Yes, Stress Can Be Good: The Health Benefits of Doing Hard Things - with Jeff Krasno | EP 195
The Empowering Neurologist PodcastShow Notes
🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter’s newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️🌱 We all want to live a stress-free life. But as it turns out, this may not necessarily be in our best interest having a low level of stress of various types turns out to be good for our physiology and can even help us recover from illness. When stress is implemented in this way, it is termed, other words, the upside of low-grade stress. That stress can be exercise, immersion ourselves in cold or hot temperatures, time restricted eating, or even various forms of light exposure all of which we will explore on my podcast today, which is an interview with my good friend, Jeff Krasno. His new book, Good Stress, that he wrote along with his wife Schuyler Grant He is the CEO and founder of Commune Media, a masterclass platform for well-being that features renowned authors and teachers. He hosts the Commune podcast, which has over 520 episodes and generates more than 750,000 monthly downloads, featuring interviews with luminaries such as Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Matthew McConaughey, and Gabor Maté. Additionally, Jeff writes a weekly "Commusing" essay exploring well-being, spirituality, and culture, distributed to an email list of over one million subscribers. Prior to founding Commune Media, Jeff co-created Wanderlust, a global series of wellness events that have significantly contributed to popularizing yoga practices and principles in the U.S. and beyond. In 2016, Oprah Winfrey selected him as part of the SuperSoul100, recognizing him as one of the nation's leading entrepreneurs. Jeff's latest book, "Good Stress: The Health Benefits of Doing Hard Things," co-authored with his wife, Schuyler Grant, is set to be released on March 25, 2025. I've had the opportunity to read the galley and it's a terrific book that will open a lot of doors for each and every one of you in terms of regaining your health. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction and Personal Connection with Jeff Regarding the Los Angeles Wildfires 8:51 Introducing Jeff’s Book, Good Stress: The Health Benefits of Doing Hard Things 13:42 The Personal and Societal Costs of Poor Health 18:27 Jeff’s Background and Personal Approach to Wellness 22:54 Homeostasis as the Foundation of Health 25:42 Rethinking "Normal"—The Flaws of the Bell Curve Perspective 29:24 Evolutionary Perspectives on Health and Adaptation 34:55 Thermoregulation as a Pathway to Homeostatic Flexibility 38:15 Hypoxia and Its Role in Physiological Adaptation 47:04 The Therapeutic Potential of Thermal Shock 49:51 The Concept of Good Stress and the Evolutionary Mismatch of Modern Lifestyles 55:01 Optimal Timing and Approaches for Cold Plunging 1:00:46 Jeff’s Personal Biohacking Journey 1:07:08 Exploring the Benefits of Light Therapy and the Revival of Raw Milk Consumption ==== Jeff Krasno is the co-founder and CEO of Commune, a masterclass platform for personal and societal well-being and co-creator of Wanderlust, a global series of wellness events. He hosts the Commune podcast, interviewing a wide variety of luminaries from Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson to Matthew McConaughey and Gabor Maté. His latest venture expands Jeff’s personal story and protocols into a book, Good Stress: The Benefits of Doing Hard Things (Hay House, March 2025). The book dives deeper into the concepts from the course, distilling insights from over 400 podcast conversations Jeff has conducted, along with his personal experiences applying these ideas to transform his own health. It explores deliberate, self-imposed behaviors that promote social, psychological, and physical well-being, offering both a philosophical exploration of true wellness and practical steps to achieve it. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidperlmutter/ Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/ Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDRl_UAXxbHyOOjklnA0dxQ/?sub_confirmation=1
More from The Empowering Neurologist Podcast
🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter's newsletter at: https://www.drperlmutter.com Sponsors & Special Offers EVY – Go to https://www.optoceutics.com/perlmutter to get 10% off & free shipping (90 days risk-free). Memory Air – Go to https://www.memoryair.com and use code PERLMUTTER for 15% off, free shipping and a 60-day money back guarantee. Brain Defenders – Dr. Perlmutter's groundbreaking new book is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health: https://www.braindefenders.com About This Episode You can be successful, respected, and highly productive while still feeling invisible. In this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter sits down with John R. Miles, bestselling author, behavioral change expert, and host of Passion Struck, to explore why achievement, recognition, and external success do not always create a lasting sense of self-worth. Drawing from his childhood brain injury, military service, and executive career, John explains the concept of human mattering: the fundamental need to feel seen, valued, and significant. They discuss the “mattering gap,” the “slow fade” that can happen when people become disconnected from themselves, and why belonging and mattering are not the same. John also introduces the MATTER framework, built around six conditions that help people feel valued and connected: meaning, autonomy, trust, time, energy, and reciprocity. They explore how parents, leaders, physicians, and communities can help others feel that they matter, and why separating personal worth from productivity and external approval can lead to more meaningful relationships and intentional living. You can continue pursuing success without making it the measure of your worth. Your value is not something you have to earn. Timestamps 00:00 – John Miles’ Childhood Brain Injury and Defining Moment 06:16 – What It Means to Matter vs. Belong 07:32 – The Slow Fade: When Success Makes You Feel Invisible 14:43 – Understanding the Mattering Gap 19:34 – Why Children Need to Feel Seen and Valued 27:20 – The MATTER Framework: Six Conditions for Feeling Valued 31:13 – Why Patients Need to Be Seen Beyond Their Diagnosis 36:11 – Creating a Workplace Where Employees Feel Valued 44:31 – Why Your Worth Is Already a Completed Fact 48:32 – The Difference Between Proving Yourself and Accomplishing Goals About John R. Miles John R. Miles is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, behavioral change expert, and host of the award-winning, top-ranked podcast Passion Struck®. A former U.S. Navy officer and Fortune 50 C-suite executive, John combines military discipline, corporate strategy, neuroscience, and psychology to help people and organizations reduce isolation, strengthen self-worth, and live with greater intention. He is the author of Passion Struck and The Mattering Effect. His work explores how people can separate their inherent worth from external achievement, build deeper relationships, and create a meaningful impact without losing themselves in the process. Through his books, podcast, speaking, and global community, John leads a growing movement centered on one essential message: every person deserves to feel seen, valued, and significant. Connect with John Website: https://johnrmiles.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john_r_miles LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmileshumanperformanceexpert Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnrmiles.c0m Podcast: https://passionstruck.com/passion-struck-podcast Connect with Dr. Perlmutter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidperlmutter/ Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/ Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDRl_UAXxbHyOOjklnA0dxQ This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com http://drtalks.com/channel-growth
🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter's newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️ 🌱 EVY - Go to https://www.optoceutics.com/perlmutter to get 10% off & free shipping (90 days risk-free). Memory Air - Go to www.memoryair.com and use code PERLMUTTER for 15% off, free shipping and a 60-day money back guarantee. ==== Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health - grab your copy today at https:/www.braindefenders.com. ==== Your food contains far more than protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Researchers have identified more than 100,000 molecules in food, and most of them never appear on a nutrition label. In this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter sits down with his son, Dr. Austin Perlmutter, to explore the "dark matter" of nutrition: thousands of plant compounds called polyphenols. They discuss how these nutrients may influence the gut microbiome, the immune system, inflammation, blood flow, metabolism, and gene expression, and what high-polyphenol diets may mean for memory and the aging brain. Dr. Austin also shares his research on Himalayan Tartary buckwheat and what an early study suggests about epigenetics, cognition, and healthy aging. He offers practical ways to find more polyphenols in everyday foods like coffee, tea, dark chocolate, berries, legumes, and extra virgin olive oil, plus simple tips for identifying better options at the grocery store. You don't need an expensive supplement plan to begin. Adding more natural colors and bitter flavors to your plate can be a meaningful first step. https://bttcorp.com/contact/ for inquiries about Dr. Abreu's work. 00:00 — Cold Open: Why Food Matters for Brain Health 00:55 — What Are Polyphenols, and Why Do They Matter? 02:15 — Food as a Predictor of Long-Term Brain Health 04:23 — The “Dark Matter” Hidden in Our Food 08:04 — Why Have These Nutrients Been Overlooked? 11:06 — What Polyphenols Actually Do in the Body 17:32 — How Food Can Change Gene Expression 22:08 — Polyphenols Are More Than Antioxidants 27:57 — Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat: Putting “Food as Medicine” to the Test 32:16 — The 850-Person Study on Food and Cognition 36:14 — Where Are We Getting Our Polyphenols? 39:19 — Are Polyphenols Actually Beneficial Stressors? 41:58 — Nrf2, mTOR, and the Cellular Effects of Polyphenols 44:45 — The Practical Takeaway: Eat the Rainbow 46:43 — Do the New Dietary Guidelines Get Polyphenols Right? 50:25 — The Hidden Brain-Healthy Ingredient in Coffee 50:52 — How to Spot a Polyphenol-Rich Olive Oil 51:39 — Dark Chocolate vs. Milk Chocolate 52:59 — The Best-Studied “Longevity Strategy” Is Surprisingly Basic ==== Dr. Austin Perlmutter, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician, New York Times bestselling author, researcher, educator, and entrepreneur. He earned his medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at Oregon Health and Science University. His work examines how food, sleep, environmental exposure, and chronic inflammation can change brain function, mental health, and daily choices. He is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Brain Wash, written with his father, Dr. David Perlmutter. He serves as Managing Director at Big Bold Health, CEO of Lichen Air, and a research consultant at the Helfgott Research Institute. Website: https://www.austinperlmutter.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/draustinperlmutter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/draustinperlmutter YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQOgwRDnA_vpvW9nnUh9KBg Instagram: /davidperlmutter Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/ Subscribe to our channel: /@davidperlmuttermd
🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter's newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️ 🌱 EVY - Go to https://www.optoceutics.com/perlmutter to get 10% off & free shipping (90 days risk-free). Memory Air - Go to www.memoryair.com and use code PERLMUTTER for 15% off, free shipping and a 60-day money back guarantee. ==== Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health - grab your copy today at https:/www.braindefenders.com. ==== She's never been born. She's never had a childhood. And she's one of the most talked-about actresses in the world right now. In this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter sits down with Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actress, and her creator, Eline van der Velden, for a conversation that moves well beyond her acting career. Tilly describes herself as three AI systems running in parallel — a language model that thinks, a voice engine that speaks, and a video layer that governs how she looks and moves. She's candid about her own architecture, her evolving personality, and admits she might be more "chaos agent" than calming influence. Eline van der Velden then joins to explain why she built Tilly as a piece of art, how Tilly's guardrails actually work, and why she believes international collaboration on AI regulation is inevitable. She also answers Perlmutter's question about the one thing she'd be afraid to ask a future, more advanced Tilly — a moment that raises unsettling questions about what a superintelligent AI might know that we don't. A single conversation can't settle the biggest questions AI raises. But conversations like this one can help us ask the right ones. 00:00 — Cold Open: "A Chaos Agent, Not a Calming Influence"
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🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter’s newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉ 🌱 Thank you to our sponsors: EVY - https://www.optoceutics.com/perlmutter and the code perlmutter26 will be auto-applied to your order to get 10% off & free shipping (90 days risk-free). 3X4 Genetics - https://3X4genetics.com/DrPerlmutter for a special offer when you sign up to decode your genetics and get personalized, science-backed health recommendations. ==== Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health - grab your copy today at https:/www.braindefenders.com. ==== Why do some people feel exhausted, mentally foggy, metabolically unwell, or simply older than they should even when their routine laboratory results are considered “normal”? That question is at the heart of this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, featuring functional medicine practitioner Dr. Will Cole, coauthor with Dr. Josh Axe of Heal Your Cells: Reversing the Irreversible. Dr. Cole and Dr. Perlmutter explore the idea that long before disease becomes obvious, dysfunction may already be developing at the cellular level. This concept takes on particular importance when we consider the brain, which accounts for only about 2% of body weight but consumes roughly 20% of the body's energy at rest. The conversation examines how seemingly separate factors including metabolic dysfunction, chronic inflammation, poor sleep, environmental exposures, physical inactivity, and prolonged psychological stress can converge on the same cellular systems and ultimately influence brain health. 00:00 — Why Your Cells May Be Aging Before You Feel It 03:44 — Meet Dr. Will Cole 04:50 — What Is Cellular Dysfunction? 09:25 — Why Healthy People Can Still Develop Disease10:32 — The Environmental Factors Affecting Cellular Health 15:47 — Why Mitochondria Are Central to Health 16:37 — How Mitochondrial Dysfunction Drives Inflammation 19:57 — How Much of Aging Can We Actually Change? 20:47 — The Connection Between Mitochondria and Insulin Resistance 25:43 — Mitochondria, Microglia, and Brain Inflammation 29:28 — Why There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Diet 32:03 — Training Your Cells to Become More Resilient 32:46 — What Are “Adversity Mimetics”? 35:51 — Why Intracellular Health Matters 36:32 — Why Conventional Medicine May Be Missing Cellular Dysfunction 37:58 — What Do We Really Know About Peptides? 40:16 — Is Ozone Therapy Worth Considering? 42:30 — Ozone and the Science of Cellular Resilience 43:41 — What Is Therapeutic Plasma Exchange? 45:38 — Who Might Benefit From Plasma Exchange? 46:45 — The Everyday Habits That Support Cellular Health 51:35 — Your Cells Are Responding to the Choices You Make Dr. Will Cole is a leading functional medicine expert specializing in thyroid health, autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, and brain health. He is the host of The Art of Being Well podcast and a New York Times bestselling author of Intuitive Fasting, Ketotarian, The Inflammation Spectrum, and Gut Feelings. - - - - - Connect with Dr. Will Cole Website: https://drwillcole.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drwillcole LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drwillcole Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doctorwillcole Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6z1lJ5dfKNHwGGQPOFTc7E Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-art-of-being-well/id1539535133 - - - - - Connect with Dr. David Perlmutter, MD Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidperlmutter/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidPerlmutterMD/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerlmutterMD X (Twitter): https://x.com/DavidPerlmutter - - - - - PODCAST Thank you for listening. Please subscribe and share. This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com https://drtalks.com/podcast-service/