The mindbodygreen Podcast

It all started at a local co-op. The place where John Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market, realized the secret to a long and healthy life—eating real, whole foods. Since then he has revolutionized the way we think about food. An advocate of ethical meat consumption and a pioneer in food accessibility, he has inspired millions of people to eat healthier. In 2017, Mackey joined me on the mbg podcast to talk about how his entrepreneurial career and personal passions inspired his book The Whole Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Plan For Health and Longevity.Now, more than a year later, we catch up on how the Whole Foods Market and Amazon merger went down and how two companies can "fall in love" and have a "happy marriage."With almost 40 years at Whole Foods Market under his belt, Mackey shares what he thinks is next for plant-based diets and what food and health trends he sees on the horizon. We discuss cancer-preventing veggies and how to grow the right bacteria in your gut to handle particular foods. He also shares more about his personal food journey as a plant-based eater.One thing is certain: Mackey is part of creating a healthier future armed with the Whole Foods Market mission and cutting-edge innovation. Don’t miss this one, you’ll leave excited about the future of food.To contact Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please email podcast@mindbodygreen.com. For all sponsorship inquiries, please email sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shefali Tsabary, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and author of the award-winning parenting book The Conscious Parent as well as Out of Control: Why Disciplining Your Child Won't Work and What Willand The Awakened Family: A Revolution in Parenting. As a clinician, she expertly integrates Eastern and Western philosophies to help parents—and entire families, for that matter—become happier and more mindful.So what are some of her thoughts on parenting? For starters, she believes that children are here to teach us as much as we are here to teach them. She also encourages parents to acknowledge and understand how their egos are playing a role in their decision-making process. Dr. Tsabary and I talk about this, how social media and technology are putting our children at a psychological disadvantage by making them less capable of handling aloneness, rejection, or waiting—and so much more.The truth is children are living such different lives than they used to, and it's up to us to make sure we're keeping our perspective while also keeping up. After sitting down with Dr. Tsabary, I have a few new thoughts on rules, discipline, and helping my daughter find her purpose. Don't miss this one!To contact Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail podcast@mindbodygreen.com. For all sponsorship inquiries, please e-mail sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Misty Copeland made history when she became the first African American female principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre, but her ascent to become one of the most iconic dancers of her time wasn't easy. She first found ballet when she was living in a motel room with her single mother and five siblings, practically homeless and lacking food.Having dealt with food insecurity from a young age, Copeland is now a leading voice in the Naked Juice and Wholesome Wave  #DrinkGoodDoGood social media campaign, which aims to bring fresh, high-quality produce to families across the country.I sat down with Copeland to talk about this incredibly important campaign, and we ended up covering a whole lot more, including how she deals with body image issues as a dancer, what balance means to her, and the unconventional approach to meditation that keeps her sane. Whether you're a die-hard Copeland fan or are new to her story, we guarantee you'll walk away inspired.To contact Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail podcast@mindbodygreen.com.For all sponsorship inquiries, please e-mail sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Gazzaley is an M.D. and a Ph.D., meaning he's a neurologist and a neuroscientist. If your first thought is "Wow, that must have been a lot of school"—you're not alone. He has studied the brain for decades, specifically researching the connection between technology and anxiety, depression, ADHD, and dementia. His book, The Distracted Mind, and his viral article, "The Cognition Crisis," explore how technology can both cause the problem and be a solution.In this episode of the mbg podcast, I sat down with Dr. Gazzaley to talk about just how vulnerable the human brain—especially a young human brain—is to distraction, multitasking, and "interference." We have a crisis on our hands in the form of technology changing how we think and feel, and Dr. Gazzaley believes that until we tackle this challenge, we won't be able to tackle other major challenges facing our world, like climate change.So what's the solution? We have to be better at managing technology at the level we have it and prepare for the future. Early in the development of new products and solutions, part of the conversation should be, Will this hurt people? The other part of the solution is to take control of technology and not let it control you. Listen to this week's podcast to figure out how Dr. Gazzaley is taking back control using video games.To contact Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail podcast@mindbodygreen.com.For all sponsorship inquiries, please e-mail sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Legend is, well, a legend in his time. The youngest and the first black man to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award (the coveted EGOT), Legend is also husband to internet sensation and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen and dad to Miles and Luna.It was the birth of his two children that first inspired Legend to think more deeply about the plight of other, less fortunate children in the US and around the world, which led to partnering with Naked Juice and Wholesome Wave as part of their #DrinkGoodDoGood social media campaign—which aims to increase access to healthy food by donating produce to food insecure areas.I sat down with Legend to talk about the initiative. We also discussed his own personal healthy habits, how he stays fit even with a hectic travel schedule, and how being a parent has changed him as a person. This episode is a must-listen if you're interested in knowing more about the man behind the beautiful music.To contact Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail podcast@mindbodygreen.com.For all sponsorship inquiries, please e-mail sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you live in New York, chances are you've heard of The Class by Taryn Toomey. A combination of strength training and meditative movement, it's designed to promote self-study through physical conditioning. While other workout classes might encourage you to tune out the pain, The Class will tell you to do the opposite: Listen to the negative voice in your head, and then learn from it.With devotees including Jennifer Aniston and Christy Turlington, The Class speaks to anyone looking for a toning workout with a side of pure release.In this podcast interview, I sat down with Toomey to track the evolution of her brand: from the moment she started teaching it in the basement of her apartment to how she is intentionally scaling it today. Along the way, we cover the self-care practices that keep her grounded, the importance of infusing your physical movement with meaning and observation, and how to give the pain a purpose. Enjoy.To contact Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail podcast@mindbodygreen.com.For all sponsorship inquiries, please e-mail sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gisele Bündchen is an internationally renowned supermodel, a global ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program, and a freshly minted author—her book, Lessons, hit shelves last week.After meeting Gisele for the first time earlier this year, it was very clear to me that she was one of "us"—a true wellness warrior, someone whose life mission was to make the world a better, healthier, and happier place, someone who truly understood that mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and environmental well-being were all connected. I'm honored to call her a friend and a supporter of mindbodygreen—and the newest member of the mbg Collective. I was lucky enough to sit down with her at her house outside of Boston to dive deep into previously unshared facets of her life. Between her numerology readings (Gisele is an enthusiastic, borderline professional, numerologist), she opened up about the secret to making her relationship with her husband, Tom Brady, work and how having kids changed their lives. She's recently shared her struggles with anxiety for the first time ever publicly, and we explore her journey at an even deeper level, going into why and how the anxiety started and the practices she relies on to this day to feel better.She talks about the spiritual practices that have shaped her life and the various, well, lessons she's learned about meaning and purpose over the years. We also get into the nitty-gritty, more fun stuff: what she eats in a day, her morning routine, and more. Finally, we talk about our shared passion for the environment and how she thinks we all need to shift our thinking to effect real change.This episode is a must-listen if you're a fan of Gisele, an environmentalist, an anxiety sufferer, or simply a human being, trying to live the most fulfilling, satisfying life possible. Gisele will make you laugh and cry and inspire you in ways that will linger long after you've finished listening.To contact Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail podcast@mindbodygreen.com.For all sponsorship inquiries, please e-mail sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Bulletproof founder Dave Asprey stopped by the mbg office in his blue-light blocking glasses, I knew we were in for a special podcast—and I was right. Dave is the founder of the Bulletproof diet, and the Bulletproof line of products. He's also the author of a number of best-selling books, including The Bulletproof Diet and the upcoming Gamechangers.On this episode, Dave shares his personal health story and how he went from weighing 300 pounds, with brain fog, low energy, and general lack of health, to the healthy, fit person he is today. Then we get into some of the current health hot topics, discussing whether coconut oil is, indeed, pure poison (spoiler alert: it's not, but it's far more complicated than you think).I ask him to predict the future of what's going to be on your grocery store shelves, and he shares where he thinks the food industry is going, and the mega-healthy nut that he's obsessed with, but no one's heard of.He talks about why he thinks kale is terrible for you, and the dark leafy green that he recommends people eat instead. He also ranks his favorite green vegetables, his favorite fruits, and favorite nuts. He also analyzes the positives and pitfalls of vegan, paleo, and more diets.We also get into how measure gratitude, the positive function of gratitude in your daily lives, what he does when he's having a bad day or feeling off, and who he goes to for spiritual guidance. Finally (whew!), we talk about the dangers of mold, and how to actually test for it. This is an unmissable podcast if you're interested in optimizing your health or life!To contact Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail podcast@mindbodygreen.com.For all sponsorship inquiries, please e-mail sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ellen Vora is a psychiatrist, mindbodygreen Collective member, and instructor of the mindbodygreen class Managing Depression. When it comes to approaching mental health from a holistic perspective, she's one of the world's best. Her goal is to help her patients manage their mental health with diet and lifestyle changes as much as possible, only turning to medications as temporary tools or as a last resort.This episode of the mindbodygreen Podcast is for anyone who struggles with a mental health condition, knows or loves someone suffering from one, or simply wants to optimize their mood and energy levels. She starts off by teaching me about the link between chronic inflammation and anxiety and depression—something called the inflammatory cytokine model of depression—and explains why depression is like the flu. She also makes a compelling case for blood sugar imbalance being one of the underlying causes of anxiety.Dr. Vora also shares the best foods to eat to support mental stability and resilience (spoiler alert: turmeric and black pepper, ginger, avocados, beets, and dark leafy green vegetables are just a few) and shares the one food she avoids in honor of her mental health. Dr. Vora's approach is gentle, holistic, and takes the whole person into account—body, mind, and spirit. Don't miss it!EPIC Provision's makes products that help employ agricultural practices that improve the lives of animals, support human health, and regenerate the land around us. Save 20% on your next epicbar.com purchase with promo code MBGPODCAST now through March 1, 2019.To contact Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail podcast@mindbodygreen.com.For all sponsorship inquiries, please e-mail sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's guest needs no introduction. As the most accomplished Olympian of our time—and any time, for that matter—Michael Phelps is a wellness icon for the ages. In addition to pushing what the human body is capable of, we can thank Phelps for using his celebrity status to bring often-taboo topics like depression to the surface.I was lucky enough to sit down with the 23-time Olympic gold medalist to learn about one of his latest initiatives: water conservation. This is Phelps' second year partnering with Colgate on their #EveryDropCounts initiative, which aims to show how the simple act of turning off the tap while you brush your teeth can add up to significant water savings. Through the course of this episode, he shares how his growing family conserves water at home and why the water access issue strikes such a chord with him personally.And of course, I had to ask about the more esoteric fitness and recovery practices that Phelps has helped popularize. We talk about his experience with cupping, visualization, the Graston technique(using a stainless steel tool to soothe muscle knots), and more. Phelps also dives into (sorry, had to) how his diet has evolved since the Olympic days, his laid back approach to parenting, and the guilty pleasure sugar he can't seem to give up. This one's a can't-miss episode for any Phelps fan.To contact Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail podcast@mindbodygreen.com.For all sponsorship inquiries, please e-mail sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices