The Urban Monk podcast with Dr. Pedram Shojai (general)

The Urban Monk podcast with Dr Pedram Shojai.

https://www.theurbanmonk.com/

Health, wellness, and personal development media in a new steaming service that's designed to help you live your best life. Try this free course from The Urban Monk
 

Pedram Shojai is the Urban Monk. He is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, a Taoist Priest, a Qi Gong Master, film maker, author, and Kung Fu world traveler. He invites you to join in the conversation exploring what it means to live with balance in the 21st century.

 

___

 

Meet Sarah Intelligator

Sarah is the author of “Live, Laugh, Find True Love: A Step-By-Step Guide to Dating and Finding a Meaningful Relationship, By a Divorce Attorney”.

Raised by a mother who has practiced Family Law for almost thirty years, and still practices, Sarah feels as though she has been exposed to the issues Family Law practitioners encounter on a daily basis, her entire life. 

Sarah graduated from UCLA, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts, in English.  She received a Juris Doctorate, from Southwestern Law School, in Los Angeles.

In her first year of law school, Sarah earned the coveted title of First Place Oralist in Southwestern Law School’s Intramural Moot Court Competition.  Not only was this achievement a product of her extreme diligence and dedication, but also a testament to her strong skills as an advocate.  Through this experience, Sarah learned that she truly had a passion for litigation.

In addition, while attending Southwestern Law School, in Los Angeles, Sarah clerked for the District Attorney, which provided her with a solid Criminal Law background as well. 

Practicing exclusively Family Law since 2008, Sarah worked for the Law Offices of Rosaline L. Zukerman, APC, for five years, prior to opening her own practice.

Sarah recognizes that Family Law litigation is highly emotional and deeply personal, and she is dedicated to striking that delicate balance between zealous advocacy and empathy.  The practice of Family Law is unique.  Family Law litigants transcend any socio-economic, race or gender classifications.  Divorce, domestic violence, and issues concerning child custody affect everyone equally.  Sarah appreciates that her clients are people, who, for the most part, have never been involved in any litigation, going through what is, arguably, the most difficult time in their lives–often being asked to support two households on an income that previously supported only one.  To that end, it is important to Sarah to keep her rates reasonable, as compared to other Family Law practitioners, in order to make legal representation as accessible as possible.

Sarah has also been a yoga instructor since 2000. Sarah incorporates her experience as an instructor into her lawyering style. Teaching has enabled Sarah to maintain calm even under the most rigorous of pressures.  It has provided her with the invaluable opportunity to command the respect and attention of any group of individuals she addresses, and it is her nurturing nature that gravitated her, both, to teaching and to the practice of, specifically, Family Law.

Direct download: How_to_NOT_get_divorced_with_Sarah_Intelligator.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:36am MDT

The Urban Monk podcast with Dr Pedram Shojai.

https://www.theurbanmonk.com/

Health, wellness, and personal development media in a new steaming service that's designed to help you live your best life. Try this free course from The Urban Monk
 

Pedram Shojai is the Urban Monk. He is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, a Taoist Priest, a Qi Gong Master, film maker, author, and Kung Fu world traveler. He invites you to join in the conversation exploring what it means to live with balance in the 21st century.

 

Meet Dr Steven Gundry

Dr. Steven Gundry MD, Heart Surgeon, New York Times Bestseller, Host of The Dr. Gundry Podcast.

Dr. Steven Gundry is one of the world’s top cardiothoracic surgeons and a pioneer in nutrition. He hosts top-rated health show, The Dr. Gundry Podcast, is the Founder and Director of The International Heart and Lung Institute Center for Restorative Medicine, and founder of Gundry MD, a line of wellness products and supplements.

After a distinguished surgical career as a professor and chairman of cardiothoracic surgery at Loma Linda University, Dr. Gundry changed his focus to curing modern diseases via dietary changes. He is the author of New York Times bestsellers The Plant Paradox, The Plant Paradox Cookbook, The Plant Paradox Quick & Easy, and The Longevity Paradox, along with national bestsellers The Plant Paradox Family Cookbook, The Energy Paradox, Dr. Gundry’s Diet Evolution, and Unlocking the Keto Code, and has had more than 300 articles published in peer-reviewed journals on using diet and supplements to eliminate heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disease, and multiple other diseases. He will also be releasing his next book Gut Check: Unleash the Power of Your Microbiome to Reverse Disease and Transform Your Mental, Physical, and Emotional Health on January 9, 2024.

Direct download: Its_time_for_a_Gut_Check_with_Dr_Steven_Gundry.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:01am MDT

The Urban Monk podcast with Dr Pedram Shojai.

https://www.theurbanmonk.com/

Health, wellness, and personal development media in a new steaming service that's designed to help you live your best life. Try this free course from The Urban Monk
 

Pedram Shojai is the Urban Monk. He is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, a Taoist Priest, a Qi Gong Master, film maker, author, and Kung Fu world traveler. He invites you to join in the conversation exploring what it means to live with balance in the 21st century.

 

Meet Dr Dale Bredesen

Dale Bredesen, MD, received his undergraduate degree from Caltech and his medical degree from Duke University. He served as resident and chief resident in neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and as postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate Professor Stanley Prusiner. He was a faculty member at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1989 to 1994 and was then recruited by the Burnham Institute to direct the Program on Aging. In 1998, he became the founding president and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and adjunct professor at UCSF. From 2013 to 2023, he returned to UCLA as a professor and director of the Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research. He is currently Senior Director of the world’s first precision medicine program for neurodegenerative diseases, which is at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute.

The Bredesen Laboratory studies basic mechanisms underlying the neurodegenerative process and the translation of this knowledge into effective therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, which has led to the publication of over 200 research papers. He was the principal investigator for the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at UCLA. He established the ADDN (Alzheimer’s Drug Development Network) with Dr. Varghese John in 2008, leading to the identification of new classes of therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease. His group has developed a new approach to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, the MEND protocol, and this approach has led to the first description of a reversal of symptoms in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Bredesen is the author of two New York Times bestsellers: The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline and The End of Alzheimer's Program.

Direct download: Beating_Alzheimers-_A_Proven_Path_with_Dr_Dale_Dredesen.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:30am MDT

The Urban Monk podcast with Dr Pedram Shojai.

https://www.theurbanmonk.com/

Health, wellness, and personal development media in a new steaming service that's designed to help you live your best life. Try this free course from The Urban Monk
 

Pedram Shojai is the Urban Monk. He is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, a Taoist Priest, a Qi Gong Master, film maker, author, and Kung Fu world traveler. He invites you to join in the conversation exploring what it means to live with balance in the 21st century.

 

-

Meet  Katie

Katie Silcox, M.A. is the New York Times Best-Selling author of the book Healthy, Happy, Sexy - Ayurveda Wisdom for Modern Women and the upcoming new book - Glow-Worthy. She is the founder of The Shakti School, a premier online certification school for women-centered holistic wellness. She holds a Masters degree in Ayurvedic Medicine, is a member of the National Ayurvedic Medicine Association and is currently pursuing depth studies in Jungian Psychology. Her platform focuses on the convergence of ancient holistic medicine, functional medicine science and heart-centered spirituality. In her former life, she has been a researcher in Artificial Intelligence, a cover model for Yoga Journal magazine in Russia and the owner of a beach bar in Spain.

All of the Ayurveda School information can be found on this page: https://theshaktischool.com/ayurveda-school/
 
And listeners may use the discount code pod100 to receive $100 off any tuition option.
Direct download: Finding_Your_Inner_Glow_with_Katie_Silcox.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:39am MDT

The Urban Monk podcast with Dr Pedram Shojai.

https://www.theurbanmonk.com/

Health, wellness, and personal development media in a new steaming service that's designed to help you live your best life. Try this free course from The Urban Monk
 

Pedram Shojai is the Urban Monk. He is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, a Taoist Priest, a Qi Gong Master, film maker, author, and Kung Fu world traveler. He invites you to join in the conversation exploring what it means to live with balance in the 21st century.

 

-

Meet Jaiya

Award-Winning Somatic Sexologist, Author of Your Blueprint for Pleasure, Star of Netflix's Sex, Love & goop

Jaiya is an award-winning Somatic Sexologist, Author, Founder/Creator of The Erotic Blueprint Breakthrough™ and Star of Netflix's Sex, Love & goop. For over three decades, Jaiya has been immersed in the study of turn-ons, ancient erotic rituals, tantric sex, mastery of sensual touch, pure erotic play, kinky dynamics, and the biology and psychology of attraction and sexual fulfillment. She works with all kinds of bodies and sexual orientations, and through observation and clinical research, she discovered the Erotic Blueprint™, a map of arousal that reveals one’s specific erotic language and patterning and helps create a path forward to greater sexual fulfillment. She recently released her fourth book, Your Blueprint for Pleasure, which outlines the Erotic Blueprints.

Instagram: @MissJaiya

Website: https://missjaiya.com/

Link to book: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Blueprint-Pleasure-Awaken_and-Fulfill_Your/dp/145495003X

Link to Erotic Blueprint quiz: https://theblueprintbreakthrough.com/

Direct download: Urban_Monk_Podcast_-_Jaiya_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:08pm MDT

The Urban Monk podcast with Dr Pedram Shojai.

https://www.theurbanmonk.com/

Health, wellness, and personal development media in a new steaming service that's designed to help you live your best life. Try this free course from The Urban Monk
 

Pedram Shojai is the Urban Monk. He is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, a Taoist Priest, a Qi Gong Master, film maker, author, and Kung Fu world traveler. He invites you to join in the conversation exploring what it means to live with balance in the 21st century.

 

-

Meet Jeff Hays

Jeff Hays, an award winning filmmaker, author, and television producer since the early nineties, gained national attention with Fahrenhype 9/11 (2004), a response to Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. He followed that with On Native Soil (2006). Narrated by Kevin Costner and Hilary Swank, the documentary focused on the perspective of surviving family members of 9/11 victims and their efforts to create the 9/11 Commission. The film was acquired by LionsGate and NBC and was short-listed for an Academy Award. Hays produced a yearlong television series for Lifetime Television, and then returned to documentary film with Doctored (2012), and Bought (2014).

In 2017, Jeff partnered with Dr. Patrick Gentempo to create Revealed Films. Together they have released many multi-part series covering subjects including health and nutrition, medical issues, wealth-building, religious and political topics. (Money Revealed, Vaccines Revealed, Crypto Revealed, End Game, GMOs Revealed, etc.) Revealed Films launches 5-6 series each year adding to the rich stream of information they’ve produced in the past. Revealed recently released a series on the use of psychedelics in therapy, Psychedelics Revealed, and has completed a new series on addiction. Revealed Films was acquired by Genius Group, an NYSE listed company on October 4th, 2022. Hays and Gentempo will continue to run the company for the next 3 years. In addition to the Revealed projects, Jeff Hays Films was the Executive Producer for The Fix, a documentary series based on Johann Hari’s NY Times bestseller, Chasing the Scream, which was made into both an Academy Award-nominated film and an eight-part TV series presented by Samuel L. Jackson.

JHF has acquired the rights to three other books to produce via film: the NY Times bestseller Lost Connections by Johann Hari, The Bad One by Erin Tyler, and The Real Anthony Fauci by Bobby Kennedy, Jr. Additionally, JHF produced a series with Adam Carolla on resilience and another on happiness with Ben Greenfield, and completed The Millionaire Within Her with Kristi Frank. In 2021, JHF produced Amy Redford’s new narrative film, What Goes Around, which had its world premier at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2022, and was sold to IFC. In September of 2022 Hays completed his newest documentary, The United States vs. Andre Norman, to be released in 2023. This film covers the poverty to prison pipeline for people of color in the US through the amazing story of Andre Norman. The covid lockdowns of 2020 provided ample time to finish two books. The first on entrepreneurship, The Entrepreneurial Brain, which has been acquired by Harper Collins and will be released in October of 2023. The second book, on spirituality called Love and Drugs; Tripping past Trauma into Joy, will be released in 2024.

Jeff resides in the mountains of Utah and works out of Jeff Hays Films’ soundstage and studio in Midvale, Utah. Together with his beloved wife Dori, he has eleven children and many grandchildren.

Find the full episode transcript and additional info here: https://theurbanmonk.com/the-brain-of-an-entrepreneur-is-different-with-guest-jeff-hays/

 

Direct download: The_Brain_of_an_Entrepreneur_is_Different_with_guest_Jeff_Hays.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:15am MDT

The Urban Monk podcast with Dr Pedram Shojai.

https://www.theurbanmonk.com/

Health, wellness, and personal development media in a new steaming service that's designed to help you live your best life. Try this free course from The Urban Monk
 

Pedram Shojai is the Urban Monk. He is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, a Taoist Priest, a Qi Gong Master, film maker, author, and Kung Fu world traveler. He invites you to join in the conversation exploring what it means to live with balance in the 21st century.

 

-

Meet Dr Nicole Beurkens

Dr. Nicole Beurkens’ career has spanned many areas of human development, health, and wellness. While she has served in diverse roles of licensed psychologist, teacher, consultant, board-certified nutritionist, researcher, and advisor, her guiding principle has always been the same - provide people with information and tools that empower them to become the best version of themselves. Nicole’s advanced degrees in education, psychology, and nutrition have allowed her the opportunity to support children and adults in a wide variety of inpatient and outpatient settings, including her own award-winning clinic. She’s partnered with companies and brands to reach people around the globe with the innovative research, strategies, and products that get to the root of their challenges, and help them feel and function better.

Now she is proud to be leading the team at Berkeley Life as CEO, to bring the life-changing power of nitric oxide to the forefront of medicine, mental health, and people’s everyday lives. This represents the continued evolution of her mission to show the world that with the right foundations in place every human being has the capacity to thrive.

Find the full episode transcript and additional info here: https://theurbanmonk.com/nitric-oxide-and-your-health-with-dr-nicole-beurkens/

 

Direct download: Nitric_Oxide_and_Your_Health.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:16pm MDT

The Urban Monk podcast with Dr Pedram Shojai.

https://www.theurbanmonk.com/

Health, wellness, and personal development media in a new steaming service that's designed to help you live your best life. Try this free course from The Urban Monk
 

Pedram Shojai is the Urban Monk. He is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, a Taoist Priest, a Qi Gong Master, film maker, author, and Kung Fu world traveler. He invites you to join in the conversation exploring what it means to live with balance in the 21st century.

 

-

 

Dr. Kavita Desai, Pharm. D., Revivele Founder
As an accomplished hospital-based pharmacist and the founder of the women’s health platform Revivele, Dr. Kavita Desai, Pharm. D. spent 13 years as a clinical pharmacist before pivoting to focus on preventative women’s healthcare. She established Revivele with a mission to fill the gap in women’s healthcare, and also wrote the book “Lady Parts: Putting Women's Health Back Into Women's Hands” (February 16, 2023), a handbook that empowers women to take control of their health through easy-to-follow tips and foundational knowledge. She was inspired to make a difference in this category when her mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, which was originally misdiagnosed as menopause. She currently uses her clinical skills to focus on brain health, disease prevention and how chronic illnesses affect women. Originally from Ontario, Canada, she earned her Doctorate in Pharmacy from Ohio Northern University in 2001. As an expert on women’s health, brain health and pharmacology, she has been featured on many national and regional broadcast health news segments.

About Dr. Desai: https://www.revivele.com/about/

 

Direct download: Kavita_Desai-1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:29am MDT

The Urban Monk podcast with Dr Pedram Shojai.

https://www.theurbanmonk.com/

Health, wellness, and personal development media in a new steaming service that's designed to help you live your best life. Try this free course from The Urban Monk
 

Pedram Shojai is the Urban Monk. He is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, a Taoist Priest, a Qi Gong Master, film maker, author, and Kung Fu world traveler. He invites you to join in the conversation exploring what it means to live with balance in the 21st century.

 

-

 

Alex Howard is Founder & Chairman of The Optimum Health Clinic (OHC), one of the world’s leading integrative medicine clinics.  With a team of 25 full time practitioners supporting thousands of patients in 50+ countries, the OHC team integrates a therapeutic coaching approach with functional nutrition.

Alex is creator of the Therapeutic Coaching methodology, and since March 2020, has been documenting his therapeutic work with real life patients via his In Therapy with Alex Howard YouTube series.  In the last few years, Alex has created some of the largest online conferences in the health and mind–body markets; including the world leading Trauma Super Conference. Alex’s online conferences have been attended by over a million people. 
Alex has published academic research in publications such as the British Medical Journal Open and Psychology and Health, and is the author of the books Why Me? and Decode Your Fatigue.  Alex’s latest book, It’s Not Your Fault – Why childhood trauma shapes you and how to break free is out now. 

Direct download: Alex_Howard_Podcast_-_TUM_podcst.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:55pm MDT

The Urban Monk podcast with Dr Pedram Shojai.

https://www.theurbanmonk.com/

 

Health, wellness, and personal development media in a new steaming service that's designed to help you live your best life.

Pedram Shojai is the Urban Monk. He is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, a Taoist Priest, a Qi Gong Master, film maker, author, and Kung Fu world traveler. He invites you to join in the conversation exploring what it means to live with balance in the 21st century.

In this episode, Pedram and Chris discuss the ins and outs of functional medicine. How can you enhance your lifestyle with the right supplemments and treatments without paying millions at a time? What solutions exist that won't require you to bend over backwards for relief? Learn more in this episode with Chris Kresser! 

Direct download: Ep._10_with_Pedram_-_bPOSSIBLE.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:59pm MDT

What has been the crisis here in the West, where articles are constantly written about the dogmatic American work ethic? We don’t know why we’re doing what we’re doing. We’re just responding to our basest impulses – gotta eat, gotta pay bills, gotta avoid bad feelings, gotta up the dopamine. And until we know why we’re doing what we’re doing – chasing jobs or quitting them – nothing’s going to change.  Jonathan Fields is obsessed with this problem. As a writer, his primary curiosity is what gets people up in the morning… and what makes them keep getting up when times get hard. Tune in and learn about your own sparketype so you can change your entire relationship to work. 

Direct download: Whats_Your_Sparketype__A_Special_Interview_with_Jonathan_Fields._1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:17pm MDT

What does your brain have in common with a fungal network? Well, have you ever seen both? They look quite a bit alike... Often, neurologists frustrated at the stalemate we've reached as regards healing people are the first to research alternative methods – anything from psychedelics to bio feedback and even the physiological power of soothing. Listen to Dr. David Rabin tell me what he discovered about diverting resources away from survival and straight into recovery... 

Direct download: A_Calmer_and_More_Mindful_You_with_Dr_Dave_Rabin_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:44pm MDT

Trying to get whole after a traumatic experience can feel like a lesson in acronyms – NLP, EMDR, CBT, etc. One method deserves to be better understood. You’ve likely seen videos of powerful physical reactions as people release the trauma their nervous systems have been holding onto. This is somatic experiencing. And Karlee Holden is a dedicated practitioner. She grew up well-versed in NLP and the language of healing. But later in life, it simply wasn’t enough to heal her. So she searched, and she foun

Direct download: Healing_Trauma_-_How_to_Show_Up_Trim.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:20am MDT

Ann Louise Gittleman, who is 71 years young (though you’d never know it to hear about how she spends her days), fell into the world of detoxifying 40 years ago. The woman who became her mentor was 84 when they met; she lived to be 106. She taught Ann everything she knew about longevity and sparked in her a powerful urge to grow stronger as the years advance. Now, her life is lived in the service of unearthing cutting-edge resources that dismantle the myth of aging. We’re living longer, but we’re not necessarily living healthier. That’s where the term radical longevity comes from. The future is here, and Ann’s at the helm.

Direct download: Ann_Louise_Gittleman.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:19pm MDT

Imagine if “joining the family business” meant partnering with your father to make groundbreaking microbiome research and gut solutions available to the masses twenty years before mainstream medicine gets hold of them. For Afif Ghannoum, that’s exactly what happened.  His dad, Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum, was one of the first major medical minds to study the microbiology of the oral biome… and then, in time, the GI biome. His discoveries have led to breakthrough after breakthrough, especially as regards a very important consideration: The presence of fungi in the gut and its interaction with the bacterial community.

Direct download: Afif_Ghannoum_of_BIOHM_Health.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:17pm MDT

There's no punchline here – just a frank, honest, and loving discussion about the unconventional paths Rabbi Doniel Katz and I took to achieve and sustain enlightenment. Across disciplines, religions, practices, and ideologies, there’s something we all have in common that makes us more alike than it makes us different. We build and rebuild our spiritual hygiene every single day. The work and the discipline and the years of studying create an energy field around all of us that binds us to a shared purpose – to find true integration, and train the muscles that got us there to remember how to do it again and again and again.

Direct download: Rabbi_Doniel.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:18pm MDT

In 2019, former bodybuilder Aaron Alexander published his book all about the eponymous method he developed himself: "The Align Method: 5 Movement Principles for a Stronger Body, Sharper Mind, and Stress-Proof Life." He thinks our bodies speak more than one language – and depending on how connected you are to its pain and joy, you may not be able to understand what it’s telling you. And then how will you know when you’re aligned and when you’re not? How will you read the signal? Alignment isn’t just a yoga buzzword – it means a lot more than that, and it’s informed by more than how advanced your practice is. Tune in as we talk about compensatory practices (both Western and not, male and not), the importance of heightened senses to our nervous system, why nutrition means more than diet, the two biggest factors in miscommunication, and so much more. 

Direct download: AaronAlexanderFinal.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:44pm MDT

How long is it going to take for the emotional tectonic plates of society to shift from grounding in foundation and tradition to exploring lofty ideals and leading with imagination? Who did ancient cultures believe they were worshipping when they looked to the heavens for advice? How do we respond to good times, to chaos, to tough times? How did our ancestors? These are the kinds of questions that keep Dr. Rachelle Dixon busy in her practice and in her personal development. We got to dig into how astrology can be used as an optimization tool to guide us towards our best lives, even if you choose not to believe in it. She's spent her life as a doctor, healer, and educator trying to instill belief in one's own intuition into those she works with – and the stars are often a historical and contemporary source of wisdom from which to draw. Pedram and Rachelle wax astrological about where we've been, where we are, and how we can prepare for where we're going. 

Direct download: Rachelle_Podcast_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:53pm MDT

If your first reaction to drinking the olive oil in your cabinet is to check the date or gag, you're probably using olive oil as distant from a fresh olive oil harvest as the tea in your cupboards are from Chinese botanicals. T.J. Robinson, former chef and professional olive oil tester and judge, had such a revelation upon tasting his first fresh olive oil that he not only never went back... But he started a Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club that sources from four different seasonal harvests per year in order to deliver perfectly aged olive oil made from the highest quality olives that can be certifiably found. He talks me through a taste-testing of his latest batch, debunking all sorts of myths about the health benefits, cooking uses, and grocery store varieties of olive oil along the way.

Direct download: UMP_TheJoyofGoodOliveOil_TJRobinson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:02pm MDT

Ron and Johanna Melchiore have been living off the grid for decades, but what does it mean to go off the grid? How disconnected must one be? Ron and Johanna join Pedram Shojai and discuss their experience in having their own chunk of wilderness. What was it like getting started? How did they build their home? How do they get food? How do they collect water for cooking, drinking, and bathing? And what do they do during the winters? Pedram asks about the freedom of having the land work for you but also the potential dangers of being isolated. Becoming an independent homesteader does not mean fully disconnecting from society, but what complications could still arise? Is this something anyone can do?

Direct download: 2020-11-19_Urban_Monk_Ron_and_Johanna_Melchiore.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:30pm MDT

"Plants often look like what they're for," Evan Cohen tells Pedram Shojai. For many of us who have lived in urban environments all of our lives, this can be a difficult concept to grasp. This week's guest to The Urban Monk Podcast discusses the benefits of how plants in certain cases can have obvious benefits just based on what they look. How can we determine the energetic signature of plants and how can we harness their essence to benefit our health?

Direct download: 2020-11-12_Urban_Monk_Evan_Cohen.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

We don't need to tell you, but 2020 has been quite the wild ride! With so much going on from the US Presidential election to the pandemic to wild weather events such as wildfires and hurricanes, it's hard to just focus! Attention is being pulled in every direction. Social media is even monetizing attention! So how do we get our focus back to ourselves? Pedram Shojai here on The Urban Monk Podcast wanted to take a moment to discuss the importance of drawing attention back to yourself. With how media can divert our attention to things that may not be affecting us in the moment, it can be hard to focus on your own needs. What is important to you? What goals do you have? And what are you doing to reach those goals? Pedram gives some tips based on his studies with Chinese Medicine on how you can make yourself your own main focus again.

Direct download: 2020-11-11_Urban_Monk_Pedram_Solo_Focus.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:03pm MDT

Everyone is exhausted! We all run into walls. We have trouble waking up in the morning and we go for the cup of coffee or tea to pick us up, but by the afternoon we crash. We do we continue to ride these waves of highs and lows of energy? Why do so many of us suffer from chronic fatigue? The usual suspects of stress and lack of sleep are obvious, but what if there was more to it? Is it the food we eat? The lack of exercise? Could it be unchecked mold building up in our homes?

Do we have to drastically change our lives to live a life full of energy? Or are the minor changes and shifts we can make that add up to leave chronic fatigue behind?


Kawasaki Disease is a condition that causes inflammation in the walls of some blood vessels in the body. It's most common in infants and young children. Recently there have been cases of a Kawasaki-like disease associated with COVID-19 appearing. What does the early research show? Pedram Shojai invites pediatrician Dr. Pejman Katiraei back to give a ground-level view of what he's currently seeing. Is this emergence of Kawasaki Disease a concern for parents? On top of everything else to worry about during the pandemic, how can we best protect children from this potential illness?
 
This video is part of our new course, Raising Healthy Kids, part of the Urban Monk Academy.
 
Try it free for 2 weeks: https://secure.theurbanmonk.com/academy/raising-healthy-kids

News used to be just the facts. But nowadays media has become highly charged, fear-based grabs for ratings. While it's important to be an informed citizens, sometimes the dour news can be extremely detrimental to our own outlook on the world while adding undue stress into our lives. Guest John Biffar, founder and president of PeaceVision, has a different approach. John through PeaceVision produces original video aiming to be free of negativity, politics, and violence while showcasing paths towards positive change. How is John able to bring to light stories of positivity in a society of click-bait headlines? How does John hope to provide people with actionable ways to achieve more peace in their own lives? How can we be conscious of the media we consume and how that affects our own lives in the era of coronavirus and COVID-19?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_Podcast_2020-05-04_John_Biffar.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:55pm MDT

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues many people are looking to whatever they can to take preventative measures against the coronavirus risk. Washing hands and sanitizing surfaces are great steps, surely, but what about other over the counter remedies? Dr. Elroy Vojdani and Dr. Pejman Katiraei join Pedram Shojai on this episode of The Urban Monk Podcast to discuss how certain measures might actually be more damaging to the gut and the gastrointestinal tract that might work against the immune system. What is happening in the gut and the immune system when we are infected with COVID-19 or other viruses? Why does infection affect some with terrible symptoms while others are asymptomatic? How is the mucosal immune system a front line defense and how can we bolster its effectiveness through lifestyle? Is the conventional traditional medical model able to study viral infections from a holistic perspective?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2020-04-10_Pejman_Katiraei_and_Elroy_Vojdani_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:56pm MDT

The pandemic of COVID-19 has changed the world and how we all interact with one another. But for many of us this pandemic has also affected our jobs, our schools, our livelihoods. While it is important to remain safe and follow social distancing guidelines, how must we change our mindsets on how we earn an income? Pedram Shojai invites Robert Kiyosaki to The Urban Monk Podcast. Robert is the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. He discusses how we must think about cashflow and the system many of us find ourselves trapped in. That is the system that has now broken during a pandemic. How can we leave the rat race to become financially independent and prepare for the next economic downturn?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2020-04-06_Robert_Kiyosaki.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:09pm MDT

2020 is off to a wild start! The world is chaotic. How do we find a calm respite while balancing work, children, dinner, and errands that take over our lives? Pedram discusses how he uses qi gong to still the chaos of the world.

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2020-02-05_Solo.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:02pm MDT

Marijuana and its various forms are getting a second look from both the general public and the medical community. The scientific community is diving deep into research of CBD and its potential various medical applications to heal but without the psychoactive effects. What is the new research on the healing properties of CBD? Pedram Shojai welcomes guest Leonard Leinow to discuss how CBD can help patients heal.

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2019-11-14_Leonard_Leinow.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:55pm MDT

Contemporary life provides us with infinite opportunities. We can immerse ourselves in the vast, enticing world of digital media. But living in this 24/7 hyper-reality comes at a steep cost: left unchecked, it poses serious risks to our physical and mental health, relationships, and even the ability to control our thoughts. David Perlmutter, MD joins Pedram Shojai on The Urban Monk Podcast to discuss how the culture around us can affect us. Based on the latest science, Dr. Perlmutter reveals the mental hijacking that undermines each and every one of us, and presents the tools necessary to think more clearly, make better decisions, strengthen bonds with others, and develop healthier habits.

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2019-12-12_David_Perlmutter.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:11pm MDT

Stem cells were once controversial due to their method of acquisition but the research has advanced and there are new ways to gather stem cells. The benefits of using stem cells to heal are great and Pedram Shojai himself has been using stem cells to help heal a previous hip injury of his under the supervision of this week's guest, Dr. Harry Adelson! How do stem cells work and where are doctors now getting them from? What is the success rate and what can someone using stem cells reasonably expect?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2019-11-05_Harry_Adelson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:36pm MDT

Flint, Michigan was only the tip of the iceberg. From big cities and suburbs to the rural heartland, chemicals linked to cancer, heart disease, obesity, birth defects, and lowered IQ routinely spill from our taps. Many are to blame: the EPA, Congress, a bipartisan coalition of powerful governors and mayors, chemical companies, and drinking water utilities—even NASA and the Pentagon. Meanwhile, the bottled water industry has been fanning our fears about tap water, but bottled water is often no safer. So then what is the solution? Pedram Shojai welcomes author Seth M. Siegel back onto The Urban Monk Podcast to discuss the current state of drinking water how to ensure the water coming out of your tap is safe to drink.

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2019-10-17_Seth_M_Siegel.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:39pm MDT

When you invest your money in either the banks or on Wall St. have you ever considered what your money is actually doing? What impact does your money have when you put it into a savings account or a retirement fund? Is your money going towards companies that you would want to do business with? And how can you tell if a company is actually doing good, not just on a financial sheet, but for the world and its environment? Martin Whittaker, founding CEO of JUST Capital, takes out the guesswork when trying to find ethical places to invest your money. He joins Pedram Shojai on The Urban Monk podcast to discuss the current state of finance and how that is impacting the world at large.

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2019-10-17_Martin_Whittaker.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Toxins are everywhere and they're difficult to avoid. Even when we try our best we may still be exposed to harmful toxics that affect our health and wellbeing. What sort of toxins are we being exposed to regularly and how do they affect us? Pedram Shojai welcomes Urban Monk Podcast regular Tom Malterre back to the show to discuss the ongoing research into endocrine disrupters that mess with our lives.

Direct download: 2019-10-10_Urban_Monk_Podcast_Tom_Malterre.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Are women showing off their full authentic selves? Traits labeled as "feminine" such as sensitivity, intuition, or feeling emotional were once disparaged as weaknesses and both men and women were encouraged to shut down these aspects of their personalities. Author Amy Stanton challenges old and outdated perceptions that feminine traits are weaknesses and the book The Feminine Revolution revisits those characteristics to show how they are powerful assets that should be embraced rather than maligned. It argues that feminine traits have been mischaracterized as weak, fragile, diminutive, and embittered for too long, and offers a call to arms to redeem them as the superpowers and gifts that they are.

Direct download: 2019-05-22_Urban_Monk_Podcast_Amy_Stanton.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:47pm MDT

Many people enjoy a glass of wine whether it be with dinner or just a way to unwind after a long day at work, but have you ever thought about what's actually in your wine? Wine doesn't actually list the ingredients on the bottle. Well Todd White of Dry Farm Wines joins Pedram Shojai on The Urban Monk Podcast to discuss exactly why that is. Todd also talks about the process in which wine is mass produced and the troubling toxins that may actually be the cause of some headaches associated with wine. What does it take to remove the wine of these toxins? What is the end result for the taste and flavor of the wine?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2019-03-19_Todd_White.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:08pm MDT

You may have heard (often) to fire up your metabolism in order to lose weight, but what really does that mean? How are we able to control our metabolism? Dr. Alan Christianson suggests we should focus on our livers to better serve our body. How does the liver control the fat being stored in our bodies? How can we work better to lose extra inches off our bellies? What role does the liver play in suppressing metabolism?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2019-01-29_Alan_Christianson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:57pm MDT

The Urban Monk is back after a hiatus from the podcast. Pedram Shojai has been busy all year filming a new docu-series on the microbiome titled Interconnected! Here he takes some time to sit and just talk about the experience of filming the series and what he learned and the many experts he was able to interview. No guest in this episode, just Pedram at the wheel driving solo.

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-11-19_Pedram_Microbiome_Solo.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:59pm MDT

Dr. Tom O'Bryan is no stranger to The Urban Monk and he returns to talk about what it takes to restore cognitive function. We've all experienced that brain fog where we can't remember where we put our keys or can't connect the name to the face or forgotten birthdays. What causes our brain to slow down and what can be done to bring it back to optimal operation? Dr. Tom O'Bryan has a step-by-step plan to bring our brains back to tip-top shape so that we can live our best lives!

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-09-18_Tom_OBryan.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:55pm MDT

There's a lot of information when it comes to dieting. Things to eat, things not to eat, things to eat at a certain time, times to not eat, how long to eat, how much to eat, eating as much as you want, restricting how much you want to eat, tricking yourself into not wanting to eat, what the hell are we supposed to do? Cassie Bjork comes onto the podcast this week to talk it out with Pedram about all the diets that are circulating around. Paleo, keto, Atkins, what are all of these and which one is right for each person? How can a person even know?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-08-01_Cassie_Bjork.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:32pm MDT

Aimee Raupp is an acupuncturist and herbalist who has worked with scores of women through various issues. Through her experience in the clinic she has come up with a roadmap to heal from autoimmune disease. She transitioned from helping women with poor fertility outlooks to working with patients on a more spiritual and emotional level. How can one attune one's behavior to better serve your own body?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-06-04_Aimee_Raupp.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

How important is a morning routine? How can what we do in the morning affect the rest of our day? Benjamin Spall has written about this very topic and joins Pedram Shojai to deeply examine the common habits people get into when they wake up. Think about what you do when you wake up. The very first thing. Do you take a moment to appreciate perhaps your spouse? Or are you reaching for the phone to see who's emailed you in the last 8 hours? What affect could this have on our day to day lives? How do we break routines and add in new ones? What positive routines can we fold into our mornings?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-05-28_Benjamin_Spall.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Microbes are life forms that are too small to see without a microscope. There are microbes in the soil, in the atmosphere, and even inside every one of us. How do these microbes live? How do they behave? What are they doing inside each and every person and do they affect the person as a whole? Author Eugenia Bone joins Pedram on The Urban Monk to discuss the fascinating micro-world.

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-05-21_Eugenia_Bone.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:41am MDT

Many of us try to do everything we can to stay healthy, but at times it can be overwhelming. Thankfully, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee through his years of experiences as a doctor has worked out four key components to keep focus upon if we want to prevent disease: food, relaxation, sleep, and movement. By focusing on little changes, the multitude of little changes can add up to big results that will make all aspects of life better. What is the best way to incorporate these four pillars into our everyday lives?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-05-07_Rangan_Chatterjee.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Technology in all of its forms is becoming more prevalent in our every day lives. From mobile phones to tablets and video games and social media, it's quite pervasive. For developed adults, we've come to adapt, but how does it affect the development of a child? Pedram talks with psychologist Richard Freed about the studied effects of technology on the developing brain. How much is too much? Is there an acceptable amount of screen time at all for younger children? How can a parent best control the amount of time their children spends in front of the television or holding a tablet?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-04-10_Richard_Freed.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

This week's episode of The Urban Monk is extra special as guest Emily Fletcher was able to actually visit with Pedram and record with him in his own dining room! Emily was a performer on Broadway stages for ten years which is one of the high forms of insanity. She would wake up and head to a theater sometimes not knowing what role she would be performing that evening. In such a high-stress environment, what made her finally settle down to try meditation? Did she have any pre-conceived notions about meditation? How does she make time for meditation in our current world of deadlines and meetings and conferences?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-04-02_Emily_Fletcher.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

At the age of 22, Leo Galland's son, Christopher, passed away. He was a brain-damaged special needs child who was able to provide uncanny insights. Though Christopher is gone, to Leo his wisdom and presence remains. What is it to feel someone's presence after they've passed away? What is the spirit? How can we feel the spirit of a loved one? How can we connect with our own?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-03-26_Leo_Galland.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Many of us understand the importance of diet when it comes to health. Sure, eating the right food is important if we want to maintain a healthy weight, but what other effects does food have? Max Lugavere has come to know the power of food very well. His mother was displaying symptoms of Alzheimer's disease but they never made any connections that the foods she was eating may have been worsening the disease. What connections was Max seeing between what his mother was eating and what symptoms were being displayed by his mother? Were changes made that resulted in a different health outlook?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-03-19_Max_Lugavere.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Prion diseases are very rare. There are on average only about 300 reported cases in the U.S. every year. Because of its rarity it can be difficult to diagnose. Dr. Greg Eckel is very aware of the topic because his wife has been inflicted with a prion disease. It's been a very scary struggle for him and his family as she struggles with this incurable disease. What are prion diseases specifically? What causes them? What symptoms exist?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-03-12_Greg_Eckel.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Water is essential to life as we know it. Not only do we need it to survive, we also use water for so many other things such as agriculture, food preparation, and showering. For many of us, we take the water that comes from our taps for granted, but where exactly is that water coming from? What sort of infrastructure is required to deliver endless gallons of water to millions of people? 

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-03-05_Seth_Siegel.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

The earth's population is above 7.6 billion people. That's a lot of people who need to eat. Fishing is an especially large industry, but it's wreaking havoc for certain natural ecosystems and habitats. Some species are being fished in the tens of millions each year. Is there a better way? Bren Smith is a former fisherman who understood he was involved in a highly destructive industry. He then began working with a large salmon farm, but found it was essentially the same destruction. He began searching for a more sustainable way to fish and farm which led him to develop 3D ocean farms. What are 3D ocean farms? What sort of seafood is Bren able to farm? What are the benefits of 3D ocean farms versus traditional seafood farms?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-03-01_Bren_Smith.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Diets are hard. Not even in the weight loss sense, but just in the general idea of the general foods a person should eat to be generally healthy. We're told that fats make us fat, but then someone else comes along to say that fats actually help to lose weight. Salt is bad, but someone else says it's fine. Gluten will mess you up, but someone else says, "Maybe in moderation you'll survive." What is it?? Dr. Mark Hyman joins Pedram Shojai on The Urban Monk to discuss the confusing, confounding, conflicting messages regarding what to eat. Who should we listen to? What do all the various food studies mean? What the heck should we eat?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-02-26_Mark_Hyman.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

There's a lot going on in the world and it's easy to believe we won't be able to make a difference, especially at the individual level. It's easy to think we're alone in our feelings, but what if there was actually a community that was as passionate as we are? Fiona Hazell and Emelie Ekblad had a chance meeting that led them to create MAD. What were their individual journeys and experiences through various conditions that led them to madness? How did Emelie and Fiona meet? What about their meeting led them to forming MAD? What are they hoping to accomplish? How are they forming a new community to work together to resolve the big issues they see around the world?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-02-19_Emelie_Ekblad_and_Fiona_Hazell.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Autonomous cars hold a lot of promise. Imagine if we could reduce or even fully eliminate automobile accidents due to road rage, drunk driving, or distracted drivers. Imagine if rush hour traffic was no more! Imagine the time you could get back to nap, read, or talk more intently with someone on the phone if you didn't have to drive! These are some of the various promises made by the concept of a self-driving car, but how realistic are these promises? On this episode Pedram Shojai welcomes Eric Noble from The Car Lab to discuss the advancements auto-makers have been able to make and how much further we still have to go before we get a fully autonomous car that allows us to take a heavy duty nap on the road. What are the technological limitations? Are we sure we'll be able to overcome these barriers? What sort of time frame can we expect before everyone is able to afford a self-driving car? Are there legal barriers to self-driving cars? How long before we can expect everyone to have a driverless car?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-02-15_Eric_Noble.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Dieting sucks. Let's just be honest about that. Holidays, birthdays, and even just a Friday night out with friends means we are all often surrounded by tempting foods that are not perhaps the best for our midsections. How can we easily navigate the endless food options that always appear in front of us at the worst times? For Robyn Youkilis, she understands this struggle. She also recently had her first child and had to re-shift her thinking as she set realistic goals in returning to her normal pre-baby weight. Regarding the struggle of losing weight, sometimes people can become hard on themselves if the results aren't immediate. How can we push back against this mentality of wanting and needing quick weight loss?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-02-12_Robyn_Youkilis.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:21am MDT

How do we know something is safe? From lotion to food to soap and shampoo, we interact with so many different items in a single day. Who is checking that these items are safe? Amy Ziff was a journalist living in Silicon Valley who asked these questions when twins were having allergic reaction to otherwise normal items such as pillows and diapers. She had an older child who did not have any sort of reaction to these items. What was happening with her younger children? What chemicals were going into household items? Are these all listed on packages? If not, how did Amy figure out what was contained in various items? Even when doing the research, how are we able to filter what is truth and based in science rather than a blogger's speculation?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-02-05_Amy_Ziff.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

After a little hiatus The Urban Monk podcast is back with new episodes! Starting off 2018, we have Scott Stabile joining Pedram Shojai. Scott is the author of Big Love: The Power of Living with a Wide-Open Heart. It's really easy to focus on the negative aspects of our lives and the world at large, but what happens if we choose to focus exclusively on the kindness and love? Scott insists that change can lead to endless good. Scott didn't have it easy either. His parents were murdered when he was fourteen. His brother later died of a heroin overdose. After that Scott joined a cult that dominated his life for thirteen years before he took the steps to walk away. How was he able to face these struggles and emerge on the other side with endless love for not only himself, but the world around him?

Direct download: Urban_Monk_2018-02-01_Scott_Stabile.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Many suffer from fatigue. Despite making lifestyle changes regarding diet and schedules some people are still plagued with fatigue. Could it be exhausted adrenal glands that are unable to produce adequate amounts of hormones that are leading to fatigue? This is a hotly debated topic in the medical community. To some there is an easy correlation between symptoms and diagnosis, but what is the real research? Ari Whitten looked into the concept of "adrenal fatigue" to see what research existed. What did he find? What data exists? Does adrenal fatigue really exist? How can data be cherry-picked to back a pre-determined argument? Are there possibly other reasons for chronic fatigue? What other factors might exist that leads to a person fatigue?

Direct download: UrbanMonk137AriWhitten.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:54pm MDT

The co-founder of Runa, Tyler Gage, stops by the studio to discuss with Pedram how he started his company. A graduate of Brown University, what made him leave behind his suburban life to go explore the Amazon rainforest with indigenous elders at the age of 20? Runa, according to Inc Magazine, has become one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the US. How has Tyler been able to expand his the company so quickly? How does Runa's mission statement help better the Amazon rainforest while still allowing growth and expansion in a consumer economy?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk136TylerGage.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:45am MDT

At forty-four, acclaimed cardiologist John Day was overweight and suffered from insomnia, degenerative joint disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. On six medications and suffering constant aches, he needed to make a change. While lecturing in China, he’d heard about a remote mountainous region known as Longevity Village, a wellness Shangri-La free of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, dementia, depression, and insomnia, and where living past one hundred—in good health—is not uncommon. Day, a Mandarin speaker, decided to spend some time living in Longevity Village. He learned everything he could about this place and its people, and met its centenarians. His research revealed seven principles that work in tandem to create health, happiness, and longevity—rules he applied to his own life. Six months later, he’d lost thirty pounds, dropped one hundred points off his cholesterol and twenty-five points off his blood pressure, and was even cured of his acid reflux and insomnia.


Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk135JohnDay.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:13pm MDT

We make big fusses about political elections every couple of years. Beyond that many people think they aren't able to enact big changes on their own. But what about the choices we make every week regarding what we buy? A big power of the people is regarding the economy. The decisions on where we spend our money send big signals to big companies. To help distill how much power each citizen has, Andrew Winston joins today's program to discuss the thought process of companies as they observe and track spending. How does change from a citizenry affect corporations and how does that change affect actual policies?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk134AndrewWinston.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:38am MDT

In 2009, while thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, Robert Moor began to wonder about the paths that lie beneath our feet: How do they form? Why do some improve over time while others fade? What makes us follow or strike off on our own? Over the course of the next seven years, Moor traveled the globe, exploring trails of all kinds, from the miniscule to the massive. Moor reveals how this single topic—the oft-overlooked trail—sheds new light on a wealth of age-old questions: How does order emerge out of chaos? How did animals first crawl forth from the seas and spread across continents? How has humanity’s relationship with nature and technology shaped world around us? And, ultimately, how does each of us pick a path through life?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk133RobertMoor.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:15am MDT

For Jaimal Yogis, the path to enlightenment is surfing. Between water and air, between control and surrender, between the tangible and intangible realities of life, the spiritual can be found. Born to a family of seekers, he left home at sixteen to surf in Hawaii and join a monastery—an adventure he chronicled in Saltwater Buddha. Now, in his early twenties, his heart is broken and he’s lost his way. Hitting the road again, he lands in a monastery in Dharamsala, where he meets Sonam, a displaced Tibetan. All Our Waves Are Water follows Jaimal’s trek from the Himalayas to Indonesia; to a Franciscan Friary in New York City to the dusty streets of Jerusalem; and finally to San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. Along his journey, Jaimal prays and surfs; mourning a lost love and seeking something that keeps eluding him, until he ultimately finds what he’s been looking for—that the perfect ride may well be the one we are on right now.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk132JaimalYogis.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Happiness is a very common goal. Who doesn't want to be happy? But what does that mean to be happy? How can we attain happiness? For some of us, though we may have a great job and supportive family and friends, we may still be hit with feelings of insecurities, anxiety, or even depression. Why can this still happen even in the best of situations? Psychiatrist Anna Yusim works with patients who have expressed these very concerns. She's even struggled with them herself! She spent fifteen years studying this phenomenon and concluded that the issue deals with spiritual neglect! What does this mean? How can people address their spiritual and psychological needs at the same time? What effects can this have on people's lives to address their spiritual needs?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk131AnnaYusim.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

The rainforests cover about 16% of Earth's total land surface, though that number is shrinking. Many of us understand the importance of the rainforests and their great ability to help absorb carbon dioxide. Many of us also fully understand the need to protect them from further deforestation. But how can we do that from where we are? Do we have to get on a plane and fly to South America to help? Lindsey Allen of the Rainforest Action Network joins today's show to explain that each of us has the power to help and we can help everyday. In what way can we send a message to corporations that might contribute to harmful practices regarding rainforests? What everyday actions can we take to send messages to such massive corporations?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk130LindseyAllen.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Our world has ended five times: it has been broiled, frozen, poison-gassed, smothered, and pelted by asteroids. What else could possibly happen? Journalist Peter Brannen has taken a close look at the five mass extinctions our planet has gone through. What exactly happened to cause extinction on such a massive, planet-wide level? How did any life make it past these events? Do these past extinction level events provide any clues to how it could happen again? If life was able to continue after these past events, does that provide any hope for humans should something catastrophic happen?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk129PeterBrannen.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

We all feel fear. Yet we are often taught to ignore it, overcome it, push past it. But to what benefit? Once recognized as the best extreme skier in the world, Kristen Ulmer knows fear well. Rebuilding our understanding of fear from the ground up, Ulmer starts by exploring why we’ve come to view it as a negative. From here, she unpacks fear and shows it to be just one of 10,000 voices that make up our reality, here to help us come alive alongside joy, love, and gratitude. How can we harness our fear to overpower what we are fearful of in the first place?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk128KristenUlmer.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Life has a way of getting us into a very comfortable, yet repetitive grind. We wake up, we shower, we go to work, we get home, we eat dinner, we sleep, we repeat the pattern day after day. Some of us used to do stuff. Some of that stuff might have been considered fun. What happened? Matt Walker wonders that too, but actually wants to help infuse some adventure back into your life. He founded and directs "Matt Walker Adventures" which leads small groups on mountain adventures with a focus on individual development. Why is it important to travel outside of our small town borders and see what else is out there? What irrational fears might some people have regarding international travel? What concerns are actually well founded? And what can be gained by experiencing something firsthand? Adventure is out there!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk127MattWalker.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Politics overwhelm the national conversation. They've always dominated the conversation and they're especially at the forefront now. But for a lot of people, politics seem far removed for any realm of citizen control. Sure there's voting, but between elections, how can citizens hold politicians accountable? David Willett of the League of Conservation Voters joins The Urban Monk to discuss the tricky issue of politics. Especially regarding the environment, some politicians seem to have that so far off their radar as to seem entirely invisible to them. How do we give voice to our opinions in a way that will create legislative action?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk126DavidWillett.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:02pm MDT

Sometimes we have trouble, but we want to operate at 100%. Whether it's getting a presentation together at work, pushing ourselves harder at the gym, or just being present with our family, we have moments where we want to operate at full capacity. What keeps us from operating fully at times hard as we might try? In their new book, Peak Performance, Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness explore various practices that can get people to reach their optimal output. How much rest does one need before we put 100% of ourselves into a project? Are there physiological differences between rest and work? How can we align our bodies to do what we need it to do? And how can this be effective across a wide range of activities?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk125BradStulbergSteveMagness.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

If you're listening to Urban Monk, chances are you care about the environment. But with so many things seemingly going wrong, what are are some easy to take steps one can make to help? Lisa Archer of Friends of the Earth suggests something as simple as pushing retailers to increase organic options for groceries. It's something we all do, and retailers will always follow where the money is. At the end of the day for businesses, it's still a business. What kind of impact could the single consumer have if we change our spending habits? How will retailers have to react? How will that change where our food comes from? How does that help the environment at large?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk124LisaArcher.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Most of us have heard of gluten — a protein found in wheat that causes widespread inflammation in the body. Americans spend billions of dollars on gluten-free diets in an effort to protect their health. But what if we’ve been missing the root of the problem? Pedram invites renowned cardiologist Dr. Steven Gundry who reveals that gluten is just one variety of a common, and highly toxic, plant-based protein called lectin. Lectins are found not only in grains like wheat but also in the “gluten-free” foods most of us commonly regard as healthy, including many fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and conventional dairy products. These proteins, which are found in the seeds, grains, skins, rinds, and leaves of plants, are designed by nature to protect them from predators (including humans). Once ingested, they incite a kind of chemical warfare in our bodies, causing inflammatory reactions that can lead to weight gain and serious health conditions. What steps do we have to take to avoid the lectins and what sort of swaps are available so that we might still have a full diet while avoiding the many things lectins are in?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk122StevenGundry.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

It’s no secret that women today are juggling a lot. They now make up more than half the workforce in the United States and are busier than ever with partners, children, family and friends, often putting the needs of others ahead of their own. And if they feel overwhelmed by it all or fall short of perfection, many have learned to be their own worst critic rather than their own best friend. To try to get women back on their own sides HeatherAsh Amara provides an antidote against the thinking that you are not enough. How can you be present here and now with work, your partner, your children, whatever is present in front of you right now? How can you reclaim your energy to focus on what you need to instead of worrying what happened in the past or worrying what might happen in the future? How can you get yourself unstuck from the everyday grind of life?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk121HeatherashAmara.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

For decades, we’ve been told the key to prosperity is to look out for number one. But recent science shows that to achieve durable success, we need to be more than just achievers; we need to be compassionate achievers. Compassion seems to be a big missing ingredient in a lot of human interactions. How can one be a better compassionate person and understand and connect with other people? Pedram Shojai welcomes author Chris Kukk to The Urban Monk to discuss why compassion can create more productive workplaces along with healthier, less violent communities.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk120ChrisKukk.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Fear has a tendency to give us tunnel vision—we fill the unknown with our worst imaginings and cling to what’s familiar. But when confronted with new challenges, we need to think more broadly and adapt. When Isaac Lidsky learned that he was beginning to go blind at age thirteen, eventually losing his sight entirely by the time he was twenty-five, he initially thought that blindness would mean an end to his early success and his hopes for the future. After such a major setback, he didn't let being blind keep him down. He took responsibility over his reality and thrived. Pedram Shojai talks with him about the challenges he faced, what life was like before, during, and after he went blind, and how he is now able to run a business and raise children which in and of itself is difficult enough!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk119IsaacLidsky.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

For many, spring time is the time we finally get to leave the house and enjoy the outdoors after a cold and bitter winter. Spring is also the time we get to get our hands dirty with our garden. A garden is a great way to introduce some plant life right in our own front yards. Some people might just pick some plants and flowers to plant based on how they look or how they smell, but what thought do people put into how the plant might interact with the wildlife of the area? To talk about how to help protect wildlife through our own gardens, Pedram Shojai invites David Mizejewski of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). What are some major issues facing wildlife nowadays? What does the NWF do to help preserve wildlife? How can home gardens help or harm local wildlife?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk118DavidMizejewski.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:48am MDT

Elizabeth Bast and Chor Boogie are a couple that have navigated some choppy waters. Chor Boogie was a drug addict that was clean for over a decade. But then despite such a great run of being clean, he relapses. Unfortunately, 90% of narcotics addicts relapse in their first year of being clean. Elizabeth and Chor wanted to break this addiction once and for all and weren't finding any permanent solutions through the traditional medical system so they looked elsewhere. Their attentions were turned towards an obscure sacred plant from Central West Africa named iboga. What is iboga? How did the ancient people of Africa use it? Is there any research that has been done on this plant? How is it different from other sacred medicinal herbs like ayahuasca, peyote, or psilocybin mushrooms? How lasting are the effects?


Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk117BastAndBoogie.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

The ocean is a big place. And we keep putting our crap in it. But how is human-made trash ending up in our oceans? Surely people aren't still dumping tons of trash into our oceans purposefully, right? And with so much trash in the ocean, what can the average person do to help? On today's episode of The Urban Monk, Pedram invites Elizabeth Murdock, director of the Pacific Ocean initiative at the Natural Resources Defense Council, to discuss the current state of the oceans. How has human trash affected sea life in the oceans? Do we actively have to get into the ocean to clean it up? What preventative steps can we take to ensure our trash does not end up in the ocean?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk116ElizabethMurdock.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Whether we’re in the boardroom or the classroom, we spend far too much time and energy looking for the right answer. But the truth is that questions are just as important as answers, often more so. If you ask the wrong question, for instance, you’re guaranteed to get the wrong answer. A good question, on the other hand, inspires a good answer and, in the process, invites deeper understanding and more meaningful connections between people. Asking a good question requires us to move beyond what we think we know about an issue or a person to explore the difficult and the unknown, the awkward, and even the unpleasant.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk115JamesERyan.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

For some there is a huge disconnect between mind and body. This can be exacerbated when regarding lovemaking. For Charu Morgan, she was able to find a strong connection to her body through the practice of tantra. What is tantra? Is it specifically related to the act of sex? How does the practice reconnect the body and mind and how does it lead to enhanced pleasure during lovemaking? Is this something that can only be practiced during the act? And for those of us currently flying solo, is there anything we can benefit from practicing tantra as well? I'm, uh, asking for a friend...

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk114CharuMorgan.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

What is the principle purpose of a brain? A simple question, but the answer has taken millennia for us to begin to understand. So critical for our everyday existence, the brain still remains somewhat of a mystery. Gary L. Wenk takes us on a tour of what we do know about this enigmatic organ, showing us how the workings of the human brain produce our thoughts, feelings, and fears, and answering questions such as: How did humans evolve such a big brain? What is an emotion and why do we have them? What is a memory and why do we forget so easily? How does your diet affect how you think and feel? What happens when your brain gets old?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk113GaryWenk.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Economics affect all of us. Whether good or bad, whatever is happening in the world of economics affects policy decisions, multi-billion-dollar investments, and even social and environmental policy decisions. But according to economist Kate Raworth, most ideas about economics are extremely out of date and college courses are behind by decades. What is the traditional view of economics and how is it out of date? How would Raworth reframe the way we think about economics? What kind of changes could occur if we change this thinking?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk111KateRaworth.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

More than thirty-five million Americans currently suffer from Hashimoto’s—an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid gland and causes the body to attack its own cells. To alleviate the symptoms of this debilitating condition—including chronic cough, acid reflux, IBS, allergies, chronic pain, hair loss, brain fog, and forgetfulness—patients are often prescribed synthetic hormones that have numerous life-altering side effects. Diagnosed with Hashimoto’s at twenty-seven, pharmacist Dr. Izabella Wentz knows first-hand the effects of the disease, as well as the value—and limitations—of medication. The key to improved health, she argues, involves lifestyle interventions. In Hashimoto’s Protocol, she outlines a proven treatment that has helped thousands heal and many others feel better—in as fast as ninety days.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk111IzabellaWentz.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Second Amendment rights in the United States is an extremely contentious issue. There are compelling arguments from every viewpoint and everyone has an opinion. Coming from a background of journalism, author Iain Overton explored the lifecycle of the gun, from those who make firearms, to those who sell them, use them, and die by them. In a conversation with Pedram Shojai, Overton talks about his time and travels around the world as he spoke to ER doctors dealing with gun trauma, SWAT team leaders, gang members, and weapons smugglers. He talks about the fear that can paralyze a person when a gun is pointed right in their face and how that happened to him!


Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk109IainOverton.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Trust in the government tends to be rather low these days. A Pew Research Center study back in 2015 found that only 19% of Americans trust the government "always or most of the time." For Bao Nguyen, that wasn't acceptable so he jumped into the political arena himself. Starting on the Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education, he eventually went on to become mayor of Garden Grove, CA. What does it take to jump into the political arena? What experience does someone need? What kind of person does it take?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk110BaoNguyen.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

There are many famous last words. From Caesar to Marie Antoinette to Benjamin Franklin, there are many famous examples of people uttering great quotes before they pass on. But what about everyone else? What do the ordinary people have to say as they die? Author Lisa Smartt began transcribing conversations with her father after he became terminally ill. Her father lived with a secular world view in his last days suddenly developed a deeply spiritual outlook. What caused this change? She began to examine the final words of other ordinary people. After looking at over a hundred case studies, interviews, and transcripts, what did the last words of loved ones reveal?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk112LisaSmartt.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:07pm MDT

What can a State's Attorney General do? What is their role? To help explain this part of the US government, James Tierney, a former state attorney general of Maine and current Harvard lecturer, joins the program to help Pedram understand all the responsibilities of a State Attorney General. How does their role differ from an elected congressperson? What was Tierney's experience as a State Attorney General? What does he think about the current administration and how the government is being handled?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk107JamesTierney.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Losing is a part of life. For a while children were getting participation trophies, but understanding what a loss means can actually be a critical part of success. Whether losing a hockey game or bombing an important math test, what can these setbacks teach us and how can we grow stronger from the experience? Joining The Urban Monk, author and sports journalist Sam Weinman had to convince his two boys that losing and failing are important experiences to learn from. How can we take these setbacks and turn them into comebacks?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk106SamWeinman.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:53am MDT

After surviving a serious elevator crash in London, Howard G. Charing found he had developed the ability to hear voices and experience visions. What did he think about this change? Did such an ability freak him out? Charing joins today's program to talk to Pedram Shojai about his very normal background and how he, through an accident, became a shaman. What does it take to become a shaman? What can we all learn from shamans?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk106HowardCharing.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Founded in 2001, TerraCycle has been leading the movement in upcycling. CEO Tom Szaky joins Pedram Shojai on The Urban Monk to discuss the various forms of waste management now available to people. What is upcycling and how does it differ from recycling? Are there other levels to waste management? Is there a proactive approach to waste management? That is, how can we think about the way we shop and be mindful of how everything we buy can potentially end up in a landfill?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk105TomSzaky.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

When it comes to skincare, do you think about every part of your lifestyle that can be affecting the quality of your skin? Is there a "one size fits all" solution for skin care? Of course not! Dr. Trevor Cates sits with The Urban Monk to make sense of complicated skin care and how every aspect of our lifestyle can affect how our skin looks. What are the different skin types and how can we identify which one we have? What do the different skin types mean once we identify which we have?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk104TrevorCates.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

What is it about some people that appear to age with seemingly supernatural abilities? Why do others appear to age quickly before their time? While there are many factors to aging, Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn discovered a biological indicator called telomerase, an enzyme that replenishes telomeres. What do telomeres do? What research were Dr. Blackburn and Dr. Elissa Epel able to discover when it comes to biological factors determining aging? Beyond just physical aging, what does this mean for mental capabilities as we age? And just what other factors do play into how we age and what are we able to control?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk104TelomereEffect.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

When people get sick, it's easy to turn to medicine to ease symptoms. It's also easy to create direct correlations between sickness and symptoms. But what if it was more complex than that? What if the various pains and sicknesses afflicting a person were just small parts of a bigger whole? Dr. Aviva Romm approaches health in this very way. Rather than just looking at various ailments as all having separate origins, she sees the human body as one large system that can be overloaded and stressed in various ways. If we were to change our way of thinking regarding our own health, in what ways could our health improve even without the use of medicine?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk101AvivaRomm.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:04pm MDT

Frank Shamrock is no stranger to pain. He's a retired mixed martial arts fighter who has taken his fair share of kicks and hits. He was active for 16 years from 1994 until 2010 which is quite a while to be competitively fighting. There is no doubt he found himself in a lot of pain very often. Doctors and medical professionals of course offered many various pain killers, but the side effects that came along with them were not to his liking. Despite some reservations, he was introduced to the science behind the effects of using cannabis to ease pain. What evidence exists for using cannabis as a pain reliever? How was it able to help Frank? Are there any side effects? What other benefits come with using cannabis?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk100FrankShamrock.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Eczema is an incredibly common skin disorder, however there is still no solution to curing it through conventional medicine means. For Shann Nix Jones, this was not an option as her son was suffering from eczema. At the same time, her husband had a life-threatening MRSA infection that was resistant to antibiotics. Doctors were unable to help her in both cases so she took matters into her control and found her own natural remedy. Along the way she made an incredible discovery, that eczema is not actually a skin condition, but rather an autoimmune disorder. So rather than trying to treat eczema on the surface, she tried to figure out how best to treat it from within. How was she able to help both her son and her husband? What is the importance of our internal systems in showing externally? What does kefir and goat's milk have to do with all of this?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk099ShannNixJones.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Charles Lindbergh is one of the great American heroes. Not content to live in his shadow, his grandson Erik Lindbergh has also been making great advancements in aviation as well. While Elon Musk has been making great advancements for electric vehicles that stay on the ground with Tesla, Erik Lindbergh has been leading the push to make air vehicles completely emission free. How far are we from the vision of 100% emission-free air travel becoming a reality? What could air travel look like in the future? Will commercial air travel still be hundreds of passengers shoved in a metal tube? Or will it become more personalized? Could we possibly all have our own jet packs? Please let it be jet packs.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk098ErikLindbergh.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

When it comes to changing the world, what can one person do? Especially in the face of protecting wildlife and other environmental concerns, how can one person help to stop deforestation? Larry A Nielsen in understanding this mounting problem looks back at eight conservationists who powered through to become positive forces for change. What did these people have to endure to protect what they loved? How effective can one person be when facing pushback from the government and big business? What examples should we take from these eight people to help push against pollution and social injustice in our own lives?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk097LarryANielsen.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Sometimes people do things that are against their own benefit. Why do people live in Florida right in a main path for hurricanes? Why do people live in the Central Plains of the United States when the area is also colloquially known as "Tornado Alley"? On this episode of The Urban Monk, Robert Meyer, co-author of "The Ostrich Paradox," discusses this very idea. Why are some people afraid of flying but have no hesitation driving when statistically speaking flying is the safer mode of transportation? (There's a 1 in 11 million chance you will be killed in a plane crash against a 1 in 5,000 chance of dying in a car crash) Why are people able to forget certain pains and open themselves to repeating bad behavior?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk096RobertMeyer.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Having a child get in an accident is every parent's worst fear. For JJ Virgin, this was a nightmare that became a reality when her son was hit by a car. The doctors didn't give her son much of a chance to make it through, but it was a reality JJ was not willing to accept. She charged up and pushed the doctors to do what they needed to do. Her mindset and determination in turn motivated the doctors to not accept failure as a possibility. What is it about mindset that can change the outcomes of our lives? Is it a self-fulfilling prophecy if we're actively controlling the situation? How can we take control of situations that may seem very much beyond our control?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk095JJVirgin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Sodas are very prevalent. Every restaurant, every movie theater, every party usually offers some soda (or pop to this former midwesterner) as a refreshment. Try as some might, sodas hit the spot for them. And when they're everywhere, it's easy enough to just pick up a quick soda when you're thirsty. But what if we removed the convenience of sodas? Do people miss it? Laura Schmidt, a professor at UCSF School of Medicine, was a proponent of an initiative to sell only zero-calorie or non-sweetened beverages on the UCSF campus. What are the dangers of drinking too much soda? What changes do we see in public health when we adjust the culture around sodas?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk094LauraSchmidt.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:21am MDT