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.

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?

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?

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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?