PodRecs #003: Apple skins, cookware that won't kill you & life changing experiences
Hey!
Welcome to the latest edition of PodRecs, your weekly round-up of the coolest stuff recommended on the hottest podcasts.
This week we’ve got:
Derek Sivers (of CD Baby fame) with the book that changed his life
Joel Green with the healing power of apple skins (seriously!)
Dr Mark Hyman with cookware that won’t kill you
TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie with the most transformational experience of his life
Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman with a book recommendation that save his life
Lots of life changing potential in this edition!
So, without further adieu, let’s get into it…
Awaken the Giant: Derek Sivers on The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish
This episode is great.
It’s always interesting listening to Derek talk and Shane does a great job of guiding the conversation.
You should listen to this just to hear Derek’s directive for How to Sop Being Rich and Happy.
Shane asks Derek about a book he read at a young age that changed his life.
That book is:
Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins - Get it here
“How did that change things for you?” Shane asks.
“Ah, yeah, Tony Robbins’ Awaken the Giant Within, god, that's like asking someone what they learned from their religion,” Derek says. “The stuff that Tony Robbins preached in that book is like so deeply ingrained in me that it just feels like reality.”
The most important lessons he took from Awaken the Giant Within are:
You can change the way you feel about anything in an instant
Events are neutral, you can interpret events as good or bad
There’s no such thing as failure until you give up
Other books that Derek recommends on the podcast:
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael Gerber - Get it here
What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful by Marshall Goldsmith - Get it here
Atomic Habits by James Clear - Get it here
I know Tony Robbins won’t be a new revelation for anyone, but I love learning about successful people’s life changing encounters.
Maybe it’s worth dipping your toes in some vintage Robbins?
Listen on Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify
Apple Power: Joel Green on Ben Greenfield Fitness
This podcast is all about restoring the gut, which is a very hip topic in health circles right now.
Drawing from Joel Green’s book, The Immunity Code, this conversation goes deep on ways to improve the health and function of the gut microbiome.
“Very early in the book, all you're telling people to do specifically related to the bacteria Akkermansia and to restore the gut lining is to eat apple skins. So, why apple skins?” Ben asks.
The answer is very technical (listen to the podcast if you want the deep dive), but in short…
Apple skins have high amounts of a specific compound (red phenols) that helps the gut to produce an important bacteria that maintains the gut lining and supports overall health.
“So, if we were to come back to–okay, how do we build the perfect gut? We would need to have immunity; we need to have substrate,” Joel says.
“And if we were to inventory a list of, well, what can we bring to the table that is going to have the biggest bang for the buck with the least effort? At the top of the list, I would argue HMOs and apple peels are kind of right there, number one and number two because they hit both immunity, substrate, and they both have unique functional properties that drive the production of the most important bacteria we need in the gut.”
So, what’s the PodRec?
Well, aside from eating apple skins, Ben recommends supplementing with:
Organic red phenol powder - Get it here and here
For someone watching their carbohydrate intake, red phenol powder might be preferable to “eating tons of berries along with your apple skin”.
Joel says sourcing the nutrients from food is best, but says the red phenol power can serve as a prebiotic.
Maybe the old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is true after all?
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify
Clean cookware: Mark Hyman Q&A on The Doctor’s Farmacy
Did you know harmful chemicals are used in a lot of the pots, pans and other utensils we use in the kitchen?
Check out the film Dark Waters for a bit of a wake up call on this stuff.
On this Q&A episode, listeners of the show tuned in to ask Dr Hyman for advice on a range of different things.
One listener, Charlotte, asked about what cookware he recommends as she’s concerned about chemicals leaking into her food.
“You want to be careful with, obviously teflon’s pretty bad, there’s a lot of PSAs and various cooking materials,” Dr Hyman says.
He recommends getting a good-quality:
Cast iron cooking pan made by Lodge | Le Creuest | or Straub
“I find cast iron to be one of the best things to cook with… These last literally a lifetime. I’ve had mine for 40 years. I love cast iron… If you buy really good cookware it just lasts forever. So you buy once and that’s it.”
He says ceramic is also a good option for non-toxic cookware.
If you really want to splash out, Dr Hyman recommends checking out cookware by a company called Our Place.
“It’s like my main pan now plus the cast iron that I use.”
I think investing in good quality cookware is essential for healthy eating.
I mean, what good’s a big plate of steak and pan fried asparagus if it’s laced with teflon or other non-stick chemicals?
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify
Mental Weight Loss: Blake Mycoskie on The Tim Ferriss Show
This one blew my mind.
So Blake, the founder of TOMS shoes, was on The Tim Ferriss Show.
Tim asks Blake specifically about his experience with:
The Hoffman Process - Learn more here
It’s a week-long healing retreat “of transformation and development for people who feel stuck in one or more important areas of their life”.
Blake did it back in 2016.
“I mean there’s probably three to four experiences or practices that I’ve taken on in my life that have by far had the greatest impact in a positive way. And I love to start with The Hoffman Process because it is at the top of the list.”
The Hoffman Process focuses on the idea of “negative love syndrome”, which is described as “inter-generational pain that is passed down from one generation to the next”.
But check this out…
“After Hoffman, I remember coming back to the TOMS office and our CEO at the time, he’s like, “Man, you look lighter. Physically lighter.” And I was like, “I feel lighter.” And then over the next couple of weeks, I literally lost 12 pounds and any body fat I had in my abdominal area where a lot of men carry body fat because of stress and anxiety.
And I literally went from having — I wasn’t overweight, but to having crazy abs and everyone was like, “What did you do?” And I’m like, “I didn’t do a single fucking crunch. I just went to Hoffman.” And I mean, literally, I lost weight as I lost mental weight.”
The week-long retreat might be out of reach for most people (Blake sponsors people to attend), but you can learn how to apply The Hoffman Process in your life with this book:
The Hoffman Process: The World-Famous Technique That Empowers You to Forgive Your Past, Heal Your Present, and Transform Your Future - Get it here
It sounds pretty incredible, right?
I’m definitely diving deeper into this.
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast
Lifesaving literature: Dr Andrew Huberman on The Rich Roll Podcast
A quick book recommendation to finish this week (there’s a lot to chew on already!).
Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman was on The Rich Roll Podcast talking about changing your brain by starting with your behavior.
It’s a great conversation, full of helpful advice, but it was this little passing PodRec caught my attention.
Rich references a therapist that Dr Huberman started seeing when he was in college.
“[It] sounds like that guy almost saved your life,” Rich says.
Dr Huberman replies: “He absolutely saved my life. He gave me the book…”
Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn - Get it here
“He said: ‘No pressure, but if you can develop a mindfulness practice where you can sit still for 10 minutes a day it’ll serve you very well, so I started doing that.”
I find it interesting when neuroscientists like Sam Harris and, in this case, Dr Huberman, recommend meditation.
And Kabat-Zinn’s book is a fantastic introduction to secular meditation that is separate from religious tradition.
In these extremely weird and challenging times, we could all do with a daily practice that helps us to destress and recalibrate.
Listen on YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
There it is, folks.
Another edition of PodRecs done and dusted.
If you dig it, please share on the socials. Your support will help me reach more people.
Until next time…
Have a beautiful week.
- Jonathan