies are integrating AI technologies into their technology stacks, for improved communication, efficiency, and success.

Ethan Siegel, astrophysicist, author, science communicator, and educator, as well as a senior contributor for Forbes and other publications, delivers an insightful and thorough overview of space/time, black holes, and the physics that seeks to explain it all. Siegel is an award-winning science writer and founder of the popular blog, Starts With A Bang. And he has two books currently available, Treknology: The Science of Star Trek from Tricorders to Warp Drive, and Beyond the Galaxy: How humanity looked beyond our Milky Way and discovered the entire Universe. Siegel discusses the recent black hole photograph, obtained by using Event Horizon Telescope observations of the center of the galaxy M87, that created a buzz around the world. As Siegel states, nothing will be the same in physics afterward. He underscores the importance of this image. He states that the goal in science is to test and try to disprove, in order to cement theories. And Siegel explains, in great detail, how this image establishes the accuracy of Einstein's theory of relativity and other scientific ideas. Siegel explains Newton's theories and describes gravitational principles in regard to what we now understand about black holes. The astrophysicist discusses the space-time continuum. He goes into detail about how space is being dragged faster than the speed of light in an event horizon, in regard to the acceleration of matter and differences of temperature. And he explains the fabric of space-time, in regard to what is happening in the event horizon, detailing information about the rotation of a black hole with an outer event horizon and an inner event horizon. Siegel explains the significance of these discoveries that again underscore the importance of the recent black hole photograph that Siegel states is one of the most consequential moments in the science of the last decade.

Fine and gross motor skills, visual perceptual skills, and self-regulatory skills all play an important role in a young person's ability to participate in learning, playing, and socializing, but as an occupational therapist working with children, adolescents, and young adults, Lindsey Biel focuses on what she says underlies all of these skills and serves as the foundation for them: sensory processing. She provides the listener with an image of a paper plate that holds a hot dog, then a handful of chips, followed by some coleslaw; it isn't until it's asked to hold just a little bit of potato salad that the whole plate falls apart. "Teachers and parents need to figure out how much you can put on a person's paper plate before they fall apart, and as a therapist, I need to start building a stronger paper plate," says Biel. She goes on to explain how she goes about doing that, which is a process that always begins with a thorough assessment of the individual's strengths and challenges. Biel explains that sensory sensitivities exist on a continuum, with what most people would consider "pet peeves" on one end and extreme, disabling sensitivities on the other. She also discusses the relationship between sensory sensitivities and autism, examples of the range of sensitivities people can experience, a growing body of science that points to the potential causes of sensory sensitivities, and how stress impacts an individual's already compromised ability to self-regulate. Having been in the field for over 20 years and authored two books, Raising a Sensory Child and Sensory Processing Challenges: Effective Clinical Work with Kids & Teens, Biel is a wealth of knowledge on the subject. Visit sensorysmarts.com for a downloadable sensory checklist, information on strategies for sensory difficulties, webcasts, and magazine articles, and check out Amazon or your local bookstore for her books.

According to Hakan Svedhem, the European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is a beast of a spacecraft, weighing in at 3.7 tons, but on board, you'll find very sensitive instruments, capable of detecting one molecule of methane out of 10 billion molecules of carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere. In addition to these sensitive pieces of technology referred to as spectrometers, you'll find a camera capable of generating 3D landscape images, and an instrument that can detect the presence of water molecules a meter deep in the surface of Mars. Svedhem is a project scientist on the ExoMars mission and he joins the podcast to discuss a variety of topics, including how cosmic rays aid in the detection and quantification of water molecules, conflicting reports as to whether or not methane has been detected in the Martian atmosphere in the past, and if so, the significance of that finding, global dust storms and temperature fluctuation on Mars, and a bit about the launch of the ESA's Mars rover slated for 2021. Learn more about this and all the other projects going on within the ESA by visiting https://www.esa.int/ESA.

In today's world, it seems that large marketplaces and corporations dominate. Many people go straight to Amazon when they're looking for a product, where five million-sellers compete for business. This experience, however, lacks personalization, the benefit of buying local, and the opportunity to support small communities of makers who are creating organic, small-batch products. As a maker herself, Karen Rzepecki wanted to carve out a marketplace for makers of original brands to collaborate, learn, and grow from each other, all while providing consumers with unique, local products. With this goal in mind, Rzepecki founded Mason Jars Makerplace, where there are already over 100 sellers on the platform or signed up to be. Rzepecki talks about some of the most popular products on the Mason Jars site, many of which are recipes for and ready-made fermented goods, including kombucha, vegetables, sauerkraut, hot sauce, and honey. She also discusses the benefit of having access to regional goods and loads of DIY resources. Tune in and check out what they have to offer at masonjars.com

As the founder of CPAPBabes, Stacy Erickson Edwards is making it her mission to raise awareness of sleep apnea and the importance of receiving the right diagnosis early on, encourage people to appreciate the CPAP machine, which is the gold standard of treatment for sleep apnea, and empower people to use the machine with confidence and a sense of pride. She discusses the tendency of people to associate sleep apnea and CPAP machines with overweight, unhealthy, older people, so it came as quite a shock to her when at 32 she received the diagnosis herself. But it is precisely these stereotypes—which are not at all reflective of reality—that are so detrimental and cause people to feel self-conscious about the diagnosis of sleep apnea, reluctant or embarrassed about using the machine, and ashamed for needing it. Edwards explains that this can easily lead to untreated cases of sleep apnea, which pose a threat not only to people's health but to public safety. Among other topics, she discusses sleep apnea in kids and how untreated sleep apnea can be misdiagnosed as ADHD, the growing number of sleep apnea diagnoses among millennials, how the personalization of CPAP masks and machines could help change the stigma attached to them and make people more excited about using them, and a common problem with auto-adjust pressure machines. Get in contact with Stacy Erickson Edwards on Instagram and check out her website at cpapbabes.com.

At Terrestrial Energy, the team's goal is to commercialize an advanced nuclear technology with four leading characteristics: cheap, clean, versatile, and high temperature. According to the company's CFO, Canon Bryan, these are the ingredients necessary for a nuclear power system to reach beyond electricity and provide power for industry, heating, and transport. He explains that while nuclear energy has been a stable source of power for decades now, high upfront construction costs were too great for even national economies to accept. Terrestrial Energy is addressing this drawback by delivering smaller and cheaper plants that maintain scalability and afford greater versatility. Bryan discusses a range of topics, including public perception of nuclear energy, the safety and risks of nuclear energy versus other types of energy, how economic innovation occurs, and the promise of nuclear innovation for the future of the world. Tune in and visit https://www.terrestrialenergy.com/ to learn more.

Data is everywhere these days, and there are more ways than ever to collect it, from having our genomes sequenced for cheaper than ever before, to tracking our level and type of activity at all times of the day. But are we ultimately making the most of all this data, and are we even aware of the amount of data being collected on a daily basis? According to Bastian Tzovaras, head of research at Open Humans Foundation, there's actually a lot more data being collected than we're aware of, and we aren't making the most of it. He joins the podcast to discuss how Open Humans Foundation is empowering people to get copies of their data from numerous sources for the purposes of their own growth and to power new kinds of research. Tzovaras discusses the types of data they're helping people collect, the importance of removing data from silos and aggregating it for the benefit of communities and society, how he's made use of his own data through the Open Humans Foundation, new types of experiments that increased access to data is making possible, and the correlations that can be drawn by combining silos of data, such as the relationship between glucose levels and activity. Interested in learning more or joining Open Humans Foundation? Check out http://openhumansfoundation.org/.

Louise Short, MD, MSc, National Clinical Leader for Strategic Benefit Advisors (SBA) and Brown & Brown discusses the current state of healthcare and health management and how employers can embrace new innovative ideas to improve health strategies. After earning an undergraduate degree at Harvard and an MD from Tufts University School of Medicine, and completing her residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital, Dr. Short received further training at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City before embarking on her illustrious career in healthcare strategies. As an innovative leader in her field, Dr. Short works with businesses and employers to develop progressive strategies and solutions that will aid families, and support them, with the goal of making good choices to help them avoid the detrimental effects of poor health. Dr. Short talks about Strategic Benefit Advisors and its mission. She discusses their work in population health, assisting employers with improving health, medical care, costs, and productivity. She outlines the issues that employers face, such as escalating healthcare costs… from high-cost claimants to specialty drugs, chronic disease and more. Dr. Short relates her thoughts about ongoing care and the possibility of it being delivered virtually, to save time and money. And she discusses virtual coaching that is HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) compliant, which increases health awareness and health improvement. The health enhancement strategist provides detailed information on the many ways that employers can take advantage of new opportunities in healthcare management. And she explains various health plans and provides her opinions on why some are better than others. She highlights some of the best features, from virtual care to robust chronic disease care management, and other important options such as diabetes monitoring, glucose monitoring, and behavioral health. The best care, she states, provides personalized attention that helps people get the right care at the right time. And Dr. Short expresses her zeal for health literacy and education, helping people understand their health choices. Some of Dr. Short's areas of specialty include the following: population health and health management, innovation and health strategies, as well as managed care and preventive medicine/wellness.